Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
The Red Among the Lavender
Lavender was the star of the show in Sequim last week, but I found plenty of red, too, in the poppies and crocosmia.
But the fields were mostly purple at Purple Haze Lavender Farm,
and Jardin du Soleil.
Did you know that Sequim, Washington is the Lavender Capital of North America and that you can visit dozens of lavender farms there? Well now you do!
Sharing the reds with Becky’s Square Challenge, #SimplyRed.
~ Susanne
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Poor Tiger – the dreaded visit to the vet
I hated to do it, because of the stress it causes for both of us, but it goes with the territory.
Tiger’s a sweet boy, a senior cat of 17 in human years, and had been sniffling, sneezing, and wheezing for a few weeks. Time to head to the vet in the new carrier.
We tricked him into it (he’s not nearly as fast as Benji) and the howling began immediately and lasted most of the journey. Twenty minutes later we were in the office, where the carrier became his new favorite place.
“I’m scared, Sue.”
“I know, Tiger. I don’t like going to the dentist either, but I go because I know it’s good for me. At least you get to bring a hiding place with you.”
“I’d rather go to the dentist, Sue. How much longer?”
“Trust me, Tiger. You wouldn’t. Anyway, it will all be over soon.”
The new vet was a cat person, with four of his own, and tenderly cared for Tiger, doing most of the exam through the various openings in the carrier. Much better than the old, hard-sided one.
“Right, Tiger?”
The ride home was quiet. I was given antibiotics for a respiratory infection to be administered twice a day. Tiny pills I will attempt to hide in treats. Good luck with that.
And instructions to help Tiger lose some weight. He’s up to 14.5 pounds. I can’t even lose my own excess weight, but will do my best to help him. Less food, more activity. (I may try it myself.)
And that’s all for Saturday #Caturday.
~ Susanne
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Olympic Mountains at Hurricane Ridge
I love having the Olympic Mountains as a backdrop to Seattle, but there’s nothing like being immersed in them at Hurricane Ridge. We spent a few days on the Olympic Peninsula earlier this week, a wilderness that includes Olympic National Park.
I found the map below on the waterfront in Port Angeles. Hurricane Ridge is a 45-minute drive into the heart of the mountains from the coastal town, but a world apart.
There are several hikes you can take at the top, we took the easiest, Cirque Ridge. Mountains on one side, sea on the other, this view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada to the north.
These tiny people went higher up onto Hurricane Hill.
We saved our legs for a different hike later that day at Marymere Falls, which I’ll share in a later post.
From the park newsletter, Bugler: “The story of the Olympic mountains began deep beneath the ocean, as the collision of two massive tectonic plates forged the landscape we admire today. Towering glacier-clad peaks like Mount Queets, Deception and Olympus rise dramatically from the lush, old-growth forests, separated from one another by river valleys.”
A couple days away does a body good.
~ Susanne
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Red, White and Blue at Coulon Park
The bluest skies you’ve ever seen are in Seattle, especially in the summer at Coulon Park, my favorite place for a walk.
In addition to the brilliant blues above and below where sky and lake reflect each other, I found red and white in the boats.
On land, the Coulon Walkers also wore red, white and blue
making them fit for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge, Red, White and Blue.
~ Susanne
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My Sweet Benji
I have to admit I sometimes feel sorry for Benji. He’s making the best of his life on three legs but can’t do what he used to do.
He still plays
but not like before.
He still climbs,
but not as high.
He still sings in the morning; but not at the top of the landing. (We blocked that off to prevent any falls – it’s a long drop to the stairs below.)
And yet, he still seems so happy.
Making the best of it, as we all must do, as life evolves.
Happy Caturday from Susanne and Benji!
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Just Keep Swimming – like the Salmon!
I wanted to share something for this week’s Sunday Stills Challenge, #Swim, but I’m really not much of a swimmer. (Don’t get me wrong, I loved swimming in lakes when I was a kid, and I still love splashing around in warm ocean waves when on vacation.)
But then I remembered the salmon who faithfully return to their spawning grounds in the Cedar River every fall. It’s a sight to behold! I have plenty of photos from visiting them every October and since they are beautiful in red, I have squared them for #SimplyRed.
The Cedar River flows through the city of Renton, even under the library, where people gather to watch the salmon return.
“In September, adult Sockeye head up the Cedar River as it swells with new rainfall. As they migrate upstream their bodies transform to display their dramatic spawning colors.”
“Soon after spawning, the adults die. The nutrients from their decomposing bodies are added to the base of the food chain that supports the salmon ecosystem.”
They must have lived a good life, having survived their journey to the ocean and back, and ready to give themselves up for future generations.
~ Susanne
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Backyard Birding and Crow Youngsters
I sat on the back deck this morning, watching the birds. I usually look for the tiny ones: hummingbirds, chickadees, nuthatches, and finches as they are regulars, and plentiful.
But this morning I noticed a couple of crows in the fir trees. They were smaller in size, seemed unsteady on the feet, and occasionally fluttered their wings, calling for someone to feed them. Youngsters.
An adult was nearby, mom I assume, but I never saw her feeding them or come to their rescue. Perhaps she was teaching them how to search for bugs in the bark for themselves.
Not everyone likes crows, but I’m intrigued by them. Not only intelligent, they’re beautiful to me as well.
I watched their antics a while, then wondered if I’d discovered their nest. About 60 feet up in the Douglas Fir tree is a round mass of twigs and debris I never noticed before, a couple feet in diameter where the limbs attach to the tree. Hard to tell from the pictures with so much interference of surrounding branches, but you get the idea.
I’m happy the birds like it here. Not only for the tree canopy, shrubs and bird baths, but how about a stream too?
It turns on and off with the flip of a switch.
My husband built it years ago, but it was out of service for a few months while he renovated it.
I forgot how much I like it.
The birds do, too!
Hopefully, they’ll be back for a dip now that it’s flowing again.
~ Susanne
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Susanne with an ‘S’
My sister is in Germany and sent me this picture.
That’s how you spell it: just like the bottle says.
She managed to find a coke with her name on it, too, though spelling was never an issue.
We are sisters.
Sharing with #SimplyRed.
~ Susanne
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What is Patriotism?
It’s hard to define but you know it when you see it. It’s not the love of a particular government or administration, it’s the love of country and its people and principles, demonstrated by ordinary citizens. And not so ordinary heroes.
When I was in New York City last fall, we didn’t visit the 911 Memorial. I assumed we would, but once we were there, it felt too real, like sacred ground.
But we did walk by Fire Station Engine 40 Ladder 35, home to eight firefighters who lost their lives defending our country on that terrible day.
It’s good to remember. And appreciate their sacrifice.
And the sacrifices made by many throughout our country’s history.
May it not be in vain.
~ Susanne
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Patient Benji
“Whatcha doing there, Benji?”
“Just waiting for someone to play with me, Sue.”
“Sure, Benji. Wait no more.”
My sweet boy waits at the foot of our bed, where his special stairs are, with his favorite toy nearby, a leftover piece of rubber tubing, hoping we take the bait. We do, a few times a day.
The best things in life are free.
~ Susanne and Benji
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 