Good-bye, Ginny

On March 7, 2016, my four-legged girlfriend Ginny, the mother of five kittens who turned eight years old yesterday, passed away. My household simply isn't the same without her presence. But since Quentin inherited his mother's coloring, I am always reminded of Ginny, who was the last surviving member of the original feral cat colony in my neighborhood. 

Good-bye, Mark Twain

On February 11, 2015, my beloved cat Mark Twain died suddenly of an apparent heart attack. No two cats are alike, but Mark Twain was truly one-of-a-kind. The author Mark Twain, with his sense of humor, could not have asked for a better namesake.

Still Smiling

"Do you know how to get people's attention?" a man asked me a little while ago, as I was entering the post office. "No, how?" I asked him. I smiled when the man told me how he'd laughed when he saw a dog supposedly driving a car. Rebel and I, in my right-hand-drive vehicle, have put smiles on many faces over the past ten years. And it still warms my heart whenever the sight of Rebel in my car makes someone smile.

Waiting for Godot Nevermore

My Godot, my pretty boy tuxedo cat, passed away yesterday on the Fourth of July. I had the privilege of sharing my home with him for twelve years, which does not seem like a long time at all right now. Since he was my cat Karma's one and only true companion (her choice), sadly, she is waiting for Godot's return. Needless to say, it is a heartbreaking situation. As for myself, I am in mourning, waiting for Godot's ashes to come home sometime next week.

Still Here

We're still here, all of us, including bushy-tailed Ponzo. I had him retested, and he's still FIV-positive, although nobody could ever guess by looking at him. For more than a year now, Ponzo has been eating regular cat food with no special supplements, and he's doing great. He's got a fantastic coat, and his hair even seems to have gotten longer. He's playful and no longer timid around strangers--in fact, he's become an occasional little rascal.

Taking one day at a time, and not making any commitments I can't keep. I'll continue to post on this blog when I can.

Extreme Close-up of a Black Bear

It's a shame this black bear didn't provide a close-up of his face instead of his back. Maybe he was examining the camera.

A Bear Named Dog

When I first viewed the original of this photo, taken by my wildlife camera in April 2011, I almost deleted it because it appeared to be a photo of nothing but darkness--until a white speck, possibly an eye, caught my attention, so I kept enhancing this cropped photo. It had been even jokingly suggested to me that perhaps the camera had caught the eye of a large dog in the original photo--no, not unless this black bear happens to go by the name of Dog. Anyway, one more step and the bear would have been in the light--and I would have gotten a good photo. One of these days....