Mourning, Dove

There’s much to be said

For the roof o’er my head,

For the groceries, the skillets, the dishes

It’s not always fun

But when day is done

It’s a good life, being the Mrs.

No longer with rocks,

I’m washing his socks

And the rest of the laundry in style

While capturing frames

And looking up names

Some visit only once in a while.

They’re gold, shades of gray,

Red, brown and blue jay,

They soar on the winds with abandon.

Unconfined, in their space

Wings that beat, hearts that race

With a joy I can only imagine.

Signs of the Times

I wonder if things that are meaningful  to us – signs, if you will – change with time.  I can’t recall any recurring “things” in my early life but maybe I was too busy running and BEING, to have noticed them.  Maybe I just wasn’t in the right place.

When contemplating chucking our life on Long Island and starting over at age 40 I was uncertain, thus vulnerable.  And, open.  Standing at the screen door of our 20’ X 24’ cabin in the Pennsylvania woods, I considered  the right ‘move’; my heart  was at home in the woods but my brain questioned leaving what we had achieved and become in New York.  A strange buzzing noise greeted me from the other side of the screen. In the darkness of a wooded twilight, the green thing that flew towards me seemed like a crazy-big locust.  I came to learn, it was my first experience with a hummingbird.

Two years later in Pennsylvania, after job hunting without success for weeks, alone and wondering if our choice had been the right one, I set out to put in a garden. With a shovel and pick-ax, I tried to dig out a row.  The boulder-rich, glacial terra firma was impossible. My harvest of rocks would far exceed any vegetable harvest, I lamented.  The more I used that pick and shovel, the more my back hurt, the more I struggled with my choice.

 After two weeks at hard labor, I was gutted. Physically and emotionally spent, dirt and tears streaming down my face, I caved in to the doubt and fear. Nothing was going right. I shouldn’t have made this move.  And then, without having made a sound, a ruby-throated jade gem hovered at my side.  Just hovered … looking at me. 

My heart soared at the realization that it was a hummingbird, and only the second one I had ever seen. That initial sighting was my first such ‘sign’  I was on the right path.  I was supposed to be here!!  And so, I ordered a truckload of dirt for the garden area.  Yeah, I was supposed to be here, but I didn’t have to do battle with rocks (aside from those in my head) to get on with my new life.

It’s been over 20 years since then. I have embraced raised-bed gardening – increasing my yields, growing new things and learning new techniques with each season. The hummingbirds are a constant in my life, from April into September. I never grow tired of them and spend hours watching, feeding, photographing and talking to them. I know their ‘voice’ now, and the sound of the beating wings so that I often hear their presence before I see them.  I’ve only seen the ruby-throated hummers so it is on my bucket list, to travel enough to see other varieties.  But I am grateful that I have these jewels in my life –  I had spent over a score of years in Florida and another dozen+  in New York without ever having seen one. Their appearance signals Spring in full bloom in my neck of the woods.

January in Florida happened quite by accident this year.  My Dad took ill and I was compelled to go down to be with him and my Mother. It wasn’t an easy decision in the dead of winter, to leave my life in Pennsylvania.  It isn’t easy being with my Dad as his health fails, or intruding in the routine of my Mother’s everyday life.  I wondered if I had made a wise choice although I knew I was needed there.  Sitting on the porch outside their home, I heard the familiar chirp and the humming of the wings.  In 17 years living at that house, my folks had never seen a hummingbird.  In fact, they’d never seen one at all except on my own front porch in Pennsylvania some 10 years ago. 

Not wanting to move, I wished my Dad could see this little blessing. The door of the house opened, and Dad with his walker, pushed himself out to join me on the porch. I told him about the hummingbird, he was incredulous.  And then, she appeared again, visiting the hibiscus flowers.  

Dad saw and heard that second visit; he spent another ½ hour outside with me talking and laughing with a vitality I hadn’t seen in months.  I told him it was a sign.  Two weeks later, sitting alone back at home in the woods, I’ve had a chance to relive that moment. I have pictures to go with the memories … not the best photographs I’ve ever taken but some of the finest I will ever possess.  And in retrospect, I realize I was right, that hummer was a sign.  To me.  I was right where I was supposed to be. 

The Cat's Whisker

It's that time in my own life, when things are happening that are far beyond my capabilities to control. Not that I really am able to control anything except the choices I make, but I think we all hope to be able to exercise SOME control in situations that affect our hearts, our families, our own sense of what is right and wrong.  I have been turning to my crystals quite often, to help me steady my emotions, gain some strength and clarity, and channel my own energies towards the positive when so much around me is negative.  

I made my Dad a string of healing and energy stones, and an amulet bag for Christmas. He asked my sister, if she believed in that stuff.  I think, he thinks I'm a little "out there"; his leather pouch and string of crystals and stones remains in the tin on the table by his recliner.  I wish he would get it out and just hold it, I think he would feel the vibrations and know the energies that are contained in that string of beads. In my heart, I KNOW he understands there is a power to the crystals, because he told me about his early use of crystals to receive radio waves and listen to the Grand Ole Opry! 

Daddy was always a 'mechanical engineer'.  He told stories of his early life in Bedford, Pennsylvania. A child of the 1920's, growing up in the Great Depression and in a family of little means, using one's intelligence and mechanical abilities helped make life a little better. They had no money for things like radios, but Daddy was always, it seemed, influenced by music. So he fabricated a receiver from crystals and wire, to pick up radio frequencies without benefit of a radio.  This early form of receiver, was called the "Cat's Whisker". So, Dad ... this 'thing' I have about crystals, energy & life forces --- it's really all your fault  ♥

from Wikipedia, "From the earliest wireless telegraphy days of radio, well into the age of commercial AM broadcasting, unamplified radio receivers were powered only by the radio energy they picked up through their antennas. The crystal radio was the most widely used of these. Manufactured and homemade by the millions, it helped introduce radio to the public, contributing to the development of radio from an experimental hobby to an entertainment medium around 1920. After about 1920, receivers using crystal detectors were largely superseded by the first amplifying receivers, which used vacuum tubes. These did not require the fussy adjustments that crystals required, were more sensitive, and also were powerful enough to drive loudspeakers. Nevertheless, the expense of the early vacuum tubes and the batteries needed to run them meant that the crystal detector remained in commercial and military use for almost a decade more. However, by the late 1920s, radios using crystal detectors were relegated to use by hobbyists and youth groups and have been used by them as educational devices to the present day.

The point-contact semiconductor detector was subsequently resurrected around World War II because of the military requirement for microwaveradar detectors. Vacuum-tube detectors do not work at microwave frequencies. The small area of the point contact minimized minority carrierstorage and capacitance, making these diodes fast enough to function at radar frequencies. Silicon and germanium point-contact diodes were developed. Wartime research on p-n junctions in crystals paved the way for the invention of the point-contact transistor in 1947.

The germanium diodes that became widely available after the war proved to be as sensitive as galena and did not require any adjustment, so they replaced cat's whisker detectors in the few crystal radios still being made, largely putting an end to the manufacture of this antique radio component. Although cat's whisker detectors are obsolete, modern point-contact silicon detectors are still commercially produced.^[ Thus, the point-contact method used to make these first semiconductor diodes 100 years ago is still being used today."

By leaps & boundaries

It seems like I've been waiting forever, like back when I was a kid and Christmas was "coming soon". Every day ... is it Christmas yet?? "No, it's coming soon".  At least we always KNEW when Christmas would actually be here ~ Dec, 25th. The arrival of the bears is always an unknown. Until 
yesterday♥  I can't yet determine just who Mama is, but if you recall, a pair mated in the yard last fall.  I wouldn't be surprised to learn this is the same female, with two (or three) cubs in tow.  They skirted the edges of the woods near the HRD, and I know at least one took refuge in the maple to the right rear of the trail cam range. Was the second pair of eyes Mama, or another cub? Time will tell!!
Meanwhile, as the local bears return where they are welcome, in Northern Minnesota someone shot one of the WRI collared research bears because it meandered into 'their' yard, presumably foraging on grass, and thistle seed from a bird feeder.  I don't understand, if one doesn't want wildlife in the yard, why would they attract it by placing feeders out, in one of the worst springs ever for supply of natural foods?  Jo the Bear has passed on, but her Spirit remains making ours all the more strong.  Until bears learn to read, it is the people who need to be aware of the signs Mother Earth provides and modify THEIR behavior accordingly.  Bears know no boundaries ~ they are driven by fear and food.  Food, in short supply,is the overwhelming urge in Minnesota, I don't know if that's the case in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Here, I am finding wild strawberries much earlier than usual, and much larger than usual.  I picked and ate a few as I strolled around the pond, tossing stale bread to the fish.  Smokey and Bear The Kitty accompanied me ... well, they languished on the picnic table as I walked, barefoot, on the berm. I became engrossed in the berries, paying no attention to the kitties back behind. I chose my steps carefully so as not to disturb the delicate morsels; the wildlife will be enjoying them tonight.  As I slowly walked back towards the table, I was surprised to see 

Smokey... but wait, that's not Smokey, that's one of the raccoon family!!! We shocked one another, being about 10' away when we saw each other.  I said hello, he ran off into the woods... keeping the burn barrel between us. By the way, we have the most amazing group of co*existing critters I've ever seen, or maybe not all animals are the sworn enemies we've been led to believe. Now, Bear The Kitty, in particular, does NOT like the fox, but he has no problems hanging out with a raccoon, turkey, or deer.  However, 
hanging out with Smokey ... well, that's a horse ...errrr... cat of a different color.  They do get along much, much better, but Bear never passes up an opportunity to stalk his only-slightly-larger roommate ~ leading to some spectacular aerial feats and amazingly blood-curdling screams of surprise. And a really cool photograph once in a while... :-)
Well, it's about time to bring in the bird feeders and the suet for the night.  It would be irresponsible of me to leave them outdoors, possibly attracting the bears and raccoon up here nearer the house where they could get into trouble. But, there's an extra ration of corn out for the deer and other takers at the hard Rock Diner tonight. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Is it Christmas yet?♥

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"No human older than an adolescent would wantonly murder any creature which reveres its own life as much as the killer."  

Henry David Thoreau

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The squirt bottle

I laid awake in bed for a while this morning, reflecting on the past couple of months. It's amazing what one might learn from a 'quadre' of cats, if you allow yourself to see, and comprehend.....
Smokey had been the undisputed King of the feline family, Shadow is his underling.  But with Shadow, Smokey is a compassionate and sharing boy. More often than not, he will 'allow' Shadow to eat his portion of canned food.  I suspect, in all honesty, Smokey doesn't really care so much about the canned food as he prefers dry kibble (and won't go near the canned food anyway unless it's accompanied by a few catnip treats, which he devours while Shadow eats from his own bowl!).  But Smokey is large; quiet and regal, and his stature seems to designate his place in the hierarchy.

Enter Bear and Tiki.

Bear is nearly as large as Smokey, and even more quiet. Well, he doesn't make his intentions public, let's say. With me, he's a 'talker' ~ someday I'll capture a little of the adorable sounds he makes when he's communicating with me. As to the other boys, though, he doesn't growl or grumble; he doesn't initiate any pushing or shoving, no confrontations to claim the King's spot, or Shadow's favorite place on the afghan.  But if the King isn't on the thrown, it's just another perch, right??  

If Shadow isn't sleeping on the afghan on the couch, it's open space. Free for the taking... and once there, Bear will not relinquish his position.  No fighting, no nastiness. Just a calm stare that says "hey, I'm here now... wait your turn".  Three boys, all asserting themselves in their own ways.  As they relate to me, if they do something they really shouldn't, all I have to do is pick up the green squirt bottle, and they cease the unwelcome behavior often without so much as a mini-misting.  The King and his Princes, in control. Until the Queen says otherwise.

Tiki has hardly ever endured the wrath of the squirt bottle. I think I allow her to get away with a bit more because, up until she arrived, I was the only female in this family.  She doesn't jump on the counter and head butt her way into the can of food I'm trying to serve up like Shadow does; she calmly watches me from a few feet away purring so loudly that I can hardly take offensive action.  More and more, lately, she is playing with the squeeky and catnip toys; she also loves the fresh growing catnip in the garden window but will patiently wait her turn if someone else is nibbling there.  Just don't enter 'her' realm, or try to move in on her position... that girl is so quick and nimble, she has the boys on their heels running for dear life in an instant, far too quickly for me to invoke the squirter to dissuade her.  In the middle of the day, she has no issues with sharing my bed with Bear, but if I'm in the bed, beware!  I'm hers and hers alone, and any cat who tries to enter our domain is quickly chased ...down the stairs, under the table, out the door ~ wherever they 'chose' to go, as long as it is NOT in "our" room.  Funny thing is, on those few occasions that I have chastised her, all I have to say is "go to your room", and she heads down the hallway into the bedroom. For a few minutes anyway.  In short order, she is at my heels, looking up at me with those adoring eyes and I melt.  We girls have to stick together. :-)  And though the the males with whom we co-exist may think THEY are the alphas, we know better . Our strength and leadership positions are not necessarily boisterous, but we set the tone and cadence for this pack.


So, what's the lesson I've realized today?  When hubby starts barking, whining, growling or behaving badly, I think I'll keep my mouth shut from now on. 


And pick up the squirt bottle.....

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Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them. - Jim Davis

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Weighed, Spayed, and Playing♥

Shadow in the Tupperware

All four cats are doing okay; getting along a bit better (at least, there is no fur flying of late). Last night, they teamed up to open the have-a-heart trap that apparently had captured a mouse we knew was in the house, although we still haven't found any signs of it!! The trap was sprung, but turned on its side and empty by the time we realized what all the commotion was about!! Springtime is gonna be fun around here, when all of them are on the prowl outside as well as inside!  

Smokey and Tiki sharing the tower

Tiki was inside the house for almost three weeks before we finally got her to the vet.  This past Tuesday night, she went for her first vehicle ride (with us, anyway), and whined most of the 35 mile trip.  Bear accompanied her (in his own crate) for his second round of shots ... he was very quiet, and was 'kind' enough to provide a stool sample on the way!! Weighing in at 14 1/2 pounds, Bear is healthy and doing quite well. Even the vet likes him, telling us what a nice, handsome cat he is!! And that is saying something; our vet specialized in farm animals so domesticated pets are not his thing.....

Bear likes the top platform, if Smokey isn't there!!

Tiki weighs 7 1/2 pounds, all spunk.  Dr. Joe figures her to be about 3 years old, and she has already been spayed.  Her feline leukemia and aids tests were negative, thankfully; so she got 2 vaccinations and a rabies shot. She did have roundworms - typical with cats who have been living in the wild feeding on mice, etc., so she also got a topical worm medication. Wednesday, the effects of all that stuff caught up with her, and she spent the day under the bed, uninterested in food or me! By Thursday, however, a 'new' Tiki was emerging♥  

I've said it in relation to Bear, but now it was Tiki's turn to relax.  It's been over a week since she went outside, and she shows no inclination to go now either. The pet door is there and she has used it before, but I think, after spending 8 months or more living outside, she is happy to be indoors for the time being. And she has begun to play in earnest.  She sat at the window sill swatting at the birds outside on the feeder as I watched, camera in hand.  A short time later as I was doing some housework, I heard the chirping of a bird in the hallway. Oh no.... had someone brought one inside??? Dropping the mop, I ran to the sound of the chirps hoping to save the bird from my pack of kitties (although Tiki was the only one inside as far as I knew).  Imagine my surprise, when I saw Tiki had found the chirping toy, and was happily batting it all around the living room. Naturally, by the time I got the camera ready, she had had nearly enough of that 'fun', but I did manage to grab a bit of video.  This was the most play I've seen from her; apparently she, too, is now out of 'survival' mode and understands that she has a forever home here, with lots of toys and new places to explore.....

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"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats." - Colonial proverb

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My kitties favorite water bowl♥ 

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Cuatro Gatos

How many cats do I need to be, officially, a crazy cat lady? My granddaughter suggested I was turning into one; I think the cats are finding me so the word must have been out already!  I had 5 full grown dogs at one time, so four cats is not as bad, right?? RIGHT??? They are certainly far less work, or at least, will be once the integration process finds its balance.

Cat #1 ~ Smokey: the King of the House.  He is giving me the most trouble of the four because he is the largest and up until now, the undisputed King.  The top perch on the Kitty Tower belongs to him, and he will share with Shadow for a little ... then pushes him off.  He and Shadow have been here together for 4 1/2 years now, so they are best buddies notwithstanding the 'pecking order'.  Smokey is also the most finicky of eaters, preferring Goodlife catnip treats to anything else, except maybe filet mignon. But dry kibble is the mainstay of his diet, and at 18+ pounds, he has a hearty appetite.

Cat #2 - Shadow:  When I first saw him as a kitten in the Shelter, he was already adopted and waiting to be picked up by his new owners. Two weeks later when I went back to the shelter, he was in the same crate, still waiting.  That was totally unacceptable to me, and he came home with me that day.   He is long and lean; at nearly 5 years of age, he has now matured to about 13 pounds of hunting stealth.  Shadow can jump 5' into the air and snag a hummingbird in flight. Not that it's encouraged, but he is, after all, the mighty hunter.  He does NOT like beef,  and since the arrival of the two newcomers, he has been eating some of the canned foods that previously he'd snubbed his nose at.  It seems, he wants whatever someone else is having, especially if that someone is me...

Cat # 3 - BK, "Bear Kitty":  On December 27, 2011, a lone panther-like cat was caught on trail cam, eating corn that had been put out for the deer and birds. Every night thereafter, we saw him via camera so of course, I put a bit of kibble out with the corn. Within a week or so, the location of the kibble became the front porch where he began to feel more comfortable, allowing me to sit with him as he ate and shortly thereafter, pet and hold him.  He stole my heart in no time flat and came inside after about 2 weeks.  A full tomcat, his trip to the vet for neutering revealed his age to be about 2, his weight almost 14 pounds.  He seems to be warming up to Shadow, or should I say, Shadow is warming up to him although neither particularly likes to be surprised by the other ~ some hissing and swatting results.  He's been inside for about a month now, and is just a sweetheart of a cat. His demeanor is calm and laid back, although when Smokey hisses, growls and swats at him, Bear not only faces off with him but has been observed chasing Smokey down the stairs once or twice.  When he arrived, he was bitten, bruised and hungry.  Now, he is healthy, happy, loving and loved.  Oh, and he's my protector and the warmer of my covers every night (and most of the day). He has a preference for down comforters and anything with gravy.

Cat #4 - Tiki:  Back when Bear was being fed on the front porch, another cat appeared almost nightly. Were they friends? Lovers?? All I could tell at first, was that this cat was smaller, wore a flea collar, and was multi-colored, at first I thought Tortoise but it turns out, Tabby... To differentiate between the two strays, we called the black one BK (Black kitty), and the other TK (Tabby Kitty).  Those initials have morphed into Bear and Tiki.  Tiki had been coming to the Hard Rock Diner for months. 

The fact that she had a flea collar made me presume she was a neighborhood cat coming to visit Smokey & Shadow.  She ALWAYS ran from me, so I never got a close look... not until Bear came inside, did she warm up to me at all.  As she kept coming around, I still put food out for her and began the neighborhood search for her owner, to no avail. One night as I opened the window for Bear to go out, she stretched up and allowed me to pet her head. I was hooked...again.  But did I want 4 cats?? Did I even want 3?? I resisted the temptation to invite her in, but her purrs and sweet face (and forecast for nasty weather), made me bring her in one night.  She's ours, without question.  The night I removed that old flea collar and realized her fur was far shorter there than the rest of her neck, I could have cried. But her purrs were so loud and her head-bumps so gentle, I laughed instead,and buried my face into her neck. I got a love-bite in return. She's a feisty feline!   At less than 8 pounds, she's demure but her size belies her personality. She will not back down from any of the other three

Tiki & Shadow

 and as a matter of fact, they all back away from her when she arches her back and hisses at them. She and Bear have been rather quarantined together and have been observed sniffing one another from time to time. She has also touched noses with Shadow and stared Smokey down a time or two. Her favorite canned foods are of the fish variety ~ I think 9 lives tuna & egg is the favorite thus far. Not having had her to the vet yet, I don't know her age or if she's spayed, but I suspect she's at least a year old. We'll find out more in the next couple weeks.

Tiki backs Smokey down... 8 pounds vs. 18; she IS feisty!!

Today, for the very first time, all four cats are roaming the entire house.  Nothing if off-limits; the next phase of their assimilation has begun. There have been no angry exchanges and at the moment, each is sleeping in different areas of the house. Tiki seems incredulous... is she really allowed to come and go as she pleases? Is that never-ending bowl of kibble for her? And the water bowls...several; different styles and sizes, she can access any one she wants? At first, she didn't seem like she wanted to 'jump'; the first night it seemed difficult for her to jump 2 feet up onto the window sill. Now, she leaps four feet onto the dresser like it was a foot stool.  I turned around, and she was at eye level on the stove!! I guess she'll have to learn what NOT to do, but not today. Today, all four cats can be themselves: free to explore, eat, drink, sleep, snuggle, come and go at will.  

Today is Sunday, a laid-back day of rest for us all.  We wish the same for you♥

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Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.

William Shakespeare