Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This Blog Goes to 11…

Screw the Judean People’s Front. Splitters.

Word salad with all caps

Naturally gregarious and alpha

No one could have predicted…

Where tasty lettuce and good mustard aren’t elitist.

I personally stopped the public option…

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Yes we did.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Wetsuit optional.

Just a few bad apples.

Women: They Get Shit Done

Almost as fun as hiking the Appalachian Trail.

This blog will pay for itself.

Good luck with your asparagus.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

I thought we were promised Infrastructure Week

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Mission Accomplished!

This is how realignments happen…

I can see Russia from this blog!

An army of rabid, anonymous commenters

We are aware of all internet traditions.

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Saturday Evening Respite Open Thread: KVATS

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Respite Open Thread: As Promised Pups, Kitties and Random Things

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Here is somewhere to hangout to avoid (or take a break from) all the madness.

Respite Open Thread: Ben Afquack and Some Cute Kitties

First I’m reposting the troublesome photos from this weekend.  From Ms. Deranged in AZ , Lottie (Mrs. Tufts above) and Mouse (She Who Must Be Fed) below.

Respite Open Thread: Ben Afquack and Some Cute Kitties 1

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realbtl sends along a few of his rescues over the years:

I’ve been rescuing dogs most of my 71 years so I thought you (and all the pet freaks on b-j) might like a quick recent history.

Respite Open Thread: As Promised Pups, Kitties and Random Things 5

Sinead the German Shorthair Pointer (you’d have to ask my late wife why a GSP has an Irish name).  At about 5 she was lost/abandoned in Glacier NP backcountry, found with dead pups in her and barely alive.  When I first got her I had to carry her up even 3 step.  Turned out to be somewhat aloof but very happy here running loose on my 5 acres in Montana. Shown here with Chloe the purebred English Lab.  Chloe was about 7 when my friend the breeder’s pack got into a dominance tussle and Chloe was beaten up.

 

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After Sinead passed I got Sioux who came from a N. Dakota pound with a sister via a rescue person I know in far Eastern MT.  About 6 and while given a small amount of attention had been in a kennel all her life.  She didn’t understand going in and out of doors which made the 550 mile 1 night trip home interesting.  She didn’t know how to be a dog (seeking scritches etc) but Chloe taught her well.  Turned out I was the first person she bonded with and she was one of the best dogs I’ve had.

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After Chloe came Jada, another purebred Wiem from the same rescue/breeder.  Jada was bred to be a show dog and between this (not being raised a pet) and her unfortunate personality quirks. she showed up a mess.  A show dog who doesn’t like people and hates to be touched by strangers doesn’t really work.  It took me about 3 months to be able to pet her and she was known as the poltergeist as you would only see her out of the corner of your eye.  Again Sioux helped Jada become a real dog.  Now 5 years later she is about 95% normal dog around me and my stepson and settling in nicely as #1 dog.

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TaMara again. Here are some cute ducks and their toddler that cheered me up so I thought I shared. Google was no help finding the photographer If you find it, I’ll add it.

Respite Open Thread: As Promised Pups, Kitties and Random Things

Some fun news in Colorado. Grey wolves are back.

And lastly, I recently purchased a stunning Art Deco dresser from a neighbor on NextDoor (the facebook of your ‘hood). I’ll try and get a decent photo of it and share.  Whenever there is a community alert (police, fire or city letting us know of something important) and I end up on the site, I stop over to the For Sale items. That’s how I found the dresser. Luckily I was first in line for the dresser, because he had a lot of interest.

Yesterday, a traffic alert had me on the site when I found this:

show full post on front page

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Respite Open Thread: The Blog’s Three Favorite (Non-Controversial) Subjects

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Like this guy, I am tired of watching Republicans behave badly.

Click on pic for full effect:

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Evening Open Thread

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Looks like we could use a new thread, but I don’t have any topics. Too busy today cleaning house, shoveling snow, and paying bills. But that makes tomorrow ready for good things like practicing piano!

While I was cleaning house, I moved the kitties’ boxes and the mat in front of the door so I could clean that area. But when I wanted to clean where the boxes were,

White cats (Zooey and Ric) with gray spots sitting on mat on box. Mud shoes to the side.

So I cleaned the rest of the house, and only this little bit was left to vacuum. I thought for a bit they were going to move, but nah.

Zooey and Ric, still on the mat on the box, but in neat closeup loaf configuration.

When I started making my supper with ham, they decided to come in the kitchen and beg. That gave me the chance to finish vacuuming and put things back in order.

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Late Night Scary Nature Open Thread: Coyote Lucky

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I say Max, having proved his valor, should now retire with full honors. The Washington Post has a good write-up:

… What the coyotes didn’t know was that Max is a seasoned street life veteran. He survived alone in Long Beach before being adopted by his current family nearly four years ago, Maya Gurrin, his human, told The Washington Post. Max has probably seen and been involved in scuffles for which he has no words — or meows…

Gurrin and her husband, Eliot, saw some tails wagging through a glass door, and decided to go outside to investigate the noise.

“We thought it was a raccoon,” she said. “We went out and saw that he was surrounded by them. The coyotes hurried off when we went out there.”

Max walked back inside unfazed and unsullied.

“He wanted to go right back outside like a psycho,” Gurrin said…

Since his brush with death, Max has been inside, but the Gurrins know that they can’t keep him indoors forever, based on experience…

[T]he Gurrins are working out a compromise that would ensure Max’s safety and give him the freedom to smell the outdoors in the form of a catio or cat patio, which is an enclosed outdoor structure for cats still tapped into their wild side.

Max is very intelligent, according to Eliot, who said Max can open doors with horizontal handles.

“He’s a weird mix of friendly, of independent and loud and sensitive,” he said. “He’s a very hard cat to define. He’s super smart.” …

We’ve always done our best to ensure that our cats are indoor-only companions, but it can be difficult to outsmart a street-hardened rescue. We inherited six-pound Maine-Coon-type Kishkan when her previous owners moved to a country with a six-month pet quarantine. She’d come to live with them (despite one partner’s mild ailurophobia) by the simple expedient of waiting at their door & strolling in whenever it was opened. When they finally broke down & accepted their fate, their vet discovered she’d already been spayed, but nobody responded to their flyers. She was at least six years old when she came to live with us, and she lived another eight years before succumbing to kidney disease… despite regularly taking advantage of the dogs’ potty breaks to dart out for a walkabout. And she regularly brought back mice, voles, and baby bunnies to leave on the back stoop, just to show that we were not the boss of her.

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Meet Buttercup and GOAT

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Health policy writing will be light today as I owe my co-authors a revised draft and so far it is not making enough sense to me to share.

However, I would like to introduce you to Goat and Buttercup.  We adopted these two, a brother/sister pair of eight month olds, yesterday.  They spent most of the afternoon under the couch but by evening Goat had explored the entire living room and most of the kitchen while Buttercup explored as she wished.

 

Here is Goat:

 

Meet Buttercup

And here is Buttercup:

Meet Buttercup

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Guest Post: WereBear Updates on Bud and Lou

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WereBear is back with an update on Bud and Lou and to answer your burning cat questions.

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Guest Post: WereBear Updates on Bud and Lou

Bud undercover

New year, new discoveries. Like them or not, we all need to keep developing by acting on our continuing realizations. This goes for cats, too.

I shook up the household by adopting pair-bonded kittens. It didn’t take them long to charm most other beings. Still, even though fall has turned into winter, we still have two Isolationist Cats who refuse to enter Kitten Country.

And that’s okay. As I shared in a recent post:

The kitten brain is like a butterfly house. Beautiful to look at, always in motion.

Guest Post: WereBear Updates on Bud and Lou 1

Lou and Bud with a puzzlebox

Kittens can be disconcerting to cats who are happiest with a sense of orderly scheduling. But there’s also another element, a psychological one. Just as intense contact with children reminds us of our own childhoods, so it is with cats.

The two Isolationist Cats had a rocky beginning, as rescues often do. Olwyn adjusted readily to baby Mithrandir, whose Gamma meekness and ability to self-play kept him unobtrusive.

Bud and Lou are the opposite. They approach other cats and invite play. They will flank with mirror moves like an Impossible Mission Force. They are Alphas, so their friendship is bold and assertive. This makes shy cats like Mithrandir feel pressured. It makes bossy cats like Olwyn feel one-upped.

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Lou enjoying his kingdom

So, while Mithrandir will come to the door and ring the temple bells for entry, he has yet to come in. Olwyn is happy spending time in the bedroom with Mr WayofCats, who is still recovering from a serious setback from a year ago.

I’ve often seen how a well-adjusted cat will seem to regress when presented with a kitten. I decided it was more than uncertainty about this new little being. I think it’s also about what the little being helps them remember about their own kittenhood.

While RJ was held as evidence in an abuse case, it hasn’t affected his big muffiny heart, or his social outlook. He adores kittens, and giving him two at once has put him on a kitten-wrangling career high.

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Tristan getting some adoration

On the other hand, Olwyn is a tortoiseshell cat with abundant Tortitude. She maintains she was never really a kitten, and arrived ready for World Domination. While Mithy’s feral caution and Gamma shyness keeps him unready to make a decision: and cross a threshold.

At three weeks old, Tristan had several bad hours after his abandoned mother abandoned him. (Three weeks later she abandoned his sister, who also got a home.) But since then, he’s been Prince of the City.

His main problem with the kittens was about being invited to play when he hadn’t studied them yet. We replaced an aging cat tree with a new one, just for him. He can sit on it and watch the kittens work all their toys and race up and down their own cat tree.

Once he had a strategy, he thawed. Now, they gazelle-leap over him on the regular. If he doesn’t feel like playing, he has places to go. Though when I told him I saw him playing with the kittens, I got a press release pointing out they were chasing him, and he was letting them.

Which doesn’t necessarily mean he is actually playing with them. They are, after all, clueless beanheads. My frequent reminders that “they have no sense” soothes Tristan. They are supposed to be puzzling, and after all, he likes puzzles.

As I told him, Bud and Lou will be delightful sidekicks who want to play Cat Tree Games. I got them for him.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Discover the Way of Cats:  BLOG  My book: Way of Cats: How to use their instincts to train, understand, and love them   Get the latest kitten pics on Twitter.

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In my cat world, after a year and 2 months, Gabe seems to have finally decided to become his own cat. He demands his place on the bed now, which is often sprawled (how is he sooo long?) from my hip to my shoulders, with a paw touching my cheek. This has sparked a bit of jealously with Zander, who will now take that spot when available. I let that go on for a few minutes with each and then send them on their way because it’s impossible to sleep like that. They are still best friends. Emma tolerates him and Gabe has stopped trying to win her over and is satisfied to know she won’t kill him in his sleep.

The cutest thing, I believe he has a crush on Scout. I often find him lying next to her on the bed (brave, because Danes are not known for their spatial awareness) and wherever she is, he is close by.

I have a few BJ pet pix to post this week, and I’m happy to post yours. Send them my way.

How are everyone else’s critters doing?

Respite open thread

 

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The War Within – Day 12

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These two assholes. Two adorable, jerkified assholes.

Hime & Odo, just being themselves

For the past 2 weeks, we have been at war in this household. Over food. You see, the little darlings love themselves some wet food. And then they don’t. They have dry – all day, every day – a kitten likes a snackerel of wet throughout the day. Each one gets half a can. We have gone through multiple brands & multiple flavors per brand. Once I id the flavors they like, I add it to the list. So shopping for their food requires 2 stores, 3 brands and about 3-4 different flavors for a month.

They like the wet in a rotation. What’s the rotation? God only knows. The food they liked last week? Now they lick it and look at you like you didn’t try. Did they gobble up the turkey & cheese shreds Tuesday? Then Thursday they hate it. Was Ocean Whitefish & Shrimp tasty as hell on Friday? Monday, it’s the most disgusting thing on earth. And repeat ad infinitum.

I’ve learned not to rage at these unbelievable scoundrels. Especially since I have to watch expenses like a hawk or a cat who is STARVED, I TELL YOU stares at me when I go make my food. Instead, I don’t give them any wet. I cut it back, just in case they’re not really that hungry and if that isn’t finished, I cut it out entirely. Sucks to be you, kiddo. I got thumbs and you got crumbs so go eat dry. It’s like a functioning democracy. Treat it like you despise it and the person with the power will take it away. Too bad, so sad. Unlike those bastards, I usually bring back the foods in a day or so. They know the drill. Sometimes, I swear they take turns biting the bullet and finishing leftovers so they can go, “Ah-ha! See, we did finish breakfast!” Got my eyes on you two. But other than that, they’re pretty perfect. Although this year, they got more stubborn. Oh, well, so am I. Open thread, no polly tics, no tangelo terror.

The miscreants miscreantly being adorable

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Cat Rescue Bleg – SF Bay Area

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Cat Bleg - SF Bay Area

There will be updates, but I wanted to get this up before the weekend. From commentor Origuy:

A friend asked me to help find a home for this orange tabby named Bowie. His family is moving from the San Francisco Bay Area to Austin and cannot take him with them. It looks like he’s comfortable with dogs.

I’ll pass along the info and we can work out how to get him rehomed.

If you have suggestions, or know anyone who might be interested, leave a comment below, or contact me at annelaurie (at) balloon-juice (dot) com…
Cat Rescue Bleg - SF Bay Area

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Afternoon Respite Thread: Happy Gotcha Day, Samwise!

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Five years ago yesterday, we brought Samwise home. He was five months old exactly, at least according to his papers. He was however not small, a problem that has only gotten worse. I joke, of course, but I’m often amazed by just how long the little guy is.

Here are some before-and-after pictures.

He’s adapted well to life in the big city, though I do wish he had a little more room. At any rate, happy Gotcha Day, Samwise!

Let this be a respite thread for all your non-political needs.

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Saturday Morning Open Thread: Never As Simple As It First Looks

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(Ass) Blast From The Past

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Get up, human, it’s breakfast time

Look at that face. Adorable, elegant, lovingly demanding. Let us step back to Hime’s first Christmas with the family.

Rock & Roller Gal

There she is. A delicate little flower.

2 Handfuls of Cat For Christmas

Brother Odoriki had the kitty snuffles when he was adopted, hence the booger snout. Hime was just naturally perfect. Or so I thought. So, on Christmas Day, Hime demonstrated she had a tender stomach. And a bad case of the runs. Worse, she was intimidated by the litterbox. And shadows, slight motions, a slight breeze. She was a complete coward about everything and still is Queen Jitters. After the 3rd cleanup of a poop spill outside the low box, I was determined that this time, I’d wait patiently and just help her keep her tiny butt in the giant litterbox.

This, of course, did not go well. It’s Christmas morning, I’ve been cleaning all week and the result of my frustrated attempt at kitten corralling was… a tiny white projectile spraying liquid shit across the linoleum, the carpeted downstairs, up the stairs and under the sofa.

I really wanted to cry. My lovely quiet Christmas was a fetid, poop garlanded mess. My housemate came down to see what the hubbub was about and managed to pin Herself. We looked at each other and just burst out laughing. Finally, after capturing the little biological weapon, I called my friend’s dad, who’s a large animal vet as well as the head of an NGO that teaches about zoonosis & husbandry in African countries, and drove her over for a Christmas freebie checkup. We cleaned EVERYTHING, including her butt and put her on very simple food for a day or so. The rest of Christmas was lovely, since she forgave her humans for daring to pen her and get her muddbutt checked out.

Yes, I was still finding little poop spots days later. But I feel very loved. Merry Not Stinky Christmas!

Merry Christmas To All & To All A Good Night

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Respite Open Thread: You Deserve Some Ducks

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I can’t think of a better way to finish up before the holiday season, than with some ducks for you. (Although, I may have a Christmas Eve Menu for you later today, depending on how the house cleaning goes).

The weather has been beautiful the last few days, so I’ve left the patio door open so the cats could spend some time in the backyard. Meanwhile, I’m trying to work. But an open patio door leads to these constant interruptions:

Ducks are not quiet…and there are always duck rumblings in my backyard.

A friend and I are going to start a dedicated Youtube channel for the ducks. She wants to do some graphic art with the ducks. so there may be merchandise, Just waiting for my GoPro to arrive. Because they HATE cameras and my only chance of catching their antics is via stealth.

Here they are, complaining,  after 22 inches of snow was dumped on us Thanksgiving week.

Respite Open Thread: 1

That was after they had to spend a full day literally cooped up, until it was warm enough for them to venture out. And yes, I had to shovel a path and a roosting spot for them. Otherwise, all you’d see would be the little tops of their heads as they scooted through the duck-deep snow.

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Bonus Christmas Kitteh:

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It’s his favorite spot this holiday.

I have all my cooking done and have vowed not to venture out again after seeing my clients today and picking up a forgotten item at the grocery store. Had a sweet surprise this morning, one of my oldest clients, who I have worked with since long before Bixby, bought me a nice gift, BUT also went to a boutique pet store and bought beautiful leather toys, and baked goods for the pups. He laughed as he handed the bag to me and said, “I realized as I walked through the store, I had no idea what to buy dogs.” I thought, Great Danes are even tougher to buy for, but he did great and Bixby and Scout love them.

It was the sweetest thing. Buying my pets presents will always win me over.

How are you coping with the holidays? I know it can be a tough time. Last year was the worst for me, but this year, I’m feeling more hopeful. Maybe it’s that nice gift Congress got me.

Check-in in the comments, we’re all in this together.

Otherwise, open thread

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Friday Evening Open Thread: Countdown

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