I know it hurts still, Allyson, but I'm now extra glad you brought Oliver in.

Yeah, I don't think coyotes are scarifying. They're always out and about at my parents' place, and where I run. They're easy to scare off. (This is oddly the second time I've mentioned this this weekend).

So, picked up the cats from boarding for the first time and cool-as-a-cucumber Kripkat escaped. Thrice. Not sure what we'll do about Christmas.

I've seen mountain lions and bobcats at JPL. The deer just walk up to you and say, "hey, how ya doin? got any apples?"

We're super urban, here, and he was just a few feet away from me. Freaked me out.

There's another freeze advisory. In a just world, Oliver would be stuffing himself full of leftover turkey and then napping front of the heater. I just washed his blanket.

Mona is curled up with her head in my lap, and Ruby is curled up in her basket. I sprinkled crumbled bacon from breakfast in their kibble this morning.

They're going to live forever, you know.

They're going to live forever, you know.

I remind my cats about this. A lot.

You were amazing for Oliver, Allyson. You really gave him a loved and warm and cared for place when he could have been scared, cold and alone. I know it's hard. And honestly I cried reading about it and have a few more times thinking about you losing him. But you were amazing and a good person. Who made the best and most loving choices.

Coyotes will still startle me if I see one unexpectedly because, where I am from, you only really see them if they are ill and too bold. You hear them. A lot. But they don't naturally choose to have a lot of human interaction going on.

I was just talking with one of NoiseDesign's friends on T-Day about all the various incidents of wildlife being spotted in unusual places this year. Coyotes were spotted in SF/GG Park for the first time earlier this year (they'd been native before but were basically wiped out a long time ago). I've seen coyotes trot across our main drag here in South Pasadena late at night. I don't usually expect to encounter coyotes in our back yard, but I also know it could happen. They are amazingly adaptable creatures. And like possums, raccoons, pigeons,rats, etc. they're a species that mostly does well in urban/suburban places, unlike most species.

This year saw a lot of bear activity in weird places. And a mountain lion traipsed through the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley.

I hope you're nuzzling your cats, Allyson, and curling up beside them. A hot drink and nuzzling housepets seems like something one should do in fall/winter.

Coyotes are the ultimate at urban survival. They're pretty savvy and adaptable--they even live longer in urban settings than rural--eating rats and mice, garbage, etc. But they're still pretty good at avoiding people.

We had a coyote living in our backyard for a while earlier this year. Repeated sightings over the course of a couple of weeks. Happily it moved on. We are pretty urban - not LA urban, probably, but not suburban subdivision by any means - 50 foot wide lots and not a lot of open space.

RIP Leslie Nielsen.

Pics on flickr 'cause it totally happened!

Arms & armor.

Tapestry camel for Aims.

Egyptian kohl containers for the makeup peoples.

Not a great pic, but the best pic couldn't convey how cool Chagall's windows were.

Thanks so much buffistas, for redeeming a potentially bad day! So much fun.

RIP Leslie Nielsen.

Aw, damn. Farewell, Sgt. Frobisher.

Have I told this story here? Coyotes used to count as a hazard on the golf course near us. "Pup got my ball." "Drop a new one."