The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance.

His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... 

Author unknown...

On Friday I had to make the very difficult decision to let my very dear friend Tuck go. He was a gorgeous tuxedo tom cat that we rescued from a shelter just before we were married, 8 years ago. He was a adult when we got him and probably the best cat I have ever had. Tuck's fur was plush like a stuffed animal, he had these deep intelligent eyes that just knew when you needed a cuddle,  and he was the perfect companion for myself and my family. 

Many times I found Tuck stretched out next to my babies as they slept in their cribs. He endured years of fur pulling, ear tugs, and stepped on tails and never once got upset. Instead a purr would rumble through him and he would look at me as if to say, "That's fine, I know that they don't mean it." There is so much I could say about my friend and it hurts my heart to think that he is no longer with us. Tuck had cancer and was getting to the point that I knew that he was not comfortable and in pain. Even though I knew in my head that it was time... my heart just can't catch up just yet.... 

Goodbye my lovely guy... you will be missed more than I can say. 

It's a Zoo Out There!

Today we went to the zoo and enjoyed the 75 degree (and non-rainy) weather!

It was so nice to see everyone out and about,

let the kids burn off some of their cooped up energy,

and we got to see a surprise animal- the zoo's new male elephant Willy!!!

The Cleveland Zoo has been working on the new elephant exhibit called Elephant Crossing

for the better part of 2 years, expanding the area and adding new animals to the herd.

This is the first time that we have had a bull elephant since 1962 

and the zoo hopes to breed the elephants in the future.

The kids and I have been looking forward to this exhibit since they started construction

but the opening day is May 5th,

so it was quite a surprise to see Willy in front and the girls in the back!

Here are some other photos of our trip where the kids met a screech owl named Hooty,

visited Austrailian Adventure with the kangaroos,

and toured the Lorakeet Aviary!

Simply Waiting

I often acknowledge my cats, since they are awesome and all that,

but I have to mention how cool Spooky is.

She seriously is a Great Dane in a slightly smaller body,

never barks at passing people and dogs,

sleeps on the couches,

and is a dream to take in the car. 

I love this photo of her because this is what she does a lot of the day, 

simply waits....

My Ugh Day

Happy Furry Friday :)

Originally uploaded by meg price

I am having a very "Ugh!" day... nothing is going right, things that normally aren't fun are even worse, and even the simplest of tasks is turning into a disaster! I was set on just chalking up today as a downright BAD DAY!
Then I did what I do best, look for something simple to make me smile. Flickr provided me with my smiley inspiration....or better yet, Barney the dog did.

Pure joy in the simplest form. Just looking at this photo you know that this dog is so happy to see the person holding the camera and so very loved. (Attributed to the fact that the photo is not of the photographer running away in fright from the enthusiasm!)

Thank you Barney for making a very frustrated chick smile!

Note to Self...

Who goes there??

Oh mom, it's you! What? I am not supposed to be in your light box?

So you probably don't want me tearing up the paper and making a mess in here like this huh?

Aren't I so pretty though?

 (Don't mind the torn up light box behind me!)

NOTE TO SELF: Put light box back UP when not in use!!!

Contest: Name Our New Kitten

I think I was destined to either work for an animal rescue or be THAT crazy cat lady who lives on your street, lol. Through a weird turn of events I have acquired two little 7-8 week kittens. (If you are curious about the whole story email me and I will share!) Lucky for me my dear hubby was feeling nutty and decided that we could keep one, yay!!

Here is the 411 on the newest addition: Teeny little black and white boy, loves to cuddle and eat, very tolerant of kids and giant dog, smart but more laid back than his brother. We named the brother Mouse since he scurries around, cries a lot, and hangs out by the computer desk, so I am looking for an "M" name. This is Mouse- the bigger, tougher, faster of the brothers.

So here is the contest: Leave a comment here with your best boy kitty "M" name (and no human names- they geek me out!). If your name is chosen you will win some cool fall themed craft stuff!! I am looking for something cool, unusual but easy for little ones to say (We tried Goblin and the girls called him Gobble so we nixed that!) Get your kids to say the name if you are in doubt! Oh and my other guys' names are Tuck, Prince, and Bo so as you can see we don't have a theme going.

I will choose by the end of this week!!

Picture Perfect Baby Monkey

We went to the zoo today with all the kids. It was a wonderful, perfect time. This photo says it all.... isn't he adorable? He is a Swamp Monkey born on August 1st, already a star! The Cleveland Zoo is running a photo contest until Labor Day.... I think Klint is entering this in it. No matter what, it is a beautiful shot of a very new and very cute baby monkey!

Meet My Pets- Part 1

So I know I have blogged about our great dog quite a bit, and of course I talk about my kids and hubby. But I have been forgetting to write about another big part of our family- our 4 cats! Yes, I did say 4!! (Someone once said that cats are like potato chips, you can't have just one.)

Introducing- Prince, our 5 year old Siamese mix

Me: Hi Prince, How are you doing this morning?

Prince: I am just feeling FABULOUS today! The sun is shining, it stopped snowing, and my guy is home from work so I can go sit on his lap!

Me: So what is your favorite thing to do during the day?

Prince: In this cold weather I really like to lay in front of whatever heater I can get to and press up against it so all the hot air keeps me warm. In the summer I like to chill in sinks to keep cool, it is a great life!

Me: Who is your favorite person and cat in the house?

Prince: Well of course Klint is my favorite, someday he will appreciate my uber loud purring and tubby belly. And my favorite cat is of course Bo, my long time partner. We cuddle together and yes, I know you have caught us spooning frequently. ;)

Me: With the New Year I know you made some resolutions, would you share some with us?

Prince: 1. Lose a little bit of the tummy and cut back on the kibble. 2. Learn to turn on the faucet for myself. 3. Stop getting jumped by Elmo. 4. Make friends with Spooky, hopefully she will stop trying to turn me into a chew toy!

Me: Well it was great talking with you, last question: What is your best feature?

Prince: Well the baby blue eyes are a show stopper but I think my purr which can be heard anywhere in the house is by far the coolest thing! Thanks to my Siamese ancestors I can share my happiness with everyone!

And that my friends is Prince, our rainbow flag waving fabulously pretty kitty!

Wordless Wednesday

taken by the hubby at the Cleveland Metropark Zoo

(the Northern Trek animals are my favorite!!)

Family and Friend Outtings

One thing I love about living here, outside of Cleveland, but not in the country is how easy it is to find things to do. Last week we took the kids to the Nature Center in Bay Village and today our family went to the Lake Farm Metroparks. What a great time we had!! Tons of animals to see, stuff to touch and smell, and we got to learn a few things about nature along the way. Here are some pictures from our trip!

There was a cool breed of sheep that we have never seen before. The farm has over 50 endangered breeds of livestock!

AJ is 7 hands high!
The biggest pig I have ever seen in my life! Seriously, I had no clue pigs really looked like this!
Gabby checking out some sheep
We took a great wagon ride, pulled by a pair of lovely Clydesdales.
Gabby is over 10 hands high!

Gabby learning about solar powered energy by controlling a large solar panel. You could tell how much power the panel was getting from the spout that was shooting out water. The more power equaled more water shooting into the pond. Very cool!
Gabby checking out a baby bull calf. Adorable!
Aj and me seeing the horses!

It's a Zoo Out There!!!

Ok, well it is not every day that I find a website that delights, inspires, and intrigues me as much as today's find has. I should have saved it for Surf's Up Saturday, but I was too excited to wait! After all, what could be better than combining animals and words to make something that teaches and creates art at the same time? I present to you Bembo's Zoo! (Thank you to Tangled and True for another great find!)

The creator of this artwork took animals that would be found in a zoo and used just the letters that made up that animal to create an image of the animal. How fun! Don't get it? Let me show you!!

Cleveland Rocks... well more like Roars

One of my favorite things about living in Cleveland is the zoo. Some people are bar hoppers, others dig the sports, but for our family it is all about the zoo. Coming from a city where the exhibits were embarrassingly bare and cold, I was amazed the first time I visited the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. I fell in love with the Rainforest (despite it housing the source of many nightmares-snakes), the butterfly exhibit, and my ultimate favorite- the Northern Trek.

The Northern Trek features- you guessed it- cold weather animals. But there are a few surprises here like the camel, tigers, and a wide variety of bears. My Gabby is a huge fan of the wolf exhibit which features a pack of wolves in a more natural, woodland environment. There is a viewing area behind glass where you can see the den, but it is open like most exhibits are. I have always enjoyed the polar bears and the sea lions, the staff keeps them well supplied with toys and there is one particular Sea Lion that enjoys showing off to the crowds.

The Rainforest is also a pretty neat place to visit, although I don't visit it as often in the summer. It is a steamy, somewhat pungent place, but a feast for the eyes. The plants themselves are spectacular, and there are some pretty neat animals in there like the bats and the orangutans. Every few minutes too there is a tropical rain storm which is pretty neat. My only problem is with the fact that there are some HUGE snakes there... specifically one python who sits atop of an elephant statue. Eeek!

One special thing about the zoo itself is that Mondays are free for Cuyahoga residents. If you don't like crowds- especially crowds of noisy school age children- then I reccomend going another day, but this is a great thing for people who don't have the extra money to shell out but want to share the animals with their family.

So that is the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo! A great place to visit if you are ever in town and well worth the money. There are always extra exhibits too like Touch! where you can pet sting rays and sharks and the newest attraction for the summer- Frogs, Hogs, & Dogs, which will feature singing dogs. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the zoo!