Category: Danï

the elves turn five years old today

whbeebe

I can’t believe that Danï and Zoë have been with us for five years. We adopted them from The Runaways Animal Rescue in Pascoe County, Florida, just north of Tampa. The Runaways has become a sophisticated operation these days, but right before the Rescue moved to its current location, the founder ran the operation out of her home, and that’s where we drove to back in 2020 to pick up little Danï and Zoë.

My wife had read about them in an article on Love Meow, their two additional siblings, and their mom. I suggested my wife send an email to the Rescue inquiring about adopting them both, never thinking we’d be able to. After all this article was out on Apple News+, and I was expecting the article would draw a lot of attention and inquiries, and we’d come up short. Never did I expect we’d adopt those two, but we did. So we drove over, picked them up, and then nestled them in the back seat where they slept all the way back to Orlando.

Since that time we picked up their mom Joan and one more rescued kitten, Nicholas. The clowder has been a sweet group ever since.

Believe me when I say that the two little girls are feline elves, full of sweet mischief and energy and love.

Camera

I pulled out my EM1.2 and attached the 1.8/75mm for these photos. I hadn’t touched the EM1.2 in so long that all the batteries were discharged, so I had to charge one of them up before I could use the camera. I love using the 75mm because of its long reach and the atmospheric photos it helps produce. And the shutter on the EM1.2 is one of the quietest, if not the quietest, I’ve ever heard. As far as I’m concerned the EM1.2 is the penultimate Olympus digital camera. I know more recent models have been released (this camera was announced in 2016), but for me the EM1.2 is imbued with a magical quality all its own. I really need to use this camera more than I currently do.

animal day journal #7

whbeebe


I have now notched a new “accomplishment” as a senior; I’ve fallen down. I did get back up (after lying on the floor in pain for a few minutes), and after a day of lying about taking pain meds, I’m back to full ambulatory capability. While I joke about falling down, a senior such as myself risks greater injury due to more fragile bones and muscle loss, with the greatest risk being a broken hip.

I fell, at night, heading to bed. I fell because I turned off all the lights and then tripped over one of the cat’s scratch pads. When I fell I hit a wall at our hallway entrance. My wife heard the crash and then the cursing and immediately came out to lend assistance. After about ten minutes of further cursing and slowly wriggling around on the floor to try and stand, I was back up on my feet, with bruises on my left knee, left elbow, and shoulder. And especially my ego. Yes, the same left knee that was fully replaced last July is the one that hit the floor.

While I was on the floor, little Danï came out to see what was happening. Rather than running and hiding, she came up and snuggled next to me, purring the whole time. She was concerned. After I got back up off the floor and finally went to bed with ice packs and a selection of anti-inflammatory medications to handle any swelling, Danï came up and snuggled next to me. During the day she continued in her “charge nurse” role, coming in during the day to lie in my lap and purr at me. Say what you will about “dumb animals,” I have absolutely no doubt that Danï realized I was hurt and wanted to comfort me. The other cats scattered for cover over the noise, but they eventually came by to offer comfort by being near me. But it was Danï that was first, and the fastest to “render aid and comfort” to her person.

As for my knee, and the whole left side of my body, I continue to carefully pay attention to how I physically feel. But it would appear I’ve managed to get through this relatively unscathed. I believe I can attribute this to all the physical exercise I’ve been doing since the knee replacement, as well as, yes, the nurturing power of a little Ginger cat and her purrs.