Billy Sweetfeets and Dr. Buddy

A few days ago we learned that Billy Sweetfeets Norton Gingersnap has cancer.   He has always been a happy, loving mancat who loves to dance so we wanted to do a happy post for him. He's not sure how much time he has left - a couple months ... a year.  We hope he will be sharing many months with his family.

Billy and his brothers Sammy, Miles and Nikki from Meezer Tails are old blogging buddies. Six years ago, Dr. Buddy operated on Billy's brain.  Billy was a great patient and we had a lot of fun writing a 3-part story on the subject.  Because we love Billy, the Meezers and Mom Mary, we decided to take a trip down memory lane today. You are welcome to join us for a smile. 

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First posted Saturday, December 05, 2009 -

Jan left this comment on The Meezers blog: Hey, Meezers the Mom, Freckles and Deb suggested I ask you if you are aware Sammy & Miles told Buddy they are sending Billy over for brain surgery? They even offered to sign the pre-surgery forms since Billy is underage. Buddy is sharpening his scalpel. Is this okay with you?

The Meezers: Deer Jan and Buddy, I is aware that Sammy the great and Miles the wonderful haf signed Billy the weerd up for brain surjery. I am hopeing that Buddy can find out what is wrong wif him. Sin-seer-lee, MeezerMomMerry.

Jan: Uh, the Meezer Mom, this is Jan again. I received your permission for Buddy to operate on Billy's brain but I'm a little suspicious. The spelling looks more like Sammy and Miles' pawwriting. Did they intercept my message and "give permission" or are you actually in agreement?

Click to continue reading --Dr. Buddy Prepares for Surgery.

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First posted on Sunday, December 06, 2009 -

Percy: Well, today was Buddy's big day. His first scheduled brain surgery is finished. Billy Sweetfeets was volunteered by his brothers, Sammy and Miles Meezer. They wanted to find out why Billy is "weerd."

Cyndi: I was Dr. Buddy's assistant. I was afraid I would pass out at the sight of blood. I didn't. I barfed. All over Dr. Buddy. At least I missed the patient and the sterile instruments.

Sam: Then she passed out. Instead of falling backwards so I could catch her, she fell sideways, landing on Merci, who screeched and dropped the emergency phone. It rolled out of her reach under the operating table.

Cameron: Perhaps we should begin at the beginning and give you an abbreviated account of our day in the operating room.

Click to continue reading - Billy's Brain Surgery.
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First posted on Monday, December 07, 2009.

Yesterday's post on Billy's Brain Surgery brought some interesting comments. We're still exhausted so we're just going to share some of them with you today.

Eric & Flynn left a message on The Meezer's blog: We googled green spots in the brain and it appears that Billy has been taken over by aliens!

We left a comment at the Meezer's too: Hey, guys, we're relieved to read Eric & Flynn's comment above. So that's what happened to Billy's brain. We're glad you enjoyed the surgical experience, Billy. Or at least most of it. We hope your head isn't too sore today. Miles & Sammy, we hope you are happy your little brother is home safe and sound. Buddy turned out to be a very competent surgeon. Much more competent than when he tried plumbing. 


Click to continue reading -  Comments on Billy' Sweetfeets.

Mama and Baby Pipe Birds

Rusty:  Bloggers have been asking for an update on the birds nesting in the pipe.  Marcus, you speak goose.  Do you also speak bird?

Marcus:  A goose is just a big bird with a built-in horn so he can honk the song of his people ... er, his gaggle.  So, yes, I speak bird fluently.

Micah:  Are the baby birds okay and still living in the pipe?  (Dedicated Determination and Cat in Hat with Scarf)

Marcus:  Yes, they are okay.  They tweet a "Hello, Marcus" at me every day or two.

Merci:  It sounds more like a "Mama, save us!" to me and Buddy.

Marcus:  That's because you don't speak their language.  Their mama thanked me for keeping such a watchful eye on them.

Buddy:  Is that what you call it when you practically drag us the last yards to the pipe - each direction!  

Marcus:  Last weekend we saw mama sitting on the pipe singing joyfully.  Jan was so afraid you guys would scare her away she stopped immediately and mama was just a blip in the picture.  Mama was gone before Jan could change the settings.

Rusty:  I bet you barked and scared her away, Marcus.

Merci:  Actually, Marcus has been quiet around the nursery.  

Marcus:  A few evenings ago, Mama was sitting on the pipe and flew into a tree when we approached.  She was small and hard to find to photograph.

Micah:  From what you've said, she'd have to be small for her and her babies to nest in a 2 inch wide pipe.

Rusty:  Is that picture for real?  It looks like wallpaper to me.

Merci:  Yes, it's real.  It was taken looking almost straight up at the evening sky.

Buddy:  This one is from the other day.  It's tough to get a picture looking down a dark pipe.

Marcus:  Here's another shot of mama.  Isn't she cute?  I keep waiting for those babies to accept my invitation to lunch.

Rusty:  Well, when they do, please let the rest of us know. We don't want to miss that meal.


Prayers requested for these sweet doggies, Luke/Benny and Cousin Andy.

You might remember Luke.  He lived with us for several weeks, was returned to his family, saved from there by Teresa, taken in by an Atlanta rescue and transported to New England where he went to live with Elise, Matt and his fur sister Rosie.

Last Saturday we learned Luke - now Benny! - has some health issues and was diagnosed with Lyme disease and with heartworms. 

Cousin Andy lives with Miss Teresa.  (Not Luke/Benny's Teresa)  We introduced him (Funny Farmers and Cousin Andy) in 2009.  Yesterday we learned he has been diagnosed with lymphoma.  Miss Teresa and Mr. Doug are heartsick.  They really love this little guy.  We do too.

We are joining the Pet Parade blog hop with hosts Rascal and Rocco,  Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Owned by a Husky. 

Dedicated Determination

Percy:  Hey, Marcus, I heard you were baby bird sniffing again yesterday. 

Marcus:  Yes, and they were singing for us when we approached.  Jan put her ear down to the pipe to listen to their tiny voices. 

Buddy:  She got some exercise!  On our morning walk, Jan discovered she'd left the camera on the desk.  She had to come home to pick up the camera and drop off the old timers - Merci and me.

Marcus:  I get so excited when we approach, I run up, stand on my hind legs, sniff, and lick the top of the pipe.  I'd really like to invite those birds to lunch but Jan said their mom probably told them not to talk to strangers.  I'm not a stranger.  Everyone knows I'm Marcus.

Percy:  The sun was shining this morning.  Was Jan able to get a better picture than last evening?

Buddy:  That's debatable.  Jan has a very small camera but the pipe is narrow and the "handle" over the top makes it next to impossible to take a picture.

Percy:  There isn't any handle showing in the pictures she took, most of which we watched her delete, so how did could she even try to get a shot? 

Marcus:  The camera will barely fit under the handle.  She slides it under, then turns on the camera so the lens will open and blindly tries to change the zoom setting and just as blindly aims down the pipe.  Then she has to turn off the camera to slide it back out.

Buddy:  She made a third trip to see if she could get anything better than what she had.  I insisted on going along. 

Marcus:  This is the best she could come up with.  It's from trip #2.  The bright yellow strips are tiny slivers of sunlight inside the pipe.  (Can't use a flash in there.)  The gray circle area is the nest and in the nest are the birds.  It's just amazing how tiny they are!

Percy:  And it's amazing Jan was able to get even that little bit of detail out of this.  It's the original picture (looking down the pipe at the nest) before she cropped and played with the picture.

Buddy:  While Jan maneuvered the camera under the handle, Marcus stood up and begged to get his face in the picture.  The camera was pointing down a pipe and Marcus still tried to photobomb.  Now that is dedicated determination!

Marcus:  For those of you who asked for updates, when Buddy and I took Jan on our evening walk (4th of the day), I licked the top of the pipe.   Jan not only heard the low singing but saw and heard bird wings flapping in the pipe.  What kind of bird could be so small?

Percy:  Since this is Thankful Thursday, we would like to thank a sweet blogging friend for sending us some kitty and some dog Science Diet.  Jan says it is such a blessing.  We say let's eat!

Note:  Perhaps you have already figured out this is not Thursday.  It's been a hectic week and we just learned we lived through two Wednesdays.  Please ignore that this is Friday and pretend it's part 2 of yesterday's Thankful Cat in Hat with Scarf post.

PS - Quinn's mom Carol from Catitude blog asked if we would let bloggers know their internet is down until at least next Thursday.  The modem died.  Also, she's recovering from a bronchial infection and would appreciate your prayers.

Join Pepi Smart Dog and friends for the Thankful Thursday blog hop.

Squillions, Gracie and Snoopy

Today is Squillion Day.

Gracie, VSquillion Shelter Keeper, has reported that February has been a good month for adoptions.  Adoptions are closing temporarily, but they will be available again in the near future.  These are a nice way to remember a loved furry who has gone to the bridge.

And speaking of Gracie, her mom should be home today to recuperate from her surgery yesterday.  We send lots of purrs and pawtaps to her.

We adopted Squillion Angel Cotton in memory of our dear tortoiseshell Cotton who left us so suddenly last June. Cotton, Crystal, and Jenny will always be in our hearts, as will all those who came before our time be in Jan's.

Don't forget to go by tomorrow and enter the raffle to help Dashies with Moxie adopt Snoopy, the dog they've been fostering.  It will run March 1 through 15th.  And doesn't every dog and cat need a Frankie Furter quilt? 

Purrs and Prayers

Gracie's mom is having surgery today.  She should be home from the hospital tomorrow and will give an update whenever she can.  But she will be away from Gracie's blog and other activities for a few days.

We're sending lots of purrs and pawtaps to her, as well as a prayer for everything to go well so she recuperates rapidly.

Like all of you, we were shocked and saddened to learn Queen Mother Rose died suddenly.  ML posted about it on the Giggleman Gang's blog.   It is so like ML to be helping whenever and wherever she can, even with a barely working phone and computer.

She posted a tribute to Rose on The Royal's blog.

We understand Angel Junior, Orion & Sammy will be adopting Emily, and they are checking on transport for Emily from NJ to UT.  We so hope a home will be found for Brutus and Marigold together.  We are thankful Beau is at peace and not having to go through the loss of a second human and all the trauma that goes with it. 

6 Flags and 5 Fruitcakes

As many of you know, Mr. Pip has been unwell for some time and has decided to live his bucket list on a world tour with his nurse Puddles. We are privileged they agreed to come to our small Georgia town for a visit. We didn't think just a tour of local historic buildings would be of much interest to world travelers, so we decided to do something fun.

They arrived very early, as we dogs had a full day planned and we wanted to miss the morning rush hour traffic.  They came bouncing over the curb onto the lawn with big smiles and a trunk full of munchies. 

We piled into the car, bounced over the curb, and headed for Six Flags over Georgia, about 75 miles (1 3/4 hours) away.  It was a very uncomfortable trip, as huge Sam and big Buddy had to ride with their heads out opposite windows with little Merci squashed between them in the back seat. (The cats wisely declined to ride in the little car with all of us.)

However, Puddles' reputation as a .... a ... what is the word?... driver preceded her, so we figured we could make it there in less time.  Were we ever right! We only caused two accidents that we know of.  One as we were rolling to a stop at a light next to a couple in a heated argument and Buddy stuck his nose in the passenger window to suggest they get counseling.  The other when ... no, you really don't need to hear that story. Let's just say, Sam nearly swallowed a big bug but manged to spit it at a passing motorist instead.  (We were passing the motorist, not .vice versa)

When we arrived, we had to wait a few minutes for Sam and Buddy to unfold from the back seat and stretch.

We took a quick look around, then decided to start off with a tame ride, the Superman Ultimate Flight, which riders take lying on the stomach traveling head first.

Puddles:  This is too tame.  What do they have more daring?

Pip:  Well, we could let you drive it, Puddles.  That would certainly be daring.


We tried the Ninja  Rollercoaster next. Whee-hoo!

Disclaimer: The following 2 videos were not taken by us but by two-leggers who shared their rides with the world.  

If the video doesn't play, click here.

Puddles: That's more like it but it's still too tame.

Merci:  Are you out of your mind?

Pip:  It wasn't too bad, Merci.

To make Puddles happy, we then rode the Georgia Cyclone, a wooden roller coaster.

If the video doesn't play, click here.

Puddles:  Whee!  That was bone-jarring fun.  Let's do it again.

Pip:  I think it jarred my bladder into my tailbone.  I need to find a tree.

Actually, after that ride, we all needed to find a tree.  And then a smiling Japanese tourist snapped a photo of us in front of the Ninja Rollercoaster as a memento of this day.  As if we ever could forget it.

Back: Sam & Buddy

Front: Puddles, Merci & Pip

We rode the Mindbender, Batman, Goliath, the Log Jamboree and even visited the Haunted House.   Pip didn't want to miss anything and Puddles couldn't get enough of the exciting rides.  Amazingly, none of us barfed on any of the rides or riders, although Puddles did manage to spill a bag of Cheetos on the head of a guy in the seat ahead of us. (We were racing straight downhill at the time.)

The ride back was .... well, eventful.  But we survived.  And so did the cow.  She is likely traumatized for life, though, and will never try to cross a road again.

Our next adventure was a leisurely ride down the Flint River. 

 

At least it was leisurely while Buddy was driving.  Then Puddles said she has always wanted to drive a boat. Merci protested, but too late.  Puuuuuuuuuuudles, slow down, you'll get us arrested!  Poor Sam is so tall and top-heavy he nearly fell overboard.


We returned the boat and headed to our last stop - Riverbend Restaurant.  Surrounded by woods and with a beautiful view of the river we had just survived, we sat down to an all you can eat catfish dinner.  We had a few strange looks.  Our napkins were neatly tucked into our collars and we used our claws to de-bone the fish..  Seriously, you'd think the diners had never seen dogs eat in the restaurant before. 

Boy, were Pip and Puddles surprised and happy to find as long as they kept eating, plate after plate of piled catfish would keep appearing on the table.  Pip put a stop to a rather loud disagreement at the next table.  Two boys were arguing over who got the last catfish on the plate.  Pip walked over over, grabbed it and tossed it to Puddles. End of problem.

Then we headed home so they could visit with our cat siblings, the Funny Farmer Felines.  We stopped on the way for some primo nip so they would soon forget about missing the catfish deal.

All too soon, Pip and Puddles had to leave. We traded sniffs and pawtaps and then waved good-bye as Puddles hit the gas pedal and the low car spurted across the lawn, bounced over the curb and raced up the street.

Pip and Puddles, thank you for visiting us on your world tour.  We wish you could have stayed longer, but we know you have so many other places to travel.

Mr. Pip, we hope you have lots and lots of time to complete your bucket list. We love you - and Miss Puddles too.

Nurse Puddles, thank you for not driving up a wall or off a cliff while you were here.  (We'll keep mum about some of the events of the day so you won't be arrested.) Please continue to take good care of Pip.  We know you will, but have you considered hiring a chauffeur?  We're not sure a dog with a heart condition should be riding with you. On the other hand, Pip has evidently become so accustomed to your driving, he barely noticed those wild, heart-stopping rides we went on today. 

We hate to end a fun post on a sad note, but our dear friend Asta will be having surgery Friday. 

Asta can use your prayers for a positive outcome!  Her mom and dad are very worried about what the surgery might find. We hope for good news.

Casa de Buddy Has No Reverse

This is a challenging time at Casa de Buddy-Has-No-Reverse.  We've been busy.  Well, Jan has been busy and Buddy has been busy beating her up.  But we've just been trying to keep out of Jan and Buddy's way.

Last week we almost lost Micah.  He'd only been here 4 months and suddenly he had a horrible respiratory infection.  It came to where Jan was trying to figure out how she was going to dig a grave in the cold, hard ground because he wasn't responding.  Last Friday night he started to rally.  Just a little and he picked up over the weekend.  Jan kept feeding him a little at a time and he ate every bite and lapped up the water with it. 

He's lost some weight but he started spending his evenings investigating the house.  He was getting really brave until Percy went after him again last night.  Time will tell whether Micah will go back to hiding or stake a claim in the house.

Buddy chewed and licked himself back into the 2 soft ecollars so his skin can heal.  But they didn't stop him, so he had to go back into the HATED plastic ecollar.  (Hated by Jan and anyone / anything that gets near him.) 

Yep, he's terrorizing the furniture, the house, us furries, and especially Jan again.  He has no reverse.  When he runs into an obstacle, he just keeps banging against it until it moves, the cone bends or he knocks things over.

Jan is so concerned about him beating the light protection off the collar and cutting his neck again that she contacted the manufacturer.  Who said the same thing always said about Buddy - We never heard of such a thing before.  That's cause they haven't met Buddy!

The company has kindly offered to send him an inflatable collar to see if that helps.  We can't wait!

While wearing the cone, Jan notice when she'd remove it so we dogs can take her walking, Buddy would immediately start chewing on a front paw.  It looked fine.  Then she removed the collar and he started chewing and crying.  So Jan took him out on the front porch so he'd be closer to her old eyes, twisted his paw and practically stood on her head, and finally found the problem.

 That was only part of one dew claw.  It had curved back so tightly and grown faster than the other one.  Right into his paw.  And the side of his paw had swelled over it so it couldn't be seen except from an uncomfortable angle for both Jan and Buddy.  The only dog clippers Jan has have to go over the end of the nail in order to cut it.  Fortunately, Jan had an old pair of cat clippers that made the cut without cutting Buddy.  But he screamed to loud someone across the street stopped to see what abuse Buddy was getting. 

You're thinking this is the end of the post now, aren't you?  Well, it's not.  It's Jan's turn. 

A small cut on Jan's leg started getting infected.  She isn't able to go walking with us dogs and screeches like she's being killed if any of us even get within sprinting distance.  But Buddy keeps sneaking up and ramming / scraping the ecollar on the infection site.  (Do any of you have any spare ear plugs?  We could use some.)  If any of your humans would care to pray for her Jan, we're sure she'd appreciate it.  So would we.

Spencer Seeks Someone Special

Hey, Merci here today.  Our friend Gracie was contacted by someone who needs a home for his kitty.  She passed the information on to us and we're sharing it with you.

(Above) is a picture of Spencer, my 10 yr old Tabby.  I live in Los Angeles, CA and I'm getting married and moving in with my wife who has two dogs that are not cat friendly.  I want to find a great home for Spencer as he has a special place in my heart.  He is an indoor/outdoor cat, LOVES to cuddle at night and gets along with other cats.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Jeff    

Please pass this information on to help find Spencer a home.  You can contact Jeff by email.  Just put this together in email format.  jeffreyschlosser  AT gmail DOT com 

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Dennis the Vizsla Dog's brother Tucker can use some prayers.  The infection in his foot is not healing and he is losing bone mass. 


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These are the awards Percy, Micah & Rusty received for participating in the Tabby Cat Club Caption This Event the other day.  See, you all thought Percy and Rusty were really miffed at Micah, but since Jan said they could only have enough time to post one photo, Percy came up with a way for all of them to participate.  Pretty nifty, huh?  They all got an award.

Mr. Seymour Has A Secret

Hey, Cameron here.  It's about time someone let me do a post of my own again.  Talk about a traffic jam, there's always one here in front of the computer.

We don't know about you but last week was crappy for Jan!  So we decided to find something fun and interesting for her.  You furries might not be too interested in history, but your humans might.

In 1956, Samuel J. Seymour was a guest on "I've Got A Secret."  Who was Mr. Seymour and what was his secret?  He was the last living witness to a tragic moment in history.  At age 5, he was at the Ford Theater the night John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. 

Enjoy a few minutes of old-fashioned television.


If the video doesn't play, click here. 

If you would like to read his  newspaper interview, you can read it here   We had a fun time figuring out how to view the entire article but finally learned to use the little box to the left of "Page 11 of 58" at the top right. It's short and interesting to read.

Percy, Rusty & Micah belong to the Tabby Cat Club and Nerissa, one of the members, has a brother Seville who is having a urinary blockage problem.  So drop by Nerissa's Life if you can and wish him warmer weather and thawed puddles so he can drink lots of puddle water and pee outside to his heart's content. 

A Wootty Bed for Merci

Hey, it's me, Merci.  I wanted to show you the neat bed Jan made for me this year.  She used to make this for Rusty but Rusty's a cat and cats are fickle, so he'd just claim it and sleep anywhere else he felt like it.

So this year the bed is mine.  And I have dubbed it a Wootty Bed.  That's a woofie / kitty bed cause sometimes one of the kitties does borrow it.  But it's a perfect size for me and it's got nice warm blankies in it for me to scrunch up into the perfect mattress. 

But sometimes I like to sleep on one of the big woofie beds, like the one in this photo with the big chunk of material missing.  Jan was going to sew a sheet together for a new cover until she saw teeth marks in the stuffing.  Yep, Sam was starting to eat the stuffing too and that stuff swells when swallowed, so she had to throw the whole bed away.  We really miss it since we're now a bed short, but Jan didn't want to have to bury our resident barking hog who eats anything.  We're all kind of fond of Sam, even if he does have a strange appetite.

To be honest, all our beds are Wootty Beds since cats have no concept of this is mine and that is yours, only this is mine and that's mine too.  We'd borrow theirs but none of us woofies can fit in a dishpan bed.


We're rushing to get this post up cause we haven't eaten yet, so we're going to post 2 prayer requests and use Ann of Zoolatry's words.  (Ann made the lovely graphics.)

Catrina of Cat's Cats

Many of you know long-time blogger, Catrina of Cat's Cats.  For several months now Cat has battled against breast cancer.  Previous treatments and surgeries have not brought much success ... she is now about to face major surgery.  

We hope, and we pray, that this time will the cancer will be successfully attacked!  We personally know, all too well, how difficult the fight against cancers are, and hope that along with us, you will visit (it is an older post on her blog) and offer your prayers and your support.  Thank you.

Lucy of Hannah & Lucy

Our dear sweet furriend Lucy, of the blog Hannah and Lucy has been battling serious dental issues for many weeks now.  She's a tiny little girl, so all the dental problems and extractions have also interfered with proper eating.  Lucy will again see the vet today and she, and her Mom Sue and sisfur Hannah need our purrs and prayer and crossed paws.  We Love Lucy!   Please visit to share good thoughts ...

Reverse Motivation

When we stopped by da Tabbies o Trout Towne, we found they made a slew of Rezzo Lou Shunz. And then we realized the object of this is to only make ones you can't and won't keep. Kind of reverse motivation.  We can do that! 

JFF: So our first rezzo lou shun is to never pick on Jan again because she's perfect.

And we individually resolve to...

 Percy: ... stop picking on Micah and welcome him into the funny farmers..

Micah: ... stand up to psycho Percy and punch him in the snooter!

Rusty: ... share my doghouse  / clubhouse with the dogs.


Cyndi:  ...I can't think of anything.  Guess I'll have to resolve to make lots of rezzo lou shunz.

Cameron:  ... be the perfect kitty living on a funny farm.  Oh, wait, I am perfect.  I know.  I'll learn to count past my toes.

Buddy: ...stop leading Merci and Sam in a howling spree whenever the phone rings so Jan can hear and callers don't think they've dialed the wrong number and reached Riot Central.

Merci: ...stop wagging my tail and putting out the heater pilot lights.  Oh, I haven't done that this year.  How about if I start listening to Jan when she calls me to go out and when she calls me to come in, I'll stop staring into the distance as if she doesn't exist?

Sam: ... stop staring pitifully at Jan as if I haven't been fed in a week whenever she sits down to eat. I guess I should give up eating cat toys too.  *  What, Jan?*  Oh, okay, I promise not to eat any more bedding until I can afford to purchase a replacement from my own funds.

Well, now that's done we can set about not keeping them.  We had no idea we were missing so much fun every year.  So what rezzo lou shunz did you make to break?

Oh, and Percy, Rusty & Micah posted their New Year resolves at the Tabby Cat Club Friday.  Want to know what they're up to?  Go read what they plan to do in 2013.

Graphic by Zoolatry

Prayers for Mr. Pip, who continues to have serious health problems. Stop by with a kind word. 

Memorial, Mickey and Mark

Hey, it's me, Micah.  Jan teases me that this is what I do 75% of the time - sit in front of an emptied food bowl waiting for a refill. I say she exaggerates!  It's only 65% of the time.

But I can't help it. I was hungry for so long and hiding under the bed from Percy takes a lot of energy.  Yep, Percy still hates me.  He doesn't attack me as often but he still hunts me.  Jan sometimes brings me out near the computer during the day, where I huddle or sleep till she takes me back to my room or Percy sneaks up and sends me back into hiding.  I'm not sure if he picks on me and Cyndi because Rusty picks on him, but Percy hasn't been very popular around here these last 2 or 3 months.  He definitely should get coal in his Christmas stocking!

We added this candle graphic to our sidebar Friday but would like to put it in a permanent post as a memorial to those who died in this horrific and evil mass shooting in Newtown, CT on December 14..  We can not begin to imagine the pain the living are going through today. So many young and innocent lives lost, plus the adults who tried to protect them from the shooter.  Our prayers are with them.

Here is a Reuters news story on How to help Newtown school shooting families.

We were sad to lose the handsome Mickey Mantle, beloved brother of Jeter Harris, over the weekend.  R.I.P., Mickey. 

We recently posted We Love Happy Stories  about Not Your Mother's Book ... On Dogs, co-created by Kathy Baker because our friend, Mark has a couple of stories in the book.  Mark sent us a copy for a Christmas present, and first thing, we read his stories. 

We can't wait to read the other 58 stories, but we know you will love the personal stories of "Big Red" and "Hunter,"  both written by our friend and Texas animal rescuer, Mark Crider. We cried happy tears!

Amazon.com  or  Barnes & Noble .

Nope, this isn't a review.  Nor an ad.  We just think this book would make a great Christmas present for animal lovers of all ages. And be sure to read Mark's stories first.  :)

Derby and Ducky Speak

This week the handsome Derby and Ducky are our guests. Many of you have known Derby for years and Ducky for a couple, but how much of their story do you remember?  You can meet them, learn more about them, or even be reminded of things you've forgotten about them.  So go read about Ginger Boys Sassy Derby and Cute Ducky on Mousebreath and then pop over to tell the guys what a great job they did.

We shed some tears for Squashies' mom, as she faces a tough decision for her girlcat who has a rare blood type and is facing more blood transfusions.  We are behind her, whatever she decides.  Squashie's update is at TK & Squashies blog.