AS A MATTER OF INTEREST... ~~~***~~~

I was a busy little bee on Doomsday, just past. 

I left early to do my round of banking and errands, which included a tad of shopping ~ last minute essentials.... 

Once home, I scanned some pictures and edited them for use in future blogs, then made a nice lunch for my husband when he came in at noon. Played door person for the rather constant parade of cats, mine and the dairy cats, in and out of the house all day.

After that I was on FB for awhile and took one phone call from an acquaintance of my husbands. 

Late PM I started making the dough for Banana Cinnamon Buns and put the dough to rise in the oven with the light turned on. I doubled the amount of filling...

Double the amount of filling for maximum sweetness

This is an easy recipe using a nice batter dough that always turns out nice and uses up over-ripe bananas so they don't have to be thrown out.

Started supper round 6:30 pm as Merrill rarely gets in before 7:20; by the time he got in I was ready to roll the dough out, fill and cut it for its second rising. 

The guys cutting logs for wood burners and loading the truck. Note the amount of snow we have....

Watched the third movie of Harry Potter with supper ~~ while Merrill went to bed, I was up until well after 10 pm baking my buns!

Still, no end-of-the-world came or went... it was a quiet day, more or less. 

Woke today to wind and rain! No snow for Christmas! Ok by me.  

And that ~*~ was my Doomsday!

Catspaw       

Once Upon A Time ~ Scardy a.k.a. Blackie's Story

Once upon a cat there was a time when this one was the most abused and sad barn cat I'd seen in some time. He was absolutely terrified of me and every cat on the colony! He'd run from everyone without hesitation. I could not come even remotely close to where he was or he'd be gone like a shot. Over a few months this summer, I won his confidence with food, talking to him, sitting close by and offering my hand so he'd realize that hands don't always hurt. Every barn cat was mean, if not cruel to him. For whatever the reason he wasn't accepted by any of them. He was hit, snarled at, hissed in his face, chased away, beat up and forced out of shelter in the worst kind of weather. Morning after morning, I'd find him hunkered down on my patio in what little shelter it gave and depending on the food and milk I provided.

In summer, I'd leave the patio door open so he could venture in. Once he was comfortable with that, I closed the door once on him and he, realizing that he couldn't get out ran from door to living room window smashing his nose to a bloody pulp on both before he calmed down enough to see that he was not going to be harmed. He stayed away for a few days after that but came back and this time I was able to approach and pet him. When I picked him up, he tucked himself into a protective ball so I made a point of holding and cuddling him until he became more relaxed with being handled. 

Today;

I rescued him from an existence
of abandonment and cruelty. Its amazing the change in him now that he was given a little help and shelter.  He is expressly an 'indoor' cat now that he has adopted us as his owners. My other cats still hiss and yowl at him, but he has the most gentle way of totally ignoring them!

 
Especially Sassy!

She's my SCREAMER! 
And none too pleased with any cat she feels does not belong.



I think it really annoys her the way he ignores her nastiness and goes about the house like its his home too, in spite of her opinions. He finally stopped the constant hiding a few months ago and pretty much acts like ~ he's home now! This past year has seen all but one kitten (she's too young) spayed and neutered on the dairy, including Blackie ~~ renamed from Scardy. Only lost two cats to a deadly cat virus; one of them, this grey one's brother...(whom I was very sorry to lose)

 
Now Blackie and he play together ~ first time Blackie's ever had a playmate and acceptance by another cat! 

Blackie's own brother, the only sibling I knew of that he had, was put down this fall because of the same deadly cat retrovirus that the grey one in this photo's, brother was put down for. They have something in common these too... they both lost there brothers to sickness. Now, they are best friends who horse around playing tag all over the house!! 

 So here he is, being a little sweetheart. Happy in the home he's been accepted into.

Catspaw

 

First Storytelling Cat - Molly's Tail

Early one morning, a month or so past, I happened to glance out the window to see cows wandering in our yard. I thought 'Hmm, that shouldn't be.' These animals being more powerful than a human, if they had any notion of their strength.... 

Seems they got a part of the white fence down far enough to step over it completely and...

They walked into 'Freedom!' Though they had no notion of it.

Yet they were only interested in grass - the grass that looks 'greener' over the fence...

and now, Molly's storytelling starts...

Seems she was out for a wander same as the cows were and came round the corner of our drive just as....

My hubby was out putting the fence back together after he coaxed the cows back into their side of the 'greener grass'. Can you see her?

 And then, 

taking little interest in what in the world he was doing, banging away with a hammer this early on a quiet and serene Saturday morning, she wandered past him. I can't help but wonder what she'd have done seeing 'Cow Invaders' wandering her turf! She's normally very aggressive towards other cats and especially dogs; so a cow, I don't pretend to know what her reaction would have been. Maybe that's for the best! You think?

So off she continued toward the house....

.... only to sit and wait for the hammering and banging to cease; she awaited the arrival of her favorite person in the house, my hubby! Who at the moment was at odd angles with the fence...

A picture tells a story with less than a couple of words and Molly decided to change her position so she could watch the curious 'goings on' until all the activity stopped and he came in for coffee. At which point, she followed him in. I sometimes pause and wonder whether her ancestry doesn't include a dog somewhere in her pedigree.

Why, you ask?

MOLLY BLISS

Catspaw

Storytelling With Cats and Other Stories

Its hard to believe that I've just spent the entire day editing most of the over 1500 pictures from my camera - once I got everything downloaded that is and I still have a 'small' ton to do yet and these were just specific pics that I plan to use in my blogs. 

Uggggh! I can't SIT for that long!!!

I decided on two categories: Storytelling with Cats - this will be about my cats, the farm cats and any other cats that 'visit' and Other Stories, will consist of non-cat tails (excuse the pun). 

I will be working on the first of the stories, in both categories, over the weekend to have some items to start posting within the week. But I will leave you with this...

My name is Coony, short for Coon-Cat

Coony is the eldest of the dairy cats, some twelve years young. She is 'happily' spayed and mostly a housecat. She demands attention by politely asking, using her paws and meowing constantly in a bid to be noticed. If ignored, she takes steps to avoid the busyness that overtakes our lives; immediately, leaving you in no doubt that she is asking for your attentiveness towards her. 
Actually she's a bit of a klutz, she jumps on items and basically crashes into the rest in her bliss of attention. 

She has 'other' habits, like this one:

She decided to get my attention by exploring my baking cupboard while she waited for me to notice her

She, like every other cat, knows how much trouble she'll be in but, wait till you see the next snap;

 Now, isn't this just too precious???

Yes, of course, she got in trouble but just enough to let her know what's out of bounds to her. By the way, she opened the cupboard door herself... 

She's non-stop chatty and snores when she sleeps! I'm serious!

Later, 

Catspaw

There's A Coon At The Door!

One night while we watched a DVD Merrill heard a strange noise out the patio door. Figuring it was just another of the barn cats, we ignored it. Then it happened again. At first glance he could see nothing, then something moved and a large raccoon shambled into view. The visiting coon was a fully grown one coming to feast from an almost empty bag of old cat food. 

I managed to get pictures but it was through the patio door so they aren't exactly clear but the coon didn't seen to mind posing.
This is an adult raccoon visiting our house one night looking for a meal and he (or she) found one, of course. Hey, come to my house and any critter will find food, shelter and comfort!! 
 

He ambled around the darkened patio for awhile, peering through the glass at the cats who were peering through the same glass at him...


Guessing they were as curious about him as...

I gave him some crackers; the first of which he came over and gingerly took from my hand through the crack in the doorway I had opened so my cats wouldn't get out.

His eyes really shine in this picture! He was looking straight at me when the flash went off. Hubby offered him a piece of banana on the patio, after we left the patio for a few minutes, the banana disappeared! Guess he liked it. 


Catspaw