Happy Birthday, Thimble, Toby, Trapper, and Angel Talon! (And Happy Mother's Day!)

Today is a very special day. The post's title probably gave it away, but it's my girl Thimble's 12th birthday!

This little lady is one of the sweetest, happiest, and just generally amazing creatures I have ever met in my life. Not to mention, just look at how cute she is. Honestly, just look.

Nearly 12 years ago, my grandma discovered that her neighbor had found a litter of 4 kittens and had placed them, for some reason, in a bucket. And then he'd just left them there. They were no more than 3 weeks old, and ever since then we've referred to them as the "bucket babies". My grandma rescued these little kitties, and then my parents, my sister, and myself took them in to bottle feed them. The intention was to adopt them out when they were old enough. Guess how that went.

So, it's not just Thimble's birthday, but the birthday of all the bucket babies. That includes her three brothers. There's of course handsome Toby, who owns my sister.

Then there's Thimble's much larger twin, that being dapper Trapper. He owns my parents.

Sadly, Thimble's third brother, sweet Talon, passed away last April because of the horrible thing that is cancer. He was one of the most intelligent and social kitties I've ever met. He owned my parents and was very close to his brother Trapper, and we all miss him so very much.

Happy Birthday, Thimble, Toby, Trapper, and sweet angel Talon! I hope you all have the most amazing, blessed day. I'll be giving the three earthside birthday babies lots of cuddles and toys, and I'll be thinking about Talon all day.

Last year, I scribbled up Harry Potter-esque birthday drawings for all of my furry babies. When I was looking in my archives for the one I created for these four last year, I realized I never even shared it here on our blog. I ended up finishing it about a week after their birthday, in part because I started it before Talon passed and then couldn't bring myself to finish it any sooner. So, here's their magical birthday celebration.

The scarves they're wearing relate to the "houses" that kids are sorted into at the magical school in the Harry Potter books. I would consider Thimble and Toby to be in the Hufflepuff house, as that one is for those are who are kind and calm. Thimble and Toby are indeed laidback like most Hufflepuffs. Trapper belongs to the same house as Harry Potter himself, that being Gryffindor. That's the house for those who are brave and bold, and that is indeed Trapper. Talon belongs to Ravenclaw, which is the house for those with great intelligence.

***

It's Mother's Day in the United States (and I believe also in Canada), so we also want to wish all the mothers out there an extra special day! Whether your children are human and two-legged or furry and four-legged, mothers make this world go round. 

***

Tip of the Day

Today's wildlife tip is another about birds. Hummingbirds, that is. These majestic little creatures love them a sweet drink. To make some sugar water for hummingbirds, you can mix 1 cup of cane sugar with 3 to 4 cups of water (extra mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to roughly one week). Despite popular belief, though, please do NOT add red food coloring to the sugar water. Adding a chemical dye can potentially be harmful to hummingbirds. Rather than lace their drink with artificial colors, you can simply use a bright (such as red) hummingbird feeder to attract them. There are indeed feeders specifically designed for hummingbirds and their preferred sweet drink. Of course, don't forget to clean said feeder in between fillings, as the sugar water mixture can potentially lead to mold if the hummingbird feeder is not maintained properly. Hummingbirds can make for grand Bird TV, just as long as you take the right precautions.