Birthday Cat! I turned 51 on 4 January and while I received many great cards, I just had to share this one with you! It's from my dear friend Rita and on the inside, it reads....."If the tiara fits, wear it!" Rita knows me SO WELL!!! I just love this cat!! MEOW!!!
Isn't he adorable? There's a story behind him, naturally (And do NOT ask me why I think it's a "him". Just work with me here!) With all the snow we've had lately, Isabel wanted to build a snowman. So I very wisely sent her to Grandpa (who was also off work) to see if he would help her. Being the wonderful Grandpa that he is, he agreed and off they went (while I (the wise one) enjoyed a lovely hot cup of tea)! However, not terribly long afterward, Isabel comes back into the house with a very long, very sad face (she's mastered this art, by the way). "Gummy," she says, as she curls up her wet cold self into my previously dry warm self. "Grandpa isn't helping me make a snowman. He's only telling me what to do! Can I go play next door?" Poor little lamb!! Much to her dismay, she figured out that building a snowman - at least one of any large stature - entails hard, wet, cold work! So the next day, she comes to me again and asks if she can play in the snow. First thing I did was make sure she didn't expect ME to help, then I said she could. And this (above) is the little darling she produced!! As a matter of fact, as soon as she showed him to me, she asked if I would put it on my blog! So here he is, preserved for posterity!!
I still find it hard to believe the Koi fish are still alive under here! But they are!
This is the upper pond. Fortunately, the ice keeps a heron from showing up and eating our fish! Yes, I said heron! He's HUGE, with a lovely wing span. Had the neighbors not also seen it, I wouldn't have trusted my own eyes! He scopes out the pond early in the morning and late in the afternoon/early evening! Yum! Yum! Fish sticks!! I hate to think how many we've lost, but fortunately the little fishies reproduce quite extensively!
Isn't she lovely? Mom bought her for me last year when we spotted it in an antique store and I was drooling all over her! I place her all over the garden, depending on what season it is.
What do you do when you have LOTS of tangerines and fruit loops that are stale and shriveling faster than you can eat them? Don't throw them away! Give them to the birds! They need food, especially this time of year when the snow is covering the ground. Even without snow, the ground is cold and hard, which makes it difficult for the birds to get at those pesky little pests we want them to eat. So now's the time to fill your bird feeders and put out strings of fruit, cereals, etc. This was so easy that Isabel did it herself! All I had was the garden variety floral wire that comes on a plastic spool (24 gauge). I threaded it onto a very large headed needle and once through the eye of the needle, I twisted the end around and anchored it. I didn't know how much wire I would need so I didn't cut it off the spool until Isabel had all the fruit and cereal threaded on. She did a half of a tangerine, then 10 fruit loops, and repeated this until she was through. Once done, I pulled off enough wire to use as a hanger. Isabel and I then went outside in search of a suitable spot to hang our lovely fruit garland (i.e., some place where we hope the cats won't bother them too much).
Ta Da!!!! A fruit and cereal garland for our lovely winged friends!!
That's it for now! Hope everyone is enjoying our lovely (wacky) weather!!
Love and Blessings to All! Jan
