The Nature of Things

I was doing some tidy-up pruning in the garden today before an afternoon shower drove me inside. But before the pruning, I documented with my camera some of the things I saw around the garden. There was a bit of activity at the bird feeders. These Blue Jays were checking out what was on offer at the table. They look a little disheveled because they are beginning their molt. They'll be losing all their old worn feathers and growing bright new ones. This juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker hasn't got his distinctive red head and belly feathers yet, but he's learned where he can find a tasty meal. In the goldfish pond, the water lilies are flourishing. This Giant Swallowtail butterfly was very busy on the blooms of the 'Pride of Barbados'.  These flowers are favorites of many butterflies. The Sulphurs seem to prefer the flame acanthus ( Anisacanthus wrightii ) blossoms. Sulphurs are numerous in my garden in late summer and fall. And the Gulf Fritillaries are numerous thr...

We have lived in this neighborhood for 27 years. During those years, especially the early years, there have been a number of animals, mostly cats or kittens, that have been abandoned here or have found their way here after being abandoned. I came to think of them as throwaway kittens, a prime example of humanity's inhumanity. They were animals that had been betrayed and abandoned by the humans who should have cared for them. We did our best to care for them and adopted many of them. When our children were growing up, hardly a spring or summer went by without them bringing another throwaway kitten home. The last of those adoptees finally died last year at the age of 16. Four years ago, we adopted Beau and Bella who had been rescued by our younger daughter along with one of her friends when they turned up, abandoned, near that friend's house. Since then, we have not had the occasion - or the necessity - of adopting another animal. Until last week. Last Tuesday, as I was getting r...

Putting funny captions on pictures of cats and posting those pictures on internet sites is a hobby with a certain type of person, and the rest of us owe them thanks because their hobby brings smiles and sometimes chuckles. For your Caturday enjoyment, here is a baker's dozen of such pictures that I have come across this week.

The Story of Adam and Eve's Pets (No, you won't find it in the Bible.) Adam and Eve said, "Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day. Now we do not see you anymore. We are lonesome here, and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us." And God said, "I will create a companion for you that will be with you and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves." And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve. And it was a good animal and God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail. And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal." And God said, "I have created this ne...

Here's something different for Caturday - an opportunity to actually help cats. The ASPCA has a grant program through which they provide food and aid to cats in shelters and in need and they have established a unique way that the public can help with that program. All you have to do is...watch cat videos! Well, we do that anyway, don't we, so why not do it in such a way as to help cats? This project is called the Morris Rescue Watch , named for the rescue cat who became a television star back in the 1970s through commercials for 9 Lives cat food. Here's one of those famous commercials. All you have to do to help is go to the Morris Rescue Watch site (click on the link above) and watch the cat videos there. The ASPCA says: "The more you watch, the more hungry kitty bellies will be filled! Through our grants program, the ASPCA will be distributing the entire amount of food as in-kind donations nationwide to shelters, rescues, and other animal welfare groups that help fee...

The name of the person who discovered that human beings can be endlessly amused by videos and pictures posted on the Internet of cats being cats will probably never be revealed and never make it into the history books. But what a service that person has provided for his/her fellow humans! How many millions of hours each week are spent viewing those videos and pictures? How many millions of smiles, chuckles, and laughs are generated by such viewing? Yes, Anonymous, you have made the world a better, happier place. What a humanitarian! Here are some favorite pictures from icanhas.cheezburger.com   and other sites around the Web this week. The most wonderful thing about animals in general and cats in particular is that they are always themselves. It would never occur to them to try to be something they are not. That's why we love them, I think. Happy weekend to you and your animals.

The latest internet kitty sensation seems to be hats for cats. That's right - a chapeau for your favorite furry purry. Meredith Yarborough, a South Carolina woman, started knitting kitty hats and taking pictures of cats modeling them in order to sell them on Etsy . Once she was discovered by the internet, the whole thing went viral. Here are a few examples of her creations. You could make your cat feel like King of the Beasts with a lion's mane hat. What could be more fun than a cupcake hat? Every little kitty wants to grow up to be a fireman, right? He can celebrate his birthday with his very own birthday hat. And he'll be all set for Halloween Trick or Treat with a witch's hat. Yarborough's cat Bullwinkle is her model. He must be an exceptionally docile and sweet-tempered cat. She claims that she makes these hats because she loves cats and wants to share that love with the world. I don't know. Look at the expression on that cat's face. Does he look happy t...

It's been a while since we checked in with Maru, the famous Japanese cat who is an Internet sensation, so let's see what he's up to. Maru has a new toy. It is a pink cardboard car. To Maru, it probably just looks like another cardboard box and we know how he feels about boxes. Boxes are meant to be gotten inside of one way or another, no matter how long it takes! Cats and boxes - some things never change.

A couple of weeks ago, we met Henri the bored French cat. This week, he's back for an encore and his ennui-inducing circumstances have not improved! What a life he leads. Quelle tragique! 

Cats just being cats...

How are your single cats spending Valentine's Day? Happy Valentine's Day to you and your cats. Oh, what the heck, dogs, too!

Time for another visit from that devious feline, Simon's cat.

Maru the superstar cat is back!

Just because you've been so good this week, here is some Friday cat frivolity for you.

It's going to be a busy week with not much time for blogging but here's something from Simon's Cat to wish you happy holidays and maybe give you a chuckle. As for my own little angelic kittens, they would never climb the Christmas tree and send ornaments and needles crashing to the floor or play soccer up and down the hall with said ornaments or knock the shepherd in the Nativity scene to the floor, smashing him into a hundred pieces. Oh, no, they'd never do anything like that! In fact, butter wouldn't melt in their little mouths as they wait for their visit from Santa Claws. Happy holidays to all.

What is it with cats and boxes anyway?

Regular readers of this blog may remember that back in August I told you about the death of my beloved cat, Nicholas .  It was a devastating loss for me and I wasn't at all sure that I ever wanted another cat in my life.  But, of course, my children, who have lived with cats their entire lives, had no such doubts and soon started lobbying me to add another cat to the household.  My younger daughter even had the potential candidates all lined up for me. While visiting friends earlier this year YD had discovered two kittens in their neighborhood.  The kittens had apparently been abandoned.  She and her friends asked the neighbors but no one claimed the little kittens and so YD's friend and her husband took the babies in and took care of them.  They raised them for the past several months, but they are dog people, plus they are getting ready to make a long-distance move so it wasn't feasible for them to keep the kittens. When we returned from our Colorado vac...

I don't know if I would classify these as the "10 cutest cat moments" but there are some pretty cute images here. Of course, it is hard to take an image of a cat that isn't cute. Happy weekend to you and your cat(s)!

Here's your Friday kitty break! I love Maru, too.