I'm in my least favorite place

[MoodyBlues]

All this talk about Joy Noelle made me look at pictures--zillions and zillions of them. She is by far the most photographed child I've ever had, but digital photography had a lot to do with that. Here's one of my absolute favorites, from not quite two weeks after I got her. Look at her sweet, smiling expression as she sleeps soundly, and bear in mind that 375 pounds of Great Dane are mere feet away! (I'd been sitting right next to her, on the living room sofa.)

So precious...so loved...

 

[nickdalzell]

Before Daisy entered my life, I had a bond with another doe named Suzie. I made the unfortunate mistake of not getting more than one good photo of her during her rather unfortunately short life. I only had a Sony Mavica with a floppy disk for storage and half a megapixel at the time, so it wasn't a priority and I figured that pet deer are safe from hunters, and that was another naive mistake.

when Daisy and I bonded, and by bonded I mean like two bunnies who are always at each other's side, joined at the hip, and groom one another, and in my case that meant Daisy greeting me at the gate, licking me constantly, and rubbing her face on me, which means she's marking me as her own, well, I wanted to get as many photos as I could, and often filled the SD card on the Kodak EasyShare I had been using at the time as it could take a photo much faster than a Mavica or smartphone ever could in 2010, and I also got a ton of photos, some good, some awful of her.

I was terrible then, blurry images, potato quality zoom, but admittedly that camera has so many buttons, knobs and cryptic icons and more buttons that the learning curve was massive. Today, since I know how to use the blasted thing, I can take photos that surprise you that they're merely 4 megapixels, so expect some photos in much higher quality of the two gremlins known as rabbits Fiver and Spot in the future.

 

[MoodyBlues]

the thought of being in an overly white, brightly-lit-by-harsh-5000k-LEDs place such as a hospital being my vision of purgatory. Why must hospitals be so bland and creepy anyway?

Functionality. They're brightly lit--when needed--so medical staff can *see* what they're doing. They don't have a lot of home-like, comfy furniture sitting around because they need clear and free access to the patient, at a moment's notice. They need to be able to wheel a patient in and out of a room in their bed. They need to be able to bring a gurney in and place it right next to the bed, for easy transfers. The hospitals I've been in have had comfortable chairs/recliners for visitors, but not in the way of the bed.

As for the Rockwell-esque kindly family doctor, they still exist. Maybe not practicing in their homes, but they're still out there. I've been blessed with excellent, awesome primary care doctors, and specialists, over the years. The ob/gyn who saved my life when I was 21 was the most amazing woman, physician, and human being I've ever known. And her original office *was* in her home! A big, 2-story house with the entire downstairs devoted to her practice, and upstairs the living quarters. Her dog would wander around in the lobby, greeting patients and families as they waited.

They refuse to just admit they 'do not know' and make up big, unpronouncable words to explain things and sound scary and authoritarian.

NO!!! Have you not been paying attention?! The neurologists most definitely *did* say that they don't know. And they didn't throw around any words I didn't understand. They felt badly that they were unable to provide a diagnosis but, as one of the physicians said, this is a complex case and it could take a long time to figure out.

 

[nickdalzell]

I wish I knew where to find those old type of doctors, because here they've been extinct since the 1950s. My sister has one of dad's old scales that look like that one Rockwell painting though, although he hadn't used the thing since 1977 when he was still beginning his practice.

 

[MoodyBlues]

the Kodak EasyShare I had been using at the time

I had one of those! All of Joy Noelle's earliest pictures were taken with it; I had it before I had her. Worked with Linux right out of the box--and that was 20+ years ago.

 

[nickdalzell]

Mine was given to me by someone. They were gonna toss it because they got a DSLR. Wasteful to throw out something that isn't broken. Mine's a DX7440 and looks like a very expensive 35mm camera, and even has a real viewfinder along with the LCD screen so you can use it like a real camera too. I'm surprised the Li-ion battery still takes charge as it's been dead since Daisy died.

I can't share images taken on the Z Flip 4 since Windows thought it was an unknown device and Linux just goes 'what?' and does nothing because USB type C sucks and mass storage mode got axed from Android a few years back, but at least the EasyShare accepts SD cards and this laptop can take them natively.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Mine is out in the garage somewhere... Once I bought my first Nikon DSLR, it never left its charging cradle!

 

[nickdalzell]

I never had the cradle, so the 'EasyShare button' does absolutely nothing. I have some sort of rapid charging thing for the battery, so I pop the battery into that for an hour, and it's good for a few snaps or a few minutes of video, just as it was then. My Mavica FD250, huge brick that it was, would barely make 5 pictures or even stay on for longer than 10 minutes on a fully-charged 'extended' pack, so any opportunities for good deer photos with that nugget were few and far between. I had lost it before meeting Daisy, and was actually in a quest to find another, as I knew it in and out and once I get used to something and get comfortable with it, I really struggle to adapt to anything else. The EasyShare at least looks like a camera, felt like a camera, and worked like a camera. Only you needn't worry about forgetting the film.

 

[mikedt]

Mine was given to me by someone. They were gonna toss it because they got a DSLR. Wasteful to throw out something that isn't broken. Mine's a DX7440 and looks like a very expensive 35mm camera, and even has a real viewfinder along with the LCD screen so you can use it like a real camera too. I'm surprised the Li-ion battery still takes charge as it's been dead since Daisy died.

View attachment 168304

I had that Kodak EasyShare as well. Bought new at the time.

BTW I have a Canon Powershot G11, that was given to me free last year. And I do like using it instead of the phone sometimes.
Real viewfinder in addition to flip-out screen, and real xenon flash as well as hot-shoe for external flash.

 

[ozonetrooper]

I have three digital cameras and 5 hard drives full of pictures, talk about being hooked on something ...

At a past residence I befriended my neighbors cats and my home was their second home .

This is Boris, yes he was a big boy !

 

[ozonetrooper]

To save my life I can not remember these two names :


This one would come up on the porch but never come inside.

This one had no problem with coming in for a visit ... errr nap !

 

[ozonetrooper]

This was Boris' partner in crime, Noisy, she was a "talker". (swatting my camera)

 

[ozonetrooper]

And like Joy Noelle, these brought, lots of good times and feelings !



I am told there is a special place for those who take care of the animals ...

 

[MoodyBlues]

And like Joy Noelle, these brought, lots of good times and feelings !



I am told there is a special place for those who take care of the animals ...

Yes there is--and there's a special place in hell for those who harm them.

Were all the cats you posted owned by someone(s), but allowed outdoors? They're very cute and also healthy looking, they definitely do not look like strays.

Our Joy Noelle picture of the day shows her sound asleep on her favorite piece of furniture: ME! This was taken on her third full day with me; for context, she weighed 2 lbs on the dot now, as our trip to our vet earlier that day (or the day before?) revealed:

I feel so blessed to have had her sweet, precious being in my life--and on my body--for so many years. Am I greedy to wish I could've had more?

 

[nickdalzell]

You were blessed with her a lot longer than I was with Daisy, I only met her in 2009 and she was already a senior at 13 years old. I wish I could have met her when she was originally rescued.

Bubbles only had 6 years with me, and large bunbuns don't live as long. 'normal size' bunnies live anywhere from 9-13 years, but "Clifford" bunbuns are lucky to make it 7 years. Bubby was the size of a cat.

 

[ozonetrooper]

Were all the cats you posted owned by someone(s), but allowed outdoors?

Yes.

some of the alley strays I fed :

Scubby

CC came to me during a severe thunderstorm and was only as big as my hand, she turned out ok !

 

[ozonetrooper]

I worked in the apartment maintenance field when I worked and was always thrilled at the "helpers" I got when repairing something in an apartment.

 

[MoodyBlues]

How sweet that you fed the strays, and also that you had help during your calls! That last shot reminded me of a sequence I took of Joy Noelle one night:

This was in our bedroom, she's on the window AC unit. What has piqued such intense interest? Well........

Believe it or not, we have rats in Arcadia!

These dirty, nasty, disgusting creatures typically only appear at night, but have been known to scurry across the patio in broad daylight, back when I was feeding the peafowl every day--they REALLY liked the peanuts! Back when Little Freddie was still around, way back, even when Queenie was with us, too, I taught them the word 'rat'--and they'd run to wherever I was pointing to look for them. That was in Carrollton (Dallas). Queenie was at Rainbow Bridge by the time we moved home to California, but the 'rat' thing lived on until many years later. I can't recall the last time I saw a rat, and I wonder now if Joy Noelle would've even remembered what that meant if I had said it toward the end of her life. It's been a long time. I wonder what happened to the rats, or maybe I've just been lucky!

 

[olbriar]

I live in an almost seventy year old home. I've lived here over fifty years. Mice, not rats, have always been a problem. They manage to invent new ways to enter my home and every year it is an epic battle between man and rodent. Then into our life walked a itty bitty kitty and decided she liked it here. Actually, she is the boss of everything. She has killed two mice and that's it.
However, the mice knows she is here and they no longer have a desire to visit our home. We love her greatly and not for her mouse deterrent abilities but it's on the list. I would have been the slave of many a fine cat if I had only known.

 

[MoodyBlues]

We're not only close in age, @olbriar, but our houses are, too. Mine was built in 1946, so it's 77 (right? I'm so out of it...morphine and hydrocodone will do that to you). And although I've only lived in it for 17 years, it's been in my family for 52--my grandmother bought it in 1971. My mom inherited it in 1986, then I got it in 2013, my daughter will get it when I die, and her two boys will [somehow] get it when she's gone. That seems so far off now, but you never know.

As for your now-nonexistent mouse problem, I'm glad you're rid of the little devils, but mostly I'm glad you found out how wonderful cats are. When I'm asked if I'm a dog person or cat person, I never know how to answer other than "BOTH!" They're both so special, in their own ways, and my life would've been really empty without them both being a part of my family over the decades. You know that cats like to have company...hint, hint. If you're up for it, maybe a trip to your local shelter could bring a new soul into your home and heart. Especially an older adult whose human parent died and they're all alone now, grieving. I know adopting is a big deal and a personal issue, and I'm not trying to push you into anything you're not anxious to do, I'm just throwing out thoughts. You know me--I'll be proselytizing about rescue/adoption until I drop dead.

 

[olbriar]

We are both retired and at an age that travel is enticing. We traveled some with the little dogs but have not left the cat at home but over night. I don't think she would travel well and we aren't into boarding her. She required surgery a couple of years ago, and though I'm sure she saw quality care, she was simply freaked out by the entire ordeal and stay. I'm sure the surgery played a big part of that trauma but boarding has been out of the question since. We have a three day trip planned in April next to see the total solar eclipse. Our youngest daughter will stay here with the cat. I'm sure that we would love a new pet and perhaps the boss lady might enjoy some feline company. But to be honest, I think we are done with pets. They are so hard to say goodbye to and we are at the age where they might out live us. I only mentioned the travel negative but it's not likely to be a factor. By the time Bella has lived out a complete life, we won't likely be in the traveling mood. It's really more about saying goodbye or children inheriting pets that makes getting a new pet seem like a bad idea. Adoption would be the option otherwise.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I hear you, @olbriar, all around. It's in my will and trust that any pets I have when I die must remain in this house, with proper care; they won't ever end up in a shelter or moving to someone else's home. As you might guess, Joy Noelle was the only pet explicitly mentioned by name in those documents... It was made very clear how special she is was, and that remaining in this house was an absolute. (I still can't believe she's gone.) Alas, my remaining pets are so old, their days are probably numbered anyway.

I totally understand not wanting to board Bella--I've never boarded a pet in my life, not for travel or anything else. Sure, I've had MANY, many overnight (or longer) vet stays, but those were for medical reasons, not boarding. And I really hear you when it comes to how upsetting staying at the vet can be... Travel with a cat is certainly possible--I've made cross-country trips with cats and dogs--but not something I recommend. Far too many opportunities to lose them, and then what? You're hundreds or thousands of miles from home, ugh, the very thought terrifies me. When I HAD to drive cross-country with cats, there were *strict* rules about opening car doors and so on. I'll never be doing THAT again!

My household is down to a 15(?)-year-old dog, a 15-year-old cat, and a 16(?)-year-old cat. Question marks because these rescues' ages were purely estimates. For all I know, Big Brian MIGHT be older than Joy Noelle! I've had him for 11 years; my vet and I concurred at the time that he was a mature adult, *probably* around 5, but give or take a little either way. He could be 19+ now, but I don't think so. Oh, he's my first FIV+ cat--no problems with it at all, so far. He has the most beautiful, sky blue eyes! No collar yet in this pic, as he was still brand-new (to me):

Having a nice nap four years ago!

BTW, Big Brian and Joy Noelle were sworn enemies. They HATED each other! Poor little Joy...at her highest weight (10 lbs) she was never a match for Brian (15+ since I've had him). Does everyone know that I YELL at my children? Yep, I do. You should've heard me yelling "BIG BRIAN! YOU LEAVE MY LITTLE GIRL ALONE!!!" He was terrified. Not!

 

[ozonetrooper]

gotta luv the good feelings pets/animals bring ...

I also baby sat for tenants, we had many that would go back "home" and leave their pets in the apartment and I would go by daily and make sure they were ok, some I even brought home to babysit.

This is Blade (he was only a few weeks old and I watched him at my home)

This is Sunny at my place, I also babysat him at his place :

Shiela at her place:

And her sister :

This is coco, he was a frequent flier at my place :

Lola is the female and I can not remember the males name :

Jette : (she was a sweetheart)

 

[MoodyBlues]

This is Blade (he was only a few weeks old and I watched him at my home)

Is Blade a Great Dane? His face looks a lot like all of my Danes as babies, but his paws aren't as big as I'd expect for a Dane.

I'm not surprised you can't remember all the names of the cats and dogs in your life! There were a lot of them. Shoot, sometimes I don't remember all the names of my cats, going back 50 years...when we had far too many of them. We were young and stupid, and thought it was cute to have kittens. *sigh* If only I could go back in time. But I can't. I do want it noted, though, that we kept all those kittens, we didn't dump them or anything like that; they all grew up to be happy, well-loved pets. It's just that some were more special than others, and it's the others I don't always recall names on.

Did anyone notice in the pic of Big Brian's blue eyes that his right ear's tip is missing? It is. When I took him to my vet the day after finding him, ostensibly to have him scanned for a chip so I could return him to his rightful owner, they told me that the clipped ear meant he had been a stray, and had been part of a "trap, neuter, release" program--they clip the tip off the ear while he's under anesthesia for neutering, so they know in the future, if he's caught again, that's he's already been vaccinated and neutered. It was really funny the way that discussion happened--we were sitting in the lobby and Jason, one of the techs, came out to scan for a chip. As he approached he said "well I can tell you he's been neutered." I looked at him like he was from Mars! I've had cats all my life, but *I* can't tell from looking at a male (from the front) that he's been neutered, so I wondered what gave Jason this magical power. It was then that he explained about the ear clipping.

 

[ozonetrooper]

Blade is a rottweiler, he is now an old man who is big as a Dane but three times as wide ! ! !

The names I can not remember are because I did not label the pics, although I did find some older pics of the big orange one, Tango was her name, her little sister, (the black and white one), did not have a name, I called P_Kitty.

I knew about the clipped ear thingy, none of the strays I fed had it.