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| Our Crew Paco Paco is our shadow. He's the brains of the crew and goes everywhere we go. But, he doesn't like to ride in the car. His job is to make sure we don't forget anything in the field and keeps the crew in line.  Kona Kona is the army of one. He scouts the vineyard and keeps four-legged intruders out. He is the fastest, bravest, and most dedicated of the crew. Sissy Sis may be our resident prima donna but she is very laid back for an akita. She loves Kona and considers him her bff. Paco is her bodyguard when they go for a run. She is three times bigger than him, but he never leaves her side. Sasa As the only female feline member, Sasa enjoys being pampered. She’s very light and fluffy and serves as her brothers' Skeeter and Porky furry nerf ball. She loves to be brushed. And, she really loves catnip.  Skeeter Also known as "Freckles", he was the runt of the litter. Today, he is the largest member of the feline crew.  Odie, aka "O" As the grandpa of the crew, Odie tolerates the younger kittys. He's taught them the art of hunting, fishing, and trapping.  Chuck Chuck is the enforcer. He keeps the feline members of the crew in their place. They never mix it up with him, even though he’s smaller. Chuck likes attention but he’s somewhat tempermental. We think he is jealous of Porky because he likes to pick on him when we aren't looking. Also known as "Sage", Chuck has buck teeth; but, braces are not in the budget for awhile. Nick, aka "A Pain in the Nick" Nick is our most people friendly kitty. He’s the loner, as far as the other cats are concerned and he likes to keep it that way. His job is to roll around in the dirt, sneak in the house, and jump into people's cars.  Homer Homer is the youngest of the older kittys. He was a sickly orphan from the streets of LA. His first mommy adopted him and they roomed together at college. He soon became the darling of the dorm. But, then his mommy transferred to UC Davis, and Homer was sent to live on the farm. He is the only crew member that has flown cross country. Homer's job is to be elusive. Porky, aka the Pork Porky's job is to be cute. He comes running when we call him and has learned to jump up on the utv passenger seat and ride around with us. He loves bacon and chipmunks. Here he is making sure the printer is working properly. He loves his work. Porky also loves to climb trees.   Our Porky became seriously ill one weekend in 2006 and we had to rush him in for emergency care. After several days and a handful of tests, he was diagnosed with Polycythemia vera, a rare and fatal blood disorder that affects not only cats and dogs, but humans as well. It was a trying time on the farm; our resident mischief maker was deathly ill; we thought the Pork had used up all his nine lives.
Fortunately, our Porker regained his strength and he was able to return to a somewhat normal existence. Presently, he is taking a chemo drug-hydroxy urea, once a day
and it seems to be stabilizing his condition. We remain hopeful that he will be able to live a long and satisfying life-at the very least a contented one with his crew. December 2007 Update: Porky's health has improved and we have reduced his drug dosage. May 2008 Update: We are slowly reducing Porker's meds. December 2008 Update: We are now weaning Porky off his meds to two times a week and hope to have him drug-free by spring. January 2009 Update: Porky's blood tests indicate that he is normal; we are reducing his meds in half to half a ml still twice a week. January 2010 Update: We've dropped Porky's meds to a half ml every other week. If his blood test comes back normal next month, we will remove him from the drugs completely. Chow time! Nick, you snooze, you lose. Kona smells the grub... Sup Paco? Two determined pups. Paco waiting patiently to smell the cat food. "feed your soul" | |
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