Category Archives: Animals

Thanks A Lot, Rain

Posted on July 29, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’m one of those odd people who likes the rain.  I like the sound of it.  I like watching it.  I even don’t mind being out in it when it’s a warm day.

What I don’t like, is when it rains so hard the ground becomes so over-saturated and water ends up finding it’s way into my basement.  I hate that.  And that’s exactly what happened this past Friday.  So, needless to say, I spent this past weekend on clean-up duty.  I was able to employ my photography skills, but not in the awesome creative way I would have liked.  I’m not sure if that can be counted in the “on the bright side” column or in the “major disappointment” column.  Maybe somewhere between the two.  Sort of a “the glass is half empty AND half full” kind of thing.

But, on the bright side, and getting away from the awful mess I had to deal with in my basement this weekend (lucky for me, I had the brains to make sure everything of value was either in plastic totes or up on cinder blocks before this happened), I caved.  What did I cave on and why is that a good thing?  Well, I’ll tell you.  On the second of this month, I caved and adopted the cat I told you, my fine readers, about in my Tiger In The Grass post.  Ironically, it was raining that day too.  She showed up on my porch, soaking wet, meowing, and scratching at my door.  I didn’t have the heart to turn her away, so I brought her in, fed her a hearty portion of cat food, gave her the proper de-flea/de-worm medications, and got her a check up with the vet.  I gave her the name Abby (in honor of my favorite NCIS character [^_^]).  So, now my little cat army…er…family is back up to four members.  Here’s to hoping everyone gets along!

Until next time…

[^_^]

~A.M.

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Posted in Cats, Nature, Photography

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Hello There Doom Moth…[o_O]…

Posted on July 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

I don’t tend to pay much attention to the moths and June bugs that buzz around my porch light at night.  At least, not until something gets one of my cats going crazy.

Recently, my kitten, Kenzi, was pawing at the kitchen window, chattering away.  I looked out to see what she was carrying on about and saw a large moth fluttering around the porch light.  The thing’s movements cast huge shadows all over the place and all I could think of was… Mothman.  Remember that movie?  So, needless to say, I didn’t venture out in the dead of night to try and catch a picture of this doom moth.  Instead, I decided to find something else to do and left my cat to chatter away at it.

To my surprise, when I woke up the next morning, the moth had stuck around all night and even stayed well into the afternoon.  I guess it likes my porch.

I decided, in the safety of daylight, that I would take a picture of it.  [^_^]

Moth

I have no idea what type of moth this is.  I see Luna moths frequently, but this is something different that I don’t see as much.

Can anyone tell me this guy’s name?  I’d be appreciative.  I would rather use it’s name instead of calling it “Doom Moth” or “Mothera“.  Wait…That last one’s taken so scratch that.

Until next time…

[^_^]

~A.M.

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Posted in Animals, Photography, Wildlife

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Tiger In The Grass

Posted on July 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

 

I have an ongoing list of things, places, people, and animals (both wild and domestic) that I want to photograph in my lifetime.  Tigers are high on that list.  Sadly, I don’t foresee myself going on any type of wildlife safari beyond my yard and local hiking spots in the near (or distant) future, so I’ll have to settle for this, more domestic, type of tiger.  [^_^]

Tiger In The Grass

I’m not sure if I’ve talked about this little stray in my blog previously, but she’s been coming around my house for a few years now.  Once we made friends, I adopted her as my official “Outdoor Cat” (she’s just as spoiled as my indoor cats! Food, toys, and all!) and have given her the name Abby (in honor of my favorite NCIS character!).  Unfortunately, I don’t have the resources to bring her inside and get her de-fleaed/de-wormed, etc. so she can become one of my house cats.  And, sadly, even if I did have the resources, I don’t think she and my current house cats would get along all that well. [-_-]  But, she seems content with our current arrangement.  She gets fed, has toys to play with, I go out and pet her every time I see her, and she can come and go as she pleases (though I always get worried when I don’t see her for a day or two).  She even knows my indoor cats’ routine, i.e. when it’s time for breakfast and supper.  She shows up on my porch at meal time and stares at the door, waiting to be fed along with my indoor cats.  And if I don’t notice her right away, she’ll knock.  I kid you not!  She’ll rub against the screen door, scratch at it, and bump her head against it hard enough that it sounds like she’s knocking on the door.  It’s a wonder she doesn’t knock herself out doing that.

As you can see in the following photo, she’s what’s called, triple pawed (she has two extra toes/claws on her front paws).

Abby on the Porch

Be nice to your local strays, folks.  Try and get them some help.  Find them a loving home if you can’t give them one yourself.  And, at the risk of sounding like good old Bob Barker, do your part to help control the stray population.  Have your dog or cat spayed or neutered.

Until next time…

[^_^]

~A.M.

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Posted in Animals, Cats, Photography

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Sometimes It Helps To Scream…

Posted on June 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Ever have a moment where you’re so angry, upset, or frustrated that you just want to scream as loud as humanly possible until you feel better or are completely out of breath?

 

Yeah, me too.

 

And it seems like people aren’t the only ones that employ this technique of releasing negative emotion…

 

 

Cat Scream

 

[-_^]

 

Until next time…

 

Stay healthy and emotionally balanced!!


[^_^]

~A.M.

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Posted in Animals, Cats, Photography

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Buck Butt!

Posted on December 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

One would think that living in Maine, I would see moose and deer on a regular, almost daily basis, right?  Well, I’ve lived in Maine all my life and I don’t see deer half as often as people who live outside this state think.  And, I’ve only seen four or five moose in my life.

Those of you who follow and read my blog on a regular basis are sure to know by now that I walk and hike as often as I can.  I figured that being in the woods that often would increase my chances of seeing these majestic creatures tenfold.  Sadly, that hasn’t been the case thus far.

But, every once in a while, I catch a fleeting glimpse of a deer when I’m not expecting it.  Usually, the glimpse is so fleeting that I don’t even have time to lift my camera.  But, luck Gibbs Slapped me a while ago (if you don‘t know what a “Gibbs Slap“ is, go watch NCIS.  You‘ll learn).

One day, about two weeks ago, my mother and I were on our way back from hiking, stoked that we had found a new trail in Lubec, but bummed that we didn’t see anything besides birds and squirrels.  We were driving along like usual when what should dash across the road in the middle of Machias?  A young buck.

At first I didn’t see him because I was looking out the passenger window, but my mother’s excited calls of “Deer, deer, DEER!  Camera, camera, CAMERA!” got my attention.  As she pulled the car to the side of the road, I managed to snap a quick shot of the buck.

Why is this a big deal to me?  Well, up until now, every deer I’ve ever seen has been female (every living breathing deer I‘ve seen, that is).  This was the first living buck I’ve seen.  So…Huzzah!!

Sadly, he was walking away at the time so I got a nice shot of his backside.  [-_-]  But still, I got a photo of a buck!  Yay, Bambi!!

So, folks, always remember to drive safely and keep an eye out for wildlife!  You never know when they’ll grace you with an appearance.

Until next time…

[^_^]

~A.M.

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Posted in Animals, Hiking, Photography, Wildlife

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