We have different shades of pink, some are almost white, and today, a very tiny, brilliant red one showed up!
My guess is that part of the reason for the colour variations is soil quality and nutrients. That last red one, though… that actually looks like a different variety, which means it could be some seeds got mixed up a bit.
I should make a point of marking that specific plant, so that when the pod is fully mature and dry, I will save the seeds separately from the others, so that next year I can sow them and see if we get more bright red ones like this.
I had a pretty surprise while doing my morning rounds. A couple of the newly opened poppies are very red, instead of mostly white, like all the others!
This is what they are supposed to look like. At least, this is how the Baker Creek website shows them.
Poppy colours were not my only surprise today!
Today has been a day of kittens.
First, when we brought Ghosty’s brother in to wash his eyes, we didn’t put him back outside. Instead, he went into baby jail with Ghosty and Decimus’ four. I ended up giving them wet cat food, as even the littles are starting to eat solid food. When Decimus came in, she sniffed at the stranger, but was far more interested in the wet cat food!
I’ve been sending updates to the Cat Lady, but thinks are still in the air at their place. The cat that got hand, foot and mouth disease while they were away, is now blocked! The vet is trying to save him. So coming out here might take a bit longer!
Later on, my husband told me he was hearing what sounded like a kitten in distress outside his window, so I went to check.
It took some digging, but I did find where it was coming from. A kitten had pushed itself right into the corner of the house. There are a whole bunch of things stored there, but I was able to get it out.
After snuggling it for a while – it’s a young one with very blue eyes – I spotted a mama in the kibble house, so I set it down beside her.
She was not his mama, though, so she soon left, but he stayed there, huddled among the kibble trays.
While I was getting him unstuck, I’d heard meowing from somewhere else nearby, so I went looking to see where it came from. Which is when I spotted Caramel and an orange face peeking at me! I’d put a strong plastic bin against the wall in such a way as to create a shelter. Originally, I even had a box with an old pillow in it, but it wasn’t being used, so I moved it to the cat house, but left the bin. Now I know where Caramel moved her babies to! She only moved them less than 20 ft! Assuming that’s where they’ve been, all this time.
I went inside but kept checking on the baby, who stayed huddled in the kibble house, alone. So I picked it up and cuddled it some more, before putting it on the cat bed in the water bowl shelter, so it would at least have someplace more comfortable to be!
Again, I kept going out to check on the baby, and decided to use my phone’s camera to see the kittens in the bin.
They weren’t there.
But I did hear mewing.
Behind me was the stack of flattened corrugated plastic boxes. They’d fallen over in high winds, but I left them like that, since they formed a sort of shelter. I lifted them up and found two kittens! One orange, one orange and white.
I snuggled them for a bit, then put them all together in the water bowl shelter, since they are clearly all from the same litter.
Then I went into the sun room and found three black and white/tuxedo kittens cuddled in a heap, napping. It’s a hot day today, and there are cats sleeping all over the place! I just had to take a picture, and could see the eye issues. One tuxedo has one eye that’s been gummed shut for days, but we haven’t been able to catch him to clean it. The black and white one had both eyes gummed mostly shut, so I was able to pick it up. I snuggled it for a while and it seemed really calm, so I went ahead and cleaned its eyes. It took quite a while, but the kitten was amazingly patient the entire time! Then, when it could finally open its eyes, it stayed in my arms for a while, just looking around.
Then it climbed up on my shoulders, where I couldn’t reach it anymore! I ended up having to go to the shelf just outside the door and lean over, so it would jump to the top. Then I was able to gently pick it up and put it on the ground. It didn’t even try to run off!
Pinky happened to be there and started showing me just how long he can stretch!
Which actually called to mind something that had me concerned.
I haven’t seen Gooby at all, today.
The last I saw him was yesterday evening, out by the squash patch. He and Pinky started to fight, and my daughter had to break them up.
The last time a cat that I normally see every day suddenly wasn’t around was Pointy Baby. I found him with his head stuck in the chain link fence, and he died that night from his injuries. So now I’m concerned that Gooby is injured or stuck somewhere. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for him!
The three littlest kittens, meanwhile, were staying together in the water bowl shelter!
Meanwhile, the new indoor kitten seems to have already been absorbed into the creche! He was more nervous of the little kittens than they were of him. I have no idea if he and Ghosty remember each other, but they are getting along just fine. Decimus came in and settled to nurse, but only a couple of kittens were interested. The two bigger ones ate their fill of solid food, then wanted out of the cage. They can get out pretty easily, but the littles are figuring it out, too. It just takes them a bit more scrabbling! I ended up with the two older kittens and two younger ones running around. I definitely have to watch the wheels on my office chair when getting up from the computer!
Oh, my goodness! I was wondering why it was so quiet, so I went to check. Decimus is now lying on the floor, outside the cat cage, nursing those four kittens – including the new addition! – while the other two are still in baby jail, playing!
What a good little mama!
So… yeah. This has definitely been a day of kittens!
On a completely different note, I got word back from the garage. It needs a new power steering pressure hose, and will cost just under $270. Which is under budget, but there’s still that noise in the back. I asked him about it and he asked some questions, then said he would check the van again and get back to me. So I hope to hear from him tomorrow. It could be the brake drums, but we haven’t driven the van in months, before I drove it to the garage, and the noise wasn’t there before.
The question is, if there is something that needs major repair, is it worth fixing? The mechanic thought that, at best, he might be able to get $400 for it at the scrap metal dealer, though scrap metal prices have gone up since then. If the repairs end up costing more than $400, we will have to decide if it’s even worth fixing. We really need a second vehicle; my mother’s car is great to have, but we need that van.
Well, we shall see what he tells us, and go from there.
Meanwhile, I think I’ll got check on some kittens and do my evening rounds!
The Re-Farmer 