Hi Sarah! Keeping toasty? Hi Herb! :-)

Here's Little Simon ... enjoying the new mini-aquarium we set up. Turns out he thought it was set up for HIM! LOL! {{gwi:175434}}

Now thats the kind of contest I like - everybody's a winner!

C3D - too cute! It's a kitty tv!

We discovered that our new little adoptee is a climber. Yes, it's an artificial tree but she still likes to climb up to the top.

Note, the absence of decorations :(

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Here are mine. The first is my pond on Christmas Eve, when we had a rare white Christmas. The second is Damien, who seems to really love the bed we got him for Christmas.

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Ohhhh, Damien is adorable as are Little Simon and the Tree Kitty ornament :-).

I'll have to take pictures to enter this contest.
Anne

All right you guys! Great ones so far! Get the camera out Anne!

Keep 'em comin!!!

S

Awwww Jean! Your newest kitty looks like she found the *purrfect* home! Her sinus infection is gone too. What a happy begining for her. :-)

Can Damien get any more comfy?!?!? LOL! Tired out from playing with the tennis ball I s'pose. :-) Nice Christmas Eve snowfall too.

Heidy Foo-Foo!
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Heidy Foo-Foo making sure there's nothing left behind.

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Happy New Year!!! Here's a quote I read this am and love it:
"May you be blessed with joys deeper than any sadness, gratitude happier than any regrets, hopes brighter than the shadows of any discouragement, and the vitality to make of every day what God on Christmas Day made for all days." by Dr. Lew Smedes

Here's Mickey, Jon and Laddie in their Xmas togs:
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I got some snowshoes for Xmas and went on the first snowshoe hike since 1980. I was impressed with how well I did given that I am many pounds heavier than in 1980. Here are pictures of us enjoying the beautiful snow.
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No pictures of the pond because it is covered with snow and just looks like snow. Happy New Year to all!
Anne

Great photos! More! More!

Tried to get photos of Herb perched on Echo's back enjoying the sunset January 3rd, but it was too dark and 18 below, and for some reason the dang pictures didn't turn out! I'll try again this weekend - it's a daily deal.

Come one ponders! More photos!!

Those snowshoes look like fun! I think I'd like to try cross country skiing sometime but I am such a cold weanie!

Okay techincally these aren't pets but they are my fine feathered friends and I do feed them and worry about them so they are alot like pets to me.

Taken today (it's been a long time since I've done much bird photography and I had a great time!)

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I'm really more of an occasional lurker, as I don't have a pond or any hope of having one in the near future, but I want to play! Here are a couple pics of a friend's pugs:

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OMG Jeanner.. what a talented photographer you are. Have you ever submitted any to Birds and Blooms? Is the last one a Red Bellied Woodpecker or a Flicker or something else? Cardinals are my favorite birds, nope, Chickadees, nope titmouses (or do you say titmice).. Aw.. I love them all.

The pugs are so cute. That bottom picture could be sub-titled, "Get me the H*LL out of this thing!!!" hahaha

Great Thread!!
Anne

Welcome quinnfyre! Have you seen "When Pugs Fly" by Sueellen Ross? Click below I you love pugs.
Gorgeous jeanner! It's a Flicker! I like Birds and Blooms too.
More please..............:o)

Sarah

Here is a link that might be useful: When Pugs Fly

I love Jeanner's photos. Especially since the majority of the birds I see around here are pigeons, ha. Your new adoptee is looking great. My kitties did not climb the tree. Not surprising for the older girl, since she is overweight and came to me front-declawed, but I was almost positive I was going to see the younger girl peering at me from the tree branches at some point. This is her 2nd Christmas with me. Last year, she was sick with a bad URI and we spent Christmas in my unheated office while I fostered her. Roommate didn't want a sick cat in the house : ( This Christmas was a much better one, even if the cats were not thrilled with our little pug visitors.

The pug in the bottom pic is still a puppy, even though he is now taller and bigger. He hates clothing. The other pug (wearing the sweatshirt) thinks he is a person, loves wearing clothes, and likes to sit at the dinner table like a person. Oh, and sounds like a snoring man pretty much all the time, ha.

No Christmas pics of the cats, but here they are on other days. Selkie is the one who thinks she fits in a shoebox. She's 13. Iris is the one in the window. She's a few months shy of being 2. And since I'm already here procrastinating instead of being productive (whoops!), a pic of the two playing.

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Selkie.. oh, what a great name for a grey seal-like kitty.

And that face on Iris...what eyes!

Keep those photos coming gang!!!

Should we extend the deadline a week or so in hopes of getting to see more pix of pets and ponds? Or will we get a Super Bowl pool to keep us occupied for a bit?????

S

Yup, it's a flicker. And thanks all for the compliments.

Hey quinnfyre, how'd you get my Smokey in that box????? LOL!!!

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They do look a lot alike, don't they? They're probably related in some way; after all, Selkie is originally from Ohio : ) And she had a litter of kittens there, from what I was told.

Selkie, not in a box:

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Selkie, dressed as a bee (was NOT a fan of that, ha):

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Iris, while I was fostering her at the office:

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Iris, close up. Can you guess why her nickname is Evil?:

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This time, I am taking a break from being productive, which feels much better : )

Anne.......I thought I posted this question, but I guess I didn't. Do you like that type of snowshoe? I've been looking at some. Do you like the wooden ones? Do they really keep you from sinking in deeper snow?

Catherine,

I prefer the bear paw type of snowshoe, but this is what I received for Xmas. I have never tried the metal (Tubbs type) of snowshoe, but they sure feel lighter. I did notice that the Tubbs snowshoes (which were developed and previously made in VT) are now made in China. SHAME SHAME on Tubbs!!!!!

I don't think the Bear Paw keep you from sinking deeper. The kind I have on are the original way they were made, then someone came up with the bear paw way in wooden and then other manufacturers made them from aluminum.

One down side of the wooden snow shoes is that they will crack if you walk across something like a log and put the pressure point on the tip as opposed to putting your weight on the center of your foot. Because I am overweight I have to be careful of that.
Anne

Well heck! ... We can't compete with all those beautiful photos!!! :-)

Just for fun ... Rani and Daisy doing their thing ... Dances With Dogs
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BTW quinnfyre - love those pink flamingo slippers! :o)

C3D - Look how big little Rani has gotten! Can we have a shot of her face please? I bet those two were snarfing up sunflower seeds before the sparring...er, dance :)

I am officially extending the contest to Ground Hog's Day, February 2nd (my Dad's B-Day too!) so let's have more, more, more photos!

Even though I'm ineligible I want to get one of Herb and Echo for you.

S

Thanks Sarah. :-) Actually Daisy is working off the extra calories she got after eating a whole cake of suet! :-/

I still see Rani as little. She's only 86 pounds and our dear Bosco was 110. I'll get another photo showing Rani's sweet face.

Hi Herb!

Thanks Anne!

This isn't a Christmassy photo but here's Rani with Camp Nappy's latest addition, Little Simon:
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Grand Kitty Q-Tip sitting under the Christmas Tree

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!

This morning it was foggy so I snapped some photos of the pond. I didn't think fog would look so weird. It looks like orbs to me. And orbs are spirits. Mother Nature caught me with my pants down last year. I didn't get the net off the pond and we had 60 mph winds along with subzero temps. The wind blew the net into the pond where it promptly froze to the surface. Guess it's on till spring. The ice is green with algae. It's amazing how that stuff can grow without sunshine.

I took some pics of Checotah playing with her Christmas present from Santo Claws. She got a turbo trac which she loves to play with till Mickey chimes in. Then it's all foolishness.

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Jenny

Some photos of the pets:

Pixie-Ann
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Riddler
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Mommy-Ola
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Two of the girls hanging out.
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Boo Bear - Queen of the Paper
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Rani's such a beauty!
And a great shot of Q Tip! She looks like she has a mischevious side!
Jenny I like the orbs too, and those last couple of the cats still have me chuckling :)
Cometose - Love your lovely cats! And Riddler looks sooo tolerant of his poor humans - what a good dog!
Selkie the Queen Bee, LOL!
And gorgeous Smokey!

More! More! S

D.J. another grand kitty.
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And another Grand Kitty Dora
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D.J. and Q-Tip relaxing..
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And Grand Chika-wa-wa Bugsy
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Too bad Q-Tip and D.J. don't like each other LOL! And what a cutie GCww Bugsy is!

Any more pix out there? Come on gang -- a few days left! None of you southerners got gorgious ponds we can drool over? Or Christmasy critters?

And the winner's are!!!!!

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"Fairy Orbs" by koijoyii! I love the picture and the fantasy!

And...

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Jeanner's Christmas Kitty! I would buy this if it were a Christmas card!

Congrats! A $25 donatin will be made in each of your pseudonyms to Hearing and Service Dogs of MN!

And Now, the runner-ups!

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Q-Tip by pikeco! Great photo!

and

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Hardin's Christmas Pond! Such pretty snowflakes!

Such a hard decision! They were all so fun to look through! And just one more of my favorite (oh, there are several more, just look back!)

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quinnfyre's Selkie.............."bee mine???"

Thanks for the fun! And Happy Valentine Day!

Sarah

Thank you Sarah:

I was in such a hurry to take some pond pics for the contest that I put my dead rechargeable batteries on the counter and grabbed some regular batteries out of the fridge. Of course my cat, Luna, took one of the batteries and I've yet to find it.

I had so much fun participating, and looking at everyone's pics I feel like we are all winners.

I have always been touched by the seeing eye dogs and always break out in tears when I watch them serving their owners. Great idea for a great contest for an even greater cause. I am going to match your $25 donation to the hearing and service dogs of Minnesota.

Jenny

Thanks Jenny!

Oh rats, I missed the parade! I'm so sorry, life has really sucked lately and I had to get sick to finally have time to do a little surfing.

Thank you so much for the honors!