Post by Honeylioness on May 6, 2009 15:16:29 GMT -5
04 May 2009
The clouds of the past five days are gone, the sun is shining, it is almost 70*. I got TJ's meds filled, made an appointment for Thursday morning so I can scoop him into his bag before he realized he hasn't had anything to eat( he is very cooperative when he thinks food is in the picture) then I went to the chiropractor for my monthly tune-up and went home feeling all soft and "noodley". The perfect setting for reading a book on the deck and watch the cats move from one spot of sunshine to another. A totally wasted and wonderful day. You all make me feel so lazy. I did get a list of tasks for me and the cleaning lady to work on this Wednesday. As a kid I hated cleaning lady day because DOM made us do so much before she came. Now I understand-don't pay for the stuff I CAN do just the stuff that is difficult for me to do.
Kind of glad I did spend much of the afternoon on the deck because the neighbor's cat that is on prozac came to visit. I don't want him to think he is welcome (I think his dosage should be higher) and if I am outside he tends to go on by and not linger.
Speaking of animals, the best dog I ever knew was a bullmastiff. He was such a lover, his only problem was that he thought he was a lap dog like his housemate an Italian greyhound. Or maybe that was his way of "guarding", just sit on people and lick them to death while his buddy barked. Red Ruby you are so lucky!
05 May 2009
I went to Curves this evening then to dinner. The time we left Curves a big dark cloud was floating over town, by the time we came out of the restaurant the cloud was overhead with virga dripping down to the horizon on the north and southwest. Within 30 minutes the wind was dead calm and the temps were dropping. Did I mention we had our countywide tornado drill this morning? Anyway I went out to call the furbabies in before the storm hit and neither would deign to listen to me. About ten minutes later came the wind then the rain then came the thunder, lightening and hail. An hour later a very wet and dripping Onyx was begging to come in. I wrapped her soggy self in a towel and she has tucked her self in my arms and under my chin and refuses to move. She is purring louder than the thunder at the moment so I guess everything is all better now. It will be interesting to see what happens when I take my shower tonight. She really doesn't like the sound of running water.
(Some of you urbanites might not be familiar with virga. It is a phenomenon those of us on the rural plains get to see frequently. It is when the rain is visible falling from the clouds to the ground-well sometimes it hits the ground, sometimes it doesn't. It is like a grey veil drifting from the sky. Sometimes, like tonight, you can see the sun setting behind and under the clouds and through the veil of virga. Really quite beautiful. But you need the wide open spaces to really appreciate it)
05/05/09 05:59 PM
I have a problem and am searching for a solution. I was relaxing on the deck enjoying some strawberries and cream (well yogurt) and watching Onyx stalk the dandelions (of which I have an abundant crop this year). I think she is hoping they are the little yellow finches that live in the japonica hedge out back. Anyway, when she came up to check up on me, her face yellow from pollen, I realized that she and TJ have taken possession of one of the three big, 14", flower pots that line the patio as a prime napping spot. I had planned to plant the pots with scallions, leaf lettuce and spinach after May 15. Now the problem, how do I expect seeds to come up with them sleeping in the pot. I have thought of making a "lid" of chicken wire but TJ is such a porker he would just squash it and Onyx could get hung up in the spaces between the wires. Any other ideas would be appreciated.
11 May 2009
Good Morning, All. It a beautiful spring day here. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the grass is growing. Started out exciting, early on i heard some yowling on the deck went to look out and found TJ puffed up and hissing at Prozac Cat from next door who is half TJ's age and even bigger than he is. By the time I got outside, Wondercat (aka Onyx) was flying around the corner and after Prozac Cat, chasing him all the way to the woodpile with her wonder cape of green and yellow fluttering in the breeze (that might have been the grass and dandelions she was crouched in). Once she was sure he was banished she came strutting up to the deck to check on TJ (who had gone back to supervising his empty bowl). TJ seems to think that the closer he stays to the bowl the sooner it will be magically filled. And that is definitely of more consequence than any invaders, no matter what Onyx might say.
TJ also shares Honey's addiction, Much of his day will be spent under the white lilac, or if he needs a different perspective he will use the dark purple lilac bush, hunkering down among the red and yellow Rembrandt tulips.
My excitement of the day is from the possibility of running water in my new sink, today or tomorrow!
14 May 2009
I'll have to do an Onyx update soon. Right now she is in the "doghouse". I found her "snacking" on one of the chrome yellow finches that have been living in my back grapevine. Details later.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 05/14/09 11:02 PM
SES_, And oh, Miss Onyx! Leave the nice birdies alone. Good birdies. Not so good kitty at the moment. Just the kind of thing your DOM SES_ doesn't want to see between your chompers.
teh mom - 05/15/09 11:51 AM
SES- ahhh yes, crunching birds. We once had a nest under the house (we always have nest under the house). A very young bird fell out of the nest. I walked under to go change the laundry and saw "Crumb" (our fluffy female cat) with the said bird firmly in her jaws. I quickly jumped and caught her by the back of her fluffy little neck. I firmly shook her back and fourth yelling "spit it out!, spit it out now!" until she rolled her eyes up at me and spit the bird out (she was NOT happy with me). I then took the cat inside to give the bird some time to get somewhere safe. Much later in the day, Crumb escaped from the house. As I walked down, there she was again with said bird firmly in her jaws again (the bird stayed under the house). This time, I did not intervene. Survival of the smartest here. About that time my oldest DS walked up, just as you heard "CRUNCH". He still shutters about that sound. He still says "my sweet little kitty, ain't quite so sweet looking to me anymore".
15 May 2009
Onyx Update
The end of this month will be the one year anniversary of Onyx’s arrival in our lives. At that time my main concern was that TJ Kitty was adapting to his medication. As I would sit out on the deck with him I occasionally saw a streak of black fly through the yard. I didn’t pay much attention until Memorial Day weekend when I started seeing more of her. This was the time I first noticed her cebral hypoplasia(nerve damage to her hind legs at birth). Over time TJ adopted her and then she adopted us. I can’t believe it has only been a year.
Honeylioness has kindly collected and preserved their story at her blog. Whenever I look at it I am amazed at how much has happened in the past year.
Now for the update. The “bad boy” cat that was such a temptation to her a few months ago has finally learned the yard rules. As long as he doesn’t fight and accepts TJ as the old man and “top cat” and Onyx as the reigning “princess” they will tolerate him lounging on their deck. I can now step out and be greeted by TJ’s singing (Pavarotti range, but lacks diction), Onyx’s squeaking and the Visitor’s trilling. The Visitor is a very striking looking long, muscular round faced cat. His coloring is that of a dark brown seal point Siamese, including blue eyes, with an odd two inch brown stripe along his spine. With good nutrition his fur would be a dense plush.
Either TJ or the Visitor has taught Onyx to hunt birds. I never thought this would be an issue because of her mobility issues. Apparently I was very wrong! I knew Onyx was very fascinated by the little wild goldfinches living in my back hedges but never worried overly much about it. Wednesday morning I looked outside as I was bringing out their breakfast and saw her proudly holding a bird in her mouth. Thank God she didn’t gift me with it. I can handle bugs, spiders, wasps, snakes (from a distance) lizards and salamanders. (I even turned a salamander left anonymously in my desk into an impromptu science lesson, much to the disgust of the two who had placed it in my desk.) However, birds alive or dead are icky--except one and that is a story for another day. Onyx’s prize is still lying dead at the side of the patio until I can convince someone to dispose of it. TJ and the Visitor both totally ignore the bird. The only good thing I can take from this is that her survival skills are better than I imagined. Of course I check her for feather trimmed smile every time I let her in now. This is even worse that the mouse heads TJ would line up for me on the step when he was younger.
The evening after all this excitement guess who climbed up into my arms turned on her back, petted my face and promptly started snoring.
19 May 2009
I have discovered Onyx has a major addiction. I was vacuuming today and moved "her" chair and found the three pieces of bubble wrap I thought I had misplaced in my mixed up house, there were little bit.e marks on most of the bubbles. I knew she liked to roll around on the plastic shopping bags and make them crackle before I put them away. Now i have to watch out for bubble wrap as well.
Went around the corner of the house today and the neighbor's hedge of lilacs hit me like I had walked into a perfume counter. So I decided that since it was to be 96* today ( don't tell Sheila I turned on ther AC today). I would wash and hang out my winter comforters. They smell sooo good now. However, my iris are not doing well in this excessive heat. They are so over crowded they are not doing all that well anyway. One more thing for next fall's list.
21 May 2009
RANT AHEAD
At this time Tuesday it was 94*. At this time Wednesday it was 74*. Today it isn't even 52*. Does this mea.n we will have a blizzard tomorrow? ARGHH! I want to plant my tomatoes Saturday!!! I know it is cold, TJ is on the shelf beneath the TV curled up tight with his paw over his nose and Onyx is in bed under the covers (where i want to be). The AC if off , but I refuse to turn the furnace on again until October!
25 May 2009
Really strange weekend around here. I came home from my shopping trip Friday all ready to get my plants in then it turned cold and drizzly since then. My plants(petunias, tomatoes and peppers) are hardening off in a protected corner of the deck. I really don't like to put the vegetables out until we have had a couple of consecutive nights above 50*. I may not be planting until next weekend. I guess that gives me a few more days to get my act together.
A rather miraculous event happened last night. TJ climbed up on the bed snuggled up and slept there all night. Onyx was not too pleased, she dive bombed us a couple of times but he wouldn't budge so she slept in the recliner. This morning at their breakfast they touched noses and neither hissed or swiped at the other. I thought Onyx might just not be fully awake at the time, but they both came in and slept the rainy day away on the bed not more that a paw's swipe away from each other! Are the planets changing their alignments?
The clouds of the past five days are gone, the sun is shining, it is almost 70*. I got TJ's meds filled, made an appointment for Thursday morning so I can scoop him into his bag before he realized he hasn't had anything to eat( he is very cooperative when he thinks food is in the picture) then I went to the chiropractor for my monthly tune-up and went home feeling all soft and "noodley". The perfect setting for reading a book on the deck and watch the cats move from one spot of sunshine to another. A totally wasted and wonderful day. You all make me feel so lazy. I did get a list of tasks for me and the cleaning lady to work on this Wednesday. As a kid I hated cleaning lady day because DOM made us do so much before she came. Now I understand-don't pay for the stuff I CAN do just the stuff that is difficult for me to do.
Kind of glad I did spend much of the afternoon on the deck because the neighbor's cat that is on prozac came to visit. I don't want him to think he is welcome (I think his dosage should be higher) and if I am outside he tends to go on by and not linger.
Speaking of animals, the best dog I ever knew was a bullmastiff. He was such a lover, his only problem was that he thought he was a lap dog like his housemate an Italian greyhound. Or maybe that was his way of "guarding", just sit on people and lick them to death while his buddy barked. Red Ruby you are so lucky!
05 May 2009
I went to Curves this evening then to dinner. The time we left Curves a big dark cloud was floating over town, by the time we came out of the restaurant the cloud was overhead with virga dripping down to the horizon on the north and southwest. Within 30 minutes the wind was dead calm and the temps were dropping. Did I mention we had our countywide tornado drill this morning? Anyway I went out to call the furbabies in before the storm hit and neither would deign to listen to me. About ten minutes later came the wind then the rain then came the thunder, lightening and hail. An hour later a very wet and dripping Onyx was begging to come in. I wrapped her soggy self in a towel and she has tucked her self in my arms and under my chin and refuses to move. She is purring louder than the thunder at the moment so I guess everything is all better now. It will be interesting to see what happens when I take my shower tonight. She really doesn't like the sound of running water.
(Some of you urbanites might not be familiar with virga. It is a phenomenon those of us on the rural plains get to see frequently. It is when the rain is visible falling from the clouds to the ground-well sometimes it hits the ground, sometimes it doesn't. It is like a grey veil drifting from the sky. Sometimes, like tonight, you can see the sun setting behind and under the clouds and through the veil of virga. Really quite beautiful. But you need the wide open spaces to really appreciate it)
05/05/09 05:59 PM
I have a problem and am searching for a solution. I was relaxing on the deck enjoying some strawberries and cream (well yogurt) and watching Onyx stalk the dandelions (of which I have an abundant crop this year). I think she is hoping they are the little yellow finches that live in the japonica hedge out back. Anyway, when she came up to check up on me, her face yellow from pollen, I realized that she and TJ have taken possession of one of the three big, 14", flower pots that line the patio as a prime napping spot. I had planned to plant the pots with scallions, leaf lettuce and spinach after May 15. Now the problem, how do I expect seeds to come up with them sleeping in the pot. I have thought of making a "lid" of chicken wire but TJ is such a porker he would just squash it and Onyx could get hung up in the spaces between the wires. Any other ideas would be appreciated.
11 May 2009
Good Morning, All. It a beautiful spring day here. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the grass is growing. Started out exciting, early on i heard some yowling on the deck went to look out and found TJ puffed up and hissing at Prozac Cat from next door who is half TJ's age and even bigger than he is. By the time I got outside, Wondercat (aka Onyx) was flying around the corner and after Prozac Cat, chasing him all the way to the woodpile with her wonder cape of green and yellow fluttering in the breeze (that might have been the grass and dandelions she was crouched in). Once she was sure he was banished she came strutting up to the deck to check on TJ (who had gone back to supervising his empty bowl). TJ seems to think that the closer he stays to the bowl the sooner it will be magically filled. And that is definitely of more consequence than any invaders, no matter what Onyx might say.
TJ also shares Honey's addiction, Much of his day will be spent under the white lilac, or if he needs a different perspective he will use the dark purple lilac bush, hunkering down among the red and yellow Rembrandt tulips.
My excitement of the day is from the possibility of running water in my new sink, today or tomorrow!
14 May 2009
I'll have to do an Onyx update soon. Right now she is in the "doghouse". I found her "snacking" on one of the chrome yellow finches that have been living in my back grapevine. Details later.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 05/14/09 11:02 PM
SES_, And oh, Miss Onyx! Leave the nice birdies alone. Good birdies. Not so good kitty at the moment. Just the kind of thing your DOM SES_ doesn't want to see between your chompers.
teh mom - 05/15/09 11:51 AM
SES- ahhh yes, crunching birds. We once had a nest under the house (we always have nest under the house). A very young bird fell out of the nest. I walked under to go change the laundry and saw "Crumb" (our fluffy female cat) with the said bird firmly in her jaws. I quickly jumped and caught her by the back of her fluffy little neck. I firmly shook her back and fourth yelling "spit it out!, spit it out now!" until she rolled her eyes up at me and spit the bird out (she was NOT happy with me). I then took the cat inside to give the bird some time to get somewhere safe. Much later in the day, Crumb escaped from the house. As I walked down, there she was again with said bird firmly in her jaws again (the bird stayed under the house). This time, I did not intervene. Survival of the smartest here. About that time my oldest DS walked up, just as you heard "CRUNCH". He still shutters about that sound. He still says "my sweet little kitty, ain't quite so sweet looking to me anymore".
15 May 2009
Onyx Update
The end of this month will be the one year anniversary of Onyx’s arrival in our lives. At that time my main concern was that TJ Kitty was adapting to his medication. As I would sit out on the deck with him I occasionally saw a streak of black fly through the yard. I didn’t pay much attention until Memorial Day weekend when I started seeing more of her. This was the time I first noticed her cebral hypoplasia(nerve damage to her hind legs at birth). Over time TJ adopted her and then she adopted us. I can’t believe it has only been a year.
Honeylioness has kindly collected and preserved their story at her blog. Whenever I look at it I am amazed at how much has happened in the past year.
Now for the update. The “bad boy” cat that was such a temptation to her a few months ago has finally learned the yard rules. As long as he doesn’t fight and accepts TJ as the old man and “top cat” and Onyx as the reigning “princess” they will tolerate him lounging on their deck. I can now step out and be greeted by TJ’s singing (Pavarotti range, but lacks diction), Onyx’s squeaking and the Visitor’s trilling. The Visitor is a very striking looking long, muscular round faced cat. His coloring is that of a dark brown seal point Siamese, including blue eyes, with an odd two inch brown stripe along his spine. With good nutrition his fur would be a dense plush.
Either TJ or the Visitor has taught Onyx to hunt birds. I never thought this would be an issue because of her mobility issues. Apparently I was very wrong! I knew Onyx was very fascinated by the little wild goldfinches living in my back hedges but never worried overly much about it. Wednesday morning I looked outside as I was bringing out their breakfast and saw her proudly holding a bird in her mouth. Thank God she didn’t gift me with it. I can handle bugs, spiders, wasps, snakes (from a distance) lizards and salamanders. (I even turned a salamander left anonymously in my desk into an impromptu science lesson, much to the disgust of the two who had placed it in my desk.) However, birds alive or dead are icky--except one and that is a story for another day. Onyx’s prize is still lying dead at the side of the patio until I can convince someone to dispose of it. TJ and the Visitor both totally ignore the bird. The only good thing I can take from this is that her survival skills are better than I imagined. Of course I check her for feather trimmed smile every time I let her in now. This is even worse that the mouse heads TJ would line up for me on the step when he was younger.
The evening after all this excitement guess who climbed up into my arms turned on her back, petted my face and promptly started snoring.
19 May 2009
I have discovered Onyx has a major addiction. I was vacuuming today and moved "her" chair and found the three pieces of bubble wrap I thought I had misplaced in my mixed up house, there were little bit.e marks on most of the bubbles. I knew she liked to roll around on the plastic shopping bags and make them crackle before I put them away. Now i have to watch out for bubble wrap as well.
Went around the corner of the house today and the neighbor's hedge of lilacs hit me like I had walked into a perfume counter. So I decided that since it was to be 96* today ( don't tell Sheila I turned on ther AC today). I would wash and hang out my winter comforters. They smell sooo good now. However, my iris are not doing well in this excessive heat. They are so over crowded they are not doing all that well anyway. One more thing for next fall's list.
21 May 2009
RANT AHEAD
At this time Tuesday it was 94*. At this time Wednesday it was 74*. Today it isn't even 52*. Does this mea.n we will have a blizzard tomorrow? ARGHH! I want to plant my tomatoes Saturday!!! I know it is cold, TJ is on the shelf beneath the TV curled up tight with his paw over his nose and Onyx is in bed under the covers (where i want to be). The AC if off , but I refuse to turn the furnace on again until October!
25 May 2009
Really strange weekend around here. I came home from my shopping trip Friday all ready to get my plants in then it turned cold and drizzly since then. My plants(petunias, tomatoes and peppers) are hardening off in a protected corner of the deck. I really don't like to put the vegetables out until we have had a couple of consecutive nights above 50*. I may not be planting until next weekend. I guess that gives me a few more days to get my act together.
A rather miraculous event happened last night. TJ climbed up on the bed snuggled up and slept there all night. Onyx was not too pleased, she dive bombed us a couple of times but he wouldn't budge so she slept in the recliner. This morning at their breakfast they touched noses and neither hissed or swiped at the other. I thought Onyx might just not be fully awake at the time, but they both came in and slept the rainy day away on the bed not more that a paw's swipe away from each other! Are the planets changing their alignments?