I'll miss you Sox

Last week, I lost one of my cats, Sox. It was incredibly sudden and was a huge shock. Sox was only six years old and incredibly healthy and happy before this happened. Tuesday night, I got home from work, was sitting on my couch and going through my mail as she was running around being a spaz as per usual. When I got out of the shower twenty minutes later, Gatinha was meowing at her and nudging her trying to get her to wake up. I knew something terrible had happened. The fact that it happened so suddenly when she was in great health makes me think it was a brain aneurysm but there's no way to know 100% what happened. 

Losing a pet is never easy. People with pets may not quite understand how absolutely heartbreaking it is to lose one, but Sox was a major part of my family. She was always willing to entertain me and distract me when I needed it and never unwilling to cuddle. She's seen me at my best and at my worst and never loved me any less because of it. That's the wonderful thing about pets. 

It's going to be very strange for Gatinha and I to try and get used to not having Sox running around and keeping us company. We've spent a lot of time crying and curled up together. But we'll get through this. 

But remember, love your pets with everything you have because their lives are short and they are family. 

Lifescouts Friday: Animals!

Happy Friday all! This week's Lifescouts is all about animals. I hope you've all had a bearable week and have a great weekend!



Milk a Cow

I took French while I was in high school. Along with all sorts of French type things we did like eat French candy, bake yule logs, we also would take an annual field trip to Heifer International in Little Rock. I'm really not sure what this has to do with learning French or anything about French culture (really, why did we go every year?) but one of the interesting things we did there was actually milk a cow.

Horse Riding

I've ridden a horse many times. I've also owned a horse. And when I lived in DC, there was a stable just off of the military base where I lived. I would occasionally go on weekends to ride the horses and just enjoy the feeling of being in a stable, even though I was in the middle of the capital of the US. I'm also trying to set up a time to go horseback riding with one of my friends, Mel, for her birthday in a few weeks. She loves horses and I'm not sure if she's actually gone or not. But I know she'd like to go and it will be a lot of fun.

Own a Pet

As absolutely shocking as this is, I've owned many pets throughout my life. I got my first cat when I was in kindergarten and had him until I moved to DC. My parents always had at least two dogs and two cats at any given time. And now, as an adult, I have two cats and a dog. I've had Gatinha since she was a tiny kitten and we've been together for about seven years. I've had Sox since she was about two and has been with me for about three years. Samwise is the newest, he's now about 11 months old.

Rainforest
When I was growing up, I couldn't just pack up and go for a weekend at grandma and grandpa's. It was a trip that we had to plan for several months in order to get a visa in order to stay in the country for six weeks. why? Because my grandparents lived in Brazil, in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondônia. Porto Velho is in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. It really was a beautiful place. I was really wishing I could make it to Brazil for the World Cup, but I don't think that's a possibility. But hopefully I can go back soon... I do love Brazil.

Hold a Snake

A lot of my friends love reptiles. While I've mostly had the more "traditional" pets, some of my friends prefer less fluffy creatures. And I really don't have a problem with reptiles, so I've held many a lizard, snake, spider, gecko, whatever. I like animals and I don't see why people get so freaked out by them. The first time I held a snake I was expecting something slimy but I was surprised that they're not (I was like six, okay). And the big boas are heavy. Also, as a Slytherine, I kinda have to like snakes.

Samwise the Stubborn

The weekend after Thanksgiving, Austin and I adopted Sam. At the shelter, he was labeled as a Norwegian Elkhoud Mix, which we took to mean "pure-bred mutt." After a couple weeks, we thought he looked like he had more Whippet/Terrier in him than Elkhound. It really wasn't anything that we really cared about, he's a sweet enough little guy, so we never really looked into it anymore.

Then we started actually taking him to obedience training a couple weeks ago. During his first class, our instructor told us something we really didn't want to hear: Sam is probably a Basenji mix. Now, there's nothing necessarily wrong about having a Basenji, but they are incredibly stubborn. In fact, The Intelligence of Dogs has called the Basenji "the second least trainable dog." This isn't due to the fact that Basenjis are dumb, they're actually a highly intelligent breed, but they are stubborn. And dear lord is Sam stubborn. This just means that we have to be more stubborn than him.

All things considered, Sam really is a great dog. When you look at the fact that he lived on the streets for the first four months or so of his life and then in a shelter for three, he's really a very well behaved loving dog. I just wish the little brat would stop being so hard headed sometimes. The obedience training has helped, but I'm fairly certain that this is more for our benefit than his seeing as we learn new ways to help him learn. He just sees it as time to get out of the house and be somewhere new. He's already got basics like "sit" and "down" and "stay" so we're trying to work on a few more difficult things for him. He's also pretty awful on a leash so that's what I think we're going to have to really work with for the next week with him. He's constantly pulling and is more ADD than he is any other given time.

For those of you out there that has a dog that pulls like Sam, don't get them a regular harness. I know that you might want to get a harness but really that only increases a dogs desire to pull. Think about sled dogs, they have a harness on them so they can pull a sled. A harness that attaches to a leash on the back doesn't get your dog to stop pulling. Our trainer recommended this Easy Walk because it connects in the front, therefor the dog simply can't pull otherwise they get turned in a circle. There are also Easy Walk harness that connect like a bit of a muzlzle that really work the best (if your dog doesn't mind having it on and doesn't try to claw their face off like Sam did). I'll be sure to let you know if the easy-walk harness we got for him actually does help and if it really does help him stop pulling. Because for such a small dog that dog can pull.

Fingers crossed this weeks' walks go better than last week!

It Snowed!

This morning, I woke up to find out that Dallas had received its first snowfall of the season. And by "snowfall" I mean a very light dusting of powder that barely covered the ground. It was nice to be able to wake up and have it actually feel like its Christmas time with the snow and not the 70's that we've had for the past couple of weeks.

I could understand Sam's confusion about this cold white stuff that covered his lawn, he was absolutely baffled by it. Since this is the first winter he's been through, snow was obviously a new and different experience. Sam kept trying to play in it then he would bark at it. Like I said, he was baffled by the snow. I'm curious to see how he would react if there was a real snowfall in Dallas... I'm sure that would be fun for both him and me both.

Sadly, my amusement with this light dusting of snow ended there simply for the fact that people in Dallas forget how to drive when you even throw around the"s" word. Even though there wasn't snow on the roads and there was no fear about ice on the streets, people feel the need to try and drive 10-15 MPH below the speed limit. Why?? Do people here just not realize that just because its cold outside they are allowed to drive the speed limit? I'm all for being a cautious driver, but it is just ridiculous trying to get anywhere. My usual 15 minute morning commute took a whole 25 minutes!

I know, I should be used to dealing with these drivers since I have been in Texas for a little over four years. But I'm not. It still drives me up the wall. I hate slow drivers on a good day so when there's anything but sunshine and Dallas forgets how to drive, it really makes me question how these people get anywhere on time. I'm also baffled by the reaction to the snow because I lived in DC and New York for several years. A dusting of snow there is barely even thought about. You would get several inches of snow and still have to go to work and school. A friend of mine from Buffalo is equally annoyed by the Texas reaction to the cold. He made the comment this morning that if you don't need a shovel, it doesn't count as snow. And I'm inclined to agree. So unless you're a dog that has never experienced snow before, in which case you wouldn't be driving anyways, learn that you can go the speed limit if there's a light dusting of powder.

Enjoy the cold weather, I'm sure Dallas will be back to the 70's and 80's in no time!!

Meet Sam!

We've been looking for a dog since we bought a house. When we started fostering Sheba, we thought we might have found the dog for us until we realized that Sheba just wasn't going to get along with our cats.  Sheba was adopted by a young couple a little over a month ago and Austin and I have been looking for a dog (and one that would get along with our cats).

On Sunday, we went to the Dallas Animal Services to see if we could find a dog that would fit in out home. This little guy is Sam (Samwise, really) and he's a seven month old Norwegian Elkhound. Although, I'm really not seeing that in him at all... Last night he came to realize that he absolutely loves jumping from the ottoman to the couch to the ottoman to the chair. Since he is still a puppy, I think he'll be pretty easy to train. We will have to work around the fact that I don't think he's had to deal with being in a kennel all day. Sam does seem to be a very smart dog, so he shouldn't be too difficult to train.

There will be many more (better quality) pictures of little Sam posted along with all of his status updates on how he's adjusting to living in a home.

Also, I wanted to make note that the Dallas Animal Services is one of the nicest shelters I've seen. The dogs are all in fairly large rooms and kennels. The staff do a pretty good job of keeping everything clean (as clean as possible when you have that many dogs to take care of) and the dogs are taken care of. I was also amazed at how many of their dogs are listed as "Very Special Pets" and the already low adoption fee is waived. So, if you're looking for a pet in the DFW area, I would highly suggest taking a look there. Maybe you could end up saving a dog or cat's life.

Weekend Wrap Up

As much as I'm sure you all loved to read my mid-terms, I think I'm done posting school essays. At least until finals, that is. It may seem a bit silly to some people, but I've realized that I really put more effort into things I know people are going to read. If I only feel like on professor is going to read a paper, I have a hard time spending five or six hours working on a paper. If I feel like several hundred people are going to read something because I put it on my blog, I feel like I really need to make sure its a decent paper. So, I appreciate you all putting up with the past week or so when I've been posting parts of my various midterms here. You may not actually read them and you may not really care, but knowing that they are here and they can be read by many people makes me work harder on them.

Anyways... As I said, no more midterm talk!

This past weekend, Austin and I went to the ballet with Danimal and Mel. The last time Austin and I went to the ballet was in February when Ben Stevenson's Dracula which was absolutely amazing. Friday we saw another of Ben Stevenson's productions, this time it was Peer Gynt. For those unaware of what Peer Gynt is, it is the story of a boy that leads a life switching from on woman to another, never settling down and always letting his hormones take control. He eventually is robbed, beaten and left for dead when a man finds him places him in an institution where he stays for many years. He eventually is released from the institution when he is very old and seemingly on death's door. He remembers all of the women he has wronged over his life and how he has hurt them all, and at the end he realizes that he still loves one woman and chooses to spend the remainder of his life with her. It's really a very beautiful and moving story. And, since it is a Ben Stevenson production, the ballet is something that both Austin and Danimal were able to enjoy (and if not enjoy, they at least sat through it).

Saturday was a very sad day. Sheba, our foster dog, went to her forever home. Austin and I thought it might happen since we took her to meet the couple last weekend, but it was still sad to see her go. She left Saturday morning, so Saturday evening and all day Sunday I just felt like our house was far too quiet. As much as I miss her, I know she's gone to a home that will be perfect for her and she will be loved. Not to mention she wont have to put up with any cats. Having Sheba was a great experience and Austin and I are very proud of the progress she made. We're really looking forward to the next dog we get, and hoping that it wont be too long before we get another dog.

Not only was having Sheba a great experience and we knew we were helping out a great cause, but we also realized that we really like having a dog in the house. Yes, a dog is a lot of work. It really is not something to get into without giving it a lot of thought, but there is something great about having a dog in the house again. Since we both grew up with dogs yet we haven't had one together, we've wanted to get a dog for a while. The thing stopping us for the longest time was whether we actually had the time to offer to a dog. We've seen we do and we're ready for one of our own. We're ready for our own dog to love for the next 10-15 years.

A few weeks of madness

In 17 days, I'll be a homeowner! After the past six months of looking for a house and dealing with bank and title people, I can't believe it's almost here!

This past weekend, on top of spending as much time as possible as I could with my mother in law who's been dealing with some pretty major health concerns, Austin and I started to pack up our apartment. Being a military brat and moving constantly, I've become quite the professional when it comes to moving. I've got labels and spreadsheets and more labels. I've got a system that I've been using for years in order to pack. Austin thinks its a bit insane to see the way I got about packing, but it really works for me (and it makes unpacking incredibly easy).

I usually just see packing as a pain, but, knowing that this is that last time I'll be moving for quite some time makes this experience bearable. Am I the only one like that? Just knowing that you're not going to have to put your entire life into boxes and move somewhere new for many, many years (if ever) is a great feeling. I keep thinking "The next time I unpack this, it'll be in my new house!" It will be unpacked into my house. A place that has my name on it, not an apartment's name. All of these things will be going into a place that will be my own. I can put these boxes into rooms and paint these rooms! I can change the flooring if I want! I can get the appliances in my kitchen that I want, not worry about making due with what an apartment has to offer. I can change the lighting if I wanted to! I'll have a yard! A real yard!

With a yard, I'll finally be able to do something that I've wanted for many, many years. I'll be able to foster a dog and eventually have one of my own! I'm really excited to start working with Paws in the City to foster dogs and find a pup that fits into my home. I've wanted to have a dog ever since I got out of my parents' house but I can't bring myself to get a dog when it would be stuck in an apartment all day. Finally being able to have a house and a yard for a dog is wonderful! And, since I have had my cats for years, I would want to foster a dog or two to make sure that the dog not only fit with me, but also with them. And, even if I can't find the dog that I want for many months, I'll still be able to give love and attention to a dog just by fostering them. The past few weeks I've been working with a few people with Paws in the City to get all of my paperwork ready so when we get moved in all they need to do is tour the home and then find a dog for us to foster.

The next few weeks are going to be insanely busy, so I might not be able to post too much (other than photography assignments here and there). I'll be helping with the office move next weekend, moving into a house (yay!!) the week after, finishing up my last two weeks in British Lit and my Photography course, and getting into the fourth quarter projects here at work. I've been told fourth quarter is when shit hits the fan... I'm hoping I'm ready for it!

I live a dangerous life

Day 15: A Fanfic

Well, I'm sorry to disappoint everyone today, but I'm not going to really be able to post on this one. I don't read fanfic. I don't have one that I read. I don't have an author that I follow.

So....


Here's a picture of a cute cat!!

Our Fur Babies

We have two cats with personalities bigger than they are, Gatinha and Sox.

I got Gatinha three years ago when she was just a little kitten and she's been spoiled ever since then. When I first got her, she could fit in the palm of my hands, now she pretty much needs her own cushion on the couch! When I first brought her over to stay with Austin, I was worried that he wouldn't like her, they wouldn't get along, or maybe he would just be too allergic to her. Luckily, Austin fell in love with her almost as much as he fell for me! She likes to eat, sleep and recently has taken to playing with Sox.

Sox is our newest addition to our family. Austin had known that I would like another kitty for Gatinha to play with since we had both been working 40+ hours a week and we didn't feel like she was getting enough attention. He had done all of the work and found her off of Craigslist and decided that she would make a nice addition to our family! On Super Bowl Sunday, Austin took me out to pick her up from a family that could no longer keep her. At first, Gatinha and Sox couldn't even be in the same room together, our Gatinha thought she was getting replaced. Sox enjoys running around, chasing Gatinha, and hiding things under our area rug in the living room.

We're pleased to say that after a couple months, Sox got over being afraid of Gatinha and tried to play. Gatinha was NOT going to have anything to do with this little kitty. Only recently has Gatinha started playing with Sox, and it is the cutest thing in the world! They both like to sit in our new swivel chair, but never at the same time. We'll be sure to keep everyone updated with how they're doing!


We are also cat sitting for a close friend, Dan. He is a two month old orange tabby. We've taken to calling him Ringo.