Life as of late... (Part 2)

I've got 4 extra animals in the house right now. I'm not complaining... I'm doing a favor for a friend with an urgent family situation - just pet-sitting for an extended undetermined amount of time. So far the animals are ok, but I've had to do some re-arranging to get everyone settled in. It's been a job, but I think I've got it all worked out now.

There are two small dogs - Bo and CD. They are both old and grumpy, but that's ok. They're getting along with my dogs which was my main concern. Since they're used to a much different situation I'm trying my best to accommodate them by letting them sleep in the living room in their own beds. For their own safety, though, and because I want them to know my dogs they are spending the days while I'm at work in with my pack. It's working out.

I'm not the biggest cat-person on the planet, but I've got the cat, too. He's a big pretty Maine Coon named Mr. Kitty - though I can't help but call him "Fat Cat" when I look at him. Or "Old Greg," because he has a man-gina. His owner said that he had to have his penis removed and the opening butterflied open so that he could pee properly. Anyway, he and Midna are finally warming up to each other. I'm glad because I'd much rather see them play than hiss and be mean.

Also, I have their parrot named Dillon. I like birds, but I've never had anything so large; just a couple of parakeets and cockatiels. He's funny - when you walk by his cage he's all, "Whatcha doin'?" and sometimes he busts out with some "Peekaboo!" or "Ok" and then he laughs. He even calls Bo. He will also make faces with you like sticking out his tongue and blinking and turning his head sideways. He's a clown which is just fun. I haven't tried to touch him since his owner left him here... I'm just not sure how to read him. I was warned that if he pushed me away with his beak to listen to that and leave him alone. But I don't know how to tell if he likes me or not. He will talk to me and take treats from me with no problem, but I haven't worked up the balls to try to hold him yet.

Other than that in animal news I took my dogs to the vet for their yearly exams and shots. I finally had them heartworm tested and they all came up negative - THANK GOODNESS. I've known for quite some time that I should have had them all on preventative, but back when I got Scooter I'd never had a dog that stayed inside and that I was solely responsible for. I remember the vet mentioning heartworm prevention to me, but after talking to some people it didn't seem like a big deal since he was indoors most of the time.

Later on I got Emma, and then Scruffy, and then Natasha, and still people were telling me that since they stayed indoors it wasn't a big deal. Up until I had my first foster dog, Bug, I'd honestly never encountered a dog with heartworms so I didn't really think it was that common. And then it just hit home - that shit happens and it's scary. I got worried since some of my dogs had come from precarious or neglectful situations and I decided that it was time to have them all tested. I needed to know. It was keeping me up at night. Anyway, I'm glad that they all tested negative. Now we have prescriptions for preventative medicine and I feel much more at ease.

Last thing, I guess. I showed my crazy today when I was out with Shaun, Jeni, and Ben. We were at a place with water and ducks and were actually on our way out when we witnessed some kids (had to be at least Shadow's age - 10) hitting some ducks with some rocks. I'm not usually confrontational, but I just started heading towards them. I had no plan. I heard Shaun come up behind me and I thought he was going to try to stop me so I started running. I got close to the kids and just yelled at the top of my lungs "Stop throwing rocks at the ducks you fucking assholes!" I guess I could have left off that last bit, but I was livid.

Their mom (who was not paying a bit of attention to them) yelled at me that I needed to watch my mouth. And so I yelled at her that she needed to watch her damn kids. She proceeded to tell me that they didn't hit any ducks which was complete BS. We were watching and she was not. To my delight and surprise everyone was backing me on the fact that they did hit some ducks and told her so. She said that I had a nasty mouth and I was like "Yeah, but I got your fucking attention. You need to teach your kids to respect life" or some shit. She then flipped me off. I just laughed (and returned it x2). I guess that was all she had.

Anyway, I do realize that I could have been nicer about it, but I've found that when I'm nice I'm a pushover. She wouldn't have listened to me if I had been nice, nor would her brats. The way I ran and yelled they stopped dead in their tracks and went towards their mom, I made a scene, and everyone knew that she wasn't watching her kids yet was going to lie for them. Even though we were on our way out they disappeared before we even made it back to the car.

And yeah, yeah, I'm sure I'm going to get some comments along the lines of "What if someone did that to Shadow?" and all that crap. First of all, fuck censorship. You cannot protect them their whole lives from words. Those words exist and they will hear them. Besides, words only have the power over you that you give them. By making them "bad" or "taboo" you are giving them power. Second, if my child is doing something that offensive and I'm not stopping him it's up to society to let him know. Some things are just unacceptable and should not be ignored. Don't forget: it takes a village, yo.

Life as of late... (Part 1)

My Dad is in jail for selling 0.06 ounces of pot to a bitch wearing a wire and camera who was trying to get her own sentence reduced. It didn't work and I am glad. But now my dad is in for 4 years. I honestly don't know if this is something that my dad has done regularly or not. He's a very private person who would never hurt anyone. He keeps a lot to himself - even with his own family and friends. I mean - I didn't even know that he was in jail until I went to visit him and he wasn't home. There is just a lot about him that I think we all will never know.

I've been visiting him on Wednesdays for 30 minutes per visit between the hours of 8:30 and 10:30 on a phone through some glass. I really thought that shit was only in the movies. Boy, what a rude awakening. He's in jail out in Talladega - which is quite a drive for me (especially during the week.)  It means I have to work late that day to make up my hours - if not adjust my schedule for the whole week to be sure I get my time in.

He will be transferred to Kilby in Montgomery sometime soon. I hear they have better visiting hours and that he might even be able to leave sometimes. It's a rehab type place, I think. That will be even more of a stretch to drive, but maybe if the visiting hours are more flexible I could see him on the weekend. I would like that better.