Rest in Peace, Zeuss

Zeuss was my Aunt Dot's cat.  She got him in May of 2003.  She always said they were a good match for each other because Zeuss had long legs!

He really was a nice cat.

Marley was almost three when Dot got Zeuss.  We are a family of cat lovers.

In Dot's later years, before she went to the Atrium, Zeuss was a little hard for her to handle.  He was always trying to get out, and Dot would have to chase after him.  One day when we got to her house to take her grocery shopping she was all upset because Zeuss had gotten out.  She said that was it, he was gone and she wasn't going to try to find him.  I told her he would eventually come home when he was hungry.

Guess who was waiting for us when we got home?

One of the things I felt the worst about when Dot went to the Atrium was Zeuss.  I knew how much she loved that cat, and so did we.  Paul and I couldn't take him because we already had two cats.  Kris and Toby had a cat (and Toby is allergic to cats), and so did Mark and Janelle.

My friend Barbara at work, who is also a cat lover, offered to take him.  I was so relieved.  She had him for 7 years!

Barbara called me this morning to tell me that Zeuss passed away today.  I can't tell you how sad that made me.  All the guilt of taking him away from Dot came rushing back.  She spent her last 7 years without him.  I know it's silly to think that way; we did what we had to do, but pets are such a part of our family.

I'm so grateful to Barbara for taking him, and I know she loved him too.

Maybe Zeuss is up in Heaven with Dot now.  It makes me feel good to think so.

RIP Zeuss.

Feeding the horses

Across the street, behind Good Carl's house, is a farm where they board horses. Our neighbors are so nice; they said that any time we want to see the horses we could go through their yard. Tonight we took Mason, and a bag of carrots, to see them.

It took a few minutes to get the horses' attention, but eventually they came.



Isn’t this picture funny with the carrot sticking out of his mouth?



Mason loves feeding the horses, and I love watching him with them!

247/365 - White squirrel

Have you ever seen a white squirrel? I haven't. Today while we were driving through Old Deerfield I saw one. I made Paul turn around so I could get a picture (I do that a lot; he's usually good about it). We were both so amazed. I was lucky to get these pictures before he ran up a tree!




P.S. The sky was incredible today. It must be the effects of Hurricaine Earl.

192/365 - Baby Birds

We have at least two sets of baby birds now, maybe three. Aren't they cute? I can't get over how devoted their mothers are. Nature is truly amazing.

A sure sign of Spring

Having bunnies in the yard must mean Spring is coming, right?

Lost seagulls?

We stopped at Kohl's in West Springfield today and the parking lot was full of seagulls. About an hour earlier I saw them flying over Geisslers in Agawam. I think they got off-course somewhere along the way!

287/365 - A Ferret visits the Prims

Tonight, to finish off our "Animals" badge, we had a ferret come to visit. Miss Pat's grandaughter brought in her pet ferret, Snatch. He totally entertained the girls. We thought we could keep him in the circle if the girls sat close enough but he quickly learned how to sneak out underneath their legs. I was in the circle to begin with but he climbed right through my legs, and it was all over for me!

Here Miss Pat is demonstrating how to get a ferret to sleep. Evidently holding them by the scruff of the neck puts them right out (hopefully not from lack of oxygen). When the girls wanted to try it, we decided Snatch had had enough excitement for one night.

225/365 - Friends?

I would love to know what this bunny thinks of our "roaming gnome." Maybe they're friends.

218/365 - Dragonfly

Lots of dragonflies at Upper Spectacle Pond in Otis where we went kayaking today.

211/365 - Such a good Mama

Mama and baby bird outside my kitchen window. I couldn't take too many pictures because I took the screen off the window to get the picture and Izzy was VERY curious.

196/365 - So small...

When I was leaving to go to work this morning, this baby bird was on my front sidewalk. He was so small and didn't even move while I was taking his picture (there was quite a racket coming from the tree nearby though).

190/365 - A bunny visitor

This is what we saw when we pulled into our driveway tonight. We sat in the car for awhile watching him (I think he was playing dead; he didn't move a muscle). I love having bunnies in the yard. I probably wouldn't if I had a garden, but they are just so cute!

173/365 - A Noble bird

Today at work someone noticed that a bird was at the window right behind where I sit. I think it was a goldfinch. He stayed there for about an hour or more. He kept pecking the window with his beak and chirping. It was the cutest thing. He would fly away to the tree right behind him but then come right back to the window. We kept telling him that he really didn't want to come in, but he would peck and chirp and flutter his wings like he wanted to get in. He sure entertained us for awhile!

151/365 - Good mama!

Today we took a day trip to Misquamicut Beach and Watch Hill. We were sitting outside a little shop and all of a sudden I heard baby birds and saw a mother robin feeding them above us. She flew away before I could get my camera out, but I waited awhile and got this picture of her being a good mama!

P.S. Happy 8th Birthday Marley!

137/365 - Marley's Bug House

On Saturday while Marley and I were at the Daisies/Prims Rally, Paul bought this little bug house at a tag sale on Big Baba's street. She was so excited to get it; she loves bugs (she gets that from her father). After church on Sunday, she and Paul "hunted" for bugs. She found a flea and a slug that she brought over to her parents' house (we went there for dinner). She decided to let them go when we got to her house because she didn't want them to die. We decided that the bug house would just be for observation and not actually keeping them. See more on Debbie's Blog.

Marley's Bug House

For details of Marley getting her bug house go to Project 365 #137. I wanted to show you the "observation" note that she kept that day. It is just so cute.

118/365 - Lake Mashapaug

First kayaking of the season. We went to Lake Mashapaug in Connecticut. What a beautiful day, high 80's at least. The water was cold but the air was beautiful. We were exploring around a little island and all of a sudden we came upon this beautiful site. A mamma Canadian goose sitting on her nest. I was surprised at all the feathers she was sitting on. She seemed a little nervous to see us, but she didn't budge. Good mamma.

84/365 - The Easter Bunny?

Could the Easter bunny have arrived? I know some people don't like bunnies in their yards because they eat in their gardens, but I still get excited every time I see one in my yard. Isn't nature wonderful? Look how he just blends in with the landscape!

41/365 - Owl in the wild

So there we were, riding down the street on the way to one of my favorite scrapbook stores in Vermont, when all of a sudden I spotted this owl sitting on the power lines. It just sat there for the longest time, watching the traffic go by. It is the first time I have seen an owl in the wild.