I just love that little skunk stripe on the tuxedo’s nose!
Later, I was able to handle and cuddle each one of them.
I got quite a laugh at the timing of this photo, while Beep Beep was stretching her paw out.
I was able to cuddle the tabby (tortie?) in front for a bit. As I was putting it back, I was just in time to catch the orange tabby he was on top of, as it suddenly rolled off the blanket!
This morning, I had what has increasingly become a rare sighting of Doom Guy. I was able to pet him briefly, but he was much more interested in the food. Bob is around more, but very antsy of late, and not willing to stay still enough for much pets. I also saw Rosencrantz getting some food. She almost ran away when she saw me, but I didn’t try to come any closer, so she went back to the food. I hope her kittens are doing well.
It seems really strange to be outside and not have cats all over the place, all the time! Once the babies are big enough, that’ll change, of course, big time! :-D
Today, we got the second area in the south yard mulched with wood chips. It’s not as long as the first one done, so it was faster.
It was also faster because I changed equipment.
Among the things that disappeared from here before we moved in were things like shovels and spades – the stuff that didn’t get taken are almost all broken in some way. Yesterday, we made do with snow shovels to load up the wheel barrows. It was a pain in the butt, but they did the job.
Today, I dug out a spade I’d found last year. It’s broken, of course, but just the handle on the top. I was able to use the sleeve of my sweatshirt to protect my hand while using it, and things went much easier.
Here is how the bed looked before.
This is the largest of my mother’s white lilacs, at the West end of the bed, and where I cleaned out a big pile of horse droppings in between all those stems. I’ve never been able to figure out how that happened. I just can’t see a horse backing its hind end right into the bush and taking a dump. :-D
This is where we had cleared out the remains of some fencing that had been used as a trellis for vines. I’m guessing this was done before my mother discovered that Virginia creeper is so invasive! Hopefully, the mulch will prevent it from growing back.
The dirt patch by the tire around the tree is a favourite place for the outside cats to roll around. :-D
Here is how it looks now.
Alas, the cats have lost their rolling spot. ;-)
A lot of the wood chips were used for this, but there is more left than I expected.
I’m debating whether to use it on a nearby flower bed, or just spread it all out, right where it is.
For the amount that’s there, I’m leaning towards spreading it out where it is.
While doing my rounds this morning, I took some pictures at the logs from the two maples that were taken down. Check this out.
You can see how the ant-damaged, rotten core is slightly pushed in. I was curious to see just how loose it was.
The answer is:
Completely.
There were a couple of pieces like this, where I could pull the core right out!
Have I mentioned what a relief it is to finally have these trees down?
Here is another photo from late April. Our summer birds were starting to come back in quite a rush by then.
We were still putting out the deer fix mix at this point. The deer were already coming by less frequently. Now that we’re in May, we hardly see them at all. There is still evidence that they are coming by – and sometimes I see them going through the driveway gate, on the trail cam. Right now, we are getting massive crowds of these fox sparrows.
Today we were able to head out and do some more aggressive yard work, and I am happy as a clam!
I decided to start on an area in the South yard that we had already started to mulch with leaves in the fall.
Here are the before pictures.
This is the bed that runs between the people gate and the vehicle gate.
I even considered mulching all the way to the fence, as it’s difficult to mow in there, but decided against it for now.
My mother planted some bright yellow flowers in here that self-seed. They did rather well last year, but I was pulling a lot of Virginia creeper out of it, near the Chinese elm. Also, being self seeding, the flowers are sort of spreading in an uncontrolled way.
Here is what it looks like now.
On this end, my mother’s yellow flowers did rather poorly. The Korean lilac shaded it too much, blocking both sun and what little rain we had. It was being taken over by crab grass.
I’m pretty sure that maple is self seeded.
I could see the flowers were already starting to come up, and I think they will find their way through the mulch. If they can do that, however, the Virginia creeper will do so, just as enthusiastically. With the mulch in place, they should be easier to pull up.
We put a big dent in the pile of wood chips in the process! This was before…
This is what it looks like now.
The next area I plan to use these on is on the other side of the sidewalk, between another Chinese elm and the willow that got trimmed. There are white lilacs there that I’d cleaned up around and pruned last year; while there is some kind of greenery growing near the base of the Chinese elm, there were no other flowers or anything. We should be able to finish off the pile of chips in that area. Anything left on the ground where the pile is now will be raked out as mulch, right where it is.
I also got an after picture of the maples removed from overhanging the roof. This is the before photo I had posted previously…
This is what it looks like, now.
That one tree in there that’s leaning waaayyyy over is just funny!
I’m hoping to get that junk around that old shed hauled out of the yard this summer. First, though, we need to get the straw bale used up. It’s rather in the way, where it is now.
I’m so happy to be able to get out and start on all this again! :-D
Butterscotch’s babies have been easier to get pictures of; they are old enough that Butterscotch will come out more often.
This is the first picture I’ve been able to get of Beep Beep’s babies, without having to try and get around Mom.
I admit, I did quite a double take when I uploaded the photo and saw that one kitten’s nose.
No. It is not blood or a wound. It is just skin and fur colouration.
*phew*
This next picture was actually taken the evening we had the trees taken down.
I saw Rosencrantz looking very agitated, so I had to check on them.
Note that there is only three in the picture.
I took this next photo, the next morning, while putting the cat kibble out.
Alas. They are gone. :-(
I admit to being part of the problem; while I tried to keep my distance, she was not happy with anyone coming near the dog house. All the noise and activity while the trees were being cleared – especially when they moved the equipment into the south yard – was just too much for her.
I think they are now under the storage house. I’m hoping she found something to serve as a cat cave, because it’s mostly open under there.
It may be weeks before we see this litter again. :-(
Ah, well. Such is life.
Speaking of which…
Our other outside cats have all but disappeared, too! I saw Bob last night, but have seen Doom Guy only in passing (as I write this, I can see him way up on a tree branch). I haven’t seen Big Jim or Rolando Moon in days. In fact, we’ve been seeing the visiting toms more than our own resident cats of late.
I get that, now that the weather is better, the young males in particular will be wanting to explore. It’s just that a lot of the cats we were feeding last winter did the same, and most have not returned.
So while we now have 12 new kittens, we have less adult cats outside. Next year, we can expect much the same to happen again; some will stay, some will disappear.
I’ll just have to keep taking lots of pictures. :-)
My critter of the day photo is late today; I have a whole bunch of photos from the living room camera to go through, but had my computer off until just a little while ago. Just as a precautionary measure. The arborist was in to clear the trees today! I am so thrilled! I’ll be posting photos from that later on. I have lots to go through!
Until then, enjoy the wonderfully maternal Beep Beep and her little wormy babies.
This morning, I was able to get images of all three litters of kittens!
In the sun room, it was easier to get video than still shots.
All of Butterscotch’s babies have their eyes open now.
You can even hear Butterscotch purring as I took the video! The shake at the end there was her finally pushing her way under my hand to get to her kittens. :-)
Beep Beep seemed really happy to see me. I gave them both treats, right next to them, so they wouldn’t have to leave their babies to eat them. Butterscotch came out anyways, but she is not as into the treats as much as Beep Beep, who started looking for more! :-)
I was so happy to hear Beep Beep purring away as I pet her – and even got to touch one her kittens!
While putting food out for the cats outside, I checked on Rosencrantz as well. She ran off when I came close to the old dog house, so when I put the kibble out, I put some right outside the opening.
It’s not as easy to get pictures of these ones. :-D
By the time I came back from putting the bird seed out, she was happily eating the cat food by her kittens, instead of the food by the house, so I think she appreciated the gesture. :-)
I swung by the beach this morning, after dropping my daughter off at work. The last time I was there, the water was free of ice.
It isn’t, anymore. It’s harder to tell in the photo above, but there is ice covering the water in the distance.
The lake narrows a bit in this area; enough that we can just see the far side (visible in the top and bottom photos). It extends a considerable distance to the north, and the ice is being blown south.
It was moving so fast, I could see the ice coming closer to the beach, even in the short time I was there. You can even see how much closer it came between this photo, and the one at the top, which were taken less than a minute apart.
For a lake as large as this one, it will take a long time for the ice to clear on all of it.
