Boolie

Is There No Middle Ground?

When Sam came home after his surgery the other cats weren’t quite sure what to make of him, Boo would hiss at him and Trixie mostly avoided him. We saw this years ago after Templeton’s surgery when Scout hissed at him at first, I’m guessing it’s the different smell when they first come home. Once his wound healed enough that we could take off his onesie and he could give himself a bath, Trixie recognized her hero once more and buried her head in his belly as he slept on my legs. He gave me a look and I was poised to move her lest she bump his sore mouth or shoulder but she instantly fell asleep. He decided to tolerate her affections despite not feeling well, curling up around her and joining her in slumber.

Don’t Lend Me a Hand

I didn’t read comics as a kid but I watched the Superfriends on TV and was enamored with Aquaman’s ability to communicate with animals. It would have come in handy on this morning in May as the master blister beetle was trying to move from one blossom to the next but finding it too far out of its reach. I would have loved to tell it to sit still and that I’d gently push the stem closer to the other flower, but alas I could not. Rather than scare it I left it alone, eventually it gave up and moved back down the stem. While I didn’t know it at the time there’s an extra reason not to lend a literal helping hand to these beetles as if they feel threatened they can cause caustic yellow blood to ooze from their legs, which can blister human skin. Lovely to watch though!

Dining In

Sam a week and a half ago after his surgery to get a few teeth pulled and a cyst in his back removed. He was in pain and the other cats didn’t fully recognize him yet, Boo in particular hissed at him, so we let him hide in the cabinets as much as he wanted and even let him eat in there. Thankfully as the sedatives wore off the little fellow’s appetite returned, sore mouth and all.

Two Years

It was two years ago today that my team got laid off, setting in motion the events that brought us from Oregon to Arizona. To me it feels like we left Portland much longer ago but that we’ve been here much shorter. I haven’t ventured further afield than my local trails, that will change with time but for now I’m content to enjoy the pictures people post as they travel the state. While Ellie was with us I didn’t want to be away from her more than I had to be, then with the new house and a lot to learn at work it’s left me a bit thin at times. Thankfully I am blessed with an abundance of local trails, to the point that some mornings I have difficulty choosing where I want to go. And there is so much wonder to behold in the Sonoran Desert, such as this Harris’s hawk I met in June with the blossoms fading and the sun rising, one of the adults that helped raise the two young hawks in the saguaro nest further up the trail.

Good News for Samwise

The vet reported that the cyst that suddenly appeared in Sam’s shoulder was a reaction to his steroid injection so while it will change the way he gets his shots in the future there’s no other underlying issue we need to worry about. He’s healing well from the shoulder surgery and will get the stitches out soon. He’s also healing well from his dental surgery and will be able to enjoy evening treats again, as will the other cats as I’ve put them all on hiatus until Sam can join us once more. Here as he sleeps on my legs he was still wearing his onesie in the early days after surgery but he hasn’t had to wear it for a while now.

Onesie

I’m not the only one recovering from oral surgery as Sam went in last week and needed four teeth removed, including three of his front teeth. Making matters worse for our twelve year old, they discovered a cyst in his shoulder they hadn’t noticed on his previous visit (we hadn’t either) so that was removed and we are waiting on results of a biopsy to learn more. He has stitches running behind his right shoulder so the vet suggested we get a baby’s onesie for him to wear at first while the wound was healing. He seemed disappointed it wasn’t adorned with Jedi Knights or Boba Fett but otherwise put up with it tolerably, here he’s resting on my legs.

Time to Take Out the Trash

A Gila woodpecker takes out a lump of poop from her nest, generated by her ever-hungry babies, a necessary cleanup the parents must occasionally do after bringing a steady stream of insects to feed the little ones. Taken in May on the Latigo Trail.

All Hands On Deck

My Guardians

Tomorrow I’m scheduled to meet an oral surgeon to get my last wisdom tooth removed, I wish they had removed them all when I was young but it is what it is. The other lower one was removed years ago while we were in Portland and the dentist struggled to get it out, I was laid up for a couple of days on heavy pain killers. What I remember from those days was waking up every four hours or so to change the gauze in my mouth or to take new meds, and every time I woke up a different cat was sleeping on my chest. It may have been coincidence but at the time it felt as though Templeton and Scout were working in shifts, making sure I was alright, and indeed I was thankful for their devotion. Here the two play in the backyard in 2003 during their supervised outdoor time, Templeton in the foreground and Scout back by the window under my office.

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