The Mega Pawsitive Fundraiser

[tarasgirl06]

A crisp but sunny Saturday here. In honor of the perennials finally starting to peek out in my yard I thought I'd post a pic of Carleton posing for the camera.

View attachment 229004

Of course I love ALL cats and find each uniquely beautiful, but a picture of Carleton is sure to add PAWSitive to my day and no doubt everyone else's as well!

 

[neely]

Of course I love ALL cats and find each uniquely beautiful, but a picture of Carleton is sure to add PAWSitive to my day and no doubt everyone else's as well!

Thank you for the pawsitive compliment. I will sometimes show his pic to people who are not as crazy about cats as I am. Just one more reason why I love TCS - everyone is a cat lover here.

 

[Norachan]

Something for you here mama africa

Thunderbird

• Norachan
• Apr 29, 2018

A pair of Japanese Thunder Birds leading us through the snow.

Mr Husband went climbing last week. He managed to find a mountain that's still covered in snow, even though it's almost May. He filmed this pair of Thunder Birds near the top.

According to Japanese legend, Thunder Birds appear whenever there is a blizzard and lead lost travelers to safety. It does seem as if they are trying to lead him, doesn't it? Thanks to these clever birds he made it up to the summit and back safely.

 

[AbbysMom]

Nevertheless, when the swan neared, of course, I said, "Hello, how are you today, Friend"?

Well of course you did. I would have too.

Swans usually nest in the water behind my house. I'll have to take a walk and see if the nest building has begun yet.

While we were out in the yard yesterday we saw a bald eagle flying overhead. They have been making a comeback in this area.

 

[mama africa]

Something for you here mama africa

Thunderbird

• Norachan
• Apr 29, 2018

A pair of Japanese Thunder Birds leading us through the snow.

Mr Husband went climbing last week. He managed to find a mountain that's still covered in snow, even though it's almost May. He filmed this pair of Thunder Birds near the top.

According to Japanese legend, Thunder Birds appear whenever there is a blizzard and lead lost travelers to safety. It does seem as if they are trying to lead him, doesn't it? Thanks to these clever birds he made it up to the summit and back safely.

Thank you for sharing this, Norachan . The best proof that birds are intelligent little creatures. I do have a soft spot for feathered species -in particular for chickens- and I love to observe them.

I went to the garden center today and I came back with plenty of indoor and outdoor plants. I bought some nice plants for my mini garden pond too.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Swans usually nest in the water behind my house. I'll have to take a walk and see if the nest building has begun yet.

While we were out in the yard yesterday we saw a bald eagle flying overhead. They have been making a comeback in this area.

AbbysMom - The swans on the river behind the house here seem to have just begun building this morning - doubtless waiting for a little rain as we've had lately, to spur some growth in the reeds and cattails at the shoreline of the island, to better camouflage their nests.

Bald Eagles have been making a strong recovery here as well - thanks in part to the N.Y. State Parks Commission, and the D.E.C. They've restricted access to Strawberry Island in the Upper Niagara as of 2016, and according to our local Field Agent, are working to restrict motorboat traffic on the three Lower branches this Summer, as there are now two nesting pair on the Middle Branch, and three on the Lower, at least one of which is here on the property, about halfway down the high bank, well up in an enormous Pin Oak - a perfect vantage point for watching the salmon below.



We had grey skies and an all-day rain here yesterday - and even a tiny snow flurry very early this morning. Mom used to call these last of the Spring flurries, "God, shaking out the pillowcase."

Today it's already near fifty here, with temperatures later in the week predicted in the seventies. The lawn has quite nearly greened up completely, the Forsythia are beginning to come into their own, and the cherries are beginning to bud in earnest now. A little late, and perhaps made all the more welcome for that.
.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I haven't posted to this thread for a little while, but I've been reading the posts and want to thank you all for being so positive! Recently, a family member has been in hospice and we lost him about a week ago. Earlier this week I made a point to go through this thread and bookmark several of the beautiful photos that are posted here, and it really was inspiring. It cheered me up. Life is really beautiful, is it not?

I came upon some pretty tulips recently-



My pawsitive news is that my kitty's back legs are finally gaining enough strength post-surgeries that she gallops in a straight line now, without having one hind leg or the other "sashay outward" as she gallops forward (indicating one hip/knee/leg is weaker than another, when the cat's hind end swings one direction during gallops). Wooo! She gallops for hundreds of yards down the hallways of our floor of the apartment building on her morning walkies.


Please everyone, have a great day today!

 

[tarasgirl06]

1CatOverTheLine -- two words: *Cattail envy* bigtime. Oh, that's three. Deal.
PushPurrCatPaws My heartfelt condolences for your loss. And yes, you are so right. I have a friend who's suffering from depression and doesn't seem to be able to see this, though I point out instances of it to him when we talk. Life IS a precious gift. For rich, for poor, for those in the middle. We are given so many beautiful and wonderful experiences, such as you see and record. They are free for us all. Yes, life is full of suffering, but as I have seen it said, it is also full of the overcoming of suffering.
And for Norachan and all our fellow bird lovers, here is a bad pic of a juvenile redtail who visited us a few years back.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

You are very encouraging to so many members here, tarasgirl06 - I thank you for that!
(yay, another 15 words for the fundraiser, too!)

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
PushPurrCatPaws - Sincere condolences on your recent loss.

It sounds like Milly's up and around completely from her second surgery - that's just awesome! They certainly do bounce back quickly, don't they?

I wish I could say, "hey - I have Tulips up now too," but it's not the case; I'm probably still a week away from bloom time here - but it's always worth the wait!




Edit - for tarasgirl06 - That's an excellent Hawk photo!

Yep - I enjoy the cattails too - and not just the ones on the south ends of the cats, either. They abound around the little islands that dot the river - not yet choked out by Phragmites in this corner of the world.

From the foot of the stairs:

The west shoreline of one of the two islands where Mute Swans nest:

Cattails on the beach, and the second "Swan Island" -

.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Thank you, PushPurrCatPaws -- I like y'all here on this site! *and I was raised that way*
1CatOverTheLine OMC! Massive 'tails! My mom loved both kinds, too, so I used to get her florist bouquets with as many as possible. They're amazing. *TYSM for compliment. Not very good technically, but not too bad compositionally, for which I deserve none of the credit.*

 

[mama africa]

I haven't posted to this thread for a little while, but I've been reading the posts and want to thank you all for being so positive! Recently, a family member has been in hospice and we lost him about a week ago. Earlier this week I made a point to go through this thread and bookmark several of the beautiful photos that are posted here, and it really was inspiring. It cheered me up. Life is really beautiful, is it not?

I came upon some pretty tulips recently-
View attachment 229086

My pawsitive news is that my kitty's back legs are finally gaining enough strength post-surgeries that she gallops in a straight line now, without having one hind leg or the other "sashay outward" as she gallops forward (indicating one hip/knee/leg is weaker than another, when the cat's hind end swings one direction during gallops). Wooo! She gallops for hundreds of yards down the hallways of our floor of the apartment building on her morning walkies.

Please everyone, have a great day today!

My deepest sympathy is with you, PushPurrCatPaws .
I'm glad the posts were inspiring to you and cheered you up.

It has been raining here and that made some little creatures 'come out', each and every one with a nice coloured shell house.

 

[SheriB]

This is locally called a Claret Cup cactus. They are blooming now and quite cheering, walks this time of year are full of little joys like this. Thank you everyone for your beautiful photos!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Oh, SheriB those are gloriously gorgeous! Neighbors of ours in the Mojave had quite a lot of those. The vermilion flowers are some of the most beautiful on cacti, IMHO.
mama africa Lucky you! When I moved back here from the Mojave, I was sure I would see what we call garden snails, which were prevalent in L.A. I have been here over 10 years now, and I have not seen ONE snail. Some people would say that's great. I don't. How PAWSitive that you have such beautiful ones over there!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi everybody!
First, the Burrowing Owls have been sighted by wildlife biologists so they will be protected

Second, the new baby apple trees are flowering this year and they are SO lovely!!

Third, I absolutely LOVE the fact that when I'm typing a post and hit the wrong button before I'm finished and posted it, that there's a draft saved - that has saved my bacon several times - GO TCS!

 

[Moz]

Geeky pawsitive moment of the day: I finally caught a Mewtwo in Pokemon Go!

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

that has saved my bacon several times - GO TCS!

Furballsmom - Sorry - I saw the word, "bacon," and automatically clocked the quote button.



Nice that your new apples are already abloom; most of the modern dwarf hybrids will bloom after three years, but the old standards can sometimes take six or seven years.

I have a couple of "old girl" apple trees - both "pie apples" (with a nod to tarasgirl06 who appreciates heirloom apples) - a Northern Spy and a Winesap - both still bearing after nearly a century. The fruits, by modern standards, are pathetic, but the pies they make are absolutely bursting with flavour.

Now, about that bacon....
.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Furballsmom Excellent owl update! and my apple is finally blooming and leafing, too. I was beginning to wonder.
1CatOverTheLine So when are you baking those? You don't have to trouble yourself making crust. I'm just fine with baked, cored and sprinkled with cinnamon *and cloves and allspice, if you want to get fancy about it*

 

[margd]

Every time I come back to this thread after an absence, I notice how much more complex the posts are. I've learn something new every time - Norachan , Mr. Husband's video of the Thunder Birds is a marvel, just the way they stride through the snow like that!

The photographs are breathtaking, too, every last one of them. Since I can't rave over all of them, I'll just pick the last two. @MamaAfrica your snail photos are exquisite, each one different and the little creatures venturing out are charming. SheriB the cactus flowers are gorgeous - I love that color.

My PAWSitive contribution to the many wonderful stories, photos and comments here is that I saw a bee yesterday collecting pollen. Time was, that wouldn't be such major news but these days any sight of a bee is pretty exciting!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Oh yes, margd -- agree 100%! I won't let any kind of pesticides or weed poisons be used here, and I guard "my" bees fiercely. What a beautiful pic of the little girl working on the pansies!