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
super stretch nimbus
Feline beast mode!
Go Hawks!
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
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
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
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
Tucquala Lake
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
The cats enjoyed dust baths in the driveway all summer long. They flop and roll and stand up covered with dust, really pleased with themselves. The fall rains have arrived now, and the amber lawn of late summer has returned to emerald green again.
dust bath time
Miss Nimbus seemed to be outgrowing her collar, so I treated her to a new baby girl pink one. It is missing this morning, I will have to search outdoors for it. This morning’s preliminary stroll netted me wet shoes and nothing more.
With the cooler weather, bead making season is winding down too.
Mo loves visiting the greenhouse
Mr Mo often comes out to help me tend the vegetables in the greenhouse. There are some carrots, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, basil, beans and peas. Lemon verbena, dill, strawberries and cosmos complete the crew.
Mo follows me out there, flops on the cool concrete and enjoys the heat of the hothouse. Seattle has had a cool summer, so much more comfortable than the rest of the country, so the warmer greenhouse has pleased the plants. The radishes however, were too hot and had to go outside.
Chilling with the lettuce and cosmos
…
Meanwhile, Miss Nimbus is locked indoors, wishing she could come out and play. There she is looking out the kitchen window.
Not until dark! As soon as she hears me shut the blinds she starts begging to be let out. Maybe when she is older she will lose interest in hunting birds.
I see birdies, please let me out!
Mo with buddy Heath
Mr Mo has his stuffed animal pal named Heath. They are pretty cute together. This week I was given a new toy for Miss Nims, a sweet little handmade wool mouse. This special mouse was from The Snow Leopard Trust. Handcrafted items are made in Central Asia, home to the Snow Leopard, and sold to support their global conservation efforts.
It must have had an interesting scent, as Miss Nims curled back her lips to enjoy the aroma. This grimace is called the flehmen response. She then chased it all around the kitchen.
Nims has a mouse by the tail
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
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
It has been a long winter, and a few of the cats around here are getting a little plump. Mo is getting positively portly! At 12 pounds, for his small frame, he is a couple pounds overweight, which for a human would be the equivalent of 20 pounds.
happy cats hanging out
Of course it is their owner who has been too willing to comply with their requests for more food who is to blame. Mr Mo specializes in the ankle dance; Miss Nimbus is the one who is very loud and vocal. But when she also stands up on her hind feet and waves a front paw in the air, alas the cuteness is too hard to resist.
I saw a story on Sunday Morning about people who walk their cats like dogs. Could this be the way to encourage Mo to lose a little weight, and a way to have Miss Nimbus be outdoors without hunting birds?
One cat was shown wearing a cloth harness called the Kitty Holster, this looks much harder to wriggle out of, it makes me wonder if they come in white? Time to go feed said cats.
the mo report | mary | 
January 30, 2014 4:43 am | 
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