Yeah, finally free!

During all this time Java had been on the leash we let Holly play with him here and there. She had gotten used to her "advantage" and they played kind of nice. He was good and gentle with her as well. Now things were about to change.

Mr. Java discovered, that Holly didn't like it, when he put his teeth around her legs and pulled on them. Who would like that? But he could get so wild knocking her over, that Holly became terrified of him. Our interpretation that is. She just left him as soon as she could get away, stayed on our deck and wouldn't even do her business with him around. We got Java tennis balls and he developed an attachment to balls! They didn't last long. Then we used a rubber kong ball. It was a security blanket for him. I played lots of ball with him and it was total fun. He got to run and was happy. Then chasing after the ball he strained his left front leg when he jumped down to the bottom of the stairs that lead down to the bottom of the property. He was limping. Vets orders: 2 weeks absolutely no ball or other activity. Metacam and other stuff. Total calm. Poor boy!

He is always eager to please and I tried to keep him busy in the house. At least keep his brain working. Teaching him to stay was a good one at the time. He still had so much to learn. No real walks again, no playing, it was pitiful. But even this time passed. After this was under control again it was playtime again. His desire to use his mouth constantly to chew on Holly's legs had gotten even stronger. He would go after our ancles and wrists as well. We started to use Holly's trick and implemented the NO teeth command and would ignore him every time he did it. Be nice and also quiet were two new things he had to learn. The mouthing was terrible still. I reached a point at which my nerves were totally shattered. I was going to give up, but didn't allow myself to do this. He was a creature that needed help. Watched lots of Cesar Milan shows on TV. Boy, they are so helpful.

So calm and assertive is the way to go.  As you can see on the newer videos I posted, things have improved big time. He has turned into a good companion for Holly and she is the leader. He has also mostly outgrown the mouthing. Next month he will be two years old and one year with us, and even though there is still a lot to be learned, I have no doubt that things will be just fine.

Ouch, Not again!

Happy 2012 to everyone. Well, what can I say. Hard to believe 2011 just kind of evaporated in midair. Did it? I haven't told you about the problems Java had to go through, right after we got him. I will keep it short, but it was a tough first three months. After a trip to our vet in town, we had to make a decision. We had noticed a lump and it turned out to be an umbilical hernia. Java had been fixed at the time of adoption, that was a must, and at this time the vet at the hospital that our shelter deals with didn't repair this. Since this can possibly lead to further complications down the road, we needed to take care of it. A call to the shelter pointing out this oversight resulted in poor Java going back for surgery. He had just gotten over the first surgery and now another one. We dropped him off and took him back the same day. Again no exercise and playing with Holly. It was terrible, but we gave him lots of love of course and bones to chew on. He made it through the first 6 weeks with us and stored up tons of energy. He went out on the leash only, and he didn't care about that really. The learned the borders of our property well and the time came to let him of the leash and give him the freedom he deserved. What a relief! That was what we thought. But that wasn't the end of that...

Is it mine, is it yours, or can we share?

Even in a dog's world, that is what life is about. Take ownership of yours, and learn from the dogs.

Holly is a stick fanatic, Java usually loves his balls. A tip: if your dog is a ball-player, get it a Kong Ball. In particular the one that just has a small hole in the middle. I stopped wasting tennis balls. All he needs is his Kong Ball. And he can chew it all he wants without destroying it. The other advantage is, that it bounces nicely, thereby adding additional fun to the ball play!

It is unbelievable how beneficial it is for a dog to be with another dog that knows the rules. Java has learned a lot from Holly and she also accustomed him to our routine. I love it when he gets on her nerves and she just says: forget it, I am leaving. Which is actually something I learned works. Should he get to wild in the house, I just ignore him or put him alone in another room for a few minutes. He then settles down. The worse thing for him, is to be ignored.

I need to work at home, and that requires quite a few hours of peace and quiet. I spread it out, so that I have enough time for dog play etc. He didn't like it. So he constantly bugged me. Jumped on me, brought toys and the ball, even growled and barked... Until I figured out. Wait a minute. I used to go outside to play for a few when he got like that. He learned, that if he misbehaves, he gets rewarded with play. So I stuck him in the bedroom and closed the door after numerous attempts of making him lay down. He whined, I ignored him for some time. When he was quiet, I let him out, didn't even look at him and went back to where I work. He followed and lay down. Kind of like, why didn't you say so in the first place. I would have laid down. I only misunderstood you. He has been calm ever since when I work. How cool is that? Good boy, Java!

The things in life, that are meant to be

Now to Java. How the heck did I get this lucky?

It started with the general idea to get Holly a companion. Now, Holly is very particular about other dogs, that she gets along with, or not. From experience we knew, that it is a better choice for her to get a male companion. She has her rules and the other dog has to accept them. Yeah, Holly the pack leader. More on that later.

So I started looking. It had to be a rescue, because there is no way ever, that I will buy a puppy in the store or from one of these breeders, even a good and reputable one. A nice mutt has proven to be the best choice in the past. And there are too many of them, that need a home! So that is what was on the agenda.

It wasn't the right time, because it was winter, but there was this dog on the website of the human society in our area. It was a yellow lab mix, about 2/3 of Holly's size. A good size for my liking. Originally we would have waited til spring to look again, since training a new dog is easier then, but hey. We went and had a look at the dogs, that needed a home. One complete area of the shelter had nothing but German Shepherds in it. A beautiful mother with her pups, another pregnant one, beautiful colours in her coat. Two pitch black female shepherds, beauties they were, etc. They had all been confiscated from a breeder. I have a particular love for German Shepherds and it broke my heart to see this.

There was one cage with three male German Shepherds. They were completely intimidated, except for the one black one. Every time I walked by this cage again, he came to me, curious. His hind legs were all black. It looked as if he was wearing black socks. So cute. We interacted a bit at the cage. I had to leave. It would have been to much for me to handle anyways....

Next I asked if I could walk the dog that we actually came down to the shelter for. It was weird. He was actually much smaller than Holly, which wouldn't have been an issue really. He had been adopted and returned. Poor thing. I wondered why, until I walked him. He snapped at me and the leash in an aggressive way. Growling, snapping, pulling. A beautiful set of teeth he had. Not something I would have wanted to check out like that. I got him somewhat under control with some effort and firmness, but we just didn't click. So we went back, discussed him a bit, but it just didn't feel right. We didn't even introduce him to Holly. The last thing we wanted is her getting hurt!

So I was disappointed, but okay. There was nothing else there for us. Then my husband decided last minute to ask about the black GS, even though I had said no to that. One year old we were told, but he hadn't been socialized at all and was likely tight up to a tree all his life. He wasn't house trained either. Weird we thought. He came up to me so gently and nicely. My husband then asked if we could walk him. After a negative response at first, because not much else was known about him yet, one of the women said for us to come with her. She let me go into the cage together with her to interact with him. It was a strange experience. I felt sad for the other two in the background. But how nice he was. No problem at all. Pure puppy behaviour. Curios, gentle, a bit of mouthing, but gentle and I fell in love. I kept insisting though, that he would be too much for me and Holly.

The woman said, why don't you walk him. So of course I did. It went reasonable well, knowing he had no training. His eye contact was great. Next we brought Holly out of the car to introduce them. He was submissive and Holly didn't even show her bitchy streak. ROFL. They just accepted each other. Wow. What now? We talked it over. You all know what happened next, application forms were filled out and we were checked out. He still needed to be neutered and that day we were able to bring him home. This was the beginning of exciting and, I admit, stressful times.

This frogs name is Black Knight

It is really a pleasure to observe all these frogs and toads. Yes, they do live dangerously in my backyard, but so far no harm has been done. This is a picture of Black Knight. He has been living in the yard for months and not only does he enjoy the waterfall, he also uses our small fountain on the deck as an interim home.

It is the same fountain that the dogs drink out of. Can you imagine being frog, sitting in the water and having this big German Shepherd mouth and sometimes two, coming at you. It amazes me that he can stay so still and neither dog will do anything but drink. The first time I found him in the water of the fountain, I was worried about him. So I got a tall bucket, about a 1/12 foot high and after a tremendous effort was able to capture him in there. Yeah. I really believed I could carry him down to the waterfall. Wrong. It took him like 10 seconds to just jump out again.

He has a favourite spot. He sits right on top of one the frog figurines at times. I nearly didn't notice this myself the first time. At the time this mini clip was taken, there were no dogs around.

I have to say now, that it seems to be better to just leave the creatures alone, they know best how much risk they can take. That is as far as frogs go. I have another toad story to come. Remember Dr. Bernstein. He had a dangerous encounter..... And in a way Java saved his life. Stay tuned for more.

Just like the trees, toads, frogs, and birds, we are still alive and kicking!

Wow, this is so hard to believe. I have been so busy working on establishing my own business, that there was so far no time to keep up with this blog, that I have created with lots of love. I intend to make time again now. Things are good and hard work is paying off. Our family has grown since my last post and another four legged friend has been welcomed to our family. A lot of small events have taken place and I shall post some more images shortly. So stay tuned. Holly is still with us and is thriving in the country with all the space and fresh air and activities, and of course her new friend. He keeps her young, we hope, since he is only 1 1/2 years old now, we had him for 7 months, and he still has a lot to learn. But he couldn't be any smarter. Then again, aren't all German Shepherds highly intelligent? :-)Here is a picture for starters. Isn't he a beauty? He has been with us since February this year and came from the shelter. It's a relatively long story. Keep smiling until my next post and all your life! Its good for your health! :-)

Did you have any great encounters in the woods since my last post. I apologize that it has been a little while. It would be nice if someone would contribute their stories to this blog.  Do you have some pictures in jpg or gif to post? Did you travel and take some awsome shots?

Anyway, there was really nothing to report since the Fox walked by. Just the daily winged visitors, my dog and myself. I eliminated a squirrel from my garden shed by destroying its bedding, build out of one of MY cushions. Oh, well. Its gone now. Hopefully it never tries to move in again. I am glad I didn't have to use a trap.  Even though they are life traps, I don't like using it.

I am thinking about starting my annuals in a couple of weeks. And grow some perennials too. Not sure yet what winter is doing. Will it still hit us big time, or is it going to slowly go away. I doubt that. So I am trying to be patient and not starting the seeds up yet. I can't wait to spend more time outside again. We still have a good foot of snow on the ground. Yesterday's storm missed us though. YEAH. I am enjoying an azalea I bought a couple of weeks ago. I love the scent. I will plant it outside once its safe.

I looked at some birdhouses yesterday in the store. I would love to attract a bluebird, but even though they are supposed to be around here, I haven't seen them last year.  Being in the woods like that, it is difficult to find a good location to put the house.  I think they should get the sun at least for some time, and the trees provide a lot of shade. Still haven't decided.

With the upcoming Valentine's Weekend and the Family Day on Monday I guess everybody will be busy.  So I wish you all a happy one and tons of fun. Til next post.

Fox walking by driving my dog nuts.

Nothing much is happening. The snow is melting and all we hear is drip, drip, drip. We can even see some "grass". And the river is louder too.  This is a picture from this summer:

The birds finally showed up, nuthatches, chickadees, kinglets, song sparrows, blue jays, doves and of course Mr. Woodpecker. I cleared the snow of the muskoka chairs to sit in the sun on the weekend.  Nice to feel the warmth and to have the birds be so fearless.  But we better don't start thinking winter could be over!  It is going to get cold after this.

Looking out with my dog kneeling on the living room couch, we saw a fox walking by.  Drove the dog nuts.  It didn't have the beautiful fluffy tail that I thought it would have.  Must have been in a fight or maybe it wasn't nourished well.  Must be tough in the forest this time of year.  So the fox disappeared in the woods and all was quiet again cause the dog finally stopped barking.

Its soooo quiet.......

Moss images in the woods

I want to share some of my images including moss. I find it amazing, the pieces of art Mother Nature creates by growing moss on tree trunks, stones and in the most hidden places.  It makes the shady areas seem so cozy. Here are some of my images. Do you have some too?

 

 

And here are some of my Minisheppy! She loves moss too.

 

 

Deer in the winter

I don't know if I told you that I have a special love for deer.  We have seen many since we moved here, but mostly from a distance.  It is so nice to watch them. Great to be in the middle of the woods.  And then there are some fields and open areas where we saw them all year long.  Only  500m away from home.  During hunting season the sightings had become rare and after the first snow we only had one encounter a couple of weeks ago.  Driving home along the country road by the side of the road there were four of them.  We slowed down and rolled the window down.  I made some sounds and all ears went up. They stood still for a long time.  I kept repeating the sounds, everything else was quiet.  They looked around, all ears were full attention.  Eventually all of them disappeared into the trees.  Of course, I didn't have a camera with me. As usual.

Then yesterday another very close encounter.  Just 500m from the house when coming home we spotted one by the side of the road.  We were driving slowly and came to a stop to watch.  It definitely wanted to cross the road.  We just waited.  Unfortunately there was another car coming. GRRR. Another rare encounter in itself. ROFL. It went back into the woods.  We decided to stay to see if it comes back. And it did!  Peaking around carefully, it tested the ground covered in snow and the slope that it would have to come up to cross the road.  One hoof at a time, it tested for a while.  It observed us and eventually it decided that it is safe. It climbed up, walked on to the road and slowly crossed it to disappear into the trees on the other side.  It was not in a hurry at all.  We think it was the last of a bunch that must have crossed just before we drove by.  We checked the area for more, but no more yesterday.  Very sweet to watch!  AND AGAIN NO CAMERA. oh, well.

Here is one image of the deer at the far end of the open stretch just by our house, where we  saw them in the summer.  Did you ever have any luck taking a picture of Deer in the wild? This isn't the best shot I ever took. ROFL.

Image from a Europe trip.

She loves flowers and/or cooking? This makes a wonderful lasting gift

This is a wonderful gift idea. Have your own indoor garden all year long. Or grow your own fresh herbs for cooking.

From: http://ping.fm/4Cv0N

Happy New Year 2010 - The Beauty of Winter

I hope everyone had a good start in 2010.  Nothing new to report on my end.  New years resolutions I don't have, so I can't break any.

Right now it is just beautiful out here.  I took some pictures of the snow on the trees.  So calm out there, all I hear is the river and a few birds.  Peace to the world!  May everyone have a healthy, successful and enjoyable year 2010!

How to keep the squirrels away from the bird feeders

Well, since I hung most of my feeds on the laundry line I haven't seen the squirrels that much.  But when using the pole as a mount for my other feeders this simple and free trap works wonders. 

Just take a 2L pop bottle, cut off the bottom where the bottle's shape reaches full width.  Be careful not to cut yourself.  I used a box cutter to do it.  Then do the same to the cap of the bottle, so that the opening slides over your post.  Cut it to wide, use electrical tape to hold it in place on the pole. 

The squirrels will climb up the pole and have to go into the pop bottle opening and it doesn't get them anywhere. Of course the location of the feeder shouldn't give them a chance to jump on the feeder from a taller object like a fence or a tree. 

Here is a picture of it on my feeder containing the nuts and sunflower seeds. As you can see, this is also where my other "laundry line feeders" hang in the summer on the left and the right.  So that pop bottle is extremely important to have out here in the woods.  We also have lots of chipmunks.  The other deterrent we use is our Dog. ROFL.  She lives for chasing these critters before they even make it to the pop bottle. 

Any other solutions and suggestions are always welcome.

Feeding the birds in the winter time

I always love watching the birds feeding.  Right now I have found a new use for the laundry line.  The Kinglets, Chickadees, Nuthatches and the hairy Woodpecker (picoides villosus) are coming close to the house right now.  Got a picture of Woody through the window.  If you have any pictures, please post them with your story.  Any advise on what seeds to use to attract different kinds of birds?  I have different kinds of sueds squares.  Niger seeds, finch food and wildbird seeds.

HoHoHo! Christmas again?

Well, I am really not sure if it is true what I was told by my parents.  Time goes by much slower when you are a young.  I must be getting old, because I can't understand where this year has gone.  I guess part of it has to do with some major life changes, but hey, they were all for the better.  Let me tell you, if you ever need a fresh start and feel like you are stuck on a treatmill everyday, doing the same thing over and over, it is time to do something about it.  One can do anything.  It might not seem logical to do, but as long as you never give up, I believe you can make changes against all odds.  And if you are patient and believe in freedom of choice, your life can change.  Sure, depending what your goal is, it might be taking a chance.  But my experience has proven itself a few times in my life.  You want to change something, go for it.  Where there is a will, there is a way.

Hmm.  This was supposed to be about Mother Nature, right.  It is the nature of things that the world keeps turning, no matter what decision a single individual makes for themselves.  Earlier I was watching the beautiful night sky again, wondering if there is anyone looking down at us right now.  It is freezing, but totally clear sky.  The fresh air took my breath, my dog was running around in the dark and I hear the snow under her paws.  I called her back, I heard a big whoosh coming towards me.  And there was my girl, happily looking up at me with a smirky grin on her face saying: You called?  How can I help?

These are the moments that can make anything you do in Life feel right. So if something doesn't feel right anymore, change it.  Have courage and go catch your dreams.

Hmmm.  I think this is getting to philosophical.  So I am now going to grab a beer and sit back in front of the idiot box, knowing that again there is nothing to see that interests me but being by the fire and relax doing nothing useful during these lasts days of the year.

Cheers everyone!

Sensing Old Man Winter

Boy, is it getting crisp out there.  We already had our first snowfall, well kind off.  It lasted a whole morning and I absolutely disliked it.  My dog however loved it, as always.  The other day we got lucky again and spotted deer by the road.  They were actually kind of trusting.  We slowly rolled to a stop and observed them.  They were no more than 3m away from the truck.  I could have stayed forever.  To watch deer has been a wonderful experience this year.  There is hardly a day when we don't see any.  Unfortunately I have had no success in getting a shot of them to post on the blog.  Not that you don't know what a deer looks like. :-)

The other day the closest neighbor donated a bone to our dog.  He goes hunting.  Okay, I guess it also needs to be done to keep things under control.  But giving my dog a deer bone wasn't quite enjoyable.  Luckily my dog just snooped it, licked it a few times and walked away from it.  GOOD GIRL.  I tossed it in the garbage.  Have you ever fed your dog a deer bone? 

Time to go in the woods before the snow starts.  Getting dark out there and it is definitely in the forecast now.  GRRRR.

Dress warm, everybody!

Christmas Shopping time

Hi, everyone.

There hasn't been much happening around the house and in the woods.  I guess Dr. Bernstein, my beloved toad, has gone into hibernation.  He stuck around for some time still, but one day at the beginning of November he disappeared.  I hope to see him next year.

I also find the birds are not very active right now.  They went deeper into the woods.  But the forest is so nice now to walk through.  I love walking on the leaves, between pine cones and stuff.  Looking up to the tree tops makes one feel so small.

So have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Check out Shop for Bargains.  The site is being overhauled, but I have seen a bunch of beautiful collectible items and affordable too.  Totally cool are the calendars about Nature.  These images of dog breeds, birds, horses, and much more, are really beautiful and will bring nature into your or your family and friend's home all year long.  I also love Thomas Kinkade stuff. Have a peak. Maybe you find something there.  There is tons of stuff in toys for kids too, and outdoor gear.

And there is always Astro's Treasure Chest and another one of my favourites sites is Sweet Candy Temptations.  A great selection, and more to come on that site.

Starfiregifts – there to help you with these tough decisions on the search for the right gift! «Starfiregifts – Let us guide you to find the ultimate Gift for any occasion!

Starfiregifts – check out their charity links

Toms Shoes Charity - Let us take the stress out of shopping.

Toms Shoes Charity - Let us take the stress out of shopping.

Support Toms Shoes Charity. Buy one pair of shoes and a needy child will receive a pair as well. Buy one - give one!

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Sheba's Snack Pack

Sheba, a black Labrador Retriever, is a breeding dog for Helping Paws, a non-profit organization in Minnesota that trains service dogs for people with physical disabilities. She lives with her caretaker home, Bev and Herb. This is the story of Sheba's second litter, better known as the Snack Pack.

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How to build a treehouse

How to build a treehouse

Posted using ShareThis

Neat and Easy Pumpkin Carving Step by Step Instructable

Neat and Easy Pumpkin Carving Step by Step Instructable

Posted using ShareThis

Dr. Bernstein is sticking around!

Just a quick update on my favourite toad in the yard.  Dr. Bernstein is staying by the garden sheds now.  After he reappeared a few days ago and kept checking back along the flower bed there.  I lifted up the leaves of the plants and checked for "toad beds".  I thought I found one under the big leaves of my Delphinum, but he wasn't in it.  It has been pouring buckets here for the last week, so I haven't been out much.  Yesterday I actually found him sitting in that particular hole.  In a way very smart.  The leaves are right above the hole and the water was running of them missing the hole.  Smart thinking, Dr. Bernstein.  Couldn't take a shot of him because of the rain. Didn't want to bother him too much, so I just had a couple of peaks.

Frankie, my Phasmid friend and Dr. Bernstein, my Amphibian Friend, returned yesterday

I couldn't believe my eyes yesterday.  It has been a little while since saw Frankie.  He was back, but what was wrong with him?  See for yourself:

Frankie in Flowers

Poor Frankie.  I wonder what happened for him to lose one leg.  I watched him for a while and he wanted to go back along the siding, but because with one important leg missing he kept slipping back into the flowers.  I held out my hand and he willingly walked on to me.  I was wearing a bright orange shirt at the time. He was all over me in no time.  I tried to control where he went.  So he was okay as long as it wasn't a smooth surface.  I moved him over to the garden sheds.  There was a thunderstorm moving in quickly.  They are wooden sheds and it is rough wood, so he was able to climb and went into hiding up on the wall between the shingles and wood.  Poor Frankie.  I hope he will survive.Click on the images to enlarge to see more details.

Next I know right in my flowerbed, something hug is jumping.  I had startled Dr. Bernstein, my big fat toad.  He had disappeared on me from his bed by our deck a while ago.  There he was.  Mobile as hell.  Totally different creature than last time.  Boy could he jump despite all the weight.  I let him be, didn't have time to get the cam again for him.  Damn I put it in the house before moving Frankie to the sheds.  Now the lightning and thunder and rain was picking up.  I had to go.  I am sure Dr. Bernstein is fine and will stick in the area.

The story about the wood pile in the shed.

In our gardenshed we have a huge amount of firewood for the winter. Some is hardwood, the other softwood, all nicely stacked for airflow.  It was a warm period in September.  We were moving some more wood into the shed. Guess what is laying on top of the softwood pile?  A garter snake.  That is something I really don't like very much.  I respect them and don't want to hurt them.  And there were more.  They were gliding through the gaps in between the wood.  Baby snakes.  At least another 6 or 7 about a foot long.  Probably half of them we didn't see.  Does this snakepart belong to the same snake or is that another one?

Being not used to them at all and worried about bringing them in the house, we wanted to get rid of them.  I did some research online and thought luring them out of the wood with food and then grabbing them and moving them into the forest would be a good plan.  They came for the food, some worms I dug up and slugs, but grabbing them was another story. Gives me goosebumps thinking about it.  I tried with gloves, but couldn't get a grip.  I succeeded with a stick on the biggest one.  I managed to sneak it under the center of the body, lifted up and carefully balancing I managed to run away from the sheds with it.  I lost it much too early.  It was still on our property close to the waterfall we build.  It went hiding under a huge rock.  Later it snuck out from there to curl up in our decorative canoe.

From there I basically had no more luck.  We waited and kept finding snake skin in the shed.  We also noticed that something was chewing on our wood and had to empty it all out to find the source.  We think it was carpenter ants, but we didn't see any.  We heard this gnawing sound in the shed and we had thought it was the snakes.  I think it was a bug or carpenter ants chewing away in the wood.  Wen moved all the wood out of the shed, we didn't find any more snakes.  GOOD.  We got rid of all the dust from whatever creature was chewing on the wood, restacked the wood and it seems fine now.  We now keep the wood for the wood stove in a closed large plastic container.  Can't have carpenter ants or whatever in the house! 

Does anybody else know anything about how to protect the wood from insects destroying it?  I think the snakes only came in there to do their shedding.  It was nice and warm in there at the time.  Anyone else with other snake stories?

Now to the other kind: Frogs in my Garden.

And here some of the frog images I was able to shoot this summer. Some
were just hopping around the yard. A couple of them actually lived in
our waterfall for about a week. Then they disappeared. Does anyone know
what kind of frog this is?

More Toad pictures as promised

As promised here a few more of the shots I got of my toads. I think
this is the same one that is sticking around. The images were shot over
a period of time. Here is Dr. Bernstein the first.

Toad in Grass

Toad in Grass

Toad in Grass

My favourite special friends. Toads and Frogs

When we moved from the city into the country it was a big pleasant change.  My very first experience was kind of weird for city folks, even though I am not one at heart.

I came back from work and wanted to use the bathroom.  I lift the toiletseat and what do I see?  This big pile of you know what I thought.  I am just about to accuse my husband of forgetting to flush, when this thing moved.  It was a big fat toad the size of my hand.  I couldn't believe it.  I nearly sat on this thing.  Well.  Wondering how it got in there, I had to get it out of there.  It wasn't hard.  I had some rubber gloves and just grabbed it and carried it outside.  What a creature!  How did it get there?  I still don't know.

Ever since I met these things in all sizes outside.  Tiny little babies the size of the tip of my little finger, big fat ones the size of my hand.

Last week I had a visitor right in front of our newly build deck in the new flowerbed.  It must have liked the mulch and used it as bedding.  It is amazing how they blend in.  I was doing some weeding and watering.  Nearly gave it a good bath.  When I noticed it I left that section alone.  Totally cozy in its bed the size of my hand.  It wiggled itself in there.  I called it Dr. Bernstein.  He stuck around, didn't seem to go anywhere for days.  Then once I found him at the other end of the flowerbed in front of the deck.  Yet, he went back to sleep in the same spot he was before.  He stuck around for a few more days.

 

I am going to post some more toad images later. I love to have them around.  After all they also eat mosquitos. YEAH.

     

Praying Mantis

Secret Cottage Garden: Praying Mantis

Frankie - goes to Hollywood

Its another sunny day out here in the hills.  I love the warmth of the sun today, even though normally I stay in the shade.  Its just right out there. Comfortable.  I will dedicate some time to weeding later. After the rainshowers we had, some of them thought they had a free pass to my garden.

The one recent experience I would like to share today is Frankie, as I named it.  I looked up at the siding of our house a couple of weeks ago and wondered. What is this?  It looked like a stick and it had legs.  Cute as a button it was to me.  I wanted to pick it up, but then again I didn't want to hurt it.  So I just watched it for a long time.  It was a stick insect.

 

Its long legs, even the colours in these thin legs were totally cool to see.  He kept walking on the siding, took a break, kept walking a bit.  He was still there until we went to bed.  I even went out with the flashlight at night to check on him.  He was still there.

Next day though he was gone.  But just yesterday my husband noticed him again on the siding during the day.  I guess Frankie didn't go to Hollywood, but he seems to stick around.  Is that what sticks do?

Of course now I am constantly keeping my eyes open for more stick insects, but so far Frankie is a loner.  Check out LizandProfessor's blog for another kind of stick story.

Liz and the Professor: Walkingsticks and My Coffee

Liz and the Professor: Walkingsticks and My Coffee

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» Garter Snakes - Educational Info profession articles site about pet: If you have pets, then you should Favorite this site, a large number of articles on pets here

» Garter Snakes - Educational Info profession articles site about pet: If you have pets, then you should Favorite this site, a large number of articles on pets here

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Top 10 Cutest Creatures

Top 10 Cutest Creatures Ever

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Technorati: Discussion about “DIY Grass Clock”

Technorati: Discussion about “DIY Grass Clock”

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A member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times

Now to my favourite creature in the world! The dog. As I said before, I always wanted one, but couldn't have one as a kid. Well, once on my own I at first didn't get one. Everyone is so busy working and a dog needs the love, companionship and the space and exercise. With my now husband things changed. We were able to have a dog. We adopted Cleo, a black lab/border collie mix. 110 pounds, longer fur with some white spots. A total sweetheart. I took her in the woods. We played, ran, had tons of fun. Training her was not hard to do and she was the sweetest dog you can imagine.

 

 We got her at around age two from a family that was getting a divorce.  I couldn't believe the way she was locked up in a cage all day until the family got home.  It was a very sad story.  We had her for a short period of time and noticed some blood in her urin.  We took her to the vet and it was discovered that she had bladderstones!  She urgently needed surgery.  My urgent request to everyone is to check the urine color and not to take it lightly.  Thank God we noticed.  It was blamed on poor quality dog food during the first two years of her life.

I was devestated having to leave her over night at the vets, but she made it.  A couple of small stones and one as big as the top part of my thumb was taken out.  I still can not believe that Cleo never showed any signs of pain at all.  She was just like that.  Never a whine at all.

It was tough times after, because she wasn't allowed to eat normal food.  Just special canned food.  Eventually we switched her over to Natural Choice.  The first two years of her life she didn't get quality food.  I knew about the differences when we took her .  We fed her Natural Choice Lamb and Rice from day one and it is our brand of  dog food  ever since.  She never had another problem again.  She went with us whereever we went.  We went camping and swimming together.  She played with other dogs.  She loved her rawhide bones!

One cute story in particular comes to mind:  My husband went to work at the time and he had his morning routine.  He made his sandwich and it stayed on the kitchen counter when he went for some other morning routine.  Then suddenly he thought he was loosing it.  "Didn't I make my sandwich yet????  Oh, well.  I am loosing it."  He made another one and went off to work.  

Next day roughly the same thing again.  Totally strange.  He checked on Cleo, but she was laying on her blanket fast asleep.  Couldn't have been her.  It wasn't me, the wife.  Yeah right.  I insisted I didn't touch it.  He made another one and went to work.

Well,  then nothing happened for a day.  On and off the story kept repeating itself, with no explanation.  Until he decided to carefully watch.  Liverwurst sandwiches seemed to be the main trigger.  There just had to be an association with Cleo.  She "kills" for them.

He made it, left it on the counter and went to the bathroom leaving the door slightly open.  And sure enough, the big black sneak got off her blanket very quietly, went in to the kitchen, raised herself up to get the sandwich, enjoyed it, licked her jowels, and went back on the blanket right back to sleep.  Hilarious.  So unbelievable.  Next morning we repeated it again, this time catching her in the act.  Telling her NO, leave it,  that is bad!  Go to bed.  She just turned around and went back to bed, closed her eyes and went to sleep.  Yet she never did it again.  She got the odd liverwurst sandwich piece, but with permission.  ROFL.

She lived with bunnies, guineapigs and other creatures. She was nose to nose with baby guineapigs once.

She was our  baby and spend nearly 17 years with us. We had to put her to sleep, because her arthritis was so bad that she wasn't able to walk anymore.  We were with her when she went to sleep.  It was the hardest thing we ever did.  We thought we would never be able to be happy again.  A piece of our life had gone missing forever.  We had her cremated and I am keeping the urn and all her tags and things still.  She will always be in our hearts!  I hope she found a nice spot on Rainbow Bridge.

If you lost your pet check out http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm.  A wonderful site I discovered during these sad times.  It is good to share your grief with others.

Sarah Miller: The Great Goldfinch Rescue

Sarah Miller: Reading, Writing, Musing...: The Great Goldfinch Rescue

Want to see what you see from way up there?

My pet friends

When I was a kid I could never have a dog, because my Dad was allergic to them. I actually never had a pet as a kid except for a turtle. That was the best my Dad could do. There was a phase when all the neighbors kids had turtles.  Believe it or not, at times they would run away. So all the kids painted their backs with a patch of colour or something to tell them apart when found.

Later on I had some dutch bunnies, guinea pigs, gerbils, degus and of course hamsters. Digger was my first hamster and he had the run of our apartment most evenings.  He didn't do any damage.  Just stacking things in various places.  Once he disappeared in the wall of the apartment building.  I was very upset and could here him in the wall.  He wouldn't come out.  I sat there beside his cage and waited forever. Then I thought of luring him back out with his favourite treat.  Cheese Whiz.  I put his cage by the hole in the wall.   After another hour or so at about 4 in the morning here came Digger.  Dusty and dirty, but otherwise just fine.  Right for the Cheese Whiz he went.  He was with us for quite a few years.

BTW: I think now is a good time to order your calendar for next year. They make great gifts too. Check out the cool calendars at this link:

Order your pet calendar for 2010 today!

If you are looking for any pet products, check out the following links: 

Click here for a great source for pet products for any kind of pet.

If you need anything for your pets, check the links on this page.

However, a dog was always my dream. They are truly man's best friend. Boy can we ever learn from them.

Nature Lovers Meeting Place!: Robin Rescue in the City

Nature Lovers Meeting Place!: Robin Rescue in the City

Robin Rescue in the City

 Where there are trees, there is life! When I used to live in the city I had a wonderful experience right at the start of my vacation once. Two robin babies fell out of their nest in the tree on my street. The parents were definitely not looking after them, so my rescue mission was on.

I had a deep flower pot and made a bed out of branches and leaves in there for the two. Then searched the web on what to feed them. One was very weak and didn't make it through another day. It wouldn't take anything from me. So the one left, I named it Junior, became my baby for my vacation. It opened his beak and took the squasched strawberries and the watered down dog food no problem. I also dug for worms for it and it took little pieces. My husband and I went to by mealworms for it then. Junior grew and I actually got up early every single day during my vacation to feed her. I do believe it was a female because the red chest didn't seem to be the bright red that the males have.

When it got stronger it jumped out of the pot. I put her back in the pot being worried about the cats. She got stronger and at some point made it up in a bush. I found it in a bush by the wall and kept feeding her there.





She learned flying and I dug for worms in my flowerbeds while it hopped around and actually tried to dig herself where I dug.



Her flying skills improved greatly. I sat her on the bird bath and she had her first bath. What a fun.





She followed me around the yard and sat on my shoulder and wanted to get fed. At some point I had to let her go and ignore her. She flew quite well.


There was a dramatic turn of events just when it started to fly better. It flew into the glass of the patio door trying to follow me. She hurt herself. I was worried it wouldn't be able to fly again. But after a couple of days back in the pot she made it out again and was fine. What a relief.


One can actually buy decals to put on windows that are hardly visible to the human eye but will stop the birds from flying into them. They come in different shapes, like a heart, maple leaf or other. I always have them on my windows now.


Anyway. When I stopped feeding her she eventually gave up and continued to socialize with the other robins. What a pleasure. She picked her own worms etc. and one day she disappeared.


I truly believe that the next year she came back, but I couldn't be sure. After all they kind of look alike. But there was one coming back and sitting in the bush and it was a touch larger I thought than the others. Could it have been the dog food? :-)


It was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget. And here are some images:









Did you ever have a similar experience? Feel free to share it on this blog!