It Rhymes With "Thurs" Day: Fur...Purr... Derp?

Everybody, say hello to furry, purry and derpy Maddox! ☺

Also:

1. Yes, I skipped "rhymes with 'hump' day." Who knows? Next week might have a "rhymes with 'fri' day" in it!
2. I haven't done a cat post in TOO long, and couldn't have you all forgetting that I interact with them on a daily basis. 
3. Maddox (a former shelter "less-adoptable") is 10+ years old, crotchety, has fish eyes (from certain angles), is orally malodorous, has thumbs...and his quirks are so endearing that I could explode with affection. It's a good thing he waited for me at the Richmond SPCA.
4. I found these unpublished pics in a file folder. I'd been playing around with my Canon's (a "bridge" point-and-shoot) zoom lens...
   
   
   
   
   
   His sea glass-colored "fish" eyes are pretty striking, huh?
5. Here's a dog picture, because I just noticed something in it and wanted to share...
   
   
   
   
   Notice the headbands say "kiss me" on them. Do you also notice their different techniques? Dewi's pucker and Jon Farleigh's seductive stare? OK, those aren't "techniques," they're totally staring at the treats in my hand! They can't read their own headbands! (But if they could, they'd totally have different techniques!)

The end! Bye!

Shhhh, Maddox is purring....

And Then, I Photographed a Snapping Turtle for National Geographic

That National Geographic didn't ask me to take the photos, nor do they know I even inhabit the Earth, is beside the point. 

The point is that this morning, when I was outside crouched on the lawn, under the hot, blazing Virginia sun, sweat beads dribbling down my forehead into my squinted eyes, and soaking through the cotton fibers of my red, polka dotted pajama bottoms, causing them to adhere to the ample form of my backside like rain-soaked leaves on a sticky windshield...

Sorry, where was I?

Oh, yes, so anyway, while I was out there sweating on my lawn, photographing the Eastern (Common) Snapping Turtle - who so hospitably allowed me to make her acquaintance - I imagined that (in another life, perhaps), I should have been a National Geographic photographer. 

But more importantly, that's what I'd planned to tell the two nice(?) men who saw me taking pictures in my sweat-soaked pajamas (and hair), and decided to stop and get out of their truck to get a closer look (at the turtle). (I hope they're pleased with themselves. Like, hellooo, I was in my pajamas.)

And, in spite of all that, the good news is: I get to show you my magnificent turtle girl!
Her name is Magnolia (Maggie for short).

This is Maggie (as taken with a telephoto lens, as I hadn't yet gotten the nerve to get close).

(It didn't take me long to get the nerve...) Hello, gorgeous! (I mean it, y'all.)

Hey, wait up! 

Showing me her best side.

Heading towards the street (yikes!)...

This photo was taken at the approximate time the two (aforementioned) nice(?) men walked over to investigate.
And, yes, they took several photos with their own (phone) cameras.

Check out the points on her shell and her spiked tail!

She did not look both ways, by the way, but I did.

MADE IT ACROSS!

One more sidewalk to maneuver...

And she's rid of me! :)

A few Eastern (or Common) Snapping Turtle facts (from Wikipedia and the VA Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries):

<> They commonly live up to 30 years in the wild (40+ in captivity).

<> They are omnivores, preferring to eat dead (but not rotting) fish.

<> They are aggressive (on land) when threatened, but rarely bite humans. In water, however, they are docile and when encountering humans, usually slip away without incident.

<> Females lay eggs (usually in June) on dry, sandy land, away from water. (Fact: Several years ago, we saw one dig a hole and lay eggs at the edge of our property. Could have been Maggie.) :)

<> In Virginia, adult snappers have no natural predators (other than humans).

<> They are the state reptile of New York.

Thank you for indulging the wanna-be zoologist/wildlife photog in me, friends!
(Especially if reptiles make you squeamish. Sorry.)

And for staying with me this long, guess what you get?

All these other (furry) "wildlife" photos I took today!

Canis Jon Farlimus Runswithbonesanddropsthemonyourpinkietoe-imus

I didn't do it.

Canis Dewimus Talksjusttohearhimselftalk-imus

I didn't do it, either.

Trouble

Felis Bertimus Toocuteforhisowngoodimus

Butt-sniffimus

Who is the smarter of the two, I wonder?

Felis Maddoximus Onlyhasonefacialexpressionandthisisit-imus

At least they're cute, right?!

Have a fantastic weekend!

The Sloth Bear In Our Nation's Capitol

Honestly, people. This is a pet blog. Ahem.

Okay, so today (only two months after the fact) I'm sharing a little about the trip my family and I took this summer to Washington, D.C. And by a little, I mean this guy:

Image via flickr

The (most adorable creature at the Smithsonian National Zoo) Sloth Bear!

Only, I was using my crappy-@ss camera on our trip, so I borrowed that picture up there (of a similar bear at the San Diego Zoo). This is the photo I took.

I tried.

And moving right along (for your continued visual delight)...a couple other "borrowed" photos.

flickr

 Sloth Bear cub (in 2006 at the National Zoo)

flickr

   

 Sloth Bear cub and mama (in 2006 at the National Zoo) 

 Yeah, if you've ever wondered what a Koala x Black Bear x Sloth would look like, this is it. I have never squeed at anything (publicly) more than when looking into the precious face of this animal (who was sitting, belly exposed, not a foot from my face).

Sloth Bear Fast Facts: Classified as vulnerable (due to habitat encroachment), the omnivorous Sloth Bear is native to the forests of India, and a few surrounding countries. Its favorite meal is ants and termites, but having a "sweet tooth," also enjoys honey, sugarcane and yams.  

Bit of Trivia: The Hindi word for bear (bahlu) inspired the name of Rudyard Kipling's bear character "Baloo" in The Jungle Book.

(Click here for many other awesome Sloth Bear photos!)

*****

And that concludes today's nature lesson. ;)

In other news, 

These are the creatures that make me squee the most when I'm not in a zoo (full of wild animals).

;-)

Happy Mid-week!

He Who 'Draws' the Short Straw (and whose feet smell like Fritos)...

...still gets his turn to attend a Minor League baseball game!

(There is a reason why I don't write idioms/proverbs for a living.)

(Cryptic) Title Translation: Because I was busy sulking about my good camera being in the shop and having to use my crappy back-up one, I forgot to post photos from Dewi's (August) trip to Bark in the Park. Three of You might remember from last spring:

I could only take one dog to my local Minor League team's "Bark in the Park" night, but because I'm neurotic (and found it impossible to make a "fair" choice between the dogs), I had the dogs "draw" straws for it. Jon Farleigh picked (sniffed) the longer straw, so he got to go (in May). Dewi, on the other hand, would have to wait and go to the second Bark in the Park night (in August).

Here is Dewi "drawing" the short straw. (Yes, I am aware this entire incident casts doubt upon my sanity, but it's my blog, so just deal, okay? ;)

And here are the photos of Dewi at Bark in the Park (late August).

(Warning: The quality is crappy. Stupid crappy camera.)

Forget butt-sniffing. Dewi pretty much smooched every dog within the reach of his 5-ft. leash.

This girl (above) was a sweet lab mix.

Then there was a tri-color Sheltie.

And then the sable Sheltie.

Here's a better look at that Sheltie.

No wonder he kissed her. :)

Next, the Cairn Terrier.

And the adorable Pittie puppy.

Wait. It's coming...

Trust me. I didn't get it on camera, but there was snout contact.

Then, lastly (but not infrequently), the Rottie/Corgi cross. I do not jest; her legs were short and her people said she was part Corgi. :) 

Dewi is just waiting for her nose to meet his. He might have shoved his nose in her ear, too. 

In hindsight, perhaps we should have named him Richard Dawson. ;)

Until next baseball season!

I Took 429 Pics of the Corgis and Cats, but All You Get Are These 11

Kind of made sharing all these pics seem like I was doing you a favor, huh? ;) (Just kidding. I'm a smart@ss, as you should know.)

Not kidding about this being an 11-photo blog post, though. Hope you like them; I spent hours in the photo editor!

Bertie and Maddy (Maddox)

Dewi pouts :)

Maddy's Mittens

Squee! (Bertie)

Maddy, my shelter cat turned supermodel

Jon Farleigh fanning his tail in a spilled sunbeam (he is profusely fluffy here because he had just had a bath)

P.S. His twice-yearly heavy "pruning" is next month. :)

Maddy and his Mini-me

Not sure you can "appreciate" how big he is, but Maddox is spanning half my harvest (kitchen) table here. Also, his tail is disproportionately small. :)

And lastly, proof that I am not a photographer...

Why? Because I have NO IDEA how I did this, 

but I LOVE it! (The photo and my sweet Eva. :)

That's all (for now), folks!