Rescue a Cat or Two

JUNE IS HERE!

 And It's Adopt a Shelter Cat Month!

Each spring, thousands of kittens flood into the already overloaded shelters throughout our country. Litters of cute cuddly, newborn kittens join the millions of older cats desperately in need of a loving, forever home. Petfinder is a great place to start to find individual fur babies that are looking for a family to call their own in your area. Donations, foster parents and shelter volunteers are needed now more than ever.  You can make a difference! Please pass this post on and find out more about how you can help to place the many lovable felines in need. 

Rescues, Fosters and Shelters - I would like to donate artwork to help raise funds for this cause.

Contact me at: sandy@sandysandy.com if you are interested.

Birthdays, Breaks and Babies

Today is my horse, Santa Margarita's, 21st birthday. It seems like only yesterday that she was a newborn foal, so bold and full of herself, ready to take on the world.

 I haven't seen her yet today, but did this drawing of her this afternoon. I will go out at dinner time with Jerry and make a big fuss over her. I'm really looking forward to seeing my big birthday girl today.

Not much to report on the home scene. Healing is going well, but slowly as expected. Here's one of my x-rays showing the craftsmanship and carpentry skills of my doctor. Thank goodness for modern medicine!

As per my suspicions, we just found out that our woodchuck, "Chuckie" is "Chuckquita"! She  has 5 or 6 babies under my hay shed. They are the size of guinea pigs and so cute! We can see them through binoculars from the house. They are very young and wary, so we can't get close to them. My dad had a groundhog as a pet when he was a kid and the whole family really loved him. Check out this video of a lady who rescues orphaned wildlife. I'm having a cuteness overload. Don't you just want to hold one?

Getting Back Into Riding . . . If Only in My Dreams

The past few nights, I've been having vivid dreams about riding and caring for the horses. It is probably due to me getting more upright, flexible and mobile, while taking advantage of the boot, physical therapy and exercising. I even walked out to the barn once with help from Jerry and a walker. Yesterday my farrier came and I stayed out there for almost two hours. I also gave Rita a good grooming. We both really enjoyed it!

Jerry continues to lunge my 32 year old, Rudy, at least every other day

and they both seem to be benefiting from it.

Sometimes he takes me out in the car so I can watch.

Over the past two months, some individuals have been sending healing thoughts, get well wishes and asking how I'm doing. It's really nice to know that people care. Thanks especially to those of you that have reached out to me during this trying time. Your friendship and kindness really means so much!


"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.  The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."  ~ Henri Nouwen

"We are the captains of our own ships sailing the sea of life, but in times of a stormy weather, you will discover true friends when they don't hesitate to be a lighthouse."  ~ Dodinsky

Still spending part of my days in the chair; here's my current studio setup.

Jerry shot my leg last Thursday at my first physical therapy appointment. Only a week later, it looks much better. Still lots of swelling after exercise, but everything is going really well. I've been meditating nightly which is helping me heal more quickly, both physically and spiritually.

Although the time did go slow for me during my convalescence, I can't believe it is almost June! Now that I'm feeling better, things are really speeding up! This shot of Rita was taken by my friend, Jen, last August. She will have a collection of her photos at The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair at the Caracol Jewelry  booth. If you are local and you go to the show, be sure to stop by and have a look.  Her art is awesome.

Memorial Day weekend unofficially starts tomorrow. It kicks off the summer here in the states. I just started working on some of my stock photography again. I think this one of my folks, is appropriate for the holiday weekend and summer season ahead. "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! YAY!"


No matter what your plans are, have a safe and enjoyable weekend. Take some time to reflect and be grateful for all those who have lost their lives so that we may enjoy the many freedoms we hold dear.


Wishing You Many Blessings, Sandy

Howdy Hoo From Cat Man Do!

Sophie - sweet resident barn/shop cat

I said I'd fill you in the cat happenings here at "Cat Man Do", so here I go. It's complicated. Eva, the one year old recent drop off and fred's last fling has been vetted, treated, spayed and contained in a large cage in Jerry's shop since last Tuesday. She's been in the same room as Sophie and Ginger, our outside/inside, barn/shop cats. Sophie is a real doll, but Ginger is a an insecure, neurotic pterodactyl. (Wow, how do you like the spelling of that word?) The three cats seem to be accepting each other and I think we'll open Eva's door to the room with the two girls on Wednesday. I hope her and Sophie hit it off, because Ginger really annoys the Soph with her constant clinginess.

Ginger - Sweet, skittish and fat with various issues

The love triangle - Eva,  Ja Ja and Fred 

Eva -  tiny newbie 4.5 lbs.

Eva seems very docile and tame. Jerry's been sticking his hand in the cage and petting her, which she likes very much.

Ja Ja - teenage mother, 6 mo. old

As per my previous post, we caught Ja Ja,

only to find she was nursing kittens,

so brought her back untouched except for a rabies shot.

She loves the trap and we have caught her several times since. 

Freddie the Free Loader - Still at large

Fred's just too smart and continues to be an outlaw. We set the trap. He sniffs it, sprays it and walks away. He's been around the block a few too many times and we're afraid he is going to be a difficult one to catch.

Princess has her good days and bad. She's 17 now and often seems grouchy. She has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. We have her on transdermal medication which is helping her have more good days. She now has a better appetite and is starting to put some weight on. 

Tigger is our big, lovable guy. He is spending more and more time with me in the studio, much to Princess' dismay. He's usually very good and tolerant of her and her space, but every once in a while he has to be a bad boy and get right in her face. This of course sets her off and gets her all riled up. He's young and playful and does it just for the fun of it and because it really annoys her.

Lately, Tigger's been taking all of the big soft balls out of his toy basket. Then, he walks around with them in his mouth. He carries it like it was a kitten, all the time crying in a loud, pitiful way until he finds a good spot to lay it down. Then he goes and gets another one and repeats the process. Saturday morning, we woke to find all four of them arranged in a neat, evenly spaced row. He continued observing and guarding them throughout the day until later that evening, when he started adding smaller sparkly balls to his arrangement. Then he seemed to loose interest. I think he wants to be an artist.

Leah - resident outside feral

Ziggy and Leah seem to be staying to themselves, mostly hanging out on the shed roof during the day where they occupy the penthouse suite.

Ziggy - Tigger's brother, resident outside feral

Snowflake  - spring 2011

They are not alone up there in their roof top abode anymore though. For the past couple of weeks, a raccoon has been coming out of their apartment and joining them for their evening meal. We don't think it's Snowflake, because it's shy and runs when it see's Jerry, but it could be one of the babies from last year. Anyway, they all seem to be getting along at the moment. Most likely, Ziggy and Leah don't have a choice and are just trying to hang on to their prime real estate. 

"Psychologists now recognize that the need in some people to have a dozen cats is really a sublimated desire to have two dozen cats."  ~ Robert Brault