Thank you, Ginny!

When the UPS guy pulled up tonight I thought it was going to be just another boring Chewy order (well, they're boring except when they come with dead mice inside TRUE STORY), but instead it was gifts!

I love Tinks' expression in that photo.  He's all, "don't laugh ... don't laugh ..."

and look at the cute little buttons!:

Thank you, Ginny (James P.) for the day-brightener!

Sunday Stroll

Well, the sun was SUPPOSED to come out today, but it declined.

But I decided to go out walking anyway.  But first I had to drop some traps off; it seems to be some unwritten rule lately that I can't go anyplace without taking a car full of traps with me.

And then I had to stop and get an oil change, because every once in a while I have to adult whether I like it or not.  THEN it was time to walk.

The skunk cabbage is up!  Surely Turtle Day can't be too far behind.

Beavers have been busy:

A deer bone tableau:

Hmmm ... an unlocked outbuilding at a deserted summer camp ...  Did I go in?  NO WAY.  I've seen WAY too many scary movies to fall for THAT trap:

Bug heiroglyphics:

See that thing up on the tree?  That white blob?:

I got out the binocs, then the zoom lens, to get a better look:

Anybody know what kind of fungus that is?

Finally, it's not a walk around here without spotting a deer or two:

Pretty good camouflage.

Postcards from Foster Camp

First off, I stepped outside the other day and saw that the daylilies were popping out of the ground, so here comes Spring!  THANK GOD.

The Spring session of Foster Camp brought a mamacat and two four-week-old kittens.   A small bunch, but adorable.

"'Scuse me, can I borrow some toona?":

 

"WHAT?!  She makes a good pillow!":

"KIDS these days.":

What else?  I am still trying to get my sister's affairs in order (did you know you have to file a 1040 AFTER YOU DIE?!  Is true.), trapping for TNR continues apace (I'm trapping tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day - Erin Go Trap haha),  and work is going well.   What's up with you?

Good Boy Update

Good Boy is doing well at the center!  He has been moved into one of the community rooms, so he's no longer in a cage by himself.  He is slowwwwwwwly interacting with other cats and spends a lot of time in one of the cat condos, but he is more than happy to come out for some loving from the volunteers.

And speaking of loving, Good Boy's got a girlfriennnnnddddd ...

I'm calling this "The Contessa and the Longshoreman" haha.  He's really working that "drunk-after-a-bar-fight" look, and when you pair that with his squished-in Himalayan nose, well ... I'm just glad he's found someone to love him.  :)

(No, I don't think they are seriously bonded, it's just a case of Good Boy learning to interact with other cats and they with him, but if they are bonded, they will certainly be placed together.)

 He's been vet checked and is in great shape considering he's been homeless for the last few years.  He is extremely welcoming of human attention.  The rescue will continue working with him, and if at any point he starts to overly stress, the barn home is still an option, although at this point it looks like he'll be able to stay at the rescue until he finds his family.

I'll keep posting updates.  The saga of Good Boy continues ...

Winter Walk

So, you know, no pressure or anything

Yesterday was the big day - the day of my civil service exam!

When I was hired for my current position several months ago, it was a "provisional" hire - No one who had already passed the appropriate test had applied for the job, so I was hired on the condition that I pass the civil service exam within six months of hire. 

Well, pass, AND score in the top three among all people who took the test.   Seems to me a little DICEY, if you're the employer, to want to spend months training someone who may or may not be able to keep the position, but hey!  That's their problem, not mine. :)

So me and about sixty other people (they were testing for several different positions) schlepped to a local high school yesterday morning for the big test.  I'm fairly certain I did well, but did I score in the top three? 

Only time will tell!

I was more concerned with the fact that the high school, which is attended by several hundred students, was WIDE OPEN on a Saturday.   I walked right in the front door, followed the signs halfway through the high school to the cafeteria testing site, visited the restroom, took a peek into the auditorium where a play rehearsal was underway on my way out, etc., etc., with nary a security person in sight.  Seemed a little ... odd, in this day and age, but go figure.

Now the wait for the test results.  Somebody cue the Jeopardy music!