Does your dog bark at the postman? Gracie has a new-found affection for our route carrier! Just in case you think the cats in this household have all the fun…
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I’m still not quite sure what happened last weekend, and am just a bit puzzled by the whole thing.
Our boy kitty Tyler was not shy as a youngster, although he had every reason to be. I found him in a hotel parking lot in Tyler, Texas (hence his name), chasing bugs and trying to follow anyone and everyone into the hotel. He was all but screaming for help. When my parents and I caught him and brought him back to Austin, he laid in our laps the whole way home, seemingly indifferent to all the 18-wheelers that whizzed past us along Interstate 35. Honestly he was so sick for awhile that I don’t think he cared what was happening.
As Tyler grew he became more and more introverted, which is such a shame because he is by far the sweetest cat I have. It’s hard to convince anyone else that steps into our home, though, of his innate sweetness because chances are they will never see him. He typically hides underneath our sofa until the intruder is gone.
Then this past weekend he became even more illusive than normal. It wasn’t until I saw him afraid to pass through our kitchen that I realized something was very wrong. My husband had been cooking chicken in the crockpot on our kitchen counter all afternoon, and he said the thing made a slight “hissing” sound whenever he opened the lid to check on the meat. Hhhmmmm, I wondered if that could that be the problem.
I picked Tyler up to try and carry him through the kitchen and he was in a pure panic, scrambling to get out of my arms. He headed straight for the back bedroom/sewing studio and crawled under the bed covers, where he stayed the majority of the weekend. His fear persisted for some time even after the “offending” large white metal object was removed from the kitchen counter.
Do you have a scardy cat? Has you pet ever acted suddenly or irrationally fearful of something in your home?
This post is part of a Wednesday blog hop. Please click the “Blog Paws” button in the sidebar to follow all the other wonderful pet blogs. Happy Blogging!
It’s a question I often hear when people hop in my car for a ride. I flip my visor down to block the hot Texas sun and then you see it – my two-sided round mirror attached to my visor with a dog collar – a very pretty dog collar. The setup clearly exposes my design philosophy, first find a way to make things function (or in this case dual function), then make it pretty. Thinking outside the box helps. It’s really just as simple as that.
You see my Honda Element came with a mirror on the passenger visor, but not the driver visor. I thought about it and decided if I bought a nice cosmetic mirror and could find a way to attach it to the visor, it would be especially nice as I could then also remove it for use if needed. Think “gee I forgot to pack a mirror in my suitcase…oh yeah there is the one on the visor” kind of thing.
Then the second part came to me; just use a nice dog collar to attach it. I mean, they have those great snaps, which make it very easy to quickly remove the mirror, and hey, you never know when you might find a stray dog that needs your help. It works, and I keep a couple of extra leashes in my car too. You never know when they might come in handy!
She had a gleam in her eye when she happily announced that today was doggie spa human torture day. I watched as she scurried around the house gathering her implements – combs, brushes, scissors, trimmers, and the most dreaded nail grinder. I thought about scampering for cover, but then remembered that my body was not made of jello like that of the household kitties, who conveniently slide under furniture during storms. So I just sat rigid on the sofa and only flinched a little when she picked me up.
It didn’t start out so bad, although I don’t know why she always gets the big cushy floor pillow to sit on during my grooming sessions, while I only get to rest at her feet. Seems like a raw deal to me. As the grooming begins she manipulates my body like a mad chiropractor. Doesn’t she know that what I really want is a long afternoon nap, or maybe just a good squirrel or two to chase in the backyard? Well at least I got some nice belly rubs through it all.
Uh oh, time now for the nail grinding machine. I will say it’s better than the trimmers she once used, but not much. I struggle and do my best to make her task difficult. She might as well suffer with me. There better be some treats at the end of this, that’s all I gotta say!
Finally the grooming is over and I am allowed outside for a break. When I come back inside the house for a nice rest, I find myself picked up once more and hustled off to the kitchen. What now? Oh no, she’s putting me in the kitchen sink with all that WATER!! I don’t like this one bit and climb onto the high spot in the middle of the metal sink, in my attempt to escape. She mumbles something about me “smelling like dead fish in an aquarium”. Well I don’t know what an aquarium is, but I think fish smell good. Hey lady, I’m a DOG. I’m supposed to smell like this. She also keeps insisting that this isn’t a lake and I won’t drown, but as far as I’m concerned this looks like a little lake to me and I want OUT!
Just when I’m starting to resign myself to this further torture I suddenly find my feet back on the floor. I give my body some good shakes to rid myself of the water and zoom down the hallway towards the bedroom, knowing full well now what will come next. I’ll have my clean fur dried by the marvelous blow dryer. Yeah, I know, you would think I would hate it, but I actually like this part of the spa treatment. Just don’t even think about painting my nails, OK? And hey, where’s that treat?
Do your doggies love their grooming sessions?
This post is part of a Wednesday blog hop. Please click the “Blog Paws” button in the sidebar to follow all the other wonderful pet blogs. Happy Blogging!
Antique Booth at the 2012 Country Living Fair in Austin, Texas
I am delighted to announce that I have signed up to be an exhibitor at the 2014 Austin Pet Expo event. The 2013 expo is held this year on Saturday, August 3rd. As this event was already full I got a head start on next year! I will also be attending the expo in Austin in two weeks, and taking lots of photos, so if you are in the area I hope to see you there.
Even though it’s a full year away, I am excited because this is the first fair I’ve signed up to attend, although I am thinking I need to go to a couple of smaller venues prior to next summer just to gain experience. Here are two things you probably don’t know about me: 1) I have professionally recruited through my work at The University of Texas at career fairs, and 2) over 10 years ago I had an antique business and rented space at a “brick and mortar” location. These unique experiences will give me a head start on retail/craft fairs. From my UT experience I know about setting up/taking down booth spaces, and how to relate to people. From my antique business I also know about how to best display products that you sell.
In fact, I know that a craft type fair is hard WORK. I will need to put some real effort into designing and organizing my space to attract customers. I will have to pack my car with everything I need for the day, spend the day on my feet, and then pack the car again after the fair is over for the ride home. Selling online is very different than selling directly to people. One of the things I love most about direct selling is the ability to meet your potential customers and talk with them, find out what works for them and what doesn’t. Honestly I think I will come away from this experience with more great ideas for product changes or new products. A wonderful, wonderful benefit! And of course folks will have their pets with them, and that always makes me happy!
Beautiful Shelties at the 2012 Dogtoberfest in Austin
And I have to admit I absolutely LOVE the thought of creating a space (in this case a 10′ x 10′ space) to sell my pet products. My mind is already in creative gear, and I even set up a new Pinterest “Fair and Craft Shows Display” board to have a place to pin any great ideas I see online. I also have to work on my product branding for this fair, and learn how to use a point-of-sale credit card device on my smart phone.
Just this morning I read an interview on the Jane’s Apple blog of Etsy artist Allison, creator of Sweater Doll. In it she was asked to share her number one tip for selling handmade online. I found her answer quite eye-opening. Here it is in its entirety:
“Make REAL relationships in your local community. Don’t depend on online networking. Even the guy who invented coffee cup jackets can sustain an online business now only because he walked into cafes and created a business with real people first. Get out there – wear your own handmade jewelry, clothes, and accessories, give your own handmade creations as gifts, give your items to charities regularly, ask shops if they can use your items in their window displays, teach classes at local libraries or craft shops. Most people do not buy handmade online sight unseen. iPads? Sure. Handmade clothing, not nearly as much. People want to see, hold, revel in goods. Handmade goods are a relationship not just a commodity. My dolls sell a little online, but they become magnetic when someone picks one up! But the online shop keeps me available to people outside of my area which is a real blessing. Selling handmade online is usually part of a business, not the whole business.”
All I can say is WOW. Really gives those of us who are online sellers a LOT to think about! Do you have any thoughts or tips for setting up a display booth, or just getting organized for a craft fair. If so I would love to hear your ideas!
Sassmuffins 