#81 FAMILY TOO

                                                         OUR FURRY FOUR-LEGGED FAMILY 

These furry footed creatures are our family, too, and they have all brought  love, companionship, laughs, and happiness into our home.  We have special memories of each of our many dogs and cats. 

                                                            Our first family--Frodo and P.C.

                P.C. (stands for Pussy Cat, not Puppy Chow) was with us for twenty years. She was a queen cat. She would always tag along when we walked the dog around the block. A very good huntress--brought us many mice and birds.

        Frodo, our first cocker spaniel. She loved being off-leash as we cross country skiied. 

                                                            Jessica, Frodo, Beverly

                                     The girls chose Matilda. She was a socialized farm cat.

Kekah later came from the same farm family. "Kekah" was the way the girls pronounced kittycat. Kekah was a gang-cat, taking off with her feline friends for a few days before returning home for food and rubs.

She-ra (Princess of Power) was our soccer dog. When the game whistle blew, she would run out on the field and be rewarded with sips from the girls' water bottles. There were a few games when she slipped her leash and joined the game to chase the ball. She was also a very good camper.

                                                                Bev, She-ra, Jessica

Lucie was our unexpected adopted cat. It was a real adjustment to join a busy home, with other pets, but I remember the turn-around day when she jumped up on my lap and then became another of our sucky pets. She loved to sleep on my pillow an twirl my hair.  Her nickname was Goosie.

Bailey hated going into the water but would spend hours bopping the ball around the pool.

Bailey, a cockapoo, was our retirement pet. She was born on St.Patrick's Day, thus her name. She was a very well-travelled dog and loved her car rides and motel stays. And a special skill was the ability to   smell a timbit from a distance or hidden anywhere. Bailey never considered herself a dog, just a little furry person.

Phoebe was our retirement cat. She was gorgeous especially when she got her lion-trim grooming.

    Kissa means cat in Finnish; we got her after our Finland trip and she became our Covid cat, a little feral and typically independent.

Jeremiah also arrived during Covid. We thought he would be good company for Kissa..they are definitely much more like frenemies. Jeremiah's nickname was Velcro..so appropriate as he follows us everywhere and loves to help with my computer work. Each evening he literally drags Steve downstairs for a game of "chase the wire." Jeremiah thinks he is an outdoor cat and doesn't realize the airtag on his collar tells us where he is and under which cedar bush he is hiding. 

Finally, somehow, the girls convinced us to acquire hamsters. I couldn't find a photo of any of these rodent-pets, but the above tell it all...The hamsters lived in a Hamster Hilton with all the toys...they were always escaping (even with dogs and cats in the house) and usually we would rescue them from a bucket they would drop into in the basement. Then there was day we came home from work to find the above note...The girls had walked the injured animal over to the vets and brought a$10 bill...$50 later! 

There are no photos of our aquarium "pets"..but they aren't furry and weren't too cuddly.

THEN THERE ARE OUR BACKYARD FRIENDS

Sparrows,  finches, nuthatches, chickadees, cardinals, juncos...they go through lots of birdseed but are so calming to watch.      

                                A Covid game was to handfeed the chickadees and nuthatches.

            In the fall each year, usually a scold of blue jays will visit..but stay for just for one day.

        But every spring,  a pair of mallard ducks will appear and swim around the pool. They can't be the same ducks, but this has happened for over twenty years without a miss.  They will hang around for a couple of weeks, then be gone.

   THEN THERE ARE THE UNINVITED BACKYARD GUESTS

          The neighbourhood raccoons are brazen and sassy. They usually come in groups and when bothered (Steve sprays them) they just climb the tree and wait for us to leave before coming back to their chowing down.

You can tell when the skunks have scouted the territory. (only a couple of dog incidents)

And we have lots of big squirrels--black, brown, grey. Squirrel-proof bird feeders were a wise investment. Now they are cleanup crew for the seed the bird strew around.

About twice a week, our security camera will spot either the white or grey opossum running across the driveway.   

A few years ago, this red fox spent a couple of days in the back year. 

FOUR FOOTED FRIENDS ON TRAVELS

                                                                        Jaipur, India

                                          Elephant Reserve, Thailand...got to feed and wash them

                                                                Thailand

                                                                The Pyramids, Egypt                    

                                                    Camel ride in Morocco..the most beautiful desert

                                                                    Baby gator

                                                                Baby goat, Peru

                                                                Llama, Peru

                                            Kangaroo and his cone--Australia

                                                        Vicky, me and our koala, Australia

Marrakech, Morocco

                                                Steve and his Barbary Ape, Gibraltar

                                                            Hugging a sloth, Hamilton

                                                        Steve and his friend, the Amazon

                                           Beverly & Jess who were braver than their mother

                                                                    little penguin--Argentina

                                                        Walking the lions, Zimbawe