*Click on pictures to enlarge them.*
A Pink Sunrise in Vegas. The clouds sure do light up nice during sunrises this time of year.
Wednesday, March 05, 2025
Tuesday, March 04, 2025
Everyone Has A Story, Here's One of Mine
I've been thinking of writing an autobiography or memoir but it just never comes together for me but I figured if I write one story at a time and post it on my blog maybe once a month, I can do that. Maybe one day I'll pull all the stories together and put them in a book but for now I'll just share some stories with you about my childhood. Some of the stories will be happy, some sad and some horrific because that was my childhood. But they will all be real, things that actually happened. If it seems like something that people enjoy reading maybe I'll keep it going. These stories will not be in any kind of order, I'll just write them as they come to me.
Jose Santos Salazar Jr.
I sometimes worry about using people's full names in my stories because I don't want drama from anyone but a few months ago I Googled a few names to see if they were still around or in jail ect...
When I googled this particular name I found an obituary and saw that he had passed away in 2013. I sent the link to my brother because I figured if I was interested he would be too and he was.
The picture the obituary used was really old because this is exactly how he looked when I knew him when I was 15/16 years old and he was my mom's boyfriend. I've talked about Jose before but not a lot. He got my mom using and hooked on PCP dipped cigarettes and cocaine. We were living in Hawthorne, California. I went to Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California. We lived very close to Compton, California. If you know California, you probably know this wasn't a great neighborhood to live. Maybe that's why my neighborhood now doesn't phase me all that much.
She went to jail for this and child neglect/abuse and spent 6 months in prison. That's when my brother and I went into foster care for a while.
Before he met my mom he had a motorcycle crash, according to him he was on the freeway going pretty fast and had an accident where he crashed. His helmet saved him from dying but he had quite a bit of brain damage. He won a $1 million dollar settlement after the accident. His mom was in charge of the money but gave him money whenever he wanted and he used it for drugs. He had an older brother, I believe his name was Raul who was in prison for something and got out in 1985.
Jose spent a lot of time at my house smoking pcp dipped cigarettes and using cocaine with my mom, and Uncle Jack and Aunt Wanda. My mom was so out of it most of the time she had no idea what was happening around her.
Jose would wait until my mom was passed out on a few occasions and he would try to climb in bed with me. Nothing ever happened because I would start yelling at him and he would leave. I told my mom but she accused me of leading him on if it happened which she told me he would never do. So me telling her went nowhere.
A couple of weeks before I turned 16 Jose's brother Raul (I believe his name was) came to our house and kept staring at me. When he found out from my mom that my birthday was coming up he kept saying he wanted to take me out that day for my birthday. This guy had just got out of prison and he looked like it. He gave me the creeps but thankfully I had a boyfriend who lived next door and I told Raul this, that I couldn't go out with him. He was mad. I told my boyfriend the next day and he told me that if the guy gave me any problems to let him know. My boyfriend was 22 years old and I was 15. Yes, I know the age difference was wild but I knew I could count on him. I told my boyfriend he was staring at me weird and gave me the creeps and he talked to Raul one day. Raul left me alone after that thankfully.
Because of the drugs my mom and Jose were arrested a bunch of times for different reasons. She would call me from jail and tell me to take care of my brother and she would be home in a few days. Jose always got them out with his money somehow. But I would sleep in the living room chair all night sitting by the phone waiting to hear from my mom. Not knowing if she would be back in a day or a few days because of the weekend. Sometimes I would call my grandma to come over because I was scared or because we needed food while we waited for my mom to get home. My grandma always came over.
My mom did finally leave him and get clean when she moved to West Virginia to live with her mom and step father. My brother and I moved there a few months later after having a horrible time living with our dad and step mother after we got out of foster care.
Links to past stories
2023
Monday, March 03, 2025
Happy Raturday!
"This is the only Super Bowl I care about."
*Pictures used today are courtesy of martymousehouse.com*
Sunday, March 02, 2025
Apartment Life #358
This is a weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that have gone on in and around my apartment complex and in my neighborhood in the past 26 years that I've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 26 years here in a weekly blog post.
One night this week we heard 4 gunshots and then about an hour later we heard another 4 gunshots. I didn't know where they were coming from even though they sounded close so I didn't call the police.
---
This is who we call, Screamer Lady. We call her that because as you can see, she screams and yells all the time. She's been living across the street for at least the 26 years that I've been here. 25 years ago though she was the neighborhood prostitute. She propositioned Ken (my late husband) sooo many times. He'd come home and tell me about it and what kind of craziness she was wearing. Now though the drugs have taken their toll on her and so has mental illness I'm suspecting. But this woman walks up and down the sidewalk all hours of the day and night screaming and yelling all the time like she did here.
---
My neighbor caught this homeless guy in our alley smoking something he found in the trash. She saw him from her bedroom window. He found something in some tinfoil and was trying to smoke it like drugs.
You can see he is trying to smoke this like they would meth of crack cocaine. I have no idea what was in the tinfoil.
He was lighting a lighter under the tinfoil to heat up whatever it was and sucks the smoke up through the glass pipe he has in his mouth. I've seen a bunch of the homeless people around here doing this with drugs. These are screenshots of a video that I couldn't figure out how to post. It just refused to post on blogger for some reason. So if the crack pipe looks a little wonky, that's why.
The high this week was 79F/26C
The low this week was 49F/9C
So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.
Saturday, March 01, 2025
Saturday Vittles
My Daughter and I are trying to eat more healthy so I thought I would share some pictures on Saturday's of what we've made. Most pictures are from my daughter since she takes good food pics. lol
Mushroom Quinoa with Spinach and Onion
You Will Need:
1 tsp. Chicken Bullion
1/2 Cup Uncooked Quinoa
1 Cup Water
1 Package white Mushrooms- sliced
1/2 Yellow Onion- diced
1 Cup Fresh Spinach- chopped
1 Stalk Green Onion- diced
1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp. Butter
To Prepare Quinoa:
Rinse and drain quinoa. Add 1/2 cup of rinsed quinoa in a pan with 1 cup water. Add 1 tsp. Chicken bullion to the pan and cook on high heat until boiling. Turn down to medium low heat, cover and let cook for 15 minutes or until water is gone. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
In a skillet heat 1 tsp. butter over medium heat, add celery and onion. Cook until translucent. Add spices and sliced mushrooms, cook for about 15 minutes until they are cooked down and the water from them has almost evaporated. Add spinach and mix until spinach is wilted down. Add warm quinoa and mix well. Top with green onion and serve.
This makes about 4 servings.
Each serving is about 100 calories and 12 carbs.
I made this as a light vegetarian meal and also served it as a side dish for dinner. It was good either way.
Would you eat this?
Friday, February 28, 2025
Freebie Friday!
Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.
A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.
You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
This week Falcor got some freebies.
He received Hartz Dog Male Wraps, (Belly Bands)
I figured it would be good to have them since he's almost 11 years old and might need them in his old age if he gets incontinent.
I figured it would be good to have them since he's almost 11 years old and might need them in his old age if he gets incontinent.
A bag of Zignature Trout formula soft dog treats. He likes the treats, not that you can tell from the look on his face though. lol
Did you receive any freebies this week?
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Book Review: Defying My Wolf by Scarlett West
Book Description
Aila
As a half-human, half-wolf hybrid, I’ve been rejected by my mate and cast from my pack. Then Kaden kidnaps me, ushering me into his dark shifter world. I’m drawn to him more than I should be and he awakens a primal passion in my wolf. He wants to claim me as his fated mate. Only, there are two problems: he intends to use me in a dark ritual, and he’s my worst enemy.
I hope I make it out alive…
Kaden
Aila didn’t see it coming when I took her, but if I didn’t, we would remain in danger. As alpha, I planned on using her in a ritual to break a curse killing my pack. She’s my enemy…and getting under my skin in ways I never anticipated. Ways that make my wolf demand I protect and claim her as mine.
Yet if I get her into my bed, we may not survive…
If you love broody alphas, sassy heroines, and hot paranormal romance with a heart, Defying My Wolf is for you. The novella is a prequel to the series, Stone Mountain Wolf Shifters.
My Review
Aila was rejected by her pack because her mother was human and she's half human. Her father would kill her if he ever saw her again and so would most shifters since they see her as an abomination. She's kept herself safe from shifters for years since she was kicked out of her pack when she was a teeneager.
So when Kaden spots her in a laundromat and kidnaps her because not only is she his mate, she's also from an enemy pack who cursed his pack. The only way to stop the curse is to sacrifice her on a specific night and hope the curse is lifted. Kaden is torn as to what he wants to do with her the more time they spend together. He feels the pull to his mate but he also doesn't want the rest of his pack to die a horrific death because of the curse. But Aila is an innocent is all of this, she had nothing to do with the curse and she's not part of that pack any longer so Kaden and his pack killing her to lift the curse seems very wrong. Kaden and his pack were pretty unlikable.
There was no real romance between these two characters because they only got together because she was in her heat since she's a shifter and any males around could smell her and wanted her. It seemed like that and the fact that the mate bond was pulling them together was the only reasons they even spent any time together. I didn't care for Kaden, he was not a likable guy for most of the book and the ending seemed very rushed. I felt sorry for her that she got stuck with this guy.
I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Favorite Picture of the Week!
*Click on pictures to enlarge them*
I looked outside right as the sun was setting one night this week and saw the fiery sky. Had to get pictures of it.
The sky looked so cool with these colors streaking across it.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Book Review: Descent by Chloe Adler
Book Description
Sydney Flores doesn't believe in love. Why should she? Men only want one thing.
As a third-generation working girl, it's all Sydney has ever known.
But when she's done with walking the streets and trades up for a brothel she quickly learns that Ichor isn't just any brothel... it's also a blood bank where lonely vampires come for a little entertainment with their refreshment.
Syd has seen and done it all, so a little fang on the job doesn't scare her away, especially when it comes with security cameras, bouncers, and a 401K.
Plus, it takes a whole lot of man to make her Latina blood boil. So imagine her surprise when she meets three of them...
It was just another night on the job when a shifter, a vampire, and a warlock walked into the bar.
That bad joke is her reality.
How fast can she run if love really is on the menu?
My Review
After reading the description I figured I would be getting a paranormal romance story like what I'm used to. But that's not really what I got. Sydney is a prostitute and works in a brothel with a madam. She's relatively safe because of the bouncers and cameras but not all the time. Paranormal creatures are known and she has a rule against taking vampire blood or being bitten to be a blood donor. I really expected to see more magic, more about the vampires but we hardly ever hear about that, only the fact that Sydney refuses to be a blood donor for any vampires.
This book was mostly about Sydney's life, what led to her being a prostitute and what she does to keep herself safe. The guys who end up falling for her, how and why it happens was too rushed and over the top. The ending abruptly stops which I didn't like at all. The fact that these guys all fall hard for a prostitute when some of them are in fact more than a century old and couldn't find love with anyone else? Really? Was just not believable. The warlock had no idea that magic was being used against him, really? Again, not believable.
I was expecting more romance but with Sydney being a prostitute maybe I shouldn't have been because even though these guys think she's all that and a bag of chips, I didn't care for her personality at all, she's an unlikable character. She sleeps with her new friends boyfriend and doesn't tell her what happened after she starts staying with the both of them? Not a very nice person.
I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.
Monday, February 24, 2025
Happy Raturday!
"We hope you had a nice Valentine's Day. Sending you kisses."
"No matter what, find something to smile about."
* A big Happy Birthday to Huckleberry, Asher, Blue and Sage for turning 2 years old. Picture courtesy of Karen Grant on FB*
*All pictures this week are courtesy of martymousehouse.com and Karen Grant on FB*
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Apartment Life #357
This is a weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that have gone on in and around my apartment complex and in my neighborhood in the past 25 years that I've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 26 years here in a weekly blog post.
The police came by for the apartment complex across the street but I didn't see anyone get arrested. They didn't stay long, whatever it was.
So this week my daughter was talking to two of the homeless people who have been here for years. They told her another homeless person has died from a Fentanyl overdose. The lady was the one who was found next door behind the liquor store. They also told my daughter that there's a hit out on another homeless man named Derek, known as the cross dresser because he wears ladies clothes when he gets high. Seems that Derek has been the one to deal the drugs laced with Fentanyl and because of him and the drugs he's selling, 4 homeless people in the area have overdosed and died. So someone, I'm guessing one of the homeless people or their friends put a hit out on Derek.
The homeless people also told my daughter that Derek had given the two people who passed away in this house fire I told you about a few months ago. And they said when the fire started, Derek just left both of them passed out in the house and didn't try to get them out. So everyone blames Derek for their deaths as well. Both people who were pulled out of that house fire later died.
The homeless people in the area are really mad at him because 4 of their friends have died because of him. I was wondering why I haven't seen him in the area for a few weeks. I have seen Derek almost every morning for years but not in the past few weeks. Guess he found out about the hit and got out of the area or someone found him and his body hasn't been found yet, I have no idea.
I know one thing, if I do see him I'm turning around and walking the other direction just in case someone drives by and starts shooting at him.
The high this week was 67F/19C
The low this week was 43F/6C
So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Saturday Vittles
My Daughter and I are trying to eat more healthy so I thought I would share some pictures on Saturday's of what we've made. Most pictures are from my daughter since she takes good food pics. lol
Quinoa Salad
What You Will Need:
1/2 Cup Fresh Spinach- diced
1/2 Cup Carrots- diced
1/2 Cup Bell Pepper- diced
1/2 Cup Cucumber- diced
2 Stalks Celery- diced
1 tsp. Chicken Bullion
1/2 Cup Uncooked Quinoa
1 Cup Water
To Prepare Quinoa:
Rinse and drain quinoa. Add 1/2 cup of rinsed quinoa in a pan with 1 cup water. Add 1 tsp. Chicken bullion to the pan and cook on high heat until boiling. Turn down to medium low heat, cover and let cook for 15 minutes or until water is gone. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, add to a bowl and put into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool.
Mix all of the vegetables together and when the quinoa has cooled, stir it into the vegetables, breaking up any small chunks of quinoa that might have formed as it cooled.
You can serve this with any dressing you like or eat it as is like we did. I've served this as a side dish and eaten it by itself for lunch.
This makes about 4, 1 cup servings.
Each serving is about 100 Calories and 12 Carbs.
Friday, February 21, 2025
Freebie Friday!
Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.
A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.
You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
What I received this week:
A sample of Lancome Genifique face serum.
The coupons from Charmin that I got because they accidentally sent out a winning email to a lot of people who didn't win their sweepstakes.
A 6 LB bag of Purina Pro Plan Adult dog food, chicken and rice flavor. From Fur Buddies.
The face serum didn't do anything except make my face feel smooth and soft. Which is nice.
The Charmin coupons were hard to get a store to accept. The first store we went to the coupon wouldn't scan, the cashier wouldn't accept it. The next store the cashier had to manually put in the numbers because the coupon wouldn't scan but at least they accepted the coupon. So I did get a few packs of free toilet paper. So that's good.
Falcor loves the dog food. So that's good. It didn't upset his stomach and that's great. So it was a good week.
Did you receive any freebies this week?
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Book Review: Deal With A Demon by Ami Wright
Book Description
Would you make a deal with a monster?
I need money. My rent is overdue, my aircon is busted and my bank account is overdrawn. So when I get an email from Monstrous Deals offering discreet well-paying clients willing to negotiate all sorts of arrangements, I’m not too proud to sign up.
Then I meet Rin. Impeccably styled, perfectly cultured and devastatingly gorgeous, this handsome billionaire is too good to be true. When I find out exactly what he has in mind, it’s even more unbelievable. Beneath his smooth, polished facade, hides a beast. A ferocious oni demon set on devouring one thing: my pleasure. Over and over again.
Will he demand more than I can give? Is that even a thing? Or will Rin be the answer to all of my fantasies?
My Review
Kalli needs money in a bad way so when she spots an ad for Monstrous Deals, she decides to sign up not realizing at first what she's signing up for. Monsters or non-humans are known to the world and this site matches non-humans with others who don't mind seeing them for whatever reason the client wants. Kalli is matched with Rin, an Oni demon. But he looks pretty human to her and he requires her to wear a blindfold when they're together. She knows he's not human so she's not sure why he wants to keep what he looks like a secret. But he doesn't want to scare her when his shape and face changes into his demon, hence the blindfold.
Kalli loves being with him and she loves the money she's making but he gets obsessive to his own surprise because he's never felt this way for a human before. He was such a sweet but alpha demon which played well with Kalli. These two made me smile several times while reading this spicy, sweet romance. I love a good monster romance and this sure was that and more.
This was a short, spicy read but I didn't feel like I was missing any of the story like some novellas and it wasn't rushed. I plan on reading more from this series.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Favorite Picture of the Week!
*Click picture to enlarge it*
Snow was falling in the mountains and you can actually see it falling from the clouds. We did not get any snow here in the city even though it doesn't look that far away. But we did have rain one day as I told you on Sunday.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Book Review: Curvy Girl and The Monster Next Door by Jessa Joy
Book Description
Who knew that monsters love curvy girls? Or that my gorgeous next door neighbor is a demon in disguise?
Mollie
Life gets kind of same-y here in Snowflake Falls. Yet another Halloween when I’m stuck on my own.
But then my mysterious high school crush moves next door. So far, so good. The only trouble is, he seems different… but not in a bad way. He’s bigger, hotter and more mysterious than ever. I'm intrigued and I want to find out more. A big Halloween party is the perfect opportunity to get to know him better. Sparks are flying between us faster than a bat outta hell.
And why does this handsome devil look like he wants to eat me right up?
Brad
I was a big deal in high school but life had other plans. Being turned into an enormous horned monster certainly wasn’t on the agenda. It's been all tricks and no treats so far while I try to keep myself hidden away.
I’ve stayed away from my hometown as long as I can but a family issue means I'm needed back in town. The first thing on my mind is the gorgeous curvy girl who's haunted my dreams for the last five years. By a quirk of fate, she’s also my new next door neighbor. I can't help imagining what it would be like to get close to her. Really close.
But how could this perfect angel want to be with a monster like me?
Part of the Curvy Girls Date series featuring curvy women and the men who fall head over heels for them. Short, steamy reads with no cheating and always a HEA!
My Review
Mollies sister was popular in high school while she wasn't at all. Most of the popular girls made fun of her and that made her not like going to parties. She had a huge crush on Brad who was on the football team and very popular. They talked once and he was nice to her but they wouldn't see each other again for 5 years when he comes back to town a different man.
Mollie is all grown up 5 years later and she's a writer of romance books. I loved that about her. But Brad has a huge secret and he doesn't realize that danger follows him back to town. Brad is half demon and he's stuck in his demon form. He hides under masks, hoodies and makeup. When he finds out Mollie lives next door to him, he has a hard time staying away from her and she doesn't mind because she still has a huge crush on him. So when Halloween comes around and the town has a big party, he decides to go as himself, a demon. What other day of the year could be better to go out as himself, it looks like a great costume, no one will be the wiser.
He talks Mollie into going with him and they have a good time until Mollie gets overwhelmed and runs away. But Brad can't stay away and he's afraid to tell Mollie what he really is.
Things take a turn when someone from Brad's past comes calling and puts Mollie in a dangerous situation. This was such a great monster romance and I loved the ending. I liked that there was an epilogue at the end so we get to see how they are getting along about a year later. They were so sweet together.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Monday, February 17, 2025
Happy Raturday!
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All of the pictures used in today's post are mine. These are just some of the rats that I've had over the years. I made all of these meme's unless otherwise stated. This was Lucky. You can read His Story here. He was my 3 legged rat. I figured I would post some of the rat meme's I made of my own rats for those who are newer to my blog and hadn't seen them before. I've had 18 pet rats over the years. These are just some of them.
*Flower, female hairless rat.* Melissa over at RatLogic FB page made this Meme for me when she saw this picture I posted. Melissa has since passed away.
*Scribbles*
*Hades*
*Lucky*
*Lucky*
*Flower*
*Hades*
*Lucky* Lucky sat in between me and Ken and ate some pizza with us. lol
*Scribbles*
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*Flower*
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*Ken (My late husband) and Scribbles*
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*Flower* She was trying to grab the plastic bag I had sitting there while I cleaned her cage.
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*Falcor and Scribbles*
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*Flower*
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*Scribbles*
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*Lucky*
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*Lucky*
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*Jasper, Brodie and Hades*
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*Jasper, Hades and Brodie* They loved to pile on top of each other.
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*Brodie and Jasper*
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*Hades*
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*Hades and Brodie*
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*Brodie and Hades*
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*Lucky*
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*Jasper, Hades and Brodie*
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*Flower*
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*Lucky*
*This was Fang. I named him Fang because he bit Ken 4 times after we got him from someone who did not socialize him. He was brothers with Patches, Marbles and Bandit. He and Ken made friends after a few weeks and Ken was able to pet and handle him without getting bit. Ken (my late husband) kept giving him food and treats and Fang came around. This is how he would lay and sleep all the time. He looks pretty cute, huh? Don't put your fingers near him though. lol He always wanted me to hold him and he never tried to bite me.
*Patches and Bandit*
*This was Marbles. He was my grumpy boy, he even looks grumpy. He never bit anyone but he did not like to be held. He loved coming out and running around which all the rats got to do but he did not like to be petted, held or bothered. He wanted to do his own thing. He was the only rat I ever had who was like that. Open the cage door, give him and treat and let him do his own thing and he was happy.*
*Did I throw Lucky a birthday party one his 1st birthday? You bet I did. LOL I even made a cake and a tiny birthday hat for him. Lucky had a few bites of cake and we ate the rest. lol *
*Bandit holding a rubber ducky while he slept*
So there you go. There's a look at some of the rats I've had over the years.
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