A Little Birdy Told Me

Our cats, Sadie and Monkey, are outdoor cats. I know this is kind of a touchy subject for some people, but Rich has had cats all of his life and they've always been outdoor cats. So, as a new cat owner, I just followed his lead.
Our cats are notorious hunters, so we quite regularly act as an impromptu animal hospital for all sorts of small wild life.  We've had multiple mice, birds, and even a squirrel spend some time living in our Urgent Care Center, otherwise known as our bathroom. Sometimes they make it, and we set them free and sometimes they don't, but it makes me feel like a good person to know I did what I could.

A few weeks ago, Rich had the dogs outside and came across a little birdy flopping around in the grass.  We took the cats in to give him a chance to compose himself and make his escape, but when we came back he was still rolling around on the lawn.  He was a young adult bird, so no mamma was coming to his rescue.  We brought him inside, made him warm and comfy and let him have a rest.
We noticed that he was missing his tail feathers, meaning he wouldn't be able to fly and I wasn't quite sure what to do about that.  I researched what kind of bird he was, a Thrush, and what to feed an injured bird of his kind.  He spent the night, and come morning he still hadn't eaten anything and I decided to take some action.
I called and tweeted around trying to decide what to do. I called Hamilton Animal Control, but unfortunately, they aren't licensed to take wild life.  The person on the phone was nice enough to give me a woman named Cara's number and I gave her a call.
I found out that Cara runs Urban Wildlife Care, and it is one of the only programs in the area that is licensed to take in injured and abandoned wildlife.  I drove my little birdy out to her office, and she took him in and fed him some worms and he will make a full recovery once his tail feathers grow back in!
I just wanted to spread some awareness for Urban Wildlife Awareness, because they are not government funded and rely on donations of money and supplies to be able to continue to take in animals.
The Hamilton Spectator wrote an article about them that you can check out here.
Visit their website here to learn more about the organization, what they do, and what items are on their donation wish list.

What I Wore, Belated Edition.

I just realized that I had posted Halloween potentials and never posted what I actually ended up wearing! Sorry that it's almost the end of November.
I went back and forth for a while, I always have to make sure my costume isn't just thrown together last minute, but this year it also had to be suitcase friendly.  As well, it needed to be warm weather friendly, because of my fabulous Florida Vacation!

So, I decided to just run with a theme and be Minnie Mouse!  I already had this awesome dress from Mod Cloth that I thought would be perfect for Minnie.  I found a matching colored bow, painted some polka dots on it, got myself some mouse ears, and some classic Minnie yellow shoes and VOILA, Minnie Mouse in Florida.  I also got some white gloves and a petty coat for under the dress just to add that extra special touch,
My favorite part was the amazing false lashes I found. They were enormous, but so Minnie Mouse. I had a really hard time not touching my nose all night long. Black face paint and white gloves don't mix.
All around, I think it turned out quite cute. I got a lot of compliments and a "Vegas Show Girl" even asked if she could take my picture! I think I'll even re-use this costume next year in Hamilton. Cute, travel appropriate and economical. Triple Whammy.
I also learned a lot about Minnie from her Wikipedia page.  Go figure.

Post- Vaycay Picture Album

Florida was grand! It makes me realize how much real life blows. No, kidding. Real life is fine. But vacation life really is where it's at.  

Obligatory airplane wing pic!

Cricket (my grandma's friend) picked us up at the airport with this sign. I've always wanted a sign airport welcome. My dreams came true in Tampa. Although my named is spelled wrong, which is a pet peeve, but I'll let it slide. 

Grand Shores West, we used to come here every year for my birthday until I got too old to be taken out of school for two weeks. Damn school. 

Our first day at the beach was a mite chilly, thanks to Hurricane Sandy. 

The view from the patio at my grandma's condo. Word at the condo is there is an alligator in those waters, but I didn't see it. So the rumor remains unsubstantiated by this Canadian. 

The sun finally comes out on the beach! Thank goodness. Andrea and I went swimming in the ocean, and I'm sure all the Florida natives could spot us as foreigners from a mile away. 

If you have not been to The Cracker Barrel, you need to plan a trip south ASAP. Mmm. Southern Comfort food. Please note the roaring fire that was burning at the same time as the AC was blasting. It's all about ambiance people.

Our dinner at the Salt Rock Grill was pretty perfect. Watching the sun set over the water, drinking delicious wine and eating yummy seafood. I got the early bird special. Not even joking. 

One third of my vacation was spent thusly.

This was the second third of my time while on vacation. (The last third was a split between eating and shopping).

If you're ever in St. Petersburg you should definitely go and check out The Seabird Sanctuary. Say hi to Stumpy for me. (She's only got one foot....hence the name).

Hope my vacation album made you jealous that you stayed at home. I had a great time with my Aunt and my Cousin, and just relaxing. I really need to make some more time in my life for vacations!