When Mammals Attack!-- Post Edit

(can you imagine being attacked, or even in the same water as one of these massive beasts? It gives me chills just thinking about it.)

I know I might be morbid and obsessive but I cannot stop thinking about the killer whale attack in San Diego last week that resulted in its trainer being killed. The whale apparently grabbed the woman by her ponytail (!) and pulled her under, played with her, shook her, chomped her up (?), and who knows what else until she died!

There are lots of opinions on situations like this, as we saw in SF a few years ago with the tiger attack. Some people think the animal should be put down, some people blame the humans who think they can "train" wild animals, some people think the animal should be set free. I'm not sure what I think. I'm not all for killing animals but this particular whale has murdered on two other occasions! It is obviously blood thirsty and are we just going to sit by and watch until the next unnecessary death occurs? Of course any trainer who decides to "give it a go" with an animal like this might be missing a little something "upstairs".

Oh and one more thing... close your eyes for a moment and imagine being witness to such a horrific event! There were witnesses! People saw the woman get pulled under and attacked! Those poor traumatized people who thought they were going to sea world to simply "dine with Shamu"- eat their lunch while watching the whale do some tricks.

It reminds me of the time my sister was picked to hug a killer whale here at Marine World Africa USA. We all thought she was so lucky but no way would I ever want to do that now. Oh and the time I swam with dolphins in Hawaii?? No thank you, never again.

I might be irrational but events like this one just remind me that animals cannot be trusted and should be enjoyed from afar. Very afar.

(Me riding a dolphin in my more "reckless" days)

Darby commented and sent this link with a really great tribute to the trainer who was killed. Thanks Darby!

http://www.seaworldparksblog.com/explore/blog/tribute-dawn-brancheau

"Planet Earth" is taking place right in my own backyard! No need for the dvd's just look out my kitchen door.

We have some extremely aggressive birds.

I first noticed them a few weeks ago squaking like crazy at anyone and anything and especially pestering poor Buster.

Then I noticed them coming and going with things in their beaks and realized they were building a nest.

Then about a week ago they turned completely psycho. They now stand guard constantly througout the day and squack.

When Buster is around they are extra crazy and will actually fly down and peck him when he turns his back!! He is totally scared of them and has no clue why they are attacking him. He doesn't even know about their nest.

This is what I found in the nest.A hot pink egg! Now, I am not a bird expert but I had no idea birds around here could lay such a brightly colored egg. I've tried to do some research to figure it out but have found nothing about a bright pink egg.



Then this morning we found this:
Baby birds!!! But the hot pink egg is still there! What is it? My husband thinks it's a bouncy ball.

I'm pretty sure the aggressive birds are some sort of wren.

All I know is they are psycho and want to kill my innocent cat. And I'm sick of them and want them gone. I'm even a bit nervous they're going to peck me or my children on the head when we go out there!

Please enjoy the following videos of "planet earth" in action. Location: D-dawgs backyard!



Bird approaches out of no where from the left!




The action is right at the beginning of this one! Run for your life Busta!

Coincidence? I think NOT!

Sometimes fortune cookie fortunes are right on the money! And sometimes they're not. I'm still trying to decide what my fortune from Saturday night was. Can fortunes be sarcastic? Cause that's what it felt like.

We (my husband, me, and our 3 children) were all sitting around a table at Panda Express. I was hungry and annoyed because the cashier had been extremely slow ringing us up, causing my rice to get cold. I was harping on Logan for trying to eat while standing up. I was throwing the evil eye at Macey across the table and scolding her for whining about the "yucky food," AND I was bothered by the fact that Lexi was trying to eat with chopsticks, and therefore not really eating anything. Maybe a few grains of rice made it to her mouth. Oh yeah, and let's not forget that Dave's huge elbow was taking up most of my space.

I finished my meal and cracked open my fortune cookie. What exactly did my fortune read? See below.





My first thought was, "ouch, that hurts a little". I was being anything but delightful at the moment.

My second thought was, "how does my fortune cookie know about my New Year's resolution to be "delightful Denae??? AMAZING!!!"

My third thought was, "thank you fortune cookie for reminding me!!"

I showed Dave and while he laughed, I resolved to be completely delightful the rest of the night.

See, it's all about baby steps. My goal is to be delightful but it takes little reminders, like my fortune cookie, to keep me going. It is hard to be delightful all of the time, so I am having some slip ups... but there are still 358 delightful days left in 2008!


Now, I'll give you a quick tiger update! Some sources are saying that the 2 brothers mauled may have been drinking and using marijuana around the time of the tiger attack. AND ambulance workers say that the brothers made a pact inside the ambulance, (quote) "to never tell them what we did" (unquote). Seems to me there was definitely taunting and baiting going on and who knows what else!!! I wish they would tell us what happened but it seems that we'll never know the full story. Huge bummer for me.

Worst Way to Die?

Have you heard about the incident that occured at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day?

If not, I'll tell you about it. A tiger somehow escaped from his "habitat/cage" and killed a 17 year old boy, and mauled 2 other young men. They have severe injuries. The tiger was caught in the act and shot. Zoo officials are still not sure how the tiger escaped.

I am obsessed with this story.

I can't stop thinking about it. A tiger even appeared in my dream last night.

The questions that I NEED answered are these: How did the tiger escape? Why was it so angry? And lastly, what does it feel like to have a giant Siberian tiger chase you down and maul you? What thoughts go through your head at that moment?

Am I gruesome? Maybe, but I seriously want to know. I'm hoping the boys that survived will give an interview at some point in the future and fill us in on the terrifying details.

Animals are scary.

All of this leads me to the question that has been running through my mind since Tuesday. What is the worst way to die? I used to think it was fire.

But now I'm pretty sure it's Siberian Tiger.

(Update: Police now believe the Tiger jumped out of the enclosure.... jumping much further than they believed possible. The wall was actually 4 feet shorter than it should've been!)

More Cat Issues

Friends and Family,


Please don't think I'm a bad person but Dave and I are really seriously considering getting rid of our cat Buster.

I am having major problems with him.

We only got the cat last December, so it hasn't even been a year.

And I'll be honest, the real reason we got the cat is because I wanted a baby and had been having problems getting one! That is a really bad reason to get an animal! When we got Buster he was so tiny and cute and "babyish". Well now he's huge and too hairy and, to be honest again, grosses me out everyday when I look at him! I feel so bad. The kids still don't know my true feelings but I am having a really hard time letting this cat live with us because of the anger I feel when I see him and hear him meowing at me.

So, what to do?

Dave said he would take Buster back to the shelter and just explain it to them. I am so happy to have Dave's support and cooperation.

But then there's the kids. I don't feel like I can lie to them so I would have to say something like, "Buster was really lonely here so we took him back to his old home." Lame?? I can't think of anything else.

The other problem is going to be if any of my children start bawling. Then I will die of guilt for the rest of my life. I am a person who feels tons of guilt anyway and this will top it all!!

Do you see my struggle? Can anyone help me? And please do not judge me for being an animal failure. But I do think Buster might be happier somewhere else where his owner will pet him.

Which leads me to my last question. Do animals feel sad? Cause I don't want to lay in bed at night and picture Buster feeling sad that we took him away and abandoned him.

But I just don't know if he would care?!? And I know I would feel much happier if he moved on. So sad but true.

Please advise.

Why I don't LOVE Cats

Now, I don't want to offend anyone here. But I am NOT a cat lover. It's not like I would ever hurt or injure a cat. I don't hate them that much. And I still think that of all animals you could have as a pet, a cat is probably the best. But I just don't like them.

We got a cat in December for some reasons that will go unmentioned. I have pretty much regretted it ever since. It' s not that I hate Buster, and I would never HURT Buster, it's just that he REALLY bugs me A LOT. He so annoying and gross.

Here's why:

1. Cat's tails never go down. I didn't know this before, but cats tails are constantly up. It's just kind of gross. I mean, who really wants to look at an animal bum all day long? I don't. And he's constantly walking around showing his off. It just grosses me out when I look at it. But how can you NOT look at it? It's just so there.




2. Cat's feel things with their tails and their tails have spasms. This is something else I didn't know. But Buster will purposefully use his tail to feel things, whether it be furniture or a persons leg, or whatever. But it is gross because if he puts his tail on you, that means you are really close to his bum. And I just don't like it. Every once in awhile, his tail with have a little spasm and wiggle around and it just really makes me feel weird and grossed out.

3. Cats constantly want to rub their body on your leg. I don't feel comfortable with this. I often try to get away from Buster when he comes up to brush by my leg. I try to dodge him but he follows me around until he has completed his brushing/rubbing session. I just feel "rubbed the wrong way" when this happens.

4. Meowing. Before we got Buster, I thought cats meowed maybe once or twice a day. Now I know that they meow constantly. They think they are talking to you. Well guess what Buster? I have enough people talking to me and the last thing I need is you adding to that noise! And another thing is, cats don't just do sweet little meows. They have tons of different tones and the more they want something, the more annoying their meow gets until you can't help but do anything they want to make them be quiet!

The list could go on, but I'll stop there. I'm just not an animal person and I'm sorry if you think I'm horrible because of that. I tried to pretend I was an animal person for a second, but it didn't work and the "real me" is showing through.

My one goal, though, is to not let my kids know that I can't stand our pet. It's kind of a fun game. During they day when they are watching me, I pretend to pet Buster and I talk to him in baby talk. But at night, when they are in bed, I say really mean things to him and make him go outside or in his room. So now you know how mean I am.

How long to cats live anyway? Oh! Just wondering. No reason.

Hmmm, sooooo, anyone looking to buy a cat? Just wondering. No reason. It' s not like I'd sell ours. I was just wondering.

Anyways, so, um, anyone know of any "cat food" that can cause permanent problems and even possible death? What? Why do I want to know? Oh, no reason. Just curious. I would never hurt an animal. I was just wondering.

heeeeere's Busta!



(me pretending to like him)





p.s. I'm also scared of Buster. Doesn't he scare you just a little?

The Great Bald Eagle

Today I took my kids to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum. It is a really expensive museum, and is basically a smallish room filled with some dead birds. Luckily for us, we are "members" so we got in for free. But still, it is a smallish room with mostly dead, stuffed, small animals and a few alive ones.

HOWEVER, today they had a BALD EAGLE. It was really cool. Those birds are huge! And very amazing to look at. We spent a long time watching it and listening to the guide tell us its whole story.

In case you wanted to know, this particular bald eagle is living at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum because it was electrocuted and lost a wing in 1992. So it cannot live in the wild. It was strange to see a bald eagle with only one wing. But I really enjoyed watching this incredible animal, which also happens to be the symbol of our country. I decided that the bald eagle is one of my favorite animals.

Later that night we had dinner at my parents house. As the dinner conversation moved along we came upon the topic of the BALD EAGLE. And to my astonishment I discovered that my dad also loves the bald eagle! In fact, he once saw one, at church, during an "eagle court of honor", and to this day he sites that experience as one of the greatest moments he's had at church, ever.

I was surprised to learn this new fact about my dad. I was also very surprised to hear that there was once a LIVE EAGLE at an "eagle court of honor" at our church. Then my sister surprised me even more by telling me that she had once been to an "eagle court of honor" where there was a LIVE EAGLE. She also told me that the boy scouts who had just been awarded their eagle rank, stood under the birds outstretched wings at the end of the ceremony!
Amazing... wouldn't you say?

I think this should be a standard for all "Eagle Courts of Honor". It would make them more interesting and would most definitely boost attendance. I mean I, for one, would attend every "court if honor" that I could if I knew there was going to be a GREAT BALD EAGLE there also. I'm pretty sure my dad would go, too.

Look at its huge wing span!




*****

Am I the only person in the world that DOES NOT like to wake up to the sounds of birds "chirping" in the morning?


I hate it! It makes me mad and I lay there in bed with violent thoughts! Thoughts like, if I had a gun I would shoot those birds out there.


Yes, I have a noise machine in my room. But it doesn't help, I can still hear them! And we have to sleep with our windows open to get the breeze.


I just don't know why the birds can't chirp a pretty song. Instead they sit in my tree, or my neighbors tree, and squawk back and forth at eachother. And it is the same squawk over and over and over again.

And sometimes it sounds like they are fighting or killing each other and then I have to jump out of bed to see the fight. But they are just sitting there squawking as loud as they possibly can. Probably laughing at me, the disheveled non-morning person cursing and glaring out her window.


It, obvioulsy, does not make me feel good, and does not help me to be cheerful in the mornings.

Now listen carefully to my sample video. This is what I hear out my window every morning. Keep in mind, it is MUCH louder in person.











HELP ME!



*****

What is Your Favorite Animal?

A few years ago we were on a long drive with the kids. At some point we were talking about what our favorite animals are. I had recently had some experiences with cows and,
without really thinking it through,
I told Dave that a cow was my favorite animal.
Right after I said it, I realized how dumb it sounded.
But I couldn't take it back and he HAS NOT let me live that one down.

Today we went to the zoo. And my real favorite animal is the king of beasts, the lion. It is so big and powerful looking. And I like it.

We had fun. Saw elephants going number #2 which the kids LOVED. It was hot though which made me a teense grouchy. But I had fun friends to hang with so that made it easier.

The king of beasts, sleeping.

The king of beasts is in the background. He's a little small though.

This is a real shot of Logan looking at some birds and of course holding his map
which he held most of the time.

The girls. Can someone please tell me why Macey has to climb and hang on everything?? She hit her head on Sat. and passed out. Why can't she just hold still?

The Train.






Now I'll tell you that animals I don't like. Monkey's scare me.




And goats are yucky and dirty and your kids always want to touch them.

Events of Yesterday

I bought some of these for the family and a couple of individuals (I won't mention names) got diarrhea..... really bad.

We went to Jamba Juice for our "go get a treat day" and it was fun sitting and chatting while the kids drank their smoothies.... hopefully this won't lead to even more diarrhea.



To top off the evening, our cat Buster got stuck in this tree and because Dave wasn't home yet, I had to rescue him. I wore Dave's yard gloves and climbed the ladder and ripped him out of the tree while he tried to bite and scratch me because he was scared. It was not fun. Why did I get a pet again?

He's safe and sound now.

And I was really happy to find out that Jim and Pam are going on a date.

Our Cat Can Open Our Screen Door!

Should I call the Guiness World Book of Records for cats? Or is this something all cats can do?

Kittens and Friends

We went to visit those kittens that I blogged about awhile ago here.

They now have their eyes open and are crawling around a little bit. They are still the cutest! I took some pictures.

On another note, I got to hang with some friends the other day that I don't see as often as I would like to. Phoebe came into town for a visit and we all met at Camellia's for lunch. It was fun. Thanks for the food and the laughs guys!

Wordless Wednesday

Some Interesting Stuff

Do any of you know about cats having kittens? I am the most unaware and uninformed person on the subject... until recently. Our friends cat just had babies so I wanted to take my kids over to see them. I have always thought that kittens are super cute but I had never seen any really "newborn" ones. These kittens were so tiny! I know Dave is so sick of me talking about them, but they were the cutest things ever.

They are 1 week old and seriously the size of my hand!! And my friend said they've doubled in size in this first week of life. They don't have their eyes open yet and they can't walk yet! I had no idea that little newborn kittens couldn't walk! Ok, I know I am making myself sound really dumb but I had never thought about these things and seeing them was so neat for me. Did you know the mommy cat has to lick the sack off of each baby after it is born? And did you know that she then eats her placenta? I know it sounds sick but the amazing thing is that she knows how to do all of that without anyone telling her how to.

She basically works all day long keeping them clean and feeding them. They can't see yet and when we would take them away from their mom and hold them they would cry. So sweet. And the mom would get all nervous about it and when we'd put the baby back down she would put her arm over it. Adorable. And the little babies just slide on their tummies over to her and start nursing. So amazing!

Anyway, it made me think. Do we humans have instincts like that? I mean we read everything we can about birth/childrearing/caring for an infant and our friends and mothers tell us everything too. I'm just wondering if we had no idea and had never heard anything, if instinct would kick in and we would figure it out on our own. Maybe the instinct has been bred out of us. It's just really amazing to me how animals know how to care for their babies and give birth and feed, clean etc. This mommy cat is only 11 months herself!! And she is doing such a great job. I didn't get any pictures but we're going to go back next week and see them again so maybe I'll take some.

Thanks for listening to me go on and on about this subject that I was totally oblivious to only a few days ago. I mean I didn't grow up on a farm or anything so why should I know about animals having babies? But it is so interesting.

Pets ... and the birds and the bees.

If you ever want to get into the "birds and the bees" with your young children, get a pet. Buster has opened the door. All I have to say is that when Logan and Lexi heard that Buster was getting "neutered" and what exactly "neutered" meant, their jaws dropped open. I'll admit, I didn't practice ahead of time what I would say, so it came out a little strangely... but now they know. For sure, a girl cat is easier to explain. But Buster's a boy and that has opened up even more doors. The best thing about kids is they don't care. They hear it, they might seem confused until you explain it better, and then they're like, "ok, whatever." and they move on.
Speaking of Buster. Owning a cat is more complicated than I thought. For instance, he's huge. When we rescued him, he was tiny and only weighed about1.5 lbs. Now, a mere 6 weeks later, he weighs 6 lbs!!!! An average cat his age I think only weighs 4 lbs. I tried to cut back a little on feeding him but he meowed at me all day and followed me around. That's the last thing I need.

Another thing I've learned is that you can't just get a cat and let it be. You also can't just get a cat and pet it and hold it all of the time. They are picky. Sometimes he likes being held and petted but he can get irritated too. So you have to learn when to leave him alone and if he bites or scratches you have to train him not to. Did any of you know this? Bottom line, you have to put effort into being a cat owner.

Luckily, we got a cat at a good time for me to put forth a little effort. I'm learning and trying and hopefully he'll get over the "psycho bite everyone- go tearing through the house on a wild rampage" stage that he's in right now. The only one he doesn't bite is Macey .... interesting. Anyway, if you ever get a cat and want me to share my new found knowledge on how to be a good owner, call me.

The Battle Has Begun

If, when looking at this picture, you think Macey and Buster are enjoying a cozy cuddle session and that Macey is softly petting Busters fur..... YOU ARE WRONG. When Macey forces Buster to sit on her lap she holds her hand on top of his head and presses down as hard as she can. He is then subdued. I think she is trying to get back at him for pouncing at her legs every time she walks by. He has discovered that she is the smallest creature in the family and therefore his PREY. You can get a better view of the "cat holding" in the following picture.

Buster

That's what we named our kitty. We suggested a few names to the kids and they all screamed for Buster. It's funny though since our kids can't say their "r's" very well they are actually called him "Busta." And Macey calls him "Busa." It's cute. So they were totally surprised and excited about the kitty. At first they asked if it was real. And then asked if we got to keep him. Then they played with him all day long. The poor kitty is very tired right now. But he is going to be a good cat for us. He is patient and cuddly and so far is ok with Macey picking him up and carrying him around. Lexi kept saying, "thank you so much!" I can't believe we get to have a pet!" She's the most excited I think. Anyway, it was a good Christmas. Today we just stayed home all day in our jammies and it was cozy. So heeeeeeere's Busta!

A Kitten for Christmas

We got a kitten today! Dave and I found him yesterday at the Martinez shelter. He is soooo cute. He is only 8 weeks old and so tiny! We almost didn't get him because kittens are really hard to find right now and lots of people want them for Christmas. We got lucky. Right now he is hiding at my mom's house. My brother Landon is babysitting him for us until Friday evening when we are going to sneak him into our house. We're hoping for 2 days we'll be able to keep him hidden in our back room. We can lock the door so the kids can't get in, and we'll play Christmas music non-stop to drown out any meowing until Christmas morning. I'm excited. My kids are going to be so happy. This kitty is super cuddly and mellow. My mom just called me and told me he is purring constantly when someone holds him and he is sleeping on my sisters chest while she's laying on the couch. Anyway... in the meantime.... what do you name a boy cat??? There's no way I'm letting the kids pick. Our first pet, a fish, Lexi named Cinderella. So they don't get to pick. I might give them a few suggestions and let them pick from that. But I don't want to end up with a cat named prince charming or little foot or something. So if you have any ideas send them my way!!!

RIP Cinderella

We got home from a 10 day trip on Sunday night to find that Lexi's pet beta fish that we had left in the care of a neighbor had died! It was sad. Now I know fish don't live that long but this beta fish was a good one. Our first pet and only a few months old. She would have lasted a long time for sure. I can't say anything about how or why she died since I'm on the world wide web and anyone could read this if you know what I mean. But what I can say is that it wasn't her time to go and it's sad she passed on before her time. I kindof had a feeling this was going to happen anyway. Lexi took the death better than I thought she would. She was teary-eyed and talking about trying to save her money for another one. Macey on the other hand had an emotional breakdown today when she realized "llella" (as she called her) was "all gone" and not coming back. She kept asking me when she saw the empty fish bowl, "llella?", "llella?" and so I told her. Cinderella's all gone. She went bye bye. Then Macey cried for a good 5 minutes and kept saying, "llella all gone." I know it sounds strange but she loved that fish. She would always ask to sit up on the counter and look at her and Lexi let her feed her sometimes. While she was eating her lunch later I quickly hid the bowl so we wouldn't have any more drama. So, as I said before, I can't go off on the world wide web about the loss of Cinderella but I can say this: if there was a fish kennel you could take your fish to when you're on vacation, like there are dog kennels, Cinderella would still be alive today. Oh well. If you need more detailed information, call me.

A CALL FOR HELP!

ATTENTION READERS!

Tonight when I went out to the garage to get my vacume, I picked my vacume up and I saw a brown object run super fast across the floor and disappear into a corner. It was either a tarantula or a mouse. It happened so fast I really couldn't see what it was but I"m assuming it was a mouse. What do I do???? I have never had a mouse in my garage. I assume that means it has a home there and has been there awhile and I have no idea how to get rid of it! Please advise.