Picture @ MindSay

Let us delve into another round of pictures. Josh and I decided to try to get some better pictures of the storm from various areas.

Some interesting things decided to show up...




Check out the face. Too neat!



There is a lot I like about this one but I have to "highlight" two parts of this photo.


One is just the lightning. I liked it. ;)


This is.. well.. I dunno. It's almost ghost like. There was no one there. Josh was directly behind me. There wasn't a tree there either. My only logical guess was that it's a light refraction on the lens but the other pictures I took of it only has one more that showed up. Plus, it looked different and more faint in the second time it showed up. This one I just leave in the "I dunno files".




This would have been much more awesome if the lightning showed up above the bridge. Perhaps next time?


I loved the colors!


Well, Azrael's vet appointment went swimmingly! The vet loved how well I've been taking care of him. She even agreed with me that it was clear he was on his way out before we got to him. He is a third of a pound and surprisingly he has put on weight since I got him on Saturday. She says he doesn't seem to have any parasites but we gave him some round of shots to clear up anything that isn't detected. He goes back in a month to get his next round of shots.

Here's hoping for the best for him. I know I will do all that I can.

The other day, before the large storms rolled through, the skies gave off this odd yellow color. I have always believed that this sort of sky is an indication that something else is about to happen. (Especially if the sky gives off a green color)

Some pictures:









Tomorrow afternoon Azrael gets to go to the vet. I'll let you know how it goes.

Meet Azrael, named after a combination of THIS & THIS, he was named by Fwiffo but the name was suggested by Savannah.

Here are some pictures and his story:



We adopted him from a farm where my mom rents a storage unit. My mom, in her evil ways, suggested we look at the kittens. I looked at Josh and in a deadpan face said:"Don't worry we are NOT getting any more cats." *sigh* You know, I sometimes hate being such a bleeding heart but I think Bast really likes how we take care of kitties. It seems once we give away one kitty to a good home we somehow have another fall into our laps.


I was seriously angry at the person who had these kitties especially after we brought home Azrael. The momma cat had TWO different litters one right after another. The person told us that the momma is always having kittens and she has to give all the kittens away. (So this cat is constantly pregnant.) She(the person willing to give them away at 6 weeks) seemed to care for them but I am a firm believer if she truly cared she would NOT have let things get to that point. Azrael is VERY CLEARLY emaciated & sick. A six week old kitten should NEVER look this way. In the picture you can see how tiny he is. He has a cold, diarrhea, mites, feas, underweight, a fever & lacking nutrition. You should NEVER EVER be able to see the bones in the face. (Don't worry he is quarantined away from our other kitties. We will be taking him to the vet ASAP when they open) (Here is a comparison of how big healthy kittens should be at 6 weeks instead of the picture of Azrael by Savannah above.)


Since bringing him home Saturday night I have treated him for fleas. I also cleaned out his ears and got rid of the mites. That's always fun. *Rolls eyes* I removed so much gook from his ears due to the mites. His breathing is much better now that I have been cleaning his passageways and treating his infection. His eyes are clearing up and he can almost open his eyes completely! Hooray! His stool is looking & smelling more normal instead of runny and well... lets just say gross.


He eats solids & drinks from his bottle fantastically now. I watched him carefully at the farm to see how he interacted with the mother. He was constantly following his momma to get some comfort or food but she ignored him. The other litter mates were much much bigger than him. It's clear why he doesn't even seem to miss his momma. Savannah has taken to sleeping next to him in a sleeping bag so he has constant company.


At the farm I was torn what to do so I put it out to the universe and said silently: "If he comes to me on his own it's his way of asking for help. That means he should come home with us." As if on cue he came walking to me from afar after I said that in my head.


So now we have a new addition. I am hoping beyond hope that he will make a full recovery & that he doesn't have feline HIV(FIV & FeLV) or feline lukemia. His personality is amazing and his purr is strong.

Remember, please, that in 1997 roughly 64% of the total number of animals that entered shelters were euthanized -- approximately 2.7 million animals in just these 1,000 shelters. These animals may have been put down due to overcrowding, but may have been sick, aggressive, injured, or suffered something else.

56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. More cats are euthanized than dogs because they are more likely to enter a shelter without any owner identification.

Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners.

25% of dogs and 24% of cats that enter animal shelters are adopted.

Please Spay or Neuter your pet. It will save literally hundreds of lives. Neglect comes in many forms and letting an animal add to overpopulation is one of them. There are many vets who will do discount spaying or neutering for people who cannot afford it. (All information was found here.)


Sorry to sound like a rant & I wish I could be more eloquent about this. I feel very passionately for those who can't speak. When you have an animal you have made a contract with that soul/being/animal. That soul is giving you a precious gift that you have agreed to take care of. Not living up to that contract or promise to that living being will void that right you have to them. At least this is how I feel.

Wow, so it's been awhile since I posted anything.  I was home in Michigan for the whole week of the 4th.  I was insane (at least according to everyone else).  I drove each way in only one day.  That's 16 hours up and, somehow, 15 hours back.  The ipod got a good workout ;)

 

So, I planned to post some pictures from the trip all last week and never got to it.  And now, here it is, the end of another day, and I still haven't had a chance to do it.  I will get more up here, but for now, here's one from the fireworks.

 

 

Speaking of pictures... I sold my first prints to a couple of people locally :D  I'm still working on the logistics of shipping to other locations (which seems to be taking me forever), but these first couple sales were really encouraging.  I don't know how successful this whole venture will be, but I've had really postive feedback so far from my friends here, as well as some of you.  Thanks :) 

Last night I was witness to the power of a sky dragon in the form of lightning. We had a two part storm that I had the chance to take some shots of. It's just too bad I wasn't out in the country to get a more clear view but I still managed to get some interesting shots. (Some of them I cropped so that the details would not be lost.)




Awww, it "hearts" me. :D






Peek A boo!




I contrasted the picture as best I could to give a visual on this bolt that struck down and shook the earth.

Methinks the lightning spirits liked my awe , wonder & excitement. I told them that I would be also showing them off if I got some good shots. That's probably how I got most of the best lightning was in the frame/shot! Haha!