This weekend we went and looked at houses. We can't make any offers until our current one sells- SO HURRY UP SOMEONE AND BUY IT- but we can at least get a good feel for where we want to live. We're moving with two priorities in mind: lessen my husband's commute, and get us into a good public school district. To that end, there are two communities we are considering. Ticky Tacky Town is made up of little boxes on the hillside, and they're all made of ticky tacky and they all look the same. ... Read more »
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House Hunting: Go on, look. I dare you.
Well, we've done it. Our house is on the market. I hope it sells quickly, because we've whipped the place into show-perfect condition and trust me, I can only sustain this for a very short amount of time. The pressure of the constant running around after two messy little primates dripping crumbs and two fuzzy big canines shedding fur and one giant ape dripping socks is just a whole lot for one person who isn't that fond of housekeeping to begin with. Every time someone wants to come through ... Read more »
5 Top Earth Day Pet Products
So yaay everybody, happy Earth Day! In the last year I have been fortunate enough to see the majestic Amazon in Peru, the natural wonder of Ngorongoro Crater, and the jaw dropping Mahale Mountains in Tanzania. And living in California, well, I can't complain about our natural beauty here as well. We have an amazing, beautiful, really mind-blowing planet to hang out on. And mess up. I think it's a fairly natural fit for people who love animals, who are fascinated by wildlife, to also be ... Read more »
Hot cat ladies and other misconceptions about animal lovers
I read a great article yesterday on msnbc about the incredible work being done by World Vets under the leadership of one of the most amazing vets I have ever met, Cathy King. Then I read the comments. Comments on news articles are a funny thing. People who like to comment on news sites are very odd, aren't they? It's like they have alienated every human they have come across in the real world so they need to go online in order to find somewhere they can moan and groan. On many blogs and ... Read more »
This stinks
As some of you know, because I haven't shut up about it for the last few weeks, we have our house on the market. It's rough, not only because the market is rough, but because trying to pretend a house full of kids and animals is a pristine model home is an exercise in futility. The furniture has some vestigial bite marks left over from Brody's youth; the grass has some brown spots despite my best efforts; the walls have some stickers I haven't managed to completely remove yet. However, those ... Read more »
Snakes on a plain
Maybe this rattlesnake aversion stuff does pay off. To the left is a shed skin just hanging out on the side of the road. Brody sniffed every single bush in that park but refused to show the slightest interest in the skin. NOT that I'm complaining! We did an aversion training session when he was eight months old, but we are due for a refresher. With spring in full bloom, the snake babies are everywhere and ERs are gearing up for what is looking to be a brisk bite season. If you live in ... Read more »
Speaking of mountain lions…
You all know I am irrationally petrified of getting eaten by a mountain lion. Every time I start to get close to being OK with the risk, someone comes around and says, "Oh yes, some woman DOWN IN SAN DIEGO had her scalp eaten by a mountain lion, I remember reading that in the papers, and she only lived because some guy rode by on a mountain bike and threw the bike at the mountain lion" and then I get all freaked out again. (Thanks, Susi.) Yesterday Brody and I checked out a new-to-us area ... Read more »
3 Dumb Things that Dog Owners Do (That Make Us All Look Bad)
I am a dog person. I think most of you probably know that. I like dogs, a whole lot. I am into them. I can hang with them. That being said, I understand that not everyone else on the planet feels the same way. Dog owners who refuse to act with some basic courtesies grate on me as badly as parents who let their kids kick the back of my airplane seat. With the advent of spring, lots of people are venturing outside again with their pets- and this is a great thing, usually, but it also marks the ... Read more »
Horrible pet parents unite
I love this recent post from Mel Freer where she longs for the good old days before we were overinundated with information about pet food recalls, puppy mill abuses, and terrible people who do awful things to animals. I agree. On the one hand, the internet has made the dissemination of information so much easier, and that is a very good thing in a lot of ways. On the other hand, it kind of makes information hard to escape. There is a constant barrage of it, and unless you just flat out ... Read more »
So long, and thanks for all the experimentation
I just randomly happened upon this story about Chimpanzee Island from CNN yesterday, and it was as fascinating as it was distressing. I've mentioned before that it was spending time in a lab that was conducting research on chimpanzees that convinced me I could not pursue a career in lab animal or primate medicine. It felt wrong, deep in my bones. I was not the only one who felt this way. In the past ten years, the scientific community has refined protocols, developed alternatives, ... Read more »
