support PAWS!

Hey guys,

Posts have been pretty scarce, but I come to ask you to donate to PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society) so you can help us save more dogs, cats, seals, eagles, Great Blue Herons, and so much more!
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Every little bit helps!

project 365 - day 15 to day 28

day 15 - some sap dripping off a pine tree. unfortunately it got all over my fingers :(



day 16 - me and my 'puter-tron.



day 17 - scratch wounds from the hind legs of an adult opossum who was hit by a car.



day 18 - at carkeek park, oceanside. kevin is the karate master.



day 19 - also known as the 'i'm to lazy to take a picture' day. my bedroom lamp.



day 20 - there is a wrong way to eat a twix. kevin mangles his (as seen in the background) while i eat mine like a normal human.



day 21 - flowers on my jalepeno plant. you know what that means? jalepenos are a-comin'!



day 22 - at carkeek again (it is my go-to park on days off), and there were a ton of kiteboarders. i want to try it... any flisters done it?



day 23 - baking fun: white chocolate, coconut, macadamia nut cookies. one of many things i baked today.

day 24 - These are the best cupcakes I have made yet. Pumpkin with Maple Cream Cheese Icing. SO GOOD!



day 25 - I get to work... and within 30 minutes of being there, I have raccoon poop on my scrubs :( Good thing I found a backup top there to change into. Yes, raccoon poop is bright yellow at PAWS--something in the formula does it to them.



day 26 - Snoozing Sprocket. For lack of anything cuter/more interesting to photograph. You can never have too many kitteh pictures, right?



day 27 - Notes from work. That notepad is totally grimy and water damaged.



day 28 - Lunch! Doesn't look very delicious here, but it was quite tasty. Cajun black bean burgers with spinach, tomato, cheddar, and spicy ketchup on toasted sourdough bread.

project 365 - day 4 to day 15

me, feeling pretty sick. i thought it would be brave of me to post such an unflattering photograph. oh, that is toilet paper stuffed in my nose, i was sick of blowing it--i am aware of how disgusting this is.


The mammal nursery tubing board. This is pretty much all i did all day today--Igot trapped in there. Every circle is a tube feeding. Every triangle is a dish feed followed by cleaning said dish food off the raccoons. Oy vey!


passed out after a day of chaotic work... which is evident by the notes on my hand.


cleaning out the refrigerator is one of the nastiest things. that used to be a red onion. let the record show that mold + onion = love. normally, i wash ziplocs and reuse them until they break... this one went straight to the trash.


on the right is the plan of attack for the evening. we go to prepare said artichokes when halfway through, the power goes out. we look at our door, and find the note on the left. brilliant. our plans were crushed--went to panera for dinner, baskin robbins for dessert... oy vey!


Picked up our CSA box--all of this delicious organic produce for $30 every Wednesday.


you might see this picture and think "why raina, how can you take a picture of your own camera?" well... i got my new one! yay!


went to snoqualmie falls again today. it was beautiful outside! love my new camera so far... Kevin got stopped by some lady who took a picture of his shirt (she thought it was funny--hokey pokey anonymous: a place to turn yourself around) and asked him to hold a stuffed monkey she had with her (??). She friended him on facebook now...


i might as well say this right now: most of my pictures will be of my cats. they are just too cute :) sprocket is inspecting the new camera.


my breakfast before running out the door to work.


cherry limeade cupcakes om nom nom nom!


some sap dripping off a pine tree. unfortunately it got all over my fingers :(

project 365 - day 3

Rio, in her cat bed which used to actually hold plants until they kept laying in the dirt on top of them.

project 365 - day 2

me, stimulating a raccoon to eliminate after tube-feeding her.

project 365 - day 1

Newly re-potted jalepeno, rosemary, italian parsley, and sweet basil, being carefully monitored by Sprocket.

owl cupcakes

whoooo cooks for youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!



oreo cupcakes with chocolate buttercream

wildlife case update - vi

Here we go again, been awhile! Things are picking up as summer is coming.

Old Cases (Link to previous update--here):

1. Opossums (babies, 31 total) - Group of 11 were released last night!! Back down to 20 Opus now... but we just admitted some new babies today! It never ends :)

2. Golden Eagle (asper suspect, healed wing injury, callous on bone causing painful flight) - This one is sad guys, sorry. We had to euthanize him. After the surgery, they took radiographs to see how the break and correction to the bone were healing, but a callous was forming to incorporate the joint. As a result, he wouldn't be able to fly, and thus, couldn't be released. We had this bird since January, so everyone was pretty attached.

3. Band-tailed Pigeon (2 infants, orphan) - One of them has been released, the other has really poor feather condition. They anesthetized him and pulled a few of his feathers, so hopefully the new ones will be in good shape and we can get rid of this guy. Part of the reason he is having such problems is the people who brought him in fed a exclusively meat diet... because pigeons are big meat eaters ;)

4. Mallards (42 now!) - FOUR RELEASED!! We are not accepting anymore until we release some, we just have nowhere to put them.

5. Gosling (infant, orphan, 1 with leg injury) - We transferred these guys to a different center. We got in one more after we let the other two go, so we recently got 2 transferred to us. How's that for confusing?! They are cute! Peep peep!

6. Bald Eagle (adult) - Has injuries on his carpals. They think the asper is gone, but have to do bloodwork first and wait for his carpal injuries to heal... then they will let him go. Probably 2 weeks or so.

7. Hermit Thrush (adult, dog attack) - Wasn't flying or improving in the aviar, so they went up to catch him for euthanasia, but then he started flying like mad. So we are giving him more time.

8. Eastern Cottontails (infants, orphans, 14) - A bunch died (bunnies are very difficult to rehab), and a bunch were released! Still have some left and new ones have come in since.

9. Great Horned Owl (juvi) - Doing good, still sassy and clicking his beak. Gaining weight and starting to get his adult feathers in.

10. White-winged Scoter (adult) - Still have her, not much has changed. She has a blood parasite and is on treatment for that, hopefully released soon after the treatment ends.

11. Sharp-shinned Hawk (adult, crop wound) - Didn't make it through the night :(

12. Raccoons (babies, orphaned, 17) - Okay! We have gotten a few more in, and everyone is growing big and strong (and loud)! They are starting to get to the age where they are growling when you wake them up from their slumber. They make a wide range of noises, including growling, purring, lip smacking, and screaming.



13. Beavers (2, orphaned, infants) - Still here, doing great. Started swimming for the first time! VERY cute.

Bobcat is scheduled for release next Thursday!!!!
Bears have a number of possible release dates in June. They will be released with radiocollars so we can track their activities--how cool is that?!

New Cases:

1. Beaver (adult, head trauma, etc.) - Came in very ataxic and nonresponsive. Hand fed critical care and rehydration fluids for a week, started improving, standing when eating, making noises, being more active. Then today, he died :( I hate it when they improve and THEN die. He was so cute and heavy and clumsy....



2. Western Tanager (window strike) - Rammed into someone's window, just giving time and supportive care until he improves enough to be released, already moved into the outdoor aviary.



3. Black-headed Grosebeak (broken humerus) - Break in the wing, possible surgery candidate. Applied a wing and body wrap until the vet staff could look at him. Eventually euthanized.



4. Pine Siskin (window strike) - Depressed and lethargic. Was being tube fed originally, but has been improving and began eating on own. Hopefully he will still be there tomorrow!



5. Barred Owl (young, orphan) - Transferred to us from another center. I just moved him outside to his raptor box on sunday night, and so far he is eating well and being fiesty. Has some swelling on left shoulder, but the vet staff said no intervention is needed at this time.



6. BABY BIRDS (orphans, cat caught, you name it) - - Tons of them--Dark-eyed Junco, Stellar's Jays, Robins, Bewick's Wrens... all eating and growing big and strong-ish...

wildlife update - v

Long time since I updated, so this baby is gonna be LONG. We got some pretty cool animals in though! I love being on the night shifts without other seasonals or staff on because that means I get to be more involved in intake exams and restraint things. No one to compete with!

Old Cases (Link to previous update--here):

1. Opossums (babies, 31 total) - All groups are still doing great! Most of them have made it to the outdoor pre-release caging, all except the youngest six who had some issues with bloating and stuff. Everyone is off tube feedings! Hooray!

2. Golden Eagle (asper suspect, healed wing injury) - I think I accidentally said Bald Eagle in my previous post. It is a golden, oops! Anyway, so turns out, no asper. We thought he was just fat and having issues with getting tired, but they took another set of radiographs and think that the way the bone healed is causing some pain when flying. Dr. John plans to do surgery Wednesday to correct the problem.

3. Opossum (adult, L leg luxation) - RELEASED!!

4. Band-tailed Pigeon (infant, orphan) - RELEASED!! 2 new ones have come in since, nothing exciting to note about them.

5. Chestnut-backed Chickadee (adult, missing tail feathers, cat attack) - RELEASED!!

6. Mallards (31 now!) - So we've been hit by mallard season! We've had a few die for various reasons, but no major problems to report. The first group of 4 are living a pool already with just a couple floats for them! Man, they grow up quick.

7. Gosling (infant, orphan, 1 with leg injury) - We got another one in, much older than the first orphan, but they seem to do okay together. They have moved up into outdoor caging. One is receiving antibiotics for leg injury--radiographs didnt show what the problem was.

8. Bald Eagle (adult) - Now they are thinking he has an Asper infection (v. agressive fungus). He is being nebulized 2x a day with amphoteracin to try and control it. Pretty much, we catch him up, put him in a kennel and hook up a hose that mists the medication into the air so he breaths it in. Hopefully it was caught soon enough.

New Cases:

9. Hermit Thrush (adult, dog attack) - Started on antibiotics. He seemed okay on admit, could fly, etc. Then he developed a wing droop while we had him which has since resolved. Right now he is on cage rest and soon will be moving to the aviary!


10. Eastern Cottontails (infants, orphans, 14) - These guys are the bane of my existance. They don't get quite as many in as we did in the midwest, and I don't have to tube feed them here, so it isn't quite so bad. Bunnies are very challenging to rehab because they are so sensitive to stress and are very susceptible to diarrhea. Everyone is off tube feedings and in the bunny hutches awaiting release.


11. Great Horned Owl (juvi) - Young guy, still has his downy feathers. This is my favorite kind of owl. They are so sassy! I was really excited when he came in.... and I was the only one there to help! Not too much to note, he is in good health except for a small injury on the beak.


12. White-winged Scoter (adult) - This is a type of seaduck and was found beached, so someone scooped her up and brought her in. She is thin, but that is the only thing we could find wrong at this time. While at PAWS, she has gotten some lesions on her feet which were treated yesterday (with my help)! Currently being tube fed 3x a day and fish being offered.


13. Sharp-shinned Hawk (adult) - This was the coolest admit ever! I've never seen one of these guys close up... they are tiny! I was expecting more Cooper's Hawk size. This must have been a male since he was so small. Anyway, he was found on the ground (probably a window strike) being attacked by crows. The receptionist mentioned that there was a large wound on chest. Turns out, his crop burst. The cool thing is there was a foot sticking out of his chest from the bird he ate just before this happened! Dr. John is doing surgery today to repair it.


14. Raccoons (babies, orphaned, 13) - And raccoon season is upon us! There are 13 so far... they are tube fed KMR about a billion times a day. And they scream.


15. Beavers (2, orphaned, infants) - We got one in initially. Beavers are very social, never left alone when they are young, so it was a bit worrisome to keep him at first. We tried placing him elsewhere, but no one had beavers. People were taking him home at night to feed him and keep him company. The first one was found on a sand bar by a kayaker and brought in since babies wouldn't leave the den at all. His temperature was so low on admit that it wouldn't even register on the thermometer. Then, 3 days later, another unrelated baby beaver came in! WHAT LUCK! This ones mom got run over by a skido. :(


Both are doing well now, except for a bit of a loose stool. Apparently, we will have these guys for 1 year min. - 2 years max. -- it takes that long for them to mature enough to be on their own. Keeping them is a huge commitment. Hopefully they make it to the end!

Golden at Goldie's Casino

A couple nights ago, Raina was working, and I was bored. I decided to go to a local casino, Goldie's Casino in Shoreline (this being Washington, apparently casinos are allowed if the city permits it... this one was about 25 blocks from my house).

And it went... well.



In total I won about $2,600. Now, this might seem like an abnormality, and it is. Here's what happened.

I'm playing 3-6 limit holdem and I'm doing meh about 90 minutes in--down $50, but determined to turn things around. I get dealt a Queen and Ace of Hearts. A decent hand. I call to the flop and the 10 of hearts hits. There's one bet, a couple calls, including mine, I'm thinking to myself "It'll be cool if the Jack of Hearts hits on the turn."

It doesn't.

Instead, it's the King of Hearts. At this moment there's one other guy left in the hand, he's acting after me, so I check, he bets, I call. I've got a lot of outs right now--a straight, a flush, oh yeah, and a royal flush. The Jack just needs to hit on the river and I am completely golden.

Then it hits. Boom, Jack of Hearts. It came down almost in slow motion. I look at the board, then I look up at the Jackpot bonus board and see if you hit a Hearts Royal, you get $2600. I almost immediately check and the guy bets into me. If I bet, I know I have the best hand (duh), but I don't know if he'll call. If he doesn't call, I might not get my jackpot. I simply call his bet.

He turns over his hand--I don't even remember what it was--and I just say "Royal," and turn over my cards.

The whole table kind of explodes. All sorts of things happen at once--about 6 people at the table tell me how I just won nearly 3 grand, the dealer is congratulating me, and the pit boss comes over to me.

"Can you please show me your ID and your Social Security card," the pit boss demands. Since I hadn't expected to win more than $600 (the requirement for needing the card) I didn't bring said card. She gruffly says my ID will do, then double and triple checks to make sure it's me. She has me look up at the security camera so they can run through their computers and make sure I'm not some known cheat and then looks at the deck used to make sure all the cards are there.

When all of this has commenced, we're actually a couple hands down the road. Finally, the pit boss pulls me over to her desk and says "Washington Law only allows us to give you $2500 in cash, is it all right if we give you the rest in this $100 check?"

"Ummm... yeah."

With that confirmation she hands me the check and whips out a wad of twenties. Twenty, 40, 60, 80, 100, 20, 40, 60, 80, 200. She counts out $500 and then pulls out the hundreds. six-hundred, 700, 800, 900, 1,000. I'm feeling like a game show winner as she reaches $2,500. I take the money, fold it and put it in my pocket. I tip out about $120 to the dealer and $100 to the guy I was heads up against. I also bought the table a round of drinks.

To top things off, this casino also had a high hand of the past 2 hours jackpot, which I easily took as well. Another $200.

I mentioned earlier how this casino was only 25 blocks away. It should have been easily walkable, but I actually drove there. My logic was "If I win, I don't wanna be walking down Aurora (somewhat sketchy area) with $150 in my pocket!" Never was I so glad to have thought so cockily. Even the 100 foot sprint to my car felt hectic. I launched myself in, slammed the locks on, and only then did I start freaking out.