"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people." - W C Fields

We went to the horse races at Del Mar last Wednesday. We only go once each year and that’s when our friends, Bob and Patti, come to stay at their timeshare in Del Mar. Otherwise, I don’t think we’d ever just go to the races. Neither one of us are really gamblers, but we do enjoy going to the race track.

This year I decided I was going to bet on all eight races. Everyone gets a book which tells something about the horses that are racing that day and it gives favorites, etc. Patti picks horses because she likes their name. I used to do that too, but this time I thought I’d read up on them a little more and use that information as my guide.

On the first seven races I placed my $2 bets on Win and Place. On number eight I bet Win, Place and Show. So I invested a total of $34.

In the first race, I bet on a horse named “War Element” and he won. On my $4 bet, I won $11.60.

A horse named “No Ka Oi” won the second race. I had bet on “Stormy Anna”. I kind of went by the name on that one. I have a niece named Anna.

“Ask Me Later” won the third race. I had bet on a horse named “Wild Date”, don’t ask me why.

"Tribal Beauty" by a head

In the fourth race, my horse “Tribal Beauty” came in second. I won $6.20 on her and she was a beauty. “Chokecherymary” was the horse who won.

My horse, “Winter Blossom” came in second in the fifth race too, so I won $4.20 on her. The winner of that race was “Tuesdays With P”.

The sixth race was a total wash for me. My horse, “Warrens Temptation” didn’t even show in that one. A pretty Kentucky gentleman named “Shivashakti” won.

"John Johny Jak" by a nose for the win

“John Johny Jak” won the seventh race, but that wasn’t my horse. My horse was “Monterey Jazz” and yes, I liked the name. She did show though, but I only bet Win and Place. Otherwise I would have won $4.00.

Number eight was the race that we all got a tip on. Bob and Patti had told us that they were in the restaurant the night before and they met one of the owners of a horse. They got some “tips”. I wasn’t paying much attention, and I had already bet on my horse, “Victoriously”.

Then Bob started talking about “Small But Mighty” and that was the horse whose owner he had met the night before. I thought what the heck, I’ll go and bet on that horse too.

So I bet Win, Place and Show on “Small But Mighty”. Well, wouldn’t you just know it? She won! I won $16.60 on that one.

I was pretty happy that I won my initial investment back, plus a few extra dollars. I still would have had fun even if I hadn’t won a few races. It was just nice being out there and seeing all of those pretty horses. The weather was perfect too.

Charlie did pretty well with his bets too. Bob was the most successful though. Of course, he spent hours going over the racing form and studying the odds, etc. We aren’t that serious about racing, so we did it just for the fun of it. I’m afraid that Patti didn’t do too well. She invested the same amount as I did and won about $6.00 back.

The races will run until September 7 and then it will be another year before they come back to Del Mar. Patti and Bob will be back next August and Charlie and I will be going to the races again then too.

More later........

"The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind." - Carly Simon

This is one of the kinds we have here in San Diego
"Anna's Hummingbird"

Several years ago, I went to a park. As I was walking along, a little sparrow landed on the ground in front of me. It was a young bird, fully feathered. I looked up but didn’t see where it came from. It just sat there so I bent down and picked it up. It looked like it was fine, but it was late afternoon and I was afraid it wouldn’t survive the night, especially if it couldn’t fly yet.

I took it home and fed it some warm baby cereal, which it took easily. The next morning it was still alive. As I was feeding it, I noticed something weird about the eyes. It looked like something was moving. I took it to the window so I could see better. It looked like tiny worms were in the eyes.

I called a vet and they said yes, it was normal that baby birds sometimes had little “tube worms” in their eyes. They had eye drops if I wanted to pick some up. I went to the vet and got the eye drops. My intention was to treat the bird’s eyes until the worms were gone and then to let the bird go. It was flitting around in the little cage I was keeping it in.

I named the sparrow “Waldo” because I had just seen a movie, “The Great Waldo Pepper”, about a stunt pilot from the 1930's. The bird was actually a little female, but I always referred to her as him. It just seemed to fit her better.

I wound up keeping Waldo. She became very tame. When I opened the cage door, she would fly out and land on my shoulder. She’d sit up there. I fed her little pieces of bread from my hand.

Waldo lived for about six years with me. It was amazing because I also had a cat at the same time. Sparky had never showed any interest in Waldo though. One morning I found Waldo lying at the bottom of her cage. I missed hearing her chirp and sing and sitting on my shoulder.

Through the years we’ve found baby birds in our yard or birds that one of the cats have caught. If they are still alive, I bring them in and try to save them. Usually they die, but there have been a couple of times that, after they are given some food and water, they perk up. If there is no apparent damage to them, they might survive. Sometimes though, the injury is inside and that’s usually fatal.

I had one bird that Jezibel caught who didn’t look too bad. I brought it in and kept it overnight. It was still alive the next morning. After feeding it, I noticed it was pretty strong. I took it out and opened my hand. It flew off like nothing had happened. In more cases than not, though, the ending is not good.

Yesterday Lexi was outside. She’s pretty laid back, but she is also an opportunist. Given the chance to catch a bird that is not too fast, she will take it.

I happened to walk past the patio door and Lexi was sitting on the grass looking at something. Then she kind of moved her paw. That’s when I saw that there was a hummingbird in front of her. I knew that if I yelled “Lexi!”, she would forget everything and run away. I mean that cat can be sitting on my lap, half asleep, purring, and if I take a breath like I’m going to cough, she is awake and scurrying to get off my lap.

In this case, it was good that she was that way. I went out and picked up the little hummer. It was a baby, still alive. I felt so bad though. I know how fragile they are. There was no blood on it and it wasn’t really ruffled up much. Lexi had not sunk her teeth anywhere that I could see and she doesn’t have front claws.

I just knew the little bird would die, but I brought it inside. It felt kind of cold. I put a little fuzzy blanket in the dryer to warm while I held the bird in my hands. I found a small box and made a tiny “nest” and put the bird inside. Its’ tail feathers looked fine and the wings looked fine.

I decided I would make some nectar and see if I could get the bird to take some. Maybe if I could get it to eat, it might at least survive. I was worried about the little right foot. It looked like he was clinching it and might not be able to perch. I took the sharp point of a pencil and pushed it through the toes to see if the toes moved. They did, but he would not unclench them. I got my glasses and since the frames that extend to the ears were small, I put him on one side to see if he would hold on. He did with his left foot, but not with the right.

I drew up some nectar in a small syringe. I held him and put the long beak inside the end of the syringe a couple of times. I kept doing that and then I saw his long tongue reach out. I held the syringe to his beak and he started taking nectar. I couldn’t believe it.

I decided to see if he could fly. I put the blanket on the floor and set him down on it. He started moving his wings and sure enough, he flew up to the window sill. I called Charlie in so he could see what Lexi had found.

I offered him a little more nectar. We could hear the parents outside in the trees. We decided to take their baby out and see if they would come to him.

First, we took the hummingbird feeder down. Charlie held it up while I put the little bird up to one of the openings. He knew what it was. He stuck his beak in and was obviously drinking the nectar.

So far, so good. But, then, instead of perking up like we thought he would, he slumped over on his side. I said “Oh, no! I think he’s dying!” Our hopes were shattered.

He laid in my hand, but was still alive. We started for the house. I wanted to hold him until he died. Before we got to the door, he started moving in my hand. I could feel that he felt stronger and stronger. We were puzzled, but glad he was alive.

Charlie suggested putting him up on a frond of one of the Norfolk Island Pines we have near the feeders. We knew the hummingbird parents were around. We had seen them and we could hear them.

We laid the baby hummingbird on a frond that was turned up and cushioned him like a bed. Then we went inside to watch and see if he stayed there.

In only a minute, one of the parents came down to the baby, flitted above it, and then with the baby in tow, they both flew up into a tree on the other side of the fence. We couldn’t believe it. It was one of those “we gotcha” moments.

More later.........

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. ~Pearl S. Buc

I have to admit that I am a kissing and a scolding mother. As long as the “child” that I’m kissing is furry and warm.....and is a cat. Yes, I’m a mother to our cats and to our dog. Years ago we weren’t allowed to say that we were “cat” or “dog” mothers.

Times have changed, thank goodness. Now, we raise our babies, teach them to behave, train them to use the litter box and not to scratch on the furniture.

Our Babies looking out the patio door in Virginia

I started motherhood young. Yes, when I was a little girl, I loved animals........mostly cats and dogs. Cats mostly. But, we were not allowed to have cats or dogs in the house. Back in our parents’ day, animals lived outside. I have always felt that we should be allowed to share our lives with these warm, furry, loving and friendly souls. They were supposed to be with me in my bed and in my house. No one could comfort me like my cats did.

I took the screen out of the window near the bed that I slept in. At night the cat would come to my window. I would quietly raise the window and let the cat in. He would sleep on my bed with me. Early in the morning, my dad would get up and see the cat and swear. That **** cat stayed in all night! No matter, that he slept on the bed and was warm and safe all night. That wasn’t what mattered. The cat foiled him and stayed in. Of course, I had a hand in it, but I didn’t own up to it at the time. The cat was ready to go out and my dad obliged.

That was my childhood. I’ve always loved animals. I still do.

My mother loved animals too. I don’t know if she was allowed to have cats or dogs in her house when she was growing up. I suspect not. They lived on a farm in south Florida. I never knew her father, my grandfather. He passed away before I was born. But, listening to the stories she told about him, he was really not a fun person to be around. Life was not easy then.

My parents lived through the 1930's depression. I can’t even imagine how it was when they were kids. I don’t know much about my dad’s family because he never really talked about it. But, my mother used to tell us that my dad and his brother, Jack, went to bed hungry many nights.

My parents, Shirley and Jonesie

When my mother was a little girl she had to help in the fields of the family farm in south Florida. She talked about being out in the sun, working. One day she was in the sun too long and everything went black. She thought she lost her sight, but she just fainted. Thank God she was okay.

My Mom and one of her dogs

We are so spoiled today. We have hats and sunglasses and suntan lotion. Back then, she might have had a hat, but nothing else.

The first cat that I remember my mother falling in love with was a gray tabby cat. One of our neighbors brought him over and asked my mother if she wanted him. He was just a kitten. He had a white bib and white paws. She named him “Sam”.

I was young then, but I remember “Sam”. He was the typical dark stripe tabby. He loved my mother and she loved him. I can’t remember any personal interactions between “Sam” and me so I can’t get real sentimental about him. I just know how it is to love a cat and now I know how my mother must have felt when “Sam” disappeared one day. She looked for him every afternoon when she came home from work.

Back in those days, cats weren’t taken to the vet and neutered and vaccinated like they are now. “Sam” used to come home and he had been in fights with other cats, etc. He had scars and notches in his ears. It was one of those “accepted” things back then. Thank goodness for the progress we’ve made with our pets now days.

Well, “Sam” must have been gone for a week or so, and one day my mother was walking up the road by our house looking for him. She heard a little “meow” and looked in the weeds next to the road. There was “Sam”. He had been hurt in a fight and had hidden away to either die or get over it.

I now can appreciate my mother’s happiness in finding the cat that she loved so much. She brought him back to the house. He had lost so much weight in the week or so that he had been in the weeds or wherever he was until she found him. Apparently he was farther away and had gotten better and was coming home. She didn’t give up looking for him and I wouldn’t have either.

When “Sam” came home, I remember my dad not minding that “Sam” would sit in the window of the kitchen while my mother cooked dinner. Pop was actually glad to see “Sam” too. He didn’t dislike animals, he just didn’t know whether they should be in the house or not. He was confused. His parents had always said that animals should be outside. I think that’s why my mother was like that too.....until now.

In later years, my parents finally got wise to the idea that cats and dogs can live in the house too. The days of living in the yard were over. Of course, that realization came after I left home, to my dismay. I may have never left home if I could have had my cats in the house with me! Just kidding, of course......not!

Pop had a dog that he loved like an only child. Her name was “Taffy”. She was spoiled rotten. She stayed in the house and was only out when on a leash. He actually took her for walks. What a change from the old days when dogs belonged in the yard running loose! “Taffy” slept on the bed between Mom and Pop.

Pop talked to “Taffy” like she was his baby. I can relate to that. Charlie and I talk to “Sheila” and our cats like they are our babies. No need to “talk down to them”.

My mother also had a German Shepherd named “Wolf”. He was given to her by a couple who were moving away. It always stuck in her memory that they brought him to her in a little sports car. They drove up and he was sitting in the middle with his head sticking up. I’m not sure why they gave him up, but he was a good dog.

One of the neighbors had a dog named “Jackie”. She was a mixed shepherd breed. She used to come over to the house and visit “Wolf”. They played and got along fine. “Jackie” stayed more and more and finally one day she decided she wanted to live there permanently. The neighbors were okay with it. My mother re-named her “Mrs. Wolf”. Mom got attached to “Mrs. Wolf” and “Mrs. Wolf” got attached to mom.

I remember “Mrs. Wolf”, and I think she was a sweet little dog. One day "Mrs. Wolf” was missing. When she came home, she was hurt badly. My parents took her to the vet. There was nothing that could be done for her. Her head was injured. She was put to sleep.

My mother was so upset when they returned from the vet. She was crying. I remember she said, “I know it’s silly. She’s just a dog.”

When someone says, “It’s “just a dog or just a cat”, I cringe. No, it’s someone you love with all of your heart. And your heart breaks in two when they die. They are our precious babies.

Pop didn’t live to see his precious “Taffy” pass away. It would have broken his heart. But, she was there that morning when he passed away. I’m sure that she knew what she had lost when he died. She missed him. She loved him unconditionally and he had loved her that way too. I’m glad she had come into his life and showed him what it was like to have a companion like her.

Years later, my mother came to visit us when we lived in Virginia. She brought her little black cat, “Scoot”, with her. “Scoot” stayed in the bedroom and was fine.

Mom, Mother's Day 2003

My mother was determined to make friends with my“Taz”. She always loved striped cats, ever since she had “Sam”. Our first loves always stick in our minds I guess.

Every morning Mom would sit at the table in the kitchen and have her coffee. She worked the crossword puzzle from the paper. “Taz” had a little bowl on the table with dry food, just for him.

I told Mom that I would move the bowl from the table so Taz wouldn’t get up there. She said, “No, I want him to get up here. I want to pet him.”

Such a change from when I was a little girl. If I could have, I would have let my cat sit on the table with me back then while I had my breakfast. But, something told me that Pop would not be frowning on the scene he saw in my kitchen now.

It took a couple of weeks, but soon Taz was coming up on the table and eating from his little dish, sharing the table with his “grandmother”. They sat there together, Mom working her crossword puzzle and Taz, gazing out the window. I would give anything today to have a picture of the two of them together.

More later...............

Every Life Should have Nine Cats

The Twins and Jonesie
Was Jonesie really ever that small?

I was going through the pet records the other day and discovered that some of the cats are behind on their vaccinations.

Our vet, Telegraph Canyon Animal Medical Clinic, has a half price on shots clinic on Tuesdays and Saturdays. You don’t need an appointment. You just need to show up between 10:00 - 11:30am and wait your turn.

It’s really pretty unorganized. People start gathering outside of the vet’s office. At 10:00 one of the technicians bring out a clipboard for everyone to sign. Supposedly you get in line and sign on a first come basis. But, there are always people who rush up to get their name on the list first.

Anyway, I’ve been part of that fiasco too many times. We’ve tried to think of better ways that they could do it like putting a roll of numbers out and let people take a number as they walk up. Sounds simple. But, I think they need to have the names so they can pull the files and get the shots ready. Also, some people who bring their pets for shots have never been there before and need to fill out paperwork before they can get shots.

Sometime last year Charlie was nominated to take the cats over for their clinic shots. He has the patience to wait for the clipboard, even though ten people who weren’t there before him, rush up to sign it first. It doesn’t bother him like it does me. We decided I’d stay out of it and let him handle it.

So, on Tuesday it was the twins’ turn to get their shots. They need an FVRCP-PN (cat fever) and a FeLV (feline leukemia) shot. Since they have had bad reactions to the shots before, we started giving them one shot at a time instead of both at the same time like some cats get.

The cat fever shot had expired in June so that was the one they were going to get first. Charlie got the kennel down and put Jason and Kaci in and off he went to the vet.

In a little over an hour he was back. The twins were fine. He said the technician came to take the twins back for their shots. He waited up front in the waiting room. It seemed to take a little longer than he expected. Finally the technician came out and said, “Mr. Bell, we can’t tell them apart. Can you come back and tell us which one is Jason and which one is Kaci?”

Charlie went into one of the examining rooms. They brought the kennel in and one was carrying Jason. Kaci was in the kennel. Charlie said, “Oh, that’s Jason.” They looked at him like “how can you tell?” To make them feel better, he said, “Well, let me see the other one just to be sure.”

Jason (L) and Kaci (R)
Right?

They really do look alike and sometimes when they are walking across the room, we get them mixed up. Their faces are the same, just different sizes. Jason is about four or five pounds heavier than Kaci and has a bigger head. But, they are close enough in size that they can be mistaken from a distance.

Charlie said that the twins were so good when they got their shot. They didn’t complain or flinch. I think they went through so much handling when they were kittens that they really aren’t afraid of vets now. They both had eye problems and had to have ointment rubbed into their eyes each day. It just became routine to them.

I kept a close eye on them when they came home because usually Kaci feels the effects of the shot soon after and she sleeps for awhile. But, she and Jason both seemed fine and were awake all afternoon.

It was later that they didn’t really want dinner and I found Kaci curled up in a tight ball in my chair in the bedroom. She was fine when I checked on her at bedtime. I covered her with a blanket. She likes to burrow.

I was reading and noticed that Rhody was pulling on Kaci’s blanket, trying to play. She was awake by now and batting at him from under the blanket. Finally, she came out and got up on the bed with me. No rest for the weary when there’s a four month old kitten in the house.

Jason also passed out in the cat tree to sleep it off. He didn’t come to breakfast this morning, but he seemed fine when I checked on him. They were both okay today.

Next Tuesday Charlie will take Mr. Creme to get his cat fever and leukemia shot. Jonesie will get his leukemia shot and the next week, the twins will go back to get theirs. Then they will all be caught up for a year.

Mr. Creme
A very sweet boy

But, we’re not done yet. Because I had to take Rhody to the vet on a Sunday to get his leukemia test, I used our old vet, who is open on Sundays. I bought a kitten package which covers the cost of all of his kitten shots and appointments. He still needs his Rabies shot since he’s old enough now. He also still needs to be neutered and we are planning on having his front paws declawed. I will probably have our regular vet do that.

Rhody the terrible

Rhody is going to be a very active cat and is going to get into lots of trouble. He’ll be just the opposite from Jonesie. Jonesie doesn’t show any interest in jumping up on counters or entertainment centers, etc. But, I caught Rhody up on the counter in the kitchen tonight. The spray bottle is going to get lots of use with this cat!

More later..........

I haven't found anywhere in the world where I want to be all the time. The best of my life is the moving. I look forward to going-- Sean Connery

We were in North Carolina last May for a week visiting family. We spent time with everyone, but mostly we were with my brother, Richard, and his wife, Alice.

They have two daughters. The older one, Ginger, lives near them and the younger one, Jamie, is in the Air Force, stationed in Germany. She is married to Josh and they have a five year old daughter, Anna (who I have never met!).

Jamie and Josh recently found out that they were being transferred in October to Hill AFB in Utah near Ogden. I believe this is the first time Jamie has lived in the states since Anna was born in New Mexico.

When we were in NC, we were a little surprised when Richard and Alice told us that they were thinking of moving to Utah to be near Jamie and her family. They had just returned from a three week visit with Jamie in Germany.

Since Ginger has a good job and it would be hard to leave it, she will be staying behind. I think it will be a difficult adjustment for her not to have her parents close by. She has never lived far from them and in fact, it has only been in the last two or three years since she moved out of their house. But, I think Ginger will be fine and I’m sure there will be lots of visits.

In the last week or so, Richard has told me that they have decided that they will definitely be moving to Roy, Utah with Jamie and Josh. They already have a truck scheduled for moving and they are already packing. They will get the truck on October 10 and will be on their way by October 15.

Roy, Utah City Hall
Is that snow?

At first my thoughts on the move were, “Good, now we’ll see them more”, but then I started thinking of how much I’ll miss them when we visit NC.

I’ve always enjoyed seeing Richard and Alice. When he was in the Navy, I visited them in Pensacola, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, Norfolk, Virginia and later, in North Carolina when he was out of the Navy. They lived in several towns there. I think they moved more often after he got out of the Navy!

When Charlie and I were living in Virginia, I drove the 2-1/2 hours to North Carolina just to spend the day with Richard. I’d go down there every month or so when he had a day off of work. He worked for the Department of Corrections and his hours were long. Then he had several days off before starting another long shift.

Richard and "Susie Q", Ginger's dog

Sometimes we’d get together with my sister, Jean, and go to lunch. Alice was working at Walmart then. Most of the time we’d go there to meet her for lunch.

Richard also took us to the “Cow Café” a few times. It was a little diner-like restaurant near the local dairy company that Richard had driven for several years earlier. They had “real” milkshakes, hamburgers, chili, etc. All the food that people aren’t supposed to eat anymore. But, it was fun to splurge once in awhile, even if it meant salads the rest of the week to offset all the calories and guilt.

Sometimes Richard came up to spend time with me in Virginia. I had been trying to reunite with our Aunt Etheleen, who had lived in Norfolk all of her life. Over the years we had written letters and she sent me pictures, but I hadn’t seen her in a long time. She had been married to our uncle, who had passed away years before.

Since we were living in Virginia Beach, I could visit her and her youngest daughter, Joan, our cousin, who I had not seen since she was a baby.

When Aunt Etheleen was sick and then hospitalized, Richard came up a couple of times and we visited her in the hospital. When she passed away, he came up and went to her funeral with me. I was glad that we had made the effort to reconnect with our aunt before she died.

One January I drove down to South Carolina, where my mother was living. I took her down to Florida to visit her sister. I stayed for a couple of days with them and then started for home. It started to rain. As I was driving north, the weather had not been as nice as it had been in Florida. The rain there had turned to snow and ice. Although the interstate was pretty clear, it was icy in places.

As I got into North Carolina, the traffic stopped up ahead. Since Richard knew all of the short cuts, I called him to see where I should get off of the interstate and come to his house.

He gave me directions to get off of the interstate and take some back roads to get to his house. Of course, the road I took had not been plowed and it was a little precarious driving on a road that had one set of tire tracks before me. But, I got to Richard’s house safely.

We sat and visited for awhile and then I drove home that afternoon.

So, not having Richard there to visit when we go to North Carolina again will really seem strange. He’s just always been there. I do hope they like it in Utah. This will be the first time that they have ever lived anywhere west of the Mississippi River. They won’t have the humidity, which I’m sure Richard won’t miss.

I was curious about Roy, Utah, so I looked up some information:

Roy was settled in 1873, twenty-five years after Ogden. On May 24, 1894, a post office was established. Businesses in Roy were limited until the early 1940s. A gas station, a couple of grocery stores, a café, and a lumber yard made up the modest business district. However, Roy developed rapidly during World War II. Roy housed many of the workers and personnel from adjacent military installations, including Hill Air Force Base, the Navy Supply Depot (now the Freeport Center), and the Defense Supply Depot.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles, all of it land. Roy is six miles southwest of Ogden, bordering Hill Air Force Base on the east and the town of Hooper on the west. The population is about 32,000.

Roy has quite a bit of rain in spring, autumn and winter, but very little in the summer months. I think Richard and Alice might miss the rain in the summer. Maybe not. The average rainfall in Roy is about 21 inches. July is the hottest month, December is the coldest. During the summer, temperatures can sometimes climb into the 100s, (but, it a dry heat) while during the winter, temperatures can sometimes be in the negatives. Brrrr......Snow is Roy's most common type of precipitation, although it does receive a certain amount of rain in spring and autumn.

This is a big move for Richard and Alice, but they do want to be near their granddaughter and I’m sure that that is one of the biggest motivations for the move. I’m also sure that Jamie knows that she will not see her parents unless she goes to North Carolina to see them. With her job, that wouldn’t be often and Anna is growing up fast. So, why not bring them along with her? Good idea. I think it’ll work out fine for them.

More later...........

Cats come and go without ever leaving. ~Martha Curtis

About three years ago we checked into pet insurance through for our cats. Even with the number of cats we had, the premiums were reasonable. We applied for coverage called “Primary” at the time. It would not cover trips to the vet for routine checkups, but did cover anything catastrophic that might happen. There was a $100 deductible on each policy and then it would pay 80% of allowed coverages.

I think the first time we had to put a claim in was two years ago when Jezibel was attacked by the two dogs who showed up in our yard.

Jezibel

Jezibel just happened to be in our front yard. She apparently ran and they chased her into the neighbor’s driveway. There, they attacked her. If our neighbors hadn’t been in their garage with the door open, she might have been killed. The neighbor ran out and chased the dogs away with a broom.

By the time we heard the commotion of dogs barking, it was all over. We ran out and Jezibel was under a bush, obviously in quite a bit of pain. We took her to the emergency vet.

The insurance came in handy for Jezibel’s bill.

Ellie

Then when Ellie was diagnosed with asthma, we put in a claim and it helped with her medical expenses for tests and meds.

Taz

Last year when Taz was going through his chemo and surgery, we put claims in. The insurance paid the maximum for him. When he died in October 2010, I didn’t think about cancelling the insurance because I thought it would be cancelled by the company. After all, they paid the claim and they had seen the claim forms and that he had died. But, also, I guess I was not thinking at the time that there were seven more months on the policy. I’m sure it would have been pro rated and I would have been refunded for those months. That was the last thing on my mind at the time.

Toby

In June, when Toby got sick and passed away, we put in a claim for his treatment. The insurance paid up to the maximum allowed for one incident, the emergency care, and also part of the primary vet visit before emergency. It was counted as two incidences. I was surprised too, that they allowed the full amount for “end of life”.

In June I received all the new policies which would be in effect July 1. I was surprised to see that Taz was issued a new policy. I also had a new policy for Toby, but this was issued before his death.

Toby’s claim was settled and paid on July 20. Without me having to call, his policy was cancelled and I was credited for the premium. But, that still left a policy for Taz. Obviously the company wasn’t aware of his death after all.

I called them and told them that Taz had passed away in October 2010. I’m not sure how it got past them, but back then we had put in lots of claims. I remember that some of the claims were denied and I had appealed those.

Anyway, since the new policies went into effect on July 1, I was told that since they had not cancelled the policy upon Taz’s death, they would go back to May 1 and refund the premium from there. I thought that was very nice of them and something I didn’t expect them to do.

The Twins, Kaci and Jason

I want to cover the twins since they are four years old now and will be five in April. I was told that I could start coverage for them on August 15. I decided I would call back in December and get their coverage started in January. That way there will be six months between the premiums, which I pay annually, not monthly.

Maybe we should buy our own insurance company.

More later...........

To a cat, "NO!" means "Not while I'm looking".

I took Rhody to the vet on Monday. He had to have a couple of booster shots. He's only about three months old now. He weighed six pounds.

He was supposed to have a rabies shot, but since he was getting two boosters, I asked the vet if we could wait a little longer for the rabies, since he’s younger than we originally thought he was when we got him in June.

Rhody and Jonesie
June 2011

We really enjoy watching Rhody play with Jonesie. Jonesie is the “big” brother. Rhody follows him everywhere and they get into trouble together. Of course, Jonesie is such a good boy, he’s not teaching Rhody any bad habits. I’m afraid it’s going to be the other way around when Rhody gets big enough to jump up on counters, etc.

Jonesie is big enough to jump, but so far he hasn’t tried. We think he’s capable of jumping high, but he just doesn’t. Could he really be that good? By the time the twins were his age, or even before they were as old, they were jumping up on the counters, getting on the fireplace mantle, on top of the TV, etc. We were constantly spraying water at them. They kept us busy.

Kaci kind of learned that she wasn’t supposed to be up in those places, but Jason is stubborn. Now when he gets up on the entertainment center and lays, we don’t really notice that he’s there. He’s like a fixture. We feel so much better now that we’ve given up!

Although I never catch Jason up there, I know he still gets up into the garden window over the kitchen sink. I have some plants in there and he has chewed on some of the leaves. I usually put the plants up on shelves that he can’t get to, but I haven’t moved them back up there yet. When we were on vacation, I brought all of the plants down and put them in the window so they could easily be watered by our pet sitter.

Out on the "cat patio"
On top, Jezibel, Lexi and Grady at bottom
January 2005

We have a cat door which lets the cats out onto their little enclosed patio. When the twins came to live with us, they were about five months old. They learned how to go in and out in no time.

When we went to get Rhody from my friend, she had a cat door which let her cats out into the backyard. She said that Rhody knew how to get out, but he couldn’t figure out how to get back in.

The first day we had Rhody, he went out through the cat door and came back in a few minutes later.

The funny thing is, Jonesie, at almost a year old, still doesn’t know how to use the cat door. We’ve tried to teach him and he still doesn’t get it. If he’s out there, I leave the glass patio door open just big enough for him to come through.

Yesterday he was on the patio. I closed the door and decided I was going to work on teaching him how to use the cat door. I was in the house and I called him. He saw me, but didn’t try to come through the door. I pushed Rhody through the door and thought if Jonesie saw him come back through, he’d catch on. Rhody came back into the house. Jonesie just sat there.

I took some treats and stuck my hand through the flap so Jonesie come see them. He wanted them, because he loves treats. He was interested, but when I brought my hand with the treats back through the flap, he layed back down.

I tried using Rhody a few more times until Rhody got tired of it and went off to play with his little mouse toy. I lifted the flap, offered Jonesie a treat and he got his nose just through the flap. I was letting the flap down and he pulled his head back out.

I was getting a little frustrated that he just wouldn’t learn. He showed no interest in trying to see if he could get through the flap. I tried putting a line of treats down just inside the cat door and held the flap up for him to see them. He once again started to stick his head through. I held the flap up and kept moving the treats further into the house. Finally he got his neck and shoulder in. I carefully let the flap rest on his shoulder. He continued to move through the door until he was in.

I told him “Good boy!”, but I know he really doesn’t know how to use the cat door yet. He would never come through by himself.

I’ve tried leaving him out on the patio in hopes he would want to come in bad enough to figure out the door. He never did. He just settles down and waits until the door is opened for him.

It won’t be the end of the world if Jonesie never uses the cat door, but there will probably be times this winter when he might get stuck out on the patio accidentally. Maybe that’s what it will take for him to learn.

More later..........