So far so good . . .

Well . . . our new cat was keen to explore today . . . so what's a pet owner to do? "Do you want to meet the dog?" I asked her. I know you know there IS a dog. Likewise the dog knows there is a new cat. They most certainly know ~ even if they haven't met.

So into the cat crate Holly went. I put her up high so she had a good view and would still feel safe. Cider and I have been reviewing our obedience training for the last few days to make sure she has that sit/stay in good form. Can you see Holly peeking out the side of the cat crate?

I wish I could see Holly's face in this photo . . . .Wowza ~ what big ears you have!

What a good sit-stay, Cider.

Let's go back to playing with the 7 pounder for today. Much more relaxing.

Jersey seems to have found her inner youth. So far so good : )

I get the sunbeam . . . you get the chair

Holly's feline kennel cough is gone now so we have been working on introductions for the last few days. All the info I have read online about introducing new pets says to focus on one pet introduction at a time. We have a cat and a dog. Cider is our 80 pound dog. We decided to start small ~ with our little 7 pound cat. She's 15 years old and the living room is one of her favorite places to hang out . It is quiet and has lots of sunbeams from 9:00am to 3:00pm. This information was quickly shared with the new arrival.

Today they made some progress.

I'll let you sit on my chair with "my pillow" . . . .

If I get first choice of any sunbeam I want.

OK . . . . I'm easy to get along with.

Relaxing in the proximity of the new pet is considered a very good sign. Jersey is right below this chair ~ so they are very close together.

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Now tell me about that dog that lives here . . . .

(Oh . . . that's next week's lesson I think!)

Etsy Shop Update ~ Vintage Coats and Faux Fur

Back to work after the holidays ~ All the decorations are down and put away. It was nice to get back to work. I listed six coats today in my Ciderantiques Etsy Shop . I also paid a visit to the Background Fairy after seeing all her pretty backgrounds in blogland. I am having fun playing around with all the pretty options. Thank you Background Fairy!

The coats and capes have all passed local inspection :D

I have wool coats, capes and faux prints.

Several different sizes to choose from.

Mostly from the 1960s.

Yep . . . definitely faux fur . . . says my helper.

Hope you are warm and cozy ~ it was certainly cold here today.

Happy New Year ~ with a Rare Blue Moon!

Happy New Year and all the Best for 2010 !
~~~

Did you know that tonight is a Blue Moon? (as in . . . once in a Blue Moon). When the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, remember to do one thing: Look up!

The moon will be brighter and higher than usual.

~~~

Photo credit by: Tamas Ladanyi.

It will be the second full moon of the month -- a phenomenon known as a "Blue Moon.'' A full moon on New Year's Eve last occurred on Dec. 31, 1990 and it won't happen again until 2028.

It looked very impressive last night too.

Wishing my blogging friends Health and Happiness and all the best for 2010!

Winter Glitter ~ Canadian Style

~ My Winter Wonderland ~

It is suppose to start to melt today so I thought I would take some photos while it lasted.

I think Rudolph is looking forward to the melt :D

Freezing Rain followed by a dusting of snow gets this look ~ just in case you want a new look for 2010!

Canadian Winter means Flexible Travel Plans

The best laid plans . . . . are usually altered. Today we intended to travel to Bowmanville . . . a little town east of Toronto to visit some extended family and friends. In the middle of the night we could hear the clatter of freezing rain hitting our windows. Have you ever heard it? It is really something actually. Sounds a bit like a frozen car wash : ) and turns your windows into ripples of ice.

The result this morning was all the windows on the south and west side of our home were absolutely covered in ice. It looks pretty but it certainly is not practical for driving. When you see "Severe Freezing Rain and Ice Pellets" warnings , followed by expected "Snow Flurries" it is best to stay home. Snow over ice is not safe to drive on at all. Your tires have nothing to grab.

We have Christmas presents, games, treats and goodies to enjoy . . . so a quiet day at home is a safe and comfy choice.

This is my lovely Wee Scone Teddy Bear from Scotland. He came with dark chocolate spicy ginger cookies and marsh mellow snowballs. Great with a cup of tea : )

The warm glow from the candles makes it all cozy.

It should melt away by tomorrow I hope : )

So comfort food is certainly in order . . . the best homemade apple pie you have ever tried ~ thank you to my neighbour Michelle !

Somewhere out there is a pool hut and a pool.

It will be a few months before we get back to swimming, lol.

Have a safe and cozy holiday and do not travel if you don't need to. There is always the 2010 Winter Olympics, hosted by Canada in February, to organize parties around. We can gather with family and friends to cheer on Team Canada and our favourite athletes!

~~~

Hope your "Boxing Day" is safe and warm

xoxo

Christmas Holly ~ New Kid in Town

Introducing . . . . Holly

We have a new family member . . . her name is Holly. We adopted Holly from the local Humane Society yesterday. Isn't she adorable! She looks like a Birman mix to us. . . . known to be friendly and calm, and as loyal as a dog. We thought friendly and calm would be perfect since we have two senior pets already (a 15 year old cat and our dog Cider will turn ten in July).

Holly is estimated to be 10 months old. Our goal over the holidays is to get Holly on our human schedule. She certainly did sleep most of the time at the humane society. . . . which did work to our advantage, as no one even noticed her. We didn't show up until 1:00 in the afternoon on Saturday and the place was packed with potential adopters by then. I am sure she would have been chosen by someone else if she had peeked out of her cardboard sleeping box.

The only reason we asked to see her was because her chart details said she was fostered with 3 large dogs and a family that had children. Sounds perfect! When she was removed from her hiding spot by the shelter volunteer we were stunned to see such big beautiful blue eyes and chocolate brown markings. I expected an all beige cat . . . as she was completely curled up and hidden, with only a bit of her back showing. We fell for her pretty fast.

They said she had only been at the H.S. for a short time (and was in foster care for a month before that). I guess the shelter was scary for her (thus the hiding) and we were told she had not eaten a thing in 24 hours. I was quite happy to see her finally looking hungry. She ate like a ravenous lion last night, around 11:00pm, which likely also fueled her energy. She loves playing with her toys. She was relocated to her kitty kennel around 3:00am this morning, for some sleep time.

She has done everything right. Used her litter box, eventually ate some food and slept well in her kitty crate (after lots of exploring and checking out the tops of all our tall dressers). This gal can jump! I will certainly be taking the tree down early after Christmas, before she gets to explore the rest of our home. It is recommended that we wait two weeks before she meets Cider or Jersey. She needs to adjust to our home first and recover from her shelter cough symptoms before meeting other animals.

The Humane Society gave us lots of suggestions for introducing new pets. I welcome suggestions from my blogging friends too! Have you introduced new animals to the family?