Rear Rack Bike Bags

I've been meaning to post these pictures for weeks now...  It's summer break for Joe, but not for me!  Haha!  I've been busy and managed to pick up the flu in the midst of everything.  But I'm almost completely better, and thankfully, it didn't really mess up my work or schedule too much so it didn't add extra stress.  Right at the start of summer break, Joe and I got bikes and had been going on daily rides.  But between sickness and this excessive heat wave, we did take a break from doing that.  So I'm looking forward to getting back into riding because I actually really love it!  We were also able to go on rides with my brother and a friend who both live close which has made this new hobby even more enjoyable!  We bought fun accessories like these rear bike rack bags so that we can carry more stuff with us like drinks, snacks, and even our drone.  😊

Fili is still quite active and doesn't really show signs of aging any more than a bit of weight loss, which was probably good for him anyways.  Although I kinda miss how perfectly round he was.  😂  I can barely believe it, but Fili is 28 months old now, and it's already been 2 months since his brother Kili died.  As you can see, Fili still doesn't care much for carrots and preferred to explore the bike bag.

 

Haleth did a magic trick and made that carrot disappear within like 3 seconds of coming into contact with it.  She truly has a gift.  😂  I think she was hoping a new one would appear, but she had no such luck.  She is super cute and easy to spoil though.

3D Printed Pots

Joe has a 3D printer which (when it's actually working) he mostly uses to print organizers for board games.  Occasionally, he prints these pots for me.  They are the perfect size for transporting plants I've propagated in water into dirt.  But I don't plant them right into here as these are for decoration.  Instead, I found 3 inch clear nursery pots with drainage holes on Amazon which fit perfectly inside of these printed pots.  What is great about this process is that the pots only take an hour to print (compared to some prints that are 20+ hours), so Joe can get a lot of these done in just a day.  For this set you see here, he used some fancy sparkly filament.  😊

Fili surprises me by how active he is for such an old guy.  He is now 27 months old!  He has thinned out a bit, and I think he is finally starting to slow down some as he seems to sleep a bit more.  I know he won't live forever, and I'm so grateful he's lived this long!

I really want to get back to taking pictures regularly of the pets because Haleth is just so easy to photograph.  All I need is some treats to get her to stay in the spot I have prepared and she's good to go.  Even after she finished her treat, she typically stays put and just stares at me expecting more.  She doesn't run off to explore like most of the hamsters I've own would do.  Although to be honest, in this case, I think she didn't move because she barely fit in that pot.  😂

New Flowers!

The weather was gorgeous on Saturday, and I was finally able to start fixing up the landscaping in the front of the house.  Part of my motivation was getting these new flowers planted!  I actually ended up going back to get more from the Botanical Conservatory's used bulb sale they were doing, but I wasn't able to get those planted yet because it got really cold again.  But the weather is looking good again, and I'm excited to get outside today and make more progress towards completing this project.  I've been planning this all out since last fall, and it's been very slow and a long wait!  But before I go out and get my hands dirty, I gotta finish editing pictures.

Fili was not interested in the strawberry or the flowers.  He just wanted off of the stool, which he managed to do and was wandering around in the flower pots before I caught him.  😅  I'm impressed with how young he acts since he is actually quite old for a ham.

Haleth was very pleased to get some strawberry, and I'm sure she would have gladly taken Fili's piece too, but I didn't let that happen.  Fruit is a nice treat for a ham, but does need to be limited like all treats.  I'm fairly certain Haleth lacks self control when it comes to any food, so I have to moderate treats for her.  

Windowsill (RIP Kili)

My sweet Kili passed away on Good Friday.  As I was working on Thursday, I heard a ham running on a wheel.  I was a bit surprised since they normally are sleeping, and Kili was the only hamster that would ever spend a decent amount of time up during the day, but even then it had been quite a while since he had gone for an afternoon jog like that.  I peeked behind me to see who it was and to my delight it was my dear Kili.  He only jogged for less than a minute, but I was still impressed.  He had gotten wobbly and was showing signs that his old age had caught up to him.  I've known for a while now that he didn't have much longer left, and each day that I got to spoil him with more treats was such a joy for me.  I feel blessed to have gotten to care for this little guy from the ACC for 25 out of his 26 months of life.  Sometimes I really wish hamsters lived longer, but then I think about all the wonderful hams I've been blessed with over the last 8 years of owning hamsters.  I'm missing my squeaky little office buddy who provided a bit of entertainment for me while I worked.  For those wondering, Kili's twin brother Fili is still doing well, but he and Haleth are very quiet if they get up during the day so I rarely notice when they are awake.  Below are some of my favorite pictures of Kili.  💓

Fili is oblivious to his brothers passing and is just starting to show signs of how old he is as I've noticed he is slowing down some.  So, I don't know how long Fili will stick around, but now he'll be getting the bulk of the special treats as he's clearly earned it.  😊

Haleth seems like a giant if you are used to seeing a dwarf hamster.  But she is just so sweet and I absolutely love photographing her!  She is gorgeous and poses naturally.  I love my big girl.  😊

Little Basket

These up and down temperatures and cloudy days are getting me anxious for warmth and sunshine.  I feel like I have so much yardwork to do, but I really don't like working in the cold and I get cold easily.  So for now I've been putting off the yardwork.  I've been working on getting caught up with computer projects.  Today I'm working on deleting extra pictures.  As a photographer, there are inevitably outtakes that aren't worth saving and since the RAW filles take up so much space, I regularly go through and clear out anything I didn't use.  I also double check that I've properly backed up the good stuff in all the various places I use to keep them safe.  This morning I made a new playlist which has helped immensely with providing the motivation I need to get through the monotony of this massive project.  😊

 Fili isn't nearly as active during the day as Kili is.  And yes, Kili is still alive and getting spoiled with all the treats.  💓  I mean, not actually all of them because as you can tell from Fili's very round shape, he is also getting more than his share of treats. 😂

Haleth initially decided she could hide in this basket, but I guess curiosity got the best of her and she poked her head out for a look.  I don't have any more pictures because once she got a quick look around, she decided she should try to eat any plant close enough to reach, and I had to put a hard stop to that.  I love these plants!  😅

Happy Gotcha Days to Fili, Kili, and Haleth!

It's hard to believe that I'm celebrating 2 years with Fili and Kili!  I got these munchkins on March 24, 2020.  I brought them home from the Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control right before the pandemic really hit our area and the first stay at home orders started.  They were the perfect buddies for me during what turned into a much longer time at home than what was anticipated.  A year later, on March 17, 2021, I brought home Haleth also from the ACC.  I really appreciate that there are plenty of good options near me for adopting hamsters such as the ACC here in Fort Wayne, the Pipsqueakery in Bloomington, or even getting connected to people who've had accidental litters so I can have hamsters without going to pet stores which supports hamster mills with horrible living conditions.  That said, I do think it would be awesome if eventually I could buy a hamster from a reputable breeder such as Strongbrew Hamstery who focuses on hamster genetics and breeding better, healthier lines.

Fili doesn't really show any signs of aging, which is quite impressive since he is likely over 25 months old.  He gets really excited when he sees me because he wants treats.  However he always seems so grumpy if I reach in and give him pets instead of food.  Hahaha!

Part of the reason I am posting these a week early is because Kili probably doesn't have much longer left.  I'm spoiling him with so many yummy treats to encourage him to eat.  He still gets around and is my most active ham during the day, but he has been sleeping more and more, so I know the end is near.  I don't intend to get him out for any more photo shoots, but I'll keep you posted on him.  💓

Haleth has always been the most timid hamster I've ever owned, which is a shame because she is such a cute model!  Anyways, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but at some point I discovered that Haleth is not at all afraid of our cats.  😒  There have been so many times when I've heard banging coming from the office and I'll go in and see the cats sitting in front of Haleth's bin watching her loudly rearranging her home as one does.  But as soon as Haleth becomes aware that I'm there watching too, she darts for cover.  I've even caught them all sniffing noses through the mesh.  😂  Anyways, I am glad that Haleth is happy and healthy even if she likes that cats more than me, and I certainly hope I have her for at least another year.  It would be so fun to celebrate a second "Gotcha Day" with her.

It was at this point that I realized that Haleth was putting SO much food in her cheeks that the hat would be hard to get off, so we took a break so I could take it off and then let her continue stuffing her face.  😂

Haleth wanted to check out Mr. Owl as he was the only guest invited to her party.