Happy Month of Love ~ By Bou

 

Hello everyone! **waving my paw to all of you** I hope you are well and that you are behaving.

It's been a fairly boring winter for me. The rabbits are hibernating, the birds have flown to warmer weather, and the squirrels are hiding. We've had so much snow that no one would find me for weeks if I were an outdoor kitteh! I'm so glad to be a house feline. It is definitely BRRRRRY outside!

There is so much snow that it is as high as my boy's car! My boy and a neighbor shoveled out parking spaces so the cars could come and go. They are such good boys!

With all of my animal friends hiding, there isn't much for me to do during the day. So, I sleep under mom's bed, or come out for treats or to be brushed. I have lots of toys, and I like to line them up from the living room down the hall, especially at night. It's like they are my watchful eye brigade, helping me make sure my people are safe.

My favorite thing to do for playtime is play fetch with paper wads. I also have a yarn ball with a string on it that is my favorite of all. My boy plays with me after Mom goes to bed. Sometimes Mom plays with me in the afternoons after I wake up. They are so good.  I love to play tag with my boy, too. When he's not looking I will run up behind him and boop him on the leg. **paw to mouth snicker**

Well, not much more to report from the frozen tundra in Iowa. Please send good thoughts for my kitteh friend, Cole, who is going through chemo and radiation for kitteh cancer. Remember Valentine's Day on February 14th. Give your kitteh lots of extra scritchies that day. I love to hear from my readers. Please continue being the pawsome people you are.  

Kitteh Kisses,

Bou

Rabbits...How's a Girl to Get Any Rest ~ by Bou

I thought I'd drop by and visit a bit with you. It's been a while. I hope you all are behaving, practicing good hygiene--washing your paws frequently, eating a balanced diet, self distancing, and getting lots of sleep.


It's summer! Finally, my humans have opened the sliding glass door and I can breathe in the fresh outside air. The noise from the air conditioner gets old fast when it is running all the time.

Mommy rabbit

Baby bunny

As you can see by the photos throughout my post, I've been very
 busy! There seems to be an influx of furry little bunnies and their moms that think my patio is a raceway. And, Mom, gotta love her, decided they needed some treats, so she put out apple cores and steel cut oats. I think the rabbits sounded the alarm because now the chipmunks and squirrels are in on the feast.





I watched a squirrel at the water bowl (yeah, the demented woman did that, too) drink for 10 minutes. I timed her. Poor thing, she limped away like her leg hurt. I hope she's okay.

I celebrated a birthday since last we visited. I am now 6 years old. Can you believe it? That makes me 41 in human years. We didn't celebrate, other than lots of love and an extra portion of the "nip", if you know what I mean. **paw to mouth snickers.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my outdoor friends. Have a good summer and stay safe and healthy.  You never know when I might pop by!  Oh, yeah, and make sure you keep up on the antics of my best friend Mazie here on the blog. To view more of my blog posts, stop by my Mom's page by clicking HERE. I know she'd like if you read some of hers, too. =^.^=

**Kitteh purrs and love until next time!

Too Cute ~ by Grace Augustine

What does one do when sports have been cancelled in March, when you don't feel well, and when you lay down hoping to rest, but can't? Watch programs about puppies and kittens, of course!

One of my favorite programs, found on Animal Planet, is a wonderful documentary of different puppy and kitty breeds titled TOO CUTE. Of course, I'm more partial to the kitteh ones, but yesterday's episode touched my heart when I saw the Newfoundland puppies.

Deposit photos/Grace Augustine

These balls of fur are lumbering, happy-go-lucky sweet pups that are filled with energy. Great with children, they are happy to run and play until the owner runs out of steam. Standing at a little over 2 feet tall from paw to spine and weighing 100-150 lbs, they are known as the gentle giants in the dog world.

In the same episode was a black retriever mix who had a litter of  8 assorted babies--some resembled the mom, others were a question

Deposit photos/Grace Augustine

mark. Especially the mottled one who resembled an Australian shepherd with one icy blue eye and one brown one. Again, another loyal as can be fur baby companion. In the program, he was the last to be adopted because he was different than the others. But sometimes different is the best.





In my most recent book, THE  MAGIC OF SAPPHIRE CREEK, I introduce you to Lucie, a Bernese Mountain dog who is very pregnant and gives birth to a huge litter of littles.  Lucie's owner is a bit overwhelmed with all of the puppies and chooses some very unique names for the little ones.

Ragamuffin
Deposit photos/Grace Augustine

My heartstrings, though, were strummed with the kittens. There is nothing as sweet as little kittehs who just open their eyes and begin discovering the world around them. There are so many varieties to choose from if you are a cat snob...Siamese, Russian Blues, Maine Coon, Sphinx, Ragdoll, Scottish Fold, Ragamuffin, Berman, Himalayan, Abyssinian, Toyger, Bengal...you name it, there is one. 

Suffice it to say, our fur babies forever will own us and our hearts, whether we see them on television, interact with them at a shelter, or be privileged to have them choose us for their forever homes.

And of course, my story would not be complete without mentioning my very own Princess, Miss Bou...a rescue torbie (tortoise shell/tabby.) 

A Tribute to Kera Pickle ~ by Jennifer Daniels

As I sit here staring at this screen, I’m desperately trying to figure out what to talk about. I’m not going to lie. The ending of November has been trying for me. 

I had surgery for a Ganglion Cyst on the palm of my hand and if you could see my attempt at typing you would all get quite a kick out of it. I’m attempting this, giggling at my typing “form.” You  certainly don’t realize how much you use your less dominate hand until you have to! Luckily, my sutures will be removed on Tuesday, and I can’t wait!

This week has been a difficult one for my husband, son and me. We lost our beautiful pup, Kera Pickle. Our girl was thirteen and was loved so much. It’s amazing how quiet the house is without her in it, and how much I look for her to be in her spot and she’s not. 

Grieving is such an odd thing even for our fur babies because they become a part of our family unit. It’s seems so selfish that I just wish she was still here, but then I remember she wouldn’t have wanted to be here the way she was on her last day with us.

I’m so thankful that we had our Kera Pickle and what joy she brought to our home: she loved to eat newly fallen snow, she greeted us at the door, she spoke without ever saying a thing, she snuggled up to one of us at night, and how she always laid near my son when he was sick. 

I will miss her staring patiently at me while I got her a treat. This year she is our family's Thanksgiving, because she gave us so much to be thankful for. We love and miss you so much our beautiful Kera Pickle.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and I look forward to December’s post because Christmas is my favorite Holiday of the year!

Sydney's Garden ~ by Darlene Kuncytes

My Sydney

A little over a week ago, I had to say goodbye to one of my beloved fur babies. My Sydney. I have had to do this over the years, and it’s always one of the hardest things to do, but this time hit me particularly hard. I love all my babies. They are my children, but Sydney was special. My Syd was absolutely the gentlest, most loving, submissive dog I have ever had. All she ever wanted out of life was to love and be loved. Well, that and food. LOL My Syders did love to eat!

     There was not a single person or animal that she didn’t love, and was always the first to get right in there with kisses and pleads for belly rubs from whoever came through the door.

     I adopted a puppy-mill survivor years ago, and Syd was there to snuggle up to, and help Huny-gurl adjust to her new life away from the torture and abuse of the mill owners. She helped show Huny that not all humans are disgusting horrible abusers, and these two girls loved each other so much. They would wake up in the mornings and give each other kisses before we started our day.

     Huny is adjusting, but I find myself struggling a bit with this loss. I am blessed to have an amazing support group. Two of my heart squad sisters were there when I needed them most. They insisted on coming over for hugs and even brought over dinner and a beautiful rose bush the night we lost her.

     So, I decided that I would remember my baby in a way of love and beauty. I made her a garden.

     Going with my sister, who has always said that Syd was her favorite and wasn’t afraid to admit it, to pick out the flowers I would plant, and the paw print wind chime and other small memorials was so therapeutic.

     I’m not saying that I wasn’t a blubbering mess when I read the beautiful words of love written on the wind chimes about losing a cherished pet. I’m fairly sure the people in the store made it a point to steer clear of me at that moment. Lol

     But... I came home. I planted. I decorated. I cried. I even put four light up paw prints in the stones at the bottom of the container to light the way. And believe it or not. It helps.

     When I finished, I couldn’t help but smile. Syd loved trudging

Syd''s Garden

through this particular area of the yard. For some reason, she liked to eat the grass in this little corner. Now, when her ashes are ready and she comes home once again, I will take some of them, put them in a small bottle, and bury them here so she will always be a part of her special place.

     I still have my moments. And I will miss that little pumpkin forever. She was truly one of a kind.

     I am the lucky one to have had her with me for the time that I did. I’m so very thankful for her worried looks when someone sneezed, her little whines when I would be busy writing on my computer, and when she just simply NEEDED her belly rubbed so bad.

     It isn’t easy. I read recently that losing a pet can be as difficult as losing a person, and I believe it; but planting Syd’s garden has been the best therapy.