Sunny Hours and Summer Days...

"I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days..."  ~Henry David Thoreau

My latest project has been to mulch the beds and gardens with pine needles and bark of which I have an abundant supply on the hillside where Millie and I walk.  I do enjoy the looks of it piled quite high with pine cones scattered about, but have no idea as to how sustainable it will be.  I wonder if I have the will and the power to rake and load up enough to finish the job. I will readily admit that I do have a ways to go.  And then, there are ticks on that wonderful old hill...     

Pine needle mulch from the hill...

And more in the little garden.   

Feed time with the kittens is sometimes interesting, and a bit challenging.   Not only do the raccoons come calling at that hour, but a fourth cat seems to think the old barn is his home as well.  We call him Hobo.  At first the kittens were afraid of him, but now seem friendly enough with him.  

Hobo

"Mizzling Afternoons..."

 

It had been a long while since I had captured the Great Blue Heron on film (Ha Ha!  No one uses film these days, but it sounded good.  I am not sure what we capture on these days. )  It's not that I don't see these fascinating creatures when I am out and about, for I do almost every day, but it's that he seems to have a great fear of mankind; guess that's stored somewhere in his DNA because of some distant relative's experiences with our species.  Normally, at first sight of me, he lifts those mighty wings, and up and away he goes.  

Dan refers to the Great Blue Herons as my "big ugly birds." The picture I currently have as my header  is one of my older pictures, and one of my favorites. I love that the blue showed up so clearly.  The picture was taken with my Canon Rebel with a Zoom lens.  I don't carry that heavy camera with me anymore, but, instead, just grab the phone/camera from my pocket.   

 

Life is an admirable arrangement...

It is so clever of it to have June

in every year and a morning in every

day, let alone things like birds, and 

Shakespeare, and one's work.

~Elizabeth von Arnim

"I find it good to be out this still, dark, mizzling afternoon; my walk or voyage is more suggestive and profitable than in bright weather.  The view is contracted by the misty rain, the water is perfectly smooth, and the stillness is favorable to reflection... "   ~From Thoreau's Journal, Nov. 7, 1855

Summer Tanager

I heard his song long before I saw him.  He was late getting here this year.  I was worried for I have become quite spoiled to his oh-so-sweet song on long summer evenings.  

"Do not curse the mountain for its height.  Climb it breath by breath, and let patience be your guide.  Endure not as one burdened, but as one sculpting a legacy, chip by chip, day by day." (Old Stoic Wisdom)

"Mizzling afternoons" does, indeed, describe our weather here as of late.  My boots have grown accustomed to becoming sodden messes almost every day.  Millie and I keep racking up the days since we last missed hiking the hillside trail.  It now stands at 1,146 days.

I recently read the story of Emma Rowena Gatewood, who at 67 years of age told her adult children that she was going for a walk.  And walk she did!

"In 1955, with just a simple pair of Keds sneakers and a homemade denim bag, she embarked on the incredible adventure of hiking the Appalachian Trail, a path over 3,470 km that crosses mountains, forests, and varied terrains across the United States.  Without maps or technology, relying only on her intuition and the kindness of strangers, Emma became the first woman to complete this journey alone and in a single season.  

Her story inspired thousands and changed perceptions about the abilities and courage of older people, especially women.  She repeated the hike in 1960 and 1963, proving that age is not a limit to achieving great goals.

Emma Gatewood is a symbol of perseverance, courage, and love for nature.  Her legacy lives on among hikers and adventure lovers around the world."

-Source:  National Park Service

Spring Notes...

 

The days seem to rush by.  I jot quick notes on the calendar to keep track of certain events. 

There was a big anniversary last month.  We watched an old 1930s Western to celebrate.  It was a good day. 

The first hummingbirds arrived right on schedule the first week of April.   They now spend most days in the honeysuckle thickets where I think they raise their young.

 Zinnias, Nasturtiums, poppies and other seeds have been sown about the place.  They are popping up all over.

Millie and I have heard the song of the Summer Tanager for the past few mornings when we walked the trail but have not seen him yet.  His song is definitely one of the joys of summer.

The little black kitty has gone missing.  He was happy and playful one evening but gone the next morning.  I have been sad about that, but the other three are doing well.  I love them and they love me, but they don't care for other people.  

April...

 

Even though I have already seen two hummingbirds at one of the feeders, these feisty little darlings really aren't here to stay yet, but, instead, are only travelers passing through.  I have noted through the years that they won't be here to stay until the Buckeye opens.  That will be soon.

When we moved to our current house here on the hill, I was loathe to leave my garden down below.   It really was a gardener's paradise.  I spent time there today - just looking and remembering.  

There's a new little Buckeye seedling growing not far from the parent plant  I will move it to my garden here.  If it should live, the hummingbirds would like it.  

Crabapple blossoms are strewn all about, even in the murky waters of the little garden pond that I built so long ago.  Salamanders live there now.  Back in the day, there was a pretty little waterfall flowing into the pond.  I can hear it still... 

Wild Winds...

 

It's time for fresh new flowers in the Garden Shanty, don't you think?  I do still like them, though, even when they are old and dried.  

All seemed safe this morning in my little bird-watching, note-taking, outdoor hide-away, thanks to newly installed door hardware.  The door had developed an inclination to swing wide-open with every strong puff of wind, exposing the interior to whatever wild weather happened to be blowing through.

Fierce wild winds had already begun to blow when Millie and I walked our trail yesterday morning.  I knew strong winds were in the forecast, but I dilly dallied too long feeding and playing with the cats, etc. before heading out.  The walk up the hill, bearing north was not so bad, but once we reached the top and turned westward, we were slammed.  My watch even alerted me of "excessive noise."   

 I hardly noticed my surroundings, for I walked with my head bent low against those fierce winds, and was intent only on getting back home. I don't know if there were deer in the meadow, or if there were more new green leaves on trees at the pond.  I do have some pictures of deer on my phone that I took a couple of days ago.  They and the coyotes are regulars on the hill.   

 

I continue to pick apart a couple of favorite old jackets from which I want to make patterns. It is slow, tedious work.  One of the jackets, which my mom made, is quite complicated.  I do wonder, as I told a friend, if I can ever get it back together again - kind of like Humpty Dumpty and all the king's men and all the king's horses.  

The original pattern is lost.  I have searched vintage patterns, but to no avail.    

One of my jackets made by Mom, but not the one I am taking apart.

"Chip by chip, day by day...

I enjoy this place from which I can watch and record bird activity.  It's hard to imagine that the first hummingbirds may be here in just over a month.   

 

Look at this weather acting all cute and springy like it didn't try to kill us last week.  ~From Facebook, of course. Fortunately we did survive the near record-breaking Arctic blast of last week, and now, it's as though spring has arrived in all her glory.  How great it is!  I am sure we must all have the worst case of spring fever ever.  I know I do!

We weren't far up the trail this morning before I realized I was way overdressed, so off came this old jacket, which is in reality just a liner from an old army surplus coat. (I am currently working on a new trail jacket that I can't wait to leave hanging on a cedar peg.) These old cedar branch stubs must surely have a purpose, wouldn't you think?    Over the years, there has only been one time that I forgot to go back to retrieve my coat left hanging there, and only realized it when the following morning I couldn't find my coat.  I was thankful a burly ole bear didn't find it before I did.     

"Do not curse the mountain for its height.  Climb it breath by breath, and let patience be your guide.  Endure not as one burdened, but as one sculpting a legacy, chip by chip, day by day."  -Stoic Wisdom

Today was walk # 1,055.  "chip by chip, day by day..."

Thoreau & More...

 

"I find it good to be out this still, dark, mizzling afternoon; my walk or voyage is more suggestive and profitable than in bright weather.  The view is contracted by the misty rain, the water is perfectly smooth, and the stillness is favorable to reflection...The solitude is real too, for it keeps other men at home...My power of observation and contemplation is much increased.  My attention does not wander.  The world and my life are much simplified."  

& MORE...Particularly about cats.

 

"Gather kittens while ye may

for time brings only sorrow

and the kittens of today

will be old cats tomorrow."

~Unknown 

The kittens had their appointments at the vet clinic.  It sounds like such an ordinary and common thing, doesn't it?  But, NOT!  These feral babies are anything but "ordinary and common."  

The plan from day one was simple enough -  Feed kittens in wire cage.  On the appointed day, close door.  Load cage, kittens and all, into Jeep and take to vet.  

But, it didn't happen that way.  When that big, tall scary man went into the crib to help carry the cage things got pretty wild.  As our granddaughter said, "They were like bouncing off the walls."  It was probably a good thing that the door came open and three of them escaped.  Well...  One was better than none!

 And, that's the way it was done.  One cat at a time.  By the time, this ordeal was over, we had made a total of eight trips to the animal clinic.  The kittens began to get very suspicious of my every move, so that by the time I got to Kitty #4, she was quite a challenge.  But, now they are all back home and doing well.  And, I am no longer having nightmares about catching cats!  

   

Winter 2025

 

The Pond Jan. 10, 2025

We got snow!  Lots of it... A walloping  total of ten-inches.  Millie and I made our daily walk, despite the fact that I had only 7-inch boots.  Thanks to Dan who made tracks in the snow for us to follow.  How beautiful everything looked!  I have no words to describe it.  Just Wow!  Walk #1,008 was certainly not one to be missed!  

I know this post is long on pictures and short on words, but, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

I will add that the kitties holed up somewhere during this entire event for 2 1/2 days, but are all safely back in the fold. 

 

  

The Next Day - January 11, 2025 ( I love those oh-so-blue skies!)

One thousand walks and the Kittens make a move...

Well, Millie and I did it.  We made our long anticipated 1000th walk over the hill.  The world didn't seem to notice, but to us, it was something to celebrate.  Lots of memories are locked into those 1000 days, some of which I photographed, but most of them are like "a river, glimpsed once and already carried past us, and another follows and is gone."  (Marcus Aurelius)  I will post a few pictures taken from those 1000 days at the end of this post.

In other news, the kitties moved themselves to another barn. When I went to the old barn on New Year's morning, I found nothing but an old empty crib.  All of my sweet kitties had gone missing.  One can imagine the thoughts that raced through my mind.  It wasn't until we were doing the evening chores that we spotted one of them in the tractor barn.  What to do?  Has anyone ever had success at herding a bunch of cats?  

They were all quite anxious and very wary, having reverted back to some of their wild ways.  Their mother was, after all, a feral cat, so their DNA was not to be denied.  There would be no catching them that day to return them to the safety of the old crib as Dan suggested we do.  Besides, I couldn't help but think, that maybe they were wiser than we were.  Was there some danger lurking around the old barn that made them seek a new safer place?

I was relieved that they were all safe and still together.  In hopes that they would return on their own, we left them in their new place, which was a bit more than a quarter of a mile away from their old place.  I did not feed them that day.  

Early morning of the next day, we found them just as we had left them the evening before.  They were hungry.  I fed them.  They had found a tub of bale-wrap mixed with hay in which they had obviously slept.  So, there you go....  Cats will be cats.  I moved their feed and water dishes to their new abode and made their bed better.  I stroked all their backs this morning.  

I'll never forget the late night walk Millie and I made in which we were harassed  by the coyotes.  

Or, of when we went walking after midnight, and caught up with a family of raccoons in a hackberry tree.

And, walking in a snowstorm should be on everyone's must do list.  Right?

I hope everyone's new year is off to a great start, and that you are doing better with your resolutions than I am.  I am not giving up.  Just blaming it on the kitties!  Ha Ha!

Until next time,

Mary