"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favourite things "

The words to the above song rang true my entire life and as you have figured out, cats and kittens are some of my favourite things. Below are some of my others that I would like to share with you.

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First and foremost is the home I grew up in.. This is probably where my love of animals came from since we had a dog named Fluffy and then I was given a purebred standard Poodle for Christmas one year. That was to be the beginning. My best friend growing up was the vets daughter so I got to spend lots of time around animals. Our home had so much room to play in, our nannies would get pretty upset some days trying to find us when we were in trouble :)

This is a beautiful painting of my father holding a new baby in his younger years. He was the town obstetrician and delivered over 10,000 babies through the years. This painting is on one of the main buildings in my home town of Pembroke, Ontario.

Without my sweet husband Larry, there may be cats in my life but not the cattery I dreamed of owning. Larry is my Jack of all Trades, being carpenter, electrician, electronics tech as well as house maid and babysitter when I go away on holiday :) Without him, my dreams could not have become a reality, thank you sweetheart !

This is me Bonnie, the sometimes demanding and cranky lady who runs Shaded Tails Cattery. Anyone who knows me may not agree, they say I have more patience than anyone they know but there are those days :)

This is my son Sean and my daughter in law to be Amber. What a terrific couple they are. Amber is my traveling companion when I go to deliver cats, pick them up etc... We really do enjoy each others company and have put in many hours together. It is such a treat when they come down, I get up in the morning and ALL my cat chores are done, even walls washed, floors scrubbed etc... Amber is a nurse and is a real clean fanatic :) Gotta love that now ! She also does the alpaca chores with me while my son is off with his friends talking what else, CARS :))

Sean and Amber again at one of the fairs that we attend in the summer, for our barn camera systems. Isn't love grand ?

Ethan was a beautiful Siberian Husky who spent more time at our house than at his own home, to the point that when he ran away from home, kids would bring him back to me and say "we found your dog" :)

My daughter Melissa was always a real handful growing up but she has turned into a true beauty. She may have inherited her moms blonde hair but she was also blessed with the blue eyes ! Melissa has two children named Ocean and Justice. We always tease her about choosing the perfect name for her son, since she is getting her Just Rewards :))

My two grandchildren, Justice and Ocean. Justice is very strong willed like his mom but is a real sweetheart and loves his sister dearly. Justice loves fishing with his grandpa !

What can I say, Ocean is one beautiful little girl now. With her looks and personality, the boys sure better watch their step :) No one runs this little lady !

After a long days work, I love nothing better than to take a stroll on the beach and relax. Unfortunately there never seems to be time to do that anymore but one of these days !! As kids, my 6 siblings and I spent more time in the water than anywhere else I think., water skiing, swimming or fishing and rock climbing.

My dear sister Heather, being the typical clown. I think it must run in the family :) There is never a dull moment with the two of us shopping !

Heather getting a shot of Freddie the Freeloader. Fred came to us after his mother was shot and he ended up on the neighbours driveway, scared to death. More on his story below.

These are the sweetest twins you have ever met. Their names are Courtney and Kyle and I was blessed to be their babysitter for 6 years. From shortly after they were born, through their first day of school, they brought so much joy into my life.

Courtney and Kyle just turned 18 in 2005 and I was still so very proud of them when they graduated high school. Kyle tells me "MY" kids are growing up on me :) I love you both.

Cecile is one of my closest and dearest friends. We have been through so much together over the last 20 years. Though we are miles apart, with her on the west coast of Canada and I in Ontario, we are still close at heart.

Another of my very best friends is of course Theresa from Clouddancing Cattery in Ohio. Theresa enjoys my alpacas almost as much as I do I think. She gets teased about the alpacas being able to look her right in the eyes :) We have so much in common but the strongest bond is the one we have for our animals. Theresa and I spend so much time together, whether it be in person or on the phone and email every day, it is like we have known each other for years.

One of my best friends' son Tommy and his dad Les meeting Petie, our favourite alpaca.

My good friend Julie with Larry and one of our kitties.

Julie and Petie, up close and personal :)))

Freddie the Freeloader was ours legally for a few months in 2002. His mom was shot we assume which lead him to the homes around our area. Our neighbours being afraid of Fred, made our decision simple, let's bring him home !!!  We had legal papers from the Ministry of Natural Resources who worked with us during his stay. Fred loved the alpacas and if not for his size at 9 months of age, I am sure he would have lived in the barn with them :) He was such a character. It was one of our winters where the snow was hip deep but every day, he got his 30 lbs of freshly cut cedar branches and spruce. We wanted him to remain wild so the branches were stuck into the chain link fence so he could pretend he was in the forest. When it came time to move him in the spring, we chose the perfect spot with snow still available since he was not yet drinking water, it had to be far off the main roads and have plenty of food that he was used to eating. My small animal vet, the MNR staff and Larry and I loaded Fred into the neighbours trailer for the trip and Fred LOVED it. He hung his head out the window in amazement. It was so very sad to say goodbye to Fred, he did try to run after us when we got him out and into his new surroundings but after some time, we managed to make our getaway and can only pray that sweet Fred is living a great life in the forest where he belongs. Maybe he was lucky enough to make friends and become a dad, who knows. Farewell Fred, we miss you !

Me saying a last goodbye to my new friend Fred. He is dearly missed and is welcome back if the need arises !

My two Newfoundland pups Jumbo and Grizzly.

I was always into investigating my surroundings so when my girlfriend and I went to the cottage every summer, we explored all the outbuildings we could find along the country roads, like the one behind me here. As kids, my older sister would try to scare us saying these places were haunted and those thoughts stuck with me as I grew up :)

Yes, I am also a pretty handy person when the need arises, from repairing my own equipment to changing tires, oil and plugs in my own vehicles. Unfortunately, hubby is not a Ford fan so I am on my own these days :)

Living in the country sure has its advantages. This herd of buffalo is only 5 minutes from home and every time I pass, I stop to say hello, especially if there are babies !

Ricky the raccoon is a yearly visitor on our 20 acres. Larry thought he was SO cute, until Ricky told all his friends about the fixins he could get here. It was not until Ricky grew into 8 very mischievous raccoons, that Larry said I HAD to stop feeding them. Just when I was getting used to putting the garbage out and finding Ricky sitting IN the can :)

The squirrels love to tease the cats as they sit in the front window. They chatter away and really give the cats royal heck if they don't come to the window to visit :)

Ducks frequent our lower parts of the property in both spring and summer since it makes a great pool for them. This pair stayed for a few days and have now moved on.

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My horse Trigger was a terrible boy to get loaded when I first bought him but he settled down nicely with some training and wanted no one but me on him. He used to get great pleasure from bucking anyone off that tried to ride him. Trigger took first place at his first show. He was a beautiful Palomino gelding. Since I worked as a trail rider at our local horse farm, I decided it was time to get my own so along with Trigger came a little pony for the kids. Both Sean and Melissa have inherited my love of animals. Melissa has cats, Sean and Amber have rabbits, until they get their own home this fall :)

My bunnies were so cute, they did nothing but play. My neighbours sure did laugh though when they saw me vacuuming my lawn to remove the rabbit pellets :)) Yes, I have been quite the character and source of entertainment for many years now :)

Life just would not be the same without my alpacas. Here some of the boys are caught sun tanning and just being lazy, enjoying the sun. They have tons of shade on our property but also have a heated and air conditioned barn to keep them comfortable. We do tend to spoil them but why not, they deserve every minute of it. These animals are so calming to watch after a rough day, you cannot help but fall in love with them. One look and you are hooked !

My small animal vet cuddles Carousel when she first arrives from Florida. I have never seen a veterinarian show so much love and devotion to animals before. They are not just animals to her, but beloved pets, each and every one of them. My vet and I have a great relationship which is so important when you have the number of animals I do.

Again, my vet and I discussing the plans for her newly built clinic. Here, in the basement, we are thinking of what could be done with all this extra space ! AHA, get my large animal vet to rent downstairs and have her practice out of there. Worked out wonderfully !

Here she is, my large animal vet giving Pinto Pete a hug. This vet has an enthusiasm for alpacas like no one else I know. I have one girl who spits at strangers, especially vets trying to make her co-operate :) When this vet arrives, that girl turns into mush, it must be the calming tone the vet has with her. I have never seen anything like it before.

I hope you have enjoyed the glimpse into my little part of the world, one that makes me smile every single day. I am so very blessed to have most of MY FAVOURITE THINGS, right here at home with me, everyone should be this lucky !

Sincerely

Bonnie