Crass Commercial Announcement

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All this and more available at:

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Mention this post and get a free gift with your order!

If you're local, let me know before you order so I can put up a custom listing without shipping on it -- we can arrange to get together somewhere nearby and save both of us some time and money.

Also, visit my blog at http://omshantihandcrafts.wordpress.com or join
my mailing list (monthly articles, contests, and announcements) -- just ask me to add you!

Thank you!

A morning's meal

Take Bosc pears, well ripened.

Cut into bite-sized pieces.

Wrap each piece in a small slice of good smoked gouda.

NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM

Because I don't seem to know any better...

Tomorrow Remy (for so I have renamed him, 'Ratatouille' being far too many syllables) will gain a brother -- a rather large rat by the name of Elliot, another hard luck case. Apparently I have 'sucker' written on my forehead, clear for the eyes of the Humane Society to see; I got a call Thursday saying 'so, uh, I just thought I'd call and ask...'.

Elliot was purchased from a pet store, apparently as a (rather large) adult, and taken home to be snake food. I will leave it for those who know more about snakes than I to tell you why this is unwise right there, but the upshot is that said snake looked at Elliot, decided that that was too much rat for dinner, and promptly ignored him. Whereupon Elliot continued to live in the cage with said snake for an undetermined amount of time before being surrendered to the Humane Society.

I was asked, earlier, if perhaps Elliot became accustomed to his surroundings after a while. To which I reply, spend a month in the lion's den. Even if he doesn't eat you right away, your instincts will tell you that eventually, he will. How much stronger are a rat's instincts than ours?

So, yeah, he's all covered in mites and has what is probably an abcess under one ear, likely caused by a mite crawling into his ear and there taking up residence. He'll need some treatment and it'll be about a month before I can even introduce the two of them.

For all of his adventures this is one calm, friendly rat. I met him before work on Friday and he immediately took to me, settling down within a couple of minutes to bruxing (and now I know what that tooth-grinding noise is called, and what it means) and eventually a long bout of washing. After perhaps ten minutes he took a wander through my hair and then settled down for a nap.

He's adorable and I love him already. He and Remy ought to get along fine -- introducing rats usually does go well. I can't wait to bring him home.

Cos...yeah, I'm a sucker. Written right there on my forehead.

Yeah, I'm a fool.

I only went in to pet the cats.



But he was adorable!



Someone found him a month ago in a parking lot. Yes, in a parking lot, in Colorado, in February. This is one lucky rat.



His name is Ratatouille though I might change it. He's been sitting on my shoulder for the past hour and some. His whiskers are tickly.



Rat butt!

Yay!

I have this day, right joyously and with glee, cut two of my credit cards the hell up.

--

I'm also taking the day to clean my pit of an apartment. I've perhaps been a touch too focussed on my shop. Yes, yes, this is a good thing, but so is living somewhere that it's a large pile of undifferentiated crap. I'm at least going to differentiate the crap.

...or something.

Taltos, my great wussy cat, has not only come out of the closet, but yesterday morning I woke to find him curled up next to my leg. I was much pleased. Didn't dare move, of course.

Still riding my bike. Still frighteningly out of shape.

Mom's going to come visit sometime this spring. Can't wait. :)

Also, go take a look at the pretty pictures I took a few weeks ago.

More later. Possibly even coherent, next time.