Babysitting Grandanimals

We are babysitting the granddoggie and grand~gecko and the grand~gecko's crickets.

Every grandmother I know exults in a grandbaby.
See older people traveling?
They're going to visit the beloved grandchildren!
We've yet to join the parade, however, we DO have grandanimals! !

Tess, our tortie, our harlequin faced,
feisty grandkitten, love of our cat life.

We adore our sweet grandcat.
The newly rescued, ballerina~thin Tess was much more like a puppy than a kitten. One good Christmas pounce and she was battling the dog toy!
Now, after the cancer, she prefers kittie toys or, the jewel of all gifts?
The crumpled bit of crunchy wrapping paper
on a length of yarn!

Don't keep her inside. She's a macho (macha?) outdoor cat. She prefers dozing by a busy 4 lane road where overly excited teenage drivers practice speeding. Or crouching under a car, watching highway traffic rushing breakneck to country destinations. Whether spying on foolish birds, hopping dangerously close, or stalking jumpy grasshoppers or pondering Junior College students lumbering by, this cat excels in her "outside skills".

She accepts our soft loving pats while flopped in our lap one moment and then ATTACKS, biting and batting and scratching the next.
Ambivalent little 3-leggedminx!

Losing her leg was distressing for us, but Spunky little Tessie carried on, only asking for a lift onto the couch.

Mr. Pup,

a little German Shepherd mix,

is the love of our dog life.

Riddle:
Q: How many German Shepherds does it take to screw in a light-bulb?
A: Only one, but first he has to "Check the Perimeter! Check the Perimeter!"

That's our granddoggie, Solomon. He's reckless to a fault when it comes to surveillance.

He guards us carefully day and night, barking at any strangers, potential strangers or stranger~like noises. We feel so safe, sure that the robbers are running in terror!

Mr. Pup is a smartie.

Inside he sits alert at the windows checking for bird activity.
Outside is the favorite...in and out, in and out, and in and out of our doggie door, checking the perimeter!

There is no stopping him.

There is, of course, the chasing the stick trick,

(he's no retriever...won't bring it back.).

But the best activity of all? Oh Joy!

Chasing and biting the water from the hose.

He goes to sleep nicely in on his doggie bed. Later he's sneaking into the living room, scooting pillows and blankets off the couch to nap contentedly. All the better for barking at the invisible robbers in the night! One smart dog

Tiger, the waxy Pakistani Gecko,

His coloring is fantastic marbling! We peek into the terrarium. He is very still.

Later we hear movement. His mouth opens and closes as he hunts around his warm coconut hut and watering rock. His eyes are like liquid gold dust.

The crickets, which ARE NOT our grandcrickets, await their demise. They don't have as much personality as the rest, but we love what they do for Tiger.

p.s. Tiger expressed a concern, he would appreciate a new picture of himself taped on his terrarium...

...one WITH a tail!