Remembering Mama

Friday will mark the forth anniversary of Athena's death. The last time I actually saw her was four years ago today, the 29th of August, 2003. That was the morning I went into the hospital for neck surgery, and I wouldn't come back home until September 1st. Exactly what happened during those few days is still a mystery to me. What I do know is, Athena got out when she shouldn't have, and that she was dead by August 30th. I still don't know how she died. I guess it really doesn't matter that I know.

Anyway, usually I leave some cat food in a bowl by our front door with a candle burning, but since we moved I don't think I will do that anymore.

I miss her very much. I was looking through her pictures on flickr just now deciding which ones I wanted to use, and I found that I miss her more than I realized.

So, here are a few of my favorite Athena pictures, beginning with those of her as a baby...

These first two are scans of pictures I took with an old fashioned film camera. You remeber those. In this one, Athena is the one on the pillow. The other two kittens were her brother Rocky, (the black and white kitten,) and Mitzy. We were fostering the three of them, but Athena and I were so well bonded that my wife adopted her for me. I won't ever forget that day; it was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me.

A devoted sister, it was always clear who was the dominant one of the three. I don't know much about cat psychology, but it always appeared to me that Athena stepped in as the surrogate mother. She cared for the other two, looked out for them, and even led them. She would literally round up the other two, and bring them to wherever she wanted them all to be. I remember once they were all playing in our living room, and had separated off into their own little territories as they explored their new surroundings. At one point Athena ran into the middle of the room and cried just once. The other two kittens instantly came running, and met her in the center of the room.

I often wonder how the other two are doing. They both went to good homes, and I assume they are alive and well.

This is probably one of the first pictures of Athena with her new baby brother, Angel. He was already starting to get pretty big when this picture was taken.

Angel and Athena got along quite well. I am not sure if that was because she was around before he was, so he was used to her, or if because he honestly liked her, or if it was just his age. He sure doesn't treat the three cats we have now like he did Athena. Even Salem, who was part of our household long before Angel AND Athena, is not safe from Angel's barking and harassment. Odd that he treated Athena differently.

I think Athena decided Ebby was her kitten from the day we brought Ebby into our home. You can read about Ebby's admission into our household, and how Athena and she bonded, here.

Right up until Athena died, she and Ebby were inseparable. It was very clear Athena loved Ebby by the way she treated her. She obviously cared for Ebby as she did for her own siblings. I remember one afternoon I came home from work to find Athena quite distressed. She kept crying, and she would pace back and forth right in front of me. If I tried to walk anywhere, Athena would get right in front of me as if she were intentionally trying to block me.

It didn't take me long to realize something was wrong, (I am quick like that,) and at once it dawned on me that Ebby wasn't anywhere nearby. I quickly understood Athena was upset because her beloved Ebby was missing. Thinking she might be trapped in a room in the house, I started walking through the house while calling for Ebby, but then I realized that Athena could only be this upset if she couldn't find Ebby herself, so I went outside to look for Ebby.

Once outside I heard Athena cry again. I looked back, and there she was sitting in the window watching me look for her daughter. I called Ebby's name,and before long Ebby came running. (She has always been real good about coming when you call her. Even when she doesn't want to get caught, she will come when called.) Finding Ebby was the only cure for Athena's distress.

I can't imagine any of our pets trying to groom Ebby like this now. Ebby is usually very grumpy these days, and prefers to be left alone. She was a little grumpy when we first got her, but she became more so after Athena died.

Athena always found our turtle Charlotte fascinating. I eventually bought a cover for Charlotte's tank because Athena constantly prowled the edges of the tank like that, and I was afraid she would fall in one day. I eventually moved Charlotte's tank outside where it stayed until the end of her life in November of 2005.

Probably the most poignant of the pictures I have of Athena is this one. At least it is for me. Athena always wanted to go outside, but I would never let her. I always feared for her safety. Ultimately, she did get outside, and my worst fears were realized. The morning I went into the hospital I told her that I would be back, and that she needed to stay inside, and out of trouble.

Silly, talking to a cat like that.

Don't forget the Friday Ark at The Modulator for all sorts of critters, and the Carnival of the Cats this Sunday

Arm Rest Jackie

Because she can't seem to understand the concept of where a young lady is supposed to go when nature calls, Jackie has been relegated to either the davenport, (I always wanted to use that word in a sentence,) the love-seat, or my recliner. She is allowed to romp and frolic with her brother on the carpet, but only under strict supervision. She is not allowed down the hall, or into another room un-escorted, and if for some reason she must be left alone in any room in the house, then she must be returned to any one of the aforementioned pieces of furniture.

For a while I wouldn't even let her play on the carpet with her brother. My stepson works for a carpet cleaning outfit and has kindly cleaned our new carpet twice since we had it installed just a few months ago. I knew Jackie would have the occasional accident, so when I bought the carpet I paid extra for padding that has a plastic barrier on the top. The plastic prevents spills and such from seeping into the padding where it will then stay forever. It has worked out very well because after my stepson cleans the carpet there is no odor left at all. Still, I cannot have Jackie just doing her business wherever and whenever she likes, so she is on permanent time out status.

Like I said before, for a while I simply wouldn't take the chance of another accident, so I kept her quarantined on the furniture. She is small enough that, for a while anyway, she wouldn't even try to get down. But, one day she was so bored, and wanted down so badly that she figured out a way off of the couches. Basically, she overcame her fear of high places, and now jumps off of the couches if left alone on one for too long, so I have had to resort to other means of keeping her up there...

My poor baby is a jail bird. Still, she has every thing she needs; her supper dish, her toys, even a big cushy pillow. But, believe it or not, it isn't enough. Jackie is not happy in her little cell, and will even cry if I go to another room and leave her alone even for a few minutes.

There are alternatives, but none are very appealing to Jackie. For instance, here she is on my recliner...

Sure, it may look like she is having fun resting on the arm-rest of my recliner, but she really isn't. Even with her favorite feline sister keeping her company, Jackie just isn't a happy little doggie.

That is one depressed little Chihuahua. Luckily for her, her daddy is a pushover for long faces, so I took her down a for a little bit and let her clean her brother's ears.

Most of the time I sit with Jackie in the recliner, and we watch The Dog Whisperer together. It's her favorite show. So, that keeps her happy for quite some time. After a while, however, she wants to play with her big brother, so I usually let her down and let them play in the room with me, or they can go out back and look for intruders, bugs, or the occasional bird. In fact, let me remind you that you can now watch Jackie and Angel throughout the day simply by clicking on the Jackie & Angel Webcam picture over on the sidebar. They are usually there all during the week, so give it a shot.

So there ya have it. Yet another exciting chapter in the lives of Jacqueline and Angel. Until next week, please see more dogs over at the Carnival of the Dogs at Mickey's Musings, and don't forget the Friday Ark at The Modulator for all sorts of critters.

Autographs

Not long ago I thought it might be fun to write James Gandolfini, also known as Tony Soprano of HBO's The Sopranos, and ask him for an autographed picture. At the time of this writing, I have not heard back from him. But, I have not lost hope. I have heard that Mr. Gandolfini is a very nice man who does in fact sign autographs for his fans. It just takes some time is all. I am sure at some point he will sign an 8 X 10 glossy for me, and mail it back in the self addressed stamped envelope I provided just for that reason.

I am confident he will one day write back because other actors from The Sopranos already have done just that. For instance, Frank Vincent, who played Phil Leotardo, the man who tried to have Tony clipped at the very end of the show sent me his autographed picture. But that one doesn't count because Mr. Vincent sells his autograph off of his website, so he contractually bond to send one when you include seventeen dollars along with your request. But that is fine with me.

Mr. Vincent by all accounts is a very pleasant man, and I didn't think the price was too steep, so I paid it. It wasn't two weeks later that the autographed photograph arrived, but unfortunately he didn't personalize it as I had asked when I bought it. There was a note included with the picture that said he would have been happy to have personalized the picture for me, but that he was out of town when my order was processed. I wondered, why not wait until he returned so that he could personalize it for me, but that's for them to know, and me to find out, I guess.

My next shot was at Vince Curatola, who played John Sacramoni on The Sopranos. Mr. Curatola also has a website, but he doesn't offer his autograph for sale there. Instead I wrote him at the e-mail address I found there, and asked him if he would be so kind as to autograph a picture for me. He personally e-mailed me back, and said he would be happy to, just send a self addressed envelope to such-and-such address, and he would get one back in the mail to me. Which is exactly what he did.

I think I want to next ask Sir Roger Moore for his autograph. Sir Roger played James Bond from 1973, (Live and Let Die,) until 1985, (A View to a Kill). I have a friend or two who might disagree, but I think Sir Roger was the BEST James Bond ever. For some reason his smug delivery, and dry wit just screamed 007 for me. Everyone has an opinion about who has played Bond best, and in my opinion that actor would be Sir Roger.

My wife and friends have been telling me to shoot a little higher, and bag a big star like say, De Niro, or Pacino, and perhaps one day I will, but for now I am happy with the ones I have asked for.

It's kind of fun, asking for, and receiving autographs of those few celebrities I admire. I just wish I was able to get what would be for me the Holy Grail of autographs; that of Walt Disney. Sure, I could buy one at $1500.00 plus, or someone out there who would like to show me a little kindness could buy one for me. But, it's somehow more exciting when the celebrity is alive. It feels more gratifying because they are, for one small moment, paying attention to you. It's a nice feeling, silly as it is. And while I understand autographs are always worth more if they are not personalized with the recipient's name, I will always ask for an inscription just because it does feel more personal.

So, there you go. Another silly thing I do with my time.

By the way, if you are thinking of writing a celebrity yourself, and would like to know everything from where to write them, how you should compose your letter, and even find out if they will reply at all, go here.

The Story of Our Front Yard

We recently decided much of the flora in our front yard needs to go. Apparently one of the former owners of our house thought bark would make for a nice ground cover in the flower beds around the front yard, and I am sure in 1974, when the bark was new and a nice dark rust color, it did. Unfortunately, what probably started out as a lovely piece of landscaping has degraded into a gray and brown eye sore that harbors tiny critters, looks more like dog feces than bark, and has migrated all throughout the yard.

It has to go.

Being that my back isn't what it once was, we hired the job out. We told the two man crew that we wanted everything that wasn't grass, (or a twisted juniper,) gone. As they started their work my wife mentioned to me that she would like a few pictures of the front yard so that we could have a record of what the place looked like "before" we had everything taken out. Always one to oblige, I quickly located my camera and took a few quick shots.

Now we have a clean slate, but no idea what to do with it. Ebby has a few ideas, but I don't think turning the whole front yard into one gigantic kitty litter box would please the neighbors.

The Official Jackie and Angel Cam Goes Live

Over the years I am sure many of my readers have thought, "Gee, I wish I could go on one of Angel and Jacqueline's adventures."

Well, that's never going to happen, so get over it. However, Jackie and Angel do love their fans, and so now through the miracle of cutting edge, retro technology, our two favorite pups have allowed you, the little people, into their home!

OK, so it isn't exactly their "home", but more like a section of their back patio, but it is LIVE, and it is STREAMING, so it is BETTER THAN NOTHING.

So now you can spend a better portion of your afternoon riveted to your computer monitor as you watch Jackie and Angel sleep, drink, sleep some more, chase the occasional bird, sleep some more, and sleep.

All you have to do, is click here .

I have found the Java applet to be the most reliable as far as Microsoft Vista is concerned. The ActiveX software provided by the company that I bought the webcam software from works quite well on XP, but it won't load on Firefox, or on Vista. As usual, Media Player is almost completely useless.

If you run into any problems, leave me a message in the comments. It is still sort of in the experimental stages, so any input would be helpful, and appreciated.

So, have fun, enjoy the show, and don’t let your boss catch you!

Update: Well, it isn't even 7:30am, and it appears the camera is already offline. Sometimes it is just temporary, but you never know. If it doesn't come back online, then it will have to wait until I get home at about 4:00pm. If you don't have any luck, and you want to see the dogs, then check back after 4:00pm Pacific and hopefully I will have it fixed. Sorry.

Look for more doggies at Mickey's Carnival of the Dogs at Mickey's Musings, and don't forget the Friday Ark at The Modulator for even more animals of all persuasions. And lastly, please remember to hit up the Carnival of the Cats this Sunday.