Eccleston RIP

RIP

Eccleston

5/2/14 - 9/23/16 

When he was a baby, he captured my heart and I went to Cleveland to adopt him and 2 of his brothers. Nougat died suddenly when he was young, but Eccleston lived a good life while Eros lives on. Eccleston was a sweet boy who will be missed.

Aleister RIP

Aleister

September 1998 - December 17, 2015

Aleister crossed the Rainbow Bridge during the night. He is now happy and whole once again. I'll never forget the night we met. I was checking out my patrol car and an evening shift officer came back down the hill. "Anyone want a kitten?" She was holding a tiny black thing. "Is he completely black?" I had always wanted a completely black cat without a sign of white. The kitten was completely black, so I took him, I already had the perfect name for my black cat: Aleister; named after Aleister Crowley. I put him in the female locker room and went on patrol. That was 17 years ago.

Aleister was always a good cat. He grew to be a very big boy-20 pounds and all muscle. He had his share of adventures-falling in the bathtub (his good buddie Barrett licked him dry), driving with me from Texas to New York, meeting new kittens who became his family, and more.

He lived with cancer for 2 years and hyperthyroidism, but it was finally his kidneys that said it was enough., his time was up. Aleister was the sweetest, best cat, I've ever had the privilege to know. Aleister has lived longer than any of my furkids, 17 years is a long time, yet not near long enough. It will be difficult not having him with me anymore.

Blizzard

RIP
Blizzard

December 17, 2011- February 17, 2015

I'm sad to say that Blizzard crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. He was a very old rat, living 3 years and 2 months to the day! I adopted him and his brother, Neige, from Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester. He was a good boy who adored his yogurt covered cherries and cranberries.

What D&D Character are You?

I Am A: True Neutral Human Ranger (6th Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-13
Dexterity-14
Constitution-14
Intelligence-14
Wisdom-15
Charisma-13

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Scheduled

I'm trying to see if I can properly schedule a post. We'll see.

Photo Phriday - Licorice & Sam

Photo Phriday - Chocolate Basil in Bloom

9-11

When I opened up Facebook today I saw post after post remembering that fateful day 11 years ago: 9-11-01. Then I saw another post from someone that didn't want to remember. I can understand that, sometimes you don't want to remember tragic events, especially if you were directly involved. Then I read the reasoning and became a bit perplexed. This person didn't want to remember because "no country did this" and asks that if you don't commemorate Christian atrocities why commemorate this one. Not one of the many (and believe me there were many) posts I read mentioned war or religion. What was remembered was the heroism of the people involved. I saw no mentions of hate or intolerance, I saw people coming together. The only mention of religion came from this person-a "friend" of a friend. I hadn't intended on writing about 9-11 today, but I'm still stumped by this person's post. What's wrong about commemorating, not a "religious atrocity" but the patriotic heroism of American citizens and first responders?

Excited

I'm excited! My mystery blog is getting lots of page views today, thanks to my interview with Lorraine Bartlett. I'm getting new followers as well. I hope it keeps up! I'm also excited that Licorice is doing better. He's stopped leaking and, although he still has diarrhea, it's starting to try to form. He's only been on meds and special food for 2 days, so I'm hoping he'll keep improving quickly!

Photo Phriday - National Buy a Book Day

Today is National Buy a Book Day. So I did. It was too hard to choose just one however, so I bought two; In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell (the latest in the Witchcraft Series-one of my favorites-it's #4 in the series) and first in a new series, Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRea, a Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery! Go out and support some authors, buy a book (or more) and tell me what you chose!

Help

I just want to help animals. My dream would be to have an animal sanctuary where all sorts of critters could happily live out their days. I'd also become a wildlife rehabilitator specializing in possums, squirrels, and other small mammals. But I'd have to be independently wealthy for that-couldn't work outside the home as I'd have to be there with the animals. So I do what I can and provide a home to a few that need them. Unfortunately, as my vet said this morning, "you can't have a normal pet". (The same thing with my trees and shrubs, sigh.) Sadly, many of my kids have medical issues, including little Licorice, my latest adoption.  But I can provide for them. I don't have (nor want) human children so I don't have that expense. I make good money (unfortunately, in a job I can't stand at the moment) and am able to support these critters. I don't really go out, I don't take vacations (other than day trips) so I can afford helping out. The love I get in return more than makes up for it.

Company

I'm typing this post with a little kitten siting on my lap, purring up a storm. Licorice has to stay in the library for awhile, away from the other cats. He still has diarrhea. But I brought him down to sit with me. He's such a sweet little guy, and, although playful, prefers just sitting and loving on you! We go to the vet tomorrow.

Licorice

I've been thinking of adding to the family for some time. Although I was periodically perusing shelter sites, I had kind of decided to wait until Spring. However, Fate always plays a hand. I had gone to Lollypop Farm to adopt Neige and Blizzard, my newest rats, and saw the cutest black cat called Licorice. I left with the rats, but kept thinking about that cat. Every time I looked at the adoptable cats at Lollypop, I saw that he was still available. He was an older cat, and even though I've found it easier to introduce kittens than adults I was seriously thinking of adopting him. Fate stepped in and Lollypop was having a special cat event-all cats were free on Wednesday, and I was actually off work, on vacation. I decided that if he was still there, I'd adopt him. Here comes Fate again-my car died Tuesday and I had no way to get to the shelter. Licorice was adopted that day and I hope he went to a wonderful home. I was lucky though-Lollypop had a contest and I won-I guessed the number of cats adopted that day-132! I got a rental car and Friday I went to pick up my prize. While waiting I looked around at the cats and saw several kittens that hadn't been available Wednesday. I met with a nice white and brown kitten, but we didn't bond. Then I met Kitten #1, a tiny black kitten and fell in love. I decided I'd adopt him, but I wasn't quite prepared to bring him home. Fate stepped in again. The kitten had a rough time, battling a parasite. He still had diarrhea, so they wouldn't release him for adoption. They put him on hold for me and said the clinic would get back to me. I called every few days-he still had diarrhea. Two weeks later I got the call, I could adopt him...but he was still having digestive issues. A vet called me and I spoke to my vet, and I decided to go ahead with the adoption-as fate would have it-I got the day off work. Hopefully, the new Licorice (I really liked that name) will be fit as a fiddle soon. We see my doctor on Tuesday. Soon I'll introduce him to my current kids and hopefully we'll soon be one big happy family!

Photo Phriday - Seneca