RVing in Port Aransas

Here it is the end of July already. Where are the months going? I had a good time this month. We have an RV and we bought a lot down in Port Aransas at an RV Park right on the beach. It is a really nice park where you can either rent a spot or own your own and have your lot rented out when you aren't using it. We bought our lot about 3 years ago now. Ours is the closest to the beach access, a corner lot, and beautiful. We have friends who also own a lot there and try to plan our trips there together. But, the last couple of times we have been there, they weren't able to come down. They were busy moving into a new house, selling their old one, etc.

We went down for July 4th and I stayed the following week. My husband had to get home and back to work, but came back the next weekend. That whole week it rained and when you are down at the beach and it is raining, it can be quite boring. But I found things to keep me busy. For one, I found this site and started my blog. I also found YouTube and made a couple short video clips and posted them on there. That was a lot of fun. My clips were just taken with my digital still camera and not my video camera as I didn't have it down there with me. Still, my still camera took pretty good footage and it was fun making the videos! I plan on making more but with my video camera next time.

Because it rained the whole week, I decided to stay on a second week. After all, I didn't have anything I needed to get home for. My dogs and cats were with me and my husband could feed the birds when he was there during the week. The second week was sunny and hot and we enjoyed our time on the beach. The only problem was, because of all the rain we had the week before, the mosquito's were really bad. You could barely go outside without them attacking you. I would swat at one on me and be left with a quarter sized spot of blood on me from it! Gees.. They were sucking me dry! It made it a little annoying, but I survived with the help of some bug spray, although I hate to use that, especially after showering. It just makes you feel all yucky again. The poor dogs were being bitten by them too. All the dogs love going onto the beach for walks and they go into the water to cool off when they get too hot. They are funny to watch. So, just about every morning we would go for a mile or so walk on the beach. It was much needed exercise for all of us! Later, I would go back up with my beach chair, magazine or book and IPod to read, swim and watch the birds diving for fish. What a life! LOL

Here is one of the videos that I posted on YouTube. See what you think!

My Birds

We have two birds in our household that adds to our small zoo. Actually, we have had them the longest. Max, is a Blue Front Amazon parrot and he is 18 years old. They say they live to be about 70 years or so, so I guess he will outlive me if he stays healthy. Charlie is a Cockatiel and he is the same age. I raised him from a baby. I had a pair of cockatiels and they had (in total) 3 clutches of eggs. I raised most of the babies and gave them away when they were old enough. They were all trained to talk when I gave them away and I hope their new owners appreciated that. I eventually gave the parent birds away and just kept one of the babies and that is Charlie. Both my birds talk and are very entertaining at times. They, especially Max, can be very loud at times, especially when he wants something and you ignore him. Max says things at the appropriate time. For instance, if I am eating something and he can see me, he says "ummm, good!" He says it over and over till I give him a bite. If I don't, he then starts making screaming noises and it is easier to just give in and give him some than have to listen to the ear piercing sounds. He also says "time for bed, night baby," when I turn the lights out in the evening. Charlie talks and whistles and loves his mirrors. He is constantly in front of one and positions them to his liking all day long. It is funny to watch. If you knock one down, he will go over and pick it up and reposition it so he can see himself just right. It is really funny to watch. They used to be out of their cages all the time. They didn't fly around, but stayed on top of their cages and went in and out at will. But, once I got a cat, that all changed and they are now confined to their cages. To compensate for that, I got them both nice new Huge cages for them to live in and they have plenty of room to move around and keep busy and content. Still, I know they miss being out and I let them out whenever I can when I know it will be safe.

My Cats

This is Mikey and Molly. He is the one with the tan face, ears and tail and she has the gray face, ears and tail. They are brother and sister and are just under a year old They are very lovable and playful. Mikey loves to be held and will jump onto my chest and then lay his head on my shoulder as I scratch and pet him. It is the sweetest thing. He follows me around most of the day and thinks he is one of the dogs. He has a gallop that he does when he comes running to join in with the dogs. It is really funny!



Molly doesn't like to be held as much but she does demand her time with me. It is usually in the mornings when I am having my coffee and reading the paper. She will come and sit right on my paper and stare at me till I pet her. Other times, she hangs out with Boo Boo under my bed and sleeps the day away. They play well together and are good company for each other. They also both get along with all the dogs. I haven't tried letting the birds out on their cages to see if the cats will leave them alone. I'm not stupid! haha We have a doggie door and they are now indoor/outdoor cats and love going out to explore the yard. They haven't brought me any "presents" other than the occasional lizard. I hope they don't start stalking and capturing birds. They like chasing flying insects and are fun to watch as they jump in the air trying to catch something that flies by! I guess I am fortunate to have all these dogs and cats and that they all get along. It could be a nightmare if they didn't!

Here is Boo Boo

This is Boo Boo. She is a mixed breed and the Alpha dog in our family. She constantly puts the others in their place when they act up. She was originally my oldest son's dog but when he moved to a place where they wouldn't allow pets, she came to live with us. When her and Casey were younger, they were great buddies and played together all the time. Now, she just spends her time under my bed and only comes out to eat and to see what is going on. It seems like a lonely life for her and I try coaxing her out, but she seems content to be where she is. There was never any trauma in her life, so I don't know why she likes to stay secluded like she does, but she is a happy dog when she is out and with us.
She is most happy when my son comes to visit. She gets in his lap and lays her head on his chest, as if giving him a hug. It is so cute. She has been with us for four years, so I can't say that I hope that my son can someday take her back to live with him. We would miss her too much and I don't think getting relocated again would be good for her. She seems to sensitive of a dog. She is smart as can be and she hates baths and heartworm medication. If I even go near the cabinet where I keep those pills, and she sees me, she runs and hides under the bed. The same goes for getting a bath. She can just sense what I am up to.

The beach is one of her favorite places to go. She loves taking walks there and running into the water to play and cool off. You would think that if she loves going for walks on the beach she would like going for walks at home, but no.. It is another thing she runs and hides from. If you just touch her leash, off she goes under the bed. She only likes walks if she can be off the leash! It seems that all my dogs have either strange behaviors or physical shortcomings. Oh well, it is why I love them all!

Meet Scooter!

This is scooter, my little Yorkie! He may be little but he has a huge personality. I rescued him from a flea market type place and feel that if I hadn't bought him, he probably would have died within weeks. They had him in a pen with cedar shavings (a no-no) and the dust from it had gotten into his lungs and he was wheezing. He was about 4 months old at the time and only about 1 pound. I just had to have him. My friend thought he was ugly, but didn't tell me that. He did kind of look like a Gremlin those first several weeks. Then I took him for his first grooming and he was sooooo cute.

When he was 6 months old, he fell off the couch and broke his front right leg. Poor little guy. He had a screw and pin inserted in his leg to help it heal and even though he had his leg wrapped in a cast like thing, he didn't let it keep him down. He got around just fine and played and ran just as hard as ever. He also has another defect or 'shortcoming' and that is, he doesn't have enough skin to cover his little manhood. It is always exposed and I have to check him all the time and put ointment on it to keep it moist. In pictures, I usually have to edit it out, as it seems to always be visable in pictures! Awww.. And,if that isn't enough, he has dislocated kneecaps on both back legs. Again, he doesn't let it keep him down and, even though he walks with his back end a little hunched over to compensate, he runs and plays just fine. I plan on taking him to an orthopedic vet to see if he recommends surgery to correct it or not. My vet seems to think that it will cause arthritis later on, not only in both knees, but in his spine as well, if we don't have the surgery.

Scootie is in no way handicapped! He is a trooper and loves life and makes me laugh every day. He is the happiest and most friendly little dog. He will lick your face off if you aren't careful!

Casey

Casey was a Christmas present in 2000. I had told my husband I didn't want anymore dogs but did he listen? No! Then he got me a type dog that I had never heard of, a Bichon Frise. I didn't want the dog and told him so. I could see how crushed he was. He said we could cancel with the breeder, even though he had put a deposit on him and that I should think about it and let him know. (He was going on a ski trip with our sons) We wouldn't be able to pick him up till New Years and while he was away, I thought long and hard about it. I felt like I was handed a 15 year prision sentence since a puppy was a lot of work and would keep me from being able to come and go as I wanted. But, I could see how much Tom wanted the puppy, so I decided to go ahead and accept him and to show Tom my decision, I got him all the things we would need for a puppy for his birthday, which was a few days after Christmas.

As you might guess, I fell in love with this little bundle of fur the minute I saw him. He is such a sweetie pie and so loyal. He doesn't let me out of his site and is my constant companion. I started taking him to a goomer when he was 4 months old and the first couple of times, just had him bathed and trimmed. I can't take him anymore and have to groom him myself which is a lot of work. I think they hurt him too much when his hair was long and must have been matted. Anyway, I got him shaved down one time and what a difference! His personality blossomed and he became a different dog. I think he knew how cute he looked and he was glad to get that long hair off. Living in Texas, it is so hot and humid and that long hair was just too hot for him. When he was little, he fell in our pool one day and I think he liked it, because now, whenever he gets hot, he jumps in the pool and goes for a swim. It's the only way he knows of to cool off! Too funny!

Introduction

I guess before getting started I need to introduce myself, my husband and pets so that you will know more than what you read in my profile. As I said in that, I have a husband of 36 years, 3 dogs, 2 cats and 2 birds. I also have 3 sons who are now grown and living on their own. My husband and I met at a place we both worked during our senior year of high school. That was in 1967 and we got married January 28th, 1970. We have had many ups and downs but have managed to work out and on all our differences, which I might add, are many. We are total opposites which I guess is what makes it work so well. There is never a boring moment!

We have 3 sons. My middle son, Steve, just got married on April 29th, and his wife Kim, is a great addition to our family. My oldest son, Mike, is unattached at the moment but I'm hoping he will meet the right one someday. My youngest, Brian, is the only one who lives out of state and I miss him terribly, but we talk and e-mail all the time. He has been with the same girl for about 2 years now, but there doesn't seem to be any marriage plans yet. Maybe someday.

My pets, well, at one point I only had the birds, which will probably outlive me. Then one Christmas about 5 years ago, Tom surprised me with a puppy. I was NOT happy, but got over it and fell in love with Casey from the day we picked him up. He is a Bichon Frise and is the most loyal dog I have ever had. He follows me everywhere and always has his eye on me. I could never feel lonely with him in my life. Then we ended up keeping my oldest son's dog, Boo Boo- a mixed breed, when he moved into a new place that wouldn't allow pets. She bonded with us and was happy in our household and has become the Alpha dog. She is the only female, like me, and rules the roost - like me! Once I had two dogs, I figured, "what is one more?" and decided to get the size and breed that I have always wanted. That is when Scooter (Scootie) entered our lives. He is a tiny Yorkshire Terrier and such a cutie! He weighs all of 6 pounds, but the vet says he is overweight for his size. Guess he should only weigh about 3 pounds. Oh well, its all those biscuits and treats that I just can't help giving them. I also have two cats. They are just under a year old and brother and sister. The boy, Mikey, thinks he is a dog and, like Casey, follows me around and tries to do what the dogs do. He comes running (actually galloping) when he hears me ask if the dogs want to go outside. I have a doggie door, and they all use it, but in the mornings, the routine is, I let them out the patio doors. Molly, the female joins in with this routine also. She, like Boo Boo, seems aloof and tends to be the bossy one. What is it with females? They are too funny! I have had the birds for about 17 years. I have a Blue Front Amazon, Max, and a Cockatiel, Charlie. They both talk up a storm and make their presence known.

Because we have all these pets, I hated boarding them after having a bad experience the first time I did that. So, we ended up getting an RV and now when we travel we take them with us. We only take the birds when we will be gone more than a long weekend since they are pretty self sufficient. I love traveling in the RV and recommend it to anyone who likes to travel and sleeping in their own bed! Well, that should introduce you to me and my family and pets. I hope to post often and let you know all about our "everyday stuff."