Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Looking out my Window with Benji
Facebook reminded me that 9 years ago, this was the view from my office window. It was Benji’s first snow.
There’s been no snow yet this winter, but we still enjoy looking out the window.
“Right, Benji?”
“Of course, Sue.”
This morning, I replenished the feeder in front, and the hummingbirds appreciated it. They deplete their sugary drink faster here probably because of the better tree cover.
This was a male Anna’s hummingbird, though I wasn’t sure at first as the flashes of pink were only occasional.
Much has changed in 9 years for Benji, but much is still the same. He may be down a limb, but he still loves looking out the window from his new accommodations. We do what we can.
~ Susanne
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Textures in Nature and Art
I love the word ‘textures’ – say it slowly and you can hear its rich sound and even see its meaning in your mind’s eye.
Nature, like life itself, is textured and nuanced. Not only smooth, but sometimes rough, not merely soft but also coarse; sometimes wet and sometimes dry. Thick and thin, lumpy and bumpy, and full of ups and downs. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was born and raised in Seattle and have seen plenty of gray skies, completely gray in fact like today. Though we don’t top the list of rainiest cities in the United States, we are near the top of the cloudiest. So, I might reasonably wish for more sunshine and blue skies but then I’d miss out on breakthroughs like this,
and buoyant clouds like these.
And what a treat to see skies filled with cirrocumulus clouds!
Perhaps my favorite are lenticular clouds – I brake for them when I can.
They sometimes hover over Mt. Rainier, looking quite like a UFO, and did you know it was here the phrase was coined, though called flying saucers first. I often see Mt. Rainier wearing a cloudy cap, but unfortunately, often while driving on the highway.
I found them here racing toward the mountain, though not there yet.
Trees come in all textures too. I like the big foot on this one.
And the bark on this one, a Redwood.
The bark on the Madrona is special, crispy and peeling to reveal a slick and shiny surface beneath.
Rocks come in all textures from ordinary pebbles to magnificent gems deep in the earth.
Artists understand the importance of textures perhaps more than most, and I’m grateful for their work.
Sharing for this week’s Sunday Stills, #Textures.
~ Susanne
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Saying Goodbye to November
Today felt like the first day of winter, with frost on the ground and temperatures in the low thirties.
Even so, we bundled up and took a walk at a nearby park, where crispy, fallen leaves were still everywhere on the ground.
‘Hey dear,’ I said, ‘can we stop for a picture? I want to get our shadows.’
As always, my husband complied, even waving to the camera without my asking.
Getting my last post in before the sun sets on #November Shadows.
~ Susanne
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Morning Shadows on Lake Quinault
It was an early winter morning at Lake Quinault on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, and all was tranquil.
Time to go back.
Sharing my photos with Becky’s #November Shadows.
~ Susanne
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Red Berries for Thanksgiving
No, not cranberries.
Nandina from my porch.
Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
~ Susanne
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Summoned by the Hummingbirds
I have two hummingbird feeders in my backyard, that I keep filled year-round for the Anna’s who live here. The first two pictures below are from the summer.
But the past few years, I’ve added an extra feeder to the front yard in the winter, to make sure there’s enough food for all when the weather turns frigid.
Earlier this week, I saw a hummingbird hovering around the maple tree in front where I had not yet hung the extra one, willing me to see him. I finally did and hung the feeder.
By the next day it was in use, and I had a front row seat from my office window.
Yesterday there were two at the same time – look closely and you’ll see one waiting on the wing. They’re known to be territorial, but it was civil.
They often perch in the tree before dropping down to eat and I enjoy watching them there, too.
Today, while standing at my window, one came over and looked in, to say hello and thank me for my efforts.
I was charmed, as always, by these adorable and intelligent birds.
~ Susanne
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Seeking a Better Cup of Coffee and Fun with AI
I’ve been drinking the dark brew since high school.
Mom would make coffee in the morning before she went to work, and there was always some left in the pot when I got home after school. I heated it up, added cream and sugar and drank it while reading the sports section to see how my team ranked (usually very well.)
It was an electric percolator, white ceramic with blue flowers and I looked high and low to find a picture to show you but to no avail.
So I thought I’d try the new AI image generator to create a picture for what I remembered – ‘old-fashioned-coffee-percolator-corelle-style-white-with-blue-flowers” and got this in return.
Pretty pot yes, but isn’t something missing?
I tried again.
“1970’s electric coffee percolator white ceramic with blue flowers”
At least a spout was added, but the top’s not right and it’s certainly not electric.
Maybe my instructions were too complicated, so I tried to get a photo of the more commonly used pot.
“‘Electric coffee percolator, silver with clear bulb on top”
Ha! That would be an electrifying start to the day for sure.
Okay, forget the picture. I’m sure you remember coffee percolators, which were used for decades before drip coffee machines came into vogue, starting with Mr. Coffee, then followed by one cup coffee makers requiring the use of a pod.
We’ve used that last method for many years, contributing to waste in the landfills, while not obtaining the best cup of coffee either.
I looked for a better way and found coffee machines reaching into the thousands of dollars.
Then I went to my garage and found this old-fashioned stove top percolator, which made great coffee on many camping trips.
We tried it. We liked it.
I looked for an electric version in the stores but couldn’t find one. But you can find anything online and I did. It was delivered last night. Isn’t it cute?
This morning was the first cup in the new pot.
Success!
No pods necessary. We’re experimenting with all kinds of new coffee, grinding the beans ourselves.
Tell me, coffee drinkers: what is your favorite way to brew a cuppa?
~ Susanne
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Bright and Beautiful in Bellingham
November is the rainiest month in the Great Northwest, so we have to look at the forecast when planning our local travels. One good day is all it takes and so it was, that earlier this month, we headed north to Bellingham for a few days.
Our travel day would be rainy, but we were promised clear skies and sunshine the next day in Bellingham, where we stayed at our favorite place across from our favorite bookstore.
There was a very mellow sunset through the clouds that night over Bellingham Bay.
The Northern Lights were in the forecast, so I kept a watch from our room. Bellingham is the northernmost town with more than 50,000 residents in the contiguous 48 states; so I knew if it cleared up enough, they’d be visible. But it was getting late and we weren’t willing to venture out to escape the city lights. Even so, I knew the pale greens and purples in the sky were the aurora borealis.
The next morning, we took the boardwalk along Bellingham Bay to Boulevard Park under the promise of blue skies.
Our destination was Woods Coffee, our favorite.
Later, we took the backroads north to the little town of Lynden, the northernmost town in the contiguous U.S., with more than 10,000 residents. Looming above the farmland were the best views of Mt. Baker, bright and beautiful,
and of the North Cascades on the Canadian side.
After lunch and shopping in town, we took a hike in a wooded city park,
before returning to Fairhaven for the night.
Rain returned for the drive home the next day, but we didn’t care. We’d had a wonderful few days away and an entire day of sunshine!
Sharing with Sunday Stills, All things bright and beautiful and #November Shadows.
~ Susanne
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Benji and Tiger and the Catnip Kicker Toy
You think they’d call it a Catnip Licker Toy.
Stuffed full of catnip it’s quite tasty to the boys.
But after getting it thoroughly soaked, the hind legs kick in, or in Benji’s case, hind leg.
Tiger enjoyed his too, albeit with moderation and less kicking,
as befits his age.
Happy Caturday from two happy cats!
~ Susanne and Tiger and Benji
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What a Difference a Day Makes, One Week in November, Two walks in the Other Washington
Earlier this week we took a walk at Nolte State Park on a rainy day, through the woods around Deep Lake.
We saw all manner of mysterious life forms.
The very next day we took a walk under blue skies and sunshine at Coulon Park. You’d think we were on a different planet.
Both were wonderful.
Welcome to the other Washington.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 