Morgan Territory

A missed opportunity to go to the Tamele festival in Sacramento led to a great afternoon hike in Morgan Territory with my friend, Nikki, her dog Murphy and her neice Reagan and nephew Terry....and of course my pups Timber and Jade. The hot weather we've been having was forgiving and it was cool, perfect for a hike....and with the storm coming in I was able to get some beautiful photos of the landscape and cloud formations. The dogs of course, were in heaven running loose through the trails and exploring all the smells from cows, coyotes and mountain lions. The kids had a blast looking for cow bones and trying to keep up with the dogs...poor Murphy had to stay on leash though...a bloodhound has a one-track mind. Surprisingly, I wasn't sore the following days, depsite the hills and piggy-back ride I gave Reagan. :-) Good times, we all can't wait to go again!

Bella Chiara Stella is 9 years old!

My sweet baby girl, Chiara Stella is 9 years old today. She was my saving grace 9 years ago when I adopted her from a home full of cats. My friend's mother had too many cats and Chiara was one of 6 new kittens covered in fleas needing a home. I fell in love with the little white fluff ball when I saw her and remember driving back from Oroville to my apartment in Chico in my friend's car. Chiara was so scared, she curled up inside my friend's sweatshirt sleeve! She was so tiny and sweet. Chiara Stella means "Bright Star" in Italian. I had chosen the name prior to even meeting her.

She really has been a good friend and companion to me. Even when she was still a kitten, she knew when I was sick or upset and would lay with me as if to console me and protect me. She is a chatterbox as many Siamese cats are and is still full of energy and spunk! As much as she wishes to go outside more, she is an indoor cat and that has kept her very clean and healthy. I expect to share many more years with her. She sleeps with me at night and can be found hiding under my bed, laying on my pillow above my head in the morning or at my feet. When ever I have a guest over, she has to be involved and demands attention. She is not shy and will gladly walk all over them as they lay on the bed. When I am on a phone call in my room, she demands my attention and talks constantly. She is quite the character.

Timber is 11 months old

Timber is 11 months old today and in the past three weeks he went from 65 lbs to 69.6 lbs, with more room to grow into his skin. He is finally blowing his coat for the first time and I'm having fun pulling the chunks of hair out...despite the mess, I've always loved that part of the shedding process...don't ask me why....I'm weird and think it's fun! I spent one day during my lunch hour pulling out chunks in the backyard for 10 minutes! LOL