Fourth of July Kitty!

After we watched the spectacular local fireworks display, my boyfriend Ted & I decided to drive by the Cal Water Office to drop our payment in the night slot on the way home. Upon entering the drive, Ted starting yelling, "Stop, Stop!" so I put on the brakes. There was a TINY kitten in the middle of the driveway that I hadn't even seen, just frozen there. It didn't move. I waited for it to run away but it remained. I finally urged Ted to get out & get it. When he got all the way up to it, it ran. I pulled in the parking lot, got out to drop my payment, pulled back around & got out to find Ted, sitting cross-legged, holding the kitten. He was a tragic little orange bag of bones. We looked around the whole small "strip mall" (it's one Papa Murphy's take & bake pizza, The Cal Water office & an Engineering Office surrounded by some flowers with a few parking spots,) but couldn't find any sign of a nearby litter, (there are groups of feral cats that thrive several blocks over by the banks, but they are usually a lot healthier.) We both decided quickly that he needed our help & we took him home. He was surprisingly calm in the car & in our home. He seemed very good-natured & of course I started falling for him instantly. We bathed him in warm water without too much difficulty, (I got just a few scratches on my wrist,) cleaned his ears & he ate like a champ, (we have a three-year old cat so we have a lot of treats, wet & dry food & even toys & bedding around.)

The next day I called the Animal Hospital & alerted them that we had found a lost kitten. I didn't want to take him to the other animal hospital which serves as the "pound" because it's not as clean or nice & they really have their hands full with so many strays. Anyway, the folks at the AH told us to use some regular Dawn blue dish soap to bathe him to get rid of more fleas so I bought some & it worked pretty good. Fleas were jumping ship as we poured the soapy water on him - it was really gross! He was still pretty covered, though, so we had to wait for our appointment at 2:15 on Friday the 6th to get him completely free of his infestation. The Nurses took his temperature, weighed him, (he is one pound, one ounce,) & then the Doctor soaked him with Frontline spray & all the rest of the fleas abandoned him. We have an appointment in two weeks two get him wormed & get some shots. He is already so much happier to have all the fleas gone. He was frolicking so much more & sleeping more peacefully the afternoon after his Vet appointment.

We have an enclosed screened porch & the weather is very warm during the days & cool at night so he is staying out there now. He has a radio, a couch, a kitty bed, food, water, toys, & we go out there & stay with him & open the doors to the back yard during the day, (he has the litter box for the night time.) As soon as our cat, Butters, gets more used to him, (she's a bit hissy so far,) we will start bringing him into the house more & try to house train him better. He is so smart he was already alerting us when he needed to go. I think he will be a great addition to our family. We have been tossing around names: Nico & Landon are the frontrunners so far but we are open to any suggestions. He is just so precious, lovable, mellow & has a wonderful personality for one who has had such a rough start. I feel very lucky & fortunate that I decided to go pay my water bill so late at night & that Ted yelled for me to stop & I didn't run over that poor little kitty. Everything happened so perfectly by chance. He really needed some people to love & take care of him. I feel so happy & emotional seeing his progress, even just over a couple of days. He looks so much better. He's happier & he's healthier. He's fun. It might seem silly to some people, but this really makes me feel good. It feels good to be needed.

R.I.P. Sophie

 (This picture is from about 2005 or so? It's always been one of my favorites of her.)

 
Well, my dear, sweet Sophie was put down today while I was out of town at a Doctors appointment. Her health has been failing for a while, (she had what we thought was a stroke about 7 months ago, has been having "accidents" in her sleep, limping, didn't seem to hear us when we spoke to her, anymore, etc.) & My Mom had taken her to the vet today to find that she was riddled with cancer so bad that parts of her bones were gone.

She was the sweetest, most loving, gentle dog I ever knew. I just saw her the day before yesterday & she was limping but she was wagging her tail & happy to see everyone as always. She must have been in great pain for a long time, but she always was very sweet & gentle. We think she was about 18 or 19 years old, (we can't be sure because they didn't really know her exact age when we adopted her in Vegas in the mid-90's.)

I have so many great memories with her - She was part of my family for the last 17 or so years! She was a pit-bull & beagle mix, really smart, very cuddly & we never had ANY problems with her. She could be trusted with babies, children, old people, other dogs, CATS - (Toulouse, our cat, was actually in LOVE with her,) even little Ricky, the new puppy, who bites with razor sharp teeth was constantly harassing her & she didn't snap at him.

She was a great companion, a wonderful friend, super cute & loving, very fun, smart, (all I had to do was point & speak to her in normal tones & she would understand me because I trained her that way,) she had a sense of humor & she would always come put her head on my knee when I was upset or crying. She would look at me with her sweet face & it was pretty hard to be sad after that. Dogs are so wonderful but unfortunately their lifespans are just a fraction of ours. I am totally heartbroken that she is gone.

 <3 R.I.P. Sophie <3

(This is one of the last pictures I took of her, on March 21st. You can see she was really old & thin.) 

(This one is from around 2005 I think & also features her "sister" Sheila, who unfortunately had to be put down in 2010. I always loved this picture because it looks like they are both smiling so big! )

Say Hello to My Little Friend!

  
Thanks to everyone who helped pick a name for my Mother's new puppy & to our friend Denise, who chose the winning name. We went though every name you can think of & this one really just seems to suit him. We haven't decided if he is Ricky Ricardo or Ricky Martin, yet - That we will still have to figure out! Thanks again for everyone's help!

******EDITORIAL NOTE******  My Mother has decided that this little bundle of joy is now Rikki Tikki Tavi - in reference to the valiant mongoose from the beloved Rudyard Kipling tale. (Even though he is more like a spastic, bitey little terror at this point, nomnomnom :P) Anyway, I will make ANOTHER, updated picture for him. I have more, newer pictures anyway - he's put on some weight & has grown!

Candy Heartbreaker (Belated Valentine)

I meant to post this on Valentines Day, but some desktop computer issues, (which my poor boyfriend Ted stayed up all night & most of the day working on) & my lack of good or speedy photoshop skills & also the fact that I had to take a break to do some first life activities, (like go visit my Mom's new puppy. As you know we were trying to find a name for him. We have settled on "Ricky," but my Grampy wants to call him "Micky," like the mouse, because he's so small, but we don't like that, so we are locked in battle over this, lol,) Anyway, I was only able to use my laptop to post music blogs recently because it won't run Second Life. There are still some issues, but I was finally able to get through a few hours of walking around to gather my SLurls for this outfit I have been wearing a couple days & posing for pictures long enough to deliver you a belated Valentine. It actually worked out ok, because when I woke up yesterday I discovered that my friend Kiba Tachikawa, the owner of Actuate Eden, just put out a great face tattoo inspired by the G-Dragon song & video Heartbreaker that REALLY finished of my Valentines look & if I had posted earlier I don't think it would have been quite the same <3

Fashionably Dead Skin
(L. Fauna freckles & Dimples added)
Cheap Makeup Wild New Years Makeup Ridiculously Pink Eyebrows
Actuate Eden HeartBreaker face Tattoo (in the Oshare Section) Be Sure to check out the BRAND NEW Mainstore in the NOP sim  (I will do a blog post soon because Kiba did an absolutely amazing job!)
Eyes by Me, LaDonna Oceanlane
Hairy Situations Hair, (Sorry this store is no longer in business but I have so much of their really odd, creative hair in my inventory & I can't help but use it!)
R.icielli earrings (comes with a rad mesh dress!) at The Dressing Room
Acid & Mala My Fav Bracelets White
Twee body paint (I have all the body paints she sells because they are tintable & so much fun!)
Riddle I Heart You Tights for the Crush on You Event (I LOVE cute stockings & tights First & Second life so I bought the Fatpack for 300L. I am wearing white under the red because they are kind of sheer & I didn't want my pubic hair showing, LOL! They are really NICE, low cut on the hip & every color comes in three variations!)
Jack Spoon Oh, Valentina Dress for Crush on You Event (I la-la-LOVE this designer) - 55L
Hucci Shoes (super cute, I bought all three colors!) The Dressing Room
Candy Nail nails (& Group gift Heart Rug used as one of the backdrops!)
Poses: Beetlebones (Past With Love Again Hunt Gift) & PDA 

Help Name Him!

Help us name my Mom & Grampy's new Chihuahua. He's really tiny. We put a quarter down so you can see how small he is - his little paws are the same diameter as the quarter! He's just a pup, too, only about six weeks old. Possible names so far: Arlo, Mario, Moby & Paco, but we are open to suggestions. HELP!