Dancer's New Box

Dancer Claims a New Box

Two large bags of kibble were delivered earlier in the week and we opened one bag for immediate use and stored the other bag in the spare bedroom.  That left an empty box and it didn't take long for Dancer to claim it as his new box!

"Nothing hiding in this corner"

"I do wonder what happened to the kibble that was here"

"I wonder if this box will suit me?"

"Yes, it seems to fit me"

"If I tuck my paws it, I can lie down"

"Time for a catnap, zzzzz"

We left the box out for a couple of days for him to enjoy, but, daughter broke it down on Sunday.  More about Sunday in another post.

Lending a Helping Paw with Quilt Making

Dancer Lends a Helping Paw

Hello blog friends!  It's Dancer, here!  It's been a long time since I last did a blog post, isn't it?  But, I simply had to update you on this quilt my Mummy has trying to make!  I know she's been telling you that she's making a quilt with all the scrap pieces of fabric she has in her baskets.  But, you all know that she can't do them on her own!  She tries to, bless her heart, but, she needs help!  A lot of help!  Which is where I come in!  I am her most helpful assistant!

Mummy has been worried that one side of her quilt was wider than the other, so she tried to narrow it down by cutting a strip of it off to straighten it and now she's saying it is longer on the other side!  Oh, no, Mummy, that's not how you make it more even!  Let me show you how it should be done!

"First you lie on it and then you squirm; that makes it more even"

"Then you pull up one corner, take another patchwork piece, and..."  

"You take a nap because helping Mummy is hard work"

And there you have it!  Job all done!  I tell you, blog friends, she really can't sew a quilt without me helping her!   

Bunny Patrol on Thursday

Bun Bun

Feasting on Grass

This morning, when I drew the drapes and opened the windows, I noticed Bun Bun the white rabbit happily helping himself to breakfast in the back yard!  As far as I could tell, he was eating the grass for the most part.  I don't know if he nibbled on any of the other plants.  I didn't have my cell phone with me at the time to take a picture, but, he returned for dinner and I was able to take the above pictures from the back sliding glass door.  He looked up when he heard me open the door, but, continued with his dinner!  Later, I walked around the back yard and he happily hopped around, eating a calamondin that had fallen, a gazania flower that he bit off from the plant, and some tender new grass!  He allows me to approach within 3 or 4 feet from him before he hops away a little bit further!  He was in the front garden when I went to put water to the front and Pirate Bun watched me from the parkway!  I had the feeling that Pirate Bun was just waiting for me to leave to munch on the freshly watered plants!  

M put up a mesh screen around the serrano chili pepper plant when he was here, yesterday, because Bun Bun apparently likes it!  He ate the plant practically all the way down to the ground, earlier, but, it grew back and has some flowers and a few chilies on it:

Bunny Barricade

Bun Bun also ate all the sweet potato tops, but, they, too, grew back.  Snowball has taken it upon herself to guard the sweet potato tops, this time, although she was sleeping on the job!

Snowball on Bunny Guard 

Today was a rather relaxed day.  I chatted on the phone with aunt C in the morning, wrote a couple of emails to friends, did a couple of nonograms, watered the front garden, did the dishes, and did another load of laundry.  I should have tidied the family room, but, I didn't!  I did call friend R in the evening and had a chat with her.  She's very worried about her family back in Sri Lanka.  She said her sister had stood in line for over 6 hours to get the first dose of the vaccine, but, they ran out of vaccines before she got to the front of the line.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being able to take it easy when I feel like it
- Working appliances (washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, electric fans, etc.)
- All the modern technology that makes it easy to connect with friends and family
- Electricity to make it all work
- My garden is a bit of a haven to all the animals who live in it

Today's joyful activity was being in the garden - just being able to walk around in it is such a joy!

Plans for tomorrow include doing the tidying I didn't feel like doing today!  

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?

*******************

August Decluttering Challenge: 

8/1 - 1 pair gardening gloves

8/2 - non-working heating pad

8/3 - old purse/handbag

8/4 - 1 computer CD containing a report

8/5 - 1 plastic lid that cracked and broke in two

Doughnuts and Bunny Tales

 

Sunday Brunch

Sunday morning, I woke up to an offer of doughnuts from neighbor S and her daughter N!  They had extra doughnuts and would we like to have some?  Well, I am not able to say no to doughnuts, so, of course, I said, yes, please!  I had made coconut roti (flat bread) for dinner on Saturday and I gave a few roti in return.  S had said she doesn't eat coconut, but, N texted my daughter saying she liked the roti.

N had also mentioned that she had seen the rabbits, too.  That's right!  Rabbits!  Plural!  Two to be exact!  N said they were in the middle of the road on Saturday night!  Uh-oh!  So far I have only seen one rabbit at a time!  

Later in the evening on Sunday, I was watering the front garden, when one of the people in the neighboring house walked by  (there are several people living in that house, including in their converted garage and two motor homes that are parked in their driveway).  I asked him about the rabbits and he said there were two white rabbits and they were his friend's.  I said the rabbits are roaming all over, but, he didn't seem concerned about it.  Apparently, they are not someone's "lost" pets; they are pets who are allowed to roam around!

Still later on Sunday evening, as I was preparing some soup for dinner (chicken and vegetable soup), there was a knock on the front door.  When I went to answer it, it was someone who was out walking and had seen the bunnies!  She asked if they were my rabbits (I guess they were outside my yard?) and I said no.  She said they were on the road and she was concerned that they might get run over by a vehicle.  She wanted to call the City's Animal Control to pick them up if they didn't belong to anyone.  I said they belong to the people next door and suggested she spoke with them.  I saw her standing by their gate, but, I don't know if she spoke with anyone.  I hope she did and they are keeping their rabbits in their yard.   I haven't seen them today.

To be honest, I didn't mind the rabbit feasting on the weeds, etc., in my garden; I don't mind even if there are two.  I think they are cute!  But, I wouldn't want them to get struck down by a vehicle because they are hopping about on the road!  Not to mention going into one of the neighboring yards where there are dogs!  Come to think of it, the neighbors with the rabbits also have dogs!  Maybe that's why the rabbits are in my yard - a safe haven from the dogs!  

But, at least, they are not someone's lost pets.  I know some of you who have read my earlier post about the rabbit had expressed concern that it might be a lost pet and worried that someone, perhaps a small child, would be sad about it.

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- Doughnuts for brunch
- Finding out that the bunnies were not lost pets!
- A sunny, warm (87F) day
- Water for the garden
- Memories of my father (Sunday was his birthday)

Sunday's joyful activity was eating doughnuts!  LOL!

How was your Sunday?

Monthly Photo Challenge: October "Animals"

Dancer

"Dancer, the theme for the October Photo Challenge is "Animals".  Eileen, who organizes these monthly mini photo challenges said she chose that theme, as opposed to Autumn, out of consideration for me.  But, I need some animals to photograph!"    

"Not to worry, Mummy!  Dancer will help!"

Dancer Posing

"Thank you, Dancer; but, I need at least five photographs and I am not sure if five photos of you will be quite right.  I wish I could go to the zoo, but I can't because I am sheltering at home due to the pandemic."

"No problem, Mummy; if you can't go to the zoo , the zoo will come to you!"

Presenting, the Home Garden Zoo and its residents!  First, the felines:

"Lions and Tigers"

One rarely sees lions and tigers together in the wild, but, in the Home Garden Zoo, they are constant companions!

Apparently, the sweet potato vine is a favorite "bed":

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps"

A mostly black cat is simply a small panther!  

 

"Panther"

 

She, too, favors the sweet potato vine bed, except when she's watching over her kitten:

Mama Cat

Her kitten likes to pretend being a mighty hunter among the flower pots:

Playful Kitten

Snowball says she's a snow leopard!

"Snow Leopard"

"Would you like a different pose?"

Tigers will often wait by the watering hole for prey: 

"Tiger" by the watering hole (sprinkler head)

Next, we have the only marsupial found in North America (U.S. and Canada):

Opossum 

And last, but, not least, the reptiles that the garden cats like to play with:

Lizard

"Visiting the zoo is tiring, Mummy!  Dancer is going to take a nap!"

 

Cat Naps!

Thank you, Dancer and the Garden Cats (and others) for all your help!

The theme for November is "Tools" if anyone is interested in participating.  The only rule is, a minimum of five photos taken during the month.  

Dancer Helps, Again

Hi Blog Friends,

It's me, Dancer.  Thought I'd check in with everyone to see how you are all doing.  Sorry I've taken so long to write another blog post.  I've been busy, helping Mummy with the housework and keeping her company, etc.  Today, for example, I helped her to make the bed with clean sheets.  Mummy said I should share my bed making skills with my blog friends and do a tutorial!  So here it is!

Dancer's Bed Making 101:  

Step 1:  Spread the sheet and roll around to smooth it out:

Smoothing Out the Sheet

Step 2: Enjoy the scent and feel of fresh sheets:

"Soft, comfy sheets"

Step 3: Having made your bed, take a test nap:

Quality Testing in Progress

Mummy was very appreciative of my help and thanked me for leaving fur all over her freshly washed sheets helping her make the bed (she might have gone over the sheet with her lint roller after I had moved over to the chair in the family room, for the rest of my nap).

Hope you all have helpful kitties of your own!

Hot on Saturday!

92F at 6:15 P.M. in the Family Room

Today was a hot day.  When I went outside to refill the garden cats' water dish and water the fruit trees in the back yard at 10:30 a.m., it was already 96F outside, according to the weather report, which also stated that it felt like 105F in the sunshine.  I believe it, because it felt burning hot, even at that hour of the morning.  Later, the day's high was 103F; I didn't check what it felt like, but, inside the house, it registered 92F!  It almost made me wish I had asked M to install the window air conditioner in my bedroom!  Instead, I changed out of my longer than calf-length skirt into a pair of shorts!  LOL!

There is a stage 2 flex alert to lower our electricity use during this time because when it is so hot, there is more demand for electricity as people crank up their air conditioners.  If not enough people comply, then, they will go to stage 3 and do rolling blackouts.  In fact, according to the evening news, they did start rolling blackouts in some parts of the state, today.  So far, however, I have been lucky and have electricity.  I can manage without air conditioning, but, I'll find it very difficult without electricity to run the fans!

I practiced the piano in the early afternoon, before it got too hot in the living room and then, drew the drapes closed to keep the afternoon sun out.  

I spent the better part of the afternoon doing a craft project:

Fabric Covered Box

A friend of mine gave me this piece of fabric, along with some others that she had in her stash, several years ago (back when I was undergoing chemo!).  I decided that I could do with a couple of fabric covered boxes for storage purposes.  

Two of Them

I used two of the smallest delivery boxes that I had and regular white glue to glue the fabric.  I didn't do the neatest job with covering them, especially the insides, but, that's OK.  I just want something to corral various bits and pieces and still look a little better than a cardboard box.  

I am, once again, dealing with too many things to store and not enough proper storage space.  I also have more open storage (shelves) than closed (drawers and cabinets).  Actually, I like the open storage because then, I can see what I have.  But, then, it becomes visual clutter!  Not everything needs to be stored where it can be seen, does it?  As I told one of my friends, what I need is a big room lined with wall to wall cabinets and drawers!  LOL.  But, I don't have that, so, I need to figure out something else.  

In the evening, I put water by hand (using the garden hose, rather than the sprinklers) to the back yard.  It was slightly cooler outside, by then.  I wanted to put water to the front yard, as well, but, my hand was cramping (I don't have a spray nozzle on the hose in the back and use my finger to regulate the water flow), so, I decided to water the front, tomorrow.  

When it is hot like it was today, even the cats feel hot!  The garden cats were panting in the afternoon, when I checked on them.  Dancer fares a little better inside the house:

A Cool Spot for Sleeping

He likes to sleep on the cooler ceramic tiles in the bathroom.

Dancer Tries to Keep Cool

Today, I am grateful for:

- Electricity and fans

- Water for the garden

- My friend sharing her fabric stash with me

- Having everything I needed to cover the boxes on hand

- Iced water!

Today's joyful activity was making the fabric covered boxes.

Tomorrow will be a little cooler, according to the forecast, with a high of only 95F.  That is a comfortable temperature for me.  

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?

Rain Drops on Roses...

Pink Rose

It rained on Tuesday afternoon.

Yellow Rose

After it cleared, I took these photos and thought of the song from "Sound of Music":

On leaves, too!

Which led to these photos:

"Whiskers on Kittens"

"Hey, I'm trying to sleep, here!"

"Meow?  A song about whiskers and kittens?"

A few of my favorite things.  

Quilting with Dancer on Sunday

I worked on the quilt backing, today, with some help from Dancer, of course.   While I sewed on the pieced panel I wanted to insert to make the backing sheet wider, Dancer tested out the bed to see if it was a suitable surface for working on the quilt:

Dancer Checks the Comfort Level

"Dancer, I need you to move so that I can spread out the backing sheet."

"Hey, what's this?  Is Mummy tucking me in?"

"No, Dancer, I need you off the bed!"

He got off the bed long enough for me to spread the sheet.  But, when I went to measure the width of the sheet, he jumped into help with that!

Helping with the Measuring

Action Shot!

"Measure from here, Mummy"

"I'll just bite off this extra bit!"

He is such a helpful kitty!  With his help, I managed to make a cut, lengthwise, 24 inches from one side edge, and inserted the pieced panel that I had sewn, yesterday and earlier, today:

The Pieced Panel

This panel is made up of some extra patches and fabric leftover from sewing the front.  It was sewn to widen the sheet in order to make it wide enough to cover the whole back of the quilt.  I sewed it off center, intentionally, to add a design element:

The Other Side of the Mountain (Quilt)

I'm reminded of the children's song, "The bear went over the mountain ... to see what he could see" and all he could see was "the other side of the mountain"! 

Do you have helpful pets, too?