Livin' The Good Life, Dogs And Cats

One thing never changes - the kitchen corner is always the most popular spot in the house. This collection of pets included Clover, Fergus, Bugsy and Jack:

Seamus and Jack had just arrived in the kitchen to see what was going on:

Sammy and Caspar, the two trouble making kittens, hopped up on the kitchen table to attack the ceiling fan. I chased them back off the table:

Fergus, Bugsy and Clover:

When the Rugosa roses began to bloom, I saw an opportunity to get photos of the dogs on their ramps. It was easy with gigantic Seamus:

The little dogs were a bit trickier:

Sammy got out of the house through a window I'd opened incorrectly one morning and I launched an emergency search for him but had no success. I finally found him right near the window, terrified and hiding in the weeds. He was grateful to be rescued:

All the cats, however, developed a big interest in open windows and began clawing holes in the screens. I now have baby gates in front of all the screens:

Bugsy, Clover, Seamus, Jack, Caspar and Daphne:

Jack and Seamus used the shade of a small Maple tree to rest while I mowed the lawn in their fenced yard:

And keeping me company while I was at the computer: Daphne, Bugsy and Seamus:

Clover and Fergus:

A House Full Of Critters

As always, the most popular gathering spot is the kitchen corner, with its floor pillows and pet beds. This critter collection consisted of Clover, Bugsy and Daphne:

 Bugsy is shy and retiring, but very sweet:

 Sammy loves the soft life he's found here, complete with catnip filled glove-puppets to play with:

 Fergus had a guilty look on his face. Did he know something I didn't know?:

Another kitchen corner collection: Daphne, Fergus, Clover and Jack:

 The weather finally warmed up enough for me to open the front door and let air come in through the screen door. Sammy was fascinated:

 Jack, Clover, Caspar and Daphne:

 I also opened a kitchen window one warm day, drawing Sammy and Caspar to investigate. They are the reason I keep a baby gate in front of the screen. The black and white band hanging on the baby gate is Jack's belly-band, used to contain his pee. This house has concessions to the animals wherever I look:

All five dogs at the back gate, as anxious to come in as they were to go out:

 Ruby the Guinea Pig got her toenails clipped:

 And so did her fat sister, Meghan:

 I still have two Siamese Fighting Fish, and they are doing quite well. They seem to like it here:

Pets At Home

The house pets have been happy at home - and totally relaxed, as Caspar and Bugsy demonstrate here:

 Seamus is aging and his back legs are giving him more trouble. He finds it difficult to stand or maneuver stairs. And of course the reason for the yoga mats is to help him walk without slipping:

 Jack is still not totally housebroken, and I suppose he will always need to wear his belly band when I leave the house. But he is happy and totally sweet:

 Each morning the dogs and cats help themselves to dog food and water. In this case it was Clover, Bugsy, Sammy and Daphne. They never argue:

One morning I scrambled more eggs for them, putting it atop the dry dog food. Most of it was not eaten, but removed from the bowls and left on the floor for me to clean up. Later in the day, Jack got sick. I've learned my lesson now and will no longer feed eggs to the dogs or cats:

 But life is good, as when the dogs sunned themselves on their ramp while the aroma of apple blossoms drifted across the yard from the apple grove:

 And they love to keep me company when I'm at the computer. In this case it was Daphne, Seamus, Fergus and Jack:

 Little Caspar isn't so little anymore but he sure is sweet:

Fergus, Daphne and Clover:

 Sammy:

 Seamus and Bugsy:

 Each night before bed, I let the cats chase the laser pointer, running them in big circles around the stairwell. They get so wild that they're knocking paint off the walls. They sure look forward to it, though:

More Pet Pictures

I snap photos of the pets now and then, whenever I am in the house and have my camera with me. I was running low on photos to use on the blog, but that all changed when I walked into the computer room and saw this mess. I grabbed my camera to record the "joys" of having kittens. They'd knocked the chainsaw bear off of the milk can and then tipped over the waste basket, which was filled with shredded paper and floor sweepings. I figured the only reasonable response was to laugh at the mess and then clean it up:

The dogs are older and less likely to run amok than the two kittens. They prefer the floor pillows in the kitchen corner. In this case it was Fergus, Daphne, Clover and Jack:

On another day, Bugsy joined Clover and Fergus on the big, soft, green floor pillow:

Seamus and Jack stood in the hallway and watched me while I was at the computer:

Then Seamus watched me as I walked into the kitchen. I'm not sure what he wanted, but he watched my every move:

More lounging in the kitchen corner: Fergus, Clover and Caspar:

Daisy likes to sit on the dog food bin so I can pet her whenever I walk by. I try not to disappoint her:

She also follows me into the computer room:

Clover and Caspar:

I caught Sammy Googling something, probably "cat treats:"

Bedtime, with Daphne and Fergus on the bed, and Clover, Jack and Seamus on the floor:

I've been trying hard to get Sammy to trust me. I often give the cats treats when the dogs are outside, and each night before bed, I tire them out chasing the laser pointer. It's a game they love and they clearly expect me to do it again each time I enter the bedroom. All this is working quite well in helping Sammy to trust me:

Easter Sunday

I collected Pussy Willows for a woman in the church choir and she made crosses of them to hang in the church. She also made one for me, and it is hanging on my kitchen wall. I put it up high, hoping to keep the two kittens from attacking it. I saw Caspar walk beneath it, stop and look up - but then he continued on his way, leaving it alone. These are my own, home grown Pussy Willows:

Remy is enjoying springtime. It's not too hot, not too cold, no bothersome flies, and he doesn't have to walk far to get a drink of water:

We've had a few surprise snowstorms, but they melt quickly at this time of year:

Blue has taken to sleeping in the barn and sometimes doesn't want to wake up when I enter. He has a soft bed of hay and the warming morning sun coming through the east windows:

But he also likes to go outside, especially now that his hooves have been trimmed again:

Sammy has been shy and skittish since he arrived, but he's really made himself at home now:

I don't know why this photo is so yellow, but it may be the color of the paint on the walls because other pictures in this room have turned out yellow also. Nonetheless, I liked it because it showed Clover, Fergus, Seamus, Daphne and Daisy keeping me company:

And their other favorite spot is the kitchen corner. This collection included Daphne, Fergus, Clover, Jack, Caspar and Seamus:

And little Jack follows me wherever I go:

Seamus, Daphne and Bugsy:

The Red Poll girls are fat and happy. Rosella is due about May 13, so I am hoping for a purebred calf very soon:

The hay supply is very low, and I'm concerned about whether we'll make it until they can live on green grass. We'll know very soon: