Cricket Arrives at Golden Pines

Yesterday a trip over the Blue Ridge Mountains took me to the meeting place to pick up the lovely little Cricket. The photo I'd seen of Cricket was not the best, and I knew that she was a "golden-mix" but I didn't expect her to be quite so small, (about 25 pounds) and so cute!

The niece of Cricket's former owner could not have been any more gracious, kind and caring.  I felt like I was meeting a friend.  She told me that Cricket had been the treasured companion of her aunt, whose name was "Flossie."  When Flossie was in hospice care, the niece took Cricket to visit her, promising that she would make sure that Cricket had a good home after she was gone.  I hope she felt that she'd kept her promise by giving her to me.  

At the tender age of 16, Cricket is a little timid with an endearing tilt to her head and ears that stand up. Her meeting our group went pretty well, except for Shadow who got a little closer to her than she liked.

~Todd's not the littlest one anymore~  

By mid-evening, I could see that Cricket was really tired, and it was easy to see she was confused about where she was and she wouldn't settle down. I decided that I would set up her crate and put her to bed. The niece had stopped by her Aunt's home and picked up a blanket for Cricket which I put it inside the crate; she burrowed into it and fell fast asleep. There was something so sweet and peaceful about watching Cricket sleep.  I couldn't help but think that it must've been so comforting to her to have something so familiar on a day when her world had been turned upside down.

Welcome to Golden Pines, Cricket.  

The First Days of May

Our first full week of May passed much too quickly. Helping that along was the soaring mercury that told us we had the highest temps of the calendar year so far.  From the inside, the lovely Ms. Yellow enjoyed the warmth of the evening sun as she closely watched the Eastern Phoebe that has built its nest above the front window.

A quick peak inside the nest yesterday showed that there are 4 Phoebe eggs, and another egg which belongs to a cowbird. (A cowbird lays its eggs in nests of other birds.Unfortunately they hatch first, grow large very quickly which allows them to command the most food which usually results in the loss of the other hatchlings in the nest.) I couldn't decide if I should remove the egg or not, so I called our wildlife center and asked them. Cowbirds are native to the US and are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and it is unlawful to remove their eggs from a nest.  Finding that out didn't change my mind about the fate of the cowbird's egg. What would you do?    

The dogs are much too busy to concern themselves with trivial things like the Phoebe and its eggs. With the warm days and evenings, we've been outside more. One evening when we were out, the dogs were exploring the yard and I heard Josh bark in a high pitched tone, and CarrieAnne joined in.  They had wandered a little too far down the driveway and from where I was standing, I could see that Carrie's ears were forward as she pointed to the ground with cheerful excitement. Before I even got to where they were, I knew what they were looking at, and I was right, because this is what was there.

I will just confess, that I am very phobic about snakes. When I see them, I just scream and run, and that was what I did. I frantically called the dogs to come with me, which confused them a little because they couldn't figure out what was wrong. (Although you'd think by now they'd be used to my moments of near hysteria.) But once we were (safely) inside the house, I did the only thing I could do, I made CARL go take a look at it, and take pictures.  From what I briefly saw of the snake, I thought that the dogs may have somehow managed to kill or injure it.  Thankfully they hadn't, it was only 'playing dead' which is what the (non-poisonous) hog-nose snake does when they feel threatened. I am just glad it wasn't like the turtle last week, and didn't need to be rescued.

~The snake-finders, Josh and CarrieAnne~

Speaking of 'being rescued' I was more than a little surprised this week when after 10 months, the rescue I volunteer for asked me if we had room for a new senior dog. Her name is Cricket, and she's 16 years old.  Her owner recently passed away, and she has nowhere to go.  I am picking her up this afternoon, and will introduce you to her in my next post.  Enjoy your Saturday!!

~Shadow~

The Roadside Rescue

Off to an early start this morning so I could spend the day at home.

~Part of the gang this evening~ 

As I was rounding the last corner for home, I saw a turtle on the side of the road.  It was on its back in the full sun and was looking pretty toasted.  I thought it was probably dead, but since it's my habit to always stop for turtles, that was what I did. It was just a young snapping turtle about the size of my hand.  Its neck was stretched out and to the side and his little claws were all curled in and motionless. Of course I couldn't help but feel a little sad and sorry for the poor thing.

~Our road yesterday afternoon~

I'll admit that I'm a little wary of snapping turtles, so I nudged him with my foot to make sure he was dead, and he didn't move. Feeling confident that he couldn't hurt me, I decided that I should at least get him off the road, and when I picked him up, I noticed his little claw move, like a weak wave for help -- He was alive!!  I took him over to the nearby pond and with an empty soda-cup from my van, I splashed him with water, all the while telling him that I thought he was going to be alright. All four of his legs started to slowly move and eventually he moved his head, pulling it back inside his shell.  I closely checked his shell and it was completely intact, with no cracks or chips, he was just fine. I figured he must have wandered out of the pond and onto the road and had probably got knocked over on his back by a car and couldn't get flipped back over again. After several minutes, we said our good-byes by the edge of the pond, but not before I wished him good luck and warned him to stay off the road. I'm glad I was able to save the little turtles life, but I'm especially glad that he didn't bite the hand that fed saved him!

A Night Out

I had a really enjoyable evening on Wednesday with a friend in Washington DC that started with a delicious dinner at Washington's oldest bar and restaurant, Old Ebbitt Grill.  It's said that Theodore Roosevelt used to dine at this restaurant which is beautifully decorated.  We didn't get a chance to see it, but our waiter mentioned that on display by the main bar is a letter written by Buffalo Bill in 1886 to a judge in Arkansas about two horse thieves he captured on Old Ebbitt Grill stationary.

After dinner we went to a concert at the Warner Theater that was built in 1924 as a movie palace presenting live vaudeville and first run silent movies. We were there to see one my friend's favorite British comedians, Eddie Izzard. Have you heard of him?  

I'll admit that I hadn't.  

~Before the concert that was sold out~

I found his comedy routine unique, creative and entertaining all at once! 

I'll also admit that I don't know if I would go and see Eddie Izzard again, I might. However it really was a fun evening spent with a good friend, that recharged my inner-batteries that have lately been running on empty.