Lost and Found

For awhile there I lost my sign in information here and couldn't remember what it was. That happens as you age so it's nothing to worry about. I've been spending a lot of time on Facebook but find I don't like it near as well as I do here. I think this is more personal.

A lot has happened since I posted last. We lost several of our cats for one reason or another. There were tears and sadness but time heals most things and we're thankful for the time we had with them. We still have a dozen left so there's still lots of love to go around.

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is a week from this Thursday and Christmas is around the corner. We're spending Thanksgiving at home and the way it's looking, Christmas too.
The families just don't seem to be as excited about the holidays this year but I'm not going to allow that to dampen my spirit. I'm going to decorate the house, post pics for you to see, share some recipes and mail out Christmas cards and boxes of homemade treats to those far away and deliver treat boxes to those close by. I think Christmas is what you make of it. So remember the reason for the season and rejoice in it. Life passes much too quickly.

Molly's New Litter

Molly had five kittens last week.

 

She had them under the house on some old insulation. We put them all in a box with a blanket and a towel. They seem content.

Sissy, a long haired calico the neighbors left behind is getting ready to have a litter of her own. Hopefully we can find homes for them all.

 

New Additions

A thinner Molly showed up on the porch so that meant she had her litter. Ray found them under the house. Looks like four but it was difficult to know for sure yet. She's pretty protective of them at the moment. We know of one red one, a black one and what looks like a gray tabby. Not sure if there's a fourth or not as they can all look like a ball of fur cuddled together. We'll know more in the coming weeks.

Bella had to spend a night at the vet last night.

She'd been sick for a few days coughing. The vet said she was the fourth cat this week to come in with her condition. She's better now and will be back home today hopefully.

Time Flies

Wow! March is almost gone and April is knocking already. The first quarter of 2012 is coming to a close.

I've been a bit more busy than I have been. When the weather heats up, so does my energy. I've already planted 20 strawberry plants and some Aster seeds too. Managed to weed a bed and save some hollyhocks from smothering out like they did last year. Was happy about that.


Ray got the first full mowing of the lawn completed and it sure looks nice having all the grass the same height. Spring is here and the trees are beginning to open their leaves. The lilac bush will bloom for it's first time this year outside the bedroom window. It's still too small to send much fragrance through, but that was the plan when I planted it there two years ago. I know eventually it will.


A couple of our feral female cats are plump with kittens again so we'll be having more kitten pics in the coming weeks. Still trying to figure out how to catch them so we can get them spayed. The last mating ritual brought in a couple of neighbor males that managed to bite two of my males. One is neutered and one isn't but both got bit. Rosco, my tuxedo cat got a trip to the vet. He's OK now though and Sammy was healed before we knew he was bitten. He's fine too. Those males are nasty during mating season.


Bought several packets of seeds for planting this coming month. Flowers and vegetables are on the agenda. Got some pretty containers for annuals too. A trip to our favorite greenhouses will be coming up soon. Pics will be posted when everything matures.


We're going to replace some of our decking this spring and stain it a redwood color. Other parts will be painted green like it was before. It's time to freshen up around here and make it look inviting again. 


Well, with spring, comes storms too. I can hear the thunder outside and the wind is picking up too so I'll close for now.


Any plans around your home for this spring and summer?

No Snow

Seems our big snowstorm didn't happen. Not too upset as it is a mess when it does snow.

A Big Snowstorm is Coming!

Yes, according to our weatherman we may see 6"-12" of snow beginning tomorrow and lasting through Sunday. Looks like we may get the entire winter's worth in one day! I'm sending Ray to the market for lunch meat in case the power goes out and in weather like that, it usually does. We have a back up gas heater for warmth which is good.
Hoping to be well enough to build a snowman with Ray once the snow has come...we'll see.

Love

Life can keep us so busy we hardly have time for the things we'd like to say, and before you know it...we've run out of time. I've thought about all the people important to me. Those I've loved who've passed on and those still here. If it's one thing I have learned, it's that real love never dies. The deep love you've shared with someone can stay with you a lifetime.
My grandparents and I shared that kind of love. In my darkest hours it's their voices of encouragement that comfort me. The days of laughter and joy we shared are now my "happy places."

Certain scents remind me of them too.
The smell of bacon and coffee in the morning bring visions of granny breaking eggs in a bowl before adding them to the skillet. She would never serve an egg with a double yoke. They had to be perfect before they'd make it to her table. I'm careful myself and think of her when that occasional double yoke appears now.

She and I share a love for several things:

We enjoyed the company of one another.
Lilacs, Iris, Peonies and Roses, Hot Cocoa, Strawberries, Ice Cream and Hot Tea.
Growing and eating Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans, Silver Queen Sweet Corn, and Watermelons.
The shade of a country porch on a summer afternoon and the scent of lilac in the spring.
And last but not least....cats and kittens.

Snow!

Winter has returned to Hitchins with a dusting of snow this morning. I love the snow. It blankets everything. 


I've been working on another rag quilt. This one is a sunflower and raspberry print in those bright citrus colors. The back is a mottled raspberry color. The colors are so rich, they make you hungry. lol
I'll post pics when it's done.
Have a great day!

My Dream Garden

It's that time of year already. It's in between winter and spring. All I can think about are my seed catalogs and those raised garden beds I've dreamed of for years. Hopefully this will be my year.
I have a dream of four, four by eight foot raised beds with gravel in the bottom for drainage, filled with potting soil and with compost mixed in. Each bed would then have four metal posts at each end which would hold plastic mesh to keep the cats out of them. I'd plant tomatoes with marigolds in one, pole beans and zucchini in another. The third would be nothing but strawberries, and the forth would hold our lettuce and radishes.
I'd surround the entire garden with a white picket fence. The back corners would have sunflowers growing in each one with a birdbath in the center. The left front corner would have a birdhouse up on a spindle pole painted white with a blue roof. There would be a gate on the front right side with those old black metal hinges and a latch to keep it secure. I'd place gravel all around the outside of each bed for walking and a park bench for resting.
Wouldn't that be a peaceful place for growing things.

Thanks for sharing my dream with me today. :)

Waking Up

Got some coffee in my cup and still waking up. Stayed up until the wee hour of 2:00am catching up on Downton Abbey. Well worth it...I think. lol
Nelly woke me up at 7:30am licking my fingers.

Considering that was a hint she was hungry, thought it best I get up and feed her something. Now I don't think like a cat, but I do wonder if they think figure eights around your legs and constant whining is going to get them that plate any faster.
My hair is getting thinner...must be all the tugging at it I've done. :)

Once outside to feed the rest of the clowder I was greeted by this....

Pretty isn't it.
I hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Blogging

Blogging is fun, although I haven't done much lately. I guess it's because I thought I had to be interesting when my life isn't always. I tend to forget it's the little things that can make it that way.
For example, you can't see the drama that goes on behind my computer screen.
You can't see Peety hanging on the back of my computer chair as I type.

He's wanting me to play the laser light game with him downstairs.
If it's one thing I've learned about cats, it's that they're the ones in control. If you think otherwise, they've still won because you aren't aware of it.

Sam wakes us up jumping on top of the TV around 3am with a sound very close to the word "Hey!"

He's lonely at that hour and wants to snuggle. Thankfully Ray has taken on that job as of late so I can get some sleep.

Our feline family has grown over the years from five to a bulging thirteen. Three are inside cats and the rest are mostly outside cats. There are three who will use us a doormen at their whim.

We buy cat food in large bags and cases of canned. They're all healthy and have had their shots and spays and neutering. They can be a lot of work and expense but the love they provide is worth it.
When I'm in pain, several will lay in bed with me and some next to the spots that hurt. They seem to know where they are and the heat of their body eases it.

They do return the love they're given and that makes it all worthwhile.

Thanks for stopping by today.

A Stillness

This frosty winter morning I stepped outside to gather up the cat's feeding dishes. Once out there, I noticed a blessed thing so special I had to stop and just take it all in. There was a quiet stillness to everything. Simply one of God's little blessings, winter stillness.

Odd Ice

Found this odd ice formation in the cat's water bowl this morning.

Looks like gravity failed in that one spot.

Nice Weather for Winter

We're enjoying another nice sunny day today. Yesterday there was a bluebird out on the roof. I was lucky enough to get a pic of him before he flew off. 

 

They used to be endangered but due to nesting boxes placed in rural areas they're not anymore. 

Because they are my favorite bird, I did a painting of one last year.

It's Finished!

This is the first rag quilt of the year. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet though.
I have a habit of giving them as gifts for Christmas.



Already?

The Christmas tree and decorations have been removed for almost a week now. The big ball has dropped in Times Square and we're already five days into 2012. This year is flying by already. 

The seed catalogs are arriving in the mail and once again my mind begins to drift to spring when the scent of the earth fills my head with dreams of tomato plants, marigolds, zucchini and other garden goodies. I'm hoping Ray will put in those raised garden beds I've been wishing for this year. I'll have to figure out a good way to keep the cats out though as loose soil seems to attract them like bees to honey. 
The weather has been rather mild compared to winter's past. At least it has been so far. 
Sam has been waking us up around 3am for the past four nights. 

Sammy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 He jumps into the bed and whines. Sometimes he wants to go outside and other times he just seems to want attention. The lack of sleep is turning Ray and I both into grouches so we're trying to come up with a solution. Sam is a timid cat who's afraid of everything. Including his own shadow. Because of that, we try not to be cross with him but if this keeps up, he's going to be spending his nights outside because we're getting exhausted.

I'm now in the clipping stage of my latest rag quilt project. The fabrics are from the "Sip of Summer" fabric collection from Connecting Threads. That's one of my favorite online fabric shops.  I'll post a pic of it when it's finished which should be in the next day or so. 

Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone!