Alpacas

Alpacas are funny lookin', but so cool.
They hum.
They are incredibly soft.

Now my 10-yr-old wants one.

Elephant Seals

 Last March, I went to California with my mom and my boys.

We visited my sister in Palo Alto,
Rode a street car, crossed the Golden State Bridge and visited Alcatraz in San Francisco.
And then we spent the rest of the trip renting a house in Pebble Beach,
and exploring Carmel, Big Sur and the rest of the Monterey Bay area.
The boys went tide pooling for the first time.

 It was an amazing trip, and on the last day of the trip,
we hiked in the pouring, freezing rain at Año Nuevo State Reserve
to see a colony of elephant seals.

The elephant seals spend most of their lives at sea,
and come ashore only to molt, give birth, and mate. 

The male elephant seals can be up to sixteen feet long and weigh up to 2 1/2 tons!
They have great big snouts, as you can see.

They were amazing.
They were HUGE.
They made the most amazing noises.


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My Mom is in Abu Dhabi Pissing Off Camels

Caption this photo. 

Please. 

It's begging for humor.

C is for Cozy...and Cat.

Sometimes I think about what animal I'd like to be if I had to come back as an animal in my next life.
Everyone ponders this, right?  Right?!

Initially I was thinking I'd be a dog, because they seem to have so much fun and interact so well with humans.  But, then, I thought, cats really seem to have a more luxurious existence.  They come around when they feel like interacting, but otherwise they are aloof and they sleep a lot...and do whatever the hell they want.

It's a tough decision.

This is my mom's cat pictured above.  Kachi.  King Kachi.
I've mentioned him before (and how he's a Mexican Lucha Libre wrestler in disguise!)

He's totally pampered...but definitely let's us know if he can see the bottom of his food bowl.

What animal would you choose to be if you had to?

A dolphin to swim the oceans free?
A pampered cat?
An eagle to fly the sky?

The Power of a Pet

This is Miss Annie, our wonderful family pet.
We adopted her from DFW Lab Rescue four years ago.

She's sweet, well trained, loving and such an important part of our family.
Everyone needs a pet in their life, because the joy they create is exponential.

If you don't have a pet, here are 5 reasons why you should:

1. Good for your Health.  Seriously.  Apparently they can lower your blood pressure and help relieve your stress. Anyone who has ever spent some time petting an animal knows the feeling. They are sensitive to your moods too.  Miss Annie climbed in bed with me this morning because she knew I was feeling sad about my boys leaving town for a few days.

2. Teaches Responsibility. Animals take patience and a lot of work. If you have kids, this is a big plus, because they learn to feed the pet daily, clean up after them when they do their business in the yard and have to walk them or play with them. My kids take turns feeding Annie, and they have to pick up her poop in the backyard weekly. 

3. Protection. I heard it again and again that some of the best protection you can have for your home is a dog.  Plus, if you live alone, there is the added bonus of not being so lonely... Annie is such a people-pleaser though...she loves everyone, so she's not a huge protection...although she's big and might intimidate some.

4. Exercise.  Whether you walk your dog daily or play with it in the yard, you get exercise and the pet gets exercise.  It's a win-win situation!  Annie loves to play fetch with a tennis ball.  She also loves to swim. 

5. Clean Up.  Dropped a bowl of macaroni on the floor?  Dogs will clean that up for you.  Tired of leftovers?  Dogs will help you out there too.  Yes, I know, people food isn't something you should feed your pet regularly, but now and then won't hurt, right?  Annie took a chicken nugget out of the hand of a toddler the other day...I was horrified!  She's usually much more polite about sneaking food. 

Seriously.  Pets will improve your life...but don't buy impulsively!  Do your research!  Figure out which pet will work best in your life...and even which breed will fit your lifestyle.  But, adopting Annie was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  And my boys agree!!

Lucky Ducks

Today Remy's baseball team had practice at the Towne Lake fields.
And I desperately wished I had my camera.

I did have my iPhone, so I snapped a few photos.








The Spring weather is beautiful in North Texas right now.
Sunny, windy, not too hot.








"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath." -- actor Michael Caine

To Rabbit or not to Rabbit, that is the question

I've had a hard time trying to decide what to get my boys for Christmas this year.

They haven't given me a wish list.

They seem to be having a hard time coming up with ideas.

I've come up with a few ideas...and given them all away to relatives.

And then my 8 yr old, Remy, came up with an idea.  A real DOOSEY.

He wants a rabbit.

He really, really, really wants a bunny rabbit for Christmas.

People have been weighing in.

They think it's a bad idea.

They say rabbits' cages smell.

They say they're a pain to clean up after.

But you know what, it's a good responsibility for Remy to take on.

And it'll be an adventure for us.

They're inexpensive.

They don't require shots or regular vet visits.

And we'll have to make sure we never let Annie have time with it.

Because I have a feeling Annie would like a rabbit for Christmas way more than Remy.

The Dormouse Bridge

Ye Old Brits have lost their minds!!

Why do I say this?

Because they have built a bridge in South Wales for dormice.

DORMICE.

So the dormice can cross the road safely.

I kid you not.

It's made of  steel mesh walkways suspended over the road by tall poles.

And it cost around $290,000.

I have one question for you to ponder...

Do the dormice know they're supposed to use this bridge?!!

photo © John Robinson

P.S. After I wrote this post, I looked up photos of dormice to include in the post, and I'm in love.  They're ADORABLE!!  I would totally build a bridge for them.  I would build a boat for them.  A cruise ship. An Airplane.  TOO CUTE!

A Turtle Limmerick

There once was a turtle named Claire Sinclair,

who wished to grown wings and soar through the air.

Her friends exclaimed, "Turtles are made for the water!"

but Claire didn't give up, she knew she was smarter.

Her sisters told her to follow her dreams,

her parents supported her in all things.

So, she befriended an eagle who traded a ride for some fish

and Claire the Smart Turtle fulfilled her greatest wish.

Moral of the story:

Find a way to follow your dreams,

even if they're unconventional.

And

Supportive friends & family can make a world of difference.

Watering Hole

I had to drive down this one country road and find my friends the cows again recently.

I think I need to see animals ever so often, because I grew up on a farm seeing them daily.

and I miss that kind of contact.

Hi, guys!!

I think they remember me!!

Or they're just friendly.

Or maybe it's because I'm just standing near their water and they're thirsty.

Oh, a mama and her baby!!  They want to come see me.

They sense I'm a mother...and a lover of animals...

...or they're thirsty too.

They don't look dangerous.

Can you tell what's on this pier?

What kind of animal is covering every single inch of it?

The sign in the photo below warns of dangerous Sea Lions.

 

They don't look dangerous, do they?

Iguana know more

These two photos are of Mexican Iguanas in the Yucatan Pennisula.

My mom took these photos while on vacation down there this summer.

They are supposedly vegetarian.

And, if you feed one...20 more will appear.

My mom fed them.

This one is running off with a piece of bread she gave it.

They're huge!
And pretty cool looking.

I can't imagine just seeing them all over the place, like they are there.

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Labradoodle?

Is it a bird?
Is it a plane?
It is a...

no, wait, that's not what I meant.

Is it a labrador?
Is it a poodle?

I think it might be...

a labradoodle?!

On a walk through our neighborhood last weekend
we found this dog running about.

That tail is gorgeous!!

I think it must be a lab/poodle mix...

What do you think?
Have you seen any cool dog mixes?

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