Category Archives: Animals

I have entered the world of dogs!

Miss Millie & chew toys - 2I was in San Diego last month attending to the needs of my elderly parents when I first encountered a foster mommy, her forever dog and the pup that she was taking care of that had been rescued from the streets of Los Angeles. I stopped and talking with her about the rescue organization and the circumstances regarding Millie’s need to be adopted.

The next day at a different time, in a different place I once again encountered Miss Millie, her foster mommy and forever dog. I asked if I could pick Millie up and I was told that’s what she lives for.

I scratched Millie’s face, she closed her eyes and leaned into my face. I was enchanted.

I have never had a dog as an adult. I was raised with a pet dog while I was growing up but it was clear that our dogs belonged to our father who took care of them, fed them, trained them etc.

I raised four children as a single mother. They were 2, 4, 6 and 8 when their father and I divorced. I used to say that I didn’t have time to potty train a dog because I was potty training children. I’ve been ‘home alone’ for nearly 5 years since my 4th child went off to college. The resulting freedom, independence and solitude were luxuries to me and the thought of taking on another responsibility was not in my game plan.

However, after I returned to my home last month, I couldn’t stop thinking about Millie and her circumstances. I logged onto the rescue’s website, www.forgottenpaws.org and saw Millie’s picture as available for adoption.

I contacted the woman that founded the rescue and she told me that Millie was indeed still available for adoption. I decided then and there that if I could raise 4 children, surely I’d be a good forever mommy to Miss Millie.

I drove back to San Diego to pick up Millie and we’ve been fast friends ever since! Millie loves everyone she encounters and every four legged friend too.

I take her to as many places as I can (that allow dogs) so as to incorporate her into her new life and make her as much a part of mine as possible.

I don’t care for outdoor cats!

I own a singloutdoor cate story home.  I have a vegetable garden.  I have neighbors who are outdoor cat owners.  I am the recipient of the outdoor cat antics and it makes me very unhappy.

Why does it matter, you might ask?  I’ll tell you why.  I have their markings on all of my sliding glass doors as well as the screens that go with them.  I always wondered how a spray of liquid would get on my outside windows.  I couldn’t understand where and how it got there until a friend of mine explained that it was a cat and its marking.

Marking MY territory, I might add!  MY home, not their home. 

And as for my vegetable garden, these same cats use it as their litter box.  They defecate in my organic vegetable garden.  Again, MY organic vegetable garden and there is their feces.

Adding insult to injury with these same nefarious neighborhood cats is the following story.  I fostered a kitty that had been rescued from an alley with 4 nursing babies that were 4 weeks old.   The mommy kitty stayed with a girlfriend while her litter continued to nurse.  They were then separated at 8 weeks and all 4 kitties were successfully adopted out.

The mommy kitty on the other hand was not so successful.  She was scrawny, engorged, and a sight for sore eyes.  I adopted her to help her regain her health, to give her a loving home while she recovered from the loss of her litter and the subsequent surgery to fix her.

She was my girl, even if just temporarily in my care, custody and control.  One evening I’m reading in my bedroom with my kitty in my lap and I suddenly hear this blood curdling scream – and I mean a scream, coming from my kitty.  Outside my bedroom sliding glass door was one of these rogue cats hissing at MY kitty in MY home!

My mommy kitty lost her bowels she was so frightened.  I chased that damn trespassing cat out of my yard and then had to deal with the fall out of the inadvertent bowel movement.

Mommy kitty has found a forever home and is safely ensconced in her new and luxurious lifestyle.  But today, as I was cleaning my outside patio, there are fresh markings.  Not only on the windows but also on my outdoor furniture and it won’t wash off!

I don’t approve of outdoor cats.  I don’t like being the object of their animal kingdom hierarchy. 

Friday, April 4th, 2014 – Colony Collapse Disorder

The decline of the global bee population is estimated to be at about 50% in the last 50 years.  However, since 2006, the bee population is declining by 50% ANNUALLY and in some instances by 90%!

 

Please join Maria as she discusses what is referred to as the ‘Colony Collapse Disorder’ with Assistant Professor, Bryan Rasmussen of the faculty at California Lutheran University.

 

A day in the life of a bee is utterly fascinating.  Their conversation includes the life cycle of a bee, the Queen bee, the mating flight and other details.

 

There are also two events related to the topic if you live in Southern CA.

 

For more information Click here.

Monday, February 10th, 2014 – Oceana – Shark finning

shark fins100 Million sharks are killed every year through the barbaric process of shark finning.  That is the slicing off of a shark’s fins and throwing the live shark back into the ocean in order to supply the demand for shark fin soup.

 

Please join Maria as she visits with Dr. Geoff Shester, California Program Director of Oceana as he explains how this is affecting the ecosystem of our oceans.

 Click here for Oceana’s website. 

Thursday, January 30th, 2014 – GMO’s

What is all the fuss about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and are they really that unhealthy for us as consumers?  What is the FDA doing about regulating them and what are the alleged issues with ingesting them?

Please join Maria as she visits with Carla Lee Johnston, Founder and President of One Team Humanity Foods about GMO’s and what you need to know.  Very revealing! 

Click here for Carla Lee’s website.