Living in San Francisco, we don’t have the extreme weather changes that other places get. However, we do have a few trees that are changing color and the rains have started.
The other day, we were at Golden Gate Park killing time waiting for the SFSPCA to open so that we could go adopt Miss Nightshade Jenny. We went to go check out one of our favorite spots. I’m glad we did.
Miss Nightshade Jenny still has a long way to go, but she has made a major breakthrough. It started with the laser pointer. I managed to get her out from under the dresser to play. Then she got brave enough to stay out to eat and play some more. Once in a while, she would remember that I was there and dart back under the futon.
Last night, a minor miracle occurred. I was parked on the futon with a blanket covering me and I was reading. I was watching Jenny out of the corner of my eye, but my main goal was just getting her used to my presence. Something made me look down by my feet. Jenny was on the Futon! I left her alone to explore and relax a bit. Eventually, I worked my hand down to her and touched her cheek. Oh my. A scritching fest and a lot of purring followed. Once in a while, she would forget herself and hiss at me, followed by head bonking. She even came up to my face to butt my head and nibble on my eyebrows.
Wow! She still gets scared and dives under the futon in fear, but she’s getting better. Here are a few more photos that I managed to get. Please forgive the blurry ones. She’s not used to the camera yet and I didn’t want to use the flash.
As most of you know already, we have adopted a young kitty named Nightshade Jenny. It isn’t for the faint of heart. This little beauty is going to take work. She was found abandoned on the street and spent a while at the county shelter before being sent to the SFSPCA. All of this adds up to a pretty traumatic experience for a young kitty of only 4 mos. or so.
After we brought her home on Saturday, she dove under the dresser and only came out to eat and use her box…when we were out of the room.
Last night was a major breakthrough. She had her dinner and then I went in to keep her company. I parked myself on the futon and and teased her with the laser pointer. It worked. She would come out to chase the light. It started with her dashing out a couple of feet before realizing I was there and diving back under cover. Eventually, she started spending more and more time out on the floor playing. She even let me touch her with a finger.
The kibble tossing began when I started to suffer from terminal laser pointer thumb and had to quit. She finally got brave enough to head for her kibble dish. She was still in the mood to play. She took a bite of kibble, tossed it in the air and then batted it around the floor a bit before eating. She repeated this routine for almost an hour. Evidently, the kibble tossing got the attention of Tito. The next thing I knew he was laying at the door, snaking a paw under the door and cooing like crazy. Miss Nightshade Jenny went to the door and they kept each other company for a while.
It’s time for the boys to shine…for the last time. Next time, they shall be shining with a girl. Yes, we are about to bring home a kitty. We don’t know which kitty yet. We’ll go see in the morning. 🙂
Here are the boys.
Previously, I posted some of our sunrise photos from Shoreline Park in Mountain View. Part one is here and part two can be found here. This time around, I’m sharing photos from elsewhere in the park: Rengstorff House and the beautiful and historic area around it .
Continue reading “Shoreline Park and Rengstorff House in Mountain View”
We were working on a post for the boys when the computer ran amok and I wound up wearing my tech hat for a while. The boys will have a proper starring roll tomorrow.
Instead, here is a beautiful video of a hanglider soaring with a hawk. The first portion of the video was filmed at Torrey Pines, near San Diego. The second part was filmed over Blossom Valley just East of San Diego, CA.
Twin Peaks is a great place for the tourists to look out over the city. It’s just as nice for those of us who live here. Lastech and I play “tourist” fairly often. Living in San Francisco, we tend to avoid the tourist destinations and the crowds. By doing so, we miss out on what makes this place so beautiful.
Continue reading “Autumn in San Francisco”
UPDATE: An amazing thing happened. I woke up Monday and posted this thing. Then I took a nap and woke up on Sunday. Good heavens! Einstein would be amazed. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Yet another manic Monday rolls around. Since Halloween is tomorrow, I thought I would share a vid or two.
Thanks to a friend of our blog, Nekoneko, we found very funny Taylor Swift music parody by VenetianPrincess.
From there, we found another funny vid.
That led to yet a third vid. This one isn’t by VenetianPrincess. It may no be safe for work either, so be warned. It’s rude, but no real foul language.
Some of you may remember that we previously a post called The Rainbow Bridge: Sweet Thordoggie. Now, with great sadness we have another passing to announce. A lovely yellow lab we called The Divine Miss D has gone to join him.
I can’t do the justice to Miss D that labwitchy can, so with her permission I have used her words.
she had been used to manufacture puppies for some pretty lowlife owners. she was afraid of loud storms and would get on the bed and lie on me when storms came.
she was always a happy girl. show her a throw toy and she was so wiggly tailed happy. she enjoyed treats and walkies and car rides and was my near constant companion.
last friday, she collapsed. just collapsed, she could walk, but not well. just the day before she and i were rolling in the front yard like two loonies and having the best time. her favorite game was “go get the toy”. she played like that for at least twenty minutes at a time, longer if you wanted her to. she swam in the summer.
Miss D was at least 10 when we got her from DFW labrador rescue. no one thought she’d ever be adopted since she was so old. she and i connected the first time i saw her. she needed me as much as i needed her. my older lab, Thor had died a couple of months earlier. he was 17. she had a pancreatic tumor no one knew about. she had been to the dfw lab rescue vet and to our vet and pronounced healthy. no one knew.
labs, being stoics, with that hunting dog instinct that pushes them on through the pain. i hope she wasn’t in pain long. she never seemed to be until that day.
she had just learned to bring my iphone to me should i need it to call for help. had her paws not been so large, she could have likely dialed and told 911 what the problem was.
she was a cuddle monster. loved to cuddle, probably making up for the cuddles lost to her in her old life.
i miss her so. she was always ready for an interesting walk or an interesting ride. i couldn’t take her too many places in the car, what with the texas heat, but when i could, she was harnessed into the seat next to me and off we went.
someone had once loved her and spent time training her. she was on her way to being a gun dog, then something happened and either that owner gave her up or that owner turned into an ogre.
her best talent was doing the Dee Dance when she was happily awaiting me at the door or doing her Dee Dance when she was going to get a treat. i used to make her homemade doggy treats using recipes i received from her vet. i had planned on making her treats that looked like bats for halloween. she did NOT dress up, although she would have had i wanted her to.
we had long talks when we walked or went anywhere. the metro area isn’t dog friendly, although she was the perfect lady and wouldn’t dream of disgracing herself. she never barked. i heard that only one time. she ignored squirrels and cats and was utterly trustworthy off leash although i kept her on loose leash when we walked because it was safer for her.
she never was frightened by other people or other dogs. she ignored other dogs except torre and sat beautifully and quietly to be petted. someone worked well with her. i was even thinking of training her to be a delta dog. she was that good with people.
we only had her for a year and a half when disaster struck. the vets all agreed that the tumor was too large and too ruptured to take it out so the decision had to be made suddenly. she would never be pain free again and likely would not have made it through the surgery.
she was the best and is sorely missed. she’s coming home today to have her ashes placed next to thor’s.  By labwitchy
From Lastech: this is the very first thing that came to me when I saw her picture, a song I’d forgotten from many years ago…
The falling leaves
Drift by the window
The autumn leaves
All red and gold
I see your lips
The summer kisses
The sunburned hands
I used to hold.Since you went away
The days grow long…
And soon I’ll hear
Old winter songs
But I miss you most of all
My darling, when autumn leaves start to fall…This is a song
that seems like us
You who loved me
And I who loved you
We lived together
You who loved me
And I who loved you
But life tears away
Those who love each other
Very softly
Without a sound
As the waves wash away
The steps of broken lovers.Since you went away
The days grow long…
And soon I’ll hear
Old winter songs
But I miss you most of all
My darling, when autumn leaves start to fall…
