 |
| oh joy! oh rapture! |
 |
| MINE. |
(A friend's daughter borrowed my ancient and venerable can-can costume to wear last night. All your hard work, Mom, is still being appreciated and put to good use!)
Showing posts with label Pickle pets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pickle pets. Show all posts
Thursday, November 01, 2018
Our cat can Can-can, can yours?
(A friend's daughter borrowed my ancient and venerable can-can costume to wear last night. All your hard work, Mom, is still being appreciated and put to good use!)
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Winter photodump
January
 |
| umm, don't think you fit there any more, Baby |
 |
| arrr, fercious pirate kitteh wants all yer catnip |
 |
| Nicky "helping" Miriam to practice |
Sunday, January 21, 2018
It's for your own good, really.
These pictures are from a couple weeks ago -- right now I can hear the kids playing outside in the sunshine through my open window. Virginia weather is so weird.
Sorry, kitty. No outside today.
...Just trust me on this one.
----------
So kitty had a little adventure the other day. We went out of town for a couple days, and even though we had a pet sitter come and play with Soot Sprite, he wasn't allowed outside for 48 whole hours which just about killed him. We let him out the day after we got back, and he insisted on spending the whole rest of the day outside, even his afternoon naptime! He would. not. come. in. Katie and I, and then later Mr. Pickles, spent 7 hours on and off trying to catch him: chasing him, calling him, banging his dinner bowl, but he was in psycho kitty mode and would not be caught. So guess what -- he got to sleep outside! Thankfully it only got down to the upper 20s. He's got a lovely fluffy coat so he wasn't in any danger, but it definitely was not comfortable weather for a kitty used to sleeping on a down comforter at night.
The next morning I woke up with visions of frost-bitten ears, or scars from tussles with the neighborhood fox, or someone kidnapping him (he had managed to lose his collar somewhere). But when I opened the back door at 6:30 am wondering if we were going to have to hunt for his cold, lifeless body, he came trotting right in, ran straight to his bowl and ate and ate and ate and then spent the rest of the day sleeping on Miriam's bed. Serves him right, the little rotter.
He is so grounded.
Sorry, kitty. No outside today.
...Just trust me on this one.
 |
| it was SO COLD for so long that my giant rain barrel froze solid |
So kitty had a little adventure the other day. We went out of town for a couple days, and even though we had a pet sitter come and play with Soot Sprite, he wasn't allowed outside for 48 whole hours which just about killed him. We let him out the day after we got back, and he insisted on spending the whole rest of the day outside, even his afternoon naptime! He would. not. come. in. Katie and I, and then later Mr. Pickles, spent 7 hours on and off trying to catch him: chasing him, calling him, banging his dinner bowl, but he was in psycho kitty mode and would not be caught. So guess what -- he got to sleep outside! Thankfully it only got down to the upper 20s. He's got a lovely fluffy coat so he wasn't in any danger, but it definitely was not comfortable weather for a kitty used to sleeping on a down comforter at night.
The next morning I woke up with visions of frost-bitten ears, or scars from tussles with the neighborhood fox, or someone kidnapping him (he had managed to lose his collar somewhere). But when I opened the back door at 6:30 am wondering if we were going to have to hunt for his cold, lifeless body, he came trotting right in, ran straight to his bowl and ate and ate and ate and then spent the rest of the day sleeping on Miriam's bed. Serves him right, the little rotter.
He is so grounded.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Welcome to the Not Quite Wild Animal Park
So... this is currently in our basement in the old rabbit cage:
Yeah... so... it looks like we've adopted a kitten. The kids found it under a bush across the street. It very obviously wasn't feral, but lost and terrified and WAY too young to be out alone. It took two days for the kids to catch it -- they were all panicking after the first failed attempt that something was going to eat it overnight, so when it appeared again the next day they were wild with relief. So they bribed it into the rabbit cage with some food and closed the door from a distance with a homemade rope Katie had cut out of extra fabric. (She is nothing if not resourceful.)
After its initial panic at being caught, the kitten calmed down quickly and has turned out to be super affectionate. When we brought the cage into the basement, it would cry every time we went upstairs and left it alone. It loved having company. I was afraid we weren't going to get any sleep that night. :)
On Saturday we took it to the vet to get it checked out. It had fleas, worms, and a nasty upper respiratory infection, but with treatment should be fine. We also learned it's a male. (Of course it is!)
We've decided to name it Soot Sprite, after a character from Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro.
The reason we're keeping it isn't just due to Katie's Bambi Eyes. Barely a week ago, Katie and I were talking about how we'd love to get another pet, and how much she would love to have a cat in particular, but I was balking at adoption fees and breeder's charges. I mentioned that all the pets that we've had have come to us providentially when we were ready for them, with Katie's own gerbil Snowball the lone exception (he was an 8th birthday present). So I told Katie I believed that when we were meant to have another pet, it would just come to us. "But," says I to myself, I says, "it's not like a random cat is just going to walk into our yard and adopt us!"
*cue hysterical laughter*
However, in a sense I was right -- it didn't just walk into our yard -- we had to cross the street to get it. :) But when the kitten just appeared out of nowhere, I took that as a sign that it was meant to be ours.
So now it's living in the old rabbit cage until I can give it a bath, using a cardboard box and old gerbil shavings for a litter box (yes, it is litter trained already even) and baby bowls for feed bowls until I can do some proper shopping for it. Our neighbors gave us some cat food to tide us over until we were able to get it some real kitten food.
The neighborhood kids are constantly coming in to look at it -- they actually all worked together to capture it, spending hours climbing under bushes to try to coax it out, so it really belongs to all of them. We were just the only foolish adults who actually agreed to bring it into our house. :)
----------
At the same time that all this was going on, a huge white pigeon has also adopted us.
For the past couple days, it's been constantly hanging around our yard or on our roof. It kept Mr. Pickles company while he was cleaning out the roof gutters by sitting on the top rung of the ladder.
The thing is huge. And it's practically tame -- it will let you allllllllmost touch it before it flaps away a yard or two.
Where did these animals come from? The neighborhood mysteries deepen.
----------
This one is an honest-to-goodness wild animal:
We have lots of deer around, but they don't usually stay long enough to be caught on film. One of the girls just managed to get several shots of this lovely doe before it bounded off.
-----------
Oh, and we have rats. I'm hoping Soot Sprite will turn out to be a good mouser.
Yeah... so... it looks like we've adopted a kitten. The kids found it under a bush across the street. It very obviously wasn't feral, but lost and terrified and WAY too young to be out alone. It took two days for the kids to catch it -- they were all panicking after the first failed attempt that something was going to eat it overnight, so when it appeared again the next day they were wild with relief. So they bribed it into the rabbit cage with some food and closed the door from a distance with a homemade rope Katie had cut out of extra fabric. (She is nothing if not resourceful.)
After its initial panic at being caught, the kitten calmed down quickly and has turned out to be super affectionate. When we brought the cage into the basement, it would cry every time we went upstairs and left it alone. It loved having company. I was afraid we weren't going to get any sleep that night. :)
On Saturday we took it to the vet to get it checked out. It had fleas, worms, and a nasty upper respiratory infection, but with treatment should be fine. We also learned it's a male. (Of course it is!)
We've decided to name it Soot Sprite, after a character from Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro.
 |
| small, black, furry, with eyeballs... |
*cue hysterical laughter*
However, in a sense I was right -- it didn't just walk into our yard -- we had to cross the street to get it. :) But when the kitten just appeared out of nowhere, I took that as a sign that it was meant to be ours.
So now it's living in the old rabbit cage until I can give it a bath, using a cardboard box and old gerbil shavings for a litter box (yes, it is litter trained already even) and baby bowls for feed bowls until I can do some proper shopping for it. Our neighbors gave us some cat food to tide us over until we were able to get it some real kitten food.
The neighborhood kids are constantly coming in to look at it -- they actually all worked together to capture it, spending hours climbing under bushes to try to coax it out, so it really belongs to all of them. We were just the only foolish adults who actually agreed to bring it into our house. :)
----------
At the same time that all this was going on, a huge white pigeon has also adopted us.
Where did these animals come from? The neighborhood mysteries deepen.
----------
This one is an honest-to-goodness wild animal:
-----------
Oh, and we have rats. I'm hoping Soot Sprite will turn out to be a good mouser.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Recharging his solar cells
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Close Encounters of the Furry Kind
Often in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed (sshh! don't tell them!) Mr. Pickles and I let the bunny out for a run. She is so fun to have around -- when we sit in the living room, she likes to come hang out with us. She's very social.
One evening while Smokey was out, I was cleaning the gerbil cage as well. I let Peter run around on the sofa, and the little bugger figured out how to hop to the floor without killing himself in the process. He enjoyed a few moments of freedom, and then Smokey discovered him.
It was very cute and sweet, until the rabbit began hopping away with the gerbil following close on her heels, sniffing and poking her the whole way, and then they faced each other again and apparently Peter decided he didn't like the way Smokey was looking at him or something and tried to pick a fight by clawing her nose so she responded by giving him a warning nip but of course her teeth are probably larger than his brain so he didn't like the feeling of that and started running in circles while the rabbit freaked and leaped away and I decided it was time to put the animals to bed.
One evening while Smokey was out, I was cleaning the gerbil cage as well. I let Peter run around on the sofa, and the little bugger figured out how to hop to the floor without killing himself in the process. He enjoyed a few moments of freedom, and then Smokey discovered him.
 |
| *sniff sniff* you smell funny! |
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Introducing the New Arrival(s)!!
No, not That One. It's still kicking and hiccuping away in blissful oblivion that its life is about to change dramatically very soon.
I mean This One! Hooray for Aunt Katie!
My baby cousin is living with us for the summer during her internship in Our Nation's Capital. The kids (not to mention their mother) couldn't be more excited about her being here. It's only hard that she has to be gone all day at work! She is such a joy to have around. It's going to be a great summer with her here. We may not let her go back home in August.
We also have another arrival, of a furrier variety.
Meet Smokey! We inherited her -- quite Providentially -- from a family who is getting ready to move out of state. Since she came from a large family, she seems to be used to being mauled by small children. She is turning out to be the sweetest, friendliest, rabbity-est, (and hungriest), lop-eared love. We're keeping her in the kitchen so she is getting lots of lovings from the kids (and grownups too). It's fun having a bunny again.
Finally, lest the gerbils be neglected, they inherited a sweet deluxe two-story penthouse from the miniature hamsters next door.
Lots of exciting new things going on in the Pickle Jar!
I mean This One! Hooray for Aunt Katie!
My baby cousin is living with us for the summer during her internship in Our Nation's Capital. The kids (not to mention their mother) couldn't be more excited about her being here. It's only hard that she has to be gone all day at work! She is such a joy to have around. It's going to be a great summer with her here. We may not let her go back home in August.We also have another arrival, of a furrier variety.
Meet Smokey! We inherited her -- quite Providentially -- from a family who is getting ready to move out of state. Since she came from a large family, she seems to be used to being mauled by small children. She is turning out to be the sweetest, friendliest, rabbity-est, (and hungriest), lop-eared love. We're keeping her in the kitchen so she is getting lots of lovings from the kids (and grownups too). It's fun having a bunny again.Finally, lest the gerbils be neglected, they inherited a sweet deluxe two-story penthouse from the miniature hamsters next door.
Lots of exciting new things going on in the Pickle Jar!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Some random silliness
I can't believe I'm posting this:
Pretty Paul, want a cracker?
Katie LOVES having her picture taken.
You can't see me!
She also loves her Daddy.
Ah, the things we do for love... (albeit unwillingly...)
The bedhead king with another fine specimen.
Rudolph or deranged clown? You decide.
May you have a smiley face pancake kind of day!
Pretty Paul, want a cracker?
Katie LOVES having her picture taken.
You can't see me!
She also loves her Daddy.
Ah, the things we do for love... (albeit unwillingly...)
The bedhead king with another fine specimen.
Rudolph or deranged clown? You decide.
May you have a smiley face pancake kind of day!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Meet Our New Family Members!
I can't believe I haven't written about this yet! One of my pseudo-birthday presents to myself was gerbils! A friend of mine bought what she THOUGHT was two males from the pet store, until they had six babies. They do best in pairs, so my friend offered us two of them.
So now, meet Peter:
and Paul:
Miriam suggested the names, and I applied them. Paul used to be golden, and then changed into this browny mix -- he had a conversion, you might say. (yuk yuk yuk) He's the more social and exploratory of the two. Peter is a little more skittish. They're both very sweet.
So, what are gerbils, you ask? They're little rodents, between mice and rats in size. They have long hairy tails with little tufts on the end. They love digging (which is why they live in an aquarium instead of a wire cage) and chewing.
You should see this wooden house now -- all the openings have been somewhat enlarged, and the corners rounded. For toys we give them toilet paper tubes, and cardboard boxes for houses. (Amazon makes the PERFECT sized boxes.) They used to have a wheel, but chewed it into little bits in less than a week.
They're extremely social animals, which is what makes them such great pets for kids -- they don't bite (at least on purpose -- we've experienced a couple exploratory nibbles, though). They love sleeping in little furry heaps.
The girls take care of them every day -- Miriam is in charge of the water bottle, and Katie is in charge of food. I change their litter about once a week. (Another advantage -- they don't really have an odor -- you have to get up right next to their cage before you can even smell their little animally smell.) They've been a lot of fun -- very cute, very low maintenance. The ideal first pet! Their lifespan is about 2-3 years I think, so maybe when the Peter & Paul era is at an end, after a decent mourning period we can graduate to bigger game (like a bunny! ...please?).
So now, meet Peter:
and Paul:
Miriam suggested the names, and I applied them. Paul used to be golden, and then changed into this browny mix -- he had a conversion, you might say. (yuk yuk yuk) He's the more social and exploratory of the two. Peter is a little more skittish. They're both very sweet.So, what are gerbils, you ask? They're little rodents, between mice and rats in size. They have long hairy tails with little tufts on the end. They love digging (which is why they live in an aquarium instead of a wire cage) and chewing.
You should see this wooden house now -- all the openings have been somewhat enlarged, and the corners rounded. For toys we give them toilet paper tubes, and cardboard boxes for houses. (Amazon makes the PERFECT sized boxes.) They used to have a wheel, but chewed it into little bits in less than a week.They're extremely social animals, which is what makes them such great pets for kids -- they don't bite (at least on purpose -- we've experienced a couple exploratory nibbles, though). They love sleeping in little furry heaps.
The girls take care of them every day -- Miriam is in charge of the water bottle, and Katie is in charge of food. I change their litter about once a week. (Another advantage -- they don't really have an odor -- you have to get up right next to their cage before you can even smell their little animally smell.) They've been a lot of fun -- very cute, very low maintenance. The ideal first pet! Their lifespan is about 2-3 years I think, so maybe when the Peter & Paul era is at an end, after a decent mourning period we can graduate to bigger game (like a bunny! ...please?).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)