Taking A Bite Out Of Crime

When putting up a bird feeder, protection is very important (especially in areas with a lot of wildlife traffic, like my yard). Sometimes you even need to take it a step further and match the degree of protection to the type of food presented....
....or you may become the victim of a crime!

Well, a crime with a certain "cuteness factor" :)

Submitted to Friday Ark.

Gardening Review 2009: Furball Harvest

Not the harvesting of furballs, but the harvesting for furballs. Since I was disciplined this year (i.e. broke) and skipped purchasing annuals, I decided to plant some goodies for my feline friends. In this 2 quart enamel planter I have seeded catnip and "variegated cat grass" (Hordeum vulgare). The wire mesh cover is to keep nosey chipmunks and squirrels from burying their food in it, but it performs a valuable function when it comes to the "harvest". Planting was on June 1st... ....and by June 12th the grass is really taking off. The catnip was just barely emerging at this point, though.

The first harvest that Gizmo and Bentley enjoyed was on June 29th....

....as you can see, the grass is all they can reach. Catnip is growing well though, and the mesh is protecting it from premature harvest. (Not to mention protecting the grass from being uprooted completely.)

Second harvest was on July 12th, and again only the grass is accessible....

....though you can see the catnip is larger. Slowly but surely I guess.

See how nicely the grass is trimmed? Yet still firmly rooted and ready to bounce back.

Finally on August 7th the catnip is tall enough for the kitties to enjoy, though I picked it for them myself.

The third harvest was on August 22nd, when the boys enjoyed the grass.... ....and the nice tall catnip!

By this time, the catnip was growing so well, that I picked a couple handfuls for them again on October 28th. Then finally, despite some cold weather here and there, the cats enjoyed one more harvest on November 8th. Gizmo must have realized this was the "last hurrah", because he positioned himself over the planter as if to say "Mine!"

Based on this experience, I'd say there are 2 more gardeners in this household who are hooked on "growing your own". I guess carnivores can be enthusiastic farmers as well! =^^= Submitted to Friday Ark.

Kitties, kitties, ko-ko pop....

...kitties, kitties pop! These are my roommates, Gizmo (in black), and Bentley (in white). Many of you have met them before . Much as I enjoy their company (and antics), I'm also aware of the stereotypes about "middle-aged women with cats". Not only am I okay with all that, but I'm about to reveal something that will dial it up a notch.... ...I make up songs for my cats. There. I said it. The opening line of this post was one of them, but there are several more. Some are "character-specific", like "Bentley-rentley puddin' and pie, he's a kittycat kinda guy".

Or "We're off to see the Grizzard, the wonderful Grizzard of Oz".

There's the Reggae-inspired "Bent-a-rrrent, ramalama ding-dong, kitty-ka-kitty, kiiiyta kitta kiteee, meow-me-meow, meowny meowny meownee". (Hard to spell out the sounds sometimes, but I think you get the drift :)
Ouch! Guess that one's "panned by the critics" (or subject to severe editing!) Some of you may be thinking I'm more than a little goofy, and should keep my goofiness concealed...

...or at least "caged in"...

...or perhaps you find me downright scary!

However, I'm okay with non-conformity or "breaking through the cardboard barriers of social norms"...

....to serenade my feline friends with my personal "kitty ditties".
"Meow for kitties, meow for kitties, meow for kitties, because they go meow meow!" Submitted to Friday Ark.

Personal Space

Hey! Look at this lovely crab spider I spotted last spring...

...resting on a forming lupine bloom...

....spinning a web of some sort......and taking issue with my attention!
Get back....

...get back...

...get back to where you once belonged! (Or anywhere really, so long as it's not here!)

Submitted to Friday Ark.

Turkey-lurkey Lurking

I was coming home from work one day this past June, and noticed something lurking behind a pine...

...moving slowly through the brush, still hard to see...

...as I get closer, the "guest" moves along to make a retreat...

...coming into the open, my guest is a nice big turkey!
As I try to get a better look, she hurries a tad more......glancing back as she disappears into the woods.

That's why they call them "turkey-lurkey"-they're often lurking! Submitted to Friday Ark.

(My absence from Blogger for so long has been filled with days of vertigo too numerous to mention...I'll provide an update on the veggie planters, etc. ASAP. Thank goodness most plants take care of themselves pretty well! :)

Mr. and Mrs.

May I introduce Mr. Hummingbird.... ...taking note of my presence...

...before chowing right down.

And then taking off to patrol the yard.

Next the Mrs. arrives......also taking note of my location...

...then going about her business....

...with a parting glance and a "What are you looking at?"

Just bird watching, ma'am. Submitted to Friday Ark.

Listen to this!

As a gardener, my primary motivation is to enjoy the outdoors and raise some lovely flowers...maybe even a veggie or two. A "side benefit" is all the creatures that share my home and gardens, and this sound is nightly throughout the warm seasons up here. It's the call of the Whip-poor-will , and this is by far the loudest I've ever heard it, I think he was right outside the window! Submitted to Friday Ark.

Why Don't We Do It In The Road?

It's that time of year, when the Tom turkeys are out to impress their wimmin'.... .....there's no shortage of competition, either. They seem to beg the question, "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?"

Oh right, that's why!

Submitted to Friday Ark

Fuzzy...

....wuzzy...
....was a .... ....bear! I was driving home from work last week, and saw a car pulled off the side of the road with people standing next to it. As I slowed to see what was going on, I realized they were watching this very large bruin about 100 yards away. As you can see from this last picture, he was watching them, too.

I wish my little cameras' zoom could have been better, but it was cool enough to finally have photographic evidence of the bears I've seen up here. For some reason, every single year since moving to Wisconsin I've been lucky enough to spot a bear. Usually they are just dashing across the road, one time I had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision. (Although I did have a more personal experience with a bear I never actually saw.) It seems that the big ones like this are more casual, just sauntering along like they own the place. (As far as I'm concerned he does.) Submitted to Friday Ark.