High Spring Roundup! Part 1

Mrrrr Friends,

It's the peak of spring! Very exciting for a young cat out exploring his changing world. Here you see the daffodils Boo planted at the base of my Linden scaling tree. We also have heirloom tulips coming up around the big pine...deep red and daffodil yellow.

The grass is growing like crazy which means Oom will be unleashing the outdoor cat-eater machine. As opposed to the indoor cat-eater - which tries to suck a cat up and put him into a tiny box - the outdoor cat-eater is serious, it wants to chop up cats and anything else that gets in its way. It's noisy and stinky. I don't know what they are thinking letting it out and about.

I found a HUGE garter snake yesterday...he was way longer than me. He startled me and I really startled him. I'd never seen a snake I guess. Frogs are one thing...they are fun to watch and at most I will only consider smelling them; they just don't inspire licking. Snakes though, are very exciting...it was very hard not to chase his undulating S's but Oom made it clear I should not.

My newest project is Diesel Spring. About three litter-box changes ago, I was walking along in the long low area between the tame yard and the wild yard, and my paw sank through the earth and into a big wet pool. I immediately explored and yelled for Oom. We found that there's an underground world of water streaming toward my brook...we kinda knew it was there but didn't know it was so big!

So where my paw sank through? That's now a burbling above ground pool - so we're making it nice for cats and birds, putting in a few pebbles, and Boo is going to get me a couple native iris to plant. Oom says we should test the water before cats drink it, but I've been grabbing several licks every day on the sly.

Me and Spring? We're Back!

Mrrrrrr Friends,

I've been away. The rigors of perimeter duty, blogging, product testing, and living a furry life in a human world can be exhusting, so I went on a month-long cat retreat. Here I am in a cat bonding and digging ritual I shared with some of my aboriginal cat pals.

The trigger for my departure was the release of the iPad. I found myself feeling uncharacteristically acquisitive. Catnip toys, kibble and a good Barolo or Bordeaux is one thing...feeling the urge for an iPad...meerrrw. So I went on a prowl about, visiting friends, doing some serious motionless contemplation (what humans often mistake for sleeping) reconnecting with my essential cat: kibble digestion, digging good holes for nuggets, the study of birds and tiny mammals, tree-scaling, fish identification, cat antics like threading human legs while they're walking at night...you get the idea.

But I'm back for spring and to prep you for the coming of Diesel Day! It's true, Diesel Day is only a month away.

Are you ready?

Spring Sprung

Mrrrr Friends,

For those of you enduring cresting floodwaters in my Midwest homeland and oodles of snow in the Rockies I just wanted you to know that spring is just around the corner.

Enjoy with me the blooming of our first daffodil here at the little house.

Lilacs are loading up, there are buds at the base of the azalea leaves, and the copper beech buds are plumping up. I won't even talk about the birds around here...it's been so busy with singing cardinals, Blue Jays defending territory, Red Tails and wrens meeting mates, chickadees chasing each other. We did see our first Osprey just the other day.

The good stuff is right around the corner.