THANK YOU...

i would like to post a special THANK YOU to my friend yeongshe! without her & her infinite knowledge my BLOG would not have been possible! (i'm not a very quick learner....yeongshe has patience of a saint!!)...thank you again friend!!!! renee'

HERE THEY ARE...

HERE IS OUR ANIMAL KINGDOM (NOT IN ANY SPECIFIC ORDER)...

FIRST PIX is lily jane!!! we got lily form a friend's horse farm when she was 6 months old. lily's mom's name was daisy! daisy & her pups lived in a barn. lily was such a cute puppy! lily is approx. (we were never sure of lily's "real" age & it's sort of a family joke that every year when it's lily's b'day (that we're guessing is in may) we say she's 9!! when , realistically lily is more like 13!! lily is such a great pup! kind of quirky , but great nonetheless! she is really territorial (which sometimes can pose a problem, but it's intersected before anything not so pleasant happens!!)& LOVES her family and she is extremely tolerant of all of our family additions (cats & kids)....lily & clark (our orange kitty) share a special bond...so sweet!

SECOND PIX is shirley! shirley we adopted from a local vet's office. sadly, shirley's previous owners neglected her & left her out in the harshest of weather & the tips of shirley's both ears had fallen off due to frostbite (mean people suck!). shirley is CONSTANTLY chatting...she is really, really vocal & LOVES my husband...like oddly!!! ha-ha! shirley is like a dog...she follows him everywhere, waits by the door if she knows he's out, will sit on the edge of the tub while he's showering & the KICKER....shirley loves to hop up on him & lay across his shoulders...whether he's walking around or sitting....she just loves her dad!

THIRD PIX is caesar! we got caesar from a friend when he was a tiny kitten! caeser is our only indoor titty tat! he is mommy's boy! casear weighs 27 pounds...he is bigger than your average thanksgiving turkey. he is so so lovable & extremely affectionate & is very vocal when he's hungry! hee-hee...casear & simey play all of the time & are best buds....

FOURTH PIX is clark! we got clark from a woman who was giving away her cat's litter...clark is as light as a feather...he is the baby of the bunch. clark is definitely not as affectionate as his siblings, but i notice he is getting better...he's a good boy. clark LOVES lil!!!

FIFTH PIX is SIMON (aka SIMEY) we got simon from a neighbor (who had just returned from a local shelter) and realized that she couldn't handle him & the 2 other cats she adopted...he is one of the best kitties EVER! a true lover & a HUGE people kitty. simey loves attention. he just recently suffered from "crazy cat" (strange but true & this is apparently a legitimate diagnosis. it's another name for a severe middle ear infection. this condition has permanently tilted simon's head. it sounds sort of sad, but if any kitty can "pull off" a titled head it's simey. he now looks quizzical all of the time! (simey's nickname is now TILT)...simon is not in any pain with this condition & has been treated with antibiotics & we're told simon will always be sort of crooked.....awww....he can go outdoors once again, but when he was first diagnosed & treated he was dizzy & his equalibrium was way off...so the vet suggested we keep him inside until the meds ran their course.

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS....

i've been thinking lately about RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS and perhaps i should implement some into my life & carry them out. i am forever preaching to my children..."do unto others as you would want done unto you" and "what goes around, comes around" etc...and something else that i would like to add & sort of reinforces today's BLOG is "rachel's challenge"....something that is going on at my 2 older girl's school...to learn more about rachel, just click on: "rachel's challenge" .
i guess i would like to keep a "running tab" (in case you haven't realized yet..i LOVE making lists!) on the RAK that i have heard of or RAK that i have carried out... and i welcome anyone's suggestions...

*if you're outside & picking up your newspaper from the bottom of your driveway (this is especially nice to do in the cold & snowy months), why not go to your neighbors & deliver their paper to their door?

*when your neighbor's garbage pails are in the middle of the road from the wind...why not just stop & carry them to the side of their house?

AHHHHH...THE SNIFFING OF SPRING...

this is THE BEST time of year for puppers & kitty cats. did you ever notice when you open the door to let them out (for the millionth time that day!!!) & before they enter the great outdoors...they take a second & lift their heads & sniff the wind??? so darn cute...i notice more so with our kitties than with lily jane! oh...i probably should introduce everyone to our elite (ha-ha!) animal kingdom...lily jane is our dog (black lab & dalmation mix) and we have four cats: caesar (a gray, 27 pound indoor kitty...so, so sweet & docile), simon (aka simey...a blond siamese), shirley (a very chatty calico) & lastly, but certainly not least the youngest of the brood...clark (an orange long-haired BUG!)!! when i fgure out how to post pix...i will!

...THE BOOKS I HAVE READ...

i have a BIG love of reading. I only wish i could read more, but it seems at nighttime i cannot stay awake long enough to really enjoy reading. i have ALWAYS wanted to keep a running tab on the books i have read, so here it is....(i also, one day would like to start a book club)

The Wedding (nicholas sparks)
The Wedding (danielle steel)
Fine Things
Jewels
Teacher Man
To Kill A Mockingbird
Second Chance
Safe Harbour
Keeping Fatith
Secret Life of Bees
Sisters
Sunset in St. Tropez
Leap of faith
A Separate peace
Remember Me?
The Tenth Circle
The House on Hope Street
The Mermaid Chair
My Sister's Keeper
Water for Elephants
The Glass Castle
The Ranch
Five Days in Paris
The Gift
Vanished
Mixed Blessings
Thurston House
The Promise
Family Album
Daddy
Crossings
Angels All Over Town
The Edge of Winter
What Matters Most
A Walk To Remember
Three Weeks With My Brother
Message in a Bottle
Tuesdays With Morrie
The Five People You Meet In Heaven
90 Minutes In Heaven
Good in Bed
Little Earthquakes
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Baby Proof
Plain Truth
Songs of the Humpback Whale
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
In Her Shoes

RENEE'S CONTINUING BUCKET LIST...

(in no particuliar order...)

* enjoy a retired life with my husband
* take cooking lessons
* go on a caribbean cruise
* volunteer at an animal shelter
* go to the san gennaro festival in nyc
* swim with the dolphins
* take a fall train ride through the adirondack park
* see the grand canyon
* go to the west edmonton mall in canada
* visit paula deen's "the lady & sons" restaurant in savannah, georgia
* renew my wedding vows with michael
* see a bear in it's natural habitat
* visit alaska

LEGG-CALVES PERTHES DISEASE

we have a 13 year old daughter who suffers from LCPD. wondering if anyone is in the same boat???