Dom

Kitten Cuteness

2009-11-13T18:59:11Z

I'm still too lazy to edit all the kitten videos I've taken, but I thought I'd share some pictures. Since I've pretty much decided to keep Smudge, Runty, and Stupid, they're starting to spend supervised time in the rest of the apartment with my girls. They love all the extra space. Isis and Pandora aren't thrilled.

Ozzy's New Trick

2009-10-29T23:58:18Z

When I get bored, I teach my horse stupid pet tricks. This one took forever.

Sorry about the cell quality.

Hornswaggle Photos

2009-10-22T22:49:53Z

Hornswaggle Hill photos are finally up!!! I think more are coming.

This was the ride I got thrown and dragged at the start of. I emailed the photographer to ask if she got it.
So far:
Top of the mountain. You can see the drag marks on my pants.

Back of the pack. Looking unamused.

Finish Line. Still smiling :)

Kitten Spam

2009-10-18T17:14:38Z

harnessphoto @ 2009-10-15T19:32:00

2009-10-15T23:32:57Z

New plan for Ozzy!!! I'm going to get a bull for my birthday and make it angry so Ozzy can get more responsive. I think he could totally be as versatile as a bull fighting horse if I just got him chased fast enough. *shifty eyes*

No?

Insurance That Rocks

2009-10-15T22:40:38Z

After sending photos of the damage to my parents, I called the insurance company to file a claim. I was worried about the outcome, but ended up very pleased with the result.

I have to pay a $100 deductible and go up to Flemington to an approved facility where they will fix my damage regardless of the cost. That's it. I don't have to wait for a police report. I don't need any paperwork. There's no limit on how much they'll cover. And my rates won't go up!!! That and there's no rush. I can make an appointment whenever I want.

"Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there."
True story.

Kitten Photos

2009-10-13T00:37:08Z

I have videos, too, but I'm too lazy to dig my little camera out.

The kittens are doing well. They're growing quickly and getting more agile by the day. They love people and climb into bed and onto the couch with me. They're cuddly, playful, fluffy, and round... everything kittens should be. I'm giving them generic names (Runty, Smudge, and Girly... who responds to Stupid thankyouBryce) to keep from getting attached, but I secretly wish I could keep them all. They should be ready to go to new homes soon. They all eat, drink, and use the litter box. Huzzah!

Runty on the bed.

And in the window.

Smudge

Girly. I'm so mad it's not in focus.

Runty tries to figure out the curtain string.

harnessphoto @ 2009-10-12T09:12:00

2009-10-12T13:13:49Z

Teaser photo:

F***ing Deer!

2009-10-12T04:33:46Z

Was driving home from Dev's and got about 15 minutes from my apartment. I was on 31, just before the Flemington circle. Nothing but businesses and dealerships all around. Not exactly a wooded area. There was a deer in the Border's parking lot, and I guess he didn't want to be there. I was in the left lane, saw him jump into the road, and slammed on my brakes. The brakes locked, smoke flew from my tires, and the deer didn't stop. *sigh* I wish I'd been speeding and just kept going. I would have missed him.

Instead, this gigantic buck plowed head first into the side of my car at full force. I was still going about 40. The deer was probably going about 30. It's a good thing I drive a metal car because he would have been in my passenger seat, spearing me with his antlers if I drove something made of fiberglass. I thought I heard shattering glass, but I think that was the sound of every bone in his body breaking at once. There's no way he survived.

At this point in my life, nothing really surprises me. I didn't scream. In fact, I didn't even really flinch. I just sighed, turned on my flashers, pulled into the shoulder, and got out to assess the damage.

My poor, poor Tercel. Both passenger side doors are badly dented. The seals on the windows are busted, and if I'd had a mirror, it would have been history. At least I have an excuse to get THAT fixed now. The car is drivable, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's totaled in terms of value.

I sighed, calmly gathered all my information, and dialed 911.

"Hi. I'm on 31 South, just before the Flemington circle. I'm ok, but I just had a deer hit me and there's a good bit of damage. I'm not sure if he's in the road posing a threat to traffic, but I'm out of the way. If you could send an officer out, that would be great."
Moments later, the cop pulled up. He asked if I was ok, took down my information, then took a look at the damage. "Wow." *long pause* "He really DID hit you."
"Yeah. I'm not kidding when I said he slammed into the side of my car."

So I hit drunk drivers and deer hit me. *sigh*

Police report will come in this week. I'll have my parents decide what they want me to do about the insurance. I should be more fazed, but I'm just not.

"Are you ok?" the officer double checked before letting me get back to my car.
"Yeah. Just aggravated. I was having a pretty good weekend. Thanks for coming out."

I'll have pictures of the damage tomorrow. My poor Go Kart :(

Bunny Misadventures

2009-10-08T03:04:02Z

Erin and I went for a ride after work despite the fact that the wind was blowing at about 50mph. We were walking along behind the vineyard and I was chatting my head off as usual.

"O, ew. Dom, don't look down," Erin wrinkled her nose in disgust.
I continued on with my story and didn't look down.

Moments later, Ozzy dropped his head, I assumed to graze. Next thing I knew, Erin was shouting, "No! Don't let him eat that!!!"

I looked down and was horrified to find that my horse was trying to eat a dead rabbit.

Bryce says, "Maybe it tasted like carrots?"

Dear Ozzy,
You are a horse, not a carnivore.
Love,
Dom

Columbus Zoo Pt. 2

2009-09-29T04:12:18Z

Went back to the zoo today. I am proud to report that we saw every exhibit this time around. Updates later. Photos now.

They had an awesome exhibit where you go into the pen with the kangaroos! *squee*

Same with the lorikeets, and for $1 you can buy a cup of nectar.

But my shot of the day was the orangutans. I was watching the female sulk when the male came over to comfort her. I couldn't believe my eyes at what happened next. He puckered up and rubbed shoulders with her. She glared at him for a second, then softened up. They kissed... for several seconds! On the lips! She closed her eyes! Woah. They are so human it scares me.

Snuggling for warmth with an orangutan.

Lorikeet sitting on my arm. Sadly, I had no nectar to offer him.

Me on a hammerhead shark.

We started the day with the manatees again. They had just been fed and were pretty active. I could watch them all day.

Giant alligator snapping turtle. Makes me wonder how big Banana is by now. This turtle was bigger than most dogs I've seen.

The Australia night walk was really awesome. I'd move down there based on the cute factor of the animals alone. Most of them were impossible to photograph (flash was not allowed), but the tree kangaroo was semi-lit.

Even the squirrels are cool!

Who can say no to a koala?

Itchy roo.

Paranoid roo

Worried roo

Still itchy

Still paranoid

Still worried

The animals were very active in the cool weather today.

Otters getting it on.

The male orangutan with his blanket.

Emo female hugging herself. It was SO sad.

Male hiding behind a post. I swear he knew what the cameras were, and didn't want anything to do with them.

Well... one male and two females is a great recipe for jealousy. When Emo got her kisses, the other female got upset and beat her up until she hid under a blanket. She then shunned the male. He got fed up, grabbed a blanket, and fled across the enclosure with Emo hot on his heels.

He climbed up the ladder and swung across the enclosure. i regret to report that my battery died right at this moment, so I missed a lot of the action. Rawr!

The gorilla exhibit is undergoing renovations, so they're inside in glass cases. Some of them (like this guy) were pretty relaxed. Others are obviously unhappy at having their routine altered, and one was glaring at onlookers and even punched the glass to scare them back. I would not want to get into a fight with him!

Bonobos!

Columbus Zoo Pt. 1

2009-09-28T00:59:47Z

We went to the Columbus Zoo today... definitely the highlight of the trip! We're going back tomorrow so we can see everything without rushing.

For now, here's my set of photos from today:

Mexican wolf

Pronghorn

The bears were really fun to watch. They kept walking up to each other, sparring without touching, then walking away again. It's a shame the sun hadn't come out yet.

Cleaning his teeth

Sleeping puma

Wolverine

The new male, Rocky

This bird was really cool. Forget the blue beak... he DIVES and swims under water. Very neat.

The otters were swimming around and showing off, which was cool to watch, but impossible to photograph. They just move too fast!

The baby elephant was worth the long wait in line. Only six months old and too cute for words!

The sun bear. He was hiding, but I want to go back tomorrow and try to get better shots.

Daddy elephant

Pheasant building

We were all wondering how this guy got up there...

Bryce is freaky tall... he can touch the 8 foot mark without even standing on his toes.

Tiger pilates

No idea, but cute.

The flying foxes made my life. I had no idea how big they were!

The aquarium was actually really cool. No really flashy animals, but a pretty display with lots of colors.

Hammerhead shark

And we finished the day off with the manatees. I loved these guys. Impossible to photograph, and also much bigger than I ever expected. They just seem so sweet and gentle. Aww...

harnessphoto @ 2009-09-21T20:11:00

2009-09-22T00:12:25Z

piperrhiannon just came by to pick up the torti from the Bluestone litter, now named Amelia. Good luck, Molly, and thanks for giving the little girl a home!

Kitten Photos

2009-09-18T03:24:15Z

Quick back story on some of these kittens, so you guys understand where I stand.

Erin and I noticed the crazy cat house a few months back when we were riding Ozzy and Willie into town for ice cream.

It was like, "O look, a kitty on a porch."
"Two kitties on a porch!"
"Three, four... eight kitties on a porch! Holy crap."

The other day, Jen saw a cat hit at the side of the road and went up the doorstep to tell the people the bad news, which is when she noticed that the place was swarming with cats. The people are a nice (but clueless) older couple who think people just keep dropping cats on their property. Never mind that they're almost all black and white. A kitten followed Jen to her car and they told her they didn't care if she took it. In fact, they've been very helpful in assisting us with catching the cats. They don't care if we trap, euthanize, rehome, or Trap Neuter Release. They're willing to shell out SOME money, but they're old and are clearly having problems supporting themselves, let alone a hundred cats. The good news is we ARE working with a TNR coordinator and should be trapping and fixing the unfriendly part of the population in the near future.

So Jen has been taking cats home a few at a time. She had the first batch tested and they all came back negative across the board.

Today I went with her. It was insane. Cats running across the porch, lawn, and yards. An abandoned, overgrown swimming pool FULL of cats. And litters in the garage out back. They were tough to catch, but I managed to snag a few. At one point I got stuck in a fig tree trying to grab the little things. The tree slowed them down and made it harder for them to see me, but I needed help getting out afterwards.

Jen has already spent $400 out of her pocket to help these guys.

I'm not about to take anything that's sick or mean-feral. In fact, I found a home for the torti, but am returning the other two Bluestone kittens to Brenda tomorrow. Socializing them isn't going well and they're trashing my room. Plus, I'm going away both this weekend and for a vacation next week. The little kittens will come with me for the weekend and stay with Jen while I'm away.

Right this very second there are eight cats of various sizes in my apartment. It's ridiculous. Jen has another eight (two of her own and six rescues) at her house. On top of the three kittens I brought home, we managed to catch three older cats (one about three months, one about five, and one about a year). The afternoon was spent injecting fluids and antibiotics, bathing smelly kitties, and applying flea prevention.

I have reached my limit (and then some). I don't mind fostering three kittens at a time, but I have to find homes if it's going to continue. The good news is that the three little ones seem to be warming up to people already. The one with the little bit of white on her face LOVES scratches, and the other black/white is very playful. They'd rather be on my chest than in their carrier and I should have no problem sculpting them into friendly, lovable kitties.

Of course I've taken some time out to photograph the little guys, and come bearing cute faces galore. Please pass the word to anyone you know who might want a cute fluffy thing to love for the long haul.

Puss in Boot. The new Ariat commercial. Ha.

In case you missed it, these kittens are REALLY small. We've been able to get them interested in wet food, but I'll be supplementing them with milk replacer until they get older.

Excuse the gruff appearances. They got clean, but then they got covered in wet food. Tough for them to stay clean without mommy to help them.

Snuggling on my bed at home.

Falling asleep after a long day.

Uh oh

2009-09-17T17:29:45Z

Because apparently horse rescue isn't enough, I am getting into kitten rescue.

Quick version of the story... there is a crazy cat house down the street with literally hundreds of cats all over the porch, yard, garage, etc. Jen has been taking them home a few at a time and rehabbing them. Today I went with her and caught a few cats. On a whim I went to the garage and heard rustling leaves. Found a litter of wee baby kittens. *sigh*

Kitten Escapades

2009-09-16T13:34:58Z

My cats let the kittens out of my room this morning. I woke up, saw the door open a crack, and thought, "Uh oh." I thought I'd heard meowing in my room earlier, so I hoped they were just hiding under the bed. I took a shower and saw Isis and Pandora sitting in Juliette's open room. "Uh oh." As I left the bathroom, I spotted a tabby tail disappearing under the couch in the living room. "Uh oh." Then I saw Isis and Pan still in Juliette's room. "Damn."

So my morning consisted of chasing feral kittens around the living room in an attempt to round them back up. I didn't manage to capture the torti, but she's the friendliest out of the three so I'm not terribly worried. This did mean I had to get Is-is and Panny-poo out of my roommate's room though. My usually approachable cats decided this would be the best time to play "you can't catch me".

*le sigh*

I'm bored...

2009-09-11T20:36:20Z

harnessphoto @ 2009-09-11T11:21:00

2009-09-11T15:23:02Z

Because they make me cry every time.

I almost killed a Mexican...

2009-09-11T04:57:29Z

Almost died today trying not to kill a guy who's probably not even legal. I seriously almost peed my pants.

I was driving home after yet another long day at the barn. It was dark and rainy and the roads were shit. The car in front of me rear ended someone at the light and the two of them were in the middle of the road talking it over, waiting to cause another pile up. I was thinking about that and minding my own business as I approached the highway.

Suddenly, in the middle of my lane, there was a guy in dark clothing on a bike with no reflectors, coming right at me!!! I had no time to react, but slammed on my brakes, cursing in my head and holding my breath. There was no way I was going to stop and I pictured this man splattering on my hood and windshield. My brakes locked and the car skidded straight for him. He kept pedaling like nothing was happening. I guess he didn't notice the screaming tires? I was going to kill this guy and he wasn't even blinking!!!

"I REALLY don't want to hit a pedestrian," my brain screamed and I did the only thing I could. I jerked the wheel left and hoped for the best. My car fishtailed badly into oncoming traffic and I closed my eyes, jerked the wheel right, and waited for the head on collision.

Thankfully, the SUV coming at me had good reaction time and decent brakes and my car veered back into the correct lane before we smashed into each other.

Shaken, I went back to my drive. I don't know if the car behind me hit him.

WTF?

harnessphoto @ 2009-09-07T00:55:00

2009-09-07T04:55:22Z

Dear Scary Monster That Moves Like a Banshee and is Bigger Than a Moose,
Please stop darting at alarming speeds in front of my car and up the railroad tracks that lead to my apartment in the dead of night.
Fearfully,
A Very Small Dom

Kittens Photos

2009-09-05T17:16:17Z

These guys are hard to take pictures of because they're still pretty shy and the flash startles them (but they can't be trusted outside). Bryce was spoiling them with chicken bits so I took advantage of them holding still for a few seconds.

Kittens- Round 2

2009-08-31T01:32:43Z

I now have three orphaned kittens living in my room. They are looking for homes, but I'm fostering them in the meantime. I now have two horses and (god help me) five cats. How does this happen to me?

Long story short, these guys showed up at the yearling property at Bluestone. I think there were originally five. One of them was a gorgeous calico (lots of white) and Mitchel took her home with him. The other had some sort of complications and had to be put to sleep early on.

For a while, they were living in a cage in the hay stall in the barn, but that got stinky pretty quick. They moved into the lab, where they get handled a bit and have more room to run around and be kittens. This was an improvement, but still not great. Because Brenda has three cats and a big goofy dog, she can't bring them upstairs to her place.

Since they were feral kittens, they're not the friendliest bunch, and they really need to be socialized a bit before they can find homes. I am proud to report that, while the two girls are hiding under the bed, the boy is cuddled at our feet, fast asleep with my stuffed tiger. Very cute.

Brenda plans on adopting the torti.

This little girl is a really neat color... alternating orange and gray stripes. I can't wait to get my flash fixed so I can get more shots of her.

Bryce eating the torti.

"I am NOT as cute and cuddly as you think..."

And just so my girls don't feel left out... one of Isis:

Kitten Update

2009-08-29T21:43:59Z

The girls got spayed last week. I'm ashamed to admit I let them get this old (they're over a year!) without getting them fixed. When I got them, I had a steady job and was saving money, but changed jobs proved to cost more than I could have imagined. Last week Animal Alliance had a spay/neuter clinic only minutes from my apartment. I took them in and got their shots and spays out of the way. Cost me less for both than it would have for one otherwise. Huzzah! Since then, they've been a little cranky, but they're finally starting to get back to normal.

Isis is currently killing bugs in the window:

Horse Drawn Wagon

2009-08-29T17:27:26Z

So I thought Erin and I were the only crazy toons in this town. That is until I was driving back from Showplace just now (picking up more Pen G, 30cc syringes, and 19 gage needles) and drove up behind a horse drawn wagon on Old York Rd. Traffic is cruising along at 50 mph and here's this adorable bay horse clip clopping along in his blinders and easy boots. If I had to guess, I'd say he was a standardbred. I think it is my mission to find this guy once quarantine lifts.

Ozzy Photos

2009-08-26T15:34:38Z

Since I never see my horse any more...

Christine riding Oz the other weekend. She swore once upon a time that she'd never get on him. He's come a long way since then.

Erin, Willie, C, and Oz exploring the back forty.

C gets brave and leads the way.

Ozzy and Dev play guitar.

And yes... twelve year olds can ride my horse bareback in just a halter, but I can't get him to trot a 20m circle -_-