Wild Kingdom, Part Kabillion

I had a little pie from Walmart (don't JUDGE) on a shelf in my kitchen. It should be noted that the cat door is ALSO in the kitchen.

I went to go out back yesterday morning and noticed something in the yard.  It was this:

SOMETHING had come in through the cat door, grabbed the little pie, took it out back, opened the package, pulled out the pie, ate the pie, PUT THE EMPTY PIE TIN BACK IN THE PACKAGE, and left.

JEZUS CHRIST these raccoons have got a lotta nerve.

J'ACCUSE!:

There's been a raccoon coming into the garage for a while now (Look at the SIZE of that thing!); once summer is over and any theoretical raccoon babies have been raised, it's time to dust off the live traps and do a little relocation project.

OR I could just follow Monty Burns' example:

KIDDING I am KIDDING.

And then!  AND THEN!

I'm in the Foster Room last night with Rosa and the kittens, minding my own business, when I hear a ruckus out in the hallway. SOMEONE (Sodapop, I'm looking at YOU) had brought a VERY ANGRY BLUEJAY into the house and let it go.

I grabbed the net (oh yes you'd better believe I have a net), caught the bluejay, stuffed the cats into the bathroom so they couldn't follow their toy back outside, and released the jay in the park next door, where it squawked VERY LOUDLY at me several times before flying off.

Instead of this house, which is evidently in the middle of a veritable vortex of wild animals, I shoulda bought a condo.  On, like, the fifth floor.  With the only access via elevator.

*sigh*

On the waterfront

Yes, well, believe it or not, there is *something* going on around here other than kittens.  If you're only here for the kitten posts (and I don't blame you), just wait a day or two.  In the meantime:

Last year, I bought my first kayak.  I bought an inflatable because I don't like to cartop because (a), I have a bad shoulder that makes lifting things up difficult, and (b) I once had a disastrous experience cartopping a canoe that put me off cartopping, possibly for life, so the inflatable was a great option.

I had a blast with it, but after taking it out a few times this year, I decided I'd like the added security that a hard shell kayak would bring.  But would one fit in the car?  I took some measurements and decided that, while it would be close, an 8' kayak should juuuuuust fit in the back of the wagon.

With my usual combination of false confidence and naivety (because "naivety" sounds better than "stupidity", ha),  I headed off for a local sporting goods store Sunday morning.  Here's the deal, I told the guy who waited on me.  I'll buy the kayak if I can fit it in the back of the car.  Otherwise, no dice.

Well, he said, laughing, I guess there's only one way to make this sale - I've gotta fit the kayak in the car!

Voila:

 Now I can't wait to get it out on the water!

And hopefully I'll be able to get it BACK in the car.  Ha.

More! Kitten! Pics!

How big are two-day-old kittens?  This big!:

Snack time!:

 Rosalita gets comfy:

HEY!! What's a kitten gotta do to get a DRINK around here?!:

First Day

(Imaginary background music:  "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder)

First peek

Welcome to the world, little ones!

Here we go!

STILL waiting ...

You guys, the suspense is KEEEEELING me.

Did you know they make Pitocin for cats?  They do.  I googled it.  Desperate times, people.  Desperate times. Ha.

I'll bet she's tired of me taking belly pics.  "Knock it off, lady!":

Overhead view:

"What?!  I'm comfy!":

Take your time, Rosa.  We'll wait.  *sigh*

It's like Wild Kingdom, I'm tellin' ya

The other morning I heard some odd noises coming from the park next door.  Still in my PJs with my hair all a-kimbo, I grabbed my camera and headed over.

(I have no shame, evidently.  I'm all the time wandering around outside in my PJs and bedhead.  I bet my neighbors LOVE me.) (aw heck, they're all crazy, too, so who cares?)

Look!  A turkey!

He strutted around for quite a while before finally heading into the brush.

And in other neighborhood wildlife news, evidently there is more than one fox hanging around:

Hey!  Foxes!  Get offa my lawn!  ha.

The Weekend

On Saturday, I took a load of local feral cats up to Cortland so that they could be spayed/neutered at a low-cost clinic there.  I was able to turn another volunteer onto the Hamilton CD during the road trip.  Good day!

Sunday was paddle day.  Lovely skies:

Mama duck was keeping watch over her flock:

Daisies by the shore: 

Little island:

What's a loon doing in this neck of the woods?  I have no idea, but it was pretty thrilling to see:

And in OTHER news:

Nope.  Still waiting.  *sigh*

My cat is a Cornell grad!

On Tuesday, I had to take Ponyboy up to Cornell for an appointment with a veterinary ophthalmic specialist.

Yep, my cat has an eye doctor.

Due to the feline herpes he had as a kitten before he came into rescue care, Pony has a chronically runny right eye.  He's been to several local veterinarians and been on all kinds of different meds, with no improvement.  (Before anyone asks:  YES, we've tried lysine! for YEARS.  Didn't work.) So his latest veterinarian wanted him to be seen at the Cornell Companion Animal Hospital, to see if the specialists there had a fresh take on his condition.

Road trip!

Ponyboy was a trouper, through the ride up and back, the three hour (!) vet visit, the tests, the poking, the prodding, he was fine through it all.  What a good boy!

He was given a couple of new medications to try (*sigh*), and he'll be rechecked in a few weeks to see if the latest greatest meds are making any difference.

Hang in there, Pony!  We'll find the right meds someday!

Good boy.

Salt Springs, con'td

Spooky vines:

Natural spring on the bunny trail:

Haying was underway:

 This deer was like, "Not much, just chillin'.  And you?":

Field of buttercups:

Pretty phlox:

Salt Springs Stones

Yesterday I took a little trip to Salt Springs, to discover that the stoneworkers had been continuing their efforts.

I'll have more on Salt Springs tomorrow ...

... and in case you're wondering, yes, we're still waiting for the little bundles of joy.

(photo taken using the "how RUDE!" setting on my camera.)

No babies, er, kittens, yet!

Still waiting ...


"Lady, can I borrow your lap?  'Cause mine seems to be missing ...":

I was sitting in the foster room last night with Rosa on my lap and my hand on her belly, and I swear I could feel those kittens moving around.  It was kinda freaky.

I remember when I was a kid, my sister Ditzy had a cat named Jinx who looked a lot like Rosa, and Jinx looked like she had swallowed a basketball by the time she delivered, so we may be looking at a few more days here.  At least.  Ha.  If there's one thing I've learned fostering, it's that cats do things on their own schedule.



"I wonder when those kittens are going to get here ...":

Rosalita, step a little lighter

Yeah, I think she's pretty much over this whole "pregnant" thing.

"Jeez, lady, will ya quit takin' pics of my belly, already?"

"I'll have these kittens when I'm darn good and ready, thankyouverymuch."

UPDATE!  Rosalita went to the v-e-t for a checkup this morning.  She tested negative for leuk/FIV (yaaaaay!!!), AND she is carrying at least four and possibly as many as seven kittens!   Holy cow!  The v-e-t says it'll probably be a few more days before she delivers.  

This week in the garden

Lots of purple and some pink.