Evil Mimi

Does this little fluff ball of pure white goodness look like the devil to you? No? Me neither... but she is! Mimi (much bigger now than in the picture), is quickly becoming the poster child for keeping cats indoors. I wish we could keep her in, but it is too late, and too difficult with managing all the dogs and doors and windows and schedules. This summer I had to stop feeding my birds and birdwatching at home - I felt like I was leading the little fellows to the slaughter. Mimi does not discriminate: that I know of, she has killed house sparrows, black-capped chickadees, house finches, dark-eyed juncos, and bewicks wrens. Oh, and baby moles and mice. She also has a giant grey male cat she tarts around with; he waits for her on our front steps or underneath my car. But, the icing on on the cake was Sunday. One of our really nice neighbors (about 3 houses down) came over and told us Mimi has regularly been going to their house and beating up their cats!! On Saturday, she mawled one so bad it had to go to the vet for several wounds... The neighbors asked if it was okay for them to start spraying her with the hose or squirt bottles when she comes over... of course we said yes. I feel like such an arse! When little Mimi is with us, she is one of the softest creatures I've ever felt, sweet as can be, plays with dogs, is calm, is quiet, etc. But boy, she becomes one heckuva ripper out there in the hood. Crazy. Okay, don't tell anyone, because in certain circles I still say I have an indoor cat or don't admit to having a cat at all.....

Al is home!

Yay!!! Al is back at home where he should be. He is fine and his family is delighted. Scout and Peeve can't wait to play with him and hear about his adventures once he's settled back in....

Help find AL!!!!!

Our dear friend Alfonso Swafford is missing! He goes by Al and Alfonso and got loose in Ballard on Sunday, 9/2, around 9:30am. He has been seen a few times, but not caught. If you live in Ballard or any of the nearby neighborhoods, please keep a look out for him. He is a truly sweet dog and won't hurt you. He is better with girls and is probably pretty freaked out and skittish right now. Please watch for our friend Al! Call me if you see him or can get him!

Here is the description from his flyer:

Name: ALFONSO (AKA "AL")

Description:

• Lab/Sheppard Mix, Approximately 62 LBS
• Black with a white right front paw and a white underbelly
• A little bit of gray on his muzzle
• Fluffy tail and coat
• Tan collar (his collar has tags embedded in it with our contact info)
• Gentle and sweet yet timid around strangers.
  

New Bird Tricks

Things are humming along with the birds - I keep learning new stuff and getting to do more! Yay! It is so fun and exciting. Last Saturday I had the Harris' Hawk fly from down the yard toward me and then land on my hand, three times! It is so exhilarating (and a little scary) to have this massive bird flying straight at you! You stand sideways with your left arm outstretched in front of you, thumb and fingers making a perch at about eye-level. Then, as he gets close, he dips down toward the ground then rises up to land on your hand. I can't really describe it, it is just so darn cool.


The other thing I started doing is releasing the Peregrine Falcon at the beginning of her routine. You walk to the back of the yard with her on your glove, then let her go when you get the thumbs up from the keeper. The coolest part is she is wearing a hood - a falconry device that blocks out some of the stimulation to keep them calm. A falcon in a hood is totally medieval looking. She tracks left and right like a typewriting while wearing the hood. When I get the green light, I reach up and remove her hood and, bam, off she goes! This isn't my falcon, or a particularly good photo, but it'll give you the idea:

Sea Life

I spent a lovely few days at the Olympic Peninsula with my family. We were in an adorable cabin RIGHT ON the beach on Sequim Bay. It was gorgeous and the area was simply teeming with wildlife. We had seals, hords of Kingfisher and G. Blue Heron, Pacific Loons, gulls, and tons of sea stars and crabs. One sea star in particular said he didn't like monkey pie wrench. Lame.


We also rented a boat which was really fun and the sibling dogs were great captains. Sage really liked riding on the seats, while Amelia preferred riding on laps.

When not on the beach or at the fire pit, we played lots of games including Apples to Apples. Ehem, I should have won, but msister decided to stymie my every move. Mr. Bag of Donuts made an especially good move when he played "birdwatching" while I was holding the "peaceful" card. He and I also made an awesome Pictionary team, though we didn't win then either.... I think the fix was in. Good thing the ocean calms me down and I didn't have to throw any game boards....

Next time we'll bring the Biscuit and Scout and Peeve.