Finding funny little decorations on our walks is one of the things that keeps life interesting and my neighbors never disappoint. Seeing goats in a yard is funny enough; seeing goats with serious attitude is surreal. And no, they are not real goats, as you can see. I just wonder what on earth they are talking about that would create the expressions they wear. Oh - a thought occurred - are they having an argument? Mmmm.
Zoomies delight Nellie in particular and Rascal for a nanosecond. Rascal does appreciate it when doggie friends are invited over, as their people are too busy chatting and relaxing to bother him and he can hang unencumbered. In order to make it more comfortable for all, I've been trying out new placements for chairs and tables, and even broke down and bought a new patio umbrella (mostly to keep leaves off the table, but the shade is nice too), So far so good. The yard is slowly getting into shape.
If the people who accompany their dogs want snacks, our staff will accommodate them by holding a bowl of caramels or brownies, depending on whether I'm in the mood to bake. Staff are on duty 24/7 and don't really care what snack is available since they are so busy, they don't have the opportunity to eat regardless. That is their choice, by the way, as I strongly believe in treating all with respect and care.
Other staff members are expected to keep a close eye on the dogs so they don't get into any serious mischief. Buddha naturally takes a zen approach and the alien insect frankly doesn't care about shenanigans as long as no one pees on him.
My friend K and I, along with Nick's and Nellie's approval, have named the cat who is gracing us with her presence, Misty. She's not responding to that of course, but she happily eats the food she's offered (after she hisses at me for coming near her). Rummaging around in a back shed I found the small cat carrier kept for wildlife rescues and brought it forward to the patio. After removing the door and placing a towel inside, it seemed it would be the perfect hideout for her. Long-suffering partner scoffed and said she wouldn't use it for fear of being trapped. Allow me to gloat...she did indeed take to it and was still there in the morning. When I went out to top up her water bowl, she stood at the door to the carrier and hissed at me as if to say "stay away from my house!" Naturally her wishes will be respected.
So, this is before her crate was placed:
Only one problem. The afternoon sun hits that area and gets too hot. Though the table provides shade, it's not enough, so the crate got moved again to a more protected, shady place nearby. Naturally there will be monitoring of said crate to make sure Misty approves.
Now, someone might be thinking about our dogs and how they respond to Misty. Rascal is hardly aware of her presence. He's way too busy bossing long-suffering partner around to care about a cat. Nellie is more curious than anything and is a bit jealous that this creature is getting attention. For the most part, however, they both just steer clear of each other and go about their business. Whew!
One of the fun things to do when you're bored is to take found objects and repurpose them, or not, depending on how they started out. Though it is no longer fashionable to have garden art (according to articles about the latest generations), I am more than willing to rebel against societal norms when it comes to filling the garden with crazy stuff (especially since neither the dogs or our new pal, the kitty, care one way or the other). As I've been trying to tame the overgrown jungle that has become the yard, I keep re-discovering items that once were focal points and are now archeological finds in the undergrowth. The cleanup is nowhere near done, but progress is being made (sort of). One section is nearly done. Still have some fine-tuning to do, but it's a start.
One of my favorite curbside finds is an old roof spinning ventilator shaft. It was buried under the wonderful ground cover that took off and climbed over everything it could find. Realizing the spinner would meet the same fate if left where it was, I put it up on a planter. By itself it looked dull, so bicycle guy moved from his hiding place to forever pedal in plain view. When we get a good breeze, the spinner lives up to its name and the cyclist can feel the joy.
Closeup of the bicyclist which is either a man or a monkey -- you decide.
I have mentioned the abundance of rain has created a veritable jungle in the garden. Normally it would just be allowed to take over and do what it wanted, but one particular area off the back stairs had problems. Some of the geraniums had a rust and fungus (needed to be cut back), the hens and chickens were overpowering the Lantana, and whatever the delightful succulent in the middle is called, it was so lush you couldn't get to anything else. Having two useful rain barrels and a hose is important, so something needed to be done.
Fortunately, my friend K volunteered her favorite designer to give me his opinion for how to proceed. Nick's advice was just what I needed. He suggested making pathways that opened up the space and created a more zen area than the current mayhem. That was accomplished fairly quickly, but then, as I looked at the dirt paths, well, it just didn't sit well. Now here's where it gets a little like a fairy tale. Pebbles would be perfect, but they are expensive and I knew the area would need multiple bags to cover it properly.
To distract myself, I checked out NextDoor and lo and behold - free bags of pea gravel were just posted and they were only a two minute drive away! You've never seen someone jump in the car so fast. Made it. Then realized the bags were so doggone heavy I would probably put a hip out just getting them in the car. As luck would have it, the person giving the bags away came out to see who was talking to her cute little dog and I begged for help loading. She took pity because she could she that I'm an old biddy. Whew. It gets better though. Another woman had driven up to ask about a beautiful set of shelves being given away. As I was struggling with a bag of gravel, she walked over, grabbed a bag in each hand, lifted them like they were dandelions, and threw them in my car. She helped until all 17 bags were loaded and then, listening to my profuse thanks, happily loaded the shelves and drove off.
Nick felt that river pebbles or pond pebbles, being larger and shinier, would be the perfect touch, but free is free. At least pea pebbles are round, not rough like regular gravel, and when wet are actually pretty colors. It took eleven bags to get the job done, and though Nick volunteered his person, K, to help out, my pride took over my brains and I did it myself. Paid for it the next day, but the sense of accomplishment was so terrific.
In addition to the cleanup and creating access to rain barrels, I decided to add a bit of whimsy that had become surplus to requirements in another area. Just couldn't resist the iron plant stand and golfer, even though golf is utterly alien to me as a sport.
A big thank you is in order to the designer of the hour, his majesty, Nick. And a bigger thanks to K for not only recommending his services, but translating for him as well.
Mrs. Cowboy came into the neighborhood some 17 years ago and has quite the tale to tell. A small, beautiful white feral kitten with gray markings, she chose Anne's house to hang out. Anne was an older woman living alone who had a couple of dogs and cats already, so perhaps the kitten felt safe there. It was a good choice. Anne immediately named her Mrs. Cowboy, started feeding her, eventually had her spayed, and kept encouraging her to trust a human. As the years passed, Mrs. C grew more confident and warmed up to Anne -- not enough to go inside and become one of the gang, but enough to allow Anne to tend to her and even pet her once in a while.
Alas, Anne had a serious medical event which required a long hospitalization and later nursing home care. While she was away from her house, neighbors rallied to take care of her remaining dogs, and didn't forget Mrs. C. What's even more amazing is that they realized her house had fallen into such disrepair it would be almost impossible for her to return home. Two neighbors who had construction experience swung into action and started to upgrade the house. They did an amazing job that Anne never saw. She died while still in the nursing home.
Fortunately for the neighborhood (and Mrs. Cowboy), the new family (J and J) that bought Anne's house, had a cat and understood their needs. After neighbors pointed out Mrs. C and explained the situation, they jumped right in to the caregiving. Over time, as they made overtures and showed their love, Mrs. C grew to like them back. She even allowed them to pet her from time to time and took advantage of the snug space they made for her in the garage to keep her safe from roaming coyotes and other predators in the area. In other words, they gave her a loving home.
The years went by and Mrs. Cowboy was one of my favorites. Nellie and I looked out for her on our walks and made sure to say hello at every opportunity. Over the last year, we noticed she was looking very thin and scraggly, her ear was torn and her nose wasn't right. J and J gave us the sad news that she had cancer and wasn't doing well. They had a mobile vet come out to take care of her but the prognosis wasn't good. Today, her suffering ended.
The pictures below were taken two days before she passed away, helped by an amazing vet who does in-home euthanasia so animals are not unduly stressed.
Mrs. Cowboy - it was truly wonderful to have you in our lives for so long and you will be sorely missed.
She has graced our backyard before and made herself at home on a cozy chair. She does hang around from time to time, though in the past she's been far more elusive and shy. Of late, however, she's started snoozing on our patio. She does this in the face of me blundering about trying to get work done, and Nellie staring at her wondering why she's so bold. Fortunately Nellie is used to cats with our frequent visits to Fluffy, the Maine Coon who acts more like a dog, and leaves her alone. Though I have water out for critters in various places, I've added a bowl just for this beauty. Frankly though, she worries me a bit as she's very thin and her fur is a bit scruffy. It may be time to investigate setting out kitty food in a safe spot. My fervent wish is that she would trust us enough to allow us to make her part of the family, but I'm not a cat whisperer and we'll just have to play by her rules. I believe my neighbor has christened her Turtleduc, so we'll go with that. Her markings are very distinctive too, which makes her quite unique.
It's funny she chose to pose right by the cat planter. Go figure.
The internet is full of cute pictures of cats curled up on keyboards or laptops. Of course their reputations are well-earned -- there's no denying that. Bert gives them a run for their money however. He decided he wasn't getting quite enough attention, so he put himself where there was no way to ignore his presence and supreme cuteness. For your entertainment, presenting Bert being an attention hound:
In the last photo he's trying to look innocent, and not succeeding. But there's definitely no denying he is one cute obstruction.
This adobe style house is unusual in a couple of ways that make it stand out from the crowd. The air vents under the roof are beautiful -- not your usual shutters or simple wire mesh. The house was built in 1926, so attention to detail was clearly a thing. In addition, the tile roof has an edging with curlicues at the ends that you just don't see every day. Or pretty much ever. Not to be left out, the door is, you guessed it, arched. So right there it is special. Enjoy.
