Tag Archives: pet

Sep17

our last day.

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we spent our last day together

glenn frey the cat, not the rocker

olive the cat, not the oil

and me.

glenn has taken a turn for the worse

and is quickly slowing down

resting in his favorite place

with olive refusing to leave his side

the three of us

sit in the quiet

just breathing

looking out at the signs

of the seasons changing

taking in the breezes.

i think back to his multiple rescues

his funny, crazy ways

his very loud voice

how i often spelled his name wrong

how he acted tough at first

but was really such a gentle giant

how he tried to camouflage himself in the vines and flowers

how he welcomed another rescue, tiny olive

into our little family.

in the morning

there will be

just two of us left

when we return to this room

as we say farewell

to our sweet friend, glenn frey.

even the flowers are sad.

Jul14

turn down the heat.

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glenn frey the cat not the rocker

is really upset

about the ongoing stretch of excessive heat

and has decided

to vocally protest

each night

however

i have a different style

and feel that silent protests

might be much more effective.

—

“that lemon drop is bearing down
so hot it wilts my artificial flowers”

-richard l. ratliff

—
image credit: henri rousseau, ‘the sleeping gypsy’
Mar21

and along came olive.

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tiny olive

with green eyes of two different colors

just six pounds never to grow any bigger

came into my life

quite unexpectedly 

found in the caboose of a train

a teenage mother

rescued by kind humans

and

soon to move

into to my home and family

with patience and time and space
in the little cottage
olive the cat not the oil
so sweet and playful
met
glenn frey the cat not the rocker
so reserved and timid
and they soon found a way
to peacefully co-exist
watching the world go by together.
—
“peace puts forth her olive everywhere”
-william shakespeare
Oct12

ride along.

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we pulled up at the same time

right next to each other

i got out

his family got out

he stayed in

we looked at each other

i said hello to him

his mom said

he insists on

riding along

on every journey

and refuses

to get out of the car

until they all get home

once again

he just loves to ride.

—

“i’m going along for the ride. the whole ride.

all the way to the end of the line. wherever that is.”

– al pacino in “carlito’s way – 1993

Jul28

behold the world in pause.

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shirley in her camp i.d. picture

have you seen this face?

—

once again

i am reminded

why

i love my community website

 with all its sincere and heartfelt

eccentric charm

this time

there’s a notice about a turtle

who has ‘run away’ from camp

i have to wonder

could there be a slower animal

other than maybe a snail

to have made the great escape?

did anyone else know about turtle camp

or have i been living a sheltered life?

do you think she was homesick

or

just didn’t want to take part

in the arts ‘n crafts or talent night?

—

NEWSLETTER QUERY:

R.H. – 1 day ago

if you see this turtle, please phone — (see picture above)

Our turtle Shirley has escaped once again from turtle camp on J. Road, near V. Ave. She should be wearing a piece of blue duct tape on the back of her shell. She’s very friendly. She may have gotten pretty far – last time, she got to near J. Road and R. Road. before she was found.

Please call ——- (land line) if found. Or text ——-. Thank you!

Reward offered.

Probably will have lit out in the exact same direction as before.

RESPONSES:

W. H. – 1 day ago
I hope that neuroscientist didn’t get her for his experiments.

M. H. -1d ago
Oh my goodness we’ll keep our eyes out! (I read this and thought – oh my goodness, another person who sends their turtle to camp?! And then realized it was you!)

UPDATE:

as of today

shirley is still on the lam. 

—

“take a walk with a turtle. and behold the world in pause.”

-bruce feiler

Mar2

valhalla.

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scottish children gave their goldfish a viking funeral

most people could only be so lucky as to receive the kind of funeral that two goldfish in the scottish isle of orkney were given by some children who were learning about vikings.

the pair of classroom mascots, bubbles and freddy, belonged to the 3rd and 4th grade classes of the papdale school in the town of kirkwall, according to the BBC. the fish had been with the students for a few months, but died about a week before the kids were due to learn about the vikings, so it was decided that they would send the pets to valhalla with a viking funeral.
the students created a small fleet of miniature coffin boats to send off the deceased, fashioned out of cereal boxes and egg crates. they also wrote and recited their favorite memories about bubbles and freddy. finally, they led a funeral procession to a nearby stream where the boats were put in the water, and the lead vessel was set on fire.

may bubbles and freddy forever swim in the halls of their warrior heaven, valhalla.

—

“to live in the hearts we leave behind is to live forever.”

― carl sagan

—

credits: bbc scotland news, e. grundhauser

Dec29

the odyssey.

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pretzel rod, the albino leopard gecko (pre-odyssey).

 last weekend

i stayed with the grandies

while their mom and dad were out of town

and

for some reason

during the last hour i was there

the two friendly house cats

decided to make a snack out of p-rod.

i had no idea this happened until i got home and got the call:

“the cats somehow got the screen off of the top of his terrarium and ate the gecko!”

imagine how badly i felt

that the murder had happened on my watch.

grandie f had just gotten this young gecko

for his birthday 6 weeks ago and was very sad.

he had replaced pretzel,

the tiny, twisty snake who was let go in the backyard.

the next day i picked him up at school and we planned

to make a memorial stone for pretzel rod to put in the garden.

we talked for a while about love and loss and pets and nature.

imagine my surprise when i got a call late that night that he had been found!

he must have crawled into the boys’ dirty laundry

which was on their bedroom floor

to escape the cats

hid out for 24 hours

 then was scooped up

 unknowingly

 put in the washing machine

with the laundry

where he was washed, rinsed and spun.

what?!

he had survived

a feline attack

a day in smelly boy pants

fear

starvation

and

waterboarding?

he was washed, spun and rinsed

but there he was

sitting on the bottom of the washer

and after all of this, he was alive!

f yelled out over the phone:

“and he’s getting stronger by the minute!”

mom and dad said he looked rough and didn’t know if he’d make it

but he was indeed alive.

my task the next day was to get him some special treats

wax worms

(the big macs of the lizard world)

from the pet store to see if he would eat.

sure enough, he had some dinner

the first he’d eaten in a few days.

hopefully he’s on the mend

and we won’t have to go through a ‘second death’.

he looks a little lighter in color,

has some bite marks from the cats,

and doesn’t move as much

but he is alive and that is amazing.

—

“it is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― leon c. megginson

Jun12

dark shadows.

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Shadow of the Cat (01)

i woke up in the middle of the night

to loud screaming

coming from

glen frey the cat not the rocker

who was downstairs

in my living room 

 shrieking

not like 

a cat

but like a rocker

being attacked by something

 i

carefully

crept

down

the

stairs

tiptoeing

expecting to find him

in a death match

with a

massive rabid opossum

or

grizzly bear

or?

as i got closer

i saw who he was

running from

and

terrified of

and

 his enemy

was his own shadow. 

running and running and running

in a circle 

it was

chasing him

nonstop

 he was terrified

running for his own survival

 i shut off the lights

called his name

 pet him

talked to him

after a while

he calmed down

finally

he laid down

exhausted

 heart pounding

i thought about

the many things 

that he might have

had to endure 

before he was rescued

and

understood 

that it all felt very real to him

as if those things were happening to him all over again

but now

he was home

and

he was safe once more.

—
“everything that we see is a shadow

cast by that which we do not see.”

– martin luther king, jr.

—

credits: universal pictures, google images

Apr25

comfortable.

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rescue glen frey the cat not the rockstar

is beginning to get comfortable.

he still eats like a mafioso

facing the door

 always on his guard

and

we still startle each other

if either of us enters a room too fast

but

 he doesn’t run away and hide

as much anymore

and even

hangs around a bit longer each day

scooting off to his safe spot

when he needs to

but

he talks to me loudly

and

 lets me brush him now

and purrs

and tips over

and

even has bedtime habits.

at 10:30 each night

he climbs into his cushiony basket

where his stuffed kitty friend

awaits him

high atop

the window bench with a view of outside.

for a guy who’s had a hard and uncertain life

he seems to be settling in just fine.

—

if it’s the right chair,

it doesn’t take too long to get comfortable in it.

-robert de niro