Leaving the Asylum

When we started talking about doing a blog I asked myself this question over and over. I also asked myself, who in the world would want to read a blog about our simple family’s antics and musings? Maybe my dad, sisters, some of our friends, bored homebound individuals with nothing else do to? Considering, at this point, I don’t have an answer to the second question I figure I should take some time to answer the first questions for anyone who does come along to read about us.

In this home are: Neil, Ava, Emily, Me (Sherri), three cats (Oliver, Raleigh, and Zac), two dogs (Suzie Q and Dawson), one guinea pig (Wheaton), three goldfish (Lo mien, Mien fun, and tofu) and a beta (who was given a name by a client of mine and I am unwilling to change it but can’t remember it for the life of me.)

This is us, and by us I mean Neil and I. Yes you are seeing what you believe your eyes are seeing. He is wearing an OSU jersey and I am wearing a Michigan jersey. That is just one of the many unique layers of our relationship, but explaining all of those will most likely end up in a different post.

 

 

This is Ava (left) and Emily (right). Ava is 15 and Emily 13, yes we have two teenage girls, your prayers are welcomed and donations accepted. Lol But honestly we are pretty lucky that we have such great kids. Ava is involved in her school’s marching band and plays clarinet. She loves scary stories, Tv shows like Supernatural and a variety of Anime and Manga. Emily is a bookworm, who loves to bike ride and draw, struggles with anxiety and loves anime, Katy Perry and Black Veil Brides.

 

Meet Suzie Q, most often called Q. She is, we think, a part Doberman almost all German Shepard mix that we rescued from the Richland County Dog Warden. We don’t know much about her story prior to her coming into our lives, we do know that she was found as a stray on the streets of Mansfield and she was just under a year old when we brought her home. Since coming to live with us she has blossomed into a loyal, energetic, snuggle bug. She has grown like 8 inches and gained about 35 pounds since she joined the family as well. I am not sure she will ever grow into her ears though.

Here is our short stack, Dawson. He is a Corgi that we rescued at the same time we got Suzie Q. He’s a small town celebrity. He had a news video and article about him. The dog warden was called about a dog being tied and tangled in a creek bed just out of reach of the water, that was Dawson. He evidently just barked and barked until someone heard him and came to rescue. No one knows how long he was there or if he put there by someone or if he ran away. Despite the publicity no one came to claim him so he now lives with us. The vet believes he is about 5 years old. Did you make the connection in his name…..? I didn’t until we were getting ready to walk out with him and one of the workers at the pound said it. She said he was much cuter than Dawson was on the show…….remember it…Dawson’s Creek? You may groan as well….I did. Neil just laughed and laughed at the fact that he made the connection, having never watched the show, but I, the Dawson’s Creek show watcher, did not. Initially he was a hesitant indoor dog, we suspect he was an outdoor or mostly outdoor dog before coming to live with us. Now he enjoys being flaked out on his special blankets by the bed at night and on our futon or couch with his people, especially if they will scratch his belly.

 

This is our token black cat. Every home needs a good luck black cat and Zac has been that for us. He is a rescue. He was left by his original owner, in our care….well actually he decided that he was going to stay with us and not go with his person. When his original owner moved out and came to fetch Zac he was no where to be found, this happened three times. The final time the old owner gave up. Since moving in with Emily, Zac has found his calling, he is a girl’s cat, Emily’s cat specifically or she is his girl I’m not really sure which. He is such a wise an patient soul.

This is Oliver, he is mine, just ask him he’ll tell you. He has been mine since I found him abandoned at the barn where my horses were boarded. It was about two weeks before Christmas, freezing cold and there he was, this tiny, silver kitten about 5 weeks old. I swooped him up, tucked him in my Jacket, he curled up on my chest, started purring and went to sleep. He is hysterical, I will tell him to get down or to quit doing something he will quit, anyone else just get a “who do you think you are” look. He loves to curl up on my shoulder or chest to sleep and he calls for me….you think I’m kidding, I am so not….just ask Neil, Oliver will walk through the house yelling for me, or sit outside the bedroom door and yell until I come out to answer him. Neil contemplated murder of my poor kitty while I was gone for three days to my little sister’s because Oliver was yelling for me so much.

Meet our token female cat, Raleigh. Neil found and rescued her at the head of a bike trail, thus the name. The original plan was to find a rescue or new home for her but then he brought her down to my house and she’s been with us ever since. She is our quiet timid critter, very low key, loves to sleep on the corner of Kiddo’s bed while Emily is at school or Ava is not home. She was the last to relax and acclimate to life with Neil and Emily, but now she has opened up and has found the joy of laying on the wide windowsill of our living room picture window and watching the squirrels run from pine tree to pine tree in our front yard. She finally got her way and we installed two bird feeders outside the window and she is in heaven watching the birds.

These are our quietest, lowest maintenance family members. Two years ago in April, for her birthday, Emily wanted to go to the IX Indoor Amusement park and win herself a goldfish. So that’s what we did. She was able to win her goldfish and was tickled, I figured whats the harm, lets get her a little tank and a friend for her new fish. So for her birthday that is what we did. We let her pick out a small tank, gravel, plants and one more fish. How did we end up with three you ask……Well one of her fish is a trickster. Once Emily and I got the tank all set up and we put the fish in, the one she had won was not acting normal. I watched him for awhile and decided I was unsure that he was going to make through the night. So rather than have an upset kiddo and a lonely gold fish back to the pet store we went. once the third gold fish was added suddenly her originally chosen one was fine, the faker.

 

Our Beta (still working to get a good picture)  has a name but I can not for the life of me remember what it is. One of my clients named him when he lived in my office for awhile and I am unwilling to change his name, I keep hoping I’ll remember his name.

Technically there is one more family member, but she is too big to live in our house. So she currently lives in the care of Teri, my aunt. Sinnamon is my 11year old horse, who I have had since she was about six months old She’s my “kid”, my pride and joy. I try to get down to visit her as often as possible, which is not nearly as much as I’d like but for now its better than none.