Dec 19, 2014 | kittens |
I can hear you now – “But that’s every cat!” and I will tell you you’re wrong. Never in all my years of owning a cat have I had cats that disrespect me as much as these two.
In my house, cats are not allowed on the counter. This is a rule I tell guests, this is an actual rule and my older cats follow it great! They have a stool by the counter and upon which they can sit an observe, which they do. However there are no paws on the counter and if given a treat the older cats will take it to the ground to eat it.
The Burmese on the other hand – today as I was working at the table I heard some growling and fighting behind me and turned around to see both Burmese on the counter fighting. I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong this is. When I yelled at them to stop, they looked at me, then slowly stretched their way off the counter onto the stools.
Here I was making Iced Tea and Luna decided to help. What cat will jump in the refrigerator? Every time you open the door you need to make sure she is not in there.
Here is Brutus, I guess he assumes that because he is not on the counter, this is technically allowed. Spoiler Alert: It’s not
This is above and beyond any amount of kittenness I have experienced, ever. As you saw from my previous posts they are becoming better and better friends and I fear the day when they finally start working as a team.
Dec 17, 2014 | Holidays, kittens |
Day by day the Burmeseys are becoming better friends. In full disclosure I put Luna here but she kept trying to go up and was a little frightened. This was the first time Brutus didn’t bite her to chase her away from his “territory”. They are still figuring things out between them but this picture gives me hope that my life won’t be filled with hissy/growly/screaming for the next 18 years…
In other news, Luna has discovered the best way to get around the house is the hood of my sweatshirt. I full expected to claw her way out but she settled in for the long haul. It started to get a bit chokey though so I took her out, which of course is when she used her claws!
And finally my little man, Brutus, enjoying his Christmas present a bit early since we will be out of town. It is a gift box filled with all sorts of super cat goodies. The company is KitNipBox and they even offer a monthly subscription! Brutus was more excited about the box and the package which stunk of catnip over the actual toys and treats but you know how cats are! KitNipBox knows – the shipping box even turns into a little cat house!
Dec 15, 2014 | Current Events, Holidays, Travels |
This past weekend we headed down to Northerly Island in the city for Polar Adventure days. There was birds, snakes, dogs, hot chocolate, stories, and snacks! A small event but a lot of things to see and do and not too many people to get in the way.
Here is my highlight reel, courtesy of Google Auto-Awesome #ThroughGlass
Dec 10, 2014 | Current Events, Hobbies |
This past weekend my sister and I attended the Raptor Workshop hosted by Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation. They are a fantastic organization dedicated to helping injured and orphaned wildlife. They treat all species of wild birds, reptiles and amphibians and treats all wild mammals excluding skunks, bats and raccoons. (although they can refer you to a wildlife organization who helps raccoons if you happen to find one). We have called them a couple times over the years for advice on various wildlife we have found and have even brought them a few injured creatures.
The raptor workshop is designed as an introduction to birds of prey and their care targeted for Nature Center and wildlife staff and volunteers, along with those just serious about birds of prey. Jackie and I learned about this class from the Flint Creek website and were immediately interested in taking it.
The workshop covers an amazing about of information for 1.5 days of work. Granted this is a high level view of raptors and their care and handling, but it was very detailed and interesting. It is meant to prepare students for the 10 week raptor internship (also through Flint Creek) where you go into further detail on raptor care and work more with the raptors.
The first day was spent on the legal bits of caring for raptors – there are a ton of laws and regulations at both the state and federal level that govern what and how Flint Creek must care for not only rescued wildlife but also its education birds. Flint Creek’s goal is to release every animal it rescues back to the wild so they have few education birds (compared to other centers). Flint Creek uses a variety of methods to make sure birds (and other animals) released get the best chance possible to survive and their numbers show that they are succeeding at their mission.
On Day 2 of the workshop, we got to handle 2 of the smaller raptors – an American Kestrel and a Screech Own. Now a kestrel is probably my favorite raptor so I was really excited and Jackie loves owls so she was equally as excited. The workshop size is kept small and the volunteers allot enough time they we were both able to handle both raptors.
Although we would both like to continue on to the raptor internship, we aren’t sure at this point if we have the time in our schedules. The internship is held once a year and only has spots for 8 people but you get hands-on training in all aspects of caring for captive birds of prey. Its a 10 week course but if you pass you can go for your raptor handler certification and even volunteer at Flint Creek to work in their raptor program. For Jackie and I, it would be a way to help any injured/orphaned raptors while also supporting a great organization in our area.
For more information on Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation, please check out their website at http://www.flintcreekwildlife.org/
Nov 21, 2014 | kittens |
And he would prefer it if you referred to him by his proper name.
Nov 11, 2014 | kittens |
Introducing older cats is harder than kittens and sometimes you run into trouble. In our house it manifested in Brutus chasing Luna throughout the house while she screamed, hissed and left a pee trail. We tried keeping an eye on them but cats are sneaky devils and sometimes we thought everyone was sleeping until we heard the screaming.
We tried giving Brutus a time out or locking up Luna when we left but it was just delaying the issue and not really solving it. We then decided to put Brutus on a harness and leash when he started to get out of control. For the most part this would make him calm down and go to sleep and allow Luna to explore the house freely without threat of attack. After a week or two of this they are getting along much better. We still have to harness Brutus up sometimes, but its less and less for shorter periods.
I believe it is very important to harness train your cats – not only for situations as described above but also for transport or even just some outside time. We have been working with all our cats since they were young (and are currently working with Luna) to accept a harness so I have lots of thoughts on what types are most comfortable for the cats as well as most secure.
Cats will escape if they are really determined. Make sure the harness fits snugly leaving room for about 2 fingers under the straps. This is a dog but the same measurements apply to cats. Usually in a harness you won’t need body length but keep in mind that cats are longer than dogs so if you are going to use dog clothes/harnesses make sure to take that into account.
The best harnesses I have found are the thick strapped velcro ones (my cat: ) Mine were made by a friend but you can find similar styles on etsy or amazon. These are great because they are fast and easy to put on and the wider straps make it harder for a cat to slip out of. Additionally, because they are wider and usually lined with fleece they don’t tug at the fur or chaff the neck so a lot of cats who don’t tolerate harnesses, don’t mind these.
The second best IMHO is the Come with Me Kitty brand This harness has thin straps but has a v-neck which lays across the cats shoulders. My cat has slipped out of this harness once or twice so it is easier to escape than the first type. However due to the harnesses shape and construction I have seen a lot of cats be okay in this harness because they don’t think it is choking them.
Finally I would recommend a standard H shaped harness. This is the easiest to escape from and even my dumb cats can do it but they are cheap and prolific so you can find them anywhere if you want to test out harness training. If you don’t tug on the leash they cat shouldn’t have a problem with it. This video is one of the first few times Brutus wore his harness. It also had a bell on it basically turning him into a toy. He liked it much better once the bell was removed.
The final option I will offer you is to get any harness (or adorable cat clothes) and put it on your cat when it starts bullying the other (or you just want them to look cute). Usually just feeling something on them makes them focus on that instead of the other cat and mine usually end up going to sleep. Make sure you set a timer so they don’t wear it too long (eventually any cat will get into trouble – even a costumed cat) and keep a general eye on them so they don’t get caught up on anything. Here is my cat in his Dinosaur of Shame suit.
Nov 7, 2014 | General Chit-Chat, kittens |
After about a month, Luna (almost 100% sure this is her final name) is fitting in nicely and has become a snuggly member of the household. She and Brutus are still working on their relationship but they are getting along much better. Especially around feeding time. I have never had a cat in my life who enjoy cat food as much as these two babies.
Surprisingly, Luna may actually be more of a food baby than Brutus. For being such a tiny cat (about 6 lbs) she is constantly hungry, eats super fast, and then proceeds to eat any food in the vicinity.
Luna also loves cat treats – to the point that she tried to run off with my pinky finger the other day. Right now her favorite is “anything” but she seems especially partial to “everything” as well.
Its not all bliss though. Luna is still a bit nervous in her new house and Brutus doesn’t understand playing nice which leads to much screaming and fighting. During structured playtimes (such as with “da bird”) its pretty good and everyone gets along. Luna even tries to snuggle Brutus by rubbing her head on his face to which he responds by biting her neck. We are working to better social Brutus but right now he has two modes – sleeping and BRUTUS! We are also teaching Luna to be more confident in her environment so she feels more comfortable playing.
The Burmese breed also seems to be a possessive breed so if one has a toy or bed, the other MUST have it. This also extends to people which has lead to some of the fights. Luna is not a total slouch in this area and I have seen her run up to and chase Brutus away from me. She has also completely taken over his bed, which lead to us having to buy more beds.
At least everyone is happy now:
Well as happy as cats can be anyway…
Oct 22, 2014 | Holidays |
That’s me, the house that gives out full sized candy bars for Halloween. Not only full sized but king sized!! A lot of planning goes into it but I love the look on a toddler’s face when they get a Kit Kat bar that is bigger than their head! Truly epic!
We keep a spreadsheet so we know how much candy to buy, what is popular, how much we ate, etc. It’s important because an 8 year old has no qualms telling you Snickers are disgusting and can she please have something else. We also have to have enough extras for the “Cheaters” usually teens who come back a few times. If I catch them I call them out, but honestly all the kids look the same to me so sometimes I miss the repeats 🙂
So let the festivities begin and if you’re in the neighborhood stop on by!!
Oct 13, 2014 | Current Events, kittens |
Today we picked up our new kitten, a 1 year old retired platinum Burmese.
Currently known as “Shalimar” (not sure if we are keeping it), she was born in Russia and brought to the States as a show cat/breeder.
When Shalimar wasn’t getting pregnant after a few trys, the breeder decided it was better to find her a forever home rather than pursuing any fertility b treatments (did you even know that was a thing for cats?!)
After talking with The Other, we felt that due to Brutus’ unending energy and the older cats general disdain of said energy, it was best to get him a playmate around his own age.
We were originally looking at another kitten but thought that since he is such a – well, brute – it might be better that the kitten was a bit older. Shalimar is only 1 month older than him.
She is a but shy right now adjusting to her new surroundings, and Brutus is a bit growly about not being the baby anymore. However both are curious so once everything settles down I’m sure they will be good friends.
Oct 9, 2014 | Literature |
The God Engines by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of the more engaging books I have read recently. Fast paced and short, I think most people could finish this in a day while fast readers could finish in hours.
The characters in this book are portrayed with depth and realism. It is a fantasy book but with enough realism (or exaggerated realism) to make it easy to slip into the minds of the characters. You begin to understand the interpersonal relationships and not only how they affect the people in the book but how those relationships can affect an entire civilization and how we act towards one another and what we must do to survive physically and mentally.
“Don’t discount that part of who he was just because you didn’t know it. None of us are all of who we are to any one person.”
The book focuses on the faith of a civilization in its god and the effect that has on everyone involved from the god itself, to the civilization, to vanquished gods, to people who know nothing of the gods.
The book does a great job of showing what happens when faith is tested, when faith fails, and what an unwavering faith – for good or for bad – can do. The faith in this book is portrayed as a religious faith, but I feel it can be applied to any faith. The fact is that faithful believe so strongly in an idea, that they believe what they are told without questioning it. Is this good? Bad? I will leave it up to the reader to decide where they stand.
View all my reviews
Oct 8, 2014 | Current Events, kittens |
Of the 3 time Brutus has barfed in his life, 2 of them have been directly on me.
Yes, one of those times was just now.
As far as cats go, 3 barfs in 1 year isn’t that bad, I just wish there was a better me-floor ratio.
Luckily, he is ultra-cute
Oct 2, 2014 | Food |
Fall season is here (sadly) but I am making the most of it. I have already had a pumpkin pie and yesterday I had some acorn squash for dinner. Today I made artichokes – you jelly yet?
Sep 29, 2014 | kittens |
Look what I just found! They did this on their own!
Sep 23, 2014 | Food, Travels |
Yay! Catching up on old posts!! The Other and I are huge fair goers. We have been to many fairs in many states but we always come back to what we consider our “home town” fair which is the Wisconsin State Fair. We don’t just go for weird fair food either.
We also enjoy the animal shows and events. We check out all the animal barns and also catch a few of the shows. Horsey-Carty is one of our favorites, especially when they start getting up to the 6 and 8 horse teams.
Of course there are baby animals as well. There is, in fact, a whole baby animal barn which is where I personally like to spend most of my time. I (feel) I am too old to take full advantage of the petting zoo but I do touch every baby animal I can and make cooing noises at it. Here’s my favorite – a litter of piglets! PIGLETS!
This year they had a new event I hadn’t seen before. Bunny Jumping!! It’s exactly what you would think but about 100 times cuter! Bunnies jumping over things! How can you be mad after watching that?! Even when they don’t jump, they are still totally cute!
Sometimes you get to try new things at the fair, and not just food. Here in the bathroom I found a random tub of goo with a sign that said “try me” so ala Alice in Wonderland I did! My hands didn’t fall off so I assume it wasn’t acid but I didn’t stop by the booth either. I’m here for adventure not soap! (even if it was made of sugar…)
Jackie even came with us this year and I got to hand it to her, she kept up pretty good! She had a lot of the weird foods and drinks and didn’t even get sick! She is also expert level at the “people watching” portion of the fair. This is where we sit somewhere with a good view and judge observe other fair goers as they walk past us. Sometimes we make up back stories, sometimes we are just in awe. Either way I hope Jackie is willing to go back next year because it was a lot of fun!
Sep 18, 2014 | Bright Ideas, Business, Politics |
A friends currently has a case in small claims court and they got this in the mail today. It’s probably the best thing I have seen all day!
Sep 10, 2014 | kittens |
His new favoritest game in the world!
Sep 9, 2014 | kittens |
Tomorrow (or later today depending on when you are reading this) Pothole is going to a specialty vet to figure out why she keeps losing weight. At this point she is down to 6.6 lbs!
Friday our normal vet gave her an appetite stimulant which seemed to be working great and today she ate a lot! And then barfed it all up about 30 minutes ago…
Oh well, at least she is a good travelling companion!
sitting on the trunk ledge
moving to the back seat because its more comfortable
riding shotgun!
Sep 4, 2014 | Food, Travels |
So whew! I’ve finally had time to go through all my vacation pictures and organize them so I can start uploading them. Just in time for more trips too! This is from our trip to Seattle, WA for PaizoCon (manufacturer’s of the game Pathfinder, which we play with friends)
Overall the convention was a bit small. We played some Pathfinder, and looked at all the new stuff they had to offer, but overall it was like any other small convention in a hotel. We left ourselves a few extra days to visit Seattle while there and that by far was the best part of the trip. We did head out to the LeMay Auto Muesum one day, but most of our time was spent in downtown Seattle at the Pike’s Place Market.
my my look at all that sausage!
Some famous pig at the market
This guy!
We also visited the original Starbucks!! I was very excited for this, being the Starbucks Fan Girl I am. We also visited the Starbucks concept store (Roy Street Coffee) where they try out new concepts and even serve wine. It was kinda fun to get a Chai and a wine from the coffee shop!
Outside the original Starbucks
Proof!
Chai and Wine: I could get used to this!
We also ate a ton of food. All the food is delicious in Seattle. One of my favorite places was a restaurant in a hotel called Shuckers. It was so much more than an Oyster bar though. The Oysters Rockerfeller were amazing, they had a crab mac and cheese that I would travel to Seattle just to eat, and the dessert was the perfect amount of chocolatey crunchy goodness.
I also got the opportunity to try escargot, which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be
We visited some of the famous tourist spots in the area. Biscuits Bitch had probably the best bicuits and gravy I’ve ever eaten, and I say that having tried them in the south. We also tried crumpets which is everything an english muffin wished it could be. Crisp outside, fluffy center, perfect flavor. yum yum! We also tried Piroshky Piroshky which makes things in puff pastry. It was good – every culture has their own version of this food and I love trying the different variations
Overall it was a great time. I would definitely visit Seattle again, but I probably wouldn’t go back for PaizoCon. There is a lot to do in Seattle and the surrounding area and I would love more time to explore. (and eat!)
Aug 28, 2014 | Fashion, Food, General Chit-Chat |
Check out the awesome gold bib on the guy in the background. That’s a man who is serious about his meals!!
Aug 24, 2014 | Fashion, Food |
We went to Bristol Renaissance Faire yesterday. It was hot, then rainy, but still a ton of fun. I was in costume so I felt google glass wasn’t “period appropriate” but luckily I had my manservant available to document our journey. So all credit for this video goes to Brent Marnati for the footage and Google AutoAwesome for the editing. #ThroughGlass #BrentMarnati
Recent Comments