Aug 12, 2011 by Naomi.

The face of the black cat with a white nose and bib startled me. He was resting in the back yard and I’m sure he heard the floor tweak when I stepped out in my sun room. He hesitated until our eyes met then he rose to his feet and calmly sauntered past the wheelbarrow beyond my vision. He had been in the cat jam session on Abbot Street in August. This is the first time any cat except for Tiger-leg Tom has come into the back yard. At first recognition he seemed to be as surprised as I was although I thought he wanted to be sure I remembered him. He looked trim as if he had fed well in the months that had gone by. Where had he been? Why would he come in from the shelter belt? Well that will remain a mystery because all the cats in the jam had disappeared and none other had been my visitor except the tan cat with the black tail and tiger stripes on his face who comes to drink from the water dish I keep clean and filled by my back steps. Perhaps others come by moonlight. It has been bright enough for me to see my paths around the trees and shop but I do not frequent those very late at night. I like to think that the entire jam of cats appreciate the dish of water I keep freshened. I do it just for them and was pleasantly surprised to know it was being used.

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Aug 11, 2011 by Naomi.

What a pleasant surprise at 0600 to see a Downy Woodpecker working on the black walnut tree! And perched on a farther bush in the backyard was a Goldfinch! A Nuthatch worked its way up and down on the English Walnut. A fluffed-up Robin was fed a beak full of insects by a diligent mother, who looked weary of the task. I don’t think it repeated the parental service too much longer. Fluffy, scared kids have to learn to take care of themselves. Squirrels are partial to the area under the Lodgepole pine and the old Robin took exception to that possession. It dived bombed the squirrel, sending it up a tree. As I sipped my second cup of coffee who should appear but Tiger-legs Tom. He meandered to the water dish I had just cleaned and freshened. He drank and lingered and drank some more. He is thin and looks as fragile as he has been ever since I first saw him. I do not feed stray animals but he must get something somewhere. No matter where he gets his sustenance he settled down on an open spot near the forsythia and rested his head on his front feet. I won’t monitor his nighttime adventures although I expect him to come out from under the Sequoia branch in the morning and walk to his water dish for another drink of fresh water.

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Aug 10, 2011 by Naomi.

Tiger leg tom cat came out from under the low Sequoia branch when I walked out to the shed this morning. Hadn’t seen him nor any other cats for a couple of days. He watched me curiously then got up, stretched upward and downward so gracefully. He stalked the robin, it darted away but he lingered as if making a decision then went off behind the buffalo berry bush to disappear beyond the cedar fence. If I had half that much energy I would mow the back yard and make a bail of hay. I should put my computer on my lap while sitting in the sun room which would make writing text about every little thing simpler, I think. Maybe not. I found half dozen Italian prunes on my plum tree that I hadn’t noticed before. Needed the ladder to reach them. I will “prune” the tree later and the fruit will be easier to get at next year. After the sun goes down a bit I will trim the cedar tree that produces no fruit but looks nice by the dogwood tree. Buena left some cucumbers inside my door. There is a fresh sandwich in my future. Very cool on a hot summer day. Also possibly energizing. Go for it.

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Aug 9, 2011 by Naomi.

Tuesdays are the night we Democrats got together to drink.  I had a beer and it didn’t set well, oh it tasted good going down but before I headed for home I got a headache and the hiccups. The beer made me unsteady. It was a long wobbly way back to the car and next time I will do with root beer. I think there were ten of us and all quite compatible although one really white blond dramatizes her articulation with thin hands that wave and gesture so her gawdy bracelets and rings were an interesting entertainment. She is a very likeable gal and her addition to the group is always a plus. I guess she didn’t talk too much after all. The bright moon showed me the way to go home and I decided to water the front yard plants by its light. The water spray disturbs the moths in the arborvitae. I got a close look at one and the brown variegated design on its wings was elegant. I wonder if I can capture it to pin for my collection? I think not. I didn’t have so much to drink that I forgot how much work collections are. I wheeled the yard waste and garbage bins curbside meaning I can sleep in tomorrow.

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Aug 7, 2011 by Naomi.

The view into my own wildlife refuge through the patio doors is one I really enjoy. At the moment the wildlife consists of three specimens of one species - squirrel. The individuals chase each other up and down several nut trees, black and English walnut, and a lodgepole pine from which they appear to fly into and/or from Wade’s chestnut tree out unto the electric wires in the shelter belt. I assume they are siblings playing a game of tag or some such. Whatever, they appear to be enjoying themselves and delighting me in the process. The patio doors through which I comfortably watch are five feet high and double wide which is maybe five feet. I rescued the doors from destruction via a wrecking ball swung to demolish a farmhouse years ago at the wildlife refuge. The doors were placed on the west side of my back steps which has since become a sun room. Other than a variety of trees I view birds and occasional cats, other animals are excluded by a six foot cedar fence which encloses the back yard. Construction of the fence was a family affair in which all members participated. From my back yard privacy I enjoy my morning cup of coffee, breakfast and often other meals throughout the day. My computer remains in my office/guest room where air can be cooled if necessary but not often because I like the warm. And always I appreciate whatever appears beyond the patio for viewing.

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Aug 6, 2011 by Naomi.

Not a delightful sight on this languid Saturday morning but there they are, my swollen feet. No pain, just an odd development of my normally slim feet that I had “dolled” up with bright red nail polish when I last was in California. I strolled out to my sun porch and was distracted by a squirrel that chewed away on a black walnut, spitting scraps of the shell away to get at the nut meat. I have to use a nut pick and with that the nut meat comes out in tiny bits, hardly big enough to taste so I don’t work at that very often. But the animal only gets a seasonal chance and works diligently. While I pick at the nut I am comfortably seated in a canvas chair not perched upon a branch that requires maintaining balance. However, the squirrel turns often holding the nut in its mouth while it uses all four feet keep it secure in making the turn. Imagine a branch in proportion to my butt! On second thought don’t imagine. I am secure on the floor and have a cellophane bag of shelled nuts to chew at my leisure. And pleasure, I might add, fat feet or no.

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Aug 5, 2011 by Naomi.

Fifth of August - not a day marked in my book for anything unusual. Well except I decided to get rid of a bird I had hung in the shed. First I wanted to retrieve some feathers. I left the critter soak all night to soften so I could take out feathers for my collection. Ha! Pull feathers from flesh that has dried for years? The flesh had dried harder than cement. I carved, and I mean carved, several feathers loose, but not clean. The flesh was harder than the shafts. This is no big yellow bird from Sesame Street. Only five feet tall when stalking minnows or crustaceans in shallow water, the great blue heron is doubled up in a five gallon pail awaiting the skill of a taxidermist. Or some adventurous soul with a carving knife. Will my collection ever include its bright blue feathers?

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Aug 4, 2011 by Naomi.

My neighbors share. This week it is zucchini. If you are unaware of the word - or the vegetable - I will describe it just in case one is gifted to you. It grows long like a cucumber but with heft, like it takes steroids, only the seeds are hardly formed. Buena shared her recipe with me: Shred it, mix with flour and an egg so you have a pancake. Easy! I left out the flour. I salt and peppered it and stirred the egg in while it cooked. So the mess didn’t gather together like a pancake the way Buena recommends it but the loose stuff scooped up nicely on my fork. More work than nuking a TV dinner but tasted better. Nancy made a relish that is really good. I’m on my last jar. And it is the last. Nancy went out of the canning business. This year I am eating it fried.  It tastes just fine.

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Aug 3, 2011 by Naomi.

My cat watch is over. A female kitten was dropped off actually over my cedar fence Tuesday morning. The mew was weak and very young. I put out a shallow dish with milk and bread that I tore into little pieces. She ate with gusto while an adult male sat back to watch. He did not stay although I have seen him come into my yard, quite at home. I called the animal shelter which is in Pasco and was informed that no one worked there on Monday and no one was available to pick up an animal. Someone would come on Wednesday between nine and nine-thirty. The animal must be in a box. The agent was not going to chase and capture it after he got here. I had a cardboard box and had to hold the kitten down because it did not like captivity. By nine-forty I was afraid no one would come at all and earnestly told the cat that although I had nothing against it personally, I did not want it. The animal agent finally came and assured me that someone will pick it up at the shelter, have it neutered, and love it. She was amazed that the kitten had eaten bread and milk. (Like I keep cat food around? Give me a break). It was my way or the highway. I was raised on a farm and cats were kept in the barn to feed on mice. I have no desire to share my house. To have it underfoot for twenty four hours was enough to remind me why I do not have pets - of any kind. A blue stuffed cockatoo and a red cardinal hang from my ceiling. Other animals grace my wildlife calendars, lovely photographs in natural settings but no real ones curl up on my furniture.

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