National Tabby Day!!!

Finally a day to celebrate Tabbies! Speaking as a tabby myself – an anomaly among a house and extended family of black and grey cats – I am sorely outnumbered. But I don’t mind, not really. Part of being a tabby is standing out in a crowd!! For Caturday Art, I present a collage of Angel Tabbies that blessed mom with their presence in her life. Mom couldn’t find photos of two them so we used clip art representations. 

 

 

We are remembering  angel tabby, Cinco. Please go Here for condolences if you wish. 

We are blog hopping!!!

Caturday Art

 

Cat Blogosphere

Pet Parade

Zsa Zsa and Zoo-pets!

Z is for Zsa Zsa and Pets that belonged in a Zoo that weren’t previously blogged about!

  Martin Van Buren (1837-1841), James Buchanan (1857-1861), Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929), Richard Nixon (1969-1974), and Jimmy Carter (1977-1981).

 

Zsa Zsa

President John F. Kennedy was given a white rabbit named Zsa Zsa by a magician. The rabbit supposedly played the first five bars on the Star Spangled Banner on a gold trumpet and drank beer. She didn’t stay long at the WH; she was sent to an orphanage – maybe to entertain the poor orphans!

vintage illustration

 

Zoo Animals

President Martin Van Buren was given a pair of tiger cubs by the Sultan of Oman. Apparently Van Buren wanted to keep the cubs at the WH because Congress had to force him to donate them to the local zoo.

representative photo

President James Buchanan was given a “herd” of elephants by the King of Siam (Thailand). Once source says they never arrived because President Lincoln politely turned the gift down. Another source said the elephants when directly to the local zoo.  The President was also reported to have a pair of Bald Eagles but it is not known as to whether the eagles lived at the WH or the zoo.

vintage illustration

President Theodore Roosevelt had numerous animals that belonged in a zoo. Some of them lived at the WH, others at his home in New York. He had a hyena, lion, coyote, zebra, barn owl, raccoon, five bears, flying squirrel and a wildcat.

all vintage photos/illustrations

President Calvin Coolidge was given a pair of lion cubs by the Mayor of Johannesburg, South Africa. He named them Budget Bureau and Tax Reduction and sent them to the zoo. He also had a wallaby, a black bear, a duiker and a bobcat named Smokey.

Poor babies, they look miserable. These supposedly photos of the actual cubs.

Duiker, representative photo

Bobcat, representative photo

Wallaby – sort of a mini-kangaroo!

President Jimmy Carter’s daughter was gifted with an elephant by a Sri Lankan immigrant. The elephant was sent to the National Zoo.

Representative photo

President Richard Nixon probably got the coolest gift, er, loan of all! Thanks to him we have pandas in the National Zoo!! China sent pandas Ling-ling and Hsing-Hsing to the United States after Nixon’s historic visit to their country in 1972. Not really pets, per se, but then neither are bears, wallabies and lion or tiger cubs.

This is a photo of the pandas, but I don’t know which is which!

First Lady Pat Nixon with the pandas

 

Well, that’s it!! That’s the end of this run and boy am I tired!! I hope you enjoyed this month of posts! I enjoyed researching and sharing all the information!  On my reflections post sometime in May I’m going to post some questions for you to answer – don’t worry – they’ll be easy!! My Caturday Art will be in a separate post!!!

  Cat Blogosphere

Pet Parade

Yukon and Yuki

Y is for Yukon and Yuki

  Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969).

Yukon

President Herbert Hoover brought with him a pack of dogs to the WH; one of them was Yukon and his breed was listed as an “Eskimo dog.” An ‘Eskimo dog’ was likely a Malamute but as there aren’t any available photographs it’s hard to know exactly.

Representative photo

 

Yuki

President Lyndon B. Johnson may be more well known for his beagles, Him and Her, but the dog he truly seemed to favor was Yuki, a white terrier mix his daughter Luci found abandoned at a gas station in Johnson City, Texas in 1966. The President and Yuki (Japanese for snow) hit it off from the very beginning and the dog went to cabinet meetings, stayed in the oval office and was a frequent overnight guest in President Johnson’s bedroom (as opposed to the kennel where the dogs usually stayed when not with the family).  The President and Yuki enjoyed singing and swimming together, as well.

When the Republican nominee Richard Nixon stopped by the WH to discuss Vietnam, Johnson and Yuki walked Nixon out to Marine One. As Nixon prepared to board, Yuki went ahead and boarded. Johnson was heard to say, “Look, you’ve got my helicopter, you’re after my job, and now you want my dog!” Nixon allegedly responded, “I told you I want your job, not your dog!”

When President Johnson left the WH, Yuki went with him on Air Force One to the LBJ Ranch. The little dog was beside him when he died in 1973. After Johnson’s death, Yuki went to live with Luci Johnson Nugent. Johnson’s favorite dog died in 1979 aged 13-14 years.

President Johnson Trying to Sign New Bill…15 Dec 1967, Washington, DC, USA — A slight obstacle presented itself when President Johnson prepared to sign the meat inspection bill at the White House today. His pet dog Yuki jumped up on the desk. But the president finally signed the law, which he said would be used by the government to force dirty meat packing plants to “clean up or close down.” — Image by Bettmann/CORBIS

Yuki’s collar

  One more letter to go – Yay!!!!

X-tra Special Horses!

X is for horses that are X-tra special to their presidents

  George Washington (1789-1797), Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), John Tyler (1841-1845), Zachary Taylor (1849-1850), Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865), and Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877).

Nelson and Blueskin

President George Washington had many horses but his favorites were his two war-time mounts, Nelson and Blueskin. Nelson was a chestnut or pale brown gelding with a white blaze. He was much calmer under cannon fire and would come whenever Washington called him.  On October 19, 1781 General George Washington rode Nelson into Yorktown to accept the surrender of General Cornwallis – even though paintings suggest it was his grey stallion, Blueskin. Because of his white coat, Blueskin is the horse most often portrayed in paintings.  Blueskin was half Arabian, sired by Ranger; Ranger was also known as Lindsay’s Arabian and was said to have come from the Sultan of Morocco. After the Revolutionary War was over, both horses retired to Mount Vernon.

Washington on Nelson, maybe?

General Washington and Blueskin

Caractacus

President Thomas Jefferson’s favorite riding horse was Caractacus. He was foaled on May 7, 1775, the offspring of AllyCroker (mare belonging to Jefferson) and Fearnought (stallion belonging to William Dandridge).  In 1781 when Jefferson was the Governor of Virginia, the British army came close to capturing him but he managed to elude them with Caractacus’ help.

Possible Portrait of Caractacus

Sam Patch

President Andrew Jackson’s favorite mount was a white horse named after one of America’s first celebrities, Sam Patch, famously known for jumping over Niagara Falls and to have survived. (click on the link above of Wiki info!)

Sam Patch

The General

President John Tyler was an excellent horseman and before he became president, Tyler would ride his favorite horse, The General, all over Charles City County, Virginia keeping his legal circuit appointments. The General was a faithful companion for twenty years and when he died, Tyler had him buried on the property of his Sherwood Forest Plantation. He wrote the epitaph, “Here lies the body of my good horse, “The General”. For Twenty years he bore me around the circuit of my practice, and in all that time he never made a blunder. Would that his master could say the same!”

Representative vintage painting

Old Whitey

Before he became president, Zachary Taylor rode a shaggy white horse called Old Whitey into many battles during the Mexican-American War. Old Whitey was not bothered by anything on the battlefield – he ignored the screams of men and the booming cannons and guns. After seeing Taylor through many victories on the battlefield, he was able to retire when President Taylor moved into the WH. Old Whitey grazed on the WH lawn and visitors would take a piece of his tail hair with them for good luck. Poor Whitey’s luxurious tail was eventually plucked into a limp mop. When Taylor died, Old Whitey had the honor of being the Riderless horse in the funeral procession.

Old Whitey

Old Bob

In his pre-presidential years Abraham Lincoln rode his faithful horse, a sorrel named Robin, or ‘Old Bob’ on his circuit as a lawyer. When President Lincoln moved to the WH he left Old Bob to retire in Springfield. Later after Lincoln’s assassination, Old Bob was brought to Washington and walked in the funeral procession.

My mom wouldn’t mind having this horse model!!

Jeff Davis

General Ulysses S. Grant’s war mount was a black horse named Jeff Davis. He was so spirited that he was almost unmanageable. After the war and while in the WH Jeff Davis remained one of Grant’s favorite horses. (And yes, mom does find it curious that Grant’s favorite horse – his battle horse – had the same name as the Confederate States’ President Jefferson Davis. Hmmm)

Jeff Davis is on the far right.

 

Bonus Post!!

Simon and BobbieSue say “Hey!”

NATIONAL PRIME RIB DAY

National Prime Rib Day is observed annually on April 27th.   Sometimes known as the “King of Meats,” Prime Rib is a choice beef cut from one of the eight prime cuts of beef.

A rubbed-on seasoned and then slow roasted prime rib will give you a deliciously tender, tasty main course.

 

Purrs and Prayers

William needs your purrs and prayers as he finds his way to the Bridge. Please go here to leave words of comfort.

 

 

 

 

 

Maggie has moved on to the Rainbow Bridge. Please go here to offer words of solace.