Jeffrey's Big Adventure

Jeffrey had a big day yesterday.  If you don't know who Jeffrey is or his story, you can read all about it here.

Wednesday, I was preparing for my surgery and being off, so I took care of all of the animals.  I cleaned Lettie and Lilah's cage and I filled Jeffrey's tank up and cleaned his filter.  Well his filter was giving me troubles turning back on so I ended up having to fill his tank almost full.  Usually I fill it to about four inches from the top and I have never had a lid on his tank.  I never needed to.

Later that night, I noticed that he had his big, floating log over towards the right side, he was up on it and the bastard was trying to climb out.  Mr. Bruises pushed him back in and moved his log to the other side.

Yesterday, Mr. Bruises had to take me to the hospital for 6:30 am.  Once I got settled, I sent him home to get some sleep until I was ready to be picked up.  He got up and was eating his breakfast and he said something was amiss.  The turtle usually sits there and watches him eat his breakfast.  He looked in the tank and he was gone!  He was on the kitchen floor, right where he fell from his tank.  He was on his back and flailing all around.  Mr. Bruises noticed that both the cat and Travis were both over in that area nosing around.

We have no idea how long he was out and upside down, but he is back in his tank and being just as surly as ever.  I bet he won't try that again!

Cavy Cookies!

I am doing a little fundraiser for Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue in Lower Burrell, PA, this is where I got Lilah from.  In case you don't know, Cavy is the proper name for a guinea pig.

These cookies will be available at The Purple Pinkie Wednesday - Friday this week, while supplies last.  These are perfect for your Easter Baskets or to give to your sweetie.

The cookies are $3.00 each or 2 for $5.00 and are all on a stick and beautifully packaged.

We have pink, purple and white flowers.

Pink and purple tulips and limited supply of Easter Bunnies!!

Be sure to stop in to The Purple Pinkie this week and get a cookie!  The guinea pigs thank you!!

Meet Lettie!

For my birthday, this year, Mr. Bruises got me another gift card, but this one wasn't from WalMart.  He got me one from Petco.  See, right before we left for vacation, we were in Petco and I fell in love with these little Russian Dwarf hamsters.  He thought that since I lost Chip, I would like to have another little creature in my life.  This is awesome since this is the man who usually is saying "No more mouths to feed in this house!"

So, off I went to Butler to bring home my little fur ball.  Well, when I got there, the only ones out and about were the males.  They are cute and all, but I usually like female rodents.  Then I saw this guinea pig.  I large one.  That just kind of looked sad.  I walked over and she looked at me and followed my finger.  I kept going back and forth.  I called Mr. Bruises and asked him if we still had Rudy's cage and he said yes.  Still, I was undecided.  Those little fur balls sure are cute.  Finally, I decided since the little gal didn't want to come out to meet me maybe I should take the pig.

Well, once I asked the guy to get her for me, I knew I was meant to have her.  See, she wasn't for sale, she was up for adoption (for a small fee) and she came with a cage.  Right then I knew I was meant to take this gal home.  The guy seemed relieved that she found a good home.  I guess she was brought in last night, in a filthy cage, her water bottle was full of algea.  One thing I can say, they did feed her, so.......just like everyone in this house, she is on a diet!

She's a sweet pig, very loving and not as skittish as I though she may be.  I don't know how old she is, how long they had her, I just know that she's in her forever home and she doesn't have a worry in the world now.

The meet and greet went well.  Travis was very interested in her.  Now to keep Kallie off of the cage.  She used to sleep on Rudy's cage and I think she's gained some weight since Rudy passed away because when she jumped on the cage, she bowed it.  I want to put her in Rudy's old cage and will once Mr. Bruises gets home and finds it for me.

Rudy was born shortly before I brought her home on February 2, 2002, which was Super Bowl Sunday.  She was named after Rudy Giulianni, even though she was a girl.  So, keeping with that tradition, I took the suggestion of my boyfried, Dawson and his mom and am naming her after Kris LeTang.  We will call her Lettie for short.

So, welcome to the Kibuk clan, Lettie!  I can't wait to hear you "WEEK" for the first time!

Happy Birthday Travis

Well, today is little Kissy Face's birthday.  Yes, my Travis is three years old today.  I can't believe it's been three years.  He has really turned into an exceptional dog.  He is attached to my hip.  I could get up and go to another room every five minutes all day long and he would follow me each time.

He is a bed hog.  He is still very vocal, making exasperated groans when he lays down and makes roo roo noises when he yawns.  He still counter surfs, but only when Daddy is cooking.  He likes to steal his buns when he is out grilling.

He's my coffee buddy in the morning.  He's my snuggle bunny at night.  He is my fierce protector, keeping me safe from UPS trucks, the garbage truck, squirrels, bunnies, birds any anything else he has decided is not worthy of my time.  He's my little daredevil, but most of all, he's mine.

Happy Birthday Travis, Travee, Kissy Face, Little T, T-Rex, and all the other bazillion nicknames you have!

Miss Rudy and Chip

While looking at my blog today, remembering Chip, I recalled how Chip came into our lives about a month before Miss Rudy our guinea pig went to the Rainbow Bridge.  She was nearly seven years old, they usually live to be about five.  I remember thinking that Chip was a gift from God, to help us through losing Rudy.

Imagine my surprise when I read my blog post about her passing.  I realized that Chip passed away two years to the day that Rudy did.  WOW.  Chip is buried right next to Rudy in the same peaceful spot.  I am sure that they are together again, on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, along with all of our other fur babies, who have made the crossing through the years.  Look out for each other girls!

My Sweet Chip

I had a great weekend getaway with friends this weekend.  When I came home, called to Chip, like I normally do, however, this time she did not come to greet me by climbing as high as she could and shaking the cage to try to get my attention.  I thought maybe she was asleep, so I tried waking her up.  Nothing.  Then I thought that maybe she had somehow gotten out.  Nope, checked the cage for any sign of escape and nothing.

I called Mr. Bruises to see when the last time he saw her.  He mentioned that she wasn't up this morning running on her wheel like normal and thought maybe she was taking a nap.  The last time I saw her was early Saturday morning before I left to meet with my friends.

I found her, all curled up under her hollow log.  It looks as though she went to sleep and never woke up.  She looked comfy and peaceful.  I am heartbroken.  I expected to enjoy her company for many more years.

I will be honest, I've never researched how long they live.  I also, don't know if she had any issues that wouldn't allow her to live longer either.  The way I look at it, she was supposed to die September 10, 2008.  That was the day that I found her as a baby, soaking wet in the middle of the road.  I scooped her up, took her home and somehow nursed her back to health.  She lost half of her tail somehow, but she seemed to be thriving through these last two years.

I have a new respect and love for these creatures after sharing my home with on for over two years.  She wasn't like a hamster, up all night.  She was like us.  She got up at 7:00 in the morning and she went to bed at 7:00 at night.  In those 12 hours that she was out and about, she ran on her wheel constantly.

When we first got her, she was in a smaller cage and she had a hamster wheel.  She used to get that thing going so fast that she would shoot out of it.  Here's a video that I shot that always cracks me up when I watch it.

For her first Christmas, she got a new, bigger wheel.  She escaped for the first time that day as we were trying to put the wheel in her cage.  We had her in the living room in a huge bird cage with lots of branches and logs for her to climb on.  Each time I would clean her cage, I would not only remove all of her stash of nuts and things that she was storing, but I would move her branches all around.  I felt that it kept life interesting for her.

She was a part of the family.  Travis loved to look at her.  Mr. Bruises shared his breakfast bananas with her.  I would call her name all of the time just to see her react to my voice.

Wow, this just really sucks.  I had no clue our time was going to be so short and I miss her already.

God speed, sweet Chip.

Birthday's Are Bittersweet

Birthday's are bittersweet, especially if you are a dog owner.  When Travis celebrated his second birthday, we went all out.  We had a cupcake scavenger hunt for him, lots of hoopla.  Yesterday, was Riley's birthday.  Yes, we sang to him and yes he got a cupcake (not multiples like his brother because he is watching his figure), but we really didn't make a big deal about it.  It's not that we love Travis more, because we don't it's just that Riley was eight yesterday and that makes me really sad.

Bigger dogs usually live 10-11 years.  I awoke yesterday with a sadness, knowing that I only have a couple of years left with my Rye Pie.  I don't know what I will do the day I lose him.  It' won't be pretty.

So yes, Riley had a birthday, yes, we made him feel special, but I would have rather the day didn't come.  I don't want him to be eight, I want him to be two.

Happy Birthday, Riley, your birthday Antler chew should be here soon!  God, please let the next few years go SLLLLLLLLOOOOOW!

He's moved on to Iced Tea bottles!

Travis has given up his water bottle for a much larger iced tea bottle.  Actually, I gave both boys a bottle, but Travis just have to have it all, so he took Riley's bottle too.  Watch as he tries to get BOTH bottles in his mouth at one time!

The Great, Giant Icicle

Since the snowstorms from hell are over, we are now getting the huge icicles popping up everywhere.  Here is the huge one that is falling from the corner of our house.  I was waiting to see if it would touch the ground.  I finally just knocked them down since I was afraid it was doing more damage than entertainment.

Well, the boys found a piece of the great, giant icicle and were fighting over it.

Guess who won?  Travis, he always wins, not because he is tougher, it's because Riley lets him win.  Riley lets him have anything he wants EXCEPT his food.  That's where he draws the line.

So, I finally wrestle the great, giant icicle from Travis and what does that little shit do?  He smuggles a smaller version into the house.  I knew something was up when he didn't stay in the kitchen and wait for his treat.

Boys!

Chippie Tales

People ask all of the time how Chip is.  I thought I was long overdue with an update on her.  YES, I said HER.  Chip is a SHE.  For those of you who don't know her story, you can read about it here.  When you are finished with that, you can read all the rest here. 

Chip is thriving.  She has a beautiful coat.  She runs MILES on her wheel daily.  She still gets up at 7:00 am and she still goes to bed at 7:00 pm.  She loves walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dried papaya, bananas, catelope, honeydew and sunflower seeds.  She also loves Fruit Loops, Ritz crackers and icing, however, she only gets those as a treat every now an then.

I don't try to handle her, she has become increasingly aggressive as she has gotten older.  I don't think she would ever try to harm me.  She just totally charges the cage when you come near it.  It has made cleaning her cage a challenge.  She has escaped a number of times.  She is totally content and happy to be back in her cage later, I think she just charges the cage and falls out, then runs around like an idiot.  I am certain if I just left the door open, she would return to her cage eventually, but i don't want the other animals to hurt her by accident and I cenrtainly don't want her using my home as her bathroom. 

I still hold on to the hope that I can release her some day, but I know that isn't an option.  I can still dream about it though.  I really believe that if I did, she would try to get back into the house.

It's been wonderful getting to know a chipmunk, up close and personal.  I've always loved those creatures, I know have a deeper and stronger appreciation and love for them now.

Happy New Year!

It's 2010!  Yeah!  Mr. Bruises and I celebrated last night with BFF Jill, Brandon and company at the Ford Cliff firehall.  We had lots of fun, especially with a baby and making fun of the redneck followers of the disc jockey.  We have video footage, so don't worry, you will get to enjoy it all right with us!

The boys were left home alone for the celebration.  Looks like they partied a little themselves!  Happy New Year!

Punking Mr. Bruises

Last week, a client brought Max in to visit. The family brought the puppy home thinking it was a boy only to have the vet tell them, nearly a week later that it's a girl! They had been calling her Max and considered changing her name, but the youngest son was having nothing of it. So, meet Maxine!

She is such a cutie. She just snuggled in to my neck. When I went to give her some treats, the most amazing puppy breath ever came out of her mouth. Puppy breath is the best smell on Earth!

I thought I would get Mr. Bruises going, so I sent him the following photo in a text message and had the following text conversation with him:










Me: Your Christmas present was just delivered.
MB: Is that really ours?
Me: Yep
MB: You're kidding, right?
Me: Nope
MB: Girl?
Me: Yep
***long pause***
Me: She was just visiting, her name is Max, but you are lucky this time!
MB: You got my hopes up, Max is a dumb name for a girl.

I then had to explain the whole boy/girl mix up to him. His response surprised me. I didn't realize he would be open to another dog. I would love to have about three more, however, we would need to find other options for doggy sitting if we added another dog. Three dogs is a lot to ask someone to care for when you are on vacation.

You have to admit, she is a cutie!

Back to Reality

So, we are home. Back to Reality. I worked approximately ten minutes before I had to shorten my totally awesome nails. It's freezing cold. I am working non-stop until Christmas. The knower of all, Tinkerbell, says it like it really is....


Mornings in Western Pennsylvania, in the winter, are NOT magical. She is such a smart one, I guess that's why she has wings and gets to carry the Pixie Dust.


Know what is magical? Or should I say Who? This guy! Travis!


This guy will turn your frown upside down!

Switched!

I swear that the boys have switched bodies on me ala Freaky Friday. Travis, my little naughty boy has suddenly become an angel and Riley, my angel has suddenly become my naughty boy. Look at this photo! Riley is on the couch! You see Mr. Bruises did a lot to stop him, he's laying right there with him. Neither boys are allowed on the furniture.

Monday, when I took Riley to the vet, as we pulled into the parking lot, he started howling like a hound dog. I am talking it sounded like I had slammed his tail in the door and driven the 10 minutes to the vet with it still in the door. I blame this all on Mr. Bruises' parents dog, a beagle-basset hound mix, who went to the bridge a few years ago. Stormy had the most God awful bark and Riley learned it. It is quite embarrassing when he does it because you usually don't hear a sound like that coming from a Golden Retriever. He usually does it at home when he knows my father in law has come home. NOW, he is doing it in public!

Yesterday, I took the boys to get groomed. When I went to pick them up, the groomer told me that she noticed a huge difference in Travis this time, that he wasn't as excitable and jumpy. She said he jumped right up on the table and she didn't even have to use the head harness, he just stood there and let her groom him. I asked how Riley did, since the last time he got a little snippy when it came to the nail clipping. She said, wait for it.......wait for it......wait for it.......HE GAVE HER A BLOODY NOSE! OMG! my angel started thrashing when it was nail clipping time and she head butted her and gave her a bloody nose! Never in my life would I ever think that my precious Riley would draw blood on someone.

I don't know what these two did, but I want it to stop. I want my boys back. I want my angel Riley and I want my mischievous little naught boy Travis. Now I just have to figure out how to switch them back and quickly. They are going to Aunt Tammy's house for "vacation" in T minus twenty four hours!

Today...I will be a Golden Retriever!

Yesterday, I was a Chiuaua. I was irritable, bitchy and I let everyone and everything bother me. I have some OCD tendencies and I really hate it when things are moved or broken or just wrong. Sometimes things are done with good intentions, however, when you are a Chiuaua, you don't give a shit, you are just pissed off and everyone is gonna know it.

I chalk it up to surgery, pain killers and just not feeling up to snuff. Today, I've decided to be a Golden Retriever. They really don't have a care in the world. They walk around with that "Nobody's gonna breaka my stride" song playing in their head. Everything is fun to them, even going to the vet and getting a thermometer shoved up their butt.

Look at the look on Travis' face. Do you think that he gives one flying fig that he looks like a looney? No! He could care less, he's loving life and having fun while he does it. Not a care in the world.

Today, I am a Golden Retriever. I just won't lick my butt.

Well I Did It!

I've wanted to participate in NaBloPoMo for a couple of years now. I finally did it. It stands for National Blog Posting Month and you pledge to post once a day, every day in November. Well, I did it!

I have actually blogged every day since October 2o. You see, I have this competitve streak in me. If I blog daily until the end of the year, I will beat last year's total number of posts by two. This should be interesting with a vacation throw in before the holidays!

In other updates, I am feeling great after my surgery. So far, it seems to be working ;o). I've just been hanging around, watching movies, trying to take it easy before I go back to work full-force tomorrow. I've had three little furry nurse mates at my side, which is nice, but they are still hogging the bed.

Happy December everyone! I am still loving this weather and I hope Mr. Bruises brings up our pencil tree soon, so that I can relieve the Christmas Table of it's duties.

Presents are Wrapped!

Well, I've gotten all of the Christmas presents that I bought, wrapped. It's no surprise that Riley and Travis have the most presents. They were the first presents bought too. I guess I am not finished shopping, I totally didn't get Kallie, Chip or Jeffrey anything. Shhhh don't tell them, they will never know!

Snuggle Buddies

Sunday, I did a little Christmas shopping. While Mr. Bruises was in Best Buy, I went to Pet Smart to shop for the animals. I had some time to kill, so I browsed up and down aisles I usually don't go down. I came to the section that housed the kitties that were up for adoption. OMG, these two were totally snuggling in a bed, sound asleep.

I couldn't resist, I had to take a photo. I know people were looking at me like I had grown a second head, but you know, I am used to that. I just kept snapping away. They never woke up. Look how the black one is totally hugging the gray one.

Pet Smart works with local animal shelters to help find homes for these kitties. I am always amazed at how well they take care of these cats. Their cages and bedding are always clean and they get them out and play with them daily as well. I sure hope these kitties find a new home, until then, they got each other!

Remembering Sonny

Sonny was our first dog as a couple. I saw him at Lasher's Pets and mentioned him to Mr. Bruises since he had made a comment that he always wanted a collie. We went to see him and when they took him out of the cage, he pooped on the floor. What a great first impression.

Weeks passed and a guy that worked in the pet shop came into the cycle shop and told Mr. Bruises if he wanted him, he was half off because he was getting too big for his cage. So, we went and got him and it was the best day ever. Those who passed him up missed out on one of the best dogs ever. Even though we got him for half price, he was worth full price tripled.

Sonny was born on this day in 1988. He would have been 21 today. He lived to be thirteen and a half, which is amazing, however, not nearly long enough for us. The day he went to the Rainbow Bridge, a piece of my heart went with him.

People made fun of us because we had birthday parties for him. We still do that with our animals, but back then, we had guests, now it is just us. Really, we weren't the crazy ones, those were the people who came to the party AND brought gifts!

Sonny was the gentlest, most loving collie I've ever encountered. Naively, I thought all collies were like him, but I found out that he was rare. I found that out the hard way when one bit me in the ass and ripped my jeans. Thank goodness he was old and his teeth were nubs, while I didn't have broken skin, I had one hell of a bruise.

So, today, I remember my precious Sonny. In honor of his 21st birthday, I will be having a Long Island Iced Tea at Nite Courts tonight! Happy Birthday, Sonny, I still love you and miss you terribly!

Devil Dog

How about this for a photo? Travis looks possessed.

Now that Travis has hit the two year mark, he has settled down quite a bit. Now, I am not saying that he is an angel, because he's not. He's still the same mischievous little boy, just on a smaller scale now.

Riley, on the other hand is still the angel. He's trained so well and is just so good, he's had seven years to perfect his awesomeness!