seen on craigslist

I admit it - my morning coffee entertainment consists of reading the pet listings on Denver craigslist.

Found this gem today:

Hi i have to boy turtles between 4 and 6 inches i am geting ride of them because my favorite one just died the tank is a 55 and it comes with tank gravel dock clamp and two filters i can get pictures i am asking 70 and i can add a stand for only 5 dollars more

Sigh.

I'm not officially doing reptile rescue anymore, but do take in the odd turtle or tortoise. I hope to never again live in a house that contains "iguana rooms". Sheesh!

I love that people think that they can get hundreds of dollars, in some cases, for their unwanted reptile. On craigslist it seems that the common belief is that the larger the iguana, the more money it must be worth.

I took in three very large red eared sliders the other day that had been sharing a 55 gallon tank for years. They currently have the run of the box turtle garden, until we finish building the inground pond for them this week. The people were getting rid of them because they are moving, and didn't think the turtles would survive an 8 hour drive.

Ninety-nine percent of reptiles surrendered to me (or to the reptile rescue I used to work with) were due to the following reasons:

1) allergies (to turtles? okay...)

2) we're moving.

3) I'm pregnant, and this little firebelly toad is now Too Much Work for me.

4) it belongs to my kid, and he's tired of it.

Other excuses I've heard include: "It smells bad", "It's a classroom pet, and nobody can take it over the summer. I'll be back to pick it up in the fall!" (right...), and "my roommate/ex-boyfriend/adult child left it behind when they moved out".

I'm just glad that reptiles aren't especially easy to breed without trying, as most lay eggs that need to be incubated at a specific temperature. Well, you'll have to ask me sometime about the time I woke up and found that one of my foster boas had given birth to 70+ babies...

just a yummy day

Dusty
Originally uploaded by smartcakes

Wow. I am feeling SO good today - much better than I have in a very long time.

It is so sunny today. We've been outside with no jackets or anything.

I just love this hat on Dusty - it's actually mine, but he's been wearing it everywhere the past few days. He spends at least an hour or so out in the backyard every day, mowing the lawn with his toy lawn mower. He takes his duties very seriously.

I recently discovered Pandora.com, ironically, on the exact same day my friend Shae discovered it. I'm indulging in my various musical guilty pleasures - Collective Soul, Arlo Guthrie, Gordon Lightfoot, Stompin' Tom Connors, Loverboy, Loretta Lynn...

I don't know why, but Pandora keeps insisting that I must love Cat Stevens and Matchbox 20, even though I keep saying no no no.

Dusty and I are going to whip up a batch of welsh cakes in a bit and head off to the park for a little picnic-type thing. I'm going to bring a crafty project with me to work on while he plays on the playground. I'm trying to finish a tiny Mary Engelbreit cross stitch thing to send to my mom for her birthday. Geez, I don't think I've done counted cross stitch in at least twenty years. I did a lot of it when I was a kid.

My blog entries are rather brief at the moment. I'm spending most of my time trying to get it to look the way I want it to, and it's coming along slowly.

I'll leave you with five things that are making me happy today:

1) the rambunctious bluejays that hang out in our backyard
2) my favourite line in a song ever - "Who brought the cat? Would Margaret Atwood?" from My Baby Loves A Bunch Of Authors by Moxy Fruvous
3) watching Dusty watching the guys next door cut down a tree
4) the fact that my bed is made. It's amazing how this little detail cheers me up
5) the little story Dusty wrote about eating a "bagl", complete with drawings if said bagel.

glue gun

glue gun
Originally uploaded by smartcakes

Crafting is one of Dusty's favourite things. Here he is wielding a glue gun to attach little pompoms to his pinecone 'hummingbirds'.

Yeah, I let my four year old use a glue gun. He also knows how to use my sewing machine.

Can I just go on about my little guy for a bit?

He loves nothing more than to take things apart, so he can see how they work. He enjoys looking at the guts of a computer, a bathroom scale, or a bread machine.

One of his favourite TV shows is Dirty Jobs. We were watching an episode a few weeks ago, in which they were using a giant vacuum to clean out a storm drain. There were a few rats running around in the drain, which pleased Dusty to no end. Since then, he has spent a great deal of time playing Baby Sewer Rat. He uses pillows and blankets and other stuff to turn his bedroom into his sewer, or his rats nest.

Other favorite games include Baby Meerkat, Baby Llama, and Baby Pirate.

He's currently reading at about a third grade level. He loves to read, but I'm hardly surprised, seeing as his dad and I are huge book whores.

He knows how to build a basic electrical circuit with wires and a battery, and knows how to add a switch to it.

He's started doing multiplication for fun.

He helps cook or bake almost every day.

He's generally such a sweet, gentle, personable, happy go lucky little guy, and he's (usually) so much fun to be around.

I'm so glad that I get to spend so much time with him. I do appreciate how fortunate I am to be able to do this. We live a very frugal life, which makes it easier to live on just my husband's income. My husband works nights, so the better part of the day it's just Dusty and I. He does do preschool two afternoons a week - I decided that this would be beneficial for him socially, as he has no siblings, and I am not a good model, what with the fact that I am a Complete Social Retard. He has made HUGE progress with his social skills since starting preschool in September, so I am really pleased. He's very outgoing and charming, and gets along so well with other kids. He's a little intimidated by kids who play rough, but can pretty much hold his own.

Our days are filled with crafting, artwork, being out in nature, our gardens, working in the kitchen - I have to admit, it's a pretty great life.

Violet

Violet
Originally uploaded by smartcakes

Here's my little guy, Mr. Violet. He's about eight weeks old in this photo - he's now about six months, and about as big as his mama Zoe.

begin again

I'm going to start blogging again. Be still my heart!

I'm sure I'll write too much about my cats, my kid, meditation, my gardens, my artwork, my sewing, my health, and other fascinating topics that will, no doubt, keep you perched on the edge of your seat.

How lazy does it sound to say that I haven't had the energy to blog?

Really, though, it's true.

I've done a lot of blogging in my head. Too bad my brain isn't somehow connected to my laptop with some sort of wacky brain cable.

The reason I have no energy is that I'm really rather anemic. I had blood work done last week, and found out that my iron is substantially lower than it was in October. It was pretty low even then.

So, taking iron supplements isn't working. I take it three times a day. I'm sure that having had my stomach re-arranged several years ago (weight loss surgery) has something to do with it. My doctor thinks it is tied into my recurring abdominal pain - pain which is somewhat worse than the appendicitis I had last summer, if that's any indication. Oh, I can't wait til April 4th - I'm scheduled to have both an endoscopy AND a colonoscopy the same afternoon. Yeah, they'll be shoving things into me from both ends. Whee.

And for the anemia? I have to go have IV iron infusions. Each one takes about 2 hours, I'm told, and I'll have one once a week for five weeks. Here's hoping I get my energy back, and can once again be Super Yoga Girl! Right now I get winded just walking Dusty three blocks home from preschool.

In other news, I bought this on etsy the other day. Aren't the colors gorgeous? I'm wearing it right now, and it's so comfy cozy. She even included a pair of sweet little earrings as a free gift. Etsy people are the best.

Speaking of which, here's the link to my etsy shop. Go buy something - you know you want to.

I'm getting a facial tomorrow! I've never had one before. My friend and next door neighbour Shae is an aesthetician/aromatherapist, and I'm getting a facial in exchange for providing them with free wireless internet from our house. Well, The Husband is the one who set that up - but I'm the one who benefits. Sweet.

Oh, and if you're in Longmont (Colorado, that is), my artwork will be on display at this really cute little vintage boutique type place downtown for the next month. It'll be mostly my art quilts, dolls, and a few paintings. The name of the store is Rose Buds. Check it out!

Dusty said to me today "I'm as strong as Daddy now! But not as strong as you are yet, mommy. " Heh.

Smartcakes podcast #1 is now up! Listen here if you want to hear about my kid, organic farming, weight loss, my batshit crazy neighbour, and our potential move back to Canada.

I've always had a thing for French bulldogs. I've never owned one, but how can your spirits not be lifted upon looking at one of the little darlings?

This is a drawing I did a few years ago. I want to print it out on iron-on transfer paper, and make a little t-shirt for Dusty.


Imagine my pleasure in finding this website today! I have this sudden urge to throw away all of my boring dishes and start over fresh...