Gonna take you down to ... Dino Towwwwwwwn

About a week ago, I saw this in a store and could not resist:

 This?  Is gonna take a while:

It's Alive!:

How cool is THIS?!:

""Look what the cat dragged in," my butt!", Pony says.  "*I* didn't bring this thing home!":

"He DOES make lots of shade, though,":

"Say hello to my little friend":

Sodapop is decidedly unimpressed.  "Outta my way, buddy, coming through."

2019:  Summer of the Dino. :) 

The Good Boy Chronicles: Step By Step

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for your relocation ideas - very helpful!  You've definitely given me a lot to think about.  Feel free to keep adding suggestions!

I realized today that I haven't posted about Good Boy since his dramatic rescue, so let's get caught up, shall we?

One of the first things I did was take Good Boy to my own vet.  Seeing as the rescue does not follow as stringent a vaccination schedule as my own vet does, I wanted to take him in for a get-acquainted visit and to see what the vet recommended as far as further vaccinations.  I know that opinions vary widely on this topic, but it makes me feel better to err on the side of caution.  Are cats over-vaccinated?  Possibly.  Do I still follow my vet's recommendations?  Yes.

Long story short:  Sorry, bud, you're getting the needle.

At home, I kept him in the foster room full time at first. Given his iffy past history with permacat Tinks, I knew I was going to have to take things slow as far as introducing him to the other cats.  But I would be lying if I said I wasn't VERY happy to finally have a cat who would let me dress him up in ridiculous costumes:

Time to explore:

We did site-swapping ala Jackson Galaxy at first.  I would only let Good Boy into a room when the permacats were elsewhere.  That way he could get the lay of the land without having to deal with cat drama.

"Well, there's the birdfeeder, but where's the birds, lady?"

 Blind date time.  "Do you eat here often?"

 I started introducing the cats at mealtimes, one at a time, at first placing the bowls on opposite sides of the kitchen, and gradually moving them closer and closer.  I doubt they'll ever be eating the same strand of spaghetti like Lady and the Tramp, but they can peacefully eat side by side.

The only glitch so far is that Good Boy is so eager to hang out with the other cats, and he's so big and, well, clumsy, that he tends to galumph toward them at full speed, and they get scared and vamoose.

Long story short:  It's going fine, if slowly. I'm so determined to do this right, as opposed to my usual modus operandi, which is slapdash and half-assed, that so far all is well.  Nobody is overly stressed, there has been no major cat drama, and I'm hoping that soon, it'll be like Good Boy has been here all along. 

What's one more, anyway?  :) 

Sell me on your city!

As some of you know, I'm planning on relocating within the next few years. Upstate New York is absolutely beautiful in the summertime, but the winters?  No way.  The older I get, the more tired I am of dealing with cold and snow and terrible, icy roads several months of the year.

So!  To where should I move?  Definitely south, probably quite a BIT south.  And here's where I could use your opinions.  Where do YOU live?  Do you like it, and why?  Is the climate temperate?  How about the cost of living?  Crime rate?

My current neighborhood is in a semi-rural area not far from a small-ish city, and that's kind of what I'm looking for, but without the ice and snow.  But if you live someplace completely DIFFERENT from that and absolutely love it, I wanna hear about that, too!

Sell me on your city!  your county!  your state!  What do you love about where you live?

Soggy Sunday at Salt Springs

It was raining pretty good this morning, but I decided to go for a hike anyway.  Around here, if I waited for the rain to stop before I went outside, I'd never leave the house.  So I grabbed a raincoat and off I went.

In a steady rain, I pulled into the parking lot at Salt Springs State Park to discover it ... empty.  Good!  More park for me. :)

Due to recent severe storms and flash flooding, the main picnic area was no more:

And the creek bridge which leads to most of the trails had been washed away and replaced with ... a rope handrail.  I crossed over on the rocks.  Onward! 

All the rain has made things green green green:

And I swear the rain makes bright things look even brighter:

An old favorite, Penny Rock:

I thought the orange part of this fungus would be slimy, but it was firm and smooth instead:

This big ol' tree had grown across a bigger rock:

In bloom:

Heart rock, in the midst of all the flood damage:

and raindrops on the flowers:

By the time I was done hiking, my boots and socks were soaked and my jeans were wet up to my knees, but that's okay.  It still was a good walk.