Going up Nort

The first part of my mini vacation in Minnesota was driving up North (or up Nort as they say in Minnesota speak) to visit my niece Meagan who is a naturalist. She lives in an area where I think the loons outnumber the people. She and her adorable dog, Abby, live in a cute house on a lake with no neighbors in sight. I often think of myself as quite an independent woman, but I'm no match for Meagan. She is a true Woodswoman.

A view of her dock from Meagan's back yard. We heard loons that evening and in the morning.

For an example of her woodswomaness, a few winters ago she was driving home from work on a dark and snowy night. She struck a deer. The deer did major damage to the front of her car and was still alive but in critical condition. Meagan called the highway patrol. While waiting for them to arrive she sat down and put the deer's head on her lap and softly stroked it. The patrolman came and put the poor animal out of its misery. She asked if she could take the deer and the patrolman helped get the deer into her vehicle. When she arrived home, she dragged it to the barn on her property, hoisted it up, gutted it and made deer jerky. She then skinned it and she now has a beautiful tanned deerskin on her rocker. What a gal!

Ms Abby, getting ready to give us some lovin

Abby lounging on the back porch

We toured her place of work, the Long Lake Conservation Center. Schools around the state send students to spend overnight or a few days for intensive environmental and conservation education. Not in your school's budget? Check out the link for possible funding from a grant from the Jeffers Foundation. They also have occasional weekend retreats for adults. Any Minnesota nature photogs out there--Lynne, I'm looking at you! They are hosting a Fall Photography Retreat, October 2-4. An incredible resource smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

Meagan's house view from the back. I slept on that back porch. While lying there trying to get to sleep amongst all the quiet, I saw a huge shooting star streak across the sky.

Here she is! A woman who can charm the scales off a snake (whose name is Stan by the way). Check out that t-shirt!

Meagan was a wonderful host to her mom and three aunts, cooking up a tasty grilled chicken kabob dinner with sweet potato fries and a salad made from her own greens with a maple vinaigrette (made with her homemade maple syrup she harvested from sugar maples on her property.)

We left the next morning for a stop in Duluth then onto Grand Marais.

Out of Touch

Yes, that's me.

Possumlady has returned from the land of sky blue water. I came back a week ago from Minnesota where I spent a few glorious days celebrating my 50th birthday with my sisters. Oh, fyi, my actual birthday isn't until tomorrow. Just sayin....

Still on vacation until Wednesday, so without home internet service have not been able to post or comment (am borrowing someone's wireless right now---sshh!)

Anywho, thought I'd say hey. Will be back to posting when I return to work. I'll leave you with a photo of Lake Superior at Tettegouche State Park.

Chillin'

Not much to report here. It seems like the weather gods and goddesses finally woke up and gave us the kind of summer I've learned to expect around here. Hazy, Hot, and Humid, with the almost daily late afternoon pop up thunderstorm...just in case the humidity level was starting to drop. Oh lovely (she writes sarcastically). The only sound outside is the drone of all the air conditioners. Getting out of my car when I return home from work, I have to sprint to the front door or I'll be mobbed by mosquitoes. Even with the sprinting I never seem to be able to get in the door without 2-3 bites!

Because of a badly placed skylight, my air conditioner struggles in the intense heat and humidity. In the winter, the sun is lower and never seen through the skylight. In the summer, it looks like a search light coming through heating up the house for a good 3-4 hours every day. I've tried putting up room darkening film but it wouldn't stick because of the bubble shape of the old skylight. It really needs a a shade of some sort, but it would cost a pretty penny to have someone custom fit and install it. I know, I know...I've probably paid more in energy costs throughout the years.


Now, why was I even talking about the heat in the house?.....a few minutes go by as she sits pondering....

Oh yes, because of the cats. It always comes back to the cats, doesn't it? Coming home from work during these hot days, I'm no longer greeted at the door. I call out and start my search. Hmmm, one in the darkened tv room...one on the cool bathroom tile...one LYING IN THE LITTER BOX!! "OH GROSS APU--GET OUT OF THERE!" He slinks out of the litter box with a look that can only be interpreted as "what the heck is YOUR problem!"


Ahh, summertime. Hot, sticky days and stinky cats.




Oh my! I was originally adding this photo to show Sweet Pea just chillin', but now looking at it I almost expect him to start breathlessly quoting lines from The Maltese Falcon!

The Bestest Place on Earth

According to my cats, is.....

Mom's lap after she has been out of town. According to my neighbor who was taking care of my herd, the inside crew seemed quite depressed. Not one of them came out of the bedroom the entire time I was gone (well at least when my neighbor was there). Apu, I could understand. But Sweet Pea and Woody are so friendly and curious with everyone I was very surprised to hear this.

So, my first morning back I sat on the couch to see who would be first. Usually Woody is the lap hog, but as you can see from the above photo, Sweet Pea beat him to it. Woody decided to bide his time by chewing on his back leg, when all of a sudden he looked up and saw this...

Sweet Pea jumped down and Apu quietly sneaked up. I think you can see Woody's surprised expression. I believe he is saying "Wha hoppined?" Well enough is enough. Woody was not going to sit around waiting for Apu to leave.

He decided to squeeze his way onto my lap with Apu not giving an inch. Although I frequently joke about Woody's lack of intellectual muscle, he does have a few frequently used tricks up his sleeve.

Oh look at those devious eyes! He very slowly moves across my lap, making sure he is between me and the other cat. This results in one of two things. Either the first cat will feel too squeezed and will jump off, or in the close quarters will start grooming Woody. It's a win-win situation as far as Woody is concerned.

This time, Woody got to share my lap and get groomed. What a deal!

If I'm Going Crazy it Must be July!

Yet, you would NEVER know it was July with the weather we've been having. Absolutely wonderful. Highs in the low 80s, low humidity and the nights cool down to the low 60s. Just heavenly. I think we've had maybe two really bad HHH days so far this summer (Hazy, Hot, and Humid). It must be a record.



I must say that the weather has really made preparing for our July Board meetings easier to bear. If you think it seems like I'm always writing about preparing for another board meeting, believe me, it certainly feels that way to me too! Yes, I'm off to Portland, Oregon this weekend. I know I'm a broken record on this, but I really do hate traveling and attending these meetings. Always needing to be on call, never being able to let your guard down and relax, always worrying about taking minutes and hoping the food and activities I've selected meet with everyone's approval. The only upside is not having to cook for a few days. But that is offset by worrying about my furbies back home and hoping they are all okay. I've already been preparing them by telling them that my neighbor will be coming by twice a day to look in on them and feed and brush them. And, to make me feel better, I remind myself that a week from today, I'll be back home again!

Windows open, cats lounging in the evening breeze. It doesn't get much better then this. Take care everyone and maybe I'll send you a post from Portland. But if there isn't enough time, I'll be back in a week.

Roll Call

I've decided to out myself. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I'm a crazy cat lady. For years now whenever someone would ask "just how many cats do you have?" I always gave a few pat answers such as "you really don't want to know", I really can't keep track of them all", and "it's a state secret." I'm now going to list all my furbies to dispel the age-old stereotype of the crazy cat lady and to start a new definition of one. You know the old one--a desperate lonely single woman (usually old or ugly, or both), possibly a hoarder, with no friends save her feline ones. Okay, I'm single but that's as far as the stereotype goes. I have a decent paying and good job, own my own home, have many friends both at work and outside of work and have many, MANY outside interests that have absolutely nothing to do with cats!

If someone takes in a number of dogs, or horses, or whatever, you never hear a derogatory stereotype about them...why cats? Everyone I know that has taken in cats have hearts of gold. They, like myself, cannot turn their backs on a needy animal. These folks, like myself, also volunteer and give money to many local animal shelters and know the realities of bringing in stray cats to the shelter and decide "what's one more cat?" Instead of making fun of these folks, people should be thanking them for all they do for these vulnerable animals.

Whew!! Okay, I feel better now. So, without further ado, here are the current occupants of Possumlady Place, ranked in order of their being taken in.

Apu

At 13 years old, Apu is the oldest of the clan and now the only cat that I actually adopted from a shelter back in 1996. A typical scaredy cat and curmudgeon, Apu has really grown in the year since his security blanket, Butterball, passed on. He was named after a favorite Simpsons cartoon character.

Sweet Pea

He is roughly 10 years old. Around 5:45 one morning in August of 2001 I heard a cat fight right under my bedroom window. I looked out to see a fluffy gray cat running away with my neighbor's cat, Winston, in hot pursuit. My neighbors and I started feeding him and asking around the neighborhood. No one claimed him so my neighbor took him in to get neutered, cleaned up, and get the necessary shots. Then what? Another neighbor had expressed interest earlier on but when the cat was ready to be adopted, the neighbor changed his mind. So again, what's one more cat. I took him in with Butterball and Apu already in residence. Yet neither Butterball nor Apu were lap cats and this cat loved to jump in my lap and bury his head. I just kept telling him what a Sweet Pea he was and the name stuck.

Woody

He will be 8 this fall. I started seeing Woody in March of 2002 and I assumed he just lived up the street. Then I didn't see him again until June. I hardly recognized him. Patchy, dull coat and so emaciated you could see every vertebra and rib on his body. I watched as he slowly made the rounds of the neighborhood, walking up to the front porches of people who had cats, looking for food. I followed him with a bowl full of turkey baby food. I called him and he slowly came to me. I put down the food and I never saw a cat eat so fast. I picked him up and brought him home where I put out dry and wet food. Again, my neighbor took him in to be neutered and given his shots. The vet estimated he was around 8 months old. When my neighbor got him home, she asked me if I wanted him. My mind was screaming NO, NO, NO!! But, somehow the words that came out of my mouth were "sure, why not". I started calling him String Bean (Beanie), then settled on Woody. He has grown to be one of my largest cats and a sweeter one you will never meet. He does not have a mean bone in his body and loves everyone. If he could find a way to velcro himself to my lap, he would do it.

Toby, Figaro, and Chloe

These three cats came over from my neighbor's house around the same time in late 2003, early 2004. I have no idea their ages. My neighbor had them as give ups or from other rescuers. They were all very skittish with Toby acting almost feral in his fear of people. I can imagine with my neighbor's four barkey terrier type dogs and her foster dogs and cats, along with potential adopters coming and going most evenings, her home must have been a nightmare for these quiet, terrified souls. They found quiet and sanctuary at my house and they have all blossomed. Figaro and Chloe are the tuxedo twins and are very sweet and friendly. Toby is still pretty skittish but will allow me to pet him on occasion. In fact, I finally just got Toby to come into the house about a year ago so he wouldn't be the only cat outside on cold winter nights.

Lisa

aka, Chunky Lisa, or Lisa Marie. Chunky Lisa, a dilute calico, also came over from my neighbor's house. I started seeing her around January 2005. She was brought over when her elderly owner passed away. A timid, sensitive soul, Chunky Lisa has blossomed since coming to Possumlady Place. I've often wanted to change her name to Chatty Cathy as she trills, grunts, tweets and meows almost constantly when she is awake.

Oliver (Twist)

aka, Ollie, or Ollie Baba. Little Oliver started showing up in my front yard bushes with eyes glowing in the night around March 2006. I would see him snatching a bit to eat on my front porch. If he saw me he would hiss and run off. I noticed he had a tipped ear--a mark of a feral cat that has been trapped, neutered and released. Imagine my surprise when a few weeks later he started running up to me to be petted. Very skinny and gangly, I named him Oliver Twist as he always wanted more food!

So, there you have it. All the creatures currently at Possumlady Place---for now ;-)

Drum Roll Please.....New Cushions!!

Yes, this is the excitment of my weekend. Finding new cushions for my front porch wicker. I am usually a catalog and on line shopper but I have not been able to find anything that I really liked.

This morning I needed to make a quick stop at a small local hardware store and decided to stop in at a Pier One that was close by. They didn't have much of a selection, but I found what I wanted right away, although I had forgotten how expensive these cushions can be. I had not planned on spending close to $100 for two cushions and a small pillow. That even takes into account a 25% discount on each item!!

But I do love them. Yes, there is a lot of color and prints and stripes on the porch but I've never been a matchy matchy kind of gal, and I DO live in Takoma Park, a very creative little town where a lot of the houses and front porches come alive with vibrant colors. No homeowners associations here!! I just couldn't live like that, personally.

My little loveseat is now so comfortable, I spent most of the afternoon here sipping my Fresca, eating crackers and hummus and reading.

I even gave in and let Woody outside with me. He cries and cries and cries and cries when I'm hanging out on the front porch, so I finally let him out. He likes the new cushions too.

Of course, as soon as I got up to get my camera, Chunky Lisa had to try out the loveseat for herself. An hour later and she is still there snoozing away.

Hope you all had a restful weekend.