When a Bunny is a Gift

Although there is no bunny in my home right now, there have been very special bunnies who have lived with me and who will live forever in my heart.
I speak of course of my beloved Mister, Lily and Stu, who wait for me with my tub of love kitty Cleopatra at the rainbow bridge.

What most people don't know is that there was another bunny many many years ago.  When I was young  my interests were more about going out with my friends and dancing than caring for a bunny.  But with that said I have always been an animal lover and anybody who has ever know me will tell you that this is true. It was with this in mind that a friend of mine gifted me with Flopsy.


Initially he was the delight of my life, but when caring for him started interfering with my fun time, when his diet requirements meant that I had to travel to special shops that were inconvenient to get to, and when I could not afford the vet bills that come with owning a bunny; the affection began to wane.

Furthermore I felt terrible, because I knew that Flopsy deserved more time and attention than I was giving him.  And I knew that he was going to eventually have to be fixed.  At that time that Vet bill would have been a serious dent in my budget.

Eventually I went back to my friend and asked them to return him to the bunny farm.  Flopsy went back to the bunny farm where I'm sure he was adopted to someone else. I am glad that I did not have to take him to a shelter which is where many animals in similar circumstances end up.



Although I claim the lifestyle and budget of a 20something girl living on her own as my excuse, still 20 plus years later I feel ashamed that I was not a good BunnyMummy to Flopsy.  In spite of my shame I truly hope that people will read this and realize that a bunny, or any pet for that matter, should never be thrust upon an owner as a gift.  It is unfair to the person and more importantly it is unfair to the animal.

Do you know the way to Mount Crumpet?

One of my favorite Holiday traditions is the Dr. Suess tale of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  As a child the day was determined in advance via a thorough reading of little magazine TV guide.  For 30 minutes, Mom would know Peace on Earth while 5 kids ceased their arguing over what to watch.

When I got older and lived on my own I developed a degree of cynicism and wondered about the similarity in the eyes of Cindyloo Who and the Grinch and surmised that she was his illegitimate daughter...but my 20 something cynicism would evaporate when the Grinch's heart grew 3 times.

Thankfully I, like most young people got over that awful stage embraced the sweetness of the Whos and Max the dog. 

As the 2011 season begins unfolding I have been receiving messages reminding me that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus (although it not celebrated in July when historians suspect Christ was actually born but near the time when non-Christians used to celebrate the winter solstice)  and that I should not wish people Happy Holidays, or Seasons Greeting but I MUST as a christian,  albeit extremely lapsed catholic  christian,  NOT conform to political correctness.  Yadda yadda yadda, this Christ in Christmas thing has been going on for a few years now.  I go to church for weddings and funerals these days....not even the holy holidays of Christmas and Easter are enough to lure me away from a barbecue or 10 course meal. In honesty I call myself christian because none of the other boxes apply. 

On top of the responsibility of keeping Christ in Christmas I am now being reminded that due to the economic problems I must fuel the economy and forgo any issues that I might have about the commercialism of Christmas and Shop Shop Shop.  But I must shop with a patriotic conscience.  No products made in China and I must not leave the country and go (actually sneak) across the border looking for bargains in Buffalo.

Tomorrow the Santa Clause parade will run through downtown and Santa will set up in the Eaton Centre, what most people consider to be the kickoff to the Christmas season.  This year when I watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas I have a feeling I will be looking at that cave at the top of Mount Crumpet far away from all of the silliness of telling people how to keep the holiday, excuse me "Christmas" with envy. 

Whether the celebration is of a holiday, a season, or of Christmas I just wish that it could be a time for everybody to have time with loved ones and indulge in whatever brings them joy.

Happy Days are here

Although unintended;  this blog seems to have more unhappy posts than happy ones.

Well the times they are a changing my friends.  I am thrilled to say that Icarus went to his forever home yesterday evening. 

Monday evening I pulled into a copy centre, showed the girl at the counter a couple of pics to the girl and asked her to put them on a poster that said "Free to A Good Home". Unfortunately I did not bring a cable so we arranged that I would e-mail the pics and pick up the posters the next day.

I called in the morning to make sure that the e-mail was received.  The copy lady opened the e-mail while I was on the phone and made wonderful oooh and awe noises when she seen the pics.  When I went to pick up the copies at noon we chatted about our cats, and the circumstances behind Icarus coming to me. 

At the end of my work day I had made a list of pet stores, and vet offices that I was going to ask to post the posters at.  My phone rings and it is the copy lady to tell me that Icarus has been on her mind all day, and that she and her boyfriend wanted to adopt him.  I could not refrain from doing a "Yippee"

They arrived yesterday evening while kitties were having their dinner.  We chatted while kitten finished eating.  Then his new mom and dad put him into their carrier and they drove off into their future.

My friends and family had been concerned that I would miss this kitten terribly.  I have had to say goodbye to so many animals that had claimed a piece of my heart....

This goodbye was totally different.  For 30 seconds I was a bit sad.  I sat down and

Immediately my lap was filled with Remington and Dude.  They wanted pets and chin rubs and belly rubs.  They rewarded me with purs and purrrs and purrrrrrs

Of course I miss Icarus, but even more I am happy that he is in a good home....

Live well precious little kitty.

Okay it is Official

Icarus; the adorable kitten that was brought to my door several weeks ago is ready to be adopted to a forever home.

I have been dragging my heels because I have become quite smitten with him.  Remington and Dude love that he wants to be their favorite toy and I think they will miss him.  Although she would never admit it I think even Sooty will miss him.  His Icarus spirit is a joy to watch as he pounces onto a snarling Sooty and makes her walk away I have to smile.

If you or anybody you know is ready to welcome a brash but lovalbe little formerly feral kitten into their homes please contact me at donna.hicken@sympatico.ca

Icarus

In case anybody needs a reminder of their Greek mythology; Icarus was a prisoner of the King or Crete.  His father made him a pair of wings to facilitate his escape but warned him to not fly too close to the sun or the wax holding the feathers in place would melt.  Unfortunately when Icarus tried the wings he was caught up in the exuberance of flying and....you guessed it.....flew too close to the sun.  The wax melted, the feathers fell out of the wings and Icarus fell to his demise in the Icarian Sea.

On October 5 neighbors, previously unknown to me rang my doorbell.  They had found a kitten in their backyard and been told that I cared for the feral cats in the neighborhood.  The little critter could easily be cupped in my hands.  Although I felt that the creature should have been left where he had been found, the intent of these people was good.  I took him inside and offered him some food and Whiskers Cat Milk.  I was relieved to find that he ate both soft and hard food and would take the milk from saucer.  I was not going to have to bottle feed him.  I was not so thrilled to discover that he had fleas.

Immediately interested in food

Settling into "indoor life" on the back of the couch

Remington is very curious. Neither one seems intimidated by the other

immediately Sooty, Remington and Dude were given flea treatments and the kitten was given a bath in the kitchen sink. I would have given him a treatment too if it did not state on the back of the box that young kittens should not receive treatment. I have flea combs that I use for combing knots out of Sooty fur when she starts getting matted, between the bath and the comb I battled fleas for several days. Poor little thing was being eaten alive. The water turned red when I set him into it. In spite of having his life turned upside down kitten did not seem very perturbed and was eager to explore new surroundings. He again surprised me in a pleasant way when he immediately jumped into a litter box and did his business. Remington and Dude took an immediate interest in him. At times to snuggle with him and at times to treat him like a wind up toy. They would pounce on him and wrestle him to the ground till he squealed. I would break them apart only to have kitten swat the face of the other cat. I decided to let them be. Sooty is a different story. Coming within a foot of her personal space is a sure way to be growled at and if you come within swatting distance, kitten will be swatted. And yet he keeps on hopping into her range and pouncing on her tail. He has been warned and warned and warned but his exuberance cannot be curbed...thus I have taken to calling him Icarus.

Once he is old enough I will begin to look for a home to adopt him to. I am hopeful that I will find a home that has a cat that needs a companion, or at least a family who will have lots of time to play with him. In spite of the fact that he is not going to be a forever cat, me and Remington and Dude are becoming very smitten with this little fluffball....I think even Sooty is going to miss him when the time comes.

MY social experiment

Normally I post to my blog as a means to vent my ideas and brag or bemoan my critter issues.

Today it has been brought back to the front of my pondering brain a query i posed a while back when the Super 7 lotto was up to something like 50 million. 

I asked friends and co-workers if they were given 50 million dollars

but wait there is a twist

you get to keep 10 million

40 million you have to give to charity.

Yeah I know Operah did something like this with REAL money, and I am only posing a hypothetical query. 

I was delighted at the responses that I received.  We all imagine what it would be like to win a lottery, big or small, and how it would change out lives.  New house, new car, vacations...but with 50 million you have to dream even bigger.  I was amazed to find that most people that I posed the question to did not hesitate to answer how they would spend/inverst 40 million dollars and nobody quibbled that 10 million was not enough.

As most people would guess; my personal answer to my own query was that I would set up an animal sanctuary.  I thoght the answers I was going to receive would be "donate to cancer research" "donate to Red Cross" but the answers that I received were thought out and inspired.  furthermore the question really created excitement and and a fun exchange of ideas.

I really enjoyed getting feedback to my question.  It made me realize that the average person has a generous nature, that dreams of making the world a better place are right up there with dreams of making their personal lives better.

Would really love getting more feedback...if you cant post here (I have trouble posting to peoples blogs latley) my email is a366764@live.com

Outdoor cats turned to finicky cats

Remington and Doodle (Dude is so silly I started adding a "le" to his name) have not only settled in but they have taken over.  I have to lock Doodle out of my bedroom when I sleep.  That is the only one on one time that I have with Sooty these days. 

Remington getting snuggles

These boys have laid claim to the basement, ground floor and upstairs.  They demand clean litter boxes, lots of snuggles, and have become finicky eaters

They are not very fond of Presidents Choice Cat food, kinda like Iams, but prefer Sootys calorie reduced stuff, and if they truly had their choice they would still be eating the Meow mix that they ate when they were outdoor cats.  They prefer canned food to dry, and (thankfully) the rattle of the treats bag gets them running back into the house on the occasions that they slip outside.

Me and the Boys....and Sooty

Its coming up on two weeks since that fateful day when Remington and Dude got locked inside and it has not been uneventful.

So far I have not let the boys back outside, Sooty on the other hand gets let out anytime she asks for it.  The upstairs and the outside are her refuge.  Most of the time she is pissed off at them and hisses anytime they come to near her and swishes her tail in warning....only problem is that Dude thinks the swishing tail is a toy...that he has not attacked YET.

The boys have been sticking to the basement and the first floor.  Spending nights in their basement and putting on an acrobatic show for me and Sooty on the first floor.  Sooty begrudgingly seems to be amused by them...from a distance.

This week Dude has been coming upstairs in the morning when he hears activity (or maybe before) Sooty continues with her routine of heading downstairs and waiting for me to fill her bowl while Dude has been checking out things while I make my bed, then follows me to the kitchen where he too waits impatiently for breakfast.

This evening I came home from work with a head stuffed by allergies and went to get changed to go for a run to find Dude snoozing in the cat bed at the foot of my bed and Remington in the dirty laundry basket.  Worried about what Sooty will do if she sees him there but still happy that they are settling in I jump up onto the bed to get some snuggles.  Dude cuddles into me and starts purring and Remington hops up and takes his place in the cat bed.  After 10-15 minutes the stuffed head took over, plans of a run were postponed for a quick nap....that ended up being two hours long.  When I awoke both kittens were still on the bed...and lo and behold Sooty was on the floor...not hissing. I invited Sooty up and she came for a cuddle, seemed okay when she seen Remington in her bed, but Dude getting rambunctious was a bit much for her.

All in all I am really loving having these two fellas romping around the house.  It would break my heart if I thought Sooty was going to be permantly put out by it so am really hopeful that she is coming around.

Project TNR continues

Last weekend I opened my front door and the outdoor kittens Stanley and Earl Grey came in

I closed the door behind them and renamed them

Dude

Remington

I had decided to adopt these two, we have an appointment to get two of our outdoor kitties fixed tomorrow, the plan was that it would be these two boys.  I was going to keep them indoors after the surgery and that would be that....but I took them in early.

Now we have two spaces and these boys are no threat to any unsuspecting female cats out there so we decided to try and capture the mother cat  (who has had another two kittens since) and maybe one of the more approachable female cats (French Fry).  If we could not capture the mother our backup plan was to get Dude and Remington done.

Remington and Dude are happy to announce that when I came home this evening, not only had they refused to be corralled into the basement by Sooty, but there was a unfixed cat (not sure if its their Mamma or their Aunt) in the trap....so they get to keep their bits for a little while longer.

Tomorrow will be a fun day with Sooty still hissing at Remington and Dude and a couple more are going to be kept in my spare room while recuperating from their surgery....Yep cat lady.

A word of warning when googling hits of the 80s

One of my co-workers is in the throws of anticipation as her daughters wedding day approaches at the end of this month.  It is fun to sit near her and share her excitement. 

The latest tidbit is a request by the DJ to have each of the parents pick 3 songs each for him to play.  I imagine this is to ensure that his playlist satisfy all guests.  She asked for our help, which made us realize that the Black Eyed Peas would likely be disturbed if they knew how many middle aged people dig their music.  But we thought that the intention was likely to have music from the 80s played.  So we googled top hits of the 80s....this is a warning....DO NOT GOOGLE TOP HITS OF THE 80s, if this is your genera. 

I admit that I had the lyrics to "You Light Up My Life" written on my school binders but I have grown....some would say evolved.   I am more than happy to resign 80s music to the past. Ever since that supposed harmless google I have been prancing around the kitchen singing into the end of the broom "Pour some sugar on Me" while making coffee and even more irritating, the tune "Ive been to Paradise....but Ive never been to me" wont leave my head.

Wild Water Kingdom Water Park and Drive Inn

This weekend "The Plan" actually came together and all of the usual suspects managed to clear a few hours in our Saturday calendars for some summer fun. I threw a dozen bottles of water and some snacks into the cooler and met up with the first half of the usual suspects for brunch at Boom. My pancakes were yummy, sausage perfect but the best was the potato fritz that I stole of my neighbors plate.

While I was not looking the usuals threw a few beers into the cooler, and then we carried on to pick up the 4th of our party. We arrived at Wild Water Kingdom after 3pm as planned.  Paid the "late day" rate of $25.00 and moved onto the inner sanctum where the promise of water thrills awaited.  I know that most people skip the "shower before going into the water" but I'm a bit of a prude and usually follow this rule...at this establishment the line up for the working shower was too long so I went all rebel.  We had planned on sharing a locker but the lockers were so small that only one persons purse/backpack would fit into it so each of us had to rent a separate locker.  Once that task was completed we moved onto partake of wet fun. 

We walked around to see what the park had to offer.  There were 5 series of slides.  The kiddie slides...Short slides with a 2 ft drop to the pool.  We skipped that one. Three slides names corkscrew, sidewinder and something else.  There was only 1 lifeguard at the top and one at the bottom so the corkscrew (or was it the sidewinder?) was not being used.  I went down 1 and brother went down the other.  Unlike the guy who went down before me I didn't get stuck and have to push myself down the slide....but I did not go fast.  The other slide impressed as little as mine did.  So we moved over to the "Cyclone" slides.  Which were a slight improvement but not cause for any hoots, hollers, or squeals.  Being as we were not impressed so far, and neither of us were going to do the "straight fall" slides we sucked it up and rented some tubes" Admission, plus locker, plus tubes, each of which has failed to impress...but the tube rides the Night Rider (well actually it was labeled Ni ht Rider and Abyss) were both slided that we went on again.  While waiting our turn we seen the other half of the usual suspects going down another slide that made me squeal just watching them almost flip over the sides. Then I got pushed down an enclosed tube deprived of all light I wondered if I were going forward or backward and at times I felt like I was defying gravity.  I felt the joy that only comes from a good waterside. 

So all told, of the 12 watersides at Wild Water Kingdom only 3 of them are worth the price of admission in my opinion.  After a few trips we decided to check out the lazy river...midpoint we found the licenced section and stopped for a picture of beer... we seen our second case of "pants falling down" the first one was to reveal grey dingy Calvin Klein's this time was at least to something less offensive. After our picture we carried on my tube kept on objecting to me using it as a floater and spat me out. One of the others used the tube as a yoga mat and practiced his Buddha pose which just asked to be pushed off his tube.

Before we knew it we were being asked to leave the park and to take all of our person belongings.  I may have a few scruples about showering before entering public pools I have major scruples about showing with soap and water AFTER  using public pools....I waited for the shower to wash away the chlorine and whatever else may have been in that water. 

As usual; when the girls emerged the boys were waiting.  We went back to the car, grabbed some water.  When the sun set the parking lot was going to turn into a Drive in Movie with a double feature film.  We pondered where to move the car to and realized we were hungrier than the few bags of chips and nature bars were going to be able to take care of.  The "Snack Bar" was not open so we called some friends and suggested that they meet us for the movie and to show up with some Pizza. 

Friends thought things thorough and showed up with some lawn chair AND Pizza.   While waiting for the movie to start their kids chucked a baseball (parents think of these things) we ate Pizza and offered beer as a token of our gratitude.  When the movie started the boys didn't have to sit In the backseat....they sat outside, we rolled down the windows (fortunately I had some Off in my car to chase away the mosquitoes) turned up the volume on the radio frequency and enjoyed Captain America...after the movie we realized that "enjoyment" means different things to different people.  Marvel enthusiast thought it was a great movie...everyone else was amused at the hokeyness.  My example was that zip lining onto the roof of a moving train should involve some slight imbalance in posture.  Because the Marvel enthusiast gets to pick movies sometimes, I have seen X-Men (in spite of never having read comics) and Iron Man 1 and 2 (again never read comics) and enjoyed all the movies. But Captain America I was laughing "at" not laughter "with".  I am sure to see the Avenger movie when it comes out. I'm sure I will enjoy it one way or another.



Not sure if it was the filming or the full Moon or the back lights, but most of the film was indiscernible....the battle scenes were reminiscent of the time I had spent in the light deprived water tunnel a few hours ago....from the dialog the story could be followed but the action was black on black....

At the end of the day, the Water park failed to impress any of us and the Drive Inn Movie left u impresses as well.  As we parted company from the family at the end of the second movie we agreed that it had been a great night.  During the drive home we wondered how a water park that had mostly crappy slides and a Drive Inn that showed hokey or badly viewed movies could have ended up in such an awesome day....my recommendation...go with good friends.

Taste of the Danforth

This past week I have had it in the back of my head that I would be writting a post about the Taste of the Danforth.  I live within walking distance and once a year I am given a perfect excuse to not cook.

Friday afternoon I discovered was International Beer Day, unfortunatly when I called up all the Usual Drinking Suspects, but they already had Friday night plans with buds from work.  I opted to grab my beer on the Danforth and cruise the scene.

At any street festival I grab some roasted corn, dunked in butter.  At the IGA stand the table of seasonings was impressive, I had the lemon/pepper and it was yummy.  Then I had some Crab au Graitin and wished that I had of had more corn....I moved towards the Jones end, thats where they set up the ferris wheel and the one act....a rope climber.  Maybe there was something elese down there but I was bored and turned around. 

At Holy Name the sponsor tent was set up, historically this has been a beer tent, but last year it was a media/beer tent. This year it was an olive oil tent!!!! Was I disappointed? On International Beer Day!!!! No Beer.  I sat on the church steps and consoled my thirsty heart with a henna tattoo

Trusting what "they" say, this is Chineese writing for Rabbit, on my ankle

Having been gifted a balloon gun at the Beaches Jazz Festival a few weeks ago....only to break it a few hours later....I sought out the source of the bubbles floating through the air and when quoted $10 from the vendor I walked away dissappointed and returned a while later and paid $8.00.  Yeah bubbles.

My search for beer gardens proved fruitless.  The only one was at the Greek stage....I love Greek food but Greek music, not so much.  I finally decided to pick up some beer at the LCBO and celebrate at home.   

Not sorry that I attended but did not encourage anybody to go out of their way to attend.

Stopped to smell the Roses and other perenials

Usually when I travel the trails that wind around the Don River I am trying to burn as many calories in as short a time as possible.  While I appreciate that running on the trails surrounds me with a more pleasing setting than a treadmill, or sidewalk stands on Danforth, I don't have time to actually stop and smell the roses.

Monday I was feeling ill, weak and wobbly, by Tuesday I was feeling a bit better and had watched all the programs on the PVR and frankly cabin fever was setting in.  I was out of Tylenol and was wondering if popping expired Iron tablets was a healthy choice so I headed to the drug store to replenish my stock and clear my head.

The walk really helped clear the cobwebs; after convincing the pharmacist that I was not going to OD on Iron I decided that I was not ready to go home.  I grabbed a  free newspaper and headed to Riverdale park to sit in the shade and do the Sudoku.

My mind got to wandering and I thought that I would take the long way home and walk along the trail beside the Don River so that I could check the progress of catnip.  I harvest some every year for my cats, well this time it will just be Sooty, and also for friends who have cats. 

I didn't have to go too far to find catnip ready to harvest.  I plucked it and put it in the bag with the Iron tablets, Tylenol and water, thinking that was all I would see ready for harvest.  Being as I was not moving very fast I found myself appreciating things that I usually only notice in my peripheral vision.

I'm not sure what this is....the tree it was growing on looked like a Sumac (what I call weed trees) but the weed trees in my neighbors yards don't have pretty red things.

I rounded a corner and came upon kitty heaven.  I have heard that colony's of feral cats inhabit the valley.  I have never seen any but don't doubt it with so much catnip growing wild.  I stopped and filled up my shopping bag.  If I were not feeling the effects of anemia I would have skipped home excited to see Sootys reaction to my harvest.

But this was to be a leisurely stroll where, low and behold I would, in all honesty "stop and smell the roses".  As lovely as they are to behold I must say that this particular bush was not a fragrant one.

I am not sure what these flowers are called, bees love them, for some reason I think it is Honeysuckle but am likely mistaken.

I have an instinct to stay away from yellow perennials, that stems from an allergy that is sometimes mild and sometimes sever to the dreaded "goldenrod". But that does not come out till the fall so I got close to this.  Don't know what it is called but love the color.

Humm I was looking forward to writing this post until I realized how many times I was going to have to type "I dunno what this is"  My mother used to call them snake berries and told us they were poison.  I have never seen a snake eating them but our mother had 5 kids to cook for, if those berries were not poison she would have encouraged us to fill up on them.

More snake berries...if anyone can identify them that would be neat.

Tiny Daisy flowers but these are not your typical "he loves me, he loves me not" daisy's.  The flowers are tiny and the petals like little eyelashes around the yellow centre.

Finally something I can name, your everyday ordinary Daylilys.  Such a brilliant orange blossom but only for a day. So thankful there will be another one tomorrow.

LOL another something that I cannot name. Might be sage.

Getting tired of admitting I don't know the names of things so....tada. Ladies and Gentlemen may I present to you "The Don River"

And before our fat mayor spends a zillion dollars cleaning up all the dirty graffiti in the city...one of the rail bridges over the Don River.

Okay it was my Grammie and my other Grammie AND my mom who told me that these are purple thistles. So don't nobody tell me they are anything else.

And because I am on a roll of being able to name things with assuredly; this is the Don River

Now this is weird.  I decided to move off the main trail cuz there were too many crazy cyclers. There is a footpath that runs directly beside the river but it was blocked with this.

I went around it and met up with this

Not sure what the intent is but this is a trap or barricade or spooky Blair Witch warning that is man made from dead wood.  I have heard that first Nations People live in the Valley and are allowed to fish and hunt in accordance with their culture.  Maybe I stumbled upon something of theirs.  Eventually I had no alternative except to crawl up the escarpment or turn back....I crawled up, I'm not as evolved as some people I like a monkey challenge.

At the top of the escarpment there was railing that I could grab onto....and another flower that I know the name of....this is Queen Annes Lace, bunny lovers know it as wild carrot. (although I have never found a carrot attached to one).

Nearing my exit from the trail I take another look at the Don River

And look in the other direction

And then trudge through the construction on the veichal escarpment that is Pottery Hill Road.

Looks like they are digging to decrease the incline.

Its still a steep walk

And my own savage garden

Needs to be watered

Old Nick

Living in an area of Toronto where some of the best restaurants in the city are only a few blocks away I have never felt inspired to write about any one or another in a positive or negative light....after all if you don't like it there is an alternative right next door.  Not to mention the fact that there are countless others who will tell you where to dine in Toronto, I usually feel like my 2cent endorsement is pretty worthless.

But just in case someone has not read Tena In Toronto , or is reading a years old NOW endorsement, or thinks that the rainbow on the door mean something good, let me prompt you to look for the alternative.

I have been to the Old Nick on several occasions.  For those that are not partial to Greek food but want to meet on the Danforth, I have recommended it more than once on the grounds that the beer selection is pretty good and the menu has a few standouts, the service was friendly and attentive...back in the day.  The downfall began with less attentive service which has kept me away for some time.

This evening, post pedicure, I was feeling special and wanted to treat myself; so skipped across the street to Nicks. ...being as nobody came to seat me I crawled onto a barstool (I don't usually like being perched on a barstool) and ordered a  Boddington. After a while some live talent showed up.  The first act was nice enough so I decided to stay and ordered some of the homecut onion rings that I considered a sinful treat.  When they showed up it was a basket of rings that I could have got from Burger King and the live talent was guitar singer/songwriter who was syncing to his MP3 player.  

Shame that what used to be a great place is no more....but if you like Jazz come a few blocks north and get honest live music at Whistlers.

If the cats dont like me I have options

Everybody knows about my outdoor kitties.  We are on our fourth generation of fereal cats. Old Daddy White Kitty has been captured and sent to reform school to be rehabilitated, three of the females have been spayed, via the Trap Neuter Release program and we are hoping to get they whole gang set on the straight and narrow.  My next door neighbor and others of us on the street put out food for them,  in the back of our minds is the hope that they will come to us looking for love in addition to food.

Tonight I sat on the front step and threw primo treats.  The three kittens and three adults showed up.  For about an hour I threw treats and they ran for them and squabbled over them but would not come close enough for me to touch them.  When their bellies were full they moved on and I moved to the backyard.

Sitting in the backyard for a few minutes while the sprinkler ran, I read some of my book and eventually the raccoons showed up.  This was mamma and babies.  Unlike the kitties, this family was willing to beg, roll over and look adorable for a few leftover bits of kibble.

These guys appreciate my efforts.  I'm wondering if I should switch sides.

Feeling a twinge of guilt

I have a circle that includes some very good friends who I really enjoy spending time with.  These are my laughing buddies, my drinking buddies, and the people that I trust to take care of my babies when I have to leave them for a couple of days. 

Baba Haha, Boy D and Girl D planned a Best Buds getaway (combined with Girl Ds bday) to Ottawa last Canada Day.  I was not able to join them because the only people that   I trusted to take proper care of Stu were the ones going to Ottawa. This year I don't need a babysitter for Stu, and I feel confident in leaving Sooty with a big bowl of kibble and lots of water for two days.  So I am off to Niagara Falls for a couple of days to celebrate Canada Day and Girl Ds b-day....whoot whoot!!!

I'm really pumped, first non-employed weekend away from home I have had since bros wedding over 2 years ago.  there is a tiny corner of my heart is happy that I don't have the responsibilities of being a BunnyMummy.

I love you Stu, I always will, but mama is going to Niagara Falls.

Vancouver, Hockey, Riots and what comes after

You don't have to actually love hockey, but being Canadian, a natural Canadian undoubted means that you have accepted Hockey as our national sport.  The Media will inform you of all the primary stats of the NHL teams and if you live in a Hockey city, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary or Vancouver, your town is gonna go nuts if your team makes the playoffs.

When Vancouver proceeded to the Stanley Cup finals my patriotism soared.  Memories of Olympic Hockey glory that originated  in the same town, stirred feelings of a time of wonderful camaraderie.

We all know that what happened after the Vancouver Canucks were vanquished by the Boston Bruins last night was not glorious.  The reaction inside Rogers Centre was rude, the actions that happened outside were shameful. I am totally aware that the destructive actions perpetrated by a band of hooligans is not a reflection of the majority of the citizens of Vancouver; there can be no doubt that those actions are reflected on the city and its citizens  as a whole, and in fact have come to be a reflection on Canada and Canadians too.  This attitude cant be brushed away with the claim that "it was just a handful of dissidents". The city and the nation has to share this shame as much as we were allowed to share in the glory of a handful of athletes just over a year ago.

During the first games of the playoffs at the Rogers Centre, the singing of the Canadian national anthem was hijacked by the fans.  Today while keeping abreast of the fallout of last nights riots I heard the line "with glowing heart we see the rise" in my heart , when I heard of the call and answer for citizens of Vancouver to show up downtown to help clean the mess left in the wake of destruction.  Bystanders who witnesses the events last night are coming forward and presenting evidence to ensure that the people who perpetrated criminal actions last night will be charged.   Order is being restored and the guilty will be brought to justice, not only by city officials but in large part by the people of Vancouver.

They will not look for media attention and are unlikely to receive near the amount that the hoodlums got, but I think that when the dust settles the quiet perseverance and determination to be good citizens, to be a good city will resonate from Vancouver for the world to know and admire.

Fighting the feeling of a curse

With the hope that posting about the series of bad luck would purge the curse I moved forward after my last post with the intent of moving upward and onward from the dark cloud that I have been living under for the past few weeks.

I was away from home on Saturday night but came home Sunday morning to find one of the backyard kitties, Sooty, and the local Cardinal all showing their own personal disapproval of the empty food dispenser.  After meeting their demands I carried on with my day which I intended to include going for a run and packing my gym bag for Monday.  The priority was to get on top of my yard work. Pull some weeds and fill my two new planters with Rosemary and Marigolds in the hope of protecting my mosquito bait hide.

The plans started to come off the rails when, while pulling the weeds threatening to choke the lavender I noticed the rear passenger tire of the car was flat flat flat.  I dialed CAA to put on the donut with the intention of going to Walmart to buy a new set of tires when I have been making a concentrated effort to stop abusing my credit card.  My distress turned to euphoria when the CAA guy told me that I had a nail in my tire that could be plugged.

But my euphoria would be short lived.  While pulling weeds I noticed one of the new kittens under the step of my back deck.  for a brief second I was thrilled that it was not running from me until I realised that it was not moving.  I don't mean to sound melodramatic but I have put allot of faith in the future of these kittens to restore my ability to appreciate what the world offers up on a daily basis.  This felt like a kick in the teeth.  The poor little creature was dead.  Last week was very hot here but this past week was actually unseasonably cool so it was not heat stroke, there was no sign of any sort of trauma on the kitten.  Absolutely without intent my mind went to the neighbors who want the cats and kittens gone, and I wondered if one of them has put out poison.  I hope it was grief and paranoia that took my mind to such a dark place so quickly.  But for the whole day I seen nothing of the other kittens and I worried about their well being.

Tire repaired I went to the garden centre to get my Marigolds and Rosemary and actually came home with more lavender.  My heart almost leaped out of my chest to find on my doorstep hungry kittens. 

I will do what I can to keep them safe, and if I am blessed they will change from backyard kittens to indoor kittens....if I am blessed.

Reviewing my Posts

I really don't write here as often as I thought I would, I am determined not to use this forum as a place to bitch about the people, or circumstances in life that piss me off...so...I really don't write here as often as I thought I would.

Lately I have been intending to find some time to write about Fathers day.  Its next weekend, I always found picking an appropriate Fathers Day card difficult.  But then I realized that I had already written a post about that.

I have written posts about missing my father, who I love with all of my heart in spite of our non traditional father/daughter relationship.  I have written posts about the heartbreak of loosing Mister, of having to realize that my determination and love were not enough to make his life meaningful.  I cant believe that on July 9 it will be three years he has been gone. I have written of Lily, the sweetest bunny ever who was the doting mate to Mister and then later to Stu. Who days after surgery to remove a stone had her little heart give out in the middle of the night June 22 two years ago.  That was the first year that I didn't have a father to call. I recall a friend attempting to console my fears for her health telling me that nursing her post op would distract me from my loneliness. Then of course it was March 31st last year that Cleo left me for the rainbow bridge, and last month Stu, both who had lived long and happy lives and yet left me heartbroken and devastated.

We know when we take a four footed creature into our lives that in all likelihood we will outlive them but that knowledge does not prepare you for the heartbreak when they leave. While blubbering on a shoulder over the loss of Stu, I jested that I should be an expert at dealing with loss my now. Which of course is not true. There are no experts. Yet for all the heartache and tears it is totally worth the love that I still feel in my heart when I think of Mister grunting for headrubs and pushing Lily out of the way, and of Lily giving kisses, and waiting for pets before giving her man a good bath to wash the human smell off of him, of Cleo in the backyard who would sit patiently basking in all of her blubbery glory in a sunpool until she seen me watching her, and then she would come running to me, waddle swaying looking for pets and kisses, and of Stu who was as different from Mister as two boy buns can be.  He was so polite and well mannered as much as he enjoyed being petted and being fed, he would never never rush to food bowl before it was set down....the only exception being crasins, which would make him positively quiver.

I will continue to love Sooty, she has nobody to be jealous of anymore.  She has moved into Cleos spot at the foot of my bed and expects to be petted the minute that she realizes that I am awake.  Some nights she reverts to her old habits and sleeps downstairs (where she had to sleep in Cleo days) and I find I don't like waking up without her. 

The backyard kitties continue to come around, the task of trapping and fixing them will carry on. The warm weather will hopefully inspire me to go running more that I have been the past couple of weeks, The backyard has begun to beckon, there will be beers and feets planted in cool green grass after the aforementioned runs.  Summer festival season is about to begin, so there will be things to write about that don't come with tears and heartache.

First day in my new world

Last night carried into the early morning.....I held my Bunny and cried and cried and cried until the tissues were used up, my chest was sore from gasping, and my eyes felt raw....even then I did not want to go to bed...but I had to go upstairs to get another box of tissue, and I had fur growing on my teeth. Bed was just down the hall and it called me at 4am.

I woke at 8 and laid in bed.  Sooty realised I was awake and wanted to be petted....usually she gets a quick tickle under the chin but today i was in no hurry to face the day.

I called the Animal Hospital to make arrangements for Stus remains.  As much as I adored Stu I have no desire to have his ashes, so everything was straightforward....but tearful.  Dr Munn and his staff have been taking care of Stu since I adopted him and (rightfully) considered his advanced years in a small way a testament to their care.  Dr .Munn has been ill this week but the girls came out to offer their condolences and to say goodbye to Stu. 

I carried on my day wearing dark glasses, and running errands.  When i found myself feeling a bit peckish I thought to head to St. Lawerence Market , because while I was there I could check the vegetable vendors for carrot tops for Stu...then remembered I didn't have to get carrot tops anymore....weird. Then again I had to drive by the Chinese Grocery store and I thought to pop in and get some of that really good BokChoy that Stu really likes....again I realized that I didn't have to get BokChoy anymore.  I need to paint my hall (from the mess the electrician has made replacing the wiring) so I spent a good part of the afternoon running from Rona to Lowes to Home Depot trying to match the existing paint color.....I thought to myself "I gotta get home and give Stus his meds". On the way home I realized that I had forgone breakfast and stopped for an all day Breakfast, spilled coffee on my shorts, duh, came home and immediately put them in a tub to soak.....with my Iphone still in the pocket....arrrrrrhhhh. My pictures of STU are on that phone.  Tomorrow I will see if the "genius"   can fix the phone....
walk past the Lazyboy, bend to seek my bunny and give him a snuggle...then remember that he is not there.
Because today was a beautiful sunny day I opted to tend to the flower beds instead of painting...hummm a dandelion, gotta keep that for Stu....not.  I have this big container that I planted parsley, for Stu....and a million times I walk by that Lazyboy and want to stop give Stu a little snuggle and kiss.
The world that I live in today is different in a hundred little ways from the world I lived in with a bunny in my life.....
Its gonna take some getting used to.

How to quench my tears?

I knew this day would come, everybody who has commented to me "Wow 10 years" "Wow 11 years" and "Wow 12 years" knew that this day would come.  I thought when this day came that I would be more accepting of the circle of life

I adopted Stu January 3, 2009.  He was the same age as Lily 10, I thought (rightly so) that they would make a beautiful bond. Tonight just after 9pm he left me for the rainbow bridge. 

I think, perhaps, if I relay this sad news, that while I type I will not cry....well I will not cry so hard.

This past week Stu was on what I have come to accept as "another hunger strike".  Stu will not eat for a day, I will freak out, make an appointment with Dr. Munn and then he will start eating again.  But truth be told each of these incidents have left him a little bit more drained.  Tuesday we went to the vet, got the usual diagnosis of GI stasis.  We were sent home with Critical Care until he started eating again, I already had Baytril for infection, and Metcam for pain, but got some Cicapride to get the GI tract moving. 

After a couple of rounds with Critical Care he gave in and started eating again. On Wednesday he ate almost all of his greens and more hay than he had in a long time.  There was still room for improvement but I was confident that he was on the mend. On Thursday I took him into the backyard.  Binky days were behind him but he was still pretty impressed with the fresh green grass.  This morning he seemed to be failing again, I gave him his meds and left for work.  At lunch time I came home to give him more meds and a belly rub.  He had not moved from where I had left him..and he was grinding his teeth, something that he has never done. It broke my heart to know that my bunny was in pain. 

I called the Animal Hospital and asked if I could get some additional pain meds...I asked for Tremadol cuz I had heard of other buns having it prescribed for pain.

I picked up the new meds after work and headed home and filled a syringe with Critical Care, another with water (laced with cranberry juice) Metcam, Tremadol, Cicipride, Baytril, and Ovol, determined to make my boy better.  He was so lethargic that he did not even struggle against the syringe, but he was too tired to swallow.  Many belly rubs finally got the first syringe of metcam fed.

I was realizing that he was reaching his end, and tried to get him to take the Tremadol.  I could inject it to his mouth but not make him swallow.  I knew that there was no way the line up of syringes were going to be used.  I just wanted him to take his pain meds and make him as comfortable as possible.

And so I stroked him and gave him kisses and let him know how loved he was, knowing that he was slipping away.  Instead of begging for Tremadol, I should have asked to send him to a painless sleep.

My head hurts, my chest hurts, my eyes hurt, and my nose is raw from crying.  I thought I was prepared for this enviable day but I was wrong, I am truly not ready for life without Stu.

Update on Project TNR

Today was a big day for the neighborhood kitties.  There was an doctors appointment made for them at the Toronto Humane Society to get them fixed. 

The problem with this appointment is that at this time yesterday all of the kitties were roaming the streets.  With the exception of Georgie  (who is mamma cat again to at least two kittens) I have not named any of the cats.  They are all grey and white to varying degrees and to be honest most of them look the same to me.

Pregnant Georgie refusing to be trapped.

I cant be sure how many there are to catch,  I think there are three "kittens" that are about 9 months old, Georgie and a sibling of hers and now the real kittens.

Between my next door neighbor and me, we have two carriers and 1 trap and 5 cats that have learned to distrust the trap. With optimism in our hearts we took in our food bowls to prepare kitties for surgery and set the cat trap, laced with a sardine and catnip....low and behold starving kitties showed up.  Snap went the trap

See what I mean, this kitty looks alot like Georgie.

Up the stairs I go with my cat trap,  I released kitty and reset the trap.  For the next three hours keeping watch while the three remaining kitties circle the trap, stiff the catnip, and continue to sniff.  After a couple of hours they are checking out the carrier too.  I gingerly leave my post behind closed door and throw a few bits of kibble to the back of the carrier and alas Kittie dives in after them, trying to slam the door shut was unsuccessful but I was able to grab hole and none to kindly throw kitty into the carrier....and take Kittie with carrier to join its sibling.  Third Kittie takes off like a bat out of hell and I did not see again for the rest of the night. 

This one is referred to as the white one because its more white than gray

This morning at what seems like the crack of dawn, the phone rings telling me it is time to take the kitties to meet their fate AND that she had caught Kittie in the trap before calling it a night.  Stupid me let kitties out of carrier hoping they would comport one another before going to bed and now have to get them back in the carriers...and we get a call saying that we are late for our appointment.  Me and two kitties in a tiny bedroom reenact bloody war scene from Saving Private Ryan.  Then end up in the carriers and I hurry them downstairs where the third cat in the carrier are waiting in the backseat. Towel wrapped around by bloody hand we head down to the Humane Society to check the kitties in for their day surgery.

While neighbor is filling out the paperwork I tend to my wounds, my hand is swollen and the bites feel like they have stopped at the bone.  I call my Dr. Office/walk in clinic to check when I had my last tetanus shot and they tell me they don't have one on file.  Hummm I look down and decide it is probably time to update that status.

My neighbor has been scratched too so she comes with me to the walk in clinic, where there is a 11/2 hour wait to see the Dr. Once I'm in and my file is opened I am reminded that 20ish years ago when I had my last shot I had a reaction (a rash) so I was going to have to wait in the waiting room full of sick people for 1/2 hour before I could leave.

Now afternoon I gotta stop for a coffee and a bagel. get home feed Sooty and Stu and settle in for a nap.  I have barely fallen asleep when the phone is ringing that the Kitties are ready for pickup.

Then I have to head to the drugstore for antibiotics, Yippiee.

I'm tired and weary, sore hand, bruised shoulder where the tetanus shot was given, but feeling very satisfied to have three female cats locked up and recovering upstairs, off the streets for the next 10 days, until they are released to the next chapter of their lives.