What I Did Wednesday #27

1. Cleaned the bathrooms.  Some day I'm going to get rid of that 1980's pink! ha.
2. Scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom floors.
3. Finished up the cookies.  Now have 26 dozen heart shaped wedding favors in the freezer.  Whew!
4. Enjoyed a rose bud opening!
5. Charcoal has finally, after 9 months, decided that he would like to be petted.  He comes in a flops down at my feet when he's ready. lol.  I'd say he's no longer feral. :)
6. Enjoyed a pot of coffee.
7. Gathered up all the trash.  Ended up with 4 large bags.  Geesh!  Are we the only ones that do that?  I guess that's better than keeping it around. ha.
8. Welcomed the boys home from school.  Thanked Alex for lining up the shoes.  Not sure why they have to be in the hallway, but they do!  If I move them to their closet, he moves them back! ha.
9. Noticed the strawberries are ripening!
10. Sad news...the cardinal's nest has been abandoned.  Only one egg remains.  The rosebush hasn't been disturbed at all, so I don't think it was a cat or other animal.  I'm thinking a snake!  We do have them and I saw one last spring right in that spot as he slithered right by me.  Yikes.  I still hear Mr. Cardinal singing in the yard, so maybe they are just going to try again.
11. Vacuumed.
12. Started a new bag of things to donate to the thrift store.

Did you have a nice day?

♥



Random Monday

It rained this morning. 

 The raindrops left on the bushes outside my kitchen window were amazing!

I had to snap a few photos.  So pretty!

I have a cookie order.  Wedding favors.  300 heart shaped cookies.

That's 25 dozen.  I got 7 dozen baked and in the freezer today.

I'll repeat that tomorrow...and the next day. :)

I noticed Marmalade was doing security patrol on the roof again.

Then I noticed that Charcoal must have been learning the ropes!

It's always a safe feeling to know that the cats are on security duty!

I wonder what the neighbors think!  hahahaha!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #26

1. Was put on hold this morning while on the phone and as I sat at my desk I thought my little window sill tree needed a bird.  So I drew a tiny one, colored it and glued a stray parakeet feather to it's tail. lol!  How cute!  Now, is that multi-tasking, recycling...or both? (or maybe it's just crazy?)  :)
2. Walked around in the backyard, and saw the strawberries are coming along!
3. Had a few little garden helpers with me. Five to be exact! ha.  This one is Oreo.
4. Cleaned out the utensil drawer in the kitchen.  Ran everything through the dishwasher, wiped out the drawer and reorganized it.  Better!
5. Did the same for the silverware drawer.  How do all those crumbs get in the bottom?  It's like someone ate a piece of toast over the open drawer!  Vacuumed out the empty drawer, sharpened the knives and reorganized.  MUCH better. ha.
6. Noted how beautiful the sun was shining on a bowl of strawberries in the kitchen sink.
7. The yellow iris is looking very beautiful!
8. I had rescued some vintage tea cups from the auction trash last week.  They didn't have saucers, so I washed them up and decided to use them as scoops in my canisters.  They measure about 1 cup, so that works very well!
9. Had to laugh at this....an unusual feeding time inside.  Almost all the cats nibbled on some deli ham.  And don't worry...I mopped the floor when they were done. lol.
10. Found Nugget napping in a quiet corner.  Brushed him (he's shedding something awful!) and watched him enjoy some pansies and dandelions from the yard.
11. Made a chicken and veggie pie for supper.  Scratch crust, sauce made with cream.  Yum.  Perfect comfort food.  And the best part...it's big enough for leftovers tomorrow! :)  It must have been really good because I caught Alex licking his plate. hahaha.

Did you have a good day?

What did you do?

♥

Lazy

It was a lazy day here.  Drizzly showers pitter pattered with intermittent sun rays breaking through as

I sat at my desk most of the day and cleaned out drawers.  I have hundreds of files, mostly about autism,

that have accumulated over the last 14 years.  And by the looks of some things I found at the bottom of my 'To Do' basket, I hadn't reached the bottom of it since 2009. ha.

My spring cleaning seems to me less of the scrubbing kind and more of the organizing and throwing out kind.  I need to get to some half finished projects and they are under all the unorganized stuff! 

When I needed to stretch and refill my coffee cup, I'd peak outside and see scenes like this.  Tiger and lil sis Grey snuggled up together.  :)  I have finally succeeded in petting Grey this week and actually got a purr out of her!  She's an especially tiny, quiet kitty...so sweet.

We had a pipe under the kitchen sink go soft.  I didn't know steel could do that! But after 25 years, the plumber said it's very common.  He was here today to replace the pipe.  Before I sat at my desk, I mopped the kitchen, emptied the trash and scrubbed the sinks.  Can't have the plumber thinking we're slobs! ha. You know, with things breaking in threes,  two more things will be breaking soon!  Pat, don't say a thing! lol!  (Pat predicted a laptop would break and Spencer's did!)  I hear he can't interpret his own dreams, but he can predict the future here at my zoo! lol.



The last few things are blooming here and then things will all be turning to lush green.

The rains this week and the 80 degree temps really made the green more vibrant.

This lazy day has made me yawn!  I can't stop!  Sitting all day can make me very sleepy! ha.

See what happens when I don't have to do an A to Z Challenge?  I ramble. :)

What did you do today?

♥

Random Thoughts

Remember the beautiful Red Admiral butterfly?  Well, I was outside in the garden picking some kale for Nugget (it came back on it's own!) and saw Marmalade catch and eat poor vanessa atalanta!  But the good news is that since then I've seen 3 more in the yard, so I guess the whole family is here. I was wondering why my photos always looked in focus on the wings but blurry on the butterfly's body.  Well, this shot explains it!  Look how fuzzy they are!  I guess it was in focus after all!  Believe it or not, I took this sitting at my desk, through the window

 yesterday!  My favorite part are is the action blur under the wing on the right side.

  Nice of him to pose, huh!?

One night this week, about 11:45 P.M., we are closing up the house for the night and The Mister went to the back door to make sure it was locked.  He happened to turn on the outside light and look out on the back porch at the cats.  Socks (pictured above with Oreo) was standing there in distress.  He was soaked in wet grey paint. (not ours!)  It was as if all but his head and back had been dipped in it!  Fortunately, it was fresh and wet, so I brought him inside and gave him a bath in the kitchen sink.  We had to change the water a couple of times but it washed out easily.  And he was so good!  I was expecting a fight and lots of scratches but he was very compliant.  I think he knew he was needing some help.  I'm so glad we found him before that paint dried!

  I'm not sure what we would have done then!  And I still don't know where he went!

I wish I had opened this can of  carrots when I was doing the letter C for the A to Z Challenge! haha. 
 That would have been really helpful!  Or maybe the C is for crazy? 

 Because that is just how life is at the zoo!  Not that I needed a carrot to tell me that, though. ha.

Anything crazy happen to you this week?

♥

O is for Op. Post-Op, that is.

"O" could have been for orthodontist, since I did have an appointment today.

But how boring is that?  I waited 25 minutes in the waiting room, had a 15 minute appointment, got 5 new sets of Invisaligns and came home!   I thought kitty post-op would be much more fun!

And the photographs certainly are more fun to look at. lol.  Hope you aren't tired of kitty photos!  I promise this will be it for a little while at least!  Everyone is doing very well.

Lots of catnaps, drinks and eating.  The weather has been

wonderful for lounging in the sun and sleeping.

Charcoal, watching a butterfly.

The girls, Grey and Oreo, with Bleeding Hearts and Crab Apple blossoms.

Marmalade and the lovely Redbuds

 And Domino, who's ears picked up the sound of the

camera's shutter even though I was 25 feet away!

Would you believe Marmy is the only one of these cats I've touched?  Of course, he's from

the original litter and they are all friendly.  I have made progress, though, in that they all will come inside and eat from my hand.    Their wild mothers taught them well to be distant.

At least they didn't run off and don't seem to be holding a grudge against that scary vet trip!

I'm doing the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

We're celebrating the letter "O" all day Tuesday the 16th.

♥



Saturday Showers and Second Cat Clinic Trip

Today was constant April showers!

Cool, wet, and grey.

The flowering trees have peaked and the blooms will soon  give way to lush green leaves.

Today was also cat clinic day! I successfully rounded up the remaining 5 kittens

and took them in for their neuter/spaying appointments.   I let out a little cheer when I got that

last one in a cage. ha ha.   I have to say that my little cats looked quiet tame and

sweet next to the big brut tom cats that were in line all around us.  Whoa!

There were some unhappy mangy cats in those traps!  But we all survived and they

 are here at home now, under the dining room table.

 Mission accomplished!  Nine cats done in all.

It would still be great to catch the two moms, though.  One just had a new litter and one

is pregnant!  So they are my next goal.  And two more tom cats who are seen occasionally. Haven't seen the kittens yet as she still has them in hiding.  Something tells me they will all eventually end up on my back porch. And then we'll start phase three of clinic runs.

Here's what I'm eating as I type up this post.

I baked a blackberry strawberry crisp this afternoon.

What a lovely way to end the day!

So how is your weekend coming along?

♥

K is for Kitchen Helper

Or maybe I should have just named her Shadow?

Whiskers

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

It's K all day, Thursday the 12th!

Come back tomorrow night for the letter L!

♥

J is for Jungle Cat

Ever get the feeling someone is watching you?  I kept hearing a rustling sound in the room!

Thinking I was home alone, I was intrigued...especially when this plant started moving!!

  Seems Charcoal wants that outdoor feeling even while being indoors!

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

Come back tomorrow for the letter K!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #25

1. Watered my little herb pots, which have sprouted nicely!
2. Bought a new supply of little cat nip mice.  Shy little Oreo Girl won't let me touch her, but she does sneak in through the back door and grab them in her mouth and dash outside like she's made a great capture. She must have them all stashed somewhere in the bushes.  I should have named her Magpie! ha.
3. Noticed my violet patch has bloomed.  I can see it through the fence while sitting at my desk!
4. Sat a little while on the porch swing.  The sun is warm but the breeze is still chilly!
5. Speaking of Oreo, she and her 8 siblings are resting easier today as the mean old tom cat that was attacking them and causing wounds is no longer on this earth.  Not a fun thing to do, but became necessary.  What a relief!
6. Cleaned the bird cage.
7. Went to the grocery, post office and pharmacy.  Loved all the blooming trees in the yard when I got home!
8. Began sorting the vintage bottles I got at an auction.  There are several worth enough to put on ebay!  There are also several I'd like to keep for my own collection, one which actually says Kokomo, Indiana on it, which is where I was born!  How fun!
9. We love asparagus but I've never bought white!  Do you like it?  Does it taste the same?
10. Speaking of those bottles.  Did I tell you there were 680 of them?  Yes, I finally got them all washed.  What a 3 day adventure, but it deserves it's own post, so that's all I'll say for now.
11. My coffee maker broke!  It's Pat's fault, you know.  I said things broke in threes here and that Spencer's laptop died.  He said my coffee maker would be next and it was!  I swore him to shut up and not guess a third! haha.  I've been drinking strong black tea until my new one comes that I ordered on Amazon.  But I'm telling you, I don't have my usual zip.  Although, that Zojirushi hot water system I bought The Mister has really come in handy for making cups of tea!  Still, I need my java!
12. I picked up this cute vintage metal tray at the thrift store not long ago.  The pears look nice in it as I let them ripen.
13. And last but not least, I want to announce that Jax has won the Pedicure Party Giveaway!!!  Congratulations, Jax!  Email me your mailing address and I'll get your package in the mail right away!  And thanks to all that joined in the fun!  Let's make it an annual event!

What a beautiful spring day it is here!

I hope you've had a lovely day, too!

What did you do?

♥

Siesta

Soaking up the afternoon sun.

♥

Sets of Twins and a Cat Family Update

I was noticing that there are a few sets of twins in these two litters of cats.

Either in pattern or in color!

Tiger and Marmalade (boys).

Whiskers (girl) and Mustache (boy).

Socks and Charcoal (boys)

Notice how talented Socks is?  He can play with a fish in his mouth

and a mouse with his tail all at the same time! ha.

and newly named Oreo (girl) and Domino (boy).

that leaves Grey!

She's a combination of all of them, I guess!

We've had some major drama with the tomcat who I believe is the dad of all these kittens.

He has turned violent and attacks the them! Mustache and Marmalade have almost lost their tails! I'm not exaggerating! Yes, actual bloodshed, wounds and terror!! It's been awful! He's not just being a pest. He's hurting them!  He crawls through our fence and they all run for cover!  Mustache ran for his life and was gone 8 days.  He returned last night skinny and starving.  We thought he was dead! He had just eaten and that tomcat came into the yard and made a beeline straight for Mustache.  So Mustache ran off again and hasn't return yet.  After about a dozen attacks up on our porch he's left me no choice and I've borrowed a pellet gun and have it loaded and waiting. I've never hurt an animal in my life and you know I love them but he's left me no choice. He's out to kill and I can't let that happen. I practiced last night in the back yard and could hit a soda can in the dark, so I think I'm ready. lol.

And wouldn't you know he wasn't around all day? I swear they are all mind-readers.

  He would be wise never to return.

The mother cat of the first litter is due again any day now. 

She has begun to eat more often on my porch and I even got her

to come into the kitchen! She still wouldn't let me touch her but

I'm hopeful to be able to catch her eventually and have her spayed.

I wonder how many sets of twins will be in this next group!

Maybe some pretty tortoise-shell like she is!

Isn't she huge? I was big like that carrying my triplets.

I told her I knew just how she felt. :)

♥

What I Did Wednesday #24

1. Cleaned and organized the top of my desk.  Dusted, clipped coupons and threw out the trash.
2. Watched Charcoal through the window as he caught and ate a bug.
3. Got a call from school to pick up Harry.  Pink eye?  We'll check it out at the doctor tomorrow.  Just our luck that the doctor isn't in on Wednesdays. Had to laugh as he was back home by 9:30AM but immediately sat down and ate the lunch in his lunchbox.  I fed him breakfast...really! 
4. My side yard flowerbed is full of blooming daffodils.  Lovely!  They are usually short lived as the frost usually gets them, but this year I don't know...sure feels like June out there!
5. Lovely Juncos were enjoying the weather, too!
6. This kitchen drawer opened on it's own like this at least 6 tines today.  Kind of creepy!  Maybe it has something to do with my broom standing on it's own?  ha ha.
7. Found some purple anemones outside the front door.  Love that color!
8. Re-potted several indoor plants.  Love this lacy fern.  She seems to like her new pot!
9. Found this baby toad with his mama.  He was very friendly, too.
10. Started soaking some morning glory seeds to plant later.  They do better if they have a head start in some water!  I love how the blue engulfs my picket fence.  I plant them on the side where I can enjoy them every time I pull in the driveway, which goes to the garage at the back of the house.
11. Noticed Mr. Neighbor Man fiddling with his clothesline.  I guess the tightie whities are going to be blowing in the breeze again. lol.
12. Scrubbed the kitchen floor.  Yep, look at that dirty water.  It looks so much better now!

What did you do today?

Whatever it was, I hope it was a lovely day!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #23

1. Wound up all the clocks.  Love to be home alone when it's so quiet that I can hear the clocks ticking.
2. Ate some Sugar Pears for the first time.  Have you tried them?  They are tiny!  I bought a box of them at Sams Club.  They were very inexpensive and I always like to try a new fruit.  Have to say, though, that I liked my good ol' standard Bartlett better.  They had pear taste with a little spice/floral accent.
3. Put some ivy cuttings in water to root.  I'd like a hanging plant in another window and thought I'd start my own!
4. Misted my pink plant, Frankie.
5. Cleaned out my jewelry drawer and organized it, along with my longer, hanging necklaces.
6. Noted the lovely sunshine coming in through the window blind.
7. Still trying to get the last of the kittens to warm up to me.  This is Charcoal.  Gorgeous little boy kitty.  The Mister wants to keep him and declared him his favorite.  In that case, I'd really love for him to go to the clinic this Saturday.  He won't let me pet him, though.  I did manage to run my hand down his back this afternoon very quickly without him completely spazzing out and dashing off the porch. ha. Think I can catch him in 3 days?  ha.
8. Sat outside and enjoyed the weather.  Cool wind, though....and very gusty.  I sat in the threshold of the back door where I couldn't feel it.  There aren't any bugs yet, so I just left the door open all afternoon!  Enjoyed listening to the wind rustle through the trees and watched kittens run about the yard chasing leaves.
9. While I dusted the furniture, I removed the Valentine's Day things from the foyer table and put out some Irish green. :)
10. Hung one of my summer hats out on the back porch.  A token of sorts to Mother Nature.  Maybe she'll see I'd like to work in the garden and bring spring in full force?  ha.
11. Remember my two faux mink throws I bought at Big Lots?  Well, the tags said 'dry clean only'.  I didn't want to spend the money, not to mention I hate the way dry cleaned things smell when they are clean! ha.  This one was dirty...it's everyone's favorite!  It had some food spots on it and just smelled, well..non-fresh?  I decided to try it on a delicate cycle and put it in the washer.  It washed fine and even dried fine in the dryer.  It looks like new!  So glad I didn't take it to the cleaners!
12. I noticed on my blog's sitemeter that the search was back for "broom standing on it's own"!  Wow.  I had forgotten about that.  I suspected that the gravitational pull had returned.  Or is it something more creepy?  I mean, it is a full moon, afterall. :) I originally posted it about it HERE.  So I got out my broom and tried it again...sure enough it stands alone.  Yep, still just as creepy as it was before. haha.

A nice day of puttering.

What did you do today?

Maybe you should see if your broom will stand! ha.

Whatever you did, I hope it was wonderful!

♥

Contagious Yawning

Of course you already knew yawning was contagious!  It's almost impossible not to yawn when someone else does it!  I looked up a few facts about yawning that I thought were interesting.

1. 55% of people who witness someone yawn will yawn themselves.
2. Yawning when others yawn, could be a sign of empathy and a form of social bonding. Kids don't develop this deeply rooted behavior until around age four.
3. Fetuses begin yawning in the womb as early as 11 weeks after conception.
4. For reasons scientists still can't explain, spontaneous yawning continues throughout life. (Studies have shot down theories about yawning to bring in more oxygen.) In fact, all vertebrates yawn, including birds, hippos, snakes and lizards.  With all the bird watching I do, I have never seen a bird yawn.  Now how adorable would that be?  ha.
5. Contagious yawning is a different story. Only humans, chimpanzees and possibly dogs have been shown to do it.  Although, I yawned before taking the photo above, and Whisker immediately yawned after me.  No kidding! ha.
6. Like contagious laughter and contagious crying, scientists have theorized that contagious yawning is a shared experience that promotes social bonding
7.  Kids with autism are half as likely to catch yawns. In the most severe cases, they never do.  A recent study postulates that contagious yawning could be part of the "neural network involved in empathy." which could explain why kids with autism don't catch the "need" to yawn when they see other's do it. My boys with autism rarely yawned when they were younger.  They do yawn occasionally now, but it isn't a contagious thing.

But I have to say, I have yawned about a dozen times just typing up this post!  Just thinking about it makes me do it.  How about you?  Did I make you yawn?

♥

info from wiki.com, ask.com and yahooanswers.com

Tiger and Nugget

Or would that be the Lion and the Lamb?

♥

A Commercial For Me

This afternoon I was looking out on the back porch at some of the stray kittens playing out there.

The pregnant mother cat came and was eating.

The TV was on behind me and this commercial caught my attention.

Oh, now that is TOO funny.

But I am trying to control the population!  Really!

And I'm not adopting them.  They are adopting me!

At least I already have Directv.

♥

Random Thoughts

1. My Christmas Cactus is blooming!  Yes, it's a couple of months late.  Better late than never though, right? 
2. I worked an auction today.  We were in a smaller room with a big crowd so my view for any photographs was obscured.  Lots of vintage animated toys.  I wish I had a front row seat just to be able to see them up close!  Many went for over $100.  Someone had a really cool collection! No trash to look through, so auction day didn't earn a blog post of it's own. :)
3. One funny thing that happened around here was watching Alex with a chocolate glazed yeast doughnut.  He doesn't like chocolate so I didn't expect him to be interested, but he opened the box and took one.  He smelled it and then ate little bites around the sides, avoiding the chocolate on top.  Then he turned the donut upside down and nibbled the bottom off of it.  I showed him how to scrape the chocolate off with a knife, but also informed him that he was throwing out the best part! ;)  I really should have taken a picture!
4. I saw the mother (of the four original kittens) feral cat crossing the back yard this week.  She looks to be pregnant. :(  All of this work getting the nine kittens spayed and neutered and it's discouraging to think that the daddy tomcat and two mothers are still out there and probably impossible to catch.  But at least I'm getting done what I can.  The next clinic date is March 10th.  I've reserved 5 spots...yes, I am the optimistic type. ha.
5. Speaking of feral cats...  One of the younger kittens was sleeping up high in our crab apple tree this week.  He (or she...not sure about this one) slept about 30 minutes.   He was completely stretched out on a limb and enjoying the sun.  Hilarious!  I took photos but he was covered in too many branches to make a good picture.
6. The Mister worked from home today.  And I worked out. ha.  Very unusual to say the least.  The best part was that he made dinner...AND did the dishes.  Whoa.  I really should check and see if he has a fever. lol.
7. One of my favorite meals to eat out is Brio's Butternut Squash and Chicken Risotto.  I found the recipe online and made it earlier this week.  Yum.  It's not something you can whip up in 30 minutes, but certainly worth a little extra time in the kitchen.  This was also my first attempt at risotto from scratch...and it was not difficult at all!  I'll post pictures and the recipe tomorrow.

♥

What I Did Wednesday #22

1. Enjoyed my Valentine's Day bouquet.
2. Had Whiskers keep me company as I sat at my desk.  You can see her ear here.  Wouldn't call that a 'tiny notch' would you?  :(  I would call that cutting the whole tip off.  Geesh!  And speaking of taking feral cats off to be spayed and neutered, I had a neighbor who reads my blog drop off a check to help pay for my expenses!  Nice.  I appreciate that so much!  Our whole neighborhood benefits if we control the population!  Now if I could just do something about the raccoons and skunk...and the mom and dad cat! ha.
3. Sent Alex and Harry off to school again without Spencer, who is sick.  I still laugh every single time I put their Elmer Fudd hats on.  So hilarious! :)
4. Checked on Spencer, who laid low today with a fever.  Lots of liquids, vitamin C and socks on his cold feet.  He refused a blanket, though...stubborn child. lol....
5. Tried some Lemi-Shine in the dishwasher after reading a post by Rhonda.  Her dishwasher repairman suggested it since all the phosphates have been removed from the detergents by the EPA and people everywhere are complaining that their dishes aren't clean any longer. 
6. Not sure if the dishes were cleaner, but it did polish the copper bottoms of my saucepans!
7. Cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms.
8. Put fresh, fluffy rugs down and took up the dirty ones
9. Refilled all the soap dispensers.
10. Washed and ate red seedless grapes.
11. Watered the house plants.
12. Enjoyed Tiger's company.  He and Whiskers spent the day inside. Funny how feral cats aren't used to all the inside sounds.  They jump at the faucet being turned on, the doorbell, the phone ringing, chip bags crinkling, ...all those things our old cats didn't blink at.  They don't have an aloof attitude but still have that survival defensiveness that they need to live outside.  I didn't dare vacuum.  haha.

What did you do today? 

I hope it was a wonderful day!

♥