Category: the mo report

Superbowl cats

Mr Mo and Miss Nimbus are getting ready for the Superbowl, when the Seattle Seahawks face the Denver Broncos.  They heard the cheering last Sunday when the team left for New Jersey.  Seattle is pretty excited, along with the entire Northwest, as there are many fans in Alaska and other neighboring states.

Miss Nimbus favors Marshawn Lynch and Mr Mo is a fan of Doug Baldwin, but there are so many great athletes on the team it is hard to choose!

Here they are showing team colors!

mo dreaming of a win

mo dreaming of a win

 

super stretch nimbus

super stretch nimbus

 

 

 

Feline beast mode!

 

 

 

 

 

Go Hawks!

 

 

 

the Mo report 2013

Hello Mo fans!

It was a good year for Mr Mo and Miss Nimbus.  Mo was a December kitten, born unusually late in the year, and I sang him Christmas carols on the way home in the car so he would not be scared.  He snuggled right up to my neck to stay warm and has continued this practice for the nine years of companionship we have enjoyed thus far.

double cat snooze

double cat snooze

Here they are napping in peaceful togetherness.  They do sometimes get a bit feisty, usually with Mr Mo going on the offensive and chasing the temptress Miss Nimbus hither and yon.  They have been well behaved with this year’s Christmas tree,  a small table top version that is quite cute.

Miss Nimbus will celebrate five years with us this summer; they are both delights.

I have installed a stone circle on the porch to keep the magic alive until the summer sun returns.  Hooray for the solstice!

stone fairy circle

stone fairy circle

Rainy season returns

The lawn goes from a flattened straw yellow to a perky deep green with just a few weeks of rain.  It is now nearly tall enough to mow again, after the standard long stretch of dormancy.  The sunny days of lounging on the porch are over.

summer rocked

summer rocked

The dustbath season for the cats ended with the rains and they welcomed the heat coming on indoors.  Mo roasts himself by lying atop the heat vent while it is blasting out hot air.

roasted cat toes

roasted cat toes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Mr Mo surveying the garden, supervising a final barbeque of the summer.

lord of the garden

lord of the garden

Sunshine rules

Summer continues with Seattle’s fabulous weather, warm enough to enjoy without becoming uncomfortable.  While the rest of the country is battling heat waves, we are in the 70’s and 80’s.  Life is good.

Many flowers are in bloom this year in the garden, they are now numbering some two dozen different species.  The old fashioned day lily is a garden staple in many areas of the country.

Day lily twins

Day lily twins

 

 

The cats are enjoying the summer and have me well trained to pet them just the way they like it, and groom all that shedding hair off them.  Mo likes having his chin scratched and Miss Nimbus likes me scratching the top of her head.

 

 

 

I have found time for a few side trips to Eastern Washington and Oregon, enjoying garden inspiration and great scenery along the way.  Here are some shots from Tucquala Lake north of Roslyn, WA.  It is the headwaters of the Cle Elum River, heading down to the lake of the same name, which was recently stocked with salmon.

 

Looking north at Tucquala Lake

Looking north at Tucquala Lake

 Tucquala Lake


Tucquala Lake

Garden delights

Spring has eased into summer and the garden is in bloom and producing a few edibles.  The steady supply of strawberries are yielding to raspberries.

The bead studio has been cleaned and activated, but only a few sessions have resulted so far.  As usual, it is blues and greens that are chosen first for warming up.

The cats and spring flowers are featured here.

salt and pepper cats outside the kitchen

salt and pepper cats outside the kitchen

volunteer flowers springing from the walk

volunteer flowers springing from the walk

Mo guarding the porch

Mo guarding the porch

I noticed one shrub had badly eaten leaves, the poor plant looked like Swiss cheese.  While examining the plant I saw a leaf cutter bee in action.  They are solitary bees so I hope with plenty of water and fertilizer the plant can stay ahead of the bee.  Check the above link to Wikipedia for an article on the bees with a photo.

leaf cutter bee damage

leaf cutter bee damage

Snuggly cats

What a yawn!

What a yawn!

The cats are enjoying the lovely spring weather we are having and have been extra affectionate and snuggle up with me every chance they get.  Here is Mo caught in the middle of a yawn and the pair of them snoozing by a shady window.

Double snooze by the window

Double snooze by the window

 

The spring flowers are blooming, the vegetable garden has a good start; altogether it’s a wonderful time of year.

Mo looked pretty surprised when he saw me evicting a stray tomcat, but we will all appreciate having that foul smelling, bad tempered freeloader gone for good.

Mo beads – black with hints of yellow

Mr Mo, my black cat, has golden yellow eyes that are quite striking in contrast with his velvety black fur.  Last summer I made a series of pet beads in colors of several animal friends, and the Mo series were mostly black with hints of gold and yellow, with clear encasing.

Here are three Mo beads mounted up as a necklace and earrings, with black seed beads providing dangling accents.  It is always fun to have part of any jewelry be in motion when the wearer is.

Black bead dangles

Click on the photo for a close up of the earring and pendant set.

 

Below is a shot of the champion snoozer Mr Slikypants Mo, sound asleep with his feet in the air.

 

Mo snooze

Farm pets

What fun to visit my friend’s farm and see many dear animals.  The farm dogs enjoy going for a ride around the property and are nice protection to have along.  The older or sick cats get the special treat of being allowed in the house, and the delight of catching a snooze by a sunny window.  One convalescent cat, Mr StarDusty, might be pictured in the future.

Here is Zoe all ready for a ride, practically sitting in the driver’s seat!

Zoe

 

 

Buddy Turbo inspects the terrain for ground squirrels and deer.

Turbo

 

Misty gets all cozy on a pillow in a sunny window.

 

Misty

 

spring beauties

Hello Mo fans!

The cats are enjoying a beautiful spring in Seattle, all the flowers and warm weather are a treat.  Even Miss Nimbus has been allowed outside during daylight hours a few times.  Here she is in the early morning light, waiting on the windowsill to come in for breakfast.

Miss Nimbus at dawn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Mo is out surveying his domain from the old apple tree, now laying down on it’s side.  The perch is not quite so fancy now.

Mo's apple perch now sideways

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the old apple tree had more to say, one last branch burst into bloom, the sweet and delicate fragrance of the pink and white blossoms as a parting farewell.

Gravenstein apple blossoms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And today we include a bit more beauty;  some guest art for Mother’s Day, a painting my mom did of Tucquala Lake north of Roslyn WA.

Tucquala Lake

Dear old apple tree, or the snow report

January brought a snow storm and then an ice storm.  The snow was pretty and a rare type of snow that rolls up well into snowballs, so I made a pair of snow cats to decorate the back yard.  They have leaves for eyes and whiskers made from apple twigs.

snowcats chillin

 

Seattle rarely gets much snow and it doesn’t usually stay around for long.  The snow cats tipped over the next day and seemed destined for a quick melt.

 

Unfortunately a few days later an ice storm proved too heavy for the ancient mossy apple tree nearby, and it tipped back into the bramble patch, getting a final bit of revenge on the blackberry canes that had been trying to strangle it.

the old apple tree keels over

 

Mo used to enjoy sitting in the crotch of the apple tree, surveying his domain.  I am now considering sculptural options the apple wood might offer.  Can I save Mo’s catbird seat and make a shallow dish from that slice of the tree?  The next slice down with the main trunk swelling out into three heavy limbs would make a lovely fluted vase or bowl.  The main trunk of the tree could be turned on a lathe or sliced into boards.

I will have to read up more on wood grain and perhaps find answers at Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac.  I don’t have any fancy wood shop tools like Tommy, but with some old fashioned hand chisels and my electric drill and some rough cutting with my chainsaw, I can get crackin’!