BBBBbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Winter has arrived in Central Ohio!  The latter part of last week brought the area about 3 inches of snow and bone chilling temperatures.  I have lived in Ohio my entire life so I am used to the weather. I can't really say I dislike the snow either.  If I did, then I would simply move somewhere that it didn't snow.  But I have 4 wheel drive and can do pretty well in bad weather- it's just the other idiots who can't drive that worry me.  The snow we got was really quite pretty - it was light and fluffy and made everything sparkle.  It looks like glitter was sprinkled everywhere.  I was out on Saturday. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be  - it was about 25 degrees and sunny.  On Sunday, it only got to about 16 degrees and was cloudy most of the day.  C had to work on Sunday, so I build a big ole fire in the fire place and stayed in my jammies all day long. Sometimes you just need days like that.

This is our neighborhood looking off the back deck.

This is a stump in the back yard.  I think it looks kind of cool in the winter all covered with snow.

And our bushes in the front of the house.

Poor little lawn ornament is almost covered.

Even after a couple days the snow still looks pretty.

But the cats had the right idea.  AJ took full advantage of the fire and got up in the rocker beside it and kept warm.

But Harley takes after his mommy!  He didn't bother to even get up today - he just made a little nest in bed and spent his day there.  He's a spoiled kitty - I turn on the warming blanket for him, so he could be nice and toasty.

Stay warm this week!!

Meet the Dogs!

Back in September y'all met our kitties. Though they were unhappy kitties, since they had all just had baths and then the humiliation of having their picture taken.  How I could forget the dogs, I don't know. But I just realized that I never introduced the rest of our household - our dogs.  We have 3 of them.  It makes for an interesting house - 3 cats/3 dogs.  The cats are all boys and the dogs are all girls.  When C & I combined houses into this one - I came with the 3 cats and a dog and he came with 2 dogs. All in all everyone has adapted very well to everyone else.

First we have Shadow.  She is a wonderfully, sweet Black Lab.  She has been part of C's life for a long time and has been his ever faithful companion, having been through it all.  Her favorite toy is a plush duck with a squeeky in it - how fitting - a lab with a duck in its mouth. I am so happy that she has welcomed me into their life with open paws. She sticks close to me when he isn't home.  He says when I'm not home she looks for me.

Then we have Molly.  Molly is my contribution to the canine population at our house. She is an adorable Rottweiler/German Shepard mix (I call her a "rott N shepard").  I have had her since she was 6 weeks old and we've been together through thick and thin.  She is now 13 years old (this is a younger pic of her - but I love it!).  When Molly & Shadow first met they didn't like each other much and there was quite a bit of snarling. Since we have moved into the house, we have only had 2 dog fights and those were early on.  Both brought blood.  Each time it was Molly's - she may be a rott - but she's a wimpy one.  They have now come to terms with each other and get along very well. 

And then... there's Sugar.   Miss Sugar is a Chihuahua - and an itty bitty one at that.  She is C's dog from a previous marriage.  This little gal may be tiny,  but she thinks she is at least as big as the other dogs. When someone comes to the door, she is the one that does all the talking - but Shadow and Molly are there to back her up if need be.   The big dogs are afraid of the vacuum cleaner - they run from it, but not Sugar, she chases it.  As you can see by the pic, she is dwarfed by Harley, but then he is a large alley cat.  But for her size she has a big heart, for she too, has welcomed me into their life, as she keeps close track of me.

With this mixture of animals it makes for us never having a dull moment.  Someone is always doing something.  We try as hard as we can to make them happy and keep them healthy so we can continue to enjoy their company for a long time. 

We Love Our Animals

As you know by now - I am a public health person  - I have worked in the field my entire adult life.  So I can't let today go by without a post about this... Today is World Rabies Day!!

Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. Domestic animals account for less than 10% of the reported rabies cases, with cats, cattle, and dogs most often reported rabid.

Rabies virus infects the central nervous system, causing encephalopathy and ultimately death. Early symptoms of rabies in humans are nonspecific, consisting of fever, headache, and general malaise. As the disease progresses, neurological symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.

Over the last 100 years, rabies in the United States has changed dramatically. More than 90% of all animal cases reported annually to CDC now occur in wildlife; before 1960 the majority were in domestic animals. The principal rabies hosts today are wild carnivores and bats.. The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more than 100 annually at the turn of the century to one or two per year in the 1990's. Modern day prophylaxis has proven nearly 100% successful. In the United States, human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people who fail to seek medical assistance, usually because they were unaware of their exposure.

If you love your pets make sure they are vaccinated agains rabies.   Thanks to CDC for the information about rabies!!