five photos from vacation

[bertha katzenengel]

I took a lot more but they're mostly of family.

This one, out of focus, is from a bluebird box in my in-laws' backyard:


Wouldn't be me if I didn't shoot cats everywhere I go, even on vacation. From my aunt-in-law's yard:


Natives of the Museum of Appalachia, peabirds (don't know if the adults are females -- peahens -- or immature males -- peacocks). The babies are SO CUTE!


Another resident of the museum, one of the kindest, sweetest, most loving "non-owned" cats I've ever met:


Finally, yours truly, in a lousy self-photo attempt to get the marvelous Shenandoah Valley as my backdrop:

[barb162]

1. You do photos like me (mostly animals)

that tortie is cute. Hope you had a good time. I want to go to Shenandoah sometime this fall when the leaves are changing. Never been there although I have visited the states and driven through them. Is that the national park behind you. Hope all your kitties made it okay without you.

[bertha katzenengel]

7. I don't think that's the park...

It was a scenic view turn-off from I-64 (I think it was 64).

Kitties were fine, even though I'm firing our petsitter. :grr:

[barb162]

8. when you get a chance I want to hear about the petsitter

a subject important to me also

[bertha katzenengel]

11. It's not as if they were mistreated, and they didn't starve.

The basement boxes had been scooped only once, if that; the upstairs boxes had not been scooped at all. The cats' dry food dishes were licked clean. And they had been fed only one 5.5 oz can of wet food per day. That's one can for all indoor cats -- and we have eight. It seems the outdoor cats were not fed consistently at all. My clues to this are 1. only two of our 5-6 regulars came for dinner last night, and they were both very thin* and 2. their water dishes were relatively clean, and that tells me that no raccoons have been around. I am beyond pissed.

* apparently the mice have been well-hidden in cool dens. Very nasty-hot here.

[barb162]

14. do you give specific written instructions to the sitter?

I put these typed written instructions right above the catcans and other food with the days in order and the cans labelled by day for indoor and outdoor. All the foods are labelled Monday, Tuesday, etc. And if trays aren't cleaned around here daily, my four use the floor. It sounds like your sitter showed up once for 8 cats and the outdoor guys? ARGHHHHH, that makes me mad just reading it

[bertha katzenengel]

15. This is the fifth time she's sat for us. The first four times I left

annoyingly detailed instructions. Including thorough descriptions of each cat's looks and characteristics! Including that there are five litter boxes downstairs and three upstairs! Including that the poo from upstairs can be flushed, but downstairs is clumping litter and can't be flushed! I mean detail!

One would think that someone so well acquainted with our animals and our home would know the rasser frasser drill!

This time Mrs. V. just wrote a brief note that we were running low on canned food and hadn't had time to get to the store, and asked if she'd buy some, please, and we taped a twenty-dollar bill to the note.

We are hiring a new petsitter and believe me, the new one will get an earful of this one's failure AND detailed instructions. :grr:

I think she showed up more than once, but I don't for a minute think that she showed up twice a day as requested, specifically in the early morning and early evening, not to mention all the other stuff she missed. :grr:

[barb162]

25. did all the outside cats show up yet?

[bertha katzenengel]

26. five of them

Big Charley, Ginger, Domino, Ringtail, and baby Black. Still waiting on mama Black, but I don't see her that often. And I haven't seen Buddy since I posted that he's a member of the family. :(

[tigereye]

2. really nice pix Bertha!

looks like you had a nice time!

I love the background in that mountain pic. You look very serious, though. ;)

[bertha katzenengel]

3. believe it or not, i'm actually smiling in that photo

Really. :shrug:

:hi:

[tigereye]

16. whoops!

must be the light behind you! ;)

[bertha katzenengel]

18. Heh heh... it's just an unfamiliar face.

:hi:

[jobycom]

4. That white cat makes a neat picture

I almost expect to see a wizard or faeries or something around it.

[bertha katzenengel]

6. it was surrounded by bird-protection faeries...

it stalked several while we sat on the porch, talking, and they all flew away before it got within claw's reach.

[Nite Owl]

5. Great photos!

[bertha katzenengel]

9. thanks, Nite Owl

:bounce:

[no name no slogan]

10. Very very cool!

Love the pics! :hi:

[bertha katzenengel]

12. glad you like 'em, no name

:hi:

[livetohike]

13. Nice photos Bertha

Thanks for sharing them :-). That's a great shot of you with the Shenandoah Valley as a backdrop. Must have been a nice vacation.

[bertha katzenengel]

19. thank you. It was restful.

I didn't get enough of the flora & fauna, but then, I never do.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

17. Hi Bertha! Thanks for the great pics...you all look great!

I can hardly believe your story about your petsitter...how horrible for your cats! Good thing they're OK...We always had trouble getting reliable people to take care of our pets, too...Used to make me so very angry!

All that aside, though, sounds like you had a fine time with your family!

:hug:

[bertha katzenengel]

20. Hey, Peggy.

Thanks. It is very frustrating. Back home, whenever I went away I had my best friend look in on the boys, Harry & Richard (the elders of our melded family). He was allergic to cats. But a friend will never let you down.

I don't know what to do about this woman's bill. I was going to call and tell her how unhappy I am, but I am SOOOO chicken.

Had a great time w/ the in-laws. It was the third time in a year that Mrs. V.'s been home; it's very good for her. We're going to CA for Thanksgiving!! :woohoo:

[Misunderestimator]

21. Welcome back, Bertha! Great pics!

Love the peabirds picture... the babies ARE cute. :hi:

[bertha katzenengel]

24. I sent that picture to my sister and all she said was,

"they look dead." :rofl: I told her they're just flumped over, the way a cat flumps when you pick it up and it melts its bones in affection! She says, "whatever."

I loved those babies, though. I wish I could've captured them the way I saw them. And I found out the adults are females, not immature males.

[scarlett1]

22. I was in the Smokies last week

But so was Dennis, or remnants of him

[bertha katzenengel]

23. Yup. Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. I love rain, but I have arthritis

as does my beloved, so it was a mixed bag.

Were you able to have a good time anyway? What did you do there? I hope you weren't camping.