My Christmas Vacation Report by Bathsheba

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

The holidays are coming to a close and, after a four-day holiday for New Year's Day, Mom goes back to work tomorrow. We had a nice Christmas Day at home and our new year was uneventful as we like it.

Our main gift was this crazy contraption. Mom thought that we would like to rub on its bristles since we are always rubbing our cheeks against walls, doors, furniture, you name it. I think that it looks like something to clean the human toilet so I'm not so sure I want to use it on my face.

For Christmas I guess I liked the extra Temptations treats best.

The day after Christmas we both were put in PTUs and went on a weekend trip with Mom. She picked up her brother (and his dog Rags) near Richmond along the way, and we all ended up at Mom's sister's beach house near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Thank goodness Rags seemed oblivious to the fact that Jake and I were in the back seat. We kept quiet the whole way and that pleased Mom very much.

We made ourselves at home at the beach house. We had a different guest room from the last time we were there, but this one was very nice and also had a private bath for our litter box room.

Jake was still not feeling well, but seemed to eat a little better when we were away. He never left the room and seemed to enjoy the comfort of the bed very much.

I did not witness this, but Mom actually went wading in the cold ocean surf. And with a DOG! The dog is named Skillet and is a three-month old black labrador of Mom's nephew and girlfriend.

Mom is making me include this cute picture of him with sand on his face. When I met him, he steered clear of me with my fierce hiss and extra claws that are super sharp.

I didn't fare as well with this other puppy named Brewster whom I had met on my previous visit.

He seemed to be fascinated with my butt. Dogs!

Here are the other dogs that were there - Rags

and beagles Pudge and Roxy

Crazy puppies Brewster and Skillet

Now Mom wants me to include some other stuff. You may know that she is thrilled by plants and flowers. She was very impressed with rosemary shrubs in flower that her sister had planted at the beach house, and here is one.

She also tries to have something in bloom outdoors every month of the year. December is rather sparse, but we have a clump of snowdrops to bloom reliably that month every year.

It is even bigger now.

Even a little periwinkle flower bloomed here in January.

Mom didn't celebrate New Year's Day with a hike up our local Bull Run Mountain like she did last year, but she did go there yesterday.

The air was crisp and cold, and once again she sat on the rocks for about an hour before she got too cold.

We worry about Jake's health this year. He went back to the vet on Tuesday, December 30 and will return again on the 10th. He remains lethargic with little appetite. He is very loving with Mom, and I must admit that I'm just a little jealous of all the attention Mom gives to him.

Thank you for reading this long post. Again, Happy New Year, and best wishes for health and love this year.

~Bathsheba

Traveling Cats for Tuesday

Hi! We have turned into traveling cats! Mom has taken us down to her sister's beach house for a few days. We have never been to the beach before and Mom says that we probably won't get to play in the big sandbox while we are here. Mom's sister has her THREE dogs here and her kitties had to stay home.

Here I am by one of the windows in our bedroom. We have a view of the lake out back and there is a hammock on this deck. The ocean is a short walk away.

Oh, this cord MUST be adjusted! What fun!




Thank you, everyone, for the concern you showed to me when I was sick. Man, I felt BAD, but I am MUCH better now. I'm eating better and I like to play again. I had to take medicine and the stuff that Mom gave me with a syringe actually tasted YUMMY. I would chew on the syringe as she pulled it from my mouth. Mom said that the doctor put chicken flavoring in it. I wish my thyroid medicine came in a yummy flavor rather than a bitter pill. Because I don't like "stinky goodness" anymore and am back to my crunchies, Mom cannot hide them in my food and has to force the pill down my throat. I try to be cooperative because I know I need it. (Note from Mom: Jake has been amazing about taking his pills. If it were Bathsheba who needed twice daily meds, I don't know what I would do.) Mom says that I have a follow up appointment with the doctor on July 3. I hope they don't take my blood again.

~Jake

Everywhere I go, I must check out the water from the bathroom sink. Mmm, pretty good.

That's the report from Avon, NC, our dear friends!

~Bathsheba

Thursday 13 - Places Depicted on My Magnets

Updated 3/31/07 with photos.

When Mom travels, she often buys souvenir magnets for all the people back at her office. When she has extras, she gives them to me for my magnet collection. It's on the side of the tall file cabinet at the foot of my bed next to my throne.

13 Places Depicted on My Magnet Collection:

1. San Francisco, home of my good friends Rosie and Cheeto. I have two of the Golden Gate Bridge and one of a Victorian house. The Bay area is also home to a number of our blogging friends including Skeezix and his family and Kimo and Sabi.




2. New York, home of Jeter, Kismet, Ariel, and Sammy and Miles (if it's the whole state, not just the big city).




3. Maine, three magnets showing wild blueberries and a loon.




4. Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia




5. New Hampshire, one with enormous vishus deer called moose.




6. Colorado, two with Rocky Mountains and wildflowers.




7. Minnesota, one with a 3-D loon.




8. Olympic National Park in Washington State.




9. Zion National Park in Utah.




10. Bryce National Park in Utah.




11. Stowe, Vermont.




12. Alaska, two of Denali National Park/Mt. McKinley and one of a wolf.




13. Yosemite National Park in California, with Yosemite Falls. Unfortunately for Mom and Dad, the falls were dry when they visited in October of 2002.

Mom has camped in or near all of those places except for San Francisco, Butchart Gardens, and Minnesota. She wishes she had a Banff magnet; that's the most beautiful place she ever visited. She needs a Wyoming magnet; that's where she and Dad met.

I prefer to just get the magnets. I'd rather stay home. I now have a new Skeezix "biker dude" magnet. Isn't it great?

Blogger won't let me post photos tonight, and Mom and I have wasted a lot of time trying. Bummer! (Update, 3/31: now I have photos.)

~Jake