Flashback Friday

Today we go to this week 2014! 

Ayla was posing beautifully.

They were all patiently waiting to go out...

And then were more insistent!

Marley caught a frog.  He seldom did that, and wasn't quite sure what to do with it.

Ayla slept on my lap, with Iza nearby.

Later, she went out to hunt mousies.  You can see she is figuring out exactly where it is.  And yes she caught it but carried it off on her own.

An evening with the Mews all enjoying the cat trees...  Marley jumped up later.

Iza played peek-a-boo from under a chair.

It was a good week...

Womancat Wensday

LORI:  I had a good time outside yesserday!  I caught a birdie.

And a froggie. 

A flappy an a hoppy - what fun!

Garden Tour Thursday

AYLA:  Hi!  Ready a take The Garden Tour?  Well, lets see wat we have in this hot weather...

The Black-Eyed Susans are used ta this an are doin fine.

The Purple Coneflowers are strugglin a bit,  but thats probly cuz they are growin if the gravel pathway.  They will be moved in Fall.

These are baby frogs.  Or toads mebbe.  Cant tell yet.

TBT put out a tub ta grow these aquarium plants and some frog or toad mom found it real quick!

These are som Black-Eyed Susans TBT moved to the Meadow Bed a couple weeks ago.   They are strugglin a bit, but if they have lasted 2 weeks, they will probly be OK.  We dont expect much this year, but are hoping for good ones next year.  They hadda be moved cuz they were in a path an TVT doesnt like brushing past bees.

 The tomatoes are doing OK, but they better grow fast to produce fruits!

Same with the corn...

And the cukes.  Everything was planted late this year.

These bottles are on tubes in the soil to get water down deep to the tomato  roots.  The red plastic is good for sunlight the tomatoes like (an confooses the bugs).  But it doesnt let water through.

We think this is a Niger Thistle flower.  It is a volunteer from last year.

This MAY be  a weed.  But the bees like it an not much else is growin in the bee/butterfly bed...

Some of the Daylilies are still blooming.  It is late for them.  But it has been rainy and mebbe that helps...

Some Petunias are still blooming.  Now THAT is unusual.

Even 1 pot on the hot deck still has some flowers!

Well, lets relax on the deck, since we are here.  It is shady an cooler now.  But it IS still kinna hot out so we are just gonna have crunchy treats and Niptinis.  And cool water...

Thanks for coming along on this weeks Garden Tour!

Twofer Tuesday - Froggie Fun

IZA:  Marley caught a frog (he loves to catch anything that moves) and brought it to the deck.  And then went off to find a mousie ta eat.

Frogs aren't my favrites ta eat.   But movement IS inneresting.  He came back to see why I wasnt eating it.  Well, I like warm stuff better.

So we stared at it fer a while...

I swear, I sniff them and Im not sure they are really alive.  I dont smell blood or warmth or anything.  

But when I tap them, they move.  Well loose fevvers move when  you tap them too, so what?

But it hopped of the deck, so we stopped wondering about it.  Some questions just cant be answered...

Mancat Monday

Marley here.  TBT is not been feeling too happy about his vet dentist visit comin up in a couple days.  So my our posts might get a bit behind fer a while...

I enjoyed sniffin around the pond fer froggies today.  Well, not "sniffin" ezactly, they dont smell warm.  But they do move an that's what I mean.

Yeah, the pond is lookin kinna limp, and I wouldnt drink anny of THAT water.  But it will improve lots in a couple big moons.  The plants will fix that up.  Its cuz TBT covers it fer a few weeks each Spring ta keep the Peeper-froggies from keepin him awake all night.

But then, it was time ta come inside. TBT was shakin the treat jar to me.  Food  calls.

Lawn Frog

MARLEY:  The best place to play with a froggie is in the middle of the lawn.  They arent sure where they are, an iffen they start ta hop to the pond, ya got time to catch them again.

This one may look a little weerd, but its tryin ta hide itself unner the grass. 

Like THAT werks!  MOL!  You are seein only the back legs, which are the only good parts ta eat.  The rest of it is tryin ta hide.  Too bad it doesnt know I dont want the parts it is hiding...

Mancat Monday

MARLEY: Today I am being Mancatly by doin some HUNTING!  Im waiting fer the frogs to come up out of the pond again.  I sneak up on the pond carefully, but I missed the first one I pounced at and they all dove inta the water.  It takes some getting-used-to ta grab things that jump randomly and then can hide in water.

So I sit next ta the pond quietly fer a few minnits til they have ta come up ta breathe.  It helps ta sit on soft weeds and then have a nice quiet rock ta step onto when they do show up again.

I'd rather catch a mousie, but they just dont come out in midday even when I sing my mousie song to them.

Mancat Monday - Froggy Handling

MARLEY:  I mentioned handling frogs recently, but I dint show it well.  Well, today I am doing that.

First, see the head grab?  Thats impawtant.  

 Frogs do a nasty at the other end. Ya want to shake that out of them. 

So always carry them by the head!

Dont worry, it seems they dont have teeth...

The neck is OK, especially when ya want ta get them in the house.  They slightly don't show to the Beins as much that way. But mine is good at spotting me carryin them.  I hope yours is worse.

But ya gotta let them go iffen ya wanna play with them.  Here, ya see me lookin away ta get the froggie ta jump thinkin Im not watchin.

 It never werks fer the froggie.  I'm tappin it ta remind it Im there.

 Sometimes it takes several taps...

OK, its playing dead (an it ISNT).  They DO that.  Moles and mousies squeek and run.  Froggies pretend they are dead.  DONT be fooled.

And BTW the legs are the only really good parts ta eat...

Mancat Monday On Tuesday

MARLEY:  I have discovered - FROGS!!!  The little pond is FULL of them.

I had been noticing some things jumping into the pond while I walked around the plants near the pond searchin fer mousies, but I could never quite figure out what they were, and when I did stop to sniff one, they werent warm like little critters OUGHT to be.

But the other day, finding no mousies, I decided to investigate the cold jumpy things more carefully.  After all, they DO move (even if a bit oddly), so there might be something to them.  After I studied their jumping patterns, I grabbed a couple and carried them away from the pond to see iffen they were good ta play with.

There ARE!  Ya gotta poke them in the butt a few times ta get them ta hop, but they are good fer chasin and grabbin again fer a few minnits.  After that, they just scrunch themselfs up tight and lay there all grumpy-like.

The legs are a bit tasty, but thats about all there is ta eat on them.  Still, they are fun ta catch.

TBT told me what they were when he saw I caught a couple, an he said they were LC's favrit toys.  That was neat ta learn!  Mebbe I'll get TBT ta take some pictures so you all can see what ta look for around ponds.

BTW, when ya pick them up in yer mouf, get them by the head.  They pee when grabbed!  I discovered that the hard way...

Garden Tour Thursday

MARLEY:  Oh boy, I get ta do the garden tour this week!   And this week, it WILDLIFE!!!

First is my favrit.  Its an ant lion pit.  The ant lion hides in the bottom and waits fer an ant to fall over the edge.  And when it cant climb out, the ant lion GRABS it an pulls it unner the dirt!  Is that COOL or what?

This neat guy hovers like a hummerbird, looks like a bee, but its a moth.

We dont know what this is, but its big and looks fierce...

Speaking of fierce, this snakie is getting warm on the storm drain grate an waitin fer a frog to come along.  Its small but I wouldnt get TOO close.

We got 3 goldfishies in the pond ta prettify it.  Theyve been in there since Ayla moved here.  And NO, we dont eat the decorations!

And finally, we have frogs in the pond.  They make funny noises , especially when snakie grabs them...  But theres always more frogs.

Ayla is wavin an saying our snacks are up on the deck.  We have crumbled meatloaf!  And chicken kibble for those more tradionally oriented...  Olus Ayla has made Meowgaritas and there is Nip leafs fer appetizers.

Thank you so much fer coming ta visit...