It's Time to Move On

I'm so sad about the Gulf Coast right now.

Throughout much of my childhood my family made yearly trips to beaches along the Alabama and Florida coasts, and it tears at my heart to hear that globs of oil are now washing up on those same beaches. At the time, I took those seaside excursions for granted, but now I am realizing how much they meant to me. I can't imagine the heartache experienced by my friends who grew up along those shores.

I've mostly been avoiding news coverage about the oil spill, preferring to remain in a state of denial about the scope of this thing. All those dying animals, the lost jobs, the marred water....not to mention the human lives lost in the initial explosion....it's just too much to take in.

Today I did succumb to looking at the pictures of oil-covered pelicans (warning: not for the tender-hearted). I was grousing to Paul about BP and their evil-ness, and he remarked that he is surprised at all the blame levelled strictly at BP. Why are we boycotting BP stations when this spill could have happened to any of the companies? I mean, yes, BP is handling this terribly as far as I can tell, but need we look at them alone?

Paul's point was that a disaster of this magnitude might cause us to reflect again on our oil dependence and seek ways to free ourselves from it. Instead of boycotting BP stations (and the hard-working, independent owners who run them), why are we not encouraging each other to drive less? Yes, we can send a message to BP, but what about sending a message to the oil industry -- hey, to the whole country -- that it is time to move ahead. It's time to move to a different type of energy.

Now I don't mean to demonize the oil industry here. I have family members who have worked hard for oil companies for decades, and I appreciate the contributions that oil has made to our society and economy. Like it or not, big oil has made the U.S. a prosperous nation. But it's time to move on.

For our part, Paul and I have started discussing whether we want to convert our diesel cars into "greasel" (able to run on peanut/soybean/canola oil). We're also talking about buying an alternatively-powered car like a Nissan Leaf for our next vehicle (whenever we can save up for one -- um, 10 years?). No, it's not a perfect solution - for one thing, to be oil-independent we would need to make sure the electricty powering the car was generated by wind power or some other clean happiness. But this is a step we can take to start moving in a better direction for the future.

One of my strongest feelings about this disaster is powerlessness. Honestly, that's what most of my anger boils down to. Sure, it seems like BP has been twiddling their thumbs and pointing fingers and in general being useless. I think they should be working day and night to find a solution to this while also cleaning the water and rescuing the critters trapped in this mess. (I'm pretty sure the guys who saved Apollo 13 would have solved this by now.) But for all I know, BP could be doing all of those things and just have an ineffective PR department to tell us about them. I don't know.

So for my part, I can pray for the beautiful Gulf Coast, support the groups taking action to help, and look for ways to reduce my own dependence on oil. I don't want this to happen again. I sure hope that one day soon I can head to Gulf Shores and take Paul and Ian on one of those dolphin-sighting cruises that I loved so much as a child. But the odds aren't looking good.

News

This stinks:
Canada Allows Killing of Over 500 Narwhals
I really like narwhals. On my awesome list, they are right below cats, otters, and owls.


This is cool:
More Than 1,000 Participate in Project Homeless Connect

A Cat's Tale

Cats are strange animals. I think this particular one has been so coddled and spoiled by me that she developed a few extra eccentricities.

This morning I go downstairs to feed the dog. I don't bother to latch the door to the stairwell all the way, even though I know I'm risking the cat sneaking downstairs, where she is not allowed. However, Loa is watching birds in the window, so I figure she won't even notice that the door is slightly ajar.

As I am feeding Cameron, I hear the tell-tale squeak that means Loa has discovered the door and is nudging it open so she can come downstairs.

[Side note here to say that Paul is clearly the pack/pride leader in our family. While Loa might sneak downstairs when he is there, she will hide and skulk and try to avoid detection. With me, she marches around the room proudly, demanding to be petted.]

So Loa walks into the room and starts investigating the dog food, despite my yells and scoldings for her to get back upstairs. Once my hands are free, I grab her and quickly carry her up the stairs. Much to my chagrin, she seems to view the trip as snuggle time and not punishment.

On the way up the stairs, she is purring contentedly; however, halfway up the staircase she begins to struggle and panic. Worried that perhaps I have hurt her inadvertedly, I set her down at the top of the stairs and watch her for a few minutes. She's whiny, but that's her normal state, so I assume she's okay.

A few minutes later, while I'm sitting in the living room, I hear Loa crying mournfully at the (now-closed) stairwell door. Her mewing is much quieter than the usual demanding tone, and she is pacing worriedly in front of the door, as if she has lost something very important.

Curious, I open the door and walk down the staircase, scanning each step as I go. Halfway down, I find ...... dog food. A small, moist morsel of dog food.

Apparently Loa had smuggled the food up the stairs in her mouth while I carried her. When she dropped the piece of food, she proceeded to struggle and make such a fuss that I assumed I had hurt her. So then her only natural course of action was to mourn and cry over the food until "Mom" got it for her.

Yeah, she's a spoiled kitty.


P.S. - I didn't give her the food.

Gratitude

Wonderful happenings this past weekend, and I am so grateful for everything.

On Friday I got to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time. Hurray!

Saturday was a yard work day, and my parents came to our house and helped us create fabulous landscaping for the yard. I am absolutely amazed at everything that Paul and my parents were able to do in one day (I did a little bit of work, but my job mostly consisted of bringing lots of water to the workers). The landscape plan was created by Alan Murdock of Arthouse Gardens, although we've only implemented part of Alan's vision so far.

Also on Saturday, our foster dog got adopted! Yep, Khan has a new family, and I am so happy for him. Apparently his new owners wanted a buddy for their lab, and Khan has great experience being a lab friend!

I'm also really grateful that Paul has been so supportive while I'm learning how to be a good pregnant lady. He's doing a lot of work around the house and yard. I get tempted to work a little harder than I should, but he's helping me stay healthy and safe. :-) I know that not everyone has someone to support them like this. I think about single moms, wives whose husbands are deployed, and others in similar situations, and I am very thankful for where I am today.

Pet Celebration at Moss Wright Park!

Today is a great day to help out some homeless animals, especially if you live in the Goodlettsville area.

No-kill shelter Freedom Farm is holding their annual Pet Celebration from 10am to 3pm at Moss Wright Park in Goodlettsville. Admission is free, and there will be live music and demonstrations from Dog Counselor Dean Miller and the Metro K-9 unit.

This event is Freedom Farm's fundraiser to provide them with resources to continue rescuing animals and providing them with food and medical care. There will be a silent auction, a bake sale, pet photos, a dog wash, and other fun activities to raise money for this great organization!

Plus, if you are looking for a new furry friend, they will have several adoptable animals at the event (including Khan, our fabulous foster dog).

Pet Safety in Hurricane Season

I live nowhere near the coast, so this post (fortunately) is not based on my own experience. It does, however, stem from my own feelings after seeing secondhand and thirdhand the suffering of pets in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

I know it must be tough for pet owners during evacuations. Many shelters won't take animals...few pet owners can afford the luxury of boarding their pets.....at times leaving pets at home may seem like the only option.

Thankfully, after the human and animal tragedies of Katrina, coastal residents now have many more options to keep their pets safe during hurricanes.

Here are few tips I've gleaned from the web, plus links to the sources:

1. Keep an evacuation kit for your pets ready at all times. Possible supplies to include: food, water, leashes, blankets, carriers. According to the Humane Society of Louisiana, pets in carriers will be allowed to board evacuation buses. (Humane Society of Louisiana)

2. Check www.petswelcome.com or www.tripswithpets.com for lists of pet-friendly hotels on your evacuation route. (Louisiana SPCA)

3. Find out which emergency shelters in your state are pet friendly. (FloridaPets, PetFriendlyTravel)

4. Make sure your animals have proper identification tags. Consider microchipping them. (Mississippi Board of Animal Health).

5. Never leave your animal at home! While pets are fairly resourceful, leaving them exposes them to the harsh possibilities of drowning or starvation. Remember, there's is no way to know when you will be able to return home. (Humane Society of the United States)

Preparation is one of the best ways to keep you and your pets safe. Make a list of friends who are generally willing to host you and your pets for a few days. Write down your game plan and a list of what you will need. Be willing to ask for help when you don't know what to do. And know that you do have choices!

Off the Record

So, apparently I haven't felt like blogging lately. Mostly, I've been really busy with this. Kinda busy with this. And then there are these guys, who are great but constantly causing trouble.

If you need some great reading material, though, check out this article by Ivy at Love Shak, Baby. Ivy met me for lunch one day, and we chatted about ghia and fair trade. You can see the results here. Thanks, Ivy! Be sure to check out the other Shak sites, like AnimalShak and Work Shak, for awesome How-Tos and blog giveaways.

Life Update

My blogging seems to come in bursts. In fact, I'm writing several blog posts today (June 19) and then scheduling them to post once a day so I don't clog anybody's feed reader. But that's okay. As long as I keep the crowd happy. Or indifferent.

Last weekend was my sixth wedding anniversary. My handsome husband took me out for dinner and dancing, which was lots of fun. I definitely picked a good guy. :-) He also sent me these fantastically beautiful flowers.

I posted the picture from ProFlowers.com, because I neglected to get a good picture before they started to fade. Oh, and not only did hubby choose and order beautiful flowers, he did his research to make sure the flowers were not poisonous to cats. Now that's true love, folks. (And despite the fact that I am keeping the flowers in my bedroom, Loa keeps sneaking in and stealing the buds that have fallen on the floor.)

In other news.....well.....does anybody remember that cartoon Belle and Sebastien? Not the band, the weird anime cartoon?

Well, I always wanted a big white dog like Belle so I could ride around the mountains with her, stopping in little cottages where friendly people would let me eat bread and cheese.

Now I have a Belle.

Actually, his name is Khan, and he's a foster dog with Freedom Farm. We're letting him stay with us until he finds a forever home. He's a wonderful dog, very calm and gentle. However, I'm still adjusting to the wrestling matches he and Cameron have every 15 minutes. (No, we did not name him Khan. He already had a fantastically geeky name when we met him.)

Anyway, if you need a big, fluffy goofball who can also watch your sheep (he's a Great Pyrenees mix), this might be the dog for you.

One more thing: I'd like to invite all you Nashvillians out there to donate to this year's Tomato Art Fest. The festival needs donations for security, street closings, etc., and any amount helps. To donate, click on the Tomato Donato meter! Thanks!

Miscellaney

Hola, my friends.

Hope you are having a good week.

I'm pretty good. Lots to do. Taxes, new ghia inventory, other stuff.

Right now I'm re-training Cameron so that we can walk without him pulling me down the street. It's very slow work, but I'm seeing a difference.

I have some new BzzAgent reviews to write, and I'm pretty excited about those. I get to try Chili's new Smokehouse Bacon Burger for free. Gotta do that before my coupons expire at the end of the month. If I'm eating at a chain restaurant, Chili's is one of my preferences, and I always love a good restaurant burger. I also get to try Horizon Organic Milk Plus DHA. I've bought Horizon Organic Milk before, and our in-house milk connoisseur loves it, so we'll see how this new products fares.

Here are some links for your viewing pleasure:
Keyhole Magazine - Some friends of mine started a new literary journal. It looks fabulous!
Adam's Rib - Blogger buddy Kat shares about grief and Good Friday
Grace or casseroles? - Blogger buddy Kate shares about prayer from a non-believer's perspective
Composters! Did you know you can buy composting bins from the Nashville government?

Blind Puppy Needs Your Help!

Now that I have your attention . . .



We had quite the crisis on the East Nashville list-serve last week. Someone posted that A BLIND PUPPY HAD BEEN REPORTED MISSING!!! OMG PONIES!!!1!!!11!

There were offers of help pouring in from all quarters. At least once person offered to take time off work to find the blind puppy.

Lest you think I am mocking these kind hearts, let me assure you that the puppy's plight would have reduced me to tears had I not already seen the e-mail heralding the puppy's rescue.

Yes, someone saw the puppy wandering in the middle of Shelby Street and took him to safety.

Fast forward a few days...

My friend Ariana met the puppy rescuer at the dog park. She found out that the rescuer contacted the puppy's owners, but the owners decided they could no longer take care of a special needs dog.

Thus...

THE BLIND PUPPY NEEDS A HOME!

Do you have room in your heart and home for him?

Details at Ariana's blog.

A Fishy Discovery

A year and a half after we added an aquarium to our home, the cat has finally discovered the fish. It's their own fault, really.

The first 18 months of fish ownership passed mostly without incident. We started the tank with black tetras, added some bala sharks, and threw in some algae sharks to keep the tank clean. We lost one algae shark, but other than that, everyone seems to be pretty happy.

Oh, except when the bala sharks have psychotic episodes.

Several months after we bought them, the bala sharks started splashing around the tank, zooming from one side to the other and bumping into things. We think they are startled by people moving near the tank -- they tend to spaz while they are being fed, although it can happen at any time.

We had some friends house sit for us while we were on the cruise, and we figured we should warn them about our crazy fish. We told them that the fish occasionally freak out, but they worst they could do is knock over the heater in the tank. No big deal, just put the heater back in its place.

So Friend #1 is sitting by the fish tank, working on the computer. Friend #2 walks in the room, and the fish start to spaz. Friend #1 leaves the room for a moment, then hears Friend #2 yelling, "Oh, Crap! Oh, Crap! OH, CRAP!"

Apparently, one of our bala sharks had decided that this was the day to make a bid for freedom and JUMP OUT OF THE TANK. Friend #1 frantically found a net and returned the bala shark to the tank.

Friend #2, in the meantime, got the job of restraining the cat, who was experiencing a new awareness about her household companions.

One of the bala sharks made another leap after we got home from the cruise, although it was returned safely to the aquarium after flopping around the floor for a bit.

And now, this is how Loa the cat spends most of her days:

















Loa watching the aquarium.

Better yet, not content to simply sit and watch the fish, she has started trying to catch them. Every 10 minutes or so she will leap up the side of the tank and try to swipe one. She doesn't seem to mind the fact that she hits smooth glass every single time.

I won't be surprised if one day she figures out how to knock the cover off the top of the aquarium.

Fish, your days are numbered. Just thought you should know.


Loa Attacks! from Christy Nicholson on Vimeo.
Video of Loa attacking the aquarium.

On the Pit Bull Ban . . .

Someone posted on the East Nashville list-serve this afternoon an e-mail from Bless the Bullys stating that Senator Kilby's goal is not to ban pit bulls. According to the e-mail, the legislation was introduced to call attention to the problem of irresponsible dog ownership.

From BlesstheBullys.com:

I just had another very nice conversation with both Jeremy and Nadine, Senator Kilby's assistants.

Nadine confirmed - as we read in the news this morning - that Senator Kilby's intention was to raise awareness that there is a problem with irresponsible dog ownership in Tennessee. He is not moving forward with a bill to ban pit bulls.

I'm not sure if this really was just an extreme action to call attention to an issue, or if Senator Kilby is trying to backtrack after the outrage this has caused. Anyhow, just thought you guys would want to know.

P.S. - Personally, I would like to see current leash laws enforced before any other legislation is considered.

Thoughts for November

• Haven't been into blogging much lately. Not sure why. Just busy, I guess. When I get very busy and/or stressed, I often lose the introspection that makes for good blog posts.
  
  
• The Preds are winning again. Good stuff.
  
  
• I'm a bad kitty mom. I have a Kaboodle wishlist for Cameron and Loa, but so far I've added items only for Cameron. I don't think Loa wants much besides more food, more paper wads, and a house without a dog.
  
  
• Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is fabulous. I mean, it's this incredibly popular TV show based on helping people. I think what works about the show is its simplicity. Find people who need a house, and then build it. No competitions, just engaging back stories and happy endings.
  
  
• I love presents. My parents recently e-mailed me and requested my wishlist for this Christmas, and I clapped my hands like a little kid.
  
  
• I find this quote rather autobiographical:
  "There nearly always is method in madness. It's what drives men mad, being methodical."
  -GK Chesterton
  

DOG HOUSE: The Saga Continues

Many of you may remember a few months ago when Cameron the dog ate his house.

When we bought the house, it looked like this:

After Cameron redecorated, it looked like this:



Paul deftly rebuilt parts of the house and reinforced the walls. Aside from some occasional gnawing on the doors, Cameron discontinued the demolition.

One evening a few weeks ago, I was sitting in the living room reading when I started to hear odd noises. It almost sounded like someone doing carpentry work, which was an odd set of sounds to hear around 11pm. I looked out the window and found that Cameron, in fact, WAS doing some carpentry work. He was finishing off his house.



All that remained was one wall, half of another wall, the floor, and the roof -- which, without support posts at two corners, was dangling to one side.

Determined not to pay another hundred dollars for a house soon to be demolished, I set about the task of finding a new house for cheap as free. Or at least cheap.

I searched craigslist, the neighborhood listserv, and freecycle to no avail. I checked local thrift stores (the Salvation Army store on 1st has a good selection of pet carriers, just no houses). In my desperation, I checked closeout stores like Big Lots and Tuesday Morning. Big Lots had a decent-looking house for $50, but it looked so lightweight that I feared Cameron would toss it around his yard instead of sleeping in it. Tuesday Morning had several, er, pet tents. Those were interesting.

Finally, I took the advice of Ivy and Laura (doled out via Twitter) and actually ASKED the listserv and freecycle if anyone had a dog house to spare. Voila! I got several responses offering dog houses.

Several people offered me wooden dog houses for free, but since Cameron splintered his old one, I thought it best to try something different. I found one of those igloo-shaped houses for $20 (they retail for ~$150).

So far Cameron has dragged it around the yard a bit, but no damage has been done. I won't really be able to judge the success of my search until I see if he uses the house during storms and such.

Stay tuned. Same dog time, same dog channel.

Definitely an animagus

Mystery cat takes regular bus to the shops

I Shall Throw Cuteness in Your General Direction

A post consisting of cute things, dedicated to Ivy, Ginger, and Kat (all of whom may need a good dose of cuteness right now).

This is my Kitty Duck. I found him in the BrewPups tent at the Tomato Art Fest. He needed to come home with me.














This is a dog playing with a whale. Isn't nature awesome?




And this is a ridiculously cute piece of technology. You must watch this video. Trust me on this one. (Hat tip to Paul.)

Click To Play

Cathartic Cuteness

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I am pretty bummed over recent events. The Preds being sold (and all the surrounding turmoil), several friends moving away, the sky filling with smoky haze sent from Georgia . . .

So here are a couple of stories so incredibly cute that they are bound to wash away some of that gloom. At least, they helped me. A little bit.

Boy Finds Royal PenPal
A 4-year-old boy in Britain released a helium balloon with a message attached in the hopes of finding a foreign pen pal. Rather than flying to a distant land, however, the balloon landed in a garden at Windsor Castle . . .

Bird Befriends Baby Tigers
Two four-day-old tigers in China have found a friend in a baby crane. The bird keeps watch over the tiger cubs as they sleep and plays with them when they wake up.

Funny, Odd, and Slightly Disturbing

Preds and Puppies!

Today The Tennessean has a great article about Predators players and their dogs of choice.

Pups find place in Preds hearts

It's pretty adorable....which I think was the point.

It's Hard to Type with a Cat in Your Lap ...

I don't know if she's snuggly, cold, jealous of the computer, or some combination of all three, but my cat keeps hopping into my lap. This poses a small difficulty for me, as I also have my notebook computer on my lap.

It's pretty hard to type with my arms stretch across the cat, but she is just so cute -- all curled up and sleepy -- that I hate to move her. I wish I could take a picture for you, but I would have to move the cat to get a camera, and that would defeat the purpose.

I'm working on my business this morning, looking up hosting packages, designing promo material, etc. I think I'll be able to post a temporary web site over the next couple of days.