Whimper
I recall vividly that the last slide I shot was at Dave’s graduation. Little did I know or suspect film would so suddenly be gone in my life. I just simply never went back. I did not look back. And I have not shot a roll of film since my Nikon D70 arrived late after I got home from work. Who knew?!
Nothing of import was on that last roll of slides. The deck, my dog, Dave, the school play and some flowers numbered among the mundane subjects. Interesting to see. I had never really checked until now.
What’s in your day?
I am so fortunate. I have a deck to sit. The beach is a short ride away. The soundtrack of “Jaws” plays gently on my mind. Cats! I never cared much for cats till Colleen…. I got no complaints. I got worries. Don’t we all? Charmed. I have been indeed “lucky.”
If you look back
…just a few years back. We have been in this house since 2015. Ok! Check out the backgrounds. Our house and deck were so sparsely occupied by things and stuff. No planters! Wow! My bad. I turned Colleen loose in the stores and she said, “I like that…” We got a few things – like a bunch of spinning wheels (not regular… great wheels!) and other such antique items. Did I mention – TWO barn looms? Oh my! Note: the iPhone 5 on the table. Those were the good old days.
Spooked
We, that is I and the cats, were out on the deck. Some noise? A stampede. They all charged to the door. Ok! Colleen opened the door and in! they went. Hey! I herded cats! It’s something that we all learned together. I can round them up. Really!
Planted
By the time this post is published the pics will be two months old. These images are right after the deck was planted. The containers will look so much different. I thought containers and houses don’t mix. Previously I had been in an apartment and using containers. You plant beds and landscape a house, right? But no, containers have advantages. I’m happy to be living in both worlds.
By late July it was pretty much a jungle. No complaint. We especially needed color and cheer this year. Someone recently referred to our house as the New Orleans house. Thank you!
Outside
Elle is our indoor cat. No outdoors. She had something happen before she came to Colleen. Who knows? But to get her out, it has to be perfect. She has to feel safe. Skittish? Always. But she has the urge of cow in her and wants to munch something green. Once in a while the urge overcomes her trepidation.
Deck time
They gather. They line up in the window. Time to go out. My cats love the deck. Sorry, they are not outdoor cats. No escape. Yup, it’s like a prison camp. Indoors. It’s too pitiful to speak of. If I let them out onto the deck, Colleen is overwhelmed with fear a cat might be eaten by a bear. Ok ok, she’s had that happen. Me? I’m fat, dumb and happy. You pick – two out of three. So, I take pity. I let them out. No one has tried a second story jump. And our front balcony has no stair access. Good for us all. I hate chasing down our escaped cats in the big outdoors.
Cats in my window…
… cats on my deck. I have two cats (sisters) who just like being out on the deck. There is Elle who is very tentative and mostly afraid. So, she is mostly in. The boys? Why is it always boys? (Colleen’s on the floor laughing – at me.) They are otherwise escape artists who lead us on a merry chase every time I take pity and let them out on the deck. Yes, they double as cows while munching on the greens. My solution? Harness or collar. One way or the other they are restrained. No one goes over the fence. I’m too tired of chasing them down. They could go if they want but then Colleen would never let me come home either.
The alternative is the window. The screen lets the noise and smells of outdoors in without the need for vigilance. Note: no cats were harmed in the making of this post.
… jump ahead – it’s July – looking back, and I must be (have been) bored. It’s the third post about cat tricks in a short period. I’m in a rut. Alternatives?
Outside
Reduced to eating outside. We adapted to eating our meals to the last remaining open space. We have a spectacular deck space after all the plantings. I even have lights! It’s really idyllic. The setting is as good as any outdoor restaurant. Until, you add a picker. Don’t ask. It’s a device to comb out wool fiber. And it’s dangerous. And it takes up my last available space. … and so, we gotta eat out. Colleen loves eating out.
Garden proud
I am very pleased at how the spring planting turned out. And with my good images piling up, you would have a good flower photo every day for a good long time. Instead, I summarize. I may sneak some more shots but… In the front the wisteria is coming along nicely. They are beginning to grow across and obscure the balcony rail. Roses, the bane of my garden, occasionally reward me with some color. I have mostly sickly looking roses. Nope, I am not a rose person. Otherwise the back deck is predicated on summer long color. It has no organization. There is a mix of perennial and annual flowers. Sometimes the perennials show up again and sometimes not. Herbs grow. And for the first time I am cooking with fresh herbs. The cats eat fresh catnip. But mostly, they enjoy grass. Imagine? My cats eat grass like cows.
Cat count
Feather is one smart cat. She learned very early how to depress a door handle and spring the door open. Lately the door to our deck has been her project. Unless I lock the door, she is likely to have a go. I forget sometimes. Today I was photographing the cardinals at my bird-feeder. Suddenly the birds took off. I glanced to the deck and saw the reason. Feather was there beneath the feeder hoping to catch a bird. Loose! She was loose! Darn! Make that worse. Three other cats were out as well. And two had made a jailbreak down the stairs to the yard below. Willow, pictured in the photo of the deck, likes to jump to the rail. I have a gate; it was down because of the wind. And, Patch and Ray were on the loose. Ray, at least knows the drill. He trotted up the stairs. Patch was out in the yard. Not good! We got them all back. Can you count to seven? We did it twice. Everyone is safe and sound. I am working on my penance for leaving the door unlocked. And there is no photo to commemorate the action. I was too busy herding cats at that moment.
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