The House of Cats & Dragons

Hermes & Ares

2013-10-05T00:46:37Z

This is for mermaidstitcher Not long ago I rescued a leopard gecko, Hermes, with MBD. I am proud to report that not only is he growing (shedding every 2 weeks!!) but his tail is a fatty thing. His legs are stronger & fatter, as in he can manage himself quite well, but his little feet are still twisted backwards. It doesn't seem that it has hampered him a bit. He has adjusted. He can even catch his own crickets, altho he prefers for me to hand feed lol Ares has been the best companion for him. I can't wait for Hermes to get to his full size. I truly believe he will.

That would be Hermes in the front & Ares in the back

Stalking a cricket

Catching the cricket!

We built this city....

2013-09-28T13:06:05Z

On blood, sweat, & tears. In four days & five trucks, we restocked an entire store. Dog & cat- food, treats, toys, etc. omg! Go to your local large pet store & just take a moment to look at just how many brands & flavors of animal food is available. Seriously. No, really. Go look. Do you have any idea how many dog treats are on the market?!
Four days & we stocked every shelf. Aquatics, small animal, & bird was done in one day. Planograms & endcaps. Drive aisle products. An entire store in four very long days.
Thursday we got in reptiles. ALL the reptiles. Friday we got all the small & furries along with 1500 fish. My boss & I got them all set up & out.
I am exhausted. But the store is beautiful. Everything is brand new. It looks amazing. I can't believe we pulled it off. I am surrounded by 30 co-workers who really love their jobs.
We open on Monday. I can't wait. As tragic as the fire was, I gotta see the silver lining. We literally got a brand new store. Top to bottom & front to back.
Remind me of how blessed I feel after we open! Our customers have missed us & even the local competition is ready for us to open. We instill loyalty in our customer base & they have let the "other" pet store know how much they suck & how much better we are. Its going to be wild & crazy when we open the doors on Monday. But I love, love, LOVE my job. I'm ready. After I sleep & rest the next two days

Geckos, rats, & cats

2013-06-19T23:33:19Z

A quick update on the state of our zoo!

Hermes, the sick gecko, is so far down the road to recovery that I declare him well. He is eating mealworms on his own & takes crickets if I hold them (he is not able to catch them). He is shedding at a rate of twice a week, which is just amazing & outstanding. His little legs are getting fat & so is the tail. He also has a neq companion, Ares. Ares went on clearance at our store for $22.99 (down from 89.99!) & I couldn't resist. He is a full grown gecko too. It shouldn't be long until Hermes is at the same size.

Rats are doing wonderfully & Jack is finally coming around to being petted. Charlie will be heading to the dentist next week to have his teeth clipped again.
We are currently fostering a kitten for Mel & her roommate until hes off the bottle & litter trained. They have named him Spock

Responsibily Owning a Pet

2013-04-09T20:00:34Z

This is Hermes. He is a Leopard Gecko, approximately 1 year old. He was surrendered to me today. The owners didn't understand what was wrong with him, he hadn't eaten since Christmas (Christmas!!!!!), & they had no idea what to do. They also didn't want him anymore.

The picture doesn't do complete justice to exactly how damaged this little guy is. You can see his left back leg curled under & his tail is not the big fatty thing it should be. I didn't want to disturb him too much to get a really good pic. What you can't see is that each of his legs are bent wrong and backwards. His spine is curved and bumpy.
Hermes (my name for him) has MBD, Metabolic Bone Disease. It's the most common, and the easiest to avoid, disease in herps. It means he never got enough calcium in his diet. It means that instead of paying a little extra for pet store crickets (which are gut loaded with vitamins) or buying calcium powder to dust his crickets (very little expense there), his crickets were probably bought at WalMart or even a bait shop and just fed to him plain. Not enough heat in his environment can be a contributor too. No real sunlight or UVB light to enhance his bone structure. Without those vitamins, his bones have become brittle. He probably has tiny microfractures throughout his legs and joints. He is in constant pain, which is why he didn't eat for FOUR, FOUR!, months. He is tired. He IS hungry (cause he damn sure did take a cricket from my fingers and SLOWLY ate it. MBD effects the jawbones too). He is in a partial shed and its the skin around the bottom half of his legs and toes that are stuck. I'll have to give him a warm soak later. I so hate to even try to pick him up, but he needs to eat, finish shedding, and lick some calcium powder off my fingers.
I've got him set up in my reptile baby tank, heat lamp blazing, UVB bulb shining brightly down on him, and tiny dish of calcium powder. Did you know that herps crave and need calcium so much that they will lick the powder straight up? I am holding out all hope that he will make some sort of recovery. That his bones will start to mend. That his tail will get fat and thick. That he will live a long life. He will never be what he should. His legs will probably not straighten out and his spine may not either. But he can recover if I can get him to eat, keep him warm, and if all else fails, get vitamin and calcium injections from our local exotic pet vet.
Did you know that Gecko's have a 10-15 YEAR average life span? That they can grow up to 10 inches? That if their tail falls off, it will grow back? That they even love to eat brown recluse spiders?
Probably not. If you're not a herp fanatic or have even considered owning a reptile, why would you? My heart absolutely cracked open when I was presented this gecko. I knew immediantly what was wrong and then was shocked to hear he was already a year old and still so small. If any of my animals, furred or scaled, stop eating for a few days I start looking for answers and calling the vet. How anyone can be so irresponsible or not care more just astounds me and pisses me off! And instead of finding a solution and saving his life, he was simply given away, broken.
I hope I can start to fix him the best I can. Realistically, I'm reminding myself he may not make it. One cricket today, hopefully two tomorrow.
Be responsible. Research, research, research before investing in any pet, especially exotics (which includes Hamsters, Birds, Guinea Pigs, etc.). That $9.99 hamster or small lizard is actually closer to a $100 investment in the first year alone.
Off my soapbox. Time to bathe Hermes and try to get another cricket down him

Black Widow Spider Bite

2013-03-13T00:43:33Z

So thegreenyear asked and I shall provide. But under a cut, not everyone probably wants to see LOL
Today I made it just shy of my full hours for the day. Finally had to give in and go home to rest. I'm off tomorrow and plan on resting more. But today was the least painful day so far, so that is something.

The first is from the next morning, just a little over 12 hours after the bite occured.

This is about two days later, which would have been Wednesday

Now for Friday. We finally noticed while it was spreading, the dark purpleing was starting to disappear

I believe this is from Sunday

And last nite:

So there it is! The wonderful progression of a black widow spider bite. I truly cannot express the pain that comes with it too. So intense. If I had any kind of heart problem or blood pressure issues, there would have been a chance it could have killed me. I just gotta take each day carefully for now.

The Rat Pack

2013-01-19T02:06:48Z

I've now had Charlie & Remi for nearly 3 months. Who knew two little rats would occupy so much of my free time?! They need the time tho, & I'm happy to give it.

Remi is my sweet rat. He instantly bounds out of the cage & straight for my lap, bruxing his little heart out in excitement. He comes when called 75% of the time. He enjoys grooming my fingers & has almost gotten down the spin trick for treat. He is very outgoing & not a bit scared of strangers. He loves scratches on the head & down the back.

Charlie is the more timid one. He is also the perfect definition of a "pack rat"! If he can steal it, then it belongs to him. He has a nice pile of cat toys, treats, paper, & wood chew blocks. Receipt in your pocket? Gone! Remi leaves a treat behind? Gone! Cat toy for tug of war? Gone! He's not as fond of lovings but he still runs up to me when I sit down to get a few kisses before scampering off to find more stuff to steal. He does brux sometimes, but mainly for Ryan & not me.

Both boys have a love of special treats. Scrambled eggs, pasta, tomatos, grapes, & blueberries are highly valued. Charlie's favorite is sunflower seeds & Remi's is banana chips. P-nutter dog biscuits are the favorite chew treat. Freeze dried peas are the most hated. They grab them & throw them aside in disgust. We call it the "fuck that pea" move.

Right now they have a 3 story condo with a cute ferret cube (fleece lined & hanging from the top of the cage) for sleeping in. I've made a couple sleep sacks, but they prefer to chew holes in them instead of sleeping. When we're in the room, the cage is open for free play but so far they won't venture off the couch. The floor is LAVA! More due probably to the poor eyesight rats have. They're curious about Hendrix the Hamster. They can see her cage & hear her when she runs the wheel.

I cherish all the moments I have with them. All rats are born with cancer & will die from it. Average lifespan is 2-5 years. I've gotten a lot of tips on diet to help slow down the process. These are precious boys who show me love & devotion

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Meme! Cause I love AFSB

2012-03-28T15:06:08Z

1. How many pets do you have and what are their names?
Current tally:
3 indoor kitties, Willow, Ghenghis Khan aka The Boy, & Mr. Mojo
1 outdoor, Serendipity
2 strays who show up on feeding time, Big E(vil) & Spooky
2 bearded dragons, Julius & Sheila
1 ball python, Neela

2. You are so thirsty you could die. What do you drink?
As good as water would be for me, Coca Cola, hands down!

3. Tell me a story from your childhood.
Just one?! Making mudpies with my sister. I nearly had her convinced to eat one, til Mom stepped in

4. What day of your life has been the happiest?
There are two contenders, the day Melanie was born & the day I married my soulmate, Ryan

5. You have just won one million dollars! After taxes, you get about $600K free and clear. What do you do with that money?
Go somewhere warm, tropical, full of beach & ocean & just relax for a week

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Another Day

2011-07-12T01:15:15Z

The Boy

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

12 Days

2010-12-22T21:50:16Z

On the twelfth day of Christmas, dragonsflame71 sent to me...

Twelve dragons hiking

Eleven tattoos drumming

Ten faeries a-cooking

Nine beardies reading

Eight reptiles a-quilting

Seven animals a-painting

Six auras a-lightning

Five cra-a-a-afts

Four henna tattoos

Three bearded dragons

Two herbal potions

...and a feri in a beardie.

Tzaddia

2010-08-31T00:01:15Z

Hello loves. If you've read my journal for any amount of time, you've heard me talk about Tzaddia, my best friend,priestess, coven sister, and just all around amazing person.
Tzaddia has been battling cancer for some time now. First breast, then bone... then we got the all clear! But 4 weeks ago she ended back up in the hospital due to complications with fluid on her lungs. Despite all the test being clear, they could not figure out what was wrong. Today the docs did a biopsy on the actual lung tissue and it came back positive for cancer. This means she will be going through her third round of chemo, the second just in this year alone. Tzaddia is, at the moment, royally pissed off. Its all about the fight again. But having spent a month in the hospital is hard on anyone, no matter how hard they want to fight.
So I'm asking all of you, whether you know Tzaddia personally or not, please take a moment to send her a hello. The hospital has this really neat service where we can send e-notes through their website and they will print them out and deliver them to the patient. I want to shock the nurse(s) who have to deliver so many notes to this amazing amazing woman.

http://www.wth.org/body.cfm?id=1761

Her room number is 937 and you will need to use "Tammy Breckinridge"

Happy Samhain

2009-10-31T12:51:47Z

A blessed Samhain to all my beautiful loves. May your day be filled with magick.

Save Dave

2009-10-23T01:26:44Z

If you haven't heard of it yet, go here save_dave. He's in danger of losing his home. Some of you know that Heather and Jeff were housemates for a bit because they did lose their jobs and home.... it took 9 months for them to get back on their feet. I worry about my job... I don't know what we would do if I was out of work for even a month! Its a frightening time we live in, but it is also an amazing time... look at all the good we are doing together.

And below is my link to my auction contribution. Please take a look at all the delicious and beautiful things that are being offered... and lets Save Dave!!!

http://community.livejournal.com/save_dave/13711.html

Writer's Block: The one that got away

2009-10-09T14:30:47Z

The one did get away once... but 12 years later we got a second chance :)

Writer's Block: Don't You Forget about Me

2009-08-07T15:16:45Z

I had to answer this one... I love the Brat Pack movies and quite recently Mel fell in love with them too. Sixteen Candles and Breakfast Club are my two favorite with Ferris running in third. Its really funny to watch them with Mel and realize they just don't make the epic teen movies anymore.

I'm an Adult!!! HAHAHA

2009-06-02T02:35:55Z

yanked from sterling_raptor

Tired of all of those surveys made up by high school kids?! 'Have you ever kissed someone? Missed someone? Told someone you loved them? Drank alcohol?' Here are questions for the people who are a little older...Tag me when you finish.

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
The utility bill... I just know I can turn off one more light or unplug one more thing and save a few more pennies!

2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
Home, couple of weekends ago... we had crab legs and we ate alone

3. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Crashed in bed vegging out to some mindless TV... and in about 30 minutes I will

4. How many colleges did you attend?
2

5. When is the last time you had to REALLY dress up?
I didn't have to, but the last time I really dressed up was New Orleans Palimpsest show

6. What are your thoughts on gas prices?
It sucks. I don't understand nor do I truly want to

7. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
Crap, forgot to turn it off again (I was awake before it went off... happens alot lately)

8. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
Work tomorrow... ugh

9. Do you miss being a child?
Sometimes... but I tend to act pretty childish when it comes to my creative side and thats what i miss most

10. What errand/chore do you despise?
Dishes!!!

11. Get up early or sleep in?
Early, because of work...

12. Have you found real love yet?
Yes

13. Favorite lunch meat?
Turkey

14. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
Cat food

15. Beach or lake?
Beach.

16. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
not really, but you should have the right to marry who want to

17. Sopranos or Desperate Housewives?
Desperate Housewives!!!

18. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Starhawk... or Thorn!

19. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
No

20. Ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
Yes... sigh

21. Ring tone?
Depends on who calls... incubus, NIN, Beach Boys... too many to think about

22. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
woods

23. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
San Francisco

23. Do you go to church?
nope

24. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
neither

25. How old are you?
37... or is it 38?

26. What was your first job?
Waitress at Po Folks

27. Are you where you want to be in life?
CLose enough

28. Growing up, what were your favorite cartoons?
Bugs Bunny! and the Power Twins

29. What about you do you think has changed the most?
I am a much more outgoing person

30. Looking back at high school, were they the best years of your life?
Eh...

31. Are there times you still feel like a kid?
Yes!!

32. Did you ever own troll dolls?
No

33. Did you have a pager?
no

34. Where was the hangout spot when you were a teenager?
Club Vita parking lot

35. Were you the type of kid you would want your children to hang out with?
Thats loaded... I was a good friend, but a terrible influence when the 'rents went out of town

36. What was the first R rated movie you ever saw?
Blue Lagoon LOL

37. Was there a teacher or authority figure that stood out for you?
Yes, Mr. Steed

38. Do you tell stories that start with “when I was your age”?
SIGH... yes, it started this year

Book Meme!

2009-05-21T12:48:39Z

From sterling_raptor... I will attempt it...

1) What author do you own the most books by?
Lillian Jackson Braun

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
Cat-a-Lyst (because my mom has bought me like 5 copies of it and forgets everytime she sees another copy)

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Prepositions? Is that a school thing I should remember?

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Han Solo-post star wars movies

5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)?
Probably one of the Trixie Beldon books from my tween years

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
A Trixie Beldon

7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
Some weird book that I couldn't even finish so I purged the name from my brain.

8) What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Eat, Pray, Love

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
Spiral Dance

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
yuki_onna (the LJ user tag seems to be down) who is Cat Valente. (agreed!)

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Any of Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels or a Midnight Louie

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Not sure... (ironic, huh Sterling?LOL)

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
I have no idea... my dreams don't flow that way

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
Harlequins when I'm really bored and desperate

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Pagan History of Western Europe (still struggling through)

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've read?
I've read them all... my mom has a great collection

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Neither

18) Roth or Updike?
Neither.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Neither.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare.

21) Austen or Eliot?
Austen!

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Not sure. I read what I want when I want

23) What is your favorite novel?
Mists of Avalon

24) Play?

A Midsummer Night's Dream! (again agreed!)

25) Poem?
Poe

26) Essay?
?

27) Short story?
No clue...

28) Work of nonfiction?
Starhawk

29) Who is your favorite writer?
Seriously? You expect me to pick one?

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
not sure

31) What is your desert island book?
How to Survive on a Desert Island for Dummies. LOL I'll use that one too

32) And... what are you reading right now?
Evolutionary Witchcraft, Short Meditations, & no fiction.. I'm waiting for the library's big sale in two weeks!

Writer's Block: Same Name

2009-05-18T12:49:06Z

When I saw this question, I had to answer!!! Yes, there is another Michelle Murphy and we hang in the same circles. Its somewhat strange, but not really, considering its the pagan community and I go by Flame. But signing anything or filling out festival registrations... I put Michelle "Flame" Murphy to keep us distinguished. We call each other Sister Wife.

The Morningstar Mission

2009-03-27T20:03:43Z

I'm calling on all the people I know and love, especially those who know and love Tzaddia.

I've created a community for her morningstarhope. The purpose of this community is to raise funds for medical expenses not covered by her insurance (more explained on my opening post to the community) and the travel expenses that I'm sure are mounting for Chad & Garrison. Please visit, read my opening post, and join!! If you have an item or service you can offer up for donation or for auction, please do so. Everything little bit will count and mean the world to her.

Thank you!!!

*cross-posted everywhere it counts

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T12:49:37Z

May your day be filled with good luck, blessings, and love!

Big Energy Mojo needed!!!!!

2009-03-11T19:24:12Z

This is on behalf of my best friend and amazing woman Tzaddia Morningstar. Some of you on here know her and from her lips, she does not care what religious/spiritual persuasion you are... she just needs the help to kick some ass.

Tzaddia has breast cancer. A couple of years ago she had a masectomy and treatment. Today, after last week's tests, it is confirmed that she does have cancer again. I do not understand all the medical terms, but it is in her bones and the markers indicate it is stage four. There are more tests to be done early next week to determine where else it might be or if it is has been caught just in this area. This makes a big difference because it makes a difference in treatment and length of life expectancy. She will be undergoing some sort of treatment in the very very near future and it all depends on what they find out next week.

Pray, send energy, chant, dance, whatever it is you do please send it. Also, send a little to her husband Chad (who is basically losing his mind) and her son Garrison (who just happens to have chicken pox right now at age 16! Poor guy!)

I will keep you all updated as I know more. Thank you so much.

Palimpsest

2009-02-24T15:31:42Z

Woohoo! Palimpsest is coming out today. Amazon informed me my copy has shipped and I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival.

Check out her post and check out all the cool goodies! This is everything to do with our train trip next month to New Orleans.

The Best Job in the World! Vote now!

2009-02-23T19:14:14Z

One of my LJ friends, has applied for the best job in the world (the one in Australia). If someone ever deserved to win this job, it is ryanestrada He already does this job, but doesn't get paid for it. Check out his post and then follow the link to see his video and put in your vote!!

http://ryanestrada.livejournal.com/145560.html

Grrrr... hate idiots

2009-02-10T16:22:00Z

After being so proud of our local paper picking up the Imbolc story featured in the Commercial Appeal about Summerland Grove a couple of idiots had to put a comment out there.
This is actually the second version of this story online.. the first one had some nice comments to it (I was one of them) but this time... I'm doing my best to restrain myself from commenting on their remarks... it probably wouldn't change anything... but the ignorance sure pisses me off! Such "christian" behavior...

http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990210011

Save our Sooj!!!

2009-01-03T14:40:57Z

I realized that while many of the people on my flist are more than familiar with SJ Tucker (s00j ) not all of you are. You've heard me talk about her, I'm sure... But nows your chance to really get to know her and help a sistah out!!!
Sooj was hospitalized and being an independent musician does not have insurance. We are all trying to help her get those medical bills paid and that help is by way of donating to the cause saveours00j. You can also visit her website (www.skinnywhitechick.com) and purchase her CD's for only $10 each!!!! IT is sooooo worth it!!!

I leave you with my favorite song that s00j has done so far... if you know me well, you will understand... listen to her music... buy a CD... bid on an auction.... Support my precious and beautiful friend!!!

Writer's Block: If Wishes Were Horses

2008-11-12T22:07:18Z

I can remember as a kid not just wishing on shooting stars and eyelashes, but holding your breath as you went over a bridge.
The fun part was when we were kids and would go to Florida... one bridge is about 2 miles long I think? We would bust out laughing when we reached the end, but I think my sister and I both cheated somehow... we could never really hold our breaths as long as the bridge was and dad would even slow down sometimes and make us laugh harder.

I still wish on stars, eyelashes, and hold my breath while going over bridges.