Drive Safer This Holiday Season

This video is my PSA for the holiday season. Buckle up, just do it!

Too Hot for Roast Turkey Here!

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving this week!

We will be busy taking care of pets like we do every holiday and will have our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.

The weather here in South Florida is hot and humid as usual but they say it may cool off a tiny bit, later in the week.

I hope so, I just can't get in the spirit of the season while still wearing shorts and sticking to car seats from the heat. Let alone roast anything in the oven!

Our Clara Kitty has Passed On

I'm sad to report that our new little kitten "Clara" who joined us last September after a rough start, has passed away. She would have died the day I found her had I not intervened, but it turns out she was carrying the dry form of the FIP virus.

FIP is almost always fatal, but sometimes they can survive and live a happy life for a while. She had a good year, but started failing and showing neurological signs last month. I held off on neutering her at the usual time because I knew this could cause additional stress and bring on the virus.

Her sister "Asia" is still doing well, but is upset and looking for her in every room of our house.

We are hoping she has managed to fight off the virus and will survive.

Clara is the black and white kitten in the photo. Asia is the torti point Siamese.

I will miss her, she was such a tiny little cat (only 4.5lbs) but she was a clown at heart. If Asia remains healthy until she is 2yrs old, chances are good for her that she will live a normal life.

Tis the Begging Season (and it won't work)!

My son is almost six. His birthday and Christmas are close together, too close for me to catch a breath in between. I have always tried to get things for him that will not only be fun but also last for more than a week before he's bored. I stay away from most plastic battery operated anything. So far my plan has worked and we have a minimal amount of useless stuff in our home and he is entertained and challenged.

Until now. Since before Halloween this year, he has suddenly developed a case of the serious "Gimmie's". Every single toy or gadget ad he sees, he wants. The crazy part is most of the things he is begging for are toys for babies and toddlers. It's like he's never seen a Fisher Price ad before, or he thinks he missed out on something.

I have tried until I'm blue in the face to explain that he is too old for a walk behind toy, whether it plays music or not! He's also doesn't need a toy laptop that helps him learn to read, when he has his own real desktop computer and he is reading second grade books!

I can't understand what's going on. He has always wanted to do things that are advanced for his age and even when he was a toddler, he was not interested in most toys. I have known from early on that he was learning faster than his years and may be very bright (I don't like the word "gifted", he's just way ahead in many areas) so asking for baby toys has me baffled!

I'm hoping this is some kind of emotional phase he has to work out. Maybe he's feeling insecure about growing up? Or maybe he feels cheated that he never had all that plastic stuff?

I'm certainly not going to waste money on it now, so he's out of luck if he's planning on guilting me into buying any of it.

I do think it's strange how most of the holiday advertising seems to be geared for either children under six or for pre-teen girls. Maybe I just watch the wrong channels on TV, but I sure don't see much offered for 6-10 year old boys. Then again, careful what you wish for, right?

The Birthday Tree

My son has a birthday coming up and one of our close friends gave him a special gift.

She planted him a tree. A starfruit tree. He is standing guard over the tree to protect it from our deadly destructive dog.

Our friend has a beautifully landscaped and well planted yard. He loves to go there and learn about her plants. She has a starfruit tree that he thinks is magical. So she surprised him last week and planted a tree of his own in our yard while we were out.

Now we just have to keep it alive and we are not especially known for our green thumbs around here. He'll be heartbroken if it dies!

A Pirate's Night Out!

Waiting for dark.

Practicing.

All by himself at the door.

Spooky stuff!

Heading home.

And so it ends, Halloween 2010.