Cat Update

Sam here. Has Mom with him. Have update on cats. Why anybody want update on cats, Sam not know. Mom says it is important, so it must be.

We did not catch the cats. It wasn't for lack of trying, but it was almost like they knew something was happening...

Uh-oh...

Momma cat was completely AWOL, and took three of her kittens with her!

Sam was here all night... Sam knows nothing.

It's okay though. We've already set up an appointment for next week. We will try again! Thank you everyone for sending your luck our way! I'm sure it will happen next weekend!

Off the hook! Whew!

Wish us luck...

Sam may not care for cats, but we certainly don't mind them! This mama cat has been hanging around my Mom's house for about a year. Our horses are kept there, so we get to see the cats every day. She has presented us with three separate litters of kittens. The first two litters we were lucky enough to find early and bottle raise. They are now living happy lives as house kitties. We weren't so lucky with this last litter. We now have six very healthy and well-fed cats running around.



Tomorrow, we are going to try to trap mama and get her fixed with the help of a local spay/neuter program for feral cats. If this works well, her kitties will be going in next!

Sam refuses to comment about the whole cat situation. He could avoid one little cat quite well, but six?

Wish us luck!

These are two of the kitties! The one on the left is the bravest of the five.


...and a third...


The other two kitties are a little too shy for the camera.

Pillow Fight

Everyday when I come home, Sam feels the need to beat up his pillow. His pillow puts up a tremendous fight - but I think Sam wins everytime...

The initial attack. I'm never sure if Sam jumped the pillow or the pillow jumped Sam!


RAWWWRRR!


...coming up for a breather. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll protect you!"


I think the pillow is winning here:


Sam is struggling...



I'm still winning!


They are slowing down:


A quick breather...


Ummmm, Sam?


Mission Complete! The pillow has been vanquished!

Sunday from Sam

Sam here. Sam taking over his blog, again. Sam couldn't tell his Mom what to write when Mom went to Starbuck's - without Sam!


First of all, Sam needs to tell everyone he is not fat! Look at this physique!


Sam would like to show you this great Sagebrush that has been blooming. This is one of Mom's favorites!


Now lets head home... Sam show you what's going on there.


Sam not fond of his diet. He wants bones. He needs his treats. Nobody listens to him.


Aaron and Mom bought Sam bone. This not chewy. This is not fit for dog. Sam only chews on it to make people happy. Sam not happy!


Sam is ever vigilant in case treats may be coming... Is that the refrigerator?


To make things worse, today is house-cleaning day. Sam was put in jail while Mom mopped!


Mom did try to make it up to Sam by giving Sam a belly rub... He still would rather have treats...


Sam still looking for new editors for site. Maybe new people. People that give him treats...

Until then, Sam posting this picture of his "Traditional Pose". Sam's friend Max from South Africa suggested posting pics of favorite poses...

Snake!

We had an interesting visitor at work today, and while I would rather show you pictures of Sam, I thought this little guy was sort of interesting too. This baby rattlesnake was maybe eight inches long, and had apparently eaten a rather large meal - which for his size might have been a grasshopper!

Weekend Update

We’ve had another weekend with very little internet connection, but this time I am in Paradise Bakery & Cafe updating Sam’s blog. We’ve had another busy weekend, this time working on our special project – getting our library to resemble a library. So far it has turned into a bigger project then we expected. We bought additional shelves, shampooed the carpets, set up an office space, and have sorted and rearranged the books. We are still not quite done, but I think we are on the winning edge. Sam, however, is bored.



Is this not a cute face?



On other news, our morning walks have taken on new meaning. Sam had his check-up at the vets on Friday and has been told that he is overweight. She did not say overweight, though. She used the three-letter F-word. Yup, she called Sam F-A-T! Tell me, does he look fat to you?

This is the body of a well tuned, does not know he is getting a bath today, precision machine!


We’ve also had to cut down on his bones and treats. This has confused him greatly. He’s been rather quiet this weekend, and we think he is trying to figure out what he has done wrong where he isn’t getting treats like he is used to.

He weighed in at a whopping 92 pounds on Friday. We have three weeks before his recheck. I will let you know how we did! Keep your fingers crossed!

Since last week I presented recommended reading, I thought I might try it again. This time I recommend a series of books printed back in the 20’s and 30’s by Albert Payson Terhune. They aren’t published anymore so you will need to look for them at antique stores, eBay, etc. Originally published as short stories in women’s magazines, they books gained quite a following and were eventually published in book form. They are about his beloved collies, and mainly follow the adventures of Lad, his favorite. Nowadays, they would be classified as children’s literature, but I have always enjoyed reading them. The titles include Lad of Sunnybank, Lochnivar Luck, The Way of the Dog, Grey Dawn and others.





Sam wishes you all the best week!

Labor Day Weekend

Well, our Internet hasn't worked well all weekend, so Aaron and I are sitting in Starbucks updating the blog. We've had an equally busy weekend to our busy week. Saturday morning we had a very intense lightning storm and it rained for several hours. Sam was rather disappointed that he couldn't go on his walk.

We made up for it, however. Here is Sam sitting in the greenbelt.


The greenbelt is one of our favorite spots to walk in the neighborhood.


I think Sam occasionally thinks I'm taking him on forced marches!


The storm knocked down many trees. This poor Palo Verde is one if its victims.


I let Sam off the leash in one of the greenbelts. He celebrated his freedom!


It made him really happy and wet!




Since the rain had kept us indoors, I worked on my painting. Don't panic! It's not finished yet!


After our walks, Sam likes to relax with a nice chewy.


On Friday we went to the bookstore. We stocked up on books and have spent Labor Day reading. Sam strongly recommends these books.
Dean Koontz published a wonderful memoir on his dog Trixie. I strongly recommend having a box of Kleenex nearby before reading it!



We also recommend this series of books by David Rosenfelt. I'm not too fond of courtroom dramas, but the books have a unique sense of humor, and the main character has a Golden Retriever!



Sam enjoyed all the books!


Sam hopes everyone enjoyed Labor Day!

Thursday Thoughts...

We are having a very busy week. Aaron is helping our horseshoer this morning and I am busy with end of the year budget woes at work. Sam has been rather puzzled by the lack of people in his life, specifically his people. Normally, he is with one of us most of the day and if that can't happen, he goes to Grandma's.

Aaron, Mom - we have to talk...