Category: Nature

My 2018 cat shelter (Part I)

Cats & Animals, My Place, Nature, photos, This and That, Writing and Blogging

Time to update the outside cat shelter.  Lots of straw, tarps, assorted crates and wood…and a big table… plus more to come.

Barbara, for faithful followers’ information, is the wild Calico Cat that lives outside and was rarely seen…until the greenhouse where she hung out for years was torn down last spring, leaving poor Barbara rather confused and homeless.    But now she has apparently decided to move into the shelter on my back deck.  She is not afraid of me, and comes out when I call her name.  All of the cats locally defer to and respect “crazy Barbara” as she is sometimes called…they make room at the food dish and water pan, and apparently tolerate the tough old lady.

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Barbara, an old soldier, three feet, feral, numerous kittens. Bad foot is from being hit by a car, we didn’t know until later.

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This guy doesn’t really live here, but is a frequent visitor who apparently likes the food..

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Fluffy staked out this nest early on.

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An early arrangement, under temporary cover.

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This big grey tarp from “mail away” covers the entire deck and stays up year round. There will be at least one more heavy tarp draped over the umbrella. The temps could get down to Zero degrees Fahrenheit later in the winter…or not. This is Ohio, we try to be prepared for whatever comes our way.

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early rain protection, the plants have moved into the house.

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under construction

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This is the house the APL Lady, Joyce, made a few years ago. It was Peggy’s house but now two or three cats call it home. It’s a big tub like for Christmas trees. I put new straw inside this year, and checked out the inside…very impressive, built with ledges and windows to allow light, fully lined with insulation.

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Fluffy

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View from the kitchen, the shelter will include the swing, several tarps and assorted boxes. It was still green outside when I took this shot.

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a view inside, the light in back of the tarps is coming from heavy plastic “windows” in the back of the right side, so it isn’t just a dark hole.

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The (R) edge of the tarp will come down to anchor the main part of the shelter.

 

No more kittens…but here’s a possibility

Cats & Animals, My Place, Nature, Photographs, This and That, Writing and Blogging

 

The latest kittens from next door.   Barbara has been featured in this blog before…she is a rough and tumble lady that appeared from thin air long ago; she lived in the now defunct greenhouse across the road.   Not sure where she lives now, she is very illusive.

[all photos ©Sometimes, 2018}

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going next door

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Barbara, an old soldier, three feet, feral, numerous kittens. Bad foot is from being hit by a car, we didn’t know until later.   Approach at yer own risk!

DSC02511.JPG LITTLE GIRL KITTEN 2
Little Sister kitten

DSC02514.JPG BARBARA N LITTLE GREY 2
Barbara & Son

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Here he is: Little Grey

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Little Grey posing

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beautiful markings

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hmmm…what’s over here?

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Nosy Little Grey

bringing down the trees: a study in accuracy & precision

My Place, Nature, Photographs, This and That, Writing and Blogging

I spent most of three days watching the clearing of a 1.8 acre lot which I sold recently.   The operation was both sad and fascinating.   The company that did this work was efficient, the crews worked magnificently together, and the huge trees fell precisely as intended…where they had stood for a hundred years.     (All photos are  my own.)

 

DSC02343.JPG THE LAST APPLE TREE N MY HOUSE
The last apple tree, my house in the background. 

 

DSC02364.JPG VIEW FROM THE LAST APPLE
The last apple tree, facing Southeast.    

 

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There goes the last tree after it was cut down, on its way to the chipper.

 

DSC02374.JPG TREES STILL THERE
Here is the Eastern corner while some trees on the tree line are still standing.  

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Man in red shirt in bucket…others working on downed branches.

 

DSC02376.JPG VERY GOOD SHOT OF TREE GOING TO CHIPPER
Tree top down.  

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Chainsaw dangling from top of crane; dragging tree top to chipper.   The yellow machine is a stump digger, operates by remote control.  The white building is the church.   The clump of ornamental grass in the foreground is on the very edge of the property, so far spared by the operation.  

 

Enter a caption

 

DSC02364.JPG VIEW FROM THE LAST APPLE
Cleared field, the last apple tree standing.   

 

 

20180627193349.m2ts STILL OF APPLE TREE(3)
There goes the last tree after it was cut down, on its way to the chipper.

 

DSC02374.JPG TREES STILL THERE
Here is the Eastern corner while some trees on the tree line are still standing.  

DSC02375.JPG VERY GOOD GUY UP IN BUCKET RED SHIRT
These were healthy old growing trees.

DSC02376.JPG VERY GOOD SHOT OF TREE GOING TO CHIPPER
Excellent team work and organization.  

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Chainsaw hanging down; big log being lowered by chain; branch on way to chipper. 

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This is way the edge looked before the pathway was created. The red ribbons marked the approximate location of the property pin.

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Tri-corner section.

DSC02493.JPG NORTH TALL TREE LITTLE MACHINES

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Dusty landing… exactly where it was headed.  

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The last tree on the tree line, moments before it came down.  

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Chomp…moving to chipper.  

DSC02457.JPG LOWERING BIG LOG SEE MAN IN BUCKET
Down comes the log; stump digger waits its turn.

A walk with Sister down back…

My Place, Nature, Photographs, This and That

The closing date is near, and soon most of these blooming trees in the photos will be gone forever.   Not all…the part being sold is about 1.7 acres, but the remaining six or so acres will remain family property.   Here are a few of the phots I took the other day when Sister (my calico house cat) and I took a walk to the back, where the highway fence marks the edge of our land.   Thanks for tagging along!

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Daisies and a little bug.  

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Sister surveying from a bird’s eye view.  

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Pond through the trees.  

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Redbud and other blooming trees.

 

 

 

before mowing

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Poppies & lilacs & rhododendrons O My!

My Place, Nature, Sometimes, This and That, Writing and Blogging

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Poppy looks real, doesn’t it?  (Yes, it is)   

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Front walk.  Roses on right, Blue Holy on left.   

 

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Bob 

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Clematis

 

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Some kind of berry bush leaning on a tree for support.   

 

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Poppy close upEnter a caption

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other Peony  

 

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glorious peony  

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Peony. 

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Li’L Kims…  smell divine.

 

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Li’l Kim lilacs  

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Nice hay field.   I wish the neighbor’s horses could come over.  

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Two beauties.  

 

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This old plant is a wreck…until its ready to bloom.  

 

ambiguity about volcano

In the News, Nature, news coverage, This and That

CNN this morning had some breathtaking coverage of the erupting volcano in Hawaii.   The headline or titles on the screen read something like this:

Hawaiian Residents prepare to evacuate

Hawaiian Residents listen for eruptions and dodge lava bombs.

Hmmm, this just begs the question… is it only Residents of Hawaii that are worried about the Volcano?   What about tourists and non-residents that live there?   Non-Hawaiian residents?

 

 

 

A walk with Peggy through nature’s beauty…and the heavy hand of man.

My Place, Nature, Photographs, This and That, Writing and Blogging

Here are some shots from my walk to the back of our property.    The flowers and trees are glorious this time of year, but as is obvious from some of these pictures the church clean-up crew did not seem to notice.   They wanted to trim the foliage along the highway fence so traffic could see their church.   We refused them access from our side of the fence, but the highway side was pretty well vulnerable to attack…the fence cut and some kind of heavy destruction equipment used to “trim” the trees.    Reminds me for all the world of a small scale Mt. St. Helens after the volcano.

Peggy in the wild

Who Doesn’t Fancy Pansies?

My Place, Nature, Photographs, This and That

Our first visit to our favorite greenhouse today.    We ordered some red Million Bells, and some Lantana…for a couple of weeks from now.    Meanwhile, some other plants are blooming…Rhododendron, and some Azaleas.   Daffodils are done, Tulips still around but ready to make their exit shortly.   So here are some Pansy Photos…

(all photos on this post are © Sometimes, 2018)

DSC01822.JPG lots of petunias
Rarin’ to go

DSC01823.JPG blue n white n other petunias
beautiful pansies

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brilliant color

DSC01818.JPG magenata petunias
magenta pansies

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neighbors

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pink pansies

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Hey! Where is everybody?