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There may be drawbacks to living in the country…slow internet speed, long rides to the grocery stores and lack of pizza delivery… but when you wake up to mornings like this?
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The inconveniences tend to fade away.
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No need to turn on the television.
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Mother Nature puts on a much better show.
❤️
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We’ve had a beautiful bird of prey hunting around our property lately and I’m damned if I can identify him.
He’s a good size, pale feathered with black wing tips, and has been hard as hell to photograph because he flies very quickly.
I thought it might be an Osprey but there’s not enough brown.
I thought it was a juvenile red tail hawk, but it’s still too light in color.
These are the best shots I’ve managed so far, taken across the road on our neighbors farm.
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He skims the ground quite low.
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I’m sure it’s good mousing over there.
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Anyone have an idea who he is?
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Nothing earth shattering here this morning….
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Just a melting snow in the backyard sunrise shot.
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Spring is out there.
Somewhere…
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With many thanks to shinegrace214 who tracked down Lord Dudley Mountcatten’s elusive scratching post… I ordered it and now have one very happy cat.
I swear he knew what it was the minute I brought it in the house because he was positively pawing at the box in anticipation.
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After following these highly technical instructions…
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I brought it in the living room as replacement for the much loved predecessor.
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The second I put it on the floor? His Highness pounced.
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He scratched, he rubbed, he drooled with delight.
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I topped the post with his little blue whale for added entertainment and sheer bliss followed.
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The internet can be a wonderful thing.
Thanks again shinegrace214! You made this little guy’s day.
Week.
Month… etc.
❤️
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Something popped up in my Facebook memories today that made me smile.. so I have to share.
11 years ago? A chicken came to visit.
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This particular fowl was accompanied by our farming neighbor and his young son because he knows I love them and used to “chicken sit” his flock when they were away.
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As you can see the bird made itself right at home.
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Of course it found the dry cat food on the floor so I moved the bowl to the counter… which didn’t make a bit of difference. (Ugh. That old countertop. Glad that’s history)
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Alternate snacks were offered and accepted.
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Needless to say our 3 cats were locked in the bedroom for the duration of the chicken visit.
😉
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Because I was waiting for my husband (to please stop talking and get back in the damn car!) the other day… I scrolled through my cell phone’s photo album all the way back to the beginning to find the very first pic I took.
(As of today, I have 16,999 photos there. I love technology!)
April of 2013.
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Meet Little Cheeper, a baby robin we found on our lawn after a storm. No nest or mother in sight so we adopted and raised him until he was old enough to release.
Did that little bugger poop? You betcha!
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We kept him in a cat carrier overnight, but let him fly around during the say to strengthen his wings.
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I didn’t want to hand train him as the goal was to set him free…
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But he was a sweetie who followed me all around the house.
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And helped me blog.
He was an adorable little guy, even if he did occasionally resemble a Starship Storm Trooper.
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We fed him canned dog food per the vet’s instructions, supplemented with live worms and fruit.
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Blueberries were his favorite.
All too soon (for me) it was time to let him go, and though I cried… it was the right thing to do.
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He was hesitant at first, but when he felt the gentle June breeze? He took off for the apple trees and never looked back. I kept my eye on him for a few hours as he explored our property.. but he took to the air like a pro and was gone to do what robins do soon after.
❤️
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There are currently 31 houseplants in our home and my husband is rapidly running out of jokes about living in a jungle.
There are big plants…
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And small plants.
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Plants that started out small… but have grown too big for their pots.
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Hell, there are even plants trying to make a run for it and escape their pots altogether.
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The money tree hasn’t netted me one red cent…
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And the pothos will probably wrap around my legs and swallow me whole one day…
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But I love plants and never seem to get my fill.
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Exactly!
Although by the looks of that picture, I actually do have all of those plants.
🤣
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten is a cat.
And as such, he is required to explore every square inch of his territory. This means whenever a drawer, door or cabinet is opened… he’s there.
Under the kitchen sink? Yes.
The spare bedroom closet? Absolutely.
So when I went searching for that old photo of our trip to Washington DC the other day? A new opportunity opened up for His Lordship.
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It was somewhere he’d never been before and he took full advantage…. even though there wasn’t much room to recline.
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Ugh. The pre-digital, cell phone accessible photos days.
How did we ever survive that? It took me almost an hour to find one stupid picture.
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We love visiting the National Parks and always appreciate the helpful Ranger Service that provides excellent directions and local history.
When we were taking in the natural splendor of the Great Smokey Mountains Park in Tennessee and viewing a herd of elk?
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A Park Service employee was right there to answer our questions….
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And make sure I didn’t get a close up photo.
We saw bear in the park as well…
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Though no one was around at the time to give us this helpful advice.
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I can’t say that would ever have crossed my mind, but then again I’ve never been chased by a bear after my girlfriend broke my favorite martini glass…
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Oh, alright.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten is an exemplary feline with very few destructive habits. When he first agreed to cohabitate with us and let the husband and I be his slaves… he did however choose one chair to sharpen the royal claws. Not wanting to have shredded upholstery, his minions shopped for an alternative.
But when… after 4 replacement items were tried and rejected … an acceptable substitute scratching post was purchased? He transferred activity there and has been happily loyal to his sisal ever since.
As you can see, His Lordship gives it a workout. Which is why he has to have one with a weighted base so it doesn’t tip over and scare him back to the chair.
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His servant has repeatedly glued, tied, cut and attempted to fix the damaged areas but came to the conclusion a new post must be purchased.
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Problem is, the favorite can no longer be found.
Oh! The horror!
After repeated shopping trips to every pet store in the area, Amazon was checked. And May I say… the selection was impressive. Had His Lordship wanted a palm tree …
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An orange…
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Or even a cactus it would have been no problem.
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Though I can’t say that cat looked too thrilled.
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A cherry? Sure…
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A giraffe that could swallow Lord Dudley whole?
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It could be his for a mere $265.
Hell, there was even a carrot.
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But what there wasn’t …. was the only plain, square, weighted base scratching post he wants.
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The search continues.
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River's world..... 