All of my children are grown and have families of their own now, but I still have kids. I have adopted most of them and saved them from certain death.

   Konar "The Destroyer" is my very big 18 pound coal-black Halloween cat.I call him "The Destroyer" not because he destroys my furniture or anything like that. It's because all the mice in the neighborhood must really fear him...
   He keeps bringing home little "souvenirs" of his hunting expeditions! He was found in a large garbage container when he was just a few days old. Our vet was the one that found him along with his two siblings. They were all bottle fed and the vet's dog took care of them as if they were her own pups. We adopted him when he was 6 weeks old in 1994.

   He has grown up with all the other animals and gets along with all of them and is very sociable (well, as far as a cat can be that is... let's just say he "tolerates" the other critters in "his" home).

   I have a 50-gallon aquarium where my water babies live, I have clown loaches and large severums who insist on laying eggs and trying to raise a family. In the photo you can see them guarding a large rock where they just laid the latest batch of eggs last night (2/22/2002)

   I really enjoy my aquarium. It is a lot of fun to watch the fish. They all come up and feed right out of my fingers... If they get any bigger, I will have to be more careful!

   Last but not least, are my kids in the greenhouse. I have six turtles, Murtle, Marky, Mat, Josephine, and Speedy that make my greenhouse home.
    They keep the slugs at bay in the summer and hibernate in the winter (boy, life must be tough being a turtle).
    Yes, even in the controlled atmosphere of the greenhouse they all bury in the sand around November and hibernate until late February or early March. Murtle has been with us since 1981.

   Oh! Let's not forget my backyard visitors like this little quail.

   He and his mate have a nest nearby and they often stop by my place looking for a handout.

   Last September he brought out his babies for us to see, 5 little ones. He was very proud as he stood guard! I hope they return again this summer.