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. :)