The Cat Walk

The Wednesday walk had lots of company. Jodi, Voodie and Slayer accompanied me on the stroll.

Cats have a tendency to always be looking the other way. They are having a little "meeting" in the front perennial bed where today I found some actual flower buds showing on a group of Hellebores

Both have been spending more time outdoors than usual, but still want to come in and out a dozen times a day. It may be too wet, too cold or just too dull.

Slayer was crawling about a group of rhodies.We investigated the broken down nursery bed framework. There are a some nice looking rhododendrons in various places. This one is in the 2001 area. I didn't investigate its pedigree.

There are a few that really need to be "purged".

Every day is showing more springlike conditions. This was the first time we had seen the garlic shoots. Not very photogenic!It is quite amazing how quickly these little bulbs pop up and come into bloom. The Eremurus noses are showing. I hope they don't freeze.Today I actually did some gardening work. Not much, but enough to get a start on the pruning, and the aching body. Each year seems to be very much like the one before. Perhaps we are just too dull!

Goodbye to Our Old Black Cat

I have had a pure black cat for as many years as I have had cats.

Flea, the most recent resident of 14 years, just died on the past weekend. She seemed to be deteriorating in a quite subtle way for the last month or two. She was always the most neurotic of cats, being prone to avoidance of both cats, and people. She actually left home one time many years ago after the introduction of a new kitten. She showed up again after many months, pretending she had never left.

Much of her time was spent hiding away in the upper regions of the basement; the hot water heater being a favourite perch. In spite of her rather bizarre habits, she and I were great friends. She would occasionally bless us with her presence at breakfast to bum a few bites of ham.

She was essentially an indoor cat since moving to Maryvale almost 9 years ago, only taking little forays when she was sure there would be no interference from dogs. I sometimes would have her wander around the garden with me for short periods.

Lately she visited to perch on the computer paraphernalia, usually the scanner.

She would sometimes "help" with seed packaging.

Otherwise her last days were spent living under or on our bed, as long as no other cats or dogs were on the scene.