Catty ?

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I just had to stop and see my friend Beckys' four kittens.(http://peevishpen.blogspot.com)

She has them on her blog, and they are as cute in person. I love kittens...

I love all furry critters.

Looking at her blog pictures reminded me of a poem I had written several years ago.

It was written to the cadence of Robert Frost's poem, Waspish.



Here is my poem, 'Kittenish'.


~~~~
On velvet paws they scamper and thump,

They climb up a chair off the back they jump.

They tangle up with mock ferocity.

They leap and pounce a cat ballet to see.

Cat warriors, they think this game on going

It's just a ploy to keep their bodies growing.

~~~


The inspiration came from my own kittens.

I remember the fun I had with them. Constant entertainment.

Here are four of the fiesty little fuzz balls,

only now they are in their 'elder years',

or as my girlfriend Sandy says,

'The age of elegance'.

Boy, thats a load...Since I am living here in the south I must add after saying that,

'Bless her heart'.

Most mornings I can't get the bed made before they totally take over!

They prefer it messy, they told me so!!


'Meaghan(moochie) foreground,Quarrie,Iris and Beau'
Here is the 5th of the brood, Mac.
I guess they use up all of their energy in their youth...
Cats are alot like humans,
Or am I being very 'catty'?
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Bears!!!!

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One of the best Christmas presents my husband has gotten me...
and there have been many...
is my Moultrie Game Camera.
I have it set up just off the trail I run with the dogs on a daily basis.
Here are just a few of the lastest" catches". (This is my way of 'hunting'.)


If you set the thing right it will tell you time, date and temperature outside...however, notice I had the date as 11/04/09..
it is actually 9/04/09...i screwed up...
This is the only picture I got of the bear, however I had several pictures that didn't come out for one reason or another...and the camera was moved a little...some critter was camera shy, or a ham, I don't know. I have had pictures of something crawling over the camera...a raccoon I presumed.

This picture above was less than 1/2 hour after the bear picture..

The bucks are usually late night or early morning...

This doe and fawn are late afternoon...I think they frequent my backyard..Not camera shy at all!

This is a really fun way to hunt.

My friend Becky ,

has one and she has used it to find out who or rather what was getting into her garage....!

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Applesauce making and Bee dilemma

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These apples aren't the prettiest apples. They came from a friends tree, and it is 'au natural'. No spraying for bugs, so they do have blemishes. But they are free, delicious, and did I mention free??
There would be alot of waste if it weren't for my minis who love apples, and deer in the yard, so no waste at all!

All peeled and ready to cut into pieces...

The 'mini fodder' is on the left...this canner has seen better days!

Last of the pint jars...here we go...

Can you smell them simmering?

nutmeg and cinnamon and a little sugar and water....ummmmm!

Penny helped do the pans...she does the 'prewash' cycle...

She seemed to like the applesauce!

Only one casualty...this small jar broke clean around the bottom...must have been a weak spot or even a crack I didn't see..I toss the whole thing to be sure..

Here's the finished product! 8 pints and 2 half pints of applesauce..

Alot of time spent, but worth every minute in taste!

I have learned as I get older, that the prettiest apples are not always the best tasting.

Sometimes a few bumps, bruises and mars will turn you away from some of the sweetest fruit!

Just like people...

the cover does not always attest to what is on the inside..!




Now my Bee problem...The honeybees are taking over the hummingbird feeders. They actually chase the hummers away! I put this dish out with hummerjuice in it for the honey bees...I don't want to kill the bee's, but they have taken over the feeders, and my porch!!

This is a close up of them on the hummingbird feeder I got that has special 'bee guards'.

They don't work.

I really don't know what to do to discourage the bee's from the hummer feeders !

Any ideas??????

I know the bee's need to eat too, and we really need the bee's more than the hummingbirds, but it is getting to be a problem...

Any solutions will be appreciated..!

Meanwhile, I'll keep making sugar water!!!

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Grammy's boy and mountain bike friends

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Caine spent Wednesday with us here at our place, and he spent the night as well !
He is getting to be quite the 4-wheeler ! Grammy zips her sweatshirt up around him like a seat belt !

I thought that he might turn when he encountered the garden sprinkler, but he just stopped and looked at me and wiped the dirt and water as it pored down his little face!!

He is fascinated with all the equipment Grampy has for his tractor, and everything becomes something to ride...

He loves his wonder pony 'Tex'....that what he calls him. He can really get moving on this thing !

Takes after me with the horse thing...I wore 3 sets of springs off mine before I outgrew it when I was a kid...

I should have stuck with the wonder horse...Mine was called 'Jim Jump'..he never threw me!

He is ready to start this thing up and go ! Bob says start it and see what he'll do...

I did and he didn't even flinch, just looked like...,

ok, now lets get it moving !

Happy guy in the morning! He slept from 7:30 Wednesday night until about 4 am...I changed him and got him his sippy juice cup, but he didn't want it, so I put him in bed with me, and he went back to sleep until about 7:30 in the morning !

He is a sunny guy in the morning, so we 'talked' and sang and got up around 8. Then we had breakfast and he rode the 4-wheeler on the dog run with me, and then he got to be pulled in the wagon when Melissa and I took our morning walk!

He was asleep in the truck almost immediately on his ride home thursday afternoon...

Grammy was asleep by 10 pm !

Today a friend from the lake came over with her daughter and son-in-law. I rode Linda on my 4-wheeler and the'kids' rode their mountain bikes.

We did our trails, and then I took them through West Vaco, and into the Pigg River.

Heres Ashley riding up the river and the next one is her flying down the hill into the river !

They had a really long ride with some good challenges along the trails, and then the river to cool off. They are both working in New Jersey, she's a doctor in a trauma unit of a big hospital there, and her husband works in the medical field, only on the high tech end...computers.

This was Linda's first 4-wheel experience, and she did great!!!

I am really tired after the last few days of 'fun' with Caine...and I'll stick to 4-wheeling !

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September morn with primal urges..

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The last hurrah...summers last burst of life...black-eyed susans on the trail.

The wisteria has taken over...again.

Coneflowers and balloon flowers fade away as well as phlox and butterfly bush.

The Deodar Cedar has grown even taller...

The cedar lined driveway is getting slimmer; the old barn more weathered...

The hummingbird feeders are fogged with the sugar water having cooled through the night...

the hummers are feeding fast and furious, they are preparing for their long flight.

The 'not-so-scary' scarecrow, is held by browning cucumber vines...

The 'kitty litter' cherry tomatoes make one last push...

The gourds are 'hanging in there'... birdhouses to be.

Will the green beans ever end?????

Golden peppers almost ready...

Summers bounty winding down...

The old oak tree man looks on, expecting nothing and giving everything..

summer shade, fall color and earths fertilizer...then winter's stark beauty..

My little horses are fat and very furry.

They have started their winter coats in earnest...

They are preparing for the winter winds and rains and ice and hopefully snow.

It will not phase them, they prepare...

Today is another outdoor day, pulling weeds, cutting and pruning and preparing for winter in the human way...my breakfast is changing to hot cereals. I crave soups and chili. Must be my body wanting to put on winter fat...primal urges..can't deny them!

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