For my friends with the "kitty hobo" sign in their yards...

(and you know who you are...)


moar funny pictures here

The Colors of April

Several of my blogger friends have started doing this photo exercise called "The Colors of ------- (insert this month here). It has been fun to join in - to see what is happening in other parts of the US & the world (take Ice Fishing for example - - the concept that it gets so cold that the ice gets thick enough to put little houses on - so you can sit out there in the comfort of your little house and fish - is totally lost on me - but - it does happen - I saw it on someone's blog in the Colors of February!)

Anyhow, it was started by Sue on her blog Life Looms Large and clicking on this link will take you to a list of a myriad of other blogs that are doing the same topic.


The fun thing about this exercise is that it makes you really look around more - What exactly are the colors of this month,... you are always thinking... And this year, the colors have come early - they were early in February and they were early in March.







These flowering cherries that line the streets of Bellingham are not normally blooming until May. When they begin to lose their petals, it looks like big piles of pink snow. The poofy pink flowers make it one of my favorite trees.








This bright patch of tulips is right beside where I park my car. In the summer this space is filled with nasturtiums - actually the same colors - reds and yellows of all shades and the green of the foliage.










I always get to take a big bunch into work with me - everyone always wants to know what they are - they are peony tulips.









April signals lush green lawns and (from the first picture today) the light green eggs of our Americauna chickens. These old girls are 10 or 12 years old - not quite as old as Sinda, but that's pretty darn old for a chicken.

This lush green lawn is in the city park where I stop and eat my lunch 2 or 3 days a week. It's restful (although there seems to be a LOT of traffic through this neighborhood) and fun to watch the kidlets who come to play from the daycare center down the block.


It is a little early for my Lily of the Valley - but we had a couple of warm days earlier in the week, so if I went out an looked in the morning, it's probably blooming now.

My Grandma liked Lily of the Valley and had big beds of it in the shady areas around her home. To smell it always brings back memories.






This is a common shrub in the Pacific NW - I love the lacy white flowers that it has.














And even more common - the dandy lion - even though they are a weed, they are so sunny and bright.








Oh, can you tell - here are some more of my favorite cherry blossoms - this one is right outside our back door - and while it is covered in blossoms and new leaves -















Some trees are still naked - waiting for Mother Nature to send them a sign that it is OK to send out the leaves.

I hope you've enjoyed the colors of April from my part of the world - and I hope it will inspire you to look a little bit closer to find the colors of April in your own back (and front!) yards.

P.S. Don't forget to go see Sue and check out the colors of April from other parts of the world.

Somebody's all tuckered out...

What a memorable day. Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by to visit. I could not have asked for a better Birthday.

Now, I'm going to sleep for a day or two. Us older gals, we need our rest.

Sinda's Big Day!

Wow! Sinda is 20 years old today! She has been waiting at the gate for you all to arrive!









It should be a beautiful day!


















A few of our farm critters, Franklin & Felix, Ruby and their moms have stopped by to wish her a Happy Day.










Me too, says Wicket - Happy Birthday Sinda!










Look Sinda! - some cats & beans brought you presents!





And Mother Nature brought out these beautiful tulips just for her, I'm sure.

Sinda's Official Birthday Photo!

Sinda, aka, "Baby Girl", Miss Priss, Squeekit, or Sweety Pie, was born April 21, 1990. Her daddy was a "travelin' man cat" and her mamma cat was a beautiful Siamese, taken in by his wiles and charms. The lady bean from Sinda's first family worked with mama and knew that she and her kitty Jaxom were lonely, because Delores, the one who came before, had gone to the Rainbow Bridge. Mama took pictures of Sinda and brought them home to Jaxom and told him all about her. When Sinda could eat by herself, she came home to mama & Jaxom - it was a very happy day in their lives.

So very much has happened in our lives since then. Mama met The Shepherd and they decided to get married and move to a little farm in the country. One day Jaxom had a stroke and went to the Rainbow Bridge to be with Delores. A couple of months later, mama & The Shepherd brought home this bratty orange thing that they called Neelix. He was supposed to be company for Sinda, but they never got along. He lived with us on the farm for about 12 years an when he got sick and went to the Rainbow Bridge, The Shepherd and Mama were very sad. Sinda didn't seem to be too very broken up about it though and The Shepherd said that Mama couldn't get any more kitties until Sinda joins Jaxom on the Bridge - she's just too old and set in her ways to have another kitten around. (Sinda, that is, not Mama - although she's kind of old and set in her ways too...)

Thanks so much for stopping by with your Birthday Wishes for Sinda. We hope you'll stop by again sometime - it's kind of a crazy place around here - you never know what you'll find - animals, yarn, recipes for yummy things. pictures of pretty flowers, etc.


Ok Baby Girl - mama's got to go earn some green papers to keep you in the Gerber Chick-hen baby food that you like so well. Sit up on your perch and enjoy all your company today.


I'll be home in time for dinner.

More preparations......

Catnip for tea for the kitties...check

Friskies Party Mix for the kitties...check

Frosted Animal Crackers for their beans...check

Earl Grey Tea for their beans...check







Sinda, patiently waiting in the garden for her big day...check


Come on, baby girl, you know what they say about "a watched pot". Your company will be here soon enough.

Getting ready for the Celebration!

The table is all set and the tea will be brewing soon...













The sandwiches and cookies are all made - the Party Mix is out in bowls ready to put on the floor for our kitty guests









Sinda is out pacing in the garden - waiting for her guests.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010, she will be 20 years old (almost old enough to take to the bars!) .

Little did I know when I brought my baby girl home those many years ago that she would still be here 20 years later.

I hope you will stop by for some tea and cookies on Wednesday to wish her Happy Birthday!

Look what's happening

this week in the greenhouse!
















All kinds of itty bitty things growing........














and growing........















and growing...... under the watchful eye (and very orange gloves!) of The Shepherd - corn, two types of green beans, broccoli, sunflowers, and pumpkins.

MORE BABIES! (This is the last of 'em, finally)

The shepherd found these two little charmers when he went out to the barn yesterday a.m. Actually Violet had been on baby watch since the night before - I checked before I went to bed at 11:30 - she was out boogieing around in the pasture with her buddies. She'd had one before his breakfast and then one afterwords. I caught these pictures before I went to work.

I'm calling them Skippy and Bosco - for lack of better names right now - they will most likely go to Denise for the beginning of her spinner flock, in exchange for the beautiful vest that she knitted for The Shepherd this winter. So she gets naming rights.

Meanwhile, Luna and her week old babies nestled in under the eaves. . . They got kicked out of the barn temporarily because they were causing such a ruckus.
















And Pearl waits to know if it's safe to come in yet. Yup, all's clear girl.

.








Speaking of Pearl, It often seems that when one ewe has her lambs if her friend is anyplace close to lambing it will happen within 24 hours.

Last night, The Shepherd noticed that Pearl was "kicking her udder" and "talking to her side". When she started burrowing into the corner of the barn, he knew things were going to happen soon. Nothing this a.m, and The Shepherd/Gardener had appointments with customers, so he had to take off.

When he got home after lunch, Pearl had already cleaned up this young lady. Her name is Ruby - she will probably be fawn and brown like her momma -


Here are a couple of pictures that I took of the boys this afternoon - they are just a little over 24 hours old here. Sure wish they'd been girls.....

Happy Easter, Happy Spring!

Happy, happy, everything!

The Color Purple.....

While we wait for Violet to have the next batch of lambs I was inspired to show you the "violet" things I found around the farm last weekend.

Pacific Rock Cress - No picture I've ever taken has shown the intensity of the purple of this flower.

There's a house in town that has beds of this all around it in the spring - it is so bright it practically hurts your eyes.



The peonies are really shooting up there - I should have my gardener (aka The Shepherd) dig out the plant stands that go over them before they get too tall.

I brought one of these from my old house in town. It is bright pink and smells like roses.






This is one of The Shepherd's bonsai collection. Our minister's husband calls them plants in bondage.

I call them soul satisfying for The Shepherd.









This is part of his collection - there is a purple leafed maple and a purple leafed plum here in this picture - check out the upper left hand corner - and what do you think my Ashford Traveler is doing out in the greenhouse?