Four weeks ago Saturday, Clyde (on the left) and Bonnie showed up in our yard. It appeared that someone had dumped them and they were left to fend for themselves. We noticed that Bonnie was favoring her front left paw, not putting weight on it Upon closer inspection, we found that there was a huge gash in it. We scooped them up, jumped in the car and drove to our vet. Saturday at the vet's is a circus since it is a walk-in day. Four and a half hours later we brought them back home with medications. The vet said it looked as though Bonnie's paw had been caught in a trap but the wound was some days old and he wanted to let it heal by secondary intention rather than suture it up. Antibiotics twice a day for fourteen days was the answer. They also had worms, so an additional three days of worming medication was needed and on top of it all they each had fungal infections in their ears, so another fourteen days of ear ointment for good measure! Quite soon, we discovered that Clyde is totally deaf.
6:30 a.m. Saturday morning...awakening to the distant sound of what? Running water? Yeah, yeah, water. Sleepily, sluggishly stumbling out of bed. Making our way through the house tracking the curious sound. Pausing just outside the door to the little bathroom the kittens are staying in we hear the unmistakable sound of RUSHING waters. Open the door. Oh yeah, water pouring out of the faucet which has been carefully turned just so that much of the water misses the sink and instead pours onto the counter and waterfalls over the edge to the floor below. Better than the whitewater in the Nantahala. Possibly better than Niagara. Splendidly falling into the 1/2" deep pool of water standing on the floor. Three kittens sit primly on the commode fascinated by the pool they are creating. They're pleased with themselves.
Caspurr
Purrl
Smudge
I love Spring and all the beauty it bestows upon us. Its a time of renewal and rebirth; a time of joy and hope. Eggs are wonderful anytime of the year, but in Spring, the hens really get into the spirit and lay some of the most beautiful eggs. We have Americaunas who lay blue, green, pink and tan eggs and Marans who lay chocolate-brown eggs. They are so beautiful that they really need no other embellishment. We are headed to an Easter get-together tomorrow and I'm going to bring some of these beauties along. I photographed them in one of my favorite hand-made baskets. I think they complement their nest wonderfully. Wishing everyone a season of peace. I hope you find the spirit of the season in whatever way you celebrate it!
We've had rain since this past Wednesday. Last evening we were blessed with an incredible sunset and rainbows. There were actually two rainbows but I was unable to capture the second, less prominent one. Clicking on each photo brings up a larger version where the rainbow becomes more obvious. Since we live in a wooded area, it makes it challenging to get good sky photos.
The sunset made the redbud at right glow. It's the same redbud I blogged about on Friday. My flash made the dogwood on the left pop. I love how the contrast accentuates the brilliant colors of the evening. Finally, one last photo with my little Beetle glowing in the light of this radiant sunset...
Unfortunately, I took the pics late one evening and the shadows are a bit harsh, but I wanted to get these done so I could give them. Well, these are great therapy and the recipients seem to like them so all is good.
This is what we woke up to yesterday. I was supposed to be at work, but 5 inches of snow fell overnight and since I live in the Piedmont of North Carolina, that kind of precipitation shuts us down. It necessitated my calling out for the day and using precious PTO time.
We have a lovely little greenhouse that Richard built for us a few years ago. It opens out off of our family room. Here in North Carolina, anoles are quite common and they love to stay in the greenhouse during the late fall and winter. The other evening, when I went out to fertilize my Meyer lemon trees that I keep out there when the weather gets too cold outside, I found one of our little tenants nestled among some very small lemons that are just beginning to form. I love the scent that the flowers impart. They are some of the most fragrant, aside from lilacs and peonies. Anyway, I couldn't resist clicking a picture of this little guy who might argue that it is indeed easy sometimes being green!
Thank you Jeffery for the elegant ideas and your generosity in sharing your techniques! I think I've got to find a bit of time and make some...
As a nod to the season, we sat down to watch a couple of bewitching films. I had to work late Friday and also worked on Saturday so it was a short weekend with just enough time to watch a movie or two. I forgot how much I adored the house in Practical Magic. I'd love to come home to it. Diane Weiss and Stockard Channing are great as was the entire cast. I made a homemade braided chocolate/cherry bread with a glaze. It was really very tasty and complimented the movie quite nicely. A little Dunkin Donuts coffee added to the treat.
I felt like doing a little baking today. It's a bit coolish outside and overcast. A good day for baking! I got out my recipe binder and settled on a yeast roll recipe I found some time ago. I found a jar of unopened bread machine yeast in the cupboard that expired in March of 2007. I warmed a little water in the microwave and added a little sugar. When the water cooled to 100 degrees, I added 4 teaspoons of the vintage yeast and found it proofed just fine! An omen to start baking and see what comes of it. Out came my KitchenAid mixer and the dough quickly took shape.
A few years ago, Richard decided he'd like to raise chickens. He put great effort into constructing what I call the Taj MaChickenHal. Sometimes I think those chickens live better than I do! He puts a lot of effort into making them happy and comfortable. In return, they give us lots of tasty eggs. I love eggs. I love Richard for giving the girls what they want so that, in turn, they give us those delicious little nuggets of tastiness. We have chocolatey-brown eggs. We have green eggs - hold the ham. We have pink eggs. We have blue eggs. They all taste delicious!
Speakeasy was a skinny ginger tabby who came begging one Spring around 10 years ago. He was bedraggled and sad. We already had taken in six other little drifters, but my daughter Sarah pleaded for us to take him in. We named him Speakeasy because he talked a lot. He settled in and made a place for himself among everyone else and grew. Actually, he grew and grew and grew! Poor Speakeasy had weight issues; while his compadres remained svelt, Mr. Speak grew to great proportions. He moved to live with my daughter who was better able to ration his meals than we could with all of our brood. For a little better than a year he lived with her and relished his sofa-time spent with her. About a month ago, he had some issues and she took him to the veterinarian. She was told he had colitis and was given an injection of antibiotic. He appeared to get better, but then about a week ago he stopped eating altogether and was wobbly on his feet. We took him to the emergency vet last Saturday where he passed away. So, Mr. Speak left us. He drifted into our lives and drifted out in much the same way. We'll miss him and remember his comical ways and his funny lumbering walk. He was feisty and loved his kibble. He looked forward to any time he could snuggle and share the sofa with his humans. Till we meet again, Mr. Speak. We grieved when you left us. You're in our hearts.
He seemed to enjoy my taking his picture and flew down and followed me around the side of the stables. Guinea hens piqued his interest and he tried to get their attention by displaying for them so I took advantage of his vanity and got some more photos of his beautiful plumage.
He totally ignored me as I moved around him while he showed off his magnificent feathers. The hens were not impressed, but their indifference seemed to make him try all the harder to get their attention and he began to stomp and dance back and forth while shaking his tail feathers, causing them to make loud clicking sounds. Here's a behind the scenes look at his act!
