Musings on a Small Life

I'm finishing off July with pics of cats I encountered, both mancats and ladycats, during July 2008 . I do have a few other pics of the boys, but they're mostly indoor and too grainy to bother with. In chronological order: I'm just seeing if anyone is paying attention (below).  Thanks for stopping by; have a great day!

I didn't take many snapshots this month, didn't really get a chance to get out and about for work reasons, heat/humidity, etc. The pics I did quickly take were mostly done so with the phone or my pocket point and shoot, so not super quality. I have no idea what kind of flowers these are, above. Someone in our complex has a lovely garden with them. What a great cloud formation, above! Below: I did pop down to the waterfront marina and park one Saturday afternoon, briefly. It was bright overcast, but even with the cloud cover, my SPF 50 sunscreen, a hat, and lots of water, it was so hot and muggy that I overheated very quickly. I don't know why I have a fixation with the Wolfe Island ferry! My dad's thing is trains, mine is ferries. I do have one funny story from the July Canada weekend, though, which I don't think I've posted about.  On the holiday Monday, with most businesses closed except some larger retail stores, I headed out at 9 AM to get groceries. I had e...

From my Pinterest feed, as always. Apologies if I've posted any before. I don't think so, but I don't keep track, either! Happy Friday! Have a terrific day and weekend.  :-)

From the hot days of July 2008. Flaking out in the garden: Nicki, then (bonus) Annie, then Derry. It often was a competition with the boys, who could get to the chair first...and keep it. Eventually I just bought two chairs. Somehow, though, the "other" chair always seemed to be preferred, regardless of which one it was. (Rather like food in the bowls--the food in the one for your brother must taste better, right? It was the same with those lawn chairs!) Thanks for stopping by, have a great day.

Happy Friday, all! The plant pot, below, was too cute not to post, given my track record with houseplants. It popped up in my Pinterest feed as an add for Etsy. Have a great day and weekend.

I posted a bad cell snapshot of this cutie, whose name is Leonard, at the end of a vacation post: https://keaslife.blogspot.com/2023/06/vacation-day-4-in-stanley-park-part-2.html At the time I wasn't sure if he had a home or had been abandoned. I've since learned his name, obviously, and that yes, he does have a home in one of the units on our street. Pics from early July. He's very friendly, but oh, he's full of mischief too! He discovered the robin nest outside my door, and while he didn't get any of the babies (he would not have been able to get just one of them if he could have accessed the nest, which I highly doubt, given its location among the dense branches), he sure did create a real ruckus for them all. The parents were hollering at him and dive-bombing him repeatedly one morning, as I was heading out for errands. I lured him away a few times before I had to catch the bus, and when I finally left, he had parked himself under the shrub by my door, the brat....

Courtesy of Pinterest, as always.

While I was in Vancouver, robins built a nest in the shrub right by my front step and door. (A few years ago robins had built a nest in the same shrub, but further in and not so close.) The eggs hatched either on June 25 or 26, and the babies that survived flew off sometime between Sunday afternoon (when I got home) and 10 AM Monday morning (when I left for an appointment). It was hard to get any pics, because of the shrub's branches, but here's their progress. Sadly, the third smaller/weaker one must have been pushed out about a week ago, as s/he was there on July 2nd, but not on the 4th. I know it's Nature's way, but it's still harsh. The last snapshot, above, is from the morning of Sunday July 9. I hope the two that survived to fledge make it; I understand (from a quick Google search) that 50% of robins don't survive their first year. I admit I'm glad they're gone, though. I was trying be as quiet and as slow as possible, going and coming, but it was...

I'm going to power through and finally finish up the holiday pics, so this will be a picture-heavy post! For best viewing, click on the first pic and then use the arrow keys to scroll through. On my last full day, Dad took me to Boundary Bay and the "Secret Garden," as well as the Tsawwassen shopping centre. This little area is just past the parking lot, snack bar and washrooms, and is adjacent to the actual beach/bay. There were a few ducks in the pond, being fed by a local. One of the ducks had a significant limp and we found out from the fellow that the duck has been there for a handful of years, obviously thriving in spite of his "disability." The garden is a shady, serene "oasis," presumably created and maintained by the gardening residents. You can see that the garden has been created between the properties. The beach at Boundary Bay was filled with elementary students on an end-of-school outing. Apparently it's a popular spot for that, and t...