Folded Ear Cat and the Sunny Spots

Folded Ear Cat prefers this green chair in the sunny morning hours, as she can look right through the open door into our space to supervise whatever I might be accomplishing (or failing to accomplish).  There's nothing better than having a snooze in the sun while someone else works.

Perhaps she has a thing for green, or plastic that is warmed by the sun's rays.

One can learn from a cat how to properly nap the day away. 

Spring Shots

I think Spring has settled in, and I have the shots to prove it.

Grouping on Carpet of Blooms

Hostas prior to snail nibbles, with squirrel guardian

Pear tree in bloom

Spring View

Folded Ear Cat's Usual Supervisory Pose

Now I need to put on my shoes and take a walk in the breezy outdoors; let the wind blow through my locks and give me a bit of invigoration.  I've got some new songs on the ipod to speed me on my way.

Still Life with Folded Ear Cat

The last few days of truly warm April weather have Folded Ear Cat enthralled

Queen of the yard, with lavender

Hard and Soft = Interesting Crochet

I love a small crochet project, especially one that I can make up as I go along.  I've always been a collector of rocks I stumble upon when out on a walk, and in my world everything goes better with a little crochet.

Along the way, my scale has increased

Smooth stones + yarn + crochet hook = creative evening

Black Cat/White Cat

Folded Ear Cat and her inky yard-sharing neighbor:

Her Foot-in-the-Air, the Concrete's Warm pose

Put that Camera Down and Rub my Head

Gardens: Phinney

I was out for a walk yesterday in the sunshine.  To push my lung capacity and cardio resources, I simply climb a Phinney hill and hike down the other side, which forces me to climb back up a spectacular hill to return home.  There's no way to avoid it unless I go a very long way out of my way, so up the hill it is.  Here are some photos of loveliness I snapped while getting my walk on.

Fantastic Fences

Curved Brick Borders and Pathways

Verdigris Frog with Pansies in Chocolate and Violets

Where did they find that Meerkat statute?

The One and Only Ivan

Everybody needs a good rainy day book (especially in Seattle), and I admit that I am often drawn into a bookstore by a book I see in the window.  This happened to me the other day when strolling in beautiful downtown Ballard.  There, in the window of The Secret Garden bookstore, was The One and Only Ivan, and I couldn't resist.

It is a book meant for 8- to 12-year-olds and I'm a bit older than that, but it's a fantastic animal tale based on a true story of a gorilla stuck in a cage in a mall for a very long time before being released from his cage to a zoo.  It is written believably as a gorilla might think, in few words - but words of import.

Ivan is an artist, and has friends in Stella the elephant and Bob, a dog who purportedly likes the "freedom" of homelessness and sleeps every night on Ivan's generous belly.  When a baby elephant, Ruby, is brought in to increase interest in the menagerie, Stella extracts a promise from Ivan that is very hard for him to keep.

Ivan, however, is an honorable gorilla and as a silverback he's bound to be a protector of his family, so he works out a way to keep that promise - with a bit of help from some humans.

This book makes for a quick and very satisfying read.  In its few words it brings every character to poignant life and Ivan, Bob and Ruby will live in your heart for a long time.