Tag Archive | animal kingdom

life is tough . . .

Oct1

someone must have only gotten 14 of his usual 16 hours of sleep the other day…

what a life…

strivingcynic cat conveys how tired he is while showing off his fangs

There are definitely worse things than being a cat in my household for sure!

If sleep were a product, cats could totally sell it. It just looks so enticing when they do it. They curl up into a nice warm ball (or stretch out and take up as much of your space as possible). They get all cozy…and if you’ve got a cat sleeping on your lap…cancel your plans. If you so much as move, you get the “slightly disturbed stir…”…like they’re saying, “you weren’t seriously thinking about breaking up what is the best possible sleep of my life?” And I end up staying rooted to the same place for hours…come hunger, thirst, the need for a bathroom break.

You didn’t really want this blanket or to sit here, did you?


He’s lucky he’s so cute.
And I’m lucky he’s such a sweetie.

What animal habits do you envy? Aside from loving how cats sleep, I always think dogs look happy when they’re out being walked.

proud as a peacock

Aug25

A few weeks, I showed one of the peacock pictures from Grounds for Sculpture. Today is a great day for you to see more of these quirky/beautiful/regal birds!

Notice the peacock babies! I shot this through a window so as to not get too close to them!

Have a great weekend!

things to know about strivingcynic cat (belated black cat appreciation day)

Aug20

In belated celebration of August 17 having been black cat appreciation day, I thought I’d do a bit of appreciation of strivingcynic cat by giving some random facts about his life. [Yes, to be honest, sc does have some white patches, but I think he qualifies as a black cat].

1. sc cat is about 4 and a half (so I think he’d be in his thirties if he was human, which he isn’t, he’s a cat.

one of my birthday gifts came in this bag, but he got the “present” of turning it into a toy/sleeping bag

2. like many black cats, sc kitty isn’t scary at all…he does get scared, though. He has logged a number of hours under our couch in recent weeks as various “outsiders” have come into our home (ac repairman…, kitchen guy).

3. sc kitty knows how to use his paws to hold heads and hands in place so he can give kisses.

show us your paw!

4. sc kitty is the master of the “pet me now” flop. There are several varieties…the “you’re home!” immediate flop…the “you’re home, but I’m not giving it up that easy so you have to wait while I walk for a few seconds to find the perfect sp…FLOP.” flop. There’s the “oh you’re leaving? Look at me? I flopped!” flop…the “oh you’re leaving, I’m just gonna walk right in front of the front door and flop so you have to pet me” flop. And, last but not least the “hard flop” an out-of-nowhere yowl followed by the sound of his body hitting the floor.

being floppy

5. sc kitty is a rap artist, of sorts…

call me t

6. anything on the floor is his. this does not mean that things on the floor aren’t his, but if it’s on the floor, it’s his.

it’s mine! you think I don’t read? and I like to flutter the pages with my paw

7. at 8 -9:30 at night, sc cat likes to chill out on the living room floor. Sometimes at 10 he transforms into a pony and starts galloping and leaping around…quite a show.

8. sc cat is a great alarm clock. He knows that most days, there’s a fresh packet of whiskas waiting to be opened around 6 in the morning…so he likes to give us a reminder a few minutes before with a series of increasingly vocal meows and sometimes a “bed visit” to ensure one of us is up and willing to provide whiskas.

whiskas, yum!

9. when I first met sc cat, his belly fit into the palm of my hand…I think he weighed 2 pounds. I was told he was a girl, so was mildly surprised when the vet corrected me about his gender…last time he went to the vet he was about 12 pounds (he needs to lose a little weight..).

the day we met

10. sc cat is by far one of the sweetest and funniest cats I have ever encountered. I love my black cat.

that’s right. I rock!

I hope everyone had a good black cat appreciation day! Feel free to name someone or something you appreciate.

beelieve it

Jun25

Years ago, when I lived in my apartment, I had a balcony that I rarely sat out on. I loved having a balcony, but I rarely was able to enjoy it for long without a bee flying around. I would freak out, run inside…try going out again, run back inside.

One summer, I tried again. I would head out on the balcony…sit down in my chair…and almost instantly…bee. After this happened five or six times…I had an idea. I went back into my apartment, got on the floor to look out the sliding glass door and there it was. Under the chair I was sitting in, a nest. No wonder my sitting down would immediately trigger a visit.

Honestly, my first thought was whether I could just throw the chair off my third-story balcony. I realized I couldn’t…was afraid of knocking the nest off the chair with bees in it…so I decided that I’d have to blast them out with insect killer, then get rid of the nest (push it off the balcony). I wasn’t happy about having to do it (I try not to kill bugs if I don’t have to…but I really didn’t see another choice. If I left it alone, I’d end up with a swarm on my balcony, so that clearly wasn’t an option).

So, bugs blasted, and the balcony restored to bee-freeness. I tried again. One day, I sat in the chair. Bee. I went back inside…and they’d started building another nest. I realized that this was a losing battle…there was probably just something that told the bees the chair was home. So, I repeated the operation…and this time I threw the chair away (after removing the nest/pushing it off the balcony, I carried the chair out of my apartment, down to the dumpster).

So…the other day, I decided to bring some stuff to the recycle dumpster thingy where we live on my way to work. I got in my car, and pulled over by the dumpster. Opened my car door and as I was leaving to take my recycling over, I saw this:

unBEElievable…

Yes, that is the inside of my car door…part I don’t usually see because it isn’t visible when the door is shut. I have no idea how long that has been there, or how long these take to build. It looked pretty small and I didn’t see anyone around it/inside. So, I grabbed my long handled windshield scraper/brush, and:

not in the car!

[Two things...I remember bees flying out at me from the balcony, but I keep wondering if this is really a bees' nest because I think of hives for bees..but I think they were yellow jackets...I could be wrong. Next, sadly, yes, I thought of the blog and took pictures! But I also took them as "proof" because I couldn't believe it!]

So, later that day I told mr. strivingcynic what happened…showed him the photo…he was incredulous. Sadly, we have a can of Raid that we’ll be spraying on that spot. I don’t relish driving around with that smell…but based on what happened last time, I can’t have the bees deciding my car is the place to…..be :-) .

Any bug encounter stories you’d care to relate?

three photos of mostly different things, but from the same walk

Jun23

The other week, I did a little wandering about, with no intention of taking pictures. But since I almost always have my camera with me in my purse (one of many “essentials” that means I carry a pretty big purse).

Photo number one.

tree tops, blue sky, clouds

Maybe because it’s the only time I turned my camera skyward on this walk, but every time I see this picture, I think a small “wow.”

tree-lined path

I’ll say it again. I love “the path/road” ahead shots. I love the colors, trees, and the way the path bends off to the right in the far distance.

a cylinder and a camera-shy squirrel

This drew my attention because when I first saw it, the squirrel had his head in the cylinder and seemed to be having trouble getting it out. I was afraid the cylinder was a metal can, so even though he got his head out and started hopping away as I neared (don’t ask what I would have done if he’d still been stuck when I got up to him…), I went over to throw the can away. When I got up to it, it turned out that the “can” was actually an open cylinder shaped-piece of very thin tree bark. So, I wasn’t entirely sure if the squirrel was actually “stuck” in it or had his head in there for another reason (if there was something yummy inside). I decided to throw it out anyway, just in case. I wondered if the squirrel would chase after me to fight me for his bark, but he did not!

And those are my stories.

Have a great weekend. Hope you have skies like in photo number 1 (with or without the clouds, your choice)!

good dog!

May5

Last week, I was at a park where I got treated to a view of what (at that moment) was the world’s cutest dog. I seriously just loved watching him (or her…)…he was so pretty and seemed so happy to be enjoying the great outdoors. And I loved watching the way his fur moved when he did.

there he is!

Since I’ll be helping my local animal shelter with a “dog walk” fundraiser this weekend, my happy friend here just seemed like the perfect image for this weekend.

Have some frolic and fun this weekend!

toys for cats

Nov16

Once again, strivingcynic cat has stolen the show blog. He just never ceases to amaze me and always puts his unique twist on things.

his horde of monopoly pieces

Aside from his game playing ways, sc cat has elevated the typical “my pet never wants to play with the toys I get him, he just plays with the packaging (or other stuff)” to an art form. The other day, mr. strivingcynic came back from a Target run excited about buying tennis balls for sc cat to play with, picturing hours of scurrying fun. Sc cat was polite as mr. sc rolled the ball around. He even chased it a little, but the tennis ball just couldn’t sustain his interest (or maybe it just rolled under something).

Mr. sc did have a more successful idea a few weeks before. My birthday present came in a big gift bag and mr. sc suggested we put the bag on the floor so that kitty could have a present too. Several weeks later, sc kitty practically inhabits the bag. And he loves crinkling on the tissue paper too. He sits on top of the bag and climbs inside it, it’s a cool place for him to hang out.

hanging out on

Thanks to sc kitty’s other playtime habits, our house often looks like we’re not good at picking up things destined for the trash. Somehow, when I lived in my apartment, I discovered that he likes grape stems. He doesn’t just like them, he cries and stands up on his hind legs and reaches for the counter when I get grapes out.

Now, grapes themselves are dangerous for cats and dogs, but apparently for my cat, grape stems aren’t a problem. I’ll take the grapes off, snip a segment of stem and throw it on the floor. Within seconds, sc cat is off, either with the stem in his mouth (doing the classic “I’ve got a mousie”) or he kicks it around with his paw. He inevitably loses it under the oven or the laundry room door and hangs out pathetically extending a paw in the hopes of retrieving it (I’ve rescued many a grape stem for him).

a fresh grape stem (watch out for the oven!)

We discovered another toy the other week. Mr. sc had left a cup with soda in it on the coffee table while he went into the kitchen. In it was a bendy straw, but no lid. I was also in the kitchen, but soon noticed that sc cat was playing with something with utter abandon. He was wrapping his paws around it, bringing it to him, kicking at it, rolling around with it. I walked over saying “Whatcha got there, kitty?” I was puzzled by this object, since it looked transparent. I suddenly realized, it was the bendy straw and told mr. sc that our kitty friend had taken his straw. Mr. sc immediately asked if he’d knocked over/spilled the soda. I looked at the coffee table and………no he had not. I can only guess how he got the straw (and by that I mean, I think he stood up on his back paws, propped his front paws on the table and got the straw with his mouth).

doesn't matter how I got it, it's mine now!

In case you don’t see it, “straw” is under his paw by the front of the afghan.

If you have a pet, what are his or her favorite toys? Do they have any cool tricks (like sc cat’s straw removal trick)?

another aquarium, part 2: hyp[po]notizing

Oct28

Continuing my Adventure Aquarium adventures….

I don't like how the piranha is looking at me

The piranha are off in their own tank (I wonder why). Near the case is some information about how sharp their teeth are and how quickly they can strip flesh from bone. Even better was the video loop of a bird in a body of water suddenly being pulled under, wings flapping in distress. I shudder.

as if piranha aren't spooky enough...

One thing I discovered was that my view of the fish often changed if I could move to another part of the tank. This picture was shot from the side of the tank, and the perspective was completely different from the one on the approach.

he looks a bit wary

Now we’re back to fish I can’t identify, but look cool.

love the finhawk

I love how this fish’s fins fluttered (how alliterative).

Sponge Bob moment: a crusty crab

ghost fish

Jellyfish are always so strange to look at between their transparency and their movements.

another question mark creature

I keep thinking this one looks like a bird, but he’s a sea creature of some sort.

another Sponge Bob moment: Patrick and friend

And then there were the hippos. They were just amazing to watch. There were two of them, and we were lucky enough that one came right up to the glass. There he (or she) would move up and down, into the water and then up for air. The other one was swimming around the tank and would choose his (or her) time wisely. When hippo one was down towards the bottom of the tank, hippo two would leap-float over him, turning her belly to the crowd, and then go for another lap. We watched this happen several times before we finally tore ourselves away.

swimming in the tank

hanging out

I see you

hippo one is underneath and two is on her descent from yet another leap

I know it’s a hippo butt shot (the shot before this on my camera roll, which is my only other shot of the leap, is blurry), but there really was something balletic about the leaps. I don’t think most of us would associate graceful movements with hippos, but these hippos were downright entrancing. It’s amazing what being in water does.

checking out his reflection

Again, I was able to move to a different part of the tank that gave me a “behind the glass” perspective. I love this shot.

And another [Adventure] aquarium adventure comes to a close.

Do you think hippos can be graceful? Do you have favorite photographic subjects (Aside from my family I seem to like aquariums, roads, and flowers)?

another aquarium, part 1: birthday fishes

Oct25

I was able to clear some space on my computer and got my birthday aquarium photos off my iPhone. Yay!

I mentioned in my Shedd Aquarium post how I had been to a number of aquariums in the last 10 years. In fact, I was at one on my 30th birthday. As I thought about how I’d like to celebrate my 40th, I thought it might be fun to go to an aquarium again. Although Camden is not known as one of the beauty spots of NJ, the aquarium (Adventure Aquarium) is definitely a draw.

Going through my pictures, I didn’t have as many great ones as I had from the Shedd. The iPhone took better photos than my camera, but there’s a lot of blur…and reflections. Here are some of the better ones:

let me show you in . . .

No idea what this fish was, but he’s pretty cool.

that's right buddy, stay behind the glass

Sharks are beautiful to watch, but they scare the hell out of me. The aquarium actually has a “shark tunnel” where they swim over you…about as close as I want to get!

what the...?

I’m guessing maybe some kind of shark. What kind I don’t know. . .

check out the ray

I just think rays are so beautiful…their wings are so graceful.

look, he loves me back!

There was a pool where you can pet/feed the rays. So, the kissy face is him expecting some food and love.

creature of the sea

If you don’t see him, he’s the green noodly looking thing sucking on the top of a blade of grass…not sure what he is…maybe a sea dragon?

hey, you with the teeth!

Clearly I didn’t take notes, because I don’t know who this guy is either. . .

he went thataway!

these fish were good posers

I've got a secret . . .

come closer, dearie

What I liked about this one was that I didn’t see him at all….then I bent to look under the water of his tank to look more closely at the fish, and realized I was looking at some sort of tail and body. Then I stood up and walked around to find the rest of him. The 7 year old boy who happened to be next to me and I were thrilled at our discovery!

I did have a lot of conversations with kids 10 and under as I was touring around. My fascination and theirs seemed about equal!

Do you have a favorite sea creature?  Is there a place or event that brings out the kid in you?