Ol' McShelly & Her (Funny)Farm

Green Global Giving to Australia's Animals

2009-06-12T12:08:00.001-07:00

While reading the Sundance Channel Greenzine today I happened along the above photo. Needless to say it made me stop still in my tracks. I really can't begin to put words to how it touches my heart in really great places. So instead I will just share it and it's purpose which comes from a Global Giving project.

Their purpose: Rehabilitate and replant key wildlife refuges and corridors destroyed in Australia's worst natural disaster, the February 2009 Victorian wildfires.

Contact:
Roger Phillips
CEO, Australian Rainforest Foundation
51 Esplanade
Cairns, QLD 4870
Australia
+61 (7) 4051 2000
Email: roger.phillips@arf.net.au
http://www.arf.net.au/

Paul Hawken: You Are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring

2009-06-08T10:29:00.001-07:00

A lovely commencement by Paul Hawkins....

Paul Hawken: You Are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring

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Got Wishes?

2009-06-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you went shopping for a friend and thought, "Hmmmm, I'd really like to get something that she absolutely doesn't need or want"? Noooo, instead we fret and moan over just the perfect gift that would both surprise and tickle the person immensely only to find out later that they already have one or worse yet, "would never have thought to buy that for themselves". (this is code for: "What in the hell were you thinking? I'm selling that on eBay as soon as you leave the room.")

That's why I think everyone should have a Wish List. It's the answer to everyone's Christmas time dilemma of, "I never know what to get anyone." Just imagine it..... everyone you know places all the things they are dreaming of on their own page, complete with pictures and the place to find them. (think bridal registry without the rice) Then... you get to go choose something to your liking that fits into your price range, wrap it all pretty in a bow and send it lovingly along to the party girl who later calls you ecstatically to say, "It's JUST what I wanted!"

Go you. A job well done. And isn't that what gift giving is all about..... giving something that you know the person really wants or needs and that will make them super excited to have?This list also works really well for the Law of Attraction fans in the room. "What you focus on expands", right? "Ask and you shall receive"? Well hey, what a better way to focus on your desires than to take a daily tour through your own Wishlist? For a little shameless promotion, here's mine thus far as an example. Feel free to steal all the ideas you like!

I went snooping for other similar concept on the web. There's a thing called Kaboodle but it wasn't as easy to add items to as Wishlist and I am sort of "social networked" out so I opted for a Wishlist. Do let me know if you have something similar that you recommend and in the meantime.....DREAM BIG!!!!

The Little Things

2009-06-01T09:09:00.001-07:00

It seems like it is the little, simple things that have the power to really make a day. A smile, a yummy salad of fresh grown greens from the garden and today an email from a fellow foster person at the Humane Society. This friend was thoughtful enough to share with me some pictures of a kitty that I helped rescue a few months back. I recall being super busy when I got the call that a woman had trapped a cat in her garage that had been crying at her door for nights on end. Obviously hungry and abandoned, this day she said she found him bloody and injured. Busy or not, I just couldn't deny that call.

On the way over, I was given all the details: Large gray, possibly pregnant female, lacerations to the face and neck, friendly but scared, VERY hungry. I arrived to confirm that yes the kitty was hungry and injured but to my surprise she was neither gray nor female. HE was actually a very, very dirty and matted all white, intact male (guessing by his humongous jowls). His ears were impacted with mites and his face badly ripped, the results of holding his own on the streets alone.

Even scared and uncertain though, he still let me pick him up and place him gently in his carrier to be transported to the vet for the care he so desperately needed. He talked to me the whole trip over; a cordial chatty talk, not fearful yawling or whining. When we arrived he transferred happily to the carrier that would take him to the doctor who awaited his arrival. It was obvious he was once someones' companion; fearing us did not cross his mind. This was a cat that was let down by humans the who were supposed to care for him and still he found it in him heart to trust me. My heart ached that he had to find himself in this position because those same people didn't take the responsibility to neuter him and make sure he had a forever home.
(Alex then)
The email I just received made all that heartache melt right away. Alex made it through surgery with flying colors, had a bath (revealing his gorgeous white coat) and has taken to being the star resident at his temporary foster home. She even explained that he decided his new job was to care for a litter of orphaned kittens who are without a mother. He cleans and cares for them, sleeping with and nurturing them as they grow. What a good boy! I was told that he is even great at adoptions and attracts much attention being so sweet and handsome. It's my prayer that he find his forever family this time who will love and care for him for his lifetime.

(Alex now)

It's funny how the littlest things can make your whole day. Hearing Alex is safe and well makes me feel so proud and happy to have been able to help get him to safety. It would be my greatest dream that all animals have that same chance. Sometimes it is easy to think that I'm not doing much when all I can contribute is a moment of time or a car ride to the vet. But for this big guy, that car ride might have just saved his life. So I reflect today that whatever I can do, small or large, matters. It matters to the ones I can help.

Paul Hawken: You Are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring

2009-05-29T12:49:00.001-07:00

Paul Hawken: You Are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring

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What Doesn't Kill Us......

2009-05-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hi there. It's Keeper of the Catnip, back from falling from the edge of the earth. Don't remember me, you say? Decided a long time ago to write me out of your will? I don't blame you. I started this darned blog and then I vanished into the pre-med ethers never to be heard of again. :{

It's been a LONG two semesters of intense physics, chemistry and biology classes & labs, all the while volunteering over 300 hours in post-op to the Humane Society's Spay-A-Thons in a vain attempt to gain clinical experience, foregoing all family, friend and animal time, only to discover that I AM NOT A SCIENTIST!!!!

This girlfriend's wonky ADD, right-brained noggin wants nothing to do with molecular equations, the speed of light or any of those other non-sense formulations that a college deems necessary for a veterinary application but which every veterinarian on the face of the planet attests will "never, ever been used in veterinary medicine". Urg!

I guess I should have got the hint when I was spending 3-4 times as long on the same material that my study group friends were....I was making flash cards and colored charts and audio recordings... all of which didn't help the material sink into the left side of my brain one tiny iota. Meanwhile my uber-linear counterparts sipped latte and spouted off definitions and correct spellings and locations of that which they simply breezed over one time in lecture.

The answer came about mid-way into the second semester as I desperately sought out an answer to why all this science, after stellar grades in the liberal arts, was kicking my ass and leaving me in mediocre land with solid C's despite my greatest efforts. (C's don't get a second glance on a vet school app) A kindly professor suggested that I venture off to the "Students With Disabilities Resource Center" for a little help and insight. Wah? Last time I checked all my limbs were in working conditions. I see 20/20 and can hear kittens trapped in a storm drain from two miles off. Disability? Let me repeat.... Wah??

So here's the dealio that I have since learned. Universities cater to left-brained, linear learners. Their lecture and text book based curriculum is written with 85-95% of the population in mind. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, those of us kinesthetics who learn by doing are left out cold in the non-scholastic rain. If a student happens to have a non-linear, creative, predominantly right focused brain onboard, they are screwed when it comes to science and math based curriculum. Sure, we can kick royal butt in labs and reports that we get to do actual hands-on learning in, but ask us to read and regurgitate exact terminology or formulations and it is like watching turkeys try to fly. NOT pretty. Add a healthy dose of attention deficit disorder into the mix, ask us to sit perfectly still and stare at a boring lecture for more than two hours, and you are asking for a melt down.

I guess that would be the polite way to put what I have experienced in the past month: a melt down. The last straw came as I sat listening to the student therapist explain that since the system did not cater to my brain style I could formally be "diagnosed" as disabled (having ADD) and certain special arrangements would be made to help me during assignments and tests. The only requirement for me to make this arrangement would be to have a formal diagnosis with a psychiatrist ($1300) and show that I am taking a prescribed medication (legal amphetamines) in attempts to control my wonky brain. Dude, seriously?! System broken much?

So here I stand on the back-side, looking at a veterinary career that for all practical purposes, I knew I was never meant to have. In general don't believe in the over use of vaccinations, prescriptions or special formula pet foods. (90% of a veterinarians income source) I can't stand being trapped in an office, think doctors do too much telling and not enough teaching and would probably end up taking home every animal that was in for "humane euthanasia" because Fifi was getting too old for the kids to play with or Bruno eats shoes when he is left locked up in the house for more than 13 hours. I am a firm believer that we don't have animal problems, we have people problems. So what gave me the remote idea that I'd fit into the veterinary world in the first place, wonky brain or not?

I guess what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I have learned so much about myself in this process. I learned that being born with a creative mind is not a disability. Some of the greatest thinkers of all times had the same type of brain that I do: Edison, Einstein, Ben Franklin, Forbes MLK, Kennedy, Beethoven, George Burns, da Vinci, Disney, Hearst, Lincoln, Babe Ruth, Will Smith, Spielburg, the Wright brothers and even Oprah! I'd say that is pretty good company to keep. Granted there are no doctors in the bunch but that's OK. What I learned about the majority of pre-med students in my class is that they are type-A, uber-focused and willing to forgo life in pursuit of the goal. Bravo for them! They get everything they deserve in life. They are certainly working hard for it. I however, being on the more creative, artistic end of the personality spectrum find the "Life is a Journey" approach more suiting to my nature.

So I am back to building Pay It Forward Pets and have recently discovered an online doctorate in veterinary naturopathy. If I am going to spend five years in school it might as well be focused on animal health and things I beleive in and support rather than biting my tongue through 4 years of big-pharma driven vet school just to gain the political piece of paper that would make it legal for me to tell pet guardians what they really need to hear anyways. The one cool common thread about all the above people is that they were all famous for doing it their way. Most of the time people did not believe in their vision. (even laughed in their faces) They were the movers and shakers that created a shift in consciousness and brought new energy to the planet.

This has always seemed to be my path too. What was I thinking that I had to play by the rules and get some paper "pass" to play in the real world? I don't even like the "real world". It's not fun unless there is a little rebellion in the mixture anyways. Guess I'll just have to do it my way and change the systems. I've got just a wonky enough brain to do it!

On that note, I give you my favorite video these days. Prepare to be inspired! :

Engineer's Guide To Cat Yodeling

2009-05-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

The hilariousness continues!

W-K9

2008-10-27T19:03:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness this is not real! My "kids" are so cute, I'd be broke! (wink)

(click on to enlarge)

Vote For Ginger!

2008-10-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

The Engineer Cat Men strike again......

My Virtual Vision Board

2008-09-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

What are you focusing on? Dream Big! Anything is possible if you only believe.

Extraordinary Mothers

2008-08-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Thinker Quiz

2008-08-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent me this fun quiz to determine what kind of "thinker" I am. While I don't generally put much emphasis on what others determine, it is fun to see that the results are so in-line with the path I tend to gravitate toward in life.... animal care, alternative veterinary medicine, gardening, holistics, etc.

What kind of thinker are you?

You are a Naturalist Thinker
		Naturalist Thinkers: Like to understand the natural world, and the living beings that inhabit it have an aptitude for communicating with animals You try to understand patterns of life and natural forces
Like other Naturalist thinkers, Leonardo longed to spend time in the countryside. He spent hours watching birds to understand how they flew.		Other Naturalist thinkers include Charles Darwin, Jane Goodall, Johnny Morris, David Attenborough Careers which suit Naturalist thinkers include Biologist, Meteorologist, Forester, Farmer, Astronomer, Alternative therapist

Daywear Pajamas

2008-08-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

There's not a day goes by that I don't thank goodness that the career I have chosen has such comfortable attire. A large selling factor of entering the veterinary medical field is being able to wear scrubs to work everyday. They are the most comfy uniforms on the planet!

Who ever invented scrubs should get the Pulitzer Prize. My reasoning goes like this:

Scrubs =
Comfy, loose, soft, clothing =
Happy, comfortable people =
More relaxed, less pretentious attitudes =
Nicer demeanor =
Kindness to others =
World Peace.
(think I could win the Ms. America debate with that "All I want is World Peace" logic?)

I haven't even begun to taut the praises of how brilliantly they hide the added curves from the extra serving of chocolate brownies at last weekend's bar-b-cue or how well the obscenely busy patterns hide the stain from wearing this mornings breakfast when the guy in front of you on the freeway decided to slam on his brakes! They are pretty much God's perfect apparel. If I ruled the world everyone would get to wear scrubs to work. They are like legal day-wear pajamas.

While were on the subject, a little must be mentioned about the perks that come with wearing legal pajamas to work. Pass anyone at the local Starbucks who is wearing the standard two-piece, hospital issued, ceil blue cotton scrubs and you can't help but imagine their morning filled with life-saving neuro surgery or cardiac transplants. There is just something about a scrub top that says, "I save lives". Who's ego couldn't use a little of that type of boosting?

Next time you can't bear to don the coat and tie perhaps you might try sliding through with a fresh pressed set of eggplant colored, drawstring pants and three-pocket, mock-wrap top. Who cares if you spend your time as an accountant or real-estate agent. Tell you clients (and boss) that your new attire is your way of bringing peace to the planet (and comfort to your "bottom line".)

Only thing better would be wearing slippers to work. Then again, I think someone is already on that.... they are called Crocs!

Simon's Cat- TV Dinner

2008-08-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Borrowed this from my friend at ClayPaws Connection. Too funny and SO accurate. While you at it, go to YouTube and watch the others. They will not disappoint!

Kitty Calisthenics

2008-07-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

Loose Parts- Dave Blazek

Now that's a work-out tape that someone might actually use!!!

Green Your Lawn

2008-07-03T21:08:00.001-07:00

A good friend of mine recently decided to forgo his lawn in support of a better planet. This is not a huge stretch for Robert. It is his nature to help out his friends, family and even the earth when ever he finds the chance. It is also his unique ability to find ways to do it with a "twist"; his own unique, artistic, and often times progressive approach to the problem. It is thus, not surprising to me that his recent brilliant idea caught the attention of a local news group as you can see in the photo above. Read the article & watch the video here

You might notice the art in the background of the video. It is his recent contribution to raising consciousness on the planet combining inspirational words, the law of attraction, color vibration and shear visual pleasure. He calls it Modern Optimism. If you'd like to enjoy the rest of the collection it can be found at his website.

Congratulations Robert. Cheers to being part of the solution and congratualtions for being recognized for the brilliance that you are!

2008-06-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Make mine a "triple play"!

That’s Hott!

2008-06-06T11:28:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows me is already sick of hearing about the HUGE crush I have on firefighters. Therefore, I thought it only appropriate to blab to my blog readers reader since I have not yet sent them her running away frantically with all my "firefighter this" and "hero that" rambling. Or perhaps I have?

If you are still there, then I have to share one of my favorite writers and her new series based on…..yep…. you guessed it…… FIREFIGHTERS. Swoon. I haven't yet read it (it's on the way!) but I have read all her former firefighter reads and I can guarantee you will be pleasantly satisfied. Her other books are purely delicious as well.

With the temps heating up it's the perfect time to get you a little hot summer reading. Enjoy!

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

Pigeons Please!

2008-05-09T14:27:00.001-07:00

Dear Don Pigeleon,

Ol' McShelly was quite happy to risk life and limb by running into oncoming traffic to save some dumb bird you while you flapped pathetically were in distress, the obvious victim of a head-on collision with a poor defenseless driver windshield. She was even content to spend hours looking like a crazy person in front of her friends and family giving you Reiki treatments, and wet seeds and a comfy little shoe-box bed on which to lay your head. She never once complained of the heart palpitations you caused her when she found you in said shoe-box faking appearing to be dead on multiple occasions, nor did she cuss and scream complain when she had to rescue you from the impending attack by resident cats at 3AM in the morning.

It's quite obvious that Ol' McShelly cared for you out of the goodness of her heart and when she set you free to rejoin your family after you healed, she genuinely wished you well. She does not however, recall ever telling you to go retrieve that HUGE mob family and bring them back to live.

Ol' McShelly understands how nice it is to be a critter here on the farm. There is fresh food and water and nice places to roost and nest. She allowed you to have babies in her tack room and brought you left-over bread from restaurants. She even admits to bragging on your superb grooming skills in blogs. That was all, however, before you had lived here for more than one day and she realized you keep house like slobs!

Let's be clear. From here on out… We. Have. Rules. Those rules do not allow for building two-foot poop loafs nests directly above anything resembling a door, walkway, tractor, haystack, or horse trough. Those rules also do not allow for releasing your bowels precisely timed to land on any passer-by. Those rules particularly apply to Ol'McShelly, the dog, the horses and her Mom. (Sorry Mom!)

While were at it, perhaps you could refrain from fouling the freshly cleaned bunny water with your wing soot and try to be nicer to other feathered friends. I vaguely recall a time when cute little sparrows and happy singing finches would come to dine, but now that you all selfishly hog eat at the feeding station, they don't care to play.

I realize that my attempt to scare you away divert your nesting with the use of pinwheels and Vaseline proved humorous to you. I also know that you find great pleasure in breaking above said "Rules"….especially the one in which you poop on my everyones head. You should be fore-warned however. While I certainly will not resort to using the general public's recommendation of BB guns or anti-freeze, I still have one or two tricks up my sleeve. This little war ain't over yet!

Sincerely pissed yours,

Ol' McShelly & Her Farm

An Engineer's Guide To Cats

2008-05-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Holy catnip this is f-u-n-n-y!!!

Being the huge veterinary geek that I am, I'm sure there is no surprise to my repeated confessions that I love ~~nerds~~ smart men. And smart men with cats? CatMen? Now that's just pawsitively irresistible!

So, just for the record.... if this guy is ~~straight~~ single, I get first dibseys on digging my claws into him. He's obviously great at heavy petting. (wink) Not to mention, if we combined feline households and he purrfected his Feline Static Electricity Generator, we could power up the entire West Coast! I always knew cats would save the planet.

Whooped!

2008-04-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Ol' McShelly would like to know how to remove splinters from her rear since she is too much of a wuss to wake and move the ~~spoiled rotten~~ lovely Miss Bindi from her comfy, cushy chair.

One Fantastic Pony

2008-04-23T10:56:00.001-07:00

We received an email from a good friend today about this amazing little horse. Molly is a Katrina survivor and lost her leg (and almost her life) to a pit bull attack after the event. With the aid of an amazing doctor and loving guardian, Miss Molly has recovered and has regained mobility by use of a prosthetic limb. As if that is not enough of a feel-good story, she has also gone on to visit and inspire others by visiting hospitals and rehabilitation centers to share her message of healing and hope with others. What a blessed little pony. Read the full story here.

Click above to see her book and support the "Molly Fund".

2008-04-15T10:49:00.001-07:00

Cat ~~Belly~~ Scratcher

Stash

2008-04-14T13:01:00.001-07:00

My Mom was recently packing for a trip to Cabo and I arrived to find her tucking two HUGE baggies of loose nettle herb into her suitcase with random disregard. Not able to contain myself I blurted out, "Mom, is there something you need to tell me? Generally people smuggle pot out of Mexico, not into it."

She countered sarcastically with, "Very funny smarty-pants. You know how good my nettle tea makes me feel."

Apparently she hadn't considered what the baggage handlers would do to her precious (knock-off) Louis Vuitton when they saw nearly two pounds of emerald green bud tucked neatly next to her Slim Cognito Spanx. I informed her that it probably wouldn't be pretty and she opted to leave the leaf behind.

The experience reminded me this morning of what a giggle I get every time I look into my freezer. I know this is a repeat from the blog formerly known as Zaadz, but the geek in me finds pleasure in it just the same.

Thank Goodness the cops never come over and check my freezer. With such a large "stash", I'd certainly find myself sharing accommodations with Paris before they realized it is just kitty pot!

Well, I'll Be Darned...

2008-04-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

I met with a pre-veterinary counselor on Friday and was given some really good news. He was super cool and supportive, nothing like the curmudgeon that I met with 10 years ago that proceeded to find all the myriad of ways in which I didn't have a shot in hail of being where I am at this very moment. (Got Grudge?)

Anywho, not only am I finishing my B.A. next month (way sooner than I had imagined!) but I am actually closer to applying for vet school than I had thought. If I am able to take three courses over the summer, ten (grueling science/physics) credits in both Fall '08 & Spring '09 semesters, then pass the GRE with flying colors in May '09 I will be ready to apply to schools next June. Granted I will have probably long since missed the deadline for applying but the big goal is to actually apply for the WICHE program here in Nevada thereby pretty much guaranteeing a spot in one of my top 5 choices of universities. I'm gunnin' for CSU followed by Davis (both are holistic friendly).... my folks have their heart set on Oregon (holistic? not so much). The battle is on! I'm just stoked to actually be so close to makin' this big dream a reality.

Now if I can just figure out how to win MegaBucks and cut out 5 hours of sleep a night so I can make this all happen, I'll be set. (wink)

Peace Critters

2008-04-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is what I have always believed the animals are here to teach us....

Love One Another

Compliments of a treasure I discovered on the internet today.

Elephant Paints Self Portrait

2008-04-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

A Bad Cat Day

2008-03-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

This pretty much looks like our house everyday. The entertainment never ends!

The Pussycat Dolls Have Competition

2008-02-20T19:46:00.001-08:00

This guy is the next best thing since Far Side! Some of the stuff he comes up with is just hilarious and a lot of it is animal related.

Check out the chicken dancing on the table in the background! I want to know what he puts in his coffee.

Keep The Cat

2008-02-15T19:58:00.001-08:00

Oh, if I only had a dollar for every time I've wished I could have said this in response to, "We just can't keep 'Fluffy' anymore"!

Just Say No To Pot

2008-02-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

I Can Has Cheezburger strikes again!.....

S.W.A.K.

2008-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Love is never in short supply here at Light Heart Ranch. I awake to 10+ kitties all vying for their turn getting morning cuddles and a dog who insists he must get a big ol' bear hug before he can go outside. The horses nicker their affection the moment they see me and the bunnies come running just in case I have carrots in tow. Through the day I am hard pressed to have a lap free of a cat or a moment alone without a furry critter by my side but I wouldn't want it any other way. I can't imagine life without so much unconditional love in it.

On this day typical of romance and chocolate and flowers I wish for you even a small amount of the loads of love I receive every day of the year. May your heart be full and your kisses whiskered.

Talk About Trust!

2008-02-11T19:55:00.001-08:00

Now this is really something to aspire to.

....and can you imagine what strength that must take? I'd like to stay on bareback like that.... not to mention ditching the bridle. Simply inspiring!

Synchronized Grooming

2008-02-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

Looks like they've been practicing this for awhile! Now if I could only get all ten of mine to do this at the same time!

Cat Person Too

2008-02-08T18:58:00.001-08:00

I had to have one!!

La...la....la...la.....

2008-02-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

Veterinarian I work with:
"It is virtually impossible to get into vet school, especially Colorado or Davis."

Psych. Professor @ UNLV:
"Do you know the percentage of people who get into vet school is much smaller than those who go to medical school.... and that is very small too?"

Science adviser: "Your grades and experience are not quite what the vet schools are looking for. Have you thought of other fields?"

Me: {{hands over ears}} "La la la la la la la..... I CAN'T hear you. La la la la la la."

Seriously? Do they not know that I am the Elle Woods of the veterinary school world? You'd better dang well believe I will get into vet school....heck, it'll be like recruitment day for the NFL. Schools will be beggin' up and down to have my sprout-eating, lavender scented, organic-manic self in their stuffy, old-school classrooms. I don't care if you do have to have a 3.999 GPA and 4,500 hours of clinical time to get in. Ah-hem. God and I have got some serious butt kickin' to do in the veterinary world and we ain't got time to wait.

So neigh-sayers step aside. And while your busy pouring poop on other people's dreams maybe you'd like to pay attention, 'cause I'll be the one doing the very thing you said could never be done.

Secret Cat Diary

2008-02-03T10:41:00.001-08:00

A cat loving friend of mine had actually never heard this before so I thought I'd send it around once again. It's as funny as I remember it being years ago!.......

DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from shredding the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant and cough it up on the carpeting.

DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favourite chair...must try this on their bed (again).

DAY 762 - Slept all day so that I could annoy my captors with sleep depriving, incessant pleas for food at ungodly hours of the night.

DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan...

DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth and the tiny bit of flesh under my claws.

DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call "beer." More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The Bird on the other hand has got to be an informant. He has mastered their frightful tongue (something akin to mole speak) and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait, it is only a matter of time.

Dr. DoMore

2008-02-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

Granola Doc's rock!

www.drdomore.com

That's My Laboratory Retriever.....

2008-02-02T01:20:00.000-08:00

Classic, fantastic Muppets. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

Cantz Has Enufs Cheezburger

2008-01-22T07:07:00.000-08:00

moar funny pictures ......

Time Flies

2008-01-18T08:29:00.001-08:00

"Oh my..... the hands on the clock move!"

The Aliens Made Them Do It

2008-01-17T08:34:00.001-08:00

Another houseplant bites the dust.

Oh, the joys of being a foster petparent!!

No Housework Today

2008-01-15T15:26:00.001-08:00

No dishes done today. Can't bear to move the cat from her perfectly good sleeping place. (you buy them the plushest, most expensive cat beds on the market and where do they lay?) !!

Yes, I am a Cat Lady

2008-01-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

Q. What is the difference between "insane" and "eccentric"?

A. Money

I can't recall ever hearing one young girl say, "I want to be a Cat Lady when I grow up". It's not really something that any sane woman aspires to be. Sure, a veterinarian, animal rights activist, gourmet doggy-bone baker..... but Cat Lady?...... one has to be crazy to even admit she is 30-something and has any more than three cats.

Well, crazy I must be because, as of the time of this writing, I am officially 40, single and have toomany little kittenheads that have deemed me their staff and that call this four-walled structure I maintain solely for them (or as they think), home. To make it even worse, there is a dog, two and an eighth horses and three bunnies that also eat and dress better than I do. I suppose that makes me a Crazy Pet Lady since my addiction is species wide?

In my defense, all the cats that live with me are not my own. As a foster parent for the Humane Society, anything with fur and four legs can take refuge in this household. Granted, many of the fosters that have found their way here have not left in many months....OK years (I think they secretly lash out at adoptions because..... well...... they don't really want to live anywhere else). I can't hardly blame them. Life is good at Light Heart Ranch if you are a fur person. Sometimes I think I'd like to die and come back as one of my animals. Maybe I am to blame too. I've come to love these little critter souls and can't seem to bring myself to separate them from their friends to send them on to a lonely existence without their siblings. (While obviously not an accurate deduction....work with me.... my delusions make me happy.)

And yes, I know, I am being Anthropomorphic. I'll own that title too. I just can't help but wonder if all the "crazy" cat women in the world aren't just good-hearted gals that really want what is best for the animals that they love so dearly. Now, granted, there are certainly a few loonies that I have met, content to drive around with a trunk full of empty cat food cans, spilled kibble and Hav-A-Hart traps. They are also the ones who will pay the vet bill on a feral, toothless cat while their mortgage laps for three months. You can recognize them as the ones with dark circles and bloodshot eyes from being out all night at feline feeding stations but that can't find time to wash their wardrobe of spay-a-thon tee shirts and hand-me-down jeans.

That's the problem, somewhere along the way, all cat loving women have gotten lumped into the "Crazy" category simply because they co-exist with a multitude of felines. No accommodations are given to those women who keep impeccable homes regardless of the number of fur generators who reside there, who work multiple jobs just to provide proper care for the abandoned little ones who so desperately deserve a chance at a better life or who regardless of whether they are volunteering at adoption day or dropping off a bag of food to an elderly neighbors cat, always take time to at least comb their hair. (I'd like to think I fall into the latter category....thank you very much.)

So there. I've said it. I'm "out". I am a Cat Lady. Stereotype me if you will. Call me "crazy", that's OK. Just know that the animals and I have quite the laugh in the evenings over Chianti and catnip about all the poor souls in the world who weren't fortunate enough to be born with the "critter lovin' gene".