What’s he saying, we have no attention span here? No coherent thought, no continuosity of thought?
Ow, my nose.
About my cat?
My mother had gone out to the garage to turn on the stove for the cat. It was cold, and she wanted the cat to be warm (this was back in 1964 or 1965). She bent down to pet what she thought was a portion of the cat, but as she lift her hand back up, the spider jumped up after it. Pederlay jumped between the spider and my mother’s hand at the same instant and was bitten on the neck.
He died on the way to the vet. I was a mere tot at the time, and that’s how the story has always been told to me, by both parents.
That crazy cat used to climb the tree next to our house, jump to the roof, and lie in wait on the roof for dogs to come by in the yard. Then he’d jump on their backs. I don’t have any memory of that, but again, this is something both my parents have told me.
That’s pretty much it.
Gah. You actually lived where tarantulas roamed free and wild?
Ellen, yep, I did. I lived in Lawton, Oklahoma at the time. My dad was stationed at Fort Sill, OK.
Funnily enough, I have absolutely NO desire to go back there.
Gahh. Gaahhhh. Spiders killing cats.
:Hugs Bailey:
I’m stopping at home on the way to the gym tonight to close the door to the basement (aka: Spiderland) so the cats stay upstairs.
kai, great pics. Keep em coming. 
Hmmmmm, I wonder if that was a rabid tarantula??? 
I was gonna comment on skippy’s quote but then I got side-tracked. 
swampster, you seen that big ol pinwheel tryin to get started off the Carolinas?
Good Morn…Afternoon all. So, I got up a little late, sue me. 
This is Nurse Appreciation Week, so go hug a nurse.
Mindfield, nice op. My doggy story is about the dog we had when my son was little. Her name was Cinnamon, after the lady on Mission Impossible. (TV, not those awful movies) We got her from some hippy friends whose part Russian wolf hound (reportedly) part wolf had 11 pup in their bathtub. Cinnamon actually looked like a wolf. The rest of the puppies looked like St Bernards, go figure.
She was so protective of my son, that once, I was about to swat him on his very diapered butt, she very gently took my arm in her mouth. I knew she was telling me “we just don’t hit my boy.” No one ever hit her pet boy after that.
She was protective of us too. We had crazy neighbors. Once, an argument started across the fence, that is, until she stood up between me and the fence and looked the guy in the eye, and smiled. He went in the house.
kaiwik, great pictures! Thanks for sharing them.
ACBG is a nurse. Guess I’ll have to do some appreciatin’…
Puggy reckon it’ll do anything? I know we’re movin’ into ‘cane season but it’s kinda early. Still could be a mess for the coast from the Carolinas to Flahrdy. We need rain here bad but I don’t want it from a big ol’ horrible storm.
Tarantulas???!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:
My grandparents had a german shepherd named Cousin. He was smart, tolerant of the grandkids, and very protective of the home turf. They lived in Baltimore City in a less-than-stellar neighborhood, and just a bark or 2 from Cousin kept the bad guys away. I remember when he got really old, my grandfather had to take him to be put down, and it actually made him ill. Since my grandfather wasn’t an overtly sentimental man, it startled me to see that side of him.
Their next shepherd was Chadeaux (dig the fancy spelling!) - he was a big goof. But I don’t remember much more about him, because I became all adult and moved away from home. He also reached old age, tho.
**kai ** - the pics were gorgeous! I had a friend from somewhere in Alaska and he convinced me I needed to visit some day. I hope I can, some day… Looks like it wouldn’t be much fun for swampy, tho - no dumpster diving for him! 
**MamaTigs ** - I’m sorry - it didn’t occur to me that you hadn’t met **BibKitty ** - I’d have introduced you. We coulda done a MMP pic. But I was kinda preoccupied with my mom - I didn’t want her to feel too much like an outsider.
Back to regular work today, and I spent lots of time wading thru accumulated emails, attending Security training, fighting with computers, and filling out my local travel claim. I’ll get $92, which should pretty much cover my gas for the week.
I’ve got the kiln lid propped open - it was about 350 degrees when I opened it a crack, so I should be able to unload it tonight. **FCD ** and I are running to Lowe’s for some plywood and 2X4s to make my display shelves for the show. Saturday will get here way too fast…
And that’s all I’ve got for now. Happy Monday, one and all!
Oh like they could ever bear proof a dumpster enough to keep me out of one.
ETA: First post on page two! WOOHOO!!!
Our weather dudes say it’s supposed to weaken but it could develop into a “named” storm. I dunno…seems like there’s some really tricksie weather going on this year. That twister out west looked positively brutal.
Is it hurricane season already? Or does that start June 1st?
June 1st, sean. That’s why they don’t think it will develop into anything major :dubious:
Wow, page 2 before I get my first post in.
Mork, tear-jerker of an OP. That was gut-wrenching in more ways than one. So I’m sending out hugs to you even if you don’t need them.
I also had a beautiful black and tan german shepherd when I was young, two actually. The first one was as smart as a whip, loyal, brave and true. He was actually my brother’s dog but I ended up taking care of him. As the first german shepherd was getting older, my dad got another one. But this one was not so smart, not so good-looking, and a little goofy but lovable all the same. And he was mine. It was fun to watch the two of them playing and fighting. . . one using smarts and the other one using happy-go-luckiness. So yeah, I have a special fondness in my heart for german shepherds.
Oh, and doesn’t your OP require pictures of Ralph?
kai, beautiful pictures! I saw my first eagle in Alaska. My family went there one summer. There was no running water and only outhouses at the place we stayed. It was quite an experience. It was during the summer so the days were 20 hours long and the natives slept out on the grass nekkid in 60 degree weather. :eek:
~Waving~ to the rest of the cool kids!
Mork, you seem to have brought the German Shepherd owners out of the woodwork! I, too, had a German Shepherd as a kid; his name was Louie. Beautiful dog!
Kai, those pictures are so beautiful they really make me want to come visit you! During the summer, of course, us Jawja Peaches can’t stand the cold. We have a pair of bald eagles nesting on the lake where our cabin is; I was lucky enough to get to see the male stoop to take a fish one afternoon. It still stands out in my memory as one of the most awesome things I have ever seen.
Went out to help a friend who’s moving box up some books she’s going to donate to the library used book store. My “finder’s fee” is that I get to go through the boxes and take what I want. Did I tell ya’ll that when I told Mr. SCL the other day that I needed more bookshelves he suggested I get rid of some books? Has he lost his MIND? I’m afraid I got a bit huffy with him. He has about 300 VHS tapes that his mother recorded and that he never watches, taking up perfectly good bookshelf space, but have I suggested he get rid of them? I have not! The nerve of some people!
Litter boxes have been cleaned and the floor swept and mopped. Tomorrow I will go through book boxes. I don’t think there are too many I will want.
Scanned the MMP for crises and found none yet (or missed them; if so, sorry). Two OPs! Woo hoo. Back to read them after I’m done in the garden.
GT
Snakes - I don’t know what it is about Shepherds, but they’re just wonderful dogs. They always seem so gregarious and friendly and loyal and fiercely protective of their charges without getting violent for anything but just cause. Not that there aren’t other breeds with the same or similar characteristics, but they seem to strike a good balance between able protector and lovable companion. Although MindWife is particular to Huskies (and I admit I like them, too – gorgeous dogs!) I would love to get another Shepherd someday – when we have a place big enough to give one enough space to roam. Apartments are no place for larger dogs like that.
Heff - Thanks for the hugs. It was long ago and of course the disappearance of both my mother and Ralph are old scars, but I always remember Ralph with wistful fondness. My mother, not so much, even though she returned to visit periodically 'til I was about 15 or so. She got a bit loco as she aged, which is an unfortunate trait when combined with flakiness. I wish I had a picture of Ralph. I’m sure my dad must have one or two Polaroids of him somewhere. Perhaps I should ask if he knows where they are.
picunurse - That’s remarkable, and fits with what I said about their protectiveness with due care. They seem to know just how to express an appropriate level of disapproval. I can just imagine the look he gave your neighbour. “Are you sure you want to do this? Because I’m not always this nice.”
Taters - Ack! Tarantulas. That’s terrible! I don’t think I’d care to live where living quarters are shared with huge hairy freakin’ spiders. But then spiders freak me the hell out.
Well, I’m home – woo! Another Monday kicked to the curb. I’m gonna have me a nice macaroni salad for dinner. Yum!
Congrats to both Mindfield and Kaiwik for great MMP OPs! The photos of Alaska are just gorgeous (wow at the eagles, I’ve never seen them that close up!), and thanks for including a pic of Satine, pretty pup that she is! (lol I hope it’s a she, that is! :D). The post about Ralph made me sad, and reminded me of the dogs my family had.
Our first dog was a cocker spaniel named Chrissie; he was a beautiful dog, but he only had affection for my Mom and Dad. He bit a couple of people (including me, but that was probably because I tugged his ear or something), and after the second bite, my parents were forced to give him away. It was a number of years before they got another dog, this time a french poodle. My Mom saw him in a pet store, he was in a cage with a monkey. She always said that he looked so pitiful; he was about 6-8 months old already, a mix of gray and apricot, and he only had one testicle so he couldn’t breed. He became my Mom’s dog; he only tolerated us kids, I think. When my Mom would go to the store, my younger brothers would wait for her in the car, along with Jacques (the poodle). The entire time Mom was gone, that dog would cry and whimper something terrible, so my brothers would be on the lookout for Mom’s return. As soon as they saw her, they’d hollar, “Here comes Mom!” and then Jacques would go crazy, scratching and pawing at the window. You would have thought that she’d been gone for years! laughs He did live to a ripe old age and had a good life. While he was still with us, we added another dog, an Old English Sheepdog named Raggedy Ann. She actually came to us from a family with a couple of kids who were under five; the dog was just too much for them and would routinely knock the kids down, although she was a very loving dog. You could not lay any food down within her reach, though; once one of my brothers made a sandwich and left it on the counter while he turned to get something from the fridge. In just that split second, Rags gobbled down the entire sandwich, in one bite. She lived to be about 12-13, a long life for a large dog. I was already in college when they got her, though, so that was the last family dog I remembered, and then my parents got divorced too.
We also had several cats, including a set of sisters named Kit and Kat (they were nearly identical); Kit went missing when they were about a year old; Kat lived another 7 years, succumbing to feline lymphoma, unfortunately. 
My Dad and one of my brothers are allergic to cats, and my Dad especially doesn’t really like cats.
So many moving stories about pets! I’ve enjoyed reading all of them and getting to know more about many of the MMPers. I’m glad that Monday is over for this week, though. It’s been a LONG day!