Category: Pets

Crankypantsing, Pets, Photography

Rain, rain, go away

Shelly

Indiana has a rainy season. If you don’t live here, I bet you didn’t know that. Every fall, we seem to go through weeks-long spates of seemingly endless rain. It makes the baby Shelly cry, it does, all that unrelieved grey and cold and wet. Miss Brown does not like it, either. Nope, not one little bit.

Last week, it rained pretty much every day. Because Harriet will melt and freeze in the cold rain, she decided she’d rather not go outside to play. She spent one entire afternoon sitting on the couch, looking wistfully out the patio window at the constant drizzle. I was reminded of a bored and grumpy child, wishing the rain would end so she could go outside and play. After several loud, dramatic sighs from Harriet, I decided she needed to have her picture taken.

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The subject of photography came up in another forum. I’m not any sort of photographer, but Harriet is an excellent subject, so it’s fairly easy to get decent pictures of her. Still, the majority of photos I take of her are not fit for public consumption. Sometimes, they’re just plain awful, and other times, the difference between a keeper and a junker is more subtle.

For example, I prefer the top photo over the second one. In the first photo, Harriet’s eyes are softer and more relaxed. Also, the photo was taken from a higher angle, so more of Harriet’s face is visible, giving her head more “weight” on the pillow.

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This is an illustration of why flash sucks. Sure, Harriet’s butt is nice and shiny, but if you look carefully, you’ll see that the shadows between the different layers are stark and far too crisp. The result looks like a bunch of elements cut out of paper and stacked on top of each other. It’s a flat and ugly photo.

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This one, too, was taken with flash, but the results are a little more pleasing than the above photo. Harriet still has Shiny Butt, but the shadows are less harsh.

So, in my world, only one of these images is a real keeper. Ain’t she the cutest thing EVAR?

Pets, Photography

Harriet Keeps an Eye on Things

Shelly

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Harriet has thus far been a good sport about the moving chaos. I’ve done a lot of moving around, and this is old hat for Pandora (Pandora says, “Yay! Boxes and newspaper!”). Harriet has only been through one move with me, though. She’s spent most of her life with me here, so I know she’s got to be a little anxious.

I spent most of yesterday washing loads and loads and loads of laundry. Harriet spent the whole time on the couch, either under or on top of piles of laundry. I think she likes the feel of being surrounded by warm clothes. While I watched The Amazing Race and folded laundry, Harriet crashed out next to me, with her cheek resting on her leg and her lips all smooshed up.

I took a car load of stuff over to the apartment this morning. It was raining, of course. When I got there, there was a gorgeous moth resting on the front door. He was several shades of red and orange and brown, like a perfect fall leaf. I didn’t get a picture, because I didn’t have my camera with me. There is also a huge funnel weaver spider living between the panes of the dining room window. So, there is wildlife there, though it’s of the teeny tiny variety.

I spent some time unpacking the stuff I’d brought over, and looking around, trying to figure out where I was going to put stuff. I don’t know what on earth I’m going to do with books and CDs and DVDs. They’re currently on shelves attached with L brackets. Each bracket requires three screws. At ~30 shelves, that’s way too many screws. I’m thinking that brace and bracket shelves wouldn’t be so bad. They’re not pretty, but the braces are pretty well hidden by the shelf contents. And, they don’t require anywhere near as many screws as L brackets.

I also spent a crazy amount of time on hold, trying to get utilities sorted out. After doing the math, I’ll be able to get cable (plus DVR), DSL, and phone for less than what I’m currently paying for just Netflix and phone.

Crankypantsing, Pets, Photography

Moving Update

Shelly

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Johnson Grass and Clouds

Moving Update: I’ve been busy house hunting and sorting and packing and not cleaning. The worst part of moving is the absolute lack of motivation to clean. The past few weeks, I’ve been living with stacks and piles and heaps of junk that I have no interest in picking up. Why clean it when it’s going to go into a box? I did force myself to clean the kitchen and wash dishes this morning, though, and right now I’m taking a break from cleaning out the bathroom cupboards.

The good news is that I think I have found a place. It’s an apartment, not a house, but the price is right and there are no size or breed restrictions for dogs. Huzzah! There’s a hefty pet deposit, but that’s to be expected. Harriet, even when she was suffering from awful separation anxiety, has never been the least bit destructive toward things like carpet, woodwork, and blinds. She is more the “tears up bedding and drags trash through the house” sort of baddog. I once had a dog with separation anxiety who broke windows and tore up doors and blinds, and that was No Fun. Since Harriet is a pretty good dog, I don’t expect that I’ll have any trouble getting my deposit back at the end. The people deposit is only $100, which surprised me, but I called several management companies and that seems to be the norm for apartment complexes around here. Weird! Little do they know, I’m the one they should worry about, not my dog. She isn’t likely to spill paint on the carpet.

I have an appointment to look at the place tomorrow morning, so if the planets are in the proper alignment and everything works out, I’m hoping I can move soon. Like, this weekend or next weekend. I can’t wait! The big question is whether or not it has enough room and that it has the proper configuration for setting up work space.

Now, back to packing and sorting and cleaning!

Crankypantsing, Pets, Photography

The Plague: a retrospective

Shelly

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I have watched way too much television over the past week. I’ve gone through three and a half boxes of Kleenex (with lotion!), one bottle of Mucinex, one bottle of cough medicine, and a whole lotta juice and water. I have learned that you should not cook when you have the flu, because whatever you make will taste vile. Not that I’ve actually wanted to eat anything, that is. I have also learned that it is possible to be asleep and awake at the same time, and it is not very restful at all. I have alsoalso learned that Boxers make damnfine hot water bottles.

I alsoalsoalso learned that Typhoid Mary told our boss that she just had allergies, but that the person in the cube next to her overheard her telling someone she was running a fever. I’m pretty sure she’s to blame for my week+ of misery, and I am right some Jesus pissed off at her for it. Thankfully, no one else at work seems to have caught it. I suspect I did because my allergies were at their worst and I was already feeling like crap.

What really pisses me off is that I had to use up all my sick and vacation time, and I was too damned sick to actually get anything done at home.

(Okay, who told Cheerios they were allowed to use Donovan’s Happiness Runs in their new commercial?!)

(Photo: Bath Time for Harriet 3 September 2006)

Pets, Photography

Pandora

Shelly

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Pandora will be 18 this spring. That’s apparently the equivalent of 78 human years. She’s starting to show her age, too. She can’t jump as well as she used to. She doesn’t understand why, though, so she keeps trying to launch herself onto the kitchen counter. I’ve placed “steps” at strategic points around the house, to make it easier for her to reach her favorite spots. She doesn’t always use them, though. I wince every time I hear her fall, but I can’t make her stop trying to climb. She’s always been a climber. When she was younger, she would’ve swung from the chandelier if I’d had one. I’ve found her on top of the fridge, above the false ceiling, on top of floor lamps, bookcases, and cupboards. I’ve even seen her walk the shower curtain rod, like it was a tightrope. I think she might’ve climbed Everest if she’d known it existed.

She’s also getting clumsy. Wherever she goes, she knocks things over. Not a night goes by that I don’t wake up to the sound of something or other crashing to the floor, a victim of Pandora’s late night wanderings. It’s exasperating, but what do you do? Pick up the mess and try not to think about it, I guess. The bigger problem is that her clumsiness makes it more difficult for her to get out from underfoot. She also cannot react as quickly as she used to. I’m worried that I’m going to step on her one of these days, because she’s constantly underfoot. I’ve taken to picking her up and placing her in a safe place, to keep her out of harm’s way.

She also sleeps a lot more now. Not that it’s easy to notice when a cat is sleeping more, but she does, and more heavily, too. She’s got a new favorite sun spot, and spends most of the day basking there. She often rolls over on her side, with one or more paws up in the air. Of course, it’s impossible to resist taking a picture when that happens.

And, yes, her fur is just as soft and silky as it looks.

Crankypantsing, Pets, Photography

Useless Animals

Shelly

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Pandora

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Harriet

Before I got in the shower this morning, I left my clothes for the day–which included a black shirt–in a pile on my bed. Would anyone like to guess which useless animal decided to lie on them? Hint: Not the black one, because that would have been too easy. The worst part is actually that the hair in question has itty bitty barbs on it, so it weaves into fabric and is nearly impossible to brush off. It has to be removed hair by hair. If, that is, one removes it at all. I seem to be lacking that particular brand of motivation, so the hairs are staying right where they were shed.

Pets, Photography

Woobie Love

Shelly

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Harriet isn’t a huge fan of toys. She loves her red ball and she’s got plenty of bones for chewing, but other than that, she prefers to play with me. She does enjoy an occasional woobie, though. Usually, she quickly guts them and removes the squeakers. Woobies don’t last very long. Until now, that is.

I picked up a new woobie a few days ago. Harriet has yet to even tear it. She’s been playing with it on and off, and has had a few silly games of toss-the-woobie, but so far, she hasn’t de-squeakered it, or even torn it open. Mostly, she’s been using it as a pillow.