Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
It’s April 11th – Happy National Pet Day!
I said these words to our two feline residents and they were puzzled.
“What’s a pet?” asked Benji.
“Um, well,” I replied, a bit startled by the look in his eyes.
“According to the dictionary it’s a tamed animal kept for companionship.”
“Tamed?” questioned Benji.
“Kept?’ asked Tiger.
“Are you planning to curtail our freedoms? You know how much we like the outdoors. At least when it’s not raining.”
“No of course not; you’re way too sensitive. I just thought you’d want to celebrate, that’s all. Sorry I mentioned it.”
~ Happy National Pet Day from Susanne and Tiger and Benji
Rainy Day in a Tulip Field
The tulips are slow to bloom this year in Washington’s Skagit Valley due to the unseasonably cool weather. I hope to make it up north to see them when they do.
But last year we stopped by the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Oregon, on the first day of a road trip to California.
It was a very rainy day.
But still beautiful.
Six soggy photos for Six Word Saturday.
And Cee’s FOTD.
~ Susanne
Cats Seeking Shelter in the Rainy Northwest and Baseball – Revisited!
After a long, cold winter, we have now settled into a typical rainy spring. The garden is loving it and new plants are being thoroughly watered in.
Cats seek shelter wherever they can find it, if they are willing to go out at all.
When inside, they have baseball to watch though our Seattle Mariners are not off to a good start. (Fooled us again.)
Tiger watches attentively while Benji is more distracted,
and hushed by his older brother.
~ Susanne and Tiger and Benji
Benji – from the Roof
“Sometimes I don’t think I know you, Benji.”
“What do you mean, Sue?”
“I mean you there – up on the roof. It’s unnerving. Please come down.”
“Relax, Sue. I gotta keep an eye on things. Who else is going to do it?”
“I don’t know, Benji. But you look like some kind of wild animal.”
“Sorry, Sue. I’m the same old Benji, but I’m still a cat; I do have some secrets.”
“Now leave me alone, would you? You’re blowing my cover.”
“Sorry, Benji.”
~ from Susanne and Benji
Bumble Bees Waking Up in the Garden
Even though spring is officially here in the Pacific Northwest, the temperatures have remained icy cold, with bouts of wind, rain and hail. Perhaps that explains why I’ve done so little in the garden. Fortunately, the azalea is in full bloom with no help from me, and that has awakened the bumblebees.
I love watching them buzz from flower to flower, their chunky bodies supported by gossamer wings, their tiny feet dangling beneath them.
Larger and furrier than honeybees, bumblebees are important pollinators, the first to arrive in the spring and the last to leave before winter. Their two sets of wings beat back and forth more than 130 times per second, and according to the National Wildlife Federation ”the beating combined with their large bodies vibrates flowers until they release pollen, which is called buzz pollination. Buzz pollination helps plants produce more fruit.”
I’m hoping for sunnier days soon, to make their work in the garden – and mine – more agreeable.
Inspired by: Sunday Stills, Awakened.
~ Susanne
A Road Trip to Wenatchee with a Peek at the Peaks and Wildlife
There were two days of promised good weather, so we took advantage and headed to Wenatchee for the night. We took our favorite route over the Cascades on Highway 2, and it wasn’t long before we got a ‘peek’ at the craggy ‘peak’ of Mt. Index ahead of us.
Always striking, it reminds me of a fictional Disney Mountain where mysterious creatures live.
like this Sasquatch.
We reached the summit at Stevens Pass where I got a ‘peek’ at some tiny skiers, reminding me it’s still winter in the mountains!
On the other side the snow disappeared and we settled into our lodging on the Columbia River. The next morning, we woke to walk the trail where all was peaceful and full of winter color turning to spring.
I stopped to visit with the ducks on the beach
before returning to the trail where something caught my eye in the trees.
Too big for a cat and the fur wasn’t right. I was puzzled, what could it be? A wolf? I doubt they climb trees, but many large branches hung low over the river bank. I learned through some googling there are gray wolves in the area. More likely it’s a coyote but I reported it just in case.
On our way home we got another ‘peek’ at a ‘peak’, Mt. Stuart, from the famous hiker’s paradise known as the Enchantments.
I got the best photos of Mt. Stuart while parked at the Pinnacles, another set of jagged ‘peaks,’ good for climbing.
Sharing with Sunday Stills Challenge.
~ Susanne
Creative Spammers
Like you, I receive dozens of spammy comments on my blog posts daily, and most of the time WordPress classifies them so.
It’s giving this Spam a bad name! I found these at the Aloha Bowl Swap Meet in Oahu. Hawaiians love their spam, though I do not. 😉
Anyway, my job is to watch out for the other spam, comments flagged such by WordPress. I like to review the comments in case legitimate ones have been wrongly captured – it happens, though as the spammy comments grow in number, I’m starting to send them directly to trash.
But lately there’s been a new twist. I’ve had comments classified as spam, but they also generate an email, telling me there’s a new comment awaiting my approval. (I require all first-time comments are moderated. Good thing, huh?)
I had one like that today. I saw the email before I looked at my blog and the comment sounded reasonable, one I might have written myself. Turns out I did. I headed to my blog and found the same comment in my spam folder, and as the comment sounded familiar, I went to the post, and confirmed it was an exact copy of a comment I had made. Sneaky, huh?
Apparently, WordPress was conflicted, so it generated an email to me, as though it were legitimate, but also captured it as spam finding it suspicious, for other reasons.
I still don’t know what drives spammers to such lengths. Don’t they have a life? Couldn’t their technical knowhow be put to better use?
Confusing as a piece of modern art!
Like this legitimate picture from the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
~ Susanne
A Walk in the Woods at Nolte State Park
We took a walk through the woods last week, at Nolte State Park, not for the first time nor the last – it’s one of our favorite local hikes. An easy, mostly level, trail around Deep Lake, it’s only a mile and a quarter long, and good for walking all times of year, rain or shine.
On this particular day, we found the sun lighting the path, and occasionally peeking through the tree canopy.
We found many downed trees along the trail, both new and old,
this one apparently happy with its recent fate.
Those fallen long ago have already transformed into their new selves,
strange and mysterious.
Those decaying but still standing, give fertile ground to other life forms.
We passed a stagnant section of the lake, cutoff from the source, the kind of place you might find a gator if this were the south; thankfully it’s not.
Instead, we saw this little turtle sunning himself.
And further on the trail, a fisherman doing the same.
~ Susanne
Saturday Caturday – Benji and the Hot Tub
I didn’t use the hot tub much during the covid era, I don’t know why. But with things finally back to normal and the weather improving, it was time to refill it. Benji was there to help.
“Not like that Benji! Don’t drink the water. It’s not for kitties.”
“Aw, Sue! Why not? You’re always spoiling my fun!”
“Sorry, Benji, but your job is to supervise. And guard the hot tub from other critters.”
“Got it, Sue! You can count on me.”
Happy Caturday from Susanne and Benji.
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 