kandas-adventures

Bentley and Kangaroo go to Utah

The Humane Society asked me to make a video and shoot some photos of the kittens to send to rescue groups and animal sanctuaries, hoping the kittens would receive a placement at one of them.  The kittens may need costly medical care as they grow, and therefore they are considered unadoptable.  It is unrealistic to assume a potential adopter would be amenable to paying for such care, which could include specialized surgeries costing thousands of dollars.  The chances that an adopter would abandon them or euthanize them were too high.

Here's the video I made:

 

Within a few days of posting the video on Youtube and having the Humane Society share the link, I got a call from the Humane Society that Best Friends, a sanctuary in Kenab, Utah, had accepted them!  The only problem, finding a volunteer to transport them.  After a few more weeks time, another volunteer offered to drive them the 1100 miles to Utah in conjunction with her vacation to the Grand Canyon.  I said good-bye to Bentley and Kangaroo last Friday, and within 24 hours I was given 4 bottle-feeding baby kittens.  I miss Bently and Roo even though I am so busy with the new kittens.  

Kangaroo is much smaller than her brother Bentley.

Kangaroo watches deer grazing in our neighbor's yard.

Kangaroo mid-meow while sitting on the perch in our outdoor cat enclosure.

Bentley suns himself on our back deck (secure in the new cat enclosure so the kitties can get some fresh air and sunshine).

Goodbye sweet kitties.  I'm so happy you are going to be together in life.  Enjoy that sunshine in Utah!

Here's a link to the Facebook album about their journey to Utah, made by the volunteer who delivered them to the sanctuary.

Act One. The Youth In Asia. from In Dog We Trust

Act One. The Youth In Asia. from In Dog We Trust.

This is a fun monologue about pet ownership by David Sedaris.  Click on the tiny orange triangle "play" button alongside the title down below the image of the dog.  There will be a brief intro to the radio show, then the monologue will begin.  Enjoy!

Sarvey Wildlife Baby Shower

A local wildlife rescue held a "baby shower" at a park near us, and they brought unreleasable birds of prey and an opossum along to do an educational talk.  Above, a Great Horned Owl who had been hit by a car and can no longer dilate one of his eyes.

There were several handlers and each had a wealth of information to share, not only about the animals themselves, but about their habitat, how to protect them, and what to do if we find an injured or baby animal.

The crowd listening was mostly kids, and some parents were better than others on corralling their young children and keeping them quiet.  A few times the birds "spooked" at approaching or squealing children, and the eagle handler got a few bloody cuts across his forehead from the bird's talons, but otherwise the birds seemed content in their role as species ambassadors.

Of course all the birds were secured on "Jessies" and couldn't get far from their handlers.

The "spooking" incidents were pretty dramatic, because you got to see the wildness in the birds, and their amazing wingspans.

There were many tender moments, too.  The handlers and their birds definitely had a bond with each other.

Here the handler tries to calm his bird before putting it back in it's carrier.

In addition to the Bald Eagle and Great Horned Owl, we also saw a Red Tail Hawk (above left), a Peregrine Falcon, a Golden Eagle, and an Opossum.  All had injuries that prevented them from being released, however the main goal of Sarvey Wildlife is to rehabilitate and release.  They work with everything from tiny hummingbirds to enormous black bears.

I was just in awe at the handlers' poise and ability to manage these unpredictable, wild birds while also talking with the crowd.

Besides the lecture, there were also educational tables, activities, and crafts scattered around the park.

The kids particularly loved the "feather boards."  One of the educators had handpainted life-sized cutouts of birds and attached shed feathers so the children could feel them.

The board on the right, above, shows the Red Tail Hawk, with the left side being a juvenile, and the right being the mature plumage.  The eye color of the hawk even changes from yellow to dark brown.

Soon the show was over.  Birds were loaded back into their kennels for the drive back to the shelter.  Children and their parents learned new things.  And I have an even greater respect for the work wildlife rescue groups do to keep our wildlife surviving.

An Afternoon with Grandpa

During spring break I had errands to run in the city, so we stopped by the place where Grandpa is staying temporarily to say hello.

 

We had a lunch of tomato soup, celery sticks with cream cheese, and crackers in the back garden.

Since everyone ate a good lunch, we stopped by Mighty-O donut for a few vegan mini doughnuts and a coffee to fuel us up for a walk at Greenlake.

 

The ornamental cherry trees were in full bloom and just stunning. Daffodils were still around and tulips were just popping. It really felt like spring.

 

During our walk along the lake Little K grumbled that she wished it weren't just spring, but summer, so she could go swimming. Grandpa didn't hesitate. He swept her off her feet and was ready to toss her in...

 

Of course with Grandpa one never knows what he'll really do. He's just crazy enough to follow through! However on this day he just gave little K a good scare.

By the time our afternoon with Grandpa came to a close, the clouds had rolled in and the temperature had dropped. Soon Grandpa would be on the train headed back to rural Minnesota for the summer, where he lives in an airstream trailer in a trailer park. By spending his summers in the midwest, he is actually able to live off his meager Social Security payments. When he has to come to the city in October, when the trailer park shuts down for the winter, his cost of living goes up, even though he rents a room from friends. Part of it is that in the city he has a girlfriend or two, which requires flowers and the occasional dinner out. Then there is the lure of coffee shops on every corner in Seattle. He takes odd carpentry and interior painting jobs to bolster his income during the winter.

I never pictured my hippie dad in a trailer park surrounded by retired midwest conservative republicans, but he says they treat him like a harmless curiosity, and there is always an open dinner invitation for him at one trailer or another because people feel sorry for him being alone. He claims the home-cooked meals are worth the proselytizing he sometimes gets.

We won't see him again until the fall. The girls and I will miss him.

 

 

Day Trip to Vendovi Island

One of the charities that we give an annual donation to is the San Juan Preservation Trust, which creates conservation easements and purchases land in the increasingly populated San Juan Islands, nestled between the United States and Canada.  Recently they bought an entire Island, saving it from logging, housing developments, and commercial use.  The trust will make it open to the public for limited recreation (mostly hiking and bird watching) on weekends during the summer months.

You can see it on the nautical map above.  Vendovi Island.  The trust had to take out a bridge loan to buy it from the family who owned it.  The loan needs to be paid back within a short time, so the trust is having fund drives and events to raise money to pay off the loan.  One of the events was a chartered boat trip to the island (it can only be reached by small boats, no ferries or planes).

The boat ride was about an hour, and we had around 40 nature-loving friends to talk to on the way.  For a time, the girls and I sat at the bow and talked with this man who pointed out all the different birds he saw, and showed us more information about them from his bird guide.

It was an unusually beautiful day for April, mid-60's, patchy clouds, calm waters, just a light breeze.

Double Crested Cormorants, the one on top drying its wings.

Little K was excited to spot things, including harbor porpoises and seals.  A was engrossed in the Judy Bloom classic, "Are You There God, it's me, Margaret," recently picked up at a thrift store.  I was so happy to see her actually reading that I suppressed the urge to tell her to put the book down and enjoy the view instead.  A struggles a bit with reading, so I didn't want to interrupt her. 

We're getting closer!  The yellow blob on the lower right is where we are headed.

Pulling in to the only dock on the island.  The modular house is where the former owners would have family retreats.  It will now house the Island's caretaker.

The boat we arrived on, the MV Light Keeper.  In front of it is a smaller private boat that another family used to join us.

After a brief introduction to the island's history, we were split into groups based on hiking speed and ability, and set out to explore with a guide from the trust.  There were a lot of sensitive vegetation areas, so we were told to step carefully at times.

Carpets of wild lillies along side the trail.  Try not to step on any!

There was excellent signage at all trail crossings.  The former owners used to rip through the woods on ATVs, but many of the trails have been closed off and will be encouraged to return to the wild.  There are Eagle's nests and areas of rare and sensitive vegetation to be protected.  Because it is an island free of deer and rabbits, some of the native plants are much taller and fuller than you'd see on other islands and the mainland.  What was normally only seen as a low-growing shrub, was a waist-high bush.

As we emerge from the forest onto a rocky bluff we are greeted by a new assortment of lichens, ferns, and wildflowers.

The view is breathtaking!

We pause for half an hour to eat lunch, and hear more history of the island from our guide.  Some snap photos, others consult lists of flora and fauna.

The Indian Paintbrush (orange) is just coming into bloom.

K and A tiptoe to their own little spot to enjoy the view.  My fear of heights and falling down the steep hillside has me firmly planted back on the trail, and utilizing my zoom lens for these shots.

The girls enjoy the sandwiches, apple slices, and cheese I packed from home.

What a great place for a picnic!

Back through the lillies into the forest....

The previous owner of the Island was buried here, but he stipulated that if the Island was ever sold out of the family, his body was to be removed.  He probably never envisioned a land trust purchasing the island, and was probably concerned about having a house built on top of him.  Last summer he was exhumed and transfered elsewhere, but I can't imagine going anywhere more peaceful than this.  The cemetary was edged in brick and generously sized, as if to hold future generations.  Four dog graves are off to the side, but their bodies remain.  I wonder how many Native American remains are on the island as well.

Soon it was time to leave, and we were back on the boat.  Leaving the harbor, we lost a fender and had to reverse course to retrieve it.  "Don't reach for it Little K!"

Fender back on board, we returned to Anacortes.

Initially the waters were still calm, but as we got closer the wind picked up.

It was a lovely day trip and a great taste of the summer to come.  Vendovi Island is definitely a treasure worth protecting, and I hope the San Juan Preservation Trust is able to raise the funds they need to ensure it remains free of development.

If you would like to read more about Venovi Island or make a donation to the San Juan Preservation trust, you can read more here.

Vendovi Island

 

Carpet of lilies on Vendovi Island, April 14, 2012

Easter 2012

Easter was rather laid-back for me this year as I wasn't hosting.  After the buzz of the community egg hunt on Saturday morning, which I run each year for our neighborhood's 150+ children, all I had to do was buy rolls, cake, & ice cream to take to my brother and sister-in-laws for Easter Brunch.On Easter morning the girls hunted eggs outdoors as they always have, lining up the numbered paper scraps from within the plastic eggs and then reading clues as to where their baskets were hidden.  This year their baskets were under the heaps of clean laundry sitting in their room waiting for them to put away.  After the  perusing their goodies, they then had to really put that laundry away!

Little K's goodies this year included what you see in the photo -- the metal thing is a monkey tea infuser, eco fluxx is a card game, the pastel jelly non-pereil eggs are from See's candies, and the "basket" is a little purse from Vera Bradley.

A's goodies this year included a Girl's Life advice book on puberty (a topic she is fascinated in as she is in the midst of it), Chimes ginger chews (spicy!), Beeker (her favorite muppet character) bandaids, and the Europa 1912 expansion pack for the Ticket to Ride board game we already own.  Her basket, and the water bottle, is also from Vera Bradley.

At my brother and sister-in-law's house my mom sat at the head of the table and did a great job goofing off for the grandkids.

After the "traditional" meal of ham, potatoes, jello, green beans and rolls, we headed out to the back yard where the Easter bunny had scattered candy-filled eggs. 

Grammy waits for someone to bring her a chair, leaning against the fantastic slide I bought for A and K 10 years ago, and handed down to my niece an nephew.

Cracking open the eggs and filling the bowl with candy.

It was the hottest April 8th on record (70 degrees!!!) so we broke out a new kiddie pool and let the kids play.  A and K didn't have swimwear, but that didn't stop them from getting wet.  I didn't have extra clothes in the car (usually I do during the summer), but luckily they were wearing enough layers that I was able to peel some off to set aside and keep dry for them to wear home.

This year's official-candid Easter portrait includes wet hair, and good memories from a surprise summery day in an otherwise rainy April.

Getting Ready

Three year old I-ball helps stuff the eggs for the egg hunt this year.  It looks like we may even have a sunny weekend for it!

Deformed Kittens

Our first odd-eyed kitten!  One green eye, one blue eye!  And some other special features as well.... 
I've received 2 new foster kittens, about 7 weeks old. Both kittens have front legs with bone and joint deformities. The larger boy kitten is able to stand on his bent front legs, but his tiny sister has almost no control of her front legs, and is learning to hop along on her hind legs. They haven't had any kind of diagnostic screening (the Humane Society clinic has no ultrasound or X-ray equipment). In petting them I can feel what is missing: bones, a shoulder blade, ligaments, muscles. I don't know what the future holds for them.  Despite their deformities, they are typical rolly-polly kittens -- scooting along after toys, cuddling together, and purring loudly when you pick them up.  SO much love from them!  As loving as they are, the Humane Society will be challenged to find the right home for these two, who may have big vet bills as they get older.  As they increase in weight, walking on their bent joints instead of their feet may cause sores and skin infections.

The mother cat didn't reject them, despite their obvious flaws.  And whoever "owned" them didn't kill them when they were first born, as is often done with deformed kittens.  I'll admit it, when I first received them I wondered if keeping the little girl alive was the most humane thing to do.  She struggles with everything, from eating to relieving herself.  She has no control over her front paws, and thus can't wash her face the way cats do, or sharpen her claws.   She can flap her front legs like chicken wings, but they don't go the way her brain tells them to, and certainly don't function like real legs.  The paws dangle lifelessly at odd angles off the end of the elbow joint, and the one leg is often twisted backwards behind her back.  It wasn't long, though, before her loud purr convinced me that she needed to be given a chance at life.

The boy kitten has less deformity and better mobility.  He'll be fine, although he also struggles with grooming.  He has a very thick "double coat," which will need human attention.

The staff vets see no point in splinting to try to correct their deformities.  It may not be the same issue, but this story that my husband found online about a similar case, and it's resolution through splinting, looked promising.  They are growing so fast right now, that it seems a shame to miss a possible "window of opportunity" for therapeutic intervention.  Human babies with club feet can have their joints corrected, if done early enough.  Sometimes it's hard for me not to be an armchair veterinarian as far as the Humane Society's vet department is concerned, especially given some of the cases I've had where the vets made mistakes.  

 

Career Conference for Girls

I spent the day on a college campus recently, attending lectures on preparing your daughter for college and encouraging an interest in the sciences.  Meanwhile my daughter and 400 other girls ages 11 - 14 were in a series of mini-workshops, introducing them to potential careers.  In one class A got to watch the dissection of a real sheep's heart.  In another she learned all about ultrasound and got to use the machine on different parts of her body to see inside.  A proclaimed it the "most fun day ever!"  We have one more day of this conference coming up, and A can't wait.

The girls were fed a pizza lunch during their program, but the parents were set free for 90 minutes to hit nearby restaurants.  I wandered over to the cafeteria, where I was surrounded by 18 - 22 year olds, nearly all plugged into some electronic device or another.  There were almost no conversations happening among the more than 100 students lounging in chairs, hunched over tables, and draped over couches -- at least no audible conversations.  There was probably a lot of IMing and Twittering going on.  

I'd packed my own lunch, but after awhile the aroma of bacon got me, and I went and bought a plate with one biscuit and 2 strips of bacon (for $3.00!) to accompany my packed lunch.  I settled in with the student newspaper and enjoyed lunch, marveling at how much college has changed since I attended 20 years ago.  From the posters hung throughout the building, there were apparently still social events and clubs and causes to rally for.  However, the kids around me seemed much more into their own worlds, and the silence was almost unnerving.  I'd expect it in the library, but the Student Center building?

The articles I was reading in the student newspaper were compelling.  I felt like I was reading the New York Times instead of a college rag.  I don't remember my student paper being so well-written, but then again I went to a community college, and this was a private university that admitted only the best of the best.  Maybe that's why they were all so quiet.  They were all studying to be scientists, engineers, or doctors, so they had a lot on their minds.

When I picked A up after the conference, she was bubbling with enthusiasm.  "When can I enroll?  I want to go here!"  Given that tuition alone was $34,000 a year, it wasn't going to be any time soon.  Six years from now she'll be heading to college, and yet the planning has to start years before that.  This conference is a good first step, I suppose, but the scariest part is how we'll pay for it.  

Will she get a full ride scholarship like her older sister?  Unlikely.  

Will we be able to afford to send her to a prestigious private university for 4 years like her dad went to?  Highly unlikely.  

Will she work summer jobs and save and start out at a more affordable community college?  That's probably more realistic.  

I was relieved to hear during one of the lectures that it is not the college your child starts at that matters, but where they graduate from.  It is perfectly acceptable to start at a community college and transfer to a university.  The speakers also stressed the importance of parents investing in their own retirement funds ahead of any college funds for children.  "You can take out a loan for school, but not for retirement," they cautioned.  

With the economy as it is, I've been shy about investing.  Stocks and mutual funds seem like high-stakes gambling to me.  Watching large, formerly profitable and stable companies, that have been around for generations, collapse into bankruptcy has been sobering.  There seem to be no safe investments anymore.  Even bonds and CD's are a joke now.

Thankfully we have 6 more years before this clown goes to college (do you like the green sticker she put on her nose?)  She has always wanted to be a doctor when she grows up.  Given her less than great grades, I felt a bit of a relief that it wasn't likely we'd be paying for med school for her, since she wouldn't get in.  However, since starting middle school she has become a lot more focused on her work, and has really strived to get high marks.  Maybe she will prove me wrong.

Her latest interest, spurred on by pimples that have appeared across her forehead, is dermatology.  She is absolutely fascinated!  Whenever there is a splinter to be pulled, a cut to bandage, or a rash on the cat's mouth, she comes running to observe.  She loves to look at moles, warts, and birthmarks.  

We'll see what the future holds...