Cat on a hot tin roof?

.....well, no - on a cool garden umbrella. Silly Ginja decided it might be fun to climb aboard - it even spun around a bit - too funny! At first he was dubious about getting off, but once he perfected his technique - he hops on an off - just for fun, and the insects underneath.

King of the world!

The Ginja Ninja

What a sweetie huh?

We have a feeling that this little guy was never socialized by mummy - so sad - God knows what these little ones have gone through by the time they find "sanctuary".
For the time being he is being isolated at night, due to his tendency to ambush and "play" a little too roughly, and a little too long.
Zena too must be isolated, due to her "hunting" our poor gentle Manitou - such a mystery, and very difficult when one has few rooms and we have the others to accommodate as well.
It was bound to happen one, that integration would not be an easy thing. For well over 25 years we have been lucky, and mostly everyone has learned to get along - most of the time.
Oh well - one day, and night, at a time.
(Btw, apologies to Willowhousechronicles for not approving her comments before now.)

Meanwhile, little LV has grown up, and lost most of her kittenish ways, which is a bit sad, but her size has not increased by much - still very small, and kitten-sized.
Such an adorable little girl.

GINJA !

Comes into our garden, on a sunny June afternoon,
 a sweet ginger cat,
called him Ginja, how about that?!
Little did we know,
a "ginja" is a red-haired ninja,
kid you not!
And now, sweet little ginger cat
is a terrorist, with sharp white teeth,
jumping every cat he meets,
I mean chases them,
jumps them,
then wrassles them down,
until they squeal, growl,
or run
or both.
Oh my - what to do???
Please, ideas, suggestions are welcome.
(sigh)
More to come.....

Death and Life, and so it goes...

Easter came and went... 

My sister created some incredible patterns with a unique procedure.

It has been hard getting over the long winter, over Longfellow, and all sorts of other issues. I dwell too much on the pointlessness of it all, and wallow too much. I came across this new term in the wellness field: self-compassion. Well, I am pretty sure I don't have any! I recently heard of the passing of an old high school friend. She was my age and had MS since 1997, and yet despite all that, she was able to remain cheerful, joyful even. How? I complain of my hip pain (osteoarthritis), but I can still walk. It is painful getting up, but I can still get up. What is it about me that cannot seem to focus on anything positive - the clock is ticking, and still I am incapable of any type of sustained happiness or contentment. Sometimes I pity those who have to live with me.

I even thought my desire for gardening had left me. But spring has come at last, all is fresh and green, and that spark is ignited once again. As Robert Frost said, "nature's first green is gold."  I saw this greenhouse on ebay, shelves included (though 2 were actually missing - bummer) - and for now, I am able to lose myself where I love to be, where the cats love to be, and for a little while, I am away from myself - and that is always a good thing.

Hooray! Not the greenhouse of my dreams, but it will do!

The elegant and regal visitor Butterscotch relaxes
(if you look carefully, you'll spot another frequent visitor)

Wee LV peeks through the tulips - her wide-eyed antics cheer us all up on a regular basis.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

RIP Patti - sorry I wasn't there.

R.I.P. Our Longfellow

 The poet Longfellow died on March 24 - the same day our Longfellow fell into decline. 

He passed to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. 

May you always find that sunny spot you so loved.

Little Voice

 Little Voice: aka L.V. - Mega squeee alert!!!

Zena looks down on LV,
and wonders when she gave birth to her!
She doesn't remember when that happened!
(Just kidding, of course :)

Now how darned cute is that???

Intently hunting her prey

Awwwwww!

Strike a pose!

Little babe in Amaryllis-land

PS - Little Voice is a splendid movie with Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor and in the title role, Jane Horrocks. Check it out - it's a gem!  We named our new girl after LV, because she does not meow, not since we first found her in the snow and ice, she just emits the tiniest little squeaks - so cute!

Sun Dogs

This was the view that greeted me on my walk to the bus stop.
Many folks were taking photos this morning,
and a very cold one at that with minus 21 Celsius,
of a lovely phenomenon called "sun dogs".
With sunglasses on, it was even more spectacular,
as one could see rainbow colors on each side of the sun.
Pretty awesome.

Read more here:All about sun dogs

On the 4th Day of Christmas...

... the cosmos gave to me, oh no, another kitty!  Yes, on December 28th, some wretch of a human being decided to dump an approximately 4-5 month old kitten near my porch. This, on the heels of a devastating ice-storm - sharp shards of ice everywhere, and a day before the onset of the worst cold-spell we have ever had. Very cold for very long. Had my sister, who was visiting that night, not gone back to her car for something at the right moment, heard the plaintive meowing... Well, I shudder to think. She surely would not have survived the cold for so long. When I followed the sound, I spied a wee little thing, a kitten, maybe 4 months old. Grabbing it quickly and firmly by the scruff before it could escape, I exclaimed "it's a baby Zena" (the "new" kitty we had just saved this past fall). Oh dear.  Once I see them (read: have them in the house), I’m done – toast. Folks, there is a reason why "kitten" rhymes with "smitten"!! Such an incredible cutie, as you can see, with wide innocent eyes. She had a nice round tummy, not starved at all, and in very good shape all-in-all. Not fearful either, which indicates she had no been out on her own for too long.

Yes, she has claws!!
I say this happily because here in Quebec, the pet stores almost always declaw the kittens - so barbaric!
Especially since these poor babies so often find themselves outdoors with no protection.

Baby "Zena"

Zena has just barely settled in, and I mean barely – still chaos and “territory wars”. I don’t think she has ever been socialized with other cats. Days are not so bad, but she seems to be hunting our gentle giant Manitou at night – while he's fast asleep - awful! Not just for the sudden awakening to THAT sound, and cat people will know what I mean. Why him? He is so non-confrontational. I think in her former outdoor life, she spent all her time warding off potential danger and defending herself from other cats.  Nights must have been the worst, maybe she was ambushed a few times, and maybe this is why she behaves this way. Her sleep is sound and deep during the day. And now, this kitten….  

Anyway, time changes everything, as we all know, but for now the very familiar symptoms of "cabin-fever" abound, and we are all dreaming of spring, which seems so very very far away. The ice-storm just before Christmas was devastating. Much of the lilac decimated, and lots of branches snapped from trees. But luckily we were amongst those that retained power - some had a dark Christmas - so sad.  Here are a few scenes of the aftermath:

 

Everything drizzled with 2-3 inches of ice!

Intrepid Manitou inspects the newly transformed landscape.



"When's spring??"