The blessings of friends and longings for another furry companion

Another stealth gift left on my doorstep. Other than the mail carrier, this is the most action my stairs have seen since I've been here. M (you know who you are) left a beautiful gift of potted succulents and, here's where we cried, a framed picture of our little terminator Sassy. Her dear little face and the tiny rock owl will forever grace a table in the office, along with the other angels we have had the privilege to know and love.  

 

The plant in it's new home...

Looking at Sassy's face has prompted me to think seriously about saving another senior's life by adopting again. Our main concern always is our big bear Kuma. He's such a klutz, bless him, and doesn't know how strong he is. Age has slowed him down a tiny bit, but other than all the white hair that now adorns his beautiful face, you couldn't tell he's 13. He still behaves like the rather rambunctious 2 year old he was when he found us on the street. He's also enjoying (we think - not sure) his status as an only child. I say 'not sure' because he has decidedly become more clingy. No longer wants to hang out alone and will follow one or the other of us around the house. So anyone we bring home would have to have the right mix of chill and moxie. And as I would really like a snuggle bunny the size of Sassy, I worry a tad bit about the size dynamics. Looking through the various shelters, and seeing the number of senior dogs (in my mind a senior is 10 or more years), and the conditions of some of them (clearly neglected or abused), it just makes me want to go in and sweep out the kennel. My latest strategy is to request all friends and neighbors to dissuade me from doing anything rash too soon. They are not doing a very good job of that....

Gifts from people to my critters

I know I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. I get the best stuff free from curb cast-offs and neighbors who thoughtfully offer things before they toss them. My next door neighbor has very generously given me multiple plant pots and has now broken the record for wonderful things: an incredible bird bath. That gift allowed me to finish up a project I've had in mind since another amazing find (free of course) -- a free-standing bird feeder in the most divine deep red.

A bit of a story about that find. Next Door has provided a whole bunch of insight into how neighbors think, what fights they want to pick, and how they react to things. Always interesting. But I digress. The app also has a treasure trove of great stuff. I've scored fresh lemons and kumquats, big decorative rocks, and the best find, the bird feeder and matching planter bowl. It had been posted for roughly 5 minutes and I was out the door. I was just getting out of my car when I noticed another car driving up to the curb. A woman hopped out and asked if she could give me a hand with wrangling the heavy pottery into the car. As she was carrying the heavy end, I asked her if she was after the same thing and of course the answer was yes. So, given there were two of the planters, I offered her one (which upended the grand plan in my mind for them, but oh well). She said yes and we parted as good neighbors should.

OK, back to the project. So yesterday, in sweltering heat, it seemed like the perfect time to set up the new feeder/bath combo in my critter area. I've been wanting to get the bird seed off the ground for some time. The idea is to discourage predators and allow birds to feed without squirrel interference as well. I confess, it's always fun to see the huge pigeons and crows trying to fend off the squirrels, but they should be allowed to feed in peace (if not harmony).