Unexpected Surprise

So having the day off and being the gentleman that he is, hubby checked the live trap this afternoon after we came back home from running some errands.  The trap was sprung and at first it looked like a really big rabbit, but it wasn't.  It was a very unhappy and stressed out cat.  This is the same cat that I have seen running around my yard and crossing a busy street at night for a couple of weeks now.  Since it bolted every time I saw it, it appeared to be feral.  (It may have taken over the territory of the other cat that had a fatal conference with Chloe a few weeks ago.)

We called the local shelter and they kindly allowed us to take it to them.  It is one heavy (well fed) cat.  Once at the shelter, the staff determined that it was de-clawed on all four paws!  They then checked the collar-less cat for a microchip.  Thankfully it has one, and they will be contacting the owner.  Guess I have to give the owner the benefit of the doubt for now; maybe the cat escaped and decided not to go home.  However, the large number of cats roaming loose at night does make me suspect that there is a crazy cat hoarding person living in the neighborhood nearby.

Annual Traditions

During the week of EAA, there is another traditional celebration.  It is the time of year when our godson has his birthday party.  This year was no exception.  His family and friends gathered for an evening meal, made by his mum and dad.  It was delicious as always.  Even Tilly the wonder dog enjoyed helping pre-wash the dishes.

Dinner was followed by the usual tradition of blowing out candles on the birthday cake.  This year the theme for the cake was much more grown up than last year's.  Not every little boy gets a drawing of the SS Badger on his birthday cake.  He loves that boat.

The days preceding the party had been an adventure with his dad, sister, little brother, and a couple friends who biked to the dock, rode the SS Badger across to Michigan, camped overnight, then rode back the next day, and biked home.  All that activity also exhausted the children enough so that they sat relatively still for dinner and present opening.


After dinner he opened all his presents, enjoying each one immensely.  The loot included a starter model rocket set, one of those big styrofoam airplanes, a boomerang, books, and last but not least a package of candy from his Gran in Britain.

I wonder how far ahead she had to mail it so that it would arrive before his birthday?  A grand time was had by all.

Some Bunny-Hugger

has just sealed the fate of all future bunnies to be caught in the live trap in my yard.  They let the bunny out!  Since I cannot trust meddling passers-by to leave the trap locked until our neighbor can transport the rodents to a more ideal location, a definitive solution of permanent elimination will again be enacted.  I was trying to be nice, but some misguided idiot has just made that impossible.

Brunch

An omelette

with swiss chard, cottage cheese, a little sharp cheddar,

a salad, and a little more cottage cheese on the side

Dinner was

Nothing fancy tonight

with no real cooking involved.

Why mess with fresh, tasty foods?

Sharp cheddar,
a matzo
(We still have a box bought on clearance after passover.
It really needs to be finished - Chloe likes to help with that.)
Cherries from the grocery store
French Breakfast radishes from the garden
Kohlrabi from the garden
and Carrots from the garden
(Not shown is the blue cheese dressing used as dip,
beverage, and desert.)

Question and Stuff

Question:  What is a foolproof way to make it rain?


Answer:  Gather a whole bunch of airplanes in one place for a convention.  It is the third day of EAA, and you guessed it we have rain.  Maybe they should try shuttling the convention through Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.  They need rain too.




On another note, MASA finally picked up the Element yesterday, so today was the first day of riding my bike over to mom's to give her daily shot.  Thankfully, it was 86 instead of the predicted high of 94.  That said, I was probably still a sadly humorous sight, an overweight asthmatic pedaling a bicycle across town.  I stopped once to rest and cool down by pouring some cold water over my head.  While I rested, one of those racing bikes with an annoyingly skinny rider went past.  Although somewhat envious of svelte people, I have one objection to those guys; they have no regard for traffic laws and frequently run stop signs and lights.  Wonder how many of them end up as hood ornaments?  What is the point of being physically fit, if the way they train puts them at risk of becoming road kill?

Keepsakes

Just a few of the keepsakes from Pa-in-Law.

Each one reminds us of him and his personality.

For the gentle art of persuasion.

 For finding out the water temperatures of your favorite fishing hole without having to dive in and disturb the fish.

 And what inheritance would be complete

without at least one sharp object,

in this instance a woodworkers draw knife.

Weather Change

Just as I was thinking of doing an experiment to see if our mailbox could be used as a solar powered oven, the weather is promising a change.  Rain clouds are sliding through from the north, and the temperature has dropped a little.  Hopefully, we get a measurable amount of rain from this.  I sure wish that upper level high that is sitting and spinning in the middle of the country would go away.

Just a Reminder

Even though it is really hot outside now, winter will return.
Remember, it looks like this.

and this

3.4 tons of the reminder (wood pellets for our pellet stove) are still sitting in our driveway waiting to be carried to the basement.

So they give us a deal if we order in April, and then they deliver the pellets in July.  Well at least there is no risk of pipes freezing if we leave the back door open while we lug them down the stairs.

Stay cool everyone!

Old Relics

Oh the dangerous "toys" hubby had when he was young.

Not exactly Osha approved, but it made toy helicopters really fly.

Can you guess what it is?

Here are a couple more pictures.

Been Busy

Watering

Ok, maybe that's a bit of a cop out.  I'll try to get out the camera tomorrow and take some new pictures.

Tigger went to the vet today for her shots.  She had actually lost some weight.  I had changed her food a while back, but have not been happy with all of the results of said food.  It is true that she is now more slender than shown in the picture, but she is still a really big girl.  She still doesn't fold very well in the middle when I hold (trap) her in my lap to trim her claws.  The downside is that with all the hot weather and the different food, she has been hacking up hair-balls quite frequently, even when brushed often.  So at least for the summer, she is being switched back to the old food which seems to help the hair pass through rather than being left as extra gifts in inappropriate places.

Hopefully tomorrow's subject matter will cover something much more cheerful than cat barf.  Sleep sweet all!

Miss Gimpy is

getting better.  In fact she is back to running and jumping like her usual self.  The wrestling match to get her to soak her foot in epsom salt solution is no longer needed.

Chloe has become quite spoiled with getting peanut butter in the morning and evening.  Shh, don't tell her there are antibiotic pills hidden in it.  And she has also become quite accustomed to me cooking food for her.  Getting her to go back to eating the dry kibble could be a battle.  She is really proficient at hunger striking.  I've created a monster, but at least she is a live monster.

Still Too Hot

Well, it seems a bit cooler, but it is still 82.  The neighbor dog outside complaining to be let back into the house.  (She's probably not too thrilled about all the fireworks still going off.)  They seem to ration them around here, especially the ones that make really big booms.  They shoot off one or two, then run and hide just in case someone actually calls to police on them.


It was so hot yesterday that I forgot to do my traditional activity for the evening of Independence Day, shop-vacuuming the spiders off the siding on the house.  Maybe I'll get around to it on the weekend when most of the neighbors can sleep in the next day.

Have a Wonderful 4th of July

The fireworks are already going off around the neighborhood.  For those international readers who wonder what's the big deal about July 4th, it is just the day that people in the USA celebrate the fact that we're not a British colony anymore.  Woo-hoo!  Tomorrow promises to be another hot day.  Stay cool and enjoy the festivities!

Nature

Here are a few pictures from around the yard.

Have a pleasant evening and a wonderful week.

 Yarrow

 Baby Robins

 The last one to leave the nest.

Maybe these will have a decent chance now that the cat is gone.

Busy Bee on the Borage

(Please don't miss the tomatoes.)