Tag Archives: humor

Working with a Diva

Let me start by admitting that the reason I work alone is because I am a diva. Well that felt good, but of course any one who knows me knows that’s no secret. But the Diva that I refer to here is that little black cat, Liz. If you’ve been keeping up you’ll know that the little………… cat …………………. sorry I was trying to come up with some PG adjectives for her. I failed.

you weren’t busy were you??

is this seat taken??

Long story short, she’s been confined to my studio during the daylight hours for the sake of the Hummingbirds and Barn Swallows.

She doesn’t seem to mind. In fact I usually have to wake her up and kick her out at night.

I decided to try and exploit her for some photos of my little cat food dishes. Anyone who’s ever hosted a cat knows that they are the masters of exploitation, so try to stop laughing long enough to see the results. I started by offering food, the good stuff!

OH YUMMY! WET CAT FOOD!!

You know, it’s rude to watch people eat.

That was a start, what else ya got

She made quick work of the food and moved on.

What’s in this one?

A clean cat is a happy cat, you don’t mind a few hundred black cat hairs on your white background.

Oh wait I missed a spot

Well, after a snack and a bath she was bored with the whole thing, and sauntered off. I kept shooting the pottery and just as I was finishing up, she waltzed back onto my table and settled in for a nap. So I started putting dishes in front of her and clicked away with my camera, and after all that I got my picture.

If you’d like an autographed copy just contact me.

Who let the cat OUT !?!?

The usual cry around here is “Who let the cat IN!!” This spring however we have had to lock up Liz for the sake of two Bluebird,one Tree Swallow, and three or four Barn Swallow nests. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the Hummingbirds.

she looks so sweet

We live on an 80 acre farm with several out buildings including a huge barn so all nine of the cats live outside my house. There are exceptions for illness and old age but they are only allowed in my pottery studio and the breezeway. As long as they don’t break anything.

Liz lounging in the barn doorway, now that’s a breezeway

Most of the cats have had their summer of carnage when they were young but usually some strategic mouse traps at the base of the bluebird houses, a well thrown glass of water or letting the dogs out kept things under control. But Liz is a holy terror. She hides under the red poppies to grab unsuspecting Hummingbirds.

I love red flowers so do Hummingbirds

She also thinks it’s a great good game when the Barn Swallows dive bomb her. She waits for them to swoop into range and tries to grab them out of the air. Barn Swallows build their nests in the most unreachable spots you can imagine, not even a coon could get them. Yet they insist on putting themselves at risk and of course if the parent dies…

Barn Swallow nest stuck in a corner of the porch roof

Most cats outgrow this penchant for birds, they get harassed too but they keep their head down and move it along. They sleep under the car instead of on top of it and I even had one old cat, Floyd that laid out in the sun and let the Mockingbirds slam right into him.

Floyd and Trip, two old cats

So we’ll see who wins this battle of wills. My plan as usual is to feed her till she’s too fat to care. It’s worked on most of them so far.

dry cat food again?

excuse me

perhaps you didn’t hear me before

The real question is what level of damage can I stand!

Then I remind myself, baby birds are baby birds,

cats are cats

and clay is dirt.

Time? That’s all I have.

PS. Cali was another holy terror (she nailed a squirrel when she was still a kitten) but these days all she wants is IN !

Cali blending into the clay

Ode to Kato

With a bladder the size of a pea

and the attention span of a flea,

I romp through my day

and sleep where I lay

I think this life is the bee’s knees!!

The world’s my favorite chew toy!

I’m gonna grow into a big boy!

There’s just one command

I won’t understand

Why must I go out to make wee wee!!!

I said he’d grow into a BIG BOY but I had NO IDEA HOW BIG! This pic is Kato on his first birthday 6-30-15 it’s the same flower pot different flowers.

Barn Swallows nesting on the front porch

The nest is in the upper right hand corner.

About two days after a pair of Barn Swallows successfully fledged a brood of four babies from their usual nest spot in the attic of the grainery, they got busy building a new nest on the front porch. They started building on June 15.

they collect mud and plant

fibers to build with

every 10-15 minutes another bit was added

as you can see it was hot outside and you might also see a reflection of the glass as I did my documenting in air conditioned comfort

it is a two birdie job from sun up to sun down

finally on or about June 19-20 (solstice time) eggs were laid and sitting ensued

EUREKA the feeding begins July 17 I hope you enjoyed your down time Mom

Looking like some pretty angry birds there are four but it’s hard to get a good group shot with all the jostling I kept the cats away with some well placed glasses of water

and then there were three…

and then there were two… and then they came back for visits for a few days..

hope to see you all next year…….

If you would like a cd of the pictures in this or any other post for a screen saver contact me.

Pubs Pubs Pubs

The first six days in England we stayed at a pub, The Fox and Goose, there was a beautiful garden spot between the hotel and the pub. This made life super simple at the beginning and the end of each day.

the garden at the Fox & Goose

I already covered day one so let’s get on with day two, three, four, I lost count…

look a PUB

This one was near the Tower of London

The Sherlock Holmes Pub where I had Bangers and Mash!!! and BEER

The Sherlock Holmes was down an alley.

mmmmmm…..beer
we did our best to try one of each

We spent three days in Salisbury, a very picturesque place with lots of PUBS!!!

The Mill with a lovely river in front/back

The Kings Head Inn, I think we’ll head inn for a BEER

the Lazy Cow, known for it’s burgers and BEER!

the Ox Row Inn, didn’t know oxen could row!!

Bill’s a Pub with BEER!

the New Inn looks pretty olde

Back to the big city of London which is like New York in that is is a collection of boroughs in a mega city.

A Friend at Hand

“Friend at Hand Pub”

Another Pub down an alley

A Friend at Hand indeed!

There was a dog on the sign,

We couldn’t resist.

The mysterious woman in blue is my traveling companion, Wendy. She’s in charge of finding our way but she became a believer in my ability to find a pub.

The Hungry Hordes are at the door

The winter of 2013-14 has been relentless.

The deer have annihilated my arborvitae and the HOLLY BUSHES, I mean, who eats those prickly things? Hungry deer that’s who, come to think of it pine is one of their favorites, ick. We have electric fencing but you can’t fence in everything.

deer in the back yard

Turkeys have been spotted in the front yard, thanks to Xena who lit up like a christmas tree when she saw them working their way down the edge of the garden.

Blue Jays and Cardinals have been emptying the front porch cat dish. I do keep five seed feeders full and two suet spots, I guess the birds prefer a meatier diet in the winter.