Unique Like Everyone Else

Mutual Adoption

"I'm not a 'cat' person."  I've said it for years.  But there's been a cute one hanging around our neighborhood for several weeks now.  It is clean, friendly, but collarless.  Well, when we first noticed her she had a clear collar with a handwritten, hospital ID-ish number on it.  Then that disappeared.  We all (the neighbors) assumed the owner had removed it.  But still, nobody claimed her.

And yet, she seemed to claim everyone.  "Don't feed her!" I said, when Big Daddy mused over the idea.  "I think [our neighbor] Pearl or Li'l B have seen her eating their dogs' food."  And I've seen her sitting sentry at our other neighbor's garage door, like she belongs there.

 

One day I was unloading groceries from the car, and got the bejeezus scared out of me when I returned for the next set of bags.  As I leaned into the back of the car the cat BOLTED out of it! 

 

 

She came to visit us one sunny afternoon when we were hanging out in the backyard.  Big Daddy was working on his computer and I was crocheting.  She jumped up and snuggled at my feet on the chaise for a half an hour!  (Kinda weird that I let her, huh?  She was so very clean, and we really assumed she belonged to someone in the 'hood because she was so very tame and friendly.)  Then we started to see her hanging out back there on her own.

 

 

So we broke down and put a bowl of milk out for her. 

Which she then began to expect and clamour for.

 

 

It doesn't appear that she's going away any time soon.  She started growing on me.  I said to the kids, "Maybe we'd better name her," and they laughed, and we continued to call her "Cat".  I said to Big Daddy, "I kind of like having this outddor cat."  And he put a hand on my shoulder and said, "I would like to go on this journey with you."  Which cracked me up a) because he's such a dork, and b) because he's "not a cat person" either, especially allergy-wise.  So we bought a Cat a bag of food at Trader Joe's. 

 

And BD, without a peep, disappeared into the garage at some point and emerged with a house for her!  A house!  And she loves it!

 

 

She doesn't go in there all the time.  We're not sure if that's where she warms up at night.  We still kinda think she may spend her nights at her "real" family's house. 

 

We welcome Cat to hang out in our yard, kick back on our lawn furniture, and have a little snack (as long as it does not come out of our pond!) as long as she likes.

 

But she can't come in the house.  Sorry, Cat.  We already have a furry snuggler and my guess is you two wouldn't get along very well...

 

 

Nope.  We wouldn't do that to you, Edward!

 

 

 

 

 

Fond Farewell

I saw something amazing yesterday morning when I went to pick up the farm box.  A bunch of Canada geese (not Canadian geese; stay tuned for a post on that) were lined up along the edge of the pond of a little waterfront community near our neighborhood.  The geese were stately and grand, perfectly aligned on the bank of the water.  It looked as if someone was on the bridge giving a speech, for they were attentive and had an air of purpose.  I was so bummed that I didn't have my camera with me.  It seemed such an unnatural scene, the order taken by these wild animals.  And yet, it was more natural, more by Nature than I yet realized.

 

 

I hurried back after collecting my organic veggies, remembering that I could use the camera on my phone.  Hoping I would not be too late, I half expected that I'd witnessed a freak phenomenon, that they would all be randomly scattered across the grass pecking out breakfast from the lawn.  I was so close, a block away, when I saw them fly overhead, a perfect V-formation heading south for the winter.  An awesome, awesome sight! 

 

Bon voyage, my feathered friends!  See you in the Spring!

 

Since I didn't have my camera and missed the opportunity to snap pictures with my phone, I decided to come home and make some art about my experience.  I am a water-fowl dork fan, and seeing this totally trumped my celebrity sighting of a favorite morning news show anchor the night before, and let me tell you, I was pretty giddy over that!  

 

 

In making this page, I just "went for it".  And started hating it--I nixed the idea of making a two-page 8x8 spread for my "pets" album, then started to regret that I was mixing two different styles of  painting on one layout.  But I continued on, and I'm glad I did.  Now that it's done, I can see tht the two styles relate to how I saw the two different scenes.  I saw the geese staging at the edge of the pond while at a stop light.  I had the luxury of taking in details.  When I saw them flying overhead, it was more a glimpse, a brief snapshot as I ducked forward to see them out of my front windshield as they passed, no time to study the elements of the scene.

 

I knew I wanted to stamp the images of the geese, to emphasize their sameness.  I found a picture of a Canada goose stamp on Google (the artist accredited only as "April"; thanks, April!) And printed out multiple copies that I stamped with a snowflake to add some stippled color.

 

Even with a bunch of them cut out,  they looked weird on the layout.  So, I glued one to some craft foam, cut around it, then glued that to a second piece of craft foam to create an actual stamp.  I applied paint, stamped, reapplied paint, stamped, etc. around the rim of the pond.

 

 

I stamped the houses with randomly cut shapes of craft foam.  The grass was dabbed on with scrunched up bubble wrap. 

So, I'm continuing to obsess about these big ol' birds, looking at migration maps on the internet, wondering where they are headed as Southern California already seems to be a fairly southerly wintering destination for them.  And, with it being in the high 90's temperature-wise, what triggered their internal clocks that it was time to go?  Perhaps the position of the sun in the sky?  Well, I sure am happy that I got to see them go, and I will sure welcome them back in the spring!

 

Edit:  It is September 15, and the birds are either back, never left, or perhaps
this is the 2nd Brigade.  *Sigh*  I still feel I witnessed something special,
if not actually "grand".  :)

Desert Blooms

Technically, we live in a desert, though Big Daddy and I like to think of our environment as kind of a Chia Pet:  if you just add water, stuff will grow.  The brown hills around us will be lush with green growth after a bit of rain, which just as quickly withers away after the clouds clear and the sun has it's way again.

As we were driving through our neighborhood yesterday, I was excited to see a cactus garden in magnificent bloom. 

And I had to give a little love to the baby sunflower growing behind it.

And not disturb the very busy bee.

Excellent camouflage, but I found ya!

 

I hopped back in the car and thought about a song from the soundtrack for the movie, Juno.  I could not come up with the tune, but J-Girl helped me out.  Now I've been happily singing it for the past day and a half.  I get a little teary with some of the lyrics.

"...and the flower would be it's offering of love to the desert.  And the desert, so dry and lonely, that the critters all appreciate the effort."

Here's a YouTube video I found with the song.  It's called "Tree Hugger" by Antsy Pants and Kimya Dawson.  I think the message is that everybody wishes they could be a little different than who they are, but if you focus on being the best you you can be, others will notice and appreciate you for it.  Enjoy!

 

Sweet Revenge?

Boy, we thought our rabbit, Edward, was a bit territorial and intolerant of dogs coming to visit our house.  Who knew he would have such a visceral reaction to a guest, invited or not, of his own species!

 

 

Can one be "eaten in effigy"?

 

With all the other available candy in these baskets, unwrapped jeweled jellybeans, morsels of decadently wrapped chocolate that could be taken in entirety....

 

....he only attacked the large, rabbit-shaped items.  Clearly, a mob-like message sent to Don Easter Bunny. 

 

Notice a resemblance??

 

Well, Edward, what do you have to say for yourself??

"I made him the offer, and he refused it, so badaBOOM."

Crazy Sniffable

In my adventure into scrapbooking heartfelt moments and feelings more than specific events, I've decided to make a "Pets We've Known and Loved" book. I want to incorporate all the funny dog, turtle, and rabbit stories we have, but also include pages of maybe poetry, quotes, comic strips, lists of favorite books that feature animals, etc.

I decided to use an 8x8 inch format. I pictured myself missing our long-gone dalmatians, Baci and Junior, and taking out this scrapbook to "be with them" for awhile. A 12x12 album just seemed too bulky if I felt the need to curl up into a fetal position while cuddling a current pet and manipulating a book of memories.

Here is the first (completed) page!

"Who are these people??? Who are these dogs???" you are probably asking yourself. My first page is an homage to The Beastie Boys, and a great rap lyric that is so something Big Daddy would say! And, truth be known, Big Daddy IS crazy sniffable and dogs do love him! Mmmmmm...Downy...!

I got extra crafty on this page and carved my own brick wall stamp out of some craft foam. I drew the pattern out with a sharpie, then used an X-acto knife to trim away the "mortar" and randomly poked it all over for the pock-textured look.

I painted the stamp with red, brown, and black watercolors, and printed it onto some light gray paper. I like the way it turned out!

The city scene is from the label from a can of my favorite coffee, Trader Joe's Bay Blend Ultra Dark Roast. I'd saved it a while ago knowing it would find a home somewhere!

Lastly, this is the first scrapbook page I've ever used the sewing machine on. I'm taking on online mixed media sewing class, a birthday present from my Mom and Dad (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and in the first week I am already feeling myself freeing up and branching out. I will share more on that in the near future!

In the meantime, keep your nose to the ground and a wag in you tail!  That's a traditional Irish Setter blessing. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy New Year!  It is the Year of the Rabbit!

 

Edward has been hopping with excitement all morning, passing out carrots like celebratory cigars.

"It's my year," he says, catching his breath.  "It's my time."

Hope your Rabbit Year is showered in peace and prosperity!

 

Our Duck Friends

I've always had a thing for ducks. When I was in Kindergarten, a neighbor around  the corner had a duck for a pet and I got to hold it one day.  While nestled in my lap it tucked its head under my "wing", and I was hooked.  Ducks are at the top of my Fantasy Pet List.  I'll have to share that list with you another time. 

We have a neighborhood here in town that is built on a man-made water way, and it is a lovely place to go for a stroll to admire the ducks, count turtles, and perhaps catch a glimpse of an occasional heron or egret.  Big Daddy often suggests the family head over there "to visit our duck friends."  On the one hand, isn't that sweet that he proposes such activities to indulge me so?  And on the OTHER hand, are there selfish, ulterior motives at work, him thinking this will appease me and I will not feel the need for a duck of my own?   Hmm.  Ever since we installed the pond in our backyard I've been secretly hoping a couple of ducks will fly in and claim it their new home.

 

Look at that!  Ducks and turles get along fine together! 

 

J-Boy likes the coots, because he thinks they are "coot" (cute). 
I find them to be a little like high-pitched, yapping water chihuahuas. 
To each his own, I guess. 

 

J-Girl and I noticed that the white ducks seem to be more vocal than the mallards. 
Their quacking is almost conversational, and we were having a good time
translating their exchanges into English for our amusment.

 

We saw an elegant egret.

 
And a huge heron.
 
And a couple of cormorants.
 

 And a dorky duo, too.

 A lovely day, indeed.

Football Season

"Long time, no see!" we thought, as we excitedly watched the covey of quails scratching and pecking in the backyard today.  They are such skittish birds, though. If they see or sense any sudden movements they will quickly scatter into the brush.   

 
 

 

 

I just love them though.  They are such perfect little footballs, I just want to pick one up!  But if I were able to hold one, I don't think I could resist the urge to tell Big Daddy to "go long" and do a couple pump-fake passes before setting it back down.  No, I wouldn't want to spiral it into the endzone; they just look like they'd fit a spread-fingered grip so perfectly!  So cute! 

 

 
Ever wondered about why footballs are shaped like they are?  I found this interesting historical over at Life's Little Mysteries.  I'll give you a hint:  it has nothing to do with quail.  But you could probably spend a couple of hours combing through all the facts and tidbits on their site.  Enjoy!  I'm off to see if J-Boy will toss the Nerf around with me for awhile.

Tough Love

We love our rabbit, Edward, soooooooo much! 

 

We only want the best for him; we feed him organic vegetables along with his pellets.  And what could be fresher, even more nutritious than farm-fresh certified organic produce? 

Home grown greens.

 

Where Edward has access to them straight from the source.

 

Some might say, "Oh, that poor rabbit with his drippy water bottle and his neglected, filthy cage!"

 

I say, only the best for this bunny.  Sometimes it's gotta be tough love.

 

Visitors From the North

What a treat!  Last month we had a flock of Cedar Waxwings visit our pond, taking a break from their migratory journey South.  They were there for just an hour or two; we only saw them this one day.  But how honored we felt that they came and how lucky we felt to have witnessed it!

Part of the fun was searching the internet to identify these birds and find out where they were from and where they were off to.   Taking the extremes, these beauties could have been from up in Canada and making their way down to Costa Rica for the winter.  Amazing!  Thanks for stopping by!