Birdwatching. The birds are getting some of the extra I left out, too. I love the spacing on this picture, like it was formally posed. Atticus, Psalm, Mary, Pilgrim.
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I think those 4 in the window have a cat measuring tape in their heads. Quite precise.
Did somebody down the road put that “Cat Vacancy” sign back up? Must be.
I managed to shake loose from work and get in last night to the library for a good, long, much-needed work session. I’ve been so busy I’m falling down on my volunteer duties. In the rush to do chores in the afternoon and get in for some library time, I forgot to take the trash out. Trash truck comes on Thursdays EARLY (has been here at 4:00 a.m.). I always just take it out Wednesday afternoon.
So when I got home late, I gathered the trash. The farm was dark, cold, and still. I went to the little storage building that was at one point a very amateur three-sided garage, although you could enter it (personally, not with car) from any side at this point. Still has a roof on it which 85% doesn’t leak, and that is where the trash bin is located. That building also holds three shelters stuffed with straw. As I came around the corner, these three shelters erupted Clark Grayble, Bagheera, and Satin. Clark bolted to the back and exited through the hole there, and Bagheera and Satin came to me.
Ah ha. That’s where he sleeps, on cold nights at least. Clark is a true feral, very much a project, but I’m glad on these cold winter nights that he has found some of the multiple shelters I have around the farm.
Des is still hanging around, not 100% reliable at meals but usually seen at least every other day. I just petted him this morning and talked to him for a minute.
Here’s the cats helping me remake the bed after washing sheets.
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I’ll see if this will upload, though not sure. Brio is the reason that my middle bathroom drawer is often open.
Brio Opening Drawer
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Cory, Sarge, Rascal, Des, Satin, Bagheera, Cotton. The feline porch welcoming committee this morning.
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I’m not sure if this will work, bigger than last video, but we shall try. Rascal and the Big Rock.
I take a walk every morning in my Wild, Wild Woods where the ridge falls off, and quite often, I shoot a video clip right at the end of said walk. The real purpose of these is to post so my dad can see them. He’s ill, and he has commented how he likes following my walks vicariously. Rascal sometimes joins me, sometimes does not, as is her whim of the day. She’s fun on a walk. She definitely isn’t at “heel” but ranges and investigates on a radius of about 20-30 feet, but she always keeps tabs on me. Definitely “with” me, even while prowling. And she is such a thinker. You can see her think.
The terrain on the east side of my ridge is crazy. I like it, but I go VERY carefully out there, a slow but strenuous walk. I have a personal rule to never move my feet, not one step, without me looking at them. It’s all on a slope of varying degrees, usually down as the ridge falls, but it does have a few ripples in it, mini ravines, that are spill-offs from the nearby river when it’s up. And there are boulders scattered around in places. Huge boulders, as if a giant got mad and dumped out a bucket of giant blocks on the ground from a height. And then there is the spring, always going. I have no doubt, given the terrain, that there are caves on this property. I have found two, have investigated neither, but I’d love to see an underground diagram.
Rascal and the Big Rock 12922
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such a great trail companion.
I hope you carry your charged cell phone with you when you hike the trail.
thanks for the nice monday video.
I have a fully charged cell phone, pepper spray in case of wild critters or people (although no wild people seen so far, and the wild critters have been afraid of me), sturdy boots, a whistle, and a bright orange vest for easy visibility. I try to be as careful as I can out there. Honestly, the place looks like a fall waiting to happen. But it’s neat, in a wild sort of way.
Here’s me and Rascal this morning. The slope is not manufactured by the picture; it really is that steep right there (and many other places). We stopped there for a picture because she enjoys Pedestal Rock, and I knew she would pose there. The phone was propped in a tree. Note the whistle, which is around my neck.
And a bit earlier, at chores, here are Bagheera, Rascal, Cotton, Satin, Sarge, Cory, Des, and Clark Grayble (tucked in the corner and keeping a very wary eye on me; Clark is feral. I very rarely get this close to him).
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Old picture that came up. This is Cotton and his near-identical brother Poly (Polyester). Poly died shortly after this; no idea why, just found curled up dead in one of the outbuildings. Cotton is on top, Poly tucked into him.
And a few pictures from our winter storm. The outdoor cats are fine; they are tucked in the straw in the hut and assorted shelters. If you look at the car to the right of the big tree, you can get an idea of snow depth, about 2/3 up the tires.
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I just walked out to give the cats a fresh drink and then to walk to the road and check it. Bagheera popped out for a minute and was interested in the drink, but Rascal, after a lap or two at the bowl, followed me to the road. I told her several times that I wasn’t doing anything interesting and she didn’t have to leave shelter, but nope, she followed me. Kept following even after getting petted to top off her tank. Then followed me clear back to the house. That’s several hundred feet all told, through snow all the way, including a few drifts higher than she is. She just wanted to be with me. If we were taking a walk in snow, it was still a walk.
I love this cat.
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People who say cats aren’t affectionate don’t know what they’re talking about.
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I very carefully this evening walked down through the woods to my spring, going slow motion and testing every step. I try to stay off that slope in weather, but it occurred to me that I had never seen the spring in snow. So I gingerly picked my way down. And Rascal went all the way with me. That’s a lengthy walk, on terrain, and it isn’t that she likes snow. She stuck in my tracks as much as she could. But I haven’t taken my woods walk the last few days due to the winter storm, and she obviously missed it, too. She doesn’t always accompany me, but I think she prefers it to be her choice when she doesn’t go along, not that the whole walk was cancelled.
The spring was going. As always. I learn lessons from that place; a steady little bit, just always doing what you can, turns into quite a bit more than you might think.
Yes, she is standing in water. She never seeks it out or plays with it, unlike Solo, my cat who sometimes gets in the shower with me and who was responsible for the cat fountain being boxed up to return mere hours after being unboxed because she thought it was a water park. But Rascal will walk across, not jump, the spring.
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Ah, cats. After waking up, I settled down to review the Sunday School lesson for this morning. I did this still in bed, though sitting up.
A scrabbling noise came, and I looked over and saw Solo trying to shrink herself to 1/3 in order to climb under Mom’s dresser. Solo is five years old, and while adult cats are very flexible, they are not quite as good at self-flattening as kittens. Kittens can deflate and then reair themselves at will, but adult cats do have a minimum mass. So Solo wasn’t having much luck.
I kept reviewing the lesson. Solo tried right paw, left paw, then turned upside down and tried both upside down. Nope. Mystery came over and got in the act. Here came Atticus, same.
Finally, I set the lesson aside briefly, went over, flattened out myself on the floor (though I don’t fit under there, either), and fished with my longer arms under the dresser. I could feel nothing. So I retrieved a flashlight, then inspected the netherworld. At the very back of the dresser were a toy ball, a candle holder, and a knick-knack cat. Note that two out of three of those were not (officially) cat toys.
I retrieved all of them, though it was at the limits of reach for me. The cats never would have gotten them. I then rolled the ball across the floor to signify the end of play at the dresser. Brio pounced after it, while Solo was still looking at the candle holder and the little cat. No!
With those back in place, I returned to review of the lesson. Today’s lesson is about Nebuchadnezzar going crazy and going around on all fours. I don’t believe I’m crazy yet, but I have officially been on all fours this morning, as well as flat out. Life with cats.
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They don’t think I really understand how you are supposed to play with string.
Pharaoh in my lap as I work. What a life!
Pharaoh’s outside brother Bagheera inspecting an apple tree. Bagheera is such a perfect specimen of a yard panther.
Cotton and Pumpkin. Pumpkin is definitely a work in progress. Cotton has achieved nirvana and has nothing left to work on.
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Here’s my woods cat this morning. My waterfall turned on yesterday. It’s on a spillway from the nearby river and only runs at high water, but between heavy rain before the latest winter storm and that winter storm melting off yesterday as temps rose, that was enough. The waterfall is about 40 feet behind Rascal. You get an idea of the crazy terrain in my woods here as the ridge falls. This is one of four spillways that cut across it. Closeup of waterfall later.
And the spring. Unlike the nearby river, the spring itself is on my land. Unlike the waterfall, it isn’t on a spillway, and it is always running. Small but mighty.
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This came up on memories from a year ago. I was dusting while breakfast was cooking in the microwave. Game, set, and match to Pilgrim.
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We’re in a weekly winter storm cycle, but we’re all making it and holding onto hopes of spring soon. They have plenty of straw, extra food, and warm water in these storms.
A few pictures from National Love-Your-Pet Day. This isn’t everybody, in or out, but I don’t think it was bad given that the timer on the camera only gave me 10 seconds to hit it, sprint over, and get in position. The cats will come to call, but of course when I went from point A (site of picture) to point B (site of camera), they came over to B and were prowling there. No, no, back over here! Now! Kitty, kitty, kitty! As ever, I entertain them, although there were still cats scattered beyond out of shot on these, wondering what all the hurry and the running back and forth was and why I had gone to B and what was interesting over there.
Rascal (far left, tucked into corner of Bench of Purring) cracks me up. This endeavor took multiple takes to get a decent shot, even more takes than I would up saving, as some hit the trash immediately. After one round of back and forthing, she alone stayed on the Bench, discretely removing herself from this craziness while still watching it with interest.
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