Yesterday I hooked up with a local producer and headed down to the Cougar Creek Gallery in Sky Forest. Not too long ago I interviewed Brenda for the Unusual Animal Career school and we also wanted to do a session for the new series we are working on.
Brenda D Johnson is a lively, passionate artist. I won’t go into her history too much because I believe I am going to make the podcast available at no charge. The video will also be something my students will enjoy.
Why did I include an interview a wildlife artist? People who love animals might not always be able to work hands-on with the critters due to allergies or disabilities. Most people are not aware of these “out-of-the-box” careers…but I am!
We had a great time laughing and relaxing before and after the filming. Brenda has moved into a larger gallery adjacent to her last one. It is more spacious and has more wall space for her work. Anyway, here are a few snaps for your enjoyment.
It amazes me when people take the time to write. In most cases, I receive warm letters of how my books or work have impacted the lives of the people writing.
Often my publishers delay sending the letters sent to them addressed to me–but some people look up my address on the Internet.
Recently we sent out a call for pets for filming a new educational series I am hosting. So, when I saw the hand scrawled letter in my private box I assumed it was pictures and information submitted for the new series.
It was not.
There was no return address. The package was stuffed with lots of different cartoons, bizarre pictures of human babies, and a rude letter calling me a freak and other such nonsense because of an alleged article I wrote.
What amazes me is that someone would take the time to be so hateful. Gone is the old training where people taught their kids, “If you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything.”
Funny, the illiterate letter also did not include a return address–only a Las Vegas postmark.
I think the person needs more to do. Better to channel that energy into constructive stuff.
Blogging Power Outage
Sorry to have been so scarce. I have been dealing with severe fatigue and so lack the energy to do much. Fortunately, we just pinpointed the reason and I am under treatment for it. Ever hear of something called Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome? It goes undiagnosed and is often dismissed by many health practitioners.
Hopefully I’ll start seeing a shift in energy pretty soon. Until then I might remain a little inconsistent.
Catting Around
This week we took a jaunt down to a feline specialist down in Yorba Linda. The long drive allowed me to work on the incessant yowling and fit pitching by my friend’s cat.
Needless to say she stopped her bad behavior after some behavior modification on the way down the hill. So we only endured about 30 minutes of bad behavior instead of two hours of it. My progress was also helped by Feliway Spray.
Anyway, the veterinary clinic had a few comments about the slightly wet cat–until they got to experience the wrath of the kitty. My pal’s cat is a pistol and made no bones about her unhappiness. Really good to have savvy cat professionals handling her.
An hour later, we concluded our session with a tour of the facility. Ultimately, we were happy with our experience and the professionalism and care of the staff.
We loaded ourselves back into the car for the two hour trip with Miss Kitty–who continued to show good behavior on the way back–which was a relief to my friend.
My pal and I discussed behavior because he unknowingly had reinforced some of her habits and thought he had to tolerate bad behavior. Such is the case with most people.
Some how people think bad behavior is okay. They would rather not discomfort the animal…like the clinic staff or person who raises an eyebrow if they think the animal has been inconvenienced.
Personally, I think the real inconvenience to be concerned about is the bad behavior that lands those misbehaved animals into shelters and a life of homelessness.
I can hear the ahhhhs over the above kitten picture but my reaction this week is not so fuzzy.
I have been getting cranky over all of the people dumping their animals or trying to re-home them. This may have something to do with my not feeling up to speed (no filters) but it irks me that they don’t think about the animal’s emotions, the human-animal bond, and most never seem to give it a second thought.
In some ways living here is like being back in the dark ages of animal husbandry and care.
In fact, I am going down-the-hill with a friend because his cat has ongoing issues–and at the last visit to a clinic–the vet didn’t draw any blood to double check. It was my complaining that made him ask for a blood test after the first visit in the first place. Liver issues–let me just say that I found him a cat specialist down the hill and I’ll leave it at that.
Anyway, because I work with animals everyone thinks I am a good source to approach about finding new homes for their pets–some how I might be the answer to their problem.
I have news–nobody I know is looking for another pet and with kitten season in full bloom I am really not too happy about getting calls or getting asked if I can help them find a new home for their pet.
Guess I should be happy they are not getting dumped in the woods…
One of the stories I will share is from just last week. Someone came to help move her elderly parents out of town. She locked the animals in the house, gave the keys to the landlord and said, “By the way, the animals are in the house you’ll need to handle that.”
Most feral cat groups Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) the animals in the colony. This prevents the colony from growing and is an effort that has been found to work well.
If you are looking for tips and hints I like Carol’s Ferals website. Shows what one person can do if motivated!
So, please encourage anyone you know with a new pet to make a lifetime commitment and to get that pet into the veterinarian for spaying or neutering soon…and don’t ask me to help you place a pet…at least not this week!
Do you like what you are reading? 
? It goes undiagnosed and is often dismissed by many health practitioners.
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