Getting Ready for Warm Days

We had a pretty mild winter this year.  There was hardly any rain although it rained a little today.  It seems summer is arriving early. Our new home gets hot in the back, so I have started getting some patio items out. The cooling orange bed for the dogs. Crucus likes to jump onto it like it's a trampoline. I also put on a clothesline to dry towels and sheets.

A few weeks ago on my way to work, I saw someone put out a green patio chair to give away. I turned around and put it in my car.  After hosing it down, it's my patio chair now.

A few months ago, one of the neighbors on my block was getting rid off a couple patio umbrellas. Other than they are old and used, they are in perfect shape.  I took both of them since there isn't much shade in the yard until all the leaves grow back on the trees. I have been hoping to find a couple umbrella stands on cragislist.com with no avail. I finally had to buy a cheap one from Home Depot.

A few days ago, I found the umbrella with the stand lying on its side when I got home from work. I guess it was too windy. Now I put 2 of my spare kitchen counter tiles on top of the umbrella stand, and it's perfect. Those tiles are very heavy.

Finally a Good Look at the Baby Mourning Doves

I have been checking on the doves every day. Yesterday I caught them without the mom, but they were very hidden between the leaves. I never want to disturb them but brushing aside the leaves, so the photo above was the best I could get.  There are just two chicks. I thought there were more.  I went back to the photos on March 9th, and only 2 eggs are in the picture.

This morning, I looked at them again. Mom was sitting with the chicks, and I could only see one chick. After returning from Pt. Isabel a few hours later, I checked on them again. Yahoo!!!!  Only the 2 chicks were home, and I was finally able to get a clear photo of them! I can't believe how much they have grown in eight days! (see photo from March 20th). They are now completely covered in feathers. Pretty soon they will be learning to fly!

Buddy's Three Night Visit

In January I signed up to be a Rover sitter. It just seemed like the logical thing to do. I love dogs and my dogs love dogs. It took over a month until someone contacted me, and Jasper was my first guest. He only needed to stay one night, so my first experience was short and sweet. In less than 2 weeks, I got 3 more inquires. Two of them weren't very good fit, but Buddy was a good match even though he's not crazy about big dogs. He was mostly fine with Kelsey as long as there was some space between the two.

We went to Pt. Isabel a couple times during Buddy's stay. The first time I kept him on the leash. It was pretty obvious to me that he's not the kind of dog just runs off.  The second time I just let him off leash. He runs fast. Both Cracus and him run super fast but they always make sure to stop and keep me in their sight. After Buddy was picked up by his person, Cracus seemed a little confused and sad. He was just playing chase with Buddy a few minutes ago. Now Buddy has gone home.

If you are ever looking for a dog sitter, check out Rover.com and use my discount code "CATALINA20" to get $20 off as a new customer. The code is good for any Rover sitter. Isn't it a sweet deal?

Mourning Doves Chicks Are Here

I first discovered the nest on March 9th. On March 18th or so, I thought I saw some movements in the next under mother dove.  I wasn't sure because because mother dove was still sitting on top of everything. On March 20th, while the mom was away, I had a good look of the nest. The chicks are definitely here but they slept a lot and were not moving much. On March 22nd, I saw chicks moving next to the mom.  Everytime I try to get closer to the nest by reaching over the porch, the chicks seem to hold completely still. I am sure that's the defensive mechanism to reduce attention from their prey.

I got a glimpse of mother dove feeding the chicks and was able to take a short video of it.  I don't want to bother them too much. I know the mom's eyes are always watching me. She is extremely alert.

"Little White Dancing Bear"

Cracus is becoming quite popular at Pt. Isabel, where I take Kelsey and him for walks several times a week. While everyone likes Kelsey and thinks she's just beautiful, Cracus makes people laugh. The shaggy hair, constant grin, pink nose, and dancing on his hind legs just bring smiles to people's faces. Some people actually just crack up at the sight of Cracus. One of Cracus' best friends at Pt. Isabel is a little male chihuahua. Even though he looks small, he is quite feisty. He has to be feisty in order to counter attack Cracus.

Some owners get a bit worried because Cracus gets overly excited when he's playing then he starts making this growling sound. I have seen Cracus rolling a few times because he was running so fast. He just turned into a white fur ball and rolled on the ground.  Someone at Pt. Isabel called him "Little White Dancing Bear." I guess he does look like a little teddy bear with that hair. I have tried to give him a haircut, but he's still fearful of the clipper.  So far I have not been able to trim the hair on his legs.

I recently saw a great Youtube video called Happy Dogs and Cat in Australia and decided to make one of my own. I call it Little White Dancing Bear featuring Cracus and his friends.