Hello again!

 Hello again to everyone! It has been a very long time since I've posted anything; over a year, in fact, right after we lost our wonderful Mr. J. I thought I would check in and let you know that we are all doing fine here in New England.

I also thought I'd introduce you to the newest member of our family...

... this little Black Beauty (which also would have been a great name!). She's a little lady - always with her dainty front legs crossed!

We adopted Ms. B "Midgie" Cocoa Bean at the end of August from the Lowell Humane Society. She is a very affectionate kitty and loves to spend time in the studio office with me.

She's a 10-year old all black long-haired kitty and a complete purring machine.

I've always had a thing for black cats. There was Mrs. B in the mid-70's, then Mr. B in the mid-90's, and now Ms. B "Midgie" Cocoa Bean. I think it all started with My Nana & Gamp back in the mid-50's with their all black cat, Midgie. (It seems that every 20 years our family has a black cat!)

So that brings me to the reason for her l-o-n-g name. At the shelter she was Cocoa Bean. I don't know why, but so many of my animals have had "Mr./Mrs./Ms." before they names. It just fit them. Since I know she's a female but don't know her history, she is "Ms." I also wanted to pay homage to my Nana & Gamp who were huge animal lovers. My Nana named every cat she ever owned "Midgie," Hence Ms. B (for Blackie) "Midgie" Cocoa Bean, simply called Midgie.

As you can see, she has made herself right at home.

Isn't she beautiful?

She and Baby are getting to know each other. I will be honest, it was not love at first sight. I don't know that they'll ever be best friends or cuddle with each other, but they are content to sit or lay within feet of each other with only an occasional growl or swat. But there's no swatting or growling when they're in front of  the slider watching squirrels, chipmunks and birds.

I don't know this sweetie's history, but she is such a good girl.

If you're looking for your own furry friend, every single town or city has a pound or shelter where beautiful cats, dogs, and other types of animal are desperately in need of good homes. Please consider adopting rather than buying until our shelters and pounds are empty. If you're looking for a specific breed, do a search on Petfinder or Adopt-A-Pet (on my sidebar). The shelters are FILLED with cats and dogs of every breed! Just enter in your zip code, what you're looking for, and the mileage range you're willing to travel and you're on your way to owning a rescue! And believe me, they know they've been rescued and make the BEST pets!

That's my news for today. I may try to post a bit more often than once a year! I hope you've all been well!

All my best, Donna

Destination: Woodstock

 The road trip that Amanda and I took in September led us to Woodstock, New York...

The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, in particular.

Claudia, you were spot on when you said this looked just like the book shop in Woodstock (the Golden Notebook)! I can't believe we were only 20 minutes away from you, but since you were working in Hartford that weekend a get together would never have worked. We will definitely plan to met up in the spring or summer when we go back for another visit!

Apparently Amanda has wanted to visit this Animal Sanctuary for years, so when she asked (on a Thursday in September) if we could go on a road trip (that Saturday) I said, "Heck, yeah!" It meant an almost 4 hour drive - each way - so we got off to a very early start that Saturday morning!

The (unofficial) greeter was this sweet Tiger cat, who led us from the parking lot to the sanctuary.

 Now I know you are not supposed to have favorites, but Diane, a former pack mule from the Grand Canyon, stole our hearts.

Diane bonded with Amanda, following her around...

... and even waiting for us outside the guest center door while we used the rest room.

This picture says it all.

Amanda even snapped a photo of me with Diane while we were in the barn.

(Look how old school I am. Everyone else was taking photos with their Smart phones, 

which I don't have, so I've got my little Canon Power Shot clutched in my hand!)

The 'farewell, I will see you in the spring' photos.

I loved this "group shot" of Amanda with Diane, Tim Turkey and one of the many goats.

In the background you can see Tim's mate resting as well as some pigs in their pen.

Tim was quite a character. He also followed us around...

(Don't you love the goat on the bench under the umbrella in the background?)

Speaking of goats...

I swear every animal at this sanctuary actually smiles! I mean human-like smiles!

They are all rescues who knew a hard life before coming to the sanctuary. The fact that they are now all loved and respected and kept safe, shows in their beautiful faces.

There were so many different breeds of goats.

All so beautiful! I love the guy on the top left, giving me a toothy grin!

Amanda said this picture reminds her so much of her strip to Switzerland, the landscape and the animals. Again, would you look at the expression of pure bliss on this sweet guy's face?

Did you know that pigs also smile? Just LOOK at this happy snout!

And this guy was in 7th heaven, sunning himself and getting a belly rub from Amanda.

Just like with the goats, there were so, so many different breeds of pigs! Some had upright ears, others had floppy ears. Some had the stereotypical curly-Q tails, others had straight tails. The one thing they had in common is that they were all so beautiful!

This guy had a cute, non-symmetrical smile. His left lip curled up more than the right.

Beautiful, gentle sheep.

One of Amanda's favorite animals are cows. Here she is visiting with one of the beautiful bovines at the sanctuary.

What a handsome couple!

We were very surprised to find a tree full of pigeons above the duck pond area. We never get pigeons in our yard, yet there are tons in our little town center, as well as in every major city I've ever been in. So these birds being in the country looked so out of place to me!

There were also the domestic friends to be made, like this adorable little bob-tailed cat.

And dogs? Well, dogs absolutely love Amanda (and the feeling is mutual!). This little guy couldn't get enough of her in the guest center.

And this older fellow was also loving the attention he was getting from her.

This beautiful mosaic hangs outside of 'Diane's' barn.

I highly recommend visiting this beautiful sanctuary in Woodstock. It's a wonderful day or weekend trip! And take one of the guided tours. They are so informative. Oh - and the very reasonable entrance fee is tax deductible. How many places can you visit where your money goes to a great cause and you get to interact with animals all day long? It's definitely a win-win situation!

After leaving the sanctuary, we made a quick stop in Woodstock center. We were starving...

...and the Animal Sanctuary had recommended The Garden Cafe so that's where we headed. It did NOT disappoint. We were so hungry by that point that I completely forgot to take a photo of our meals, which were beautiful as well as delicious!

After eating and visiting the Woodstock book store, we got some ice cream to go and enjoyed strolling around...

... before heading back home. It was already late afternoon and we had an almost 4 hour ride ahead of us, and since I wanted to be on the highway before dark we bid farewell to Woodstock, knowing that this would not be our last visit.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Donna