Robin's Ramen Roost

[Charmonium]

There's no sub section for this sort of thread, so I'm parking it here for now.

Basement kitty is still hiding so I plugged in 2 Feliway pheromone vaporizers today.

I had tried the spray out and she seems to have responded to that. Hard to explain but it could also just be coincidence.

Spotted a black and red fox last week so I'm guessing that's what happened to the raccoons. All of the cats seem to be accounted for though.

 

[Charmonium]

The wild flower seeds I put in the planters are supposed to be deer resistant. I'm anxious to see if the deer agree.

I'm also worried about the cats. The ferals should be well inured to plant life. But there's something about new shoots that just seems to scream "EAT MEEEEE!"

I made this lean-to for the black feral with a recycling bin. His heated mat was getting wet and I had to open the garage door anyway.

 

[BoomerD]

The wild flower seeds I put in the planters are supposed to be deer resistant. I'm anxious to see if the deer agree.

I'm also worried about the cats. The ferals should be well inured to plant life. But there's something about new shoots that just seems to scream "EAT MEEEEE!"

I made this lean-to for the black feral with a recycling bin. His heated mat was getting wet and I had to open the garage door anyway.

When we first moved here, I used the "deer resistant" plant lists as guides. I quickly found out, the deer don't read those lists...fckrs will eat almost anything if they're hungry...and the fawns...they WILL eat (or sample) everything until they learn.

 

[Charmonium]

Ohhhhhhhh nooooooooes

 

[Charmonium]

I really hope that I can become friends with the black feral. He's such a beautiful cat.

Had my 4mg cherry 🍒 flavored nicotine lozenges delivered this morning. Since it's been drizzling, they put it under the garage eaves right next to the cat.

Went out to pick them up and he was in a coma with his nose into the mat. Sooo knute!!! But I knew that he'd bolt if I touched him.

Sigh.

 

[Charmonium]

Went out to pick them up and he was in a coma with his nose into the mat

One might call it a catacoma.

It's a good thing that I can entertain myself.

 

[Charmonium]

I was thinking about birds and the cat kibble. I know crows are pretty smart so I wonder how they look at the kibble.

To anthropomorphize, I would think, 'that bastard,' putting out food that the cats like too so that we have risk life and wing to feed our chicks.

On the other hand . . . . I think they probably look at more like 'Ooooo, dinner and a movie.'

 

[Charmonium]

The kittens were chasing a squirrel. The backyard has a flower circle with a couple of young trees. One of the cats treed a squirrel and made it go about halfway up the 10ft tall tree. Once it looked like the cat would come up the tree, the squirrel went to very near the top. But that meant that it had to curl itself about one of very tiny branches from last year. I thought it was hilarious. Curled up like a pill bug or armadillo around such a small branch. The squirrel wasn't doing its tail wiggling routine any more. The kitten finally figured the squirrel didn't really want to play and trotted off.

 

[Charmonium]

It seems that BC (basement cat) let herself out. I call her 'Booger' for the black spot on her white muzzle. Tuxedo cats get some weird coloring - see below.

Anyway, it took me a while to figure it out but apparently, she was able to open the back door and "escape." How you may ask. Well, long ago I installed lever style door knobs on the back door. They're pretty much useless though since I still need at least one free hand to unlock the door. But it seems that a smart kitty can easily operate them from the inside.

The mysterious part is why I'd never found the door open when coming home. I suppose that a neighbor could have closed it for me but that seem doubtful. My best guess is that it must have been a windy day and since that's a very light door on well oiled hinges, it wouldn't take much of a gust to slam it shut.

 

[Charmonium]

There's a cement bench (on plinths) in the middle of the back yard - well, the middle of the area that gets mowed (sort of). Last season I started going out there to blow bubbles since sitting on the front porch didn't seem to sit well with the neighbors - of course, that could just be my imagination but I'm obliged to err on the side of caution.

The black feral saw me in there and sort of paused for a long while. The wind wasn't bubble-friendly today. They just sunk straight down or into my face. After the last blowing round, I looked for the cat. He was gone, or so he would have me believe.

It's hard to describe but behind the walk leading up to the back porch, there's an area I asked to be left wild. Not a plant guy but it seems to be perfect for this "meaty" small bush, composed of tiny stick-like leaves. The whole thing is green. Excellent camo. So . . . guess where the cat is.

It was really hard to pick him out. He's jet black. So black that he actually stands out with right background. I walk up the porch steps - halfway, bend over to look through the vine wound completely around the railing, see a small opening and say hello. They're used to my meowing at them and it's convincing enough that anyone within earshot will immediately write it off.

So I think it's safe to conclude that he's cat-playing with me. I feel so honored. Hehe

edit - the BY is on the NNE side of the house so until the solstice, the sun is never overhead, not even then of course. That means that there's intense, direct sun on the back walk for maybe an hour or two in the morning. Plants are amazing.

 

[iRONic]

I'm totally cool with doing your own thing in your own own house. But maybe the neighbors don't want to see you actually blowing Bubbles.

Where does Bubbles stand on this? Does Bubbles object to being watched ?

 

[Charmonium]

I'm totally cool with doing your own thing in your own own house. But maybe the neighbors don't want to see you actually blowing Bubbles.

Where does Bubbles stand on this? Does Bubbles object to being watched ?

That was quite good. I didn't figure it out until halfway through the second paragraph.
===================================
It seems that I need at least a triple latte in the morning so as to have any kind of energy at all. I'm fine with that though. Better than my old meds (dexmethylphenidate).

 

[Charmonium]

 

[Charmonium]

Wow, I been slackin'.

The wisteria finally decided to boom. I forget from year to year just how fragrant they are.

Don't get me wrong, they are an annoying, invasive and unkillable monster that will smother any living plant they can wrap their tentacles around. But for about a week each year, the fragrance is almost intoxicating.

There's a patch of them about 3 feet wide and 100 feet long that demarks my property from the neighbors. The previous demarcation was a row of short evergreen trees that we'd planted along our property boundaries.

The ones at the other boundary are the same age - about 50 years old. They're around 20 feet tall. At this boundary, they're slowly being choked by the wisteria. Such evil little creepers.

 

[Charmonium]

I'm sure you've all have been dying (just DYING I say) to hear about my sleep schedule.

It seems I've transitioned back to vampire hours. Get up between 4 and 7 pm. Refill the bowl for the kitties. Watch cable and financial news plus a variety of docu's for about 12 hours (including naps).

Then I wait for Civil Twilight which comes at around 5am. See if the kitties are waiting. Today there was one trying to hide behind a tree in the back yard at around 4am. Sorry sweetie, you can't possibly be THAT hungry and anyway, see if you can get your timepiece fixed.

Feed the kitties and then resume my summer hibernation.

 

[Charmonium]

BTW, the thing about Civil Twilight - the damned raccoons are just too smart for their own bleeding good. They'll wait all night, probably down by the wood pile, for me to come out in the pre-dawn hours to fill the bowl and then chow down. That's why I have to wait. If they see the sun coming up, they'll scamper home.

edit - I WILL try to leave maybe a half cup of kibble in the bowl at night, but that's really up to the cats. They don't like to leave food in the bowl after dusk because they know what happens if they do.

Such a lovely, f'ed up little zoo I have here.

 

[Charmonium]

..

 

[Charmonium]

I'd forgotten how much I love fresh bread.

I love my new market but it's a little overwhelming by comparison. In its previous incarnation it was sort of cute and cozy. I never felt that the stock was limited but for peeps used to going to some of the really huge markets around here, I sort of understand. Looking back and again, by comparison, I can see that the old store was more a very, very big bodega. But no cats - and it can't be a real bodega w/o cats.

To continue the story, I got a huge, round loaf of Italian semolina and it's been wonderful. Very simply toasted with whipped and salted butter plus some Swiss currant preserves . . . . oh my. It makes you grateful to be alive.

 

[Charmonium]

The kitties have gotten wise to the flying lizards pirating their kibble. Well, the tabby has. She's definitely the smartest of the bunch. I'd only seen her doing that towards dusk. But then it's been quite a while since I've been awake at this time of day. Actually, any time before noon is 'out of character.' [ok fine, before 2pm]

And now she has one of the kittens sitting with her - hopefully teaching them by example. She normally hangs out on the concrete slab, at least whenever she shows herself. The kitties love themselves a slab of concrete. It's almost magical.

You wouldn't think a bird could consume a lot of kibble, but when they swarm, as they tend to do, they can be rather voracious. Interesting observation - it seems that the blue jays, cardinals and mocking birds (white wing stripe) are the most . . . . let's say "adventurous."

 

[Charmonium]

The cats crack me up. They need a climate controlled climate. 'Oh, it's too hot. Oh, it's too humid. Oh, it's too cold'

The black feral and booger nose, the catlet, were snuggled up on the heated pet mat. WTF do you want? OK, I have a little house for you but I haven't put it together yet.

[judgmental stare]

I wonder if he's going to boinc (boink) her when she goes into heat and if that resolves the issue. He doesn't realize he's fixed but he's a horndog.

 

[Charmonium]

Also, feral cats are almost as good at training humans as indoor cats.

I was coming up the dark back walk a couple nights ago and the black cat kept trotting in front me then stopping, until we got to the porch where the food bowl is. Then he pealed off. So I figured he was hungry and wanted me to put some food out.

I did that and looked out a few minutes later and he was happily munching.

Ferals can be just as expressive and domesticated cats, you just have to pay attention.