Smart Kitty

I have two cats.   They are brother and sister yet incredibly different.    Smudgie (boy) is the man about town – always on an adventure.   His sister, Cally, is content to view the world from the bay window in my bedroom. 

It’s a great vantage point to view the bird feeders.   Plus warm and cozy.  Smart kitty!

Furry & Feathered Friends

I haven’t posted lately ‘cuz the garden is hibernating.  Yet life goes on.

I was pleasantly surprised when I looked out my kitchen window last Wednesday morning (on one of the coldest days of the season) to see one of my feathered friends.

A bluebird!   

I don’t see them around much so I was surprised to see one on this chilly morning.  Sitting atop the feeder pole.  The feeder was empty so perhaps he was sending a message.  Seed is not their food-of-choice but I have seen them eating it when meal worms, etc. are not available.

On another note, have you ever seen a Pug after Thanksgiving turkey consumption?

On a tryptophan high!  Conked out and snoring to beat the band!  Haha!

And then there’s silly Cally cat who randomly decides to play dead.

She just drops on her back and doesn’t move!  It shocked me the first time she did it but I’ve gotten use to it.

A pleasant reminder.....as we al meander our way through the holidays, remember soon it will be time to check out the seed catalogs!  Hurray!

That Darn Cat!

I have had dogs all of my life.   Then 5 or 6 years ago when my dachshund died I knew a dog wasn’t a good fit for our lifestyle so I got cats.   Two of them.  A sister (Cally) and brother (Smudgie)  who were found huddled together with another sibling in a snow bank.  It has been quite a learning experience to say the least.   Cally is pretty much a slug – sleeping her days away.  Smudgie is the cat about town.  My intention was to have indoor cats but he would hear nothing of that.  Once the windows are open in the springtime, he is relentless in his quest to get outside.  I have had to replace window blinds countless times due to his escape efforts.  And he pops up everywhere!  Rumor has it he visits all of our neighbor's pets by peering in their basement windows.



At least he’s self sufficient….
That darn cat!

Roadtrips, Roomies and the Case of the Missing Blogger

I did it again!  I went missing!  I’ve been neglecting my blog but at least I’ve been doing a pretty good job of keeping up with everyone else’s. 

First I took a road trip at the end of May.   I went to Montreal to help my daughter sell off her things and pack up her apartment.  She’s moving back home for a bit so now I have a roomie!   Oh…and she brought her roomie too……

Miss Elsa is a 13 month old big, old baby.  She’s adjusting well but the other 4-legged inhabitants are not quite so sure about her.

Face-off in the catnip patch!

I posted about these a few weeks ago.  They were mere twigs and I didn’t have high hopes.  That’s the nice thing about going away.  If things manage to survive, the growth is a pleasant surprise!

Fingers are crossed!  Please no cucumber beetles this year!  Pretty please?

 

Almost done!  Unless I am graced with a second bloom!

Coming soon!

Coming along….

Where did this come from? 

And what’s with all the yellow?  I don’t even like yellow!

So that’s what’s been going on in my neck of the woods.  I haven’t been out in the garden very much because of the rain but hopefully that will change this week.  I have a few more veggies to throw in the garden and well, with rain comes weeds…..lots of ‘em!

Patience & Crazy Cats

The lack of sunshine is holding up production. The sun has been hiding for 4 days and it shows in the garden with only an itty bitty growth in the past week. At least the lettuce is still holding up. It will become dinner over the next few days.

I Taut I Saw A Puddy Tat
Tonight, as I am washing the dishes I looked out the window and to my amazement one of my crazy cats (Mr. Smudgie) was chillin' out and grabbing a nap on the edge of the pool ring. Hello? Optical illusion? Apparently not!

After about 15-20 minutes of chilling he woke up and decided he was thirsty and very conveniently slurped some water from the pool (thankfully no chlorine had been added yet!).


I wasn't quite sure what to do at this point - after all he could easily puncture the pool ring. So I let out a whistle to catch his attention.....then off and running he came. Silly, silly cat.

The Great Outdoors - Never a Dull Moment!

Garden Chores of the Puttering Kind

An unexpectedly nice day made for a wonderful afternoon puttering in the garden. Managed to add compost and till the raised beds, water some (the rain barrel was overflowing!), clean here, rake there, yada yada...... Ended the afternoon by cleaning and setting up the patio set up - dinner al fresco is not far away. Yahoo!

Checked on the seedlings that were planted 1 week ago today and was delighted to see that the Bush Champion cucumbers are raring to go - already about 2" high - and the Pink Star Morning Glories are up 'n at 'em too! In just 1 week! Makes me happy that I started later this year. Hopefully the transition to the great outdoors will be an easy one.

Animals ...... Wild & Otherwise

I have been a dog person all of my life. Then when my last dog, a dachshund called Mr. Twister, died 5 years ago I knew I was not ready for another dog. Kids were growing wings and empty nest was on the horizon. The responsibilities of another dog were something that I really needed to give some thought to. After three months of mulling it over, I was as lonely as hell but still knew that a dog was too much at this point in life. And that is how I ended up with not one but two cats, Cally Cat & Smudgie Bug ("the Brats"). Brother and sister kittens found in a snow bank. They were so damn cute I could not resist! I quickly discovered that the thing is....cats like to catch things! I don't like that! Out of necessity is one thing but since they are well fed so it just peeves me off. I know, I know, it's about the thrill of the hunt. I get it. I just don't like it.

So at the end of an enjoyable day in the garden, I look out the window while washing dishes and detect cat shenanigans in the backyard. At 1st I give the customary cat whistle (which, believe it or not, brings the Brats running) but their attention is elsewhere. Uggg. What the hell are they up to?

I spot my neighbor's cat, Basil, heading up from the creek with something in his mouth. Good lord - here I go again. I couldn't tell what it was until he was closer. A beautiful baby bunny!

I grabbed a huge tree branch and start swinging it to make him drop the bunny. (Great - another reason for my neighbor to think I am nuts!) The cat dropped the bunny but it started sliding down the hill towards the creek and couldn't get it's footing. With 3 cats lurking, I had no choice but to slide down the hill after it. I was able to get the little guy and set him up in a box with hay and carrot and lettuce. He didn't appear to be hurt just terrified. I read on the internet not to handle him too much so I can't be certain.if he was hurt or not. I tucked him away in the garage (away from kitties) for the night. I'll say a little prayer and figure out what to do in the morning.

More Turkey Tales!

Turkey....a Recurring Theme

With a beautiful day at hand, open windows were the way to go. A tad on the cool side with a slight wind blowing the curtains..... a welcome sensation. What's not to love about the great outdoors in the Spring! Trees budding, birds tweeting.......mmmm more good days to come.

As I was checking my email, I heard an unusual sound in the backyard. I poked my head out the window and down by the creek there was a visitor.......a wild turkey! I was surprised and delighted to have this visitor. Although I have seen them elsewhere, I have
never had any in my yard before. I made a dash for my camera and ran out to the deck.

I managed to get a few pics when the turkey started flapping and screeching. As I looked up I spotted the culprit - Smudgie Bug. Damn cat! Out of nowhere! Down goes the camera and off and running I am. Clapping and screaming like a lunatic! Reflecting back, I hope my neighbors were all busy with their lives. Not a pretty picture - the turkey is screeching and flapping, the cat is in hot pursuit and I am flipping out! Oy!

The end result turned out fine. The turkey escaped.

As delighted as I was to have a new visitor, please ....no more turkeys in my yard.