The Whole Cat and Caboodle

We still haven't caught the kitten's momma.

The folks at Ace of Spays sent me to

the AlleyCat.org website for some help. 

They have a section on socializing feral kittens. They say ideally you should spend about two hours each day holding and playing with them, which I have had no trouble doing. Two hours each, times four equals eight, right?

My friend Nan, lent me her cat condo.

It's a real god send and the precious pussy cats just love it.

They can't jump very high yet,

but have learned very quickly to climb like monkeys

to reach the top perch.

The itty bitty kitties seem very happy,

enjoying their space, my frequent visits and each other's company.

This shy petite Pixie will be leaving us this weekend.

Along with her personable big sister, my sweet little Cutie Pye.

Yes, the calico girls will be meeting their new mom and dad this Saturday!  On Sunday they will depart with them and travel 300 miles to their new home in central, New York. I am really and truly grateful that they are getting such a wonderful home! I have to admit that it is bitter sweet however and I'm afraid I will miss them terribly. Even though they are incredibly awesome kittens, I am amazed at how I have become so attached to all of them in such a short time.

 Their new mom, Robin Larkspur, is starting up a blog called PurrrrSnicKitty that will feature these tiny "Jersey Girls" and their adventures.  So along with everyone else in the blogosphere, I will be able to keep up with them and their new lives. I know they will be treated like royalty.

"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods;

 they have not forgotten this."  ~ Terry Pratchett 

Thanks for reading everyone.

Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated.

Hugs and Purrs,

Sparkling Spring Weather After the Rain

Using a couple of Have-A-Heart traps, Jerry caught one cat last night (not the ones we were after), and two raccoons! He dropped the nice little orange and white kitty off at ACE OF SPAYS this morning. They just called and said that after putting her under, they saw that she had just had kittens and is probably only six months old herself!! If they spay her now, the milk will dry up and the kittens will die. He is on his way now to pick her up. Hopefully we can catch her (and her kittens) in about 5 weeks. Anyone want a cute, young, friendly, neutered ginger and white cat after we get her fixed? She let Jerry pet her, is really sweet and is cute as a button. I'll try to take a picture of her when Jerry gets home. I guess the love birds were off somewhere on their honeymoon! We will try again to trap them on Monday for Tuesday's Spay and Neuter Clinic. We had our family goodbye dinner last night with the smell of male cat spray wafting from the deck and permeating the house. EWWW! ERRRR!

Jerry's been bringing plants home to brighten up the yard and has started his garden with an assortment of veggies. We get a heavy coating of pine and oak pollen at this time every spring, but with lots of rain last night, everything sparkles in the sunlight today. Here are some views from the studio porch this morning.

The Butterfly bushes have leafed out but as far as I can tell from afar, they have no real signs of buds yet.

I like the polychromatic baskets with petunias and daisies and other interesting flower combinations that Jerry has purchased. 

Along with the hanging baskets, we've got plenty of hummingbird feeders out. So far the action at them has been sporadic and slow, but it seems like it's this way every year. I start to get concerned, then I get a hummingbird explosion around mid June.

The grass in the pasture is so green, I'm afraid to let the horses out there for more than forty minutes. They could quickly eat a large quantity of the rich grass and colic. Then I'd really be in trouble.

My parents pulled out of here this morning after a teary goodbye. The time went by so fast, even with my infirmity. They stayed with us here for three full weeks and were a huge help with me, the house and the horses. And of course, they were also great company. I am so truly blessed.

Mom and I did calligraphy, origami, watercolor paintings and embossing. We watched a lot of YouTude craft videos. I tried to help both Mom and Dad enhance their computer skills a little while they were here with me.

Dad held down the ranch and was in charge of taking care of the horses when Jerry was working.  He lunged Rudy for me almost everyday and being a greenhorn, did a darn good job of it. Boy, I sure am going to miss them!! The backyard looks so bare without the motor home out there.

Ziggy (the orange tabby) and Leah (the dark calico) are our two outside resident ferals, pictured here on the roof. They are staying away from the house and protecting their turf (penthouse suite above the shed) from all the wild interlopers that are up here, causing havoc on the deck.

During my recovery, I've been getting back into sketching almost everyday. Soon it will be time to start up my summer SketchingEveryday blog, if I decide to do it again this year. 

"And the seasons, they go round and round;" ~ Joni Mitchell