Who Are Your Garden Helpers Part Two

Holly, You have my heartfelt sympathies about your baby. I am in the same boat, and it is a terrible feeling to be losing a friend.

Dee, Would love to see pics of your furry family!

So sorry to hear about your old friend. Hope he goes easy.

Holly, I'm so sad to hear it. It's the hardest thing about loving our pets so much. I am glad he is not in pain. That would be too hard for all.

I had to post this photo of Crookshanks taking advantage of a little sunshine while we had it. He is one hairy cat.

I wish I had frogs in my pond, although I can't say I would put a bullfrog in there. I'd like to have our native frogs return to this area. I would also like a turtle, but I'm afraid it would not stay in the yard. I hear they wander a bit.

Pixy ..Cute Kitty. Nothing like a rock for a pillow!! How comfortable!
Cats are silly!

Neat cat.

What a contented looking kitty! Turtles are really cool..trying to imagine one running away from home.....

My cats love the rocks, too. They get nice and hot . . .

He is slovenly until his territory is threatened. Then watch out. I wish I could love on him more. I'm just too allergic to him, though.

Allergies are frustrating.

But I've learned from observing people with their dogs that animals know you love them even from a distance. From many hours of watching people with their dogs at Marymoor park: women tend to talk to and physical hug their dogs. Men tend to play with (toss, command, run) their dogs. Dogs, being the amazingly adaptable creatures they are, accept and learn to live with both.

I think it's true of cats, too. I have some that want to get as close to you as possible and others who are just as happy to hang with you without all that cuddly stuff.

How very true, Katie. We have one of each in our house. Monty is the one who just needs to know where you are and Isis needs to BE where you are. LOL

Or content to just hang with the Buddha!! That's a great picture.

Thanks. He and Monty are best buds.

I second that, great picture! My two are really different too. One's a clinger, the other only comes on my lap when she wants brushing or petting.

What can be more peaceful than a kitty and Buddah in a sunbeam?

They look like they're having a conversation.

Monty is very spritual. I think he just told Buddha a joke.

"Buddha, Muhammed and Christ were all on an airplane . . ."

I heard that one.....

LOL!

ROTFLOL

B'Elanna (19) and Charlotte (3) are being inside helpers for this picture but they are handy outside helpers as well. (No they are not related)

Charlotte likes to help outside birdies come inside and get scattered in the laundry room.

Ginger

Love black and white cats.

All dressed up in their little tuxedos!!

Pretty kitties! Although the one in the front looks like he/she was caught in the act of something naughty!

How cute! The one in front looks like she has sequins on her coat.

LOL.. She is "roaning out" in her old age. Her coat is laced with white...like my hair and she is named after a Klingon for good reason. B'Ellan was a kitten that some neighbor kids found mostly drowned in a puddle and brought to my door to see if I could revive her. When she revived she was very unhappy over the CPR and about took my face off. 19 years later she's still a pistol and in her old age has become very fond of me and I her.

We have:
B'Ellana (s/h tuxedo)
Charlotte (s/h tuxedo)
Annie (s/h tabby)
Louie l/h tabby)
Mario (s/h JUMBO tiger)
Monster s/h mottled redish tiger)
Rique (s/h black)

All are rescues mostly that showed up at the door. All are fixed.

Ginger

They all sound like they're beauties. Good for you for being a 'rescue' person. All the animals we've ever had are rescues, too.

This is Rafty. He came as a starving stray about 7 years ago. He is definitely not starving any longer. He lived in the rafters of the woodshed side of our garage for a few years, then we put a pet door in the greenhouse door for him after we had a rodent problem one winter. Last summer he started coming in the house, he never wanted to before. He is still a great hunter but spends a lot of time being a bona-fide couch potato. He loves his belly rubbed. Here he is laying in a propagation box in the greenhouse.

Wonderful kitty, Thistle. Had this surprise while checking out my greenhouse this evening. Hope this helper is after any small slugs or aphids. He seems content, however, just relaxing in the tray of lobelia that I had that weren't turning out so well......

Kwanjin, What a nice kitty parent you are, putting the chairs out in the sunbeam for the kitties! And one for each of them as well!

Thistle, that is one content looking kitty! Hope your propigation box was empty before being filled with fur!

Nice frog Mom! Betcha he is enjoying the bottom heat!

What a great frog!

My two "watch dogs" were on the scent of the new dog next door. They know he is there, but have not seen him yet. He is a big black lab, which I am sure they will not like. They are afraid of their own shadows sometimes!

Thistle, that is one beautiful cat!
WAYYYY back, Katie59 posted about animals being content with what you can give them. OOOh, if only that were true around here! It was true completely until Admiral came on the scene and a feral cat encroached upon our cat's territory in the garage. Admiral has been with us for a couple of months and I thought the cats were settling in nicely, considering he is inside most of the time and the other are not. Then, suddenly, Crookshanks began having an opinion about things. He would wait at the door and then dart inside and get on the furniture. When I came in he would jump into my lap and insist on being petted. I mean INSIST! Actually, he caused me a great deal of pain because he hung on with his claws and made that 'kneading' motion that cats do when they are being lovey. I took it as a sign he was a bit jealous and making sure I remembered he was here first, but it only got worse. Then a few nights ago Skippy let me know that there was something in the garage. I opened the door and saw a large feral cat (definitely a male. definitely) eating at our cat's bowl. Cleo was beside herself trying to get out, but the cat door would not open from the inside. Crookshanks' hair was standing on end. Skippy skipped out into the garage, followed by Admiral, who couldn't keep his nose out of it. Then suddenly the fur was flying. Crookshanks jumped at Admiral (I guess it was a safer bet than the big male stranger) and they started going at it, Cleo was darting back and forth charging at the door trying to open it in an attempt to get away, the stranger cat was bouncing off the walls looking for a way out or a place to hide, and Skippy was barking his fool head off. I managed to get the garage door open and cleo darted outside, all the while I am yelling at the other cats to lay off. The male cat finds a place to become invisible behind a piece of wood, and skippy is trying to herd all of us. By this time Admiral and Crookshanks had stopped their action, but they were both still upset. I took Admiral into the bedroom and locked him inside, Crookshanks took to his heated bed. There was blood from someone, but I don't know who and it wasn't much. Now I realize that this cat has been coming in and stealing our cat's food and this was why crookshanks was so upset. He thought I was bringing yet another interloper onto his territory! As if!
Now we have to lock the cat door at night and remember to open it in the morning to keep other animals out. Poor kitties!


I may soon have some other garden helpers as the koi are breeding. If they don't eat all their young, it might get interesting.

Boy, the drama never quits. Does it! Hope everyone is o.k. I know about the kneading from our outdoor (half feral) cat. Whenever I sit on the swing she wants in my lap, I can't let her because if she gets caught on my clothes she won't let me get her loose. I mean biting, scratching won't. I've got a pillow I put on my lap when I pet her, if she gets stuck on it, I just let her have it. She does the same thing with my clogs, she'll take a swipe at my feet if I don't feed her on time and sometimes she gets caught. I just step out of the shoe and let her get loose on her own.

Not very kind of the koi to eat their offspring.

Blossom and Sweetpea are all tuckered out from helping me pull weeds and forget me nots out of the flagstone pathways today. After everything was cleaned up we laid several hundred pounds of Montana river gravel between the flagstone. We tried bark last year and that did not surpress the weeds. Hoping this river stone will help.

It's nighty night for the dogs! Sweetpea is saying her prayers.



This message was edited May 9, 2009 10:44 PM

Feisty and my oldest daughter came home for Mothers Day weekend. My daughter cooked me a nice dinner in leu of helping with the weed pulling. Gardening is not her thing. Cooking is. Yum!
We then went down to see my youngest daughter in her HS Play. They presented "An evening of one act plays". All the kids did a fantastic job. My daughter was hysterical in her many rolls. She was in 3 of the 6 acts. She and a male student performed Mungojerrie & Rumpleteezer from Cats. It was cute. She then played a clown,a girls mother,and a butch hunter-lumber jack kinda gal. (hard to describe the charter..but hysterical) The play was "Speed Date". The last she performed in was from Hairspray -song & dance to "you can't stop the beat'. It was nice to have
a night out and laugh!
Feisty had to stay home, but enjoyed the box I left out for her to play in.

Two tired little puppies. LOL

Cats and boxes......a good thing!! Mine actually argue over who gets it.^_^

Bea, Isn't it wonderful to have a day that your helpers can play all day outside with you? And it is amazing that when they do, they are just as tired as mom/dad are when the evening comes! Sounds like you had a big project for the day, but at least you didn't have to cook! That's better than pulling weeds after a long day in the garden any day!

Pixy, Your garage episode sounds like quite the drama! Hopefully your home world will be back to normal now that the invader is locked out. I will cross my fingers for you on the Koi babies. They are pretty good about munching them, but in Mom's pond, every once in a while one will find a place to hide until they are big enough to be safe. Then it is quite a joy the first time you see the new face at the feeding!

Sally, At least you were able to find a solution to give your wild kitty some love! All of my kitties are outdoor and wild, but they know when feeding time is and gather on the deck without running then. Two of them will let me pet them every once in a while until they realize what is happening and then they bolt. I have a little clown that wants to be first for the treats, so she has taken to sitting on my BBQ outside the back door so she is literally "in my face" when I open it..hoping that she will get first dibs. If I don't pay attention to her first, she will put her paws on my sholder and meow. If I reach out without a treat in my hand though, gone like the wind!

Pixy, what a hassle in your garage! Good thing you think you have the stranger under control. Otherwise, he might be teaching your own babies some really bad stuff!
Bea, it was wonderul that you could have a good time on this special weekend!
And a happy Mother's Day to everyone, be you a Mother or not!
We finally are getting some good weather to get all of the way overdue things done in the yard.
My main garden helper, Gigit, is illustrating how RJ and I both feel after a very full day yesterday!

Our tradition for this day is to spruce up my 91 year old mother's yard. She still lives alone, very nearby, and loves the outdoors a lot. We tend to want to get too much going for her, and she just can't keep everything going like she used to, so we will try to temper our enthusiasm there this year and head back home this afternoon to wear ourselves out in our own yards once again.

This is my koi pond from a different angle with my not-Daydream tulips. I will try to get a better pics when the tulips open up today.

OOps, wrong thread, guess I need another cup of coffee!

PNW..Gigit looks all tuckered out. She looks like my my Mom's Shitzu named Sable. She stayed with me for two weeks last summer while she and my girls went to Italy. Sable lost one eye to a scratched cornea/infection several years ago , so she has the sexy bangs in the eye look! She is the sweetest dog ever!

This message was edited May 10, 2009 8:58 AM