Pets from Key West

Iggy the Iguana

We only had Iggy for a couple of days. We found

him in our yard dehydrated.

After putting some water on him

He was very calm and allowed me to

hold him.

Dad welded a cage for him and placed inside a
piece of driftwood we had found on a
previous beach combing outing. We were

told that they like to eat the red double hybiscus

flowers, which we had quite a few. He did well

for the few days we had him, but one morning

when we went to check his cage we found he had

escaped during the night, not to be seen again.

Ralphie Raccoon didn't belong to us,

but to one of mom and dad's best friends. I

was visiting every chance I got. He really

did bond with me and we had a great

time of playing!

I'll never forget when I would come in the yard

and he would see me. He would come running

at full speed. His fur would roll like that of a bear

as he galloped across the yard toward me. If he didn't

jump-spring into my lap, he would stop and

step up to reach with his nose to greet me.

After rumble, tumble playing in the picture

below, Ralph would let you hold and hug all

over him. He really did love the attention.

Our friends found Ralph and his sister where

they had fallen out of their palm tree nest. His

sister didn't survive the fall. His eyes were

still closed. His mother had gotten killed

on the highway, so our friends raised him

from before his eyes opened. I guess our

human love implanted on him and he

didn't know he was a raccoon!

When Ralph was two, he had a "birthday" party.

He loved playing in his tub of water and the hose!

We also had fish. One special pet was a French

Angel fish dad had caught when it was very

small. He found it under a bridge piling

in a couple of feet of water. She was about

an inch wide. We named her "Frenchy."

In this picture, she had grown to about

four inches. It is amazing how smart fish

can be. She would play hide and seek with

us when we came in the room. She would

go behind the coral rock and roll her big

eyes up at us and when we made our lips

do a kiss motion, she would come out

and swiftly swim up and down the tank.

Frenchy would eat from our fingers and would

let us rub her side and fins with our fingers.

She knew us from strangers. When "strangers"

would come in, she would hide and not come out.

Once she got larger, she would go behind the

coral rock and lay low to the tank bottom.

Our hearts were broken when we lost her to

death some years later.

These are my fish after we moved from

Key West. This is a fresh water tank

whereas the other was a salt water tank

we had in ther keys. Goldy belonged to

a friend of mine who didn't want her

anymore. She had had Goldy for five years.

I took her and placed her in a big tank

with 2 new friends, Amber and Oranche.

I had them for five years which made

Goldy 10 years old!!

Who Let the Dogs In?

This is a common place during the day.

Unexciting, blase, waiting for something to

happen outside.

You can tell where Gracie (small dog in the

forefront) usually sits; the table with the

scratches. Dolly (brown) is the only one

who stays off of things. If anything happens

around the culdesac, Grace will be the 1st

to let you know. I know if someone comes

in the gate, for Sam (black) will then bark.

Good watch dogs! Max (my blue/gold

macaw) is a good watch "bird!" He will

start making a lot of noise if he sees anyone

along the back road to my property!

What'd ya want?

Three times is suppose to be the charm!

However, Max was still being obstinate!

I think I may have to entice him with his

favorite treat, peanuts in the hull. Of course

he will make the bird room look like one

of the famous steak houses, if you know

what I mean!

Tia Visits

My neighbor friend and her husband were going

to be gone a couple of days, so Miss Tia

made herself quite at home in my house

with my family of pets. She already

knew Sarah from days past when

Sarah was outside and would

visit at Tia's house.

All got along well even though they bark at

each other when they are in their own yards, ha!

Tia is about the age of 10. What a sweet dog.

I have a pretty good pack!

What a fish tale!

The summer of 1962! Dad didn't fool

around with pole fishing, he just went

skin diving and got his fish with one

"catch!" We kids like to play cowboy

and Indians. Dad caught me with

my cap gun six shooters and had

me pose.

"Who wears short, shorts; mom wears

short, shorts!" Mom and dad's friend

was into photography and took this

picture from another "big catch."

You can see the fish have their own

distinctive markings. These two fish

were small in comparison to some others

dad got. He fashioned a power head that

used 45 bullets. It would take the fish

down immediately and could be hauled

into the boat quickly. Before, he would have

to tie off his spear to the boat while the

fish would pull the boat up and down

the channel until it gave out; which could

be hours.

In this case, the big one didn't get away!

Pet #7

Dolly was 6 weeks old when I visited to see her.

Her mom is white pitbull mix and her father

is shepherd/chow mix.

Happy "mom" getting her new puppy at 8

weeks old. I named her Dolly. I call her "Dolly

Doodle all my Day!" What a loving pup!

I didn't think her growth would ever catch up

with the size of her feet. I have never had a

dog with such big feet! If you notice, she has

this little grin that shows her bottom gum!

This has become a trait that belongs only

to her! When she gets really happy

(like when I first come home)

she grins up a storm with a wiggle

that ripples from head to tail!

Grace did well with "mothering" Dolly, but Dolly

could get quite rambunctious to which Gracie

would quickly put her in her place.

Dolly continued to grow into those big feet.

I kept thinking, "You can stop growing

anytime now!" lol! (Notice her little

grin!)

I believe Dolly has now reached her full size.

(70 pounds, and quite tall; taller than Sam!)

She has a beautiful nature and loves to be wherever

I am. She gets along well with all her pet family,

even though Sarah does occassionally entice

Dolly to chase her up her cat tower.

There is Sunshine in my soul today

Wow! Thank you so much, Nellie! I am so

encouraged by you and your blog!

For my readers, you may read Nellie's blog at:

Nellie'sCozyPlace.blogspot.com/

And Last but Surely Not Least
My #12 choice
is
Susan of Sister Susie
http://sistersusiesays.blogspot.com/
*
Susan is my sweet sister-in-law,
and has been following my blog
and leaving comments for quite
sometime now.
She just recently started her own
blog, but she has sort of been blogging
on my blog thru her comments via
email to me. She always loves doing
the Thankful Thursday Post. She
sees what I am Thankful for then it
prompts her Thankfulness and then she
blogs about it. She has been such an
encouragement to me, and is so enjoying
herself with all this I wanted to give
her a "Sunshine Award" as well.

Pet #6

It is going on 6 years since I got Max. I went to a

bird auction with the intent of getting a Blue and Gold

Macaw! All of the cages had pairs in them. As I

walked around the large enclosure of hundreds

of birds, I came upon this large cage where

"Max" was. On the cage, 2 was scratched out and

1 written on the cage. I immediately said, "Hello,"

to which he flew across the large enclosure

and landed right in front of me saying, "Hello!"

I knew he was for me!

I stood in front of the cage, blocking the scratched

out number. As the auction came around closer,

you could hear the auctioneer saying, "Come on people,

these birds are worth more than $500.00!" With 2

birds to a cage, the final price of $1,000.00 would be

charged for both birds inside. Soon the auction came

to Max's cage. The bidding started. It went from $200 to

$500. I offered $600. The bid went to $700. I offered

$800. At that price, no one else put in another bid.

At that point he said, "$800.00 going once, twice,

sold for $800.00!" Immediately the price was

called out for $1600.00 to which I immediately

pointed out there was only one bird! As soon as it

was verified, there was a big moan in the crowd,

for many had come to get one bird to which there

were only a few, Max being one. Since "Sold" had

been proclaimed, I had my Macaw! What a

steal when these birds go for $3-$5,000!

He was placed in my carrier and I took him

immediately to my vet and had him checked

over. He was a great bird. He didn't even

scream, squawk, or holler! The vet was

so amazed. He says many of these birds

are so loud, it hurts your ears. Max allowed

himself to be wrapped within the towels

and just blinked as he was held on his back

for his check-up. He must have been

to vets from very young. He is the "shy"

macaw in my previous blog video. I'm

going to keep trying to get him to talk on

camera. He has quite the vocabulary. I

didn't think when I was standing by his

cage at the auction, that he may have a

vocabulary that would be unacceptable!!!

Praise God, He had Max for me and there

was no bad language! Be looking for Max's

future video!

Look Who's Talking

Of course you can't get them to

participate when you want them

to! Max and Jerry refused to say

a word. Max even acted as if I

were not there, ha! At least my

little Cuddle Bird showed he was

not afraid of my camera!

Longing for Spring

These were some of my prettiest

flowers from years past. A close

friend at church gave me a

clipping off of her bush.

I had planned on putting

a video of Cuddles talking

up a storm, but I couldn't

get it to play. It would load,

but when I went to play it

the screen would go black.

I may try to get it to load

direct rather than from

my computer file.

Pet #5

What a ball of fluff!

Gracie joined our family just after

Cuddles did. She was a bundle of

energy! Sam was 2 and she kept

him busy!

I was always wondering what those

"innocent" eyes were looking to do

next!

Sorry for the white spot. I didn't have

any of her puppy pictures on digital.

So, I had to photograph the pictures.

A time of rest for Sam. This time she

was letting him go without biting

at his heels, lol!

Gracie's first grooming! Wow, what a

difference! I have to have her groomed

every 5-6 weeks due to how fast her

coat grows. It mats when it is the

least bit long unless you continually

keep her brushed several times a

day.

Gracie is going on 10 years old now.

Don't let this "lazy, tired" look fool

you. She still runs like the wind,

barks up a storm, and is the

sunshine in my life. Another

blessing the LORD gives

through his animals.

Payback

What a day for spaghetti sauce!

I consider my sauce like a "stew."

Just about everything is put in except

the "kitchen sink!" The ingredients are:

2 pkg. of lean hamburger (browned)

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 12 oz. can tomato sauce

1 jar Prego sauce

1 jar of mushrooms

1 jar of olives

3/4 large purple onion (chopped)

2 red bell peppers (chopped)

2 small zucchini (chopped)

To taste add:

garlic powder

salt & pepper

sugar (for acidity)

The Prego sauce has the other spices.

Let her cook on medium for 1 hour

and on low for 2 hours.

Guess what I'll be eating on for the next week!

lol!

God is so Good! I just wonder what that

Heavenly manna is going to taste like!

Titans by the Tons

What a bunch of trucks at this Titan Meet!

I didn't have all of the extras on mine then

as I do now.

Many of the trucks had some modifications

that I hadn't seen before. It was really neat!

As you can see below, there were many
people who came to the meet! If I hadn't
known better, I would have thought I was
at a Nissan car sales lot! This was only
1/3 of the trucks that came!





The meet was about three hours long
and then we went on a parade through
the town!


These two trucks remind me of the
O.K. Corral. White and black,
Good verses bad!

I had a lot of fun! There were other

ladies there with their Titans too!

But, it was a long drive there and back.

So, that was my one and only time

I participated.

Pet #4

Cuddles joined the family in 2000.
He will soon be 10 years old!
I was at school with the children
on the playground when one of the
children screamed about a bird
on her shoulder. When I looked,
I saw this small cockatiel! He
came to me immediately when
I extended my hand to him. We
went inside and I placed him in
a paper bag. Thank goodness
it was at the end of the day. On
my way home I stopped by the
vet's office and my vet looked
him over really good. Cuddles
was so young, his feet were still
transparent. The vet said he was
about 3 months old. When I took
him home, mom fell in love with
him and he became her bird!
Every day she had him out and
he would walk around her neck
and chest rubbing against her
skin. He would let mom rub
all over his neck and under his
wings. He was a true lubby dubby!
He talks up a storm too! I no
sooner uncover him in the morning
and he starts whistling and saying,
"Good Morning, Cuddles is a pretty bird!
Where's Cuddles? Peek-a-boo!"
When he's ready to go to roost,
you will hear him saying, "Cuddles
wanna go nite nite!" He is a rare
color with not much gray, but a whole
lot of white and yellow. He has always
been a "runt" in size but very big
in heart. I assume he must have been
in an outside aviary. That year
hurricane Floyd had come close to
our coast and we missed a day of
school due to the wind. His outside
cage must have been knocked over
allowing him to escape. I watched
the papers and notices at the vet's
office, but no one ever had a
"lost bird" advertized, so he became
a beloved part of our family. He and
his parrot friends can really make the
noise some days, but it's a happy noise!
You can tell they enjoy the pampering
and spoiling I give to them! God is so
amazing with the beautiful creations
He has made. I believe in my heart He
has each one planned for the right
home and human companion. They
each have their own song they sing to
Him as do we to the Glory of our God!

3rd Auto show

The third annual auto show only had 34

entries. We had no official judge this year

due to him already being booked for

another show. So, many cars that came in

the past, did not show up this year. The

choosing of the best car was done by

popular vote. A crippled man's 1954

yellow painted Chevy with a corroded

chrome hood ornament, painted over

bumpers, and torn up interior was given

first place. Least to say, this was the last

auto show done at this location. I had

planned on adding the "V Chip" to my

engine to enhance the performance from

315 horsepower to 490 horsepower

and torque. I'm glad now I didn't.

If I ever decide to enter any more

auto shows, I'll have it added then.

When my neighbors ride with me, Boddy

always laughs followed by a reply, "Susie,

heads turn when this truck goes by!" I

laugh and reply, "Oh, yeah? I never look to

see!" It makes me wonder the mode of

travel we will have when in Heaven. There

are streets there, Streets of Gold! There is

mention of white horses. Christ is mentioned

of returning with His Saints on White Horses!

Now we know animals are in Heaven; now

we see they can fly (with no mention of wings!)

Remember seeing Sea World's

advertisement of the killer whales flying up

the side of buildings and over the bridges

instead of in the water? Maybe there will be no

limitations or boundaries in Heaven for the

travel of animals and people. The New Jerusalem

is 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles! It

is about the width of the U.S. and length of

the U.S. and Canada, but it's the height that is

astounding! The Space shuttle is only about

200 miles high. You have to go up another 1300 miles

to get to the height of the New Jerusalem! And, it

sits upon the Newly Created Earth! How

much bigger it must be than our present

earth! Travel will definitely not be as it is

now, and our attention will no longer be

on the things of this now known world!

Enjoy the blessings of this earth that the

Lord has given us. Eternity's Blessings

will not be of this world and I can hardly

wait to see what's in store!

Pet #3

Sarah is the same age as Sam (pet #2.)

I only had Sam a couple of months

when I discovered Sarah in the back

garage. She had gotten in during

the day when the door had been left open.

She made herself right at home.

I took her to the vet and he could

approximate her age due to the

teeth that had not come in as yet.

She was just about the age Sam was!

She didn't like to be inside much and

acted claustrophobic when she was.

It took some years before she became

comfortable being inside, but not at night!

My dear, what yowling went on when I

tried to get her to stay in, even when it was

cold. I generally made a bed of towels

in a box in the garage for her to come

and go as she wanted. She was about

five when she chose to stay inside

permanently! One afternoon I had

not seen her for sometime. It got to

be about 8:00 and I was getting worried.

One more time I opened the door

and she darted in before I could even

call her! She was looking all around the

room as though something was after

her. It wouldn't be until the next day

that my neighbor said he had seen a

fox in the area. Now Sarah was one

cat who loved to go at the "speed of light"

right straight up to the top of the oak

trees in my front yard. Once to the top,

she would stand on a limb swishing her

tail back and forth just daring anything

to follow her! Have no fear, she had no

problem shimmying back down when she

was good and ready. Something tells me

that's where she must have spent most

of her day when a fox had been sighted

in the area. From that point on she would

not go outside. So, I made her inside

life one of comfort. She had a cat tower

that even the dogs envied. She had her

on self-cleaning litter pan as well as

a fresh water dish that circulated the

liquid through a filter and out into a soft

swirling collection pool. She has now

been inside going on 7 years. The

dogs don't bother her. When they come

near her, she starts a low growl while

swishing her tail as if with a warning,

"You're in my space!" It's funny to

watch them veer off the other direction

while looking out the corner of their

eyes as if they were saying, "I really wasn't going

that way anyhow." She also likes to tease them.

She will be sitting under the table and

decide to take a running streak to her cat tower

right past where they are lying down.

Of course they can't resist the challenge;

but by the time they get up, she's already

raced to the top. All the scratching noise,

just leaves them there barking at her

while she looks down from the living

room ceiling swishing her tail in success!

It's amazing how animals that in the

wild would be enemies, but are right at

home when they have human

companions. What it must have been

like in the Garden of Eden before

man decided to take matters into

his own hands. It makes me so sorrowful

for my sin as well, that the beautiful

animal kingdom had to suffer because

man decided to be "like God knowing

good from evil." Now the beautiful

animals in the wild kill one another

for food to survive. Thousands of

animals are put down daily due to

the cruelty of man. Let us all remember

to spay and neuter our animals and most

of all try to get our animals from a

shelter to prevent their death before

they have ever had a chance at life.

One day the creatures God has created

will Praise their Creator in the presence

of the Wedding feast of the Bride and Groom.

(Romans 8:21-22)

Second Auto show

My second entry was exciting! The first

had 92 autos of which my Titan took

4th out of the top 10. This second entry

had 132 autos of which my Titan took

three trophies: Best Paint, In the top

20, and Best Stock! The extras I had

done was to add crome reams

around the fog lamps, crome reams

on the tail lights and brake light,

crome tailgate lock/handle cover,

crome bug shield on the hood above

the grill, white lettering on the

windshield saying,

"Titan Down Your Hatches,"

and a tropical ocean scene on the

back window. Under the hood,

I had planned on adding a custom

manifold cover along with some

crome caps for the oil and other

fluid areas, but didn't have the time to find

where to have it done or get the parts.

I guess that will have to be for the next entry!

Is this considered vanity?! I guess not

if it is used to witness and testify for Christ.

Christian music was being played by a

live band from our church members as

well as members of EE sharing the message

of salvation with those in attendance.

I have been blessed with what the LORD

has allowed me to own. One day the

things of this world will pass away, but

the works we have done will be rewarded

with more than the best this world

could ever offer. "Eye has not seen, nor

ear heard, nor has it entered the heart

of man what God has planned for

those who belong to Him."

Pet #2

Sammy is next in line to my oldest.

He is going on 12 years old.

I got him from the local Humane

Society when he was 8 weeks old.

He and his siblings were in a

play room and up for adoption.

He is lab/springer spaniel mix.

I was surprised how easily he was

to house train. He slept on a pillow

next to me on my bed. As soon as I

felt him begin to move about, I'd take him

outside to do his thing and he would

sleep for the rest of the night.

At 10 weeks I took him to begin his

obedience training. He did very well

and still today follows the commands

he learned. In his senior years he

for most part sleeps behind the couch

against the wall. He likes to tunnel to the end

yet has to back up to get out.

All I have to do, to get his attention

is sneak something out to the den to eat.

He has a nose on him (which I guess he

gets from the springer spaniel) and before

I know it, he's standing by looking for handouts!

He's not one to want much petting, but I

do sometimes catch him in a bear hug to which his

strength still allows him to wiggle out of.

When thinking of the beautiful animals God created

for us, I'm sure they are important to Him also.

I always claim Romans 8:21-22 which tells

of God's whole creation being delivered,

"...Because the creature itself shall also be delivered

from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Children of God."