The Daily Snarkle

The Pain

2010-10-22T07:01:00.003-04:00

I haven't updated in a while. I thought I was handling things pretty ok. I assumed after the visitation, things would start getting back to a new normal. But the exact opposite happened. I started taking xanax for anxiety and I didn't react well. I lost motor skill functionality as well as 3 days of my life. And now the pain is worse than before. Much worse. I can't bring my self to shower, clean the house or eat. The only solace I find is through music through blip.fm. I feel like I shouldn't be taking this so hard. People lose their parents every day and manage daily functions. What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I act normally just once? I'm terrified of sleeping. My dreams almoat always Mom. That's enough for now. I'll update later.

Day 4

2010-10-11T12:04:00.002-04:00

I stayed up all night, till about 6am, listening to music. I was finally able to get about 4 hours of sleep. I think making the arrangements helped with closure a little. The Guest Book at the Charlotte Observer is already filling up. It's so nice to read the comments from her friends. I still don't have much motivation to do anything. Take a shower, clean the house, etc. I guess I'm still in the denial stage of grief. It feels like I'm paralyzed. I just can't make my body do what I know needs to be done. I may add more later.

Day 3

2010-10-10T13:23:00.003-04:00

I went to the funeral home today to make arrangements for Mom. My cousin Randy and my Mom's friend from work Debbie and her mother Diane went with me. I'm so glad they did. She wanted to be cremated, so I chose a beautiful stainless steel urn with ornate gold trim. It came with a heart shaped keepsake box with the same pattern. The visitation will be this Wednesday Oct 13 between 6pm and 8pm. I'm terrified of what comes after that though. It will be the first day of a whole new life for me. I've signed up to go to grief counseling. I just can't work through this without some help. Last night I talked to the neighbor behind for a long time and it seemed to help and I was even able to joke a little today with my cousin while reminiscing about Mom.

One hour at a time. That's my new mantra.

Day 2

2010-10-09T16:11:00.005-04:00

I didn't sleep much last night and tried to sleep some today but couldn't. I finally managed to get a shower and get dressed. I went to Pet Smart to look for a puppy to adopt. I need something to fill this hole and distract me from the pain.

Every road I turned on had memories of Mom. Places we used to shop, eat, etc. I tried to sit on the back patio, but all I could see were the plants and trees we planted together and projects that never got started and now never will. Please let this end soon. I don't know if I can take much more.

I'm going to the funeral home tomorrow at 10 to discuss options. I know she wanted to be cremated, but I also want to have some sort of service so that family and friends can get together. I'll post the details when I get them.

I just wasn't ready for this.

Mom

2010-10-08T19:32:00.001-04:00

I lost my Mom today. She went in the hospital on Sept 1, 2010 to get a breathing treatment, she had COPD, and ended up having a massive heart attack. She was in intensive care for about a month and seemed to be doing much better. She was transferred to a different hospital which specializes in weaning patients off ventilators. There, they had her sitting up on the side of the bed, sitting in a chair and were even going to start getting her to try and walk today. She was incredibly anxious to get home.

They did a procedure this morning that took samples of the fluid in her lungs for examination and apparently this caused her lung to collapse and she ended up having another heart attack. They couldn't bring her back this time.

We had made so many plans for this fall. A trip to the mountains. A trip to the zoo. Everything in this house has her stamp on it. I don't know if I can continue living here anymore. Everything reminds me of her. I see her cooking at the stove, playing with the cats. I see unfinished projects. Christmas decorations that she loved putting out at the holidays. Books she liked to read. Her reading glasses. I know that with time this will get better, but I can't begin to describe the intense pain I'm in right now. She was my best friend.

We talked everyday when I was at work, sometimes several times a day. She was the first person I called when I got news, good or bad. When I'd take a trip for work, I'd call her to let her know what the city was like, the tourist spots, etc. When I went to New York for the first time, I called her from Times Square and she was so excited that I got to go. She was my life.

I can't imagine ever going to the movies again without her. Or eating at our favorite restaurant. Doing anything without her seems like a little slice of hell right now. Signing off for now. I just needed to try and document how I feel. I'll post more later.

Still Grumpy McGrumpersons

2010-06-16T20:24:00.001-04:00

snarklepants 008, originally uploaded by dj.shay.

This is a recent pic of Snarx. As you can see, he is stll not amused.

Long Time No See!

2010-03-30T18:51:00.004-04:00

Well, it's been a while. Since my trip to San Frnacisco, Snarklepants has gotten bigger and grumpier. And yes, I've aquired another cat. Tigger! These pics are some that were taken a couple of weeks ago and today. Enjoy!

I LOVE SAN FRANCISCO!!

2009-09-20T23:15:00.003-04:00

Today I was in a training session all day and met a very nice colleague from Seattle, WA. We ended up going to lunch at a place called The Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant in the Ferry Building at the Port of San Francisco. Here are some pics of the view from the restaurant:

This was our waitress:

This is the building itself:

The fog here is beautiful to watch and after class, I went and picked up some dinner from a deli across the street and came back and sat on the balcony. Below is a view of the Coit Tower with fog rolling in around it:

Tomorrow night I am doing the twilight tour of Alcatraz. I can't wait!!

I'm in San Francisco!!

2009-09-19T22:39:00.002-04:00

So, I flew into San Francisco this morning and it is absolutely GORGEOUS here. My hotel faces the bay and I can see the Oakland Bay Bridge from my balcony. I ended up paying extra for the balcony bay view, but it is totally worth is as you can see from the pics below. I'll be in training classes all day tomorrow and Monday and then Tuesday is the User Group conference with breakout sessions, but Wednesday I should be able to do some sightseeing. I got tickets to tour Alcatraz Monday night and Fisherman's Wharf pass for Wednesday that includes the Bay Aquarium and a Bay Cruise tour.

Stay tuned for more updates :) I hope Snarks doesn't forget me while I'm gone :(

What a Difference a Zoom Lens Makes

2009-09-16T20:07:00.003-04:00

So, I got a new zoom lens for my Nikon camera and just look at these gorgeous pics of Sir Snarks!

You can see his tiny little ear tuffs!!

I'm going to try some video tomorrow with the new lens.

The Deed Is Done

2009-09-02T20:42:00.003-04:00

So, Sir Snarklepants is now gender neutral. When I picked him up, I expected him to be pretty lethargic, 'cause he ain't the most active cat. But much to my surprise, being unmanned seems to have given him more energy. Either that or it's a reaction to the anaesthesia. Either way, I've never seen him this energetic before:

Now I just have to work on getting him used to being indoors.

Snarks Last Day As A Man

2009-09-01T19:16:00.002-04:00

The time has come. Today is Sir Snarklepants' last day with his manhood fully intact. I drop him off tomorrow morning at 7:30 and when he comes home again, he will be snipped and chipped. A final video before the big day.

He's going to hate me for this. I just know it.

I'm Back Ya'll!

2009-08-25T19:15:00.004-04:00

After a crazy 3 weeks, I'm back to a somewhat normal state. A lot has happened in those 3 weeks. A major project has gone live at work with much gnashing of the teeth. Still. And I went to Pittsburgh, PA for 4 days. Mom brought home a cat from a friend of hers who has been declawed named Morris. His previous home had 2 other cats that constantly tormented him, so we decided to bring him here. And he's settled in very well. I hope to have a pic up tomorrow for everyone to see. Beautiful cat and exceptionally friendly.

Also, I have some sad news. None of the kittens made it. Apparently Momcat stopped feeding them while I was in Pittsburgh and when I got back they were too far gone to save. But that's nature for you.

Sir Snarklepants on the other hand is coming along famously! Below are some pics I took this afternoon with that snazzy new camera that I still haven't learned to operate properly. But I did get a book on Amazon that was delivered today that should be very helpful.

I swear he knows just how to pose whenever he sees that camera come out.

This is Momcat. She is brought to you by the letter U

And I cemented my love for pooties, I mean cats with this awesome tattoo last night! It hurt like crazy, but I think it was well worth it:

So, that's where I've been for the last 3 weeks. And I'll be traveling to San Francisco for work in about 2 weeks. After that, I'm done with traveling for a while. I miss my babies too much when I'm away.

I Know, I Know, It's Supposed To Be Daily

2009-08-04T20:21:00.003-04:00

But I'm up against a very tight project deadline at work and to top it off, I've got a sinus infection that's sapping what little energy I have. I am starting to feel a bit better though, thanks for asking :)

I took these shots a couple of days ago. Sir Snarklepants is allowing me to pick him up now. I don't think he's entirely comfortable with it, but he doesn't squirm to get down and he also doesn't back away when I'm petting him. Video evidence is below. So no Daniel and Brian, it's NOT Catsploitation.

Ok, so maybe he jumps down, but he was there a looooong time before he jumped down

As for the other kitties, Momcat has moved them to the back patio. And now they are sleeping in the food dish.

The little black one follows me around every time I go outside now:

They all seem to be doing ok. I also bought a new camera and it looks very intimidating. Which is why the shots above were taken with my other camera. Look for the new camera pics this weekend.

Getting Discouraged

2009-07-31T20:23:00.004-04:00

Snarkle still runs from me and acts like he wants to be petted, but tries to get away from me whenever I do pet him. It's been a crazy week and I haven't spent as much time with him as I should, but I will rectify that this weekend. I have my doubts I'll ever get him to be an indoor cat with reactions like this:

I'll just have to keep at it I guess. Meanwhile in the front of the house, the kittens are getting more adventurous. This little guy followed Momcat all the way from under the front porch to the carport

And the others are venturing out when I put moist food out for the Momcat. And they are very tame. When you pick them up they just seem to go limp. I'll have to get some video of that soon. Quite amusing.

Also, all the rain we've been getting has really made the wildflowers bloom. Here's some shots I took with my soon to be spare camera the Canon Power Shot. I am upgrading to a Nikon Digital SLR, so be prepared for some crazy looking pics in the future as I get used to "real" photography as opposed to just "point and click"

And one last picture of teh laziest cat evah!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

New Post Coming Soon

2009-07-31T18:33:00.001-04:00

I was too tired and it was taking too long for vids to upload last night to post any updates, but I'm working on them now and should have something up soon.

Counting Down the Days

2009-07-29T19:17:00.003-04:00

I'm just counting down the days until I can get Sir Snarklepants fixed. He likes to hang out underneath our neighbor's car and that's how his brother got hurt. But as soon as he's snipped, he'll be inside, and no Brian Neuticles will NOT be an option! So here's some vid of his majesty lazing around on a hot summer day. And his paws kill me. I don't know why, but I just love them. He's not real happy about being woke up:

I also got some shots of the other kittens. I've started leaving moist food out for them in the afternoon. They can smell is and gets them out from underneath the porch and it prompts Momcat to nurse them a little more.

Here's video of the black one and the one I call "Camera Hog" playing:

It won't be too long before they'll be venturing out without Momcat. Hopefully I can find homes for them all. Have a great evening everyone!!

It's Getting Ready To Storm

2009-07-28T18:52:00.003-04:00

One of nice southern hot hazy, late in the day induced storms that cool the weather down about 10 to 15 degrees. So, no new pics or vids today, but here are some "outtakes" that I haven't posted yet. I had to bring work home with me too, so it's cut into my kitten time. enjoy!

The always sleeping Sir Snarklepants:

And a few rare "action" shots. These are hard to come by!

I wonder how big he'll get? In some pictures it seems like he's all feet, which is fine with me. I love big kitties. It's fun watching him grow. Anybody know if paw size is an indication of how big they'll get?

We've Come A Lomg Way Baby

2009-07-27T20:19:00.004-04:00

More Snarklepants video as he slept on an end table on our patio. He looks slightly perturved as I wake him up:

Can you bielieve that a little less than 2 months ago, this little guy wouldn't let me near him, much less pet him. And look at him now. He's practically begging for scritches. Ok maybe begging is too strong a word, but look at how he exposes his neck for me. He'll be sleeping with me before long :)

The kittens seem to be healthy as well. They are now eating a the little of the fish food I put out for Momcat.

More Kitten Monitoring. 5th Kitten Found

2009-07-26T19:27:00.006-04:00

It was a short, but very hoy day today, playing with the kittens And the missing one finally showed up I don't if he's too big to get through the lattice, or hasn't hasn't figured it out yet.

The back and grey one show up too.

All in all it was too hot to much of anything, so I stared inside mosr of the day, Tomorrow is hopefully going to be a lot cooler

For My Grandparents: I Get It Now

2009-07-26T04:12:00.007-04:00

When I was growing up, I had 2 sets of the most wonderful, loving grandparents a child could have. And I was lucky enough to have then well into adulthood as well. Each set had large backyard gardens and were fond of shrubs and trees and flowers of every variety. I grew up on home grown vegetables and fruits and trust me, they are are much better than the produce at your local Food Lion, or maybe it was just the love :) But both had a peculiar habit that I didn't understand until just recently, of just taking a chair under a tree outside and just sitting. Occasionally talking, but mainly just observing. But it was until recently when I, myself, started growing a garden and landscaping that I knew why they did it.

They did it for the slow pace and peacefulness of nature and the calming effect it has on ones mind, soul, and body:

The satisfaction of knowing that something you planted actually grew and not just grew, but exploded. the second tree is one I planted 2 years ago and was a 12 inch long stick when I got it in the mail.

It's the appreciation of the the beautiful transformation of a tightly spiraled bud that will end up into a full blow color explosion in less than 24 hours

It's finding beauty in the tiniest of obscure things like lady bugs and bumble fees

The wildflowers that grow despite the lack/too much of water.

It's the fact that nature is powerful above all things and we simply can not contain it. It will always find a way.

I see now the wonder and peacefulness and joy just observing these this brings to you. I wish they were still alive so I could take my place beside them with my own chair underneath a shade tree and just "be".

For my Grandparents

PPS, you didn't think you were getting out of this post without a pootie video, now did you? You don't know me very well if you did :)

A Peek At The New Momcat Location

2009-07-25T14:24:00.008-04:00

I was able to get vid and pics of the kittens underneath the porch, with much body contortion on my part. I've seen 4 of the 5 remaining and the one I didn't see was the mostly black one with bits of white. She has them in an awkward location, so it may have been there and I just didn't see it because it was so dark.

You can see the solid black one and the one I now call "camera hog" because every time I go out to take pics, he's the first one to greet me.

They seem eager to be out in the world exploring. This is good. They are not afraid of humans and this will make finding homes for them much easier:

Here's the gray one trying to get in on the action, but can't quite fit through the in the hole in the lattice work:

And this is a great shot of one of them amongst the sedums:

Oh, and as a side note, most of the video and pics I post have been taken with a Canon Power Shot SD850 Elph. For a point and ahoot camera I think I've been getting some amazing pics and vids. And I'm not getting paid to say that :) I will soon be upgrading to a more robust SLR where I'll have more control over lighting, exposure, etc, but so far this little camera has performed like a dream. Just wanted to give it some love :)

A New Toy For Snarklepants and Momcat Moves Kittens Again

2009-07-24T22:04:00.006-04:00

Sir Snarklepants continues to be skittish, but is now regularly eating out of my hand and allowing me to pet him. On his terms of course. Here's him eating tuna, or rather grabbing tuna out of my hand. And Sammi, the local stray getting in on the action, The back patio's a mess because every time it rains, it pushed yard debris on to it, so excuse the mess:

And here is the new toy I got him. He really seems to like it.

And Momcat McLovin moved her babies AGAIN! This time under the steps of the front porch. I was too tired after my craptacular week to crawl around on all 4s to get pics, but I'll be sure to post some tomorrow after a good night's sleep. They are already used to humans now and some in fact follow me outsdide, so there shouldn't be any adjustmnebt period once they are adopted. I'm almost tempted to take this little guy in too. Hr's so full of adventure and personality!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sir

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

2009-07-24T13:00:00.001-04:00

Picture 794, originally uploaded by dj.shay.

Flickr

2009-07-24T12:57:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

More Upbeat News - Happy Friday Everyone!

2009-07-24T10:01:00.003-04:00

This little guy out of the whole bunch has absolutely stolen my heart and I can't keep him, so Annie, if you are looking for a companion for "Fuzzy" I think this is your little guy/girl. It even follows you around when you walk.

We Lost a Kitten Last Night. RIP Little Dude

2009-07-24T05:21:00.004-04:00

There was a spot of blood on it's head which makes me think raccoons were trying to drag it somewhere and Momcat intervened but it was too late. The others still look healthy and in good condition. That's mother nature for ya. In honor of the little dude, here's the first video I took of him. Rest in Peace.

The Neverending Saga Of Moving Kittens

2009-07-23T19:05:00.008-04:00

As I said in an earlier post, Momcat, McLovin, has moved her kittens for the 3rd time. She has moved them from am almost completely inaccessible place underneath a storage shed to a wicker couch on our back patio under a fake ficus tree that keeps blowing over the couch. It's like she did it for me so that would have better access to them. See these cuties below:

Now, do you think you can handle cute? 'Cause this next vid isn't for amateurs. It's
been known to blind upon 1 viewing only. Don't say you haven't been warned. The best part is at the end:

This has some shots of the black one that is already spoken for as well as the white one:

More to come as they slowly upload.

So, Sir Snarklepants is a Tease

2009-07-23T16:01:00.003-04:00

Yesterday after work he bounds up to within like 5 feet of me and when I reach down to pet him he takes off a couple of feet and meows, and looks back at like, "You know you're going to follow me, and I did, of course.

But in the end, he let me rub his belly. But I now know that ANY contact will be on his terms. It should be interesting when I get him acclimated inside.

It's hard to believe that a month ago this cat was almost feral.

And here's a teaser for the next post. Momcat moved her kittens yet AGAIN, and this time you won't believe where. Fun stuff coming up :)

Kitten Vids Cont........

2009-07-23T05:06:00.003-04:00

It took a while for these last vids to load, but I wanted to post them because the black one was crawling through the lattice work trying to escape, so I grabbed for a little close up video:

And here's good shot of the white one. I think I'm going to start leaving a little canned tuna or moist car food and and water out for them. If they are trying to escape it may be because they are hungry. Momcat seems to be spending less and less time with them lately:

I promise a great Sir Snarklepants post later on today. He's such a tease!!

Hot off fthe Memory Card - Kitten Video

2009-07-22T21:30:00.004-04:00

Well, Momcat again let was eating again when I got home and discovered the wee onew trying to get out of the gaps in the lattice work. I think I'm going to cut out piece of the woid so I'll have better access to them"

They seem to get bigger every day

Andy they done't seem to be as scared of me as they were a couple of daya ago.

This Post Is For Me

2009-07-22T15:08:00.003-04:00

I've truly had a craptacular day, so I wanted to show off some Sir Snarklpants in all is Early Morning weird xanadu wacky mood. This is strictly for my enjoyment. If anyone else enjoys it too, well then good for you!

If I hide under here, she can't see me!

And His Majesty feasting on fish

The Geek Squad!!

2009-07-22T05:16:00.003-04:00

These are my geek friends at work. We went to Cinematic Titanic and Evil Dead: The musical together. We're also planning to go see a live showing of RiffTrax at a local theater. For making my days so much more fun, I present to you the Bear and The Badger caught completelely unaware in their natural habitat!

And as a special Tribute to my 2 favorite geeks, first here's the world's best Dead Milkmen tribute band with the "Badger" song:

And secondly, you go Bear!!! It takes skill to steal salmon and not pic-a-nic baskets!!

Snarkle Being Snarkle

2009-07-21T21:41:00.003-04:00

It's his favorite place right underneath the carport. He's there everday when I get home from work:

He's got the early morning crazies again/l

And he actually is starting to purr when I pet him! Hopefully I csn get it on camera :)

While Momcat's Away..................................

2009-07-21T20:17:00.004-04:00

I got home from work today and while Momcat was eating, I took my chances and went to get some video of the kittens underneath the storage building and I got some great shots!! I think the white one with the dark ears will end up looking like Sire Snarklepants:

The gray kitten seems to be the "alpha" cat. I'm trying to do this everyday so they get used to humans.

They seem eager to see me too!! Annie, this has a brief shot of the black one, I think you're going to call "Fuzzy"

Tune into tomorrow for all the exciting adventures of the kitten posse!!

My Cat Is Soooo Lazy...............

2009-07-21T12:36:00.002-04:00

From This Morning

2009-07-21T12:10:00.001-04:00

Kittens Found With Pics and Vids for Proof

2009-07-20T20:05:00.004-04:00

As you may know, one of strays who we call McLovin' had a litter of 6 kittens that she has been constantly moving to avoid the pesky paparazzi (that would be me). She finally moved them under a storage building in our back yard and I have no access to the kittens except for brief glimpses through the lattice work. So here they are are. Hopefully she'll keep them there for a while:

And some action shots!!

Why Is He Always Like This in the Morning?

2009-07-20T12:19:00.003-04:00

Early mornings seem to be the times that Sir Snarklepants goes a little insane. The evidence. Pouncing on Momcat:

And in the trees

What is it about early mornings that makes him cuckoo for coco puffs?

Finally! A Sir SnarklePants Post

2009-07-19T21:35:00.003-04:00

His majesty basically slept all day. There was a bit of drama this morning because I gave him his roundworm pill and multi advantage. Here he is lazing about the estate:)

I woke him up this afternoon with`some Whiska'a Purrfectly fish and a remote controlled moouse because I needed some snarklepants time!

Ans Look how close he is to me!

And more eating:

That just crawled of bed fot this?

Momcat Moved Her Kittens AGAIN!

2009-07-19T19:00:00.003-04:00

This time underneath a storage shed where I have absolutely no access to them. She's obviously shielding them from the paparazzi. KEEP OUT!!!

Momcat Moved Her Kittens

2009-07-19T14:23:00.004-04:00

But they are now underneath this glorious spread of Morning Glorys:

But as you can see, they are very safe and very healthy. Be on the lookout for Sir Snarklepants video this afternoon. He's been sleeping all afternoon, just like royalty should ^_^

This Is Why I Love Early Mornings

2009-07-19T07:26:00.002-04:00

Sir Snarklepants First Vet Visit

2009-07-17T21:18:00.010-04:00

This went surprisingly well considering he's still a bit skittish. The day started with me trying to find a carrier at Walmart. There were only 3 pet carriers im the store and they were for dogs. And kind of blingee at that but I bought it anyway and it turns out it works much better than the hard plastic carriers. It was extremely easy to get him in and out of.

I get him in the carrier with no problem.

But as soon I started driving the meowing started, here's a vid of me driving with Snarkle whining in the backgroung. He's drowning out Science Friday on NPR!

Here's the waiting room:

Inside the examining room, this picture broke my heart!!

And here's some video of him on the examining room. He did really well:

This is after his examination and shots. He's grooming himself, so I know he wasn't too traumatized:

And the results were very good. He weighs 3.5 pounds, is about 12 weeks old. Negative for Feline Leukemia and HIV. No ear mites which it truly unusual for a cat that stays outside all the time. The doc showed me a spot on his tongue that indicated herpes/upper respiratory could be a factor later on, but I kind of figured that. Most strays do carry that disease. He did have round worm, but they gave me a pill to give to him. I'll wait until tomorrow. He's had enough stress for one day. And of course FLEAS! I'll treat him with Advantage multi tomorrow, but he really needs a flea bath. He goes back in three weeks for a booster vaccination and then we will schedule the neuter surgery and chip implant. I expected him to bound out of the carrier once I got him home, but he casually walked out kind of stuck around me for a while. The is the beginning of a beautiful relationship ^_^

Gone Fishin'

2009-07-17T06:16:00.003-04:00

I finally found a toy that he like to play with. On another note, follow me on Twitter to get the play by play from the visit to the vet today!

This Made Me So Happy Today!

2009-07-16T15:58:00.003-04:00

As you know, Sir Snarklepants has been incredibly lonely since the loss of his brother Marble. He rarely played and when he did, it has just a halfhearted attempt. Since he's got his blingee collar on now, I can always hear when he's around. This morning I was feeding and watering the other cats and his collar was going crazy! And this is what I found:

Now that's the way kittens should play. He's definitely on the road to emotional recovery. And don't forget, he goes tomorrow at 4:00 for his checkup and shot! All fully live tweeted of course!

Wild Flowers Blooming!

2009-07-15T21:00:00.004-04:00

While I;m waiting for the new kitten vids to load, here are some shots of wild flowers that have suddebly started blooming. I have no idea what these are called, but they are very pretty:

I know there are Morning Glories and when they are in full bloom will be gorgeous:

And here's a spot I tilled up to to plant blackberry bushes but it is now a sea of morning glories that I can' wait to bloom!

It Ain't Just The Daily Snarkle Anymore!!

2009-07-14T21:04:00.004-04:00

Well folks, it looks like I'm not only going to be doing a daily diary on my adopted stray, Sir Snarklepants, but also on the brand spanking new kittens I found yesterday when I was mowing the yard. I'll be posting daily on their progress as well as Sir Snarklepants, who by the way has an appointment this Friday at 4:00pm to get lab work and vaccinations and to set an appt to have him fixed and chipped.

Snarkle has gotten a lot better around me lately. He sometimes runs if I make a sudden move, but is now comfortable with me petting him with no food enticement. Here's a cute video of me watering the plants in out front yard and him being fascinated over the hose. I think he's still lonely and misses his brother MArble.

Keep in mind that the pics and the video are coming from a Cannon PowerShot, so please excuse the shaky frames. I'm hoping to upgrade to a mid range SLR and take some basic photography lessons,

And here's some fresh video of the new kittens. I think the all white one is going to look like Snarklepants when it gets older.

A Couple of Big News Items Today

2009-07-13T19:15:00.008-04:00

First, I want to thank my backyard neighbors Johnnie and Janet for so graciously giving us some of their beautiful tomatoes and the advice of putting lime in the soil to prevent the blossom rot from happening next year. Be prepared to be bombarded with questions Johnnie!

Second, one of outdoor strays has had a litter of kittens and this videos are below. I have no idea what we're going to do with these, the mother needs be fixed ASAP, but they are cute as buttons. And the video of the mother cat getting close to camera lends is very amusing:

And lastly, more of His Majesty, Sir Snarklepants. I actually got a purr out of him this afternoon. Hopefully I'll get it on video next time.

What's wrong with these tomatos?

2009-07-12T20:47:00.005-04:00

So, I go out to the garden to pick veggies and I find the tomatos below that look like theey're being eaten by something. Does anyone out there know what is causing this and what I can to to prevent it?

His Majesty Disovers Toy Mice Then passes out after the bacchanalia.

2009-07-12T05:02:00.003-04:00

It's good to be da king!!

Zen and the Art of Gardening

2009-07-11T11:15:00.010-04:00

He Let's Me Pet Him Today!!

2009-07-10T15:08:00.001-04:00

He Eats Out of My Hand!! Progress Ppl!!

2009-07-09T16:29:00.002-04:00

He's only done this once before, and I didn't get it on camera, but this time I did. As you can see, as soon as he realizes it's me, he runs, but it's baby steps :)

His Majesty playing coy, hiding from the papparazzi.

2009-07-09T12:45:00.001-04:00

2009-07-08T20:25:00.001-04:00

Newly Planted Trees This Spring

2009-07-08T15:51:00.002-04:00

Mimosa(Umbrella Tree)

PEACH

2009-07-08T15:15:00.001-04:00

He Got A Blingee Collar Today

2009-07-07T17:39:00.002-04:00

And I have the scratches to prove it. As soon as the vids and pics upload, you'll see his majesty in all his glory :) (I really need a life)

2009-07-07T10:10:00.001-04:00

Trying to climb a gate

2009-07-06T22:55:00.001-04:00

2009-07-06T10:23:00.001-04:00

Paysheently wayting fur cheezbuegers

2009-07-05T22:34:00.001-04:00

The Aftermath of fireworks

2009-07-05T21:53:00.006-04:00

Next Year I;m drving to SC so I cam get the good stuff!

The Veggie Garden Fairy Visted Last Night!!

2009-07-05T17:14:00.005-04:00

I'm thinking of a squash and onion casserole with a side dish of cukes soaked in vinegar and fresh ground pepper!

Just Woke Up

2009-07-05T16:27:00.001-04:00

Wow, it's 4:30. I have to weed and water he garden and the landscaping plants and I feel like a slug. Need coffee, stat.

A Short Break from Sir Snarklepants - I'm going to my first Netroots Nation Convention!

2009-07-05T07:42:00.003-04:00

Because I have longed to go since it was called Yearly Kos, I made up every excuse in the book not to go. But last night I decided to jump in the deep end and registered, booked my hotel room and booked my flight.

I've been a part of The Daily Kos community for going on 5 years now and I've gotten to know several commenters that I'm dying to meet as well as attend the informative panels and info sessions. So goody for me for finally taking a giant leap of faith and attending this years Netroots Nation. Oh, and can I bring Sir Snarklepants with me? :)

The Daily Snarkle will return soon after I've slept off a night if revelry!

Progress Has Been Made!!

2009-07-04T17:46:00.002-04:00

He is literally inches from me as he plays with a toy and then plays with it after I throw it. Yay!!

Extra Vid. Am I becoming OCD about this cat?

2009-07-04T10:45:00.001-04:00

The gray is Momma cat named flannel.

Happy 4th Everyone! Early Morning Playtime

2009-07-04T10:25:00.003-04:00

Obviously the rock is evil and must die.

Last Pic/Update of the day

2009-07-03T23:05:00.004-04:00

I almost had him caught and was going to bring him in the house, but he obviously thibks I'm some kind succubus and ran and hid under a car. But tomorrow's a new day. We'll see if I can get a collar on him,

New Fresh Snarklepants Video!

2009-07-03T19:13:00.003-04:00

And he ate off of my fingers tonight!! I tried to get the video, but Sammi kept bogartin' the fish from my fingers. Oh, that vid will be coming soon. I just LOVE this little kitten!!!

Snarklepants Found! He doesn't know it yet, but he's about to become an inside cat.

2009-07-03T16:48:00.002-04:00

While I'm waiting for Snarklepants to show up......

2009-07-03T13:42:00.003-04:00

This is a stray named Sammi that's hung around our house for 6 years. He's been fixed, and loves to wallow in dirt. As you can see, he's got a bit of trailer trash in him. But he's a total sweetie.

Ok. I'm getting worried.

2009-07-03T12:08:00.001-04:00

It's now 12:07 pm and`I still haven't seen him.

Where is Snarklepants?

2009-07-03T09:43:00.003-04:00

I normally feed the cats around 6:00 am, but since it's a holiday I woke up late to feed them and I haven't seen Snarkle yet. I hope he's somewhere sleeping in. It's about 9:45 here on the east coast, so he's probably sleeping. I hope to have more pics and vids up soon. Happy 4th everyone!

Morning wildflower

About This Blog

2009-07-02T22:14:00.000-04:00

Let me say right off the bat I'm a ~~cat~~ pootie fanatic. We have "adopted" several strays in the area and by "adopted", I mean we put food and water out for them. We have have had most of the males fixed, but there are still a couple of females that still need to have that done, and as you can imagine, there are litters born every year. Most don't survive, and the ones that do, we either give away or take to the humane society. Which brings me to Snarklepants, the reason for this blog. You see, he had a brother we named Marble and these 2 kittens seemed the healthiest of all the kittens we'd seen born and were going to make plans to slowly get them used to humans in hopes of adopting them out. But Marble's life was cut short by a car and I ended up having him euthanized. This left Snarklepants devastated. Still very skittish of me, I've been slowly getting him used to me. Today was a breakthrough. He let me hold and pet him and get close enough to take pics and videos. This will be a daily diary of Snarklepants as he gets used to the human world and hopefully will end up as an inside lap cat. And advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. And without further ado, here's my beloved
Snarklpants!

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