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Posts Tagged ‘cat’

Sleepy Time

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 100 Day Challenge, cat, cats, Patrick, sleeping cat, Summer 2013 on June 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I’m too tired to create an elaborate post today, so enjoy this picture of a sleeping kitty in the meantime…

Some Days…

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 100 Day Challenge, cat, cat on kitchen cabinet, cats, Farmer Ollie, funny cat, joy, Ollie, Summer 2013 on June 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Some days you just need to retreat to your secret hideout.

(photos by Jeff)

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A Good Day for a Cat Nap

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged canal, cat, cats, joy, photography, Rocky Ripple, spring, turtle, winter on March 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We stepped out into the balmy air this morning to sunshine and birdsong. Runners and bikers populated the canal trail, and we had our first turtle sighting of the year! It was as if someone had flipped a magical switch saying, “Come on out, spring is here.”

Unfortunately, by noon the temps had dropped again, and we were driven back into the warmth of the house by biting winds and gloomy skies.

*sigh* Oh well.

Now all the kitties are curled up in fuzzy little piles, marking out all the coziest spots to bed down for a nap.

We will have to be content with hibernation for a little bit longer.

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Cecropia Catch

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged cat, catch, cecropia moth, insect, Jeff, joy, moth, Rocky Ripple on June 12, 2012| 1 Comment »

Jeff and I got back home from our bike-run (I bike, he runs) just as darkness was falling here in Rocky Ripple. I looked over in the dusk just at the right moment to see Evie execute a mid-air pounce on something. Something big. Assuming it was a bat, I picked up a stick and tossed it close to her, just enough to startle her away from the thing. This is my usual method of scaring the kids away from bats, which almost always allows the bat ample time to flutter away to their (and our) safety.

This time, however, I didn’t see anything fly away, so we approached slowly, peering intently at the spot where the creature should be. I was so thoroughly expecting to see a bat that I almost did not see the beautifully huge winged thing that was lying on its back in the grass and struggling frantically to upright itself. Beneath a shock of bright red legs and a red and white striped body as big as my thumb, were a good six inches of gorgeous black, gray, red, and white wings. We found out afterward that it was a Cecropia moth, North America’s largest native moth.

photo courtesy of Google images. http://www.bitemebaitco.com/elmer/cecropiamoth1.htm

With a little effort we were able to wrangle the cats enough to give the clumsy thing a chance to get airborne. We watched as it flapped away over the neighbor’s yard, looking more like some large exotic bird than any insect we had ever seen. Evie looked on ruefully.

The wonders of Rocky Ripple never cease to amaze us!

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Garden Update #2: What A Difference A Week Makes!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged beans, cat, Evie, garden, gardening, potato cage, radish, slow food, walnut trees on May 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Normally I’m pretty impatient with my garden’s progress, but I can’t argue with these results! The root crops are coming along quite well. Even the radishes are starting to look radishy:

The raspberries are coming along nicely, and the pumpkin patch is simply flourishing.

Every day I come home from work, lug my things out of my car, and head straight to the garden to poke and prod. It’s my meditative way of unwinding after a long or stressful day.

What did I discover today? Dozens of bean seedlings, pushing through the earth just six short days after they were planted! Just yesterday I was digging little holes in the bean bed to see if any of them were germinating. Lo and behold, overnight they decided to make a surprise appearance.

Equally as exciting, the potatoes are beginning their grand climb skyward, making delicious potential potato energy as they go.

Sometimes I fuss too much over my precious plants. I’m currently paranoid that my tomatoes and sweet peppers are suffering from sharing a yard with the black walnuts. Even though they are placed 50 feet from the nearest tree trunk, and are enclosed in their own little self-watering environments, I’m convinced that they are looking “wilty” and malnourished. I am probably anxious about nothing, considering that they actually look pretty good. But a good plant mother has to find something to worry over. Besides, these things cost me $5 apiece!

Only time will tell for my delicate garden residents. After all, the best way to become a good gardener is through trial and error. I hope that in another ten days I can report back with good news about all my green endeavors.

Oh, and Evie says hi.

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Happy Caturday

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged animal care, cat, cats, cute, joy, phone photography on February 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Every day at work I’m subjected to some truly heart-melting moments. It’s a rough job, but somebody’s gotta do it!

Once in a while one of those moments lasts long enough for me to whip out my trusty not-so-smart phone and take a photo that looks really good when it’s only 1 inch wide on the screen.

Okay, so a crappy phone takes crappy photos. But they’re still super cute: