Catblog. DeeDee.

DeeDee is our icestorm orphan. Dumber than fungus, and loud as the dickens. She barely survived a bout of upper respiratory infection, which killed her predecessor, Caligula.

Catblog. Patches.

Pretty Patches Snowpaws. Don't know how to classify this one. She'd be tortie, except that the white and ginger-striped patches throw that into doubt.

Catblog. Bubba.

Badass Bigboy Bubba is bigger and taller than Granddog Ellie. She weighs about 18 pounds, he's already 17 at about 10 months old. Quite the kitten.

Dogblog. Ellie on leash.

Took a short walk with a long dog today. She's working her way back to normal. She even produced a puppy packet. People who live in the City of Elmira know what a puppy packet is, although they give their little baggies various names, I'll bet.

She's eating!

We spent an anxious evening, cuddling and cajoling Ellie. She stopped eating and drinking. We expected a run to the veterinarian today. But today she started to improve, especially when MammaDog visited her first on her nursing rounds.

Now she's begging like the girl I know. She got half my lunch, some yoghurt, and tore out the door, looking for squirrels. Sigh...

Nap time now, for the both of us.

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Little Pond

Her own Carnival of the Cats

Hey, just got a request from my Blogmother, Sissy Willis. She likes my Bright Sights but would rather see Granddog Ellie. Well, Sissy, I wasn't kidding about Ellie being under the weather. This PM she was shaking and, well, hangdog. No more pictures today, as we dedicate the afternoon to nursing and comforting her. I am feeling vaguely guilty that maybe the little beastie ate something rotten on the waterfront yesterday.

But Sissy has pics of her own pets:
http://sisu.typepad.com/sisu/2005/05/substance_abuse.html

Unitl I can get Blogrolling up and working on this site, I will link directly for you. For cats, you must go to the Blogmother. Her local pics deal with the Boston Area. Get a hefty dose of topical and political opinion, too.

For dog lovers, get a load of James Lileks' little buddy, Jasper. Follow the site map:

http://www.lileks.com

He also blogs his little girl, the "Gnat," and Minneapolis, especially architecture. His site is very well organized and constantly being updated. Not just a blog but tons of stuff. He is a Historical Pop Culture God. His site proves it.

These site and other related ones will be linked, I promise. I'm currently on a pretty barebones site now, so you may need to copy the address above and paste to your address bar--to bring up the sites.

I promise more sites of Local America in the future, as well as photography, humor and (only a very tiny bit of) political thought. But back to my own little buddy.

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Little Pond

Bright Sights on a Gray Day

People who are owned by dogs had better learn to love inclement weather. Granddog Ellie insisted on a walk. Turns out she was, shall we say, uncomfortable. Husband RJ wanted to know if I would take the camera.

Mais bien sur, Monsieur. After all, I would only shoot things that caught my eye. Ellie seemed a tad unwell, so she halted often, and pulled with impatience.

Lots of things are eyecatching in the rainy season. Resourceful locals must decorate with the gray days in mind.

By the way, the flag hanging over the rhododendrons has a quote from Ecclesiastes. "To every thing there is a season...and a time to every purpose under heaven."

Both synagogues are very busy so early in the morning today. I'll look it up, but for now I'm guessing it's the Feast of Weeks. The Catholic calendar shows Pentecost, and oftentimes the two correspond quite closely. Don't know absolutely and I don't have access right now to HebCal Interactive Jewish Calendar. I'll note above if I'm wrong, especially to correctly identify the Feast.

Please note especially the container gardens. They often start out quite small in May and expand with the growing season. Precious and plenty in a tight space.

I present to you, in no particular order, Bright Sights on a Gray Day.

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Little Pond

Townblog. Deep red flowers.

Redbud, I think. Very distinctive, almost unexpected. West Water Street looking north.

Townblog. Red poppies.

Bright red poppies set against white containers. This promises a cheerful spectacle for weeks to come. West First Street.

Townblog. Neon green.

Neon green and bright blue. This scenery is set way back from the road. Water Street looking north.

Townblog. Myrtle.

On Clinton, just below Guinnip, are banks of creeping myrtle. Best ground cover for a shady spot.

Townblog. Synagogue.

A study in white, green and stone. Our synagogues manicure their properties and are centers of activity.

Townblog. Bat mitzvah.

Beautiful bridal white, I thought. But then I saw the sign. Mazeltov, Eileen!

Townblog. Carriage house.

The rainy day makes this carriage house look romantic. Carriage houses always say "Elmira" to me. My parents have one in Auburn, Massachusetts, but otherwise they are rare up that way.

Townblog. Blue flowers.

RJ says these are forget-me-nots. Blue flowers always win my heart. Looks almost sunny, doesn't it?