Why all the Racket?

I heard some chittering in the back yard yesterday. I ignored it since the squirrels are always chittering at something. However, this went on longer than normal and was getting pretty loud and anxious. I decided to go check it out in the back yard and saw Momma squirrel on a branch in the walnut tree. She was watching intently at what was going on below her.
This is Momma Squirrel
 Upon further investigation I found:

 The Cat
I watched her for a few minutes thinking she was after a mouse. (She's a good mouser), but then I started putting two and two together and came up with five.
Maggie, The Cat, finally gave up on her quest and went away (two feet) and laid down.
Momma Squirrel quit chittering. This didn't mean much as the squirrels are always yelling at the cats.
I went over and looked in to where Maggie, The Cat, had been trying to get a mouse.


And this is what I saw.


The cause of the racket
Its a bit bigger than a mouse and isn't he/she cute? Yip a Baby Squirrel is trapped behind a board. There were other things leaning up against the house, so he was pretty well protected. The hole was too small for her to get in and there were places for Baby to go, he just couldn't get out.And by the time I figured out what was happening, he was pretty terrified.

Oh oh, enter The Dog. He heard something behind the board and off he went. He wasn't as playful as The Cat. That's Charlie, and he is a terrier mix and loves to play with the cats, chase the squirrels at the lake and  Baby Squirrel was just another fur thing to chase. Charlie scared Baby Squirrel so much that Baby ran up the board and got stuck at the top between the board and wall.





That's Baby Squirrel being rescued. My son took the board with Baby on it and let Baby get into the walnut tree. Momma Squirrel joins Baby and they both leave. A few minutes later, here comes Momma Squirrel carrying Baby Squirrel in her mouth. I figure she took Baby Squirrel back to the nest.  I wasn't able to get a picture of Mom carrying Baby as she was moving too fast and the two really blended in.

Hope you have enjoyed my story. 

Blue Moon

Blue Moon

A Blue Moon is the appearance of the third full moon in a season that has four full moons, instead of the usual three.Since a blue moon occurs only every two or three years, the term blue moon is used to mean a rare event, as in the phrase "once in a blue moon". (info from Wikipedia)

We went camping over the Labor Day weekend and were treated to a fairly rare occurrence. A Blue Moon. So theoretically we went camping "once in a blue moon". Actually we camp a lot and are treated to Mother Nature's beauty and bounty quite often..
I'm trying to figure out the "season" for this moon. According to the calendar, summer starts in June and ends in September.However, for this Blue Moon, the first of the four full moons is in July and the fourth comes after the first day of Fall. Since June's full moon is before the first day of Summer why is the full moon in September counted? So, I'm confused. Just like I'm confused about how they arrive at when Easter is. Not going to go into that one. If you figure it out and can relay it in terms I can understand, let me know.

Caught in mid air

This is my 11 year old grandson. The boys team from our gym went to the Las Angeles area for Regionals gymnastics camp. Along the way, they stopped to play. Wish I could have see this in person.

Day 36 - Full Silvery Moon

By the light, (By the light, By the light),

Of the silvery moon, (The silvery moon).

I want to spoon, (Want to spoon, Want to spoon)

To my honey I'll croon love's tune.

Honeymoon, (Honeymoon, Honeymoon),

Keep a-shining in June. (Keep a-shining in June)

Your silvery beams will bring love dreams,

We'll be cuddling soon,

By the silvery moon.

 

 

That moon looks pretty full to me, but my calendar says its not full until February 7, 2012. Now, if I can just remember to take another picture of it on Tuesday.

Day 35

I am having a heck of a time getting my photo to stay in the post. Every time I try to move it from the center to the left, it disappears.

Finally, I got it to go on the left. I'm afraid to delete the above sentence, so it is staying in the post.
I made this card for my SSSD Color of the month swap card. Colors are Pretty in pink, Regal rose, melon mambo and So saffron.

Day 34, 2012

I like to knit and crochet, but I don't usually have an end user in mind when I craft. However, Scarves for Special Olympics gives me an end user. While I don't feel my work is great, I hope it is good enough that the scarves can be used.

Ground hog day

Six more weeks of winter. hmmmmm

This is the card I'm sending to my SSSD pen pal
I made the card at SU club. Each club meeting someone brings a technique and we make a card. This one was using the One Note die. Shows there's more to a label than meets the eye.

February 2, 2012 the 33rd day of the year

It's a new MONTH

This child is real darling. He's also not very color coordinated. Gets that from his grandma.  He doesn't care if it matches as long as he likes the colors and clothing pieces. The shorts he has on are brand new, he started out with an orange shirt (just a shade lighter than the wall he is in front of, but he found this blue one in the car. It goes better with the shorts than the orange  did. His socks, he loves them and....as luck would have it, they have the colors that match the shorts. Ya can't tell from the picture, but they are stripped in several colors including blue and purple.
But at age 11, he doesn't have to be totally color coordinated, just comfortable in what he is wearing.
I just had to get a picture of him.
This is my picture for the 32nd day of 2012

Last day of January

Niel, you were a sweet and loving cat. 

May you rest in peace

3/1/2002 - 1/31/2012

January 30, 2012

This jade plant has been living at my house for many years. It isn't well taken care of, but give me a profusion of flowers every year. And I delight in seeing them. As for size, that little mushroom looking thing to the right of the plant is a foot tall. Its actually a statue of a little boy with a big hat. Guess I should have turned him around before snapping the picture. He is probably as old as the plant. I have no idea how old this plant is, but the original is still living and was given to us in 1967. The pink flowers to the right of the statue is another jade plant, but just a wee bit smaller.
This is my picture for the 30th day of 2012

January 29, 2012

I took this picture this evening at sunset.  I missed a red headed woodpecker that was getting bugs in my mulberry tree. I was in the house and my window needs washing. As I watched him fly away, I heard other birds so went outside and saw a robin in my locus tree. I couldn't get a good pix of him, or of any of the birds as I was underneath them. And really, a bird's underside doesn't make for good pictures unless its going to be used for ID purposes. This is the best picture I got. I think this may be a sparrow, he/she was about 1/2 the size of the robin.

Day 28

I can't seem to get a decent picture of this cat if she is awake. I took several pictures January 28, 2012 and several today, but couldn't get one where she would hold still. So here is my not so good photo for the 28th day of January a day late.

An angel

I didn't take this picture, my grandson did (Disneyland, December 1998) However, I am using it today because this morning, while driving down the freeway taking the kids to school, I saw a cloud formation that resembled a devil dancer. The mini whirl wind that one sees in the desert. It was so white in a beautiful blue sky. I couldn't take the picture, its against the law to use a cell phone while driving; and, I didn't have a camera. 

But it did bring to mind the picture I am posting. If you look in the upper middle, see that patch of white sky in the foliage? Doesn't it look like an angel? I couldn't take a picture of a cloud this morning, but an angel works for me.
Day 27 of 2012

Its all about the toys

Here's Charlie again. That white thing at the end of his nose is his favorite toy. What he is laying on, is my 12 yr old grandson; and they are both on my couch.
The picture below shows both of them with their toys. And both oblivious to the camera.
Day 25 of my 2012

Early shopping

There's something for shopping at 8:am.

An EMPTY parking lot. We have a business Sam's club card and can shop at 7 am til 10 am without the crowds. Of course, there are no sampling tables set up, but what the heck, I can find close parking and its quiet.
And there are roses on the tables. Yes folks, real live roses. Hmmm guess they aren't really alive since they have been cut from the bush, but they are real and so pretty. 

Behind the times

This is my Garden. Does anyone play Gardens of Time on FB? I do and I really enjoy doing the puzzles.
This is my picture for day 23. I seem to be missing a couple of days here. My posts go from day 20 to today. My camera and I took the weekend off.

Day 20

I'm cheating, I used this picture on my other blog. Buuut its the only picture I have for today. If I take another, I will post that one too. When I signed up for this, I didn't realize what went into a blog like this. Doing it is enjoyable, thought provoking and sometimes frustrating.
Now about my picture. and, its an actual picture taken with an actual camera. Most of my photos have been from my phone.
Aren't those little guys cute? I used my Cricut and the Cindy Loo cartridge. I cut them at 2 1/2". I probably could have gone a little bigger, but they would fit on a card better at this size. Anywhoo, that's my picture for this, the 20th day of the new year 2012,

Thomas

Today is January 19, 2012, the nineteenth day of 2012. Is that redundant? Yip, it probably is, but this is my blog and I can be redundant if I want.

Thomas, curled up halfway under a blanket, sleeping. I don't know how long he had been there when I found him, but I got two pictures. This angle and from the other side.
I moved in to get another picture from above him, when suddenly he is awake, hissing and there is a dog on top of him. Didn't get that picture, it would have been great. Calmed down the two dogs involved and Thomas took it all with a grain of salt. 
As you can see, he went back to his nap.

No Photo

No photo for January 18, 2012. Just didn't get around to it.

Day 17

Day 17

Day 16

This may actually be day 17, but the picture was taken on the 16th. I tend to do my posting late at night and it sometimes ends up being very early in the a.m. Charlie was sleeping until I got close enough to take the picture and then he had to look at me. Anyway, dog and cat were sleeping beside each other. They play together too.

Charlie & Maggie

Thomas

Thomas at 3 years

This is Thomas my 18 lb. cat. He was picked up by a dumpster when he was just a few weeks old. He was a Thomas from when I first laid eyes on him. He has so much personality that everyone seems to love him. He is an outside cat and he loves to get into cars and sleep. In so doing, he has found himself on the road. People that come to my house know that they must keep their car door and windows closed or they may get home with a feline passenger that needs to be returned to his home. Yes, it has happened. He has gone lots of places in the back of our open bed p/u. Thomas also likes to look for fleas on his humans' heads, nibble their ears and you better watch out if he starts licking. Licking is the prelude to a bite. Most of the time its gentle, but he can get quite exuberant with his playfulness.  When he was a baby he was white with blue eyes. As he aged he developed his points. Little did I know when I brought him home that he has Siamese in him. It doesn't show in his body structure, but it sure shows up in his personality.

Sunset

Sunset on  1/14/2012

Friday the 13th

Yip, today is/was Friday the 13th. This is bad only if you are superstitious, which I am to some extent. Not about the 13th or black cats, but I won't walk under a ladder if I can go around. I have no pictures of anything that could remotely demonstrate superstition, but I do have a picture of my grandson. The picture isn't very good, I took it with my phone with him in his bedroom in low lighting. I was in the hallway out side of his room.

 He is being silly. He is wearing sunglasses with tape wrapped around over the bridge part. This is how he was dressed when we left for school. He didn't have the glasses on when we got to school, so I think he changed his mind about wearing them. I will have to ask him about it.
This kid never ceases to amaze me.

OOOPS

A couple of days ago I wrote that I was still here, however, I missed yesterday. That's right, I didn't take a picture yesterday. Actually, no one but me will know I didn't take a picture yesterday. I do very little and have, what I perceive, to be very few photo ops. I'm having to push myself to take a picture. It isn't spontaneous like I had hoped it would be. I have been taking pictures of things that are a part of my life. So here is today's

I made these two cards trying to make a valentine for a man. I also must send one of them to a person that makes absolutely perfect cards.

Day...

Its day 10 and I'm still managing to get a picture. Since I don't do much, there's not much to take pictures of. I lead a very quiet (boring) life.

Today I was working on a swap project. I need 12 owls. These are sort a put together for this picture, I'm still working on them, not sure how to put them together. The lower owl has a shadow, base and not sure what the orange part is called. The white are the facial parts. Now the little one to the upper right, well, I not sure where that goes on this owl. The orange piece is the same as the craft piece in the lower owl. Have no idea what I'm suppose to do with the brown layer. I will put all little pieces left over in the envie with the completed owl and let the person that gets it, figure it out for herself.
I'm thinking of wiggly eyes. If I don't use them, I will put a set in the envie with the rest of the pieces.

well, owl be back here tomorrow. By-by for now

Day 9

Sometimes I just need a break all to myself

Silly post

Meet my Pogo mini

I play Pogo and this is the mini I use most. I can change her hair style & color, put a hat on her, change her costume/clothes and change her background. I do change her, she will wear green in March, and she has an outfit for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this one I like the best. Last year she wore a hat, guess I really should put her hat on, but...

Flowers

I can't seem to make a flower that I like. I have tried so many. I can't seem to get colors that go together or I end up not liking the shape, the size, etc.

Case in point. All pieces were cut with the Cricut. I have used blue, pink, red and one layer of white. The blue and pink go nice, the red and the pink work, but putting together the three of them, yuk. I need to match or at least have a color that goes with the strip at the bottom that is sort of a turquoise, but its not turquoise. If I put the strip of felt that I'm to use next to blue, the green comes out, if I put it next to a blue-green, it looks more blue.
I don't like the flower. Hmmmmm, I may just go for a butterfly. I like butterflies. Ok, this flower goes into good old file 13 and I go back to the drawing board.

January 6, 2012

Dropped the kids off at school then hit Starbucks for a cup of coffee and an hour's reading time. I next went to one of my favorite stores:

Here I picked up some Snapware to make storage for my Cricut cartridges, books and overlays.
Tonight was SU club. We made two beautiful cards, one using embedded embossing and the other we used the Top note die to make a medallion for our card.
That was my day.

Belated day 5

I'm a little late posting this. I took the picture yesterday, but just didn't have the umph to post it.
I spent my day doing two things, playing on the computer, that's my monitor in the background; and reading. I have a Nook and I read a book yesterday. A thriller, My Sister's Keeper. pretty good. This one makes two books I have read so far this year. Oh, I forgot, I took a nap in my chair also.

Bling

<This

to

This>

I hope!

Pictures on 1/3/2012

Not feeling good, watching TV in bed

Watching YouTube on the computer

My grandsons

Stolen chair

I don't think taking a picture everyday for 366 days is going to be so hard. Its still morning and I have my picture.

That's my chair! That's not my dog! Ok, ok, he does live with me and he seems to have taken over my chair. It has been my chair for years and years. I read sitting in it, I watch TV, I talk and often eat while sitting in this chair. I sometimes even sleep in it. I often share my chair with my dog Charlie, but Ruffus has never been a chairmate. That is up until about two weeks ago. I don't know why he has decided that its his chair when I'm not in it. I must say that when I walk up to sit down, he jumps out of it, but not today. I took several pictures of him with my phone and mailed them to my computer (and that takes forever). My phone is nearly as old as my chair. 
Yip, picture opportunities happen.

Twenty-Twelve in Photos

I joined a new FB group (Twenty-Twelve in Photos - A daily photo project) and it is a challenge. I'm not one for taking pictures and the object of this group is to take a picture everyday in 2012. My challenge is taking a picture. It can be anything at any time of the day for any reason. I don't take pictures. Why did I join this group? because I'm getting older and I have never chronicled ME. I don't have pictures of me and I don't often  take pictures of things around me.

Charlie January 1, 2012

My first picture for 2012 is my dog Charlie. I was sitting here trying to figure out what my first picture would be and looked to my left and there was Charlie laying there keeping me company.
I adopted Charlie from Animal Control in August of 2007. He was about 6-weeks old and just the cutest thing around. We didn't go there to adopt an animal. but this was meant to be. We looked at him in his cage, there was no card so we knew he had been adopted. Who wouldn't want a tiny thing like that. He weighed about 3 pounds. We walked around looking at all the dogs and cats in the shelter. Took about an hour, we had to ooh and aah over so many of them. We returned to his cage, he was so cute, and there was his card. He hadn't been adopted. All the people that were there that day, and this poor puppy wasn't getting any close up love, so we gave him some love. We couldn't take him home that day, he had to be neutered; and as we drove out of the parking lot, my daughter and I looked at each other and said "Charlie" at the same time.
If you would like to join Twenty-Twelve in Photos - A daily photo project go on over there and request membership. This is going to be fun and very challenging for me.