The upstairs of my 1933 vintage house is a half story, so the side walls are half height knee walls. I have sliding panels there to allow access to the great storage area back in the eaves. This dusty and mysterious part of the house must be a library of old scents, memories of a half century of resident cats. They really enjoy being let back in there to explore. Mo always dips his normally curled-over-the-back tail so it won’t hit the fabric. Miss Nims looks so astonished, click for a larger view.
Instead of being let outdoors, they get to go exploring in the attic. Miss Nims is only allowed out after dark. With the longer daylight hours, now it will be 9:00. Sorry little girl, but I saw you chasing that hummingbird at 8:30 so you have to wait even longer tonight. She did capture and kill her first rat, I was sure to praise her for that.
The elephant batik on the wall has been donated for a quilting project, more on that to follow.
the portal opens
Mo vanishes but for tail
Today is Armed Forces Day, thank you to all who serve.
Land of the Free
My front porch has flown a flag for the past ten years, and now there is a bit of bunting on the railing as well. Sometimes the local school band practices marching on my street, not a real parade, just the flavor.
Spring is here, the days are getting warm enough to start making beads again. Glass prefers working temperatures above 65 degrees.
Here are the first new beads of the season, on the rod at the bottom of the photo. They are smaller than my usual beads shown at the top. In the center of the photo are some of the stock glass rods used to create the beads. I am needing smaller accent beads, and am also experimenting with a larger steel rod which results in a bead with a larger hole. Click on each photo for a closer view.
first beads of the year
whack! take that!
Miss Nimbus gets rather upset if she sees neighbor cat Jasper sitting on the outside windowsill. She will charge him and smack the glass with her paw, trying to bat him away.
I sometimes hear an odd thumping from the next room and come to investigate. She is often successful in chasing him away. The scratches in the tabletop bear testament to the vigor of her defense. She really gets indignant.
He doesn’t go to far, hanging out on the porch in the sun, that loud raspy voice greeting me if I go outside. Jasper seems pretty pleased with himself and life in general, just look at the picture below. He and Mo get along well, they are outdoors together during the day.
Miss Nimbus remains housebound during daylight hours to give the birds a chance, such as the hummingbird spotted at the waterfall this week. Keeping her on the night shift works better than bells on the collar. It would be super for wildlife if more cat owners followed this policy.
happy cat jasper
mayan style bracelet with jaguar carving
This season’s episodes of Survivor: Redemption Island are taking place in Nicaragua. The black and white spiral design called the Hunab Ku is featured on playing pieces in the game, such as tiles that were broken in a recent contest.
Many years ago I took a trip to Belize and read up about the Maya before the trip. I was able to visit Tikal and some of the barrier islands for snorkeling, sea kayaking and camping. The slate carving of the jaguar was a souvenir.
Later I created this peyote stitch bracelet with seed beads using that motif for the central design. The beads are slightly rectangular in shape so the design came out oval instead of perfectly round. Sorry, these are not for sale, but you can click for a closer view.
the mo report | mary | 
May 28, 2011 5:14 pm | 
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