Feline Fashionistas

Birdsbesafe®. Yes, those silly, brightly colored fabric collars that are designed to keep your sweet kitty friend from massacring your sweet birdie friends. And "brightly colored" works. According to researchers at St. Lawrence University, "cats wearing collars killed 19 times fewer birds than uncollared cats.

But really it's all about making a fashion statement. Sebastian, for example, looks absolutely gorgeous modeling the newest design (yup, I made them myself - just as easy to sew as to buy - and shared a few with friends).

Photo courtesy of Judy Chess

And doesn't Luna cut a lovely figure showing off an older model? It's actually, a hand-me-down from Princess, but Luna doesn't seem to mind. 

And Sebastian once again, sporting another lovely design, handcrafted by his guardian, Judy. So adorable.

Photo courtesy of Judy Chess

Available online or from your local sewing machine. 

The brighter the better!

Keep your local birds happy and safe!

Foster Fail

 Or Failed Foster? In 2010, when we adopted Princess, we were "failed fosters", all the blame clearly landing smack dab in our laps. But since blame is now considered a bad thing, we are a "foster fail", just one of those things that happens sometimes. And indeed it did just sorta happen. 

Luna sleeping in the laundry pile, Sept. 21st

Luna Doodle (formerly Leela), arrived here in a mixed litter on August 12th. She came out of the carrying crate purring and ready to play, even though she only weighed 12 ounces and was pretty wobbly. The two brothers were much less sure about the whole thing, but they quickly warmed up to the world and were adopted as soon as they were ready (snip-snip).

Luna stayed with us for another week to gain some weight, went in for spaying, and still has to wear the Cone for another few days. So although all those travel-round-the-world- plans are on hold yet again (yeah, let's blame it on the kitten, and not on the state of the world), playing Fierce Feather on the kitchen floor has its rewards. 

It's Going To Be a Very Quiet Winter Around Here

 Princess died on Saturday, October 3rd, 2020. She was not quite eleven years old.

She was loved. 

Matchy-Matchy

I bought this fabric for Princess a while ago, to help prevent her from being so successful at wiping out our local feathered residents. And it has worked pretty well.

So when I went looking for some fabric for my own "save-others" outfit, it was obvious that this was the best choice. And besides, it matches just about anything I could find to put on. Every single sweatshirt in the drawer and probably everything in my closet. Not that I've been anywhere near the closet in the last few months - dressing up just doesn't seem to happen much these days...

Grounded

My friend Adrian used to get "grounded for life" by his mother when she thought his transgressions were sufficiently serious. Right now it looks like we are all in serious trouble, perhaps even life-or-death for a few, which is why we are staying at home. Truth to tell, it's also raining (hallelujah!), and most things are closed down anyway, but that hasn't really been part of the decision-making process - except maybe for not taking a hike today.

So what to do except wash your hands, wash them again and then find something else to do. 

I started with the 2020 Census. It only took four minutes to complete - it must have been the short form - and now no one will be coming to the door to nag us. I suppose taxes are something else I could be doing while grounded at home, but that seems a bit too much like real punishment. 

And there is the hearty minestrone soup in the slow cooker, something that is always good for a rainy day, whether or not you are supposed to stay away from the world.

One family member is just going to sleep the time away - nothing new there, actually.

And I have a big, new book to read. I'm not in love with the cover, and the print is mighty small, but there are lots of pages to help make the time pass. I loved the other books in the series, especially the audio versions, but I can't say much about this one, yet.

Birdhouse w/o Its Top

So, one day down, and who knows how many more weeks of at-home days. The only big-little regret I'm having is that my ceramics class is cancelled, and I was so very close to finishing up a new birdhouse. Except for the top needing a bit more work, it's all ready to be fired. But I expect that it will all be waiting there when it's prudent to go out again. 

Let It Rain, Let It Rain, Let It Rain

The first real storms of the season - an atmospheric river, even - are supposed to arrive any minute now and I've been getting ready for days.

The garlics are in the ground. And the last of the eggplants have all been harvested. Yup, we had baba ganoush at our Thanksgiving. It could become our new traditional Thanksgiving dish, given how well received it was this year.

The counter is almost cleared of the the last-to-ripen Marzanos. Just in time for the lemons from the tree to take over that space in the kitchen. And the fava beans are up and well on their way to becoming good eating by early spring.

So why not curl up and relax - with or without that favorite book. It's all good.

¡Viva Princess!

It was a stay-close-to-home summer for us, filled with worry and sadness. Princess wasn't doing so great. She hadn't been eating well since early spring, and had lost almost 30% of her body weight. The vets couldn't find anything - they called her blood work, "boring" - which I suppose should have been comforting, but only made us fear the worst. We though she was a goner.

But somehow she has turned herself around. Fancy Feast® may have played a role, along with trying to entice her to eat 15 to 20 times a day. Or maybe it was the three different types of wet food, in addition to the two new types of dry food that I bought. Or maybe she just got over it, whatever "it" was.

But recently Princess has been putting on weight, scarfing down her breakfast each morning and munching away throughout the day without prompting. She is even showing glimmers of her old tortitude again, which, truthfully, we would be happy to do without.

Could it be nearing time for a worry-free get-away?

"Let's Talk About Ice Cream!"

Most every week I go on a walk with my friend Kathy at Mountain View Cemetery. And sometimes when we're lucky, our friend Eve will join us as well. As we walk along we talk about the usual stuff - this and that, that and this, and the state of our lives and the world. Unfortunately, we somehow can't always avoid the awful "news" that spews from Mr. Trump's mouth.

So when it gets really bad, some one or the other of us will pipe up, "Lets talk about ice cream!" and the subject will move on to a less painful topic.

But as long as we're talking about ice cream, I do have a list:

My top pick probably is the buffalo milk soft serve ice cream at Palace Market in Point Reyes Station. Now I don't even really like soft serve ice cream, but this stuff is absolutely the best. So take your favorite Point Reyes hike, and then indulge yourself. It can really be that simple.

I recently discovered As You Wish Frozen Yogurt on Solano Ave. in Albany. I doubt it was the most wonderful frozen yogurt ever, but oh, the Dulce de Leche. That was wonderful. I think they rotate flavors frequently, so I guess I'll just have to take my chances on future visits.

And then there's the perennial favorite, Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk®, enjoyed at home with family and friends. Or maybe just with Princess on your head.

Wild Cat!

Hah! Now I bet that you're thinking that this piece will be all about Princess the Cat. You know, the reigning Rodent Slayer and DoodleFart of Love? But you'd be wrong. In truth, I'd have bet on Princess too, given that her name comes up here every so often.

Anchuela del Campo

Neither is this wild cat an out-of-control feral cat (Felis catus or Felis silvestris catus) that one encounters in cities, parks, fields and neighborhoods around most of the world.

Rather it's the European wildcat (Felis silvestris), a truly wild - as in, not domesticated and apparently not domesticable - cat who probably couldn't even conceive of a litter box. 

Larger than a typical housecat, the European wildcat quietly and secretly lives throughout much of Europe and has recently been caught on film in Spain, near Anchuela del Campo.

Atilano Lima Sauz, really known as our good friend Ati, has kept his Bushnell camera busy. I can't say for sure, but I'm thinking that there was many a night when the camera came up empty. Until at last, this wildcat showed up:

Congratulations, Ati!

While the Cat's Away...

Except the cat is never away. And they're rats, not mice. And their play days are now over.

Princess the cat has caught six rats in the past eight days. Now I just leave the broom and dustpan on the patio for the morning's reconnaissance and clean-up.

I am a bit suspicious that someone else is also doing a "clean-up". I think our local skunk cruises by in the night and takes advantage of a freshly killed free meal whenever possible.

I'm the one with the mouse project. Not the cat. And I started first. Mine began in ceramics class, as a way to use up a small block of clay. And then another small block of clay. And then maybe a bigger block for some gray mice. Just to keep the brown ones company...

Cat? What Cat? I Don't See Any Cat...#6

We're hoping to change all that. Because Princess is going uptown (heck, so is Oakland).

It would seem that putting a big, bright collar on your cat - a bibish sort of collar - helps make those nasty feline predators much more visible to birds.

Audubon thinks it may work. A scientific study indicates that it helps. So Princess is about to become the neighborhood test case.

First, I made some break-away collars. Easy to do and the findings are available online for not much money. I made a bunch of collars because they are often lost and I wanted to have a stash on hand.

Of course, the first one went missing in less than a week. Then I tightened the next one up a bit. And gave Princess a stern lecture about keeping track of her toys. That seemed to work because this second collar has hung around for months. Yup, it's probably time to put it in the laundry.

Practicing wearing a collar in bed

The next step involved sewing a bright, colorful collar cover for Princess. The sewing was easy, but dusting off and oiling the machine, not so much. Or maybe it just seemed to take up too much time.  

And then threading the collar through that cover without losing the end other was an even bigger time sink. After that, tracking down the cat and convincing her that she really wanted to wear it, well, you get the picture. There went much of the afternoon.

You should know that Birdsbesafe produces these collar covers already put together and ready to go. So you may want to show some sense and simply buy the bugger for your own precious kitty, rather than following my example. Just an idea.

Yeah well, so far, Princess isn't too excited about this idea of mine, but one has to make sacrifices for fashion. As well as for a few small birdies' lives. I'm hoping that if I keep telling her how gorgeous she looks, she may get over it.

Now What?

We lost. We all have lost. And all the cute kitty photos are not going to make it right. At least not anytime soon.

It is most disturbing that we - and the rest of the entire world - are stuck. Stuck even though scarcely more than 25 percent of potential voters in America chose this future.

We can be sad. And we can be angry.  Around this house, we are both.

This past week I've kept my brain busy devising numerous ingenious punishments and painful hardships for those supporters of hate and strife. I won't go into too many details (is it really possible to have a giant tornado and a fracking-induced violent earthquake at the same time?), but trust me, in my schemes, that Pharaoh in Exodus got off really easy.

But that is all in my head.

The real question? What to do next that will make a difference. And how to keep sane and of good cheer in the meanwhile.

Many of the issues raised during the election are important. For me, the two that seem most critical are the composition of the Supreme Court and climate change.

I do not feel that I can have much of an impact on the Supreme Court, but I do plan to work very hard over the next few years to try and keep this planet a living planet.

Vote First

Then Relax!

(Or at least try not to chew your knuckles quite so hard.)

Wild and Crazy

This feline really was wild and wonderful.

Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana   Sept. 23, 2016

Princess is just crazy.

Oakland   Sept. 2, 2016

Don't Tell Princess!

They came, scoped it out, and now are moving in.

Can you see them? Bewick's wrens on the gourd, bringing in nesting materials. You may even be able to see some sticks poking out the entrance hole (yes I know, lousy photo, but I really didn't want to scare them off).

The Little Surprises of Remodeling

Warning: Some of the images featured below may give you the creeps.
I've just been reading "The Coddling of the American Mind" in the Atlantic (recommended read) and don't want to get in trouble for grossing you out.

Princess

It's construction season in my neighborhood and the rodents have been shaken loose from their usual hidey-holes. They've been freed to boldly go explore the strange new worlds of the nearby neighbors.

Or not. Princess has been busy doing her part to reduce the rodent population, one small death at a time. She stays very local (probably less than one-half acre), but she is both persistent and fast. Actually, she's mostly just persistent.

It's not because we were out of town and she wanted to welcome us back that she's been after the rodents. Nah, it's what she does and who she is. The good news is that, while she is focusing on ridding the 'hood of rodents, she can't spend a lot of time hunting birds (more about that later).

Princess' Most Recent Rat

Alameda County Vector Control Services has ideas to help prevent rats (big mice) and mice (cute little rats) from infesting your home. Some of the ideas are obvious; other, such as screening off your crawl space with galvanized mesh, I wouldn't have dreamt up on my own, but can really make a difference. 

Cat? What Cat? I Don't See Any Cat... #5

Loot from Annie's Annuals

Mom's come for a visit, which means two things:

We absolutely have to go out to Annie's Annuals at least one time to stock up on vegetative necessities. And,

Princess is too shy to hang out with strangers. (The entire human world is comprised of "strangers", with the exception of two people. And one of them she isn't so sure about, either. We take turns being that one.)

But she gets lonely and is always lurking nearby, ready to move in for some lovey-dovey, should that evil stranger appear out of range.

Princess' Shadow

The Best Cheap Cat Toys #3: The Changing of the Bed

Yeah, yeah, I know it's not technically a "toy" but it sure qualifies as cheap. And for us, having a little furry helper means that bed-making is a whole lot more fun. Somehow there seem to be many fewer squabbles about how tight the corners are or whether the blanket is on straight.

Princess won't help with the daily bed-making chore, but only joins us when it's time to make up the bed with freshly washed sheets. I guess everyone likes the smell of clean laundry.

First step is to burrow into the pile of sheets, in the hopes of being discovered. Then comes the excitement of the sheet floating overhead, until it lands. Sometimes there is musical accompaniment in the form of purring.

Finally, the bed is put back together. A nap would be good, except that the bed-making team is simply too revved up to sleep.

Yet Another Birthday

Five Years Old

Cat? What Cat? I Don't See Any Cat...#4

Ever feel like you're being watched? And you can't quite figure out exactly whose eyes are on you? And it's still early, so you're not really awake enough to bother with finding out?

But Princess the cat has already been up for hours and is dying for a game of purple sock...

So we play "Find the Cat" instead. Which involves a silly song whose lyrics consist mostly of the phrase "Where is Princess?" sung to the tune of Frère Jacques. Something that I can manage in bed while reading a book and drinking coffee. Sure my lips move while I read, but who's really listening, anyway?