Photo Hunt - Mostly Black

A while ago my humans had an anniversary dinner at a restaurant that has big windows that look East towards the Manhattan skyline. It was a very clear, winter night. These two pictures were taken at different times in the evening, so the Moon appears in the second one.
Also, the second one is zoomed in more than the first. (in photo #1, the orange glow on the left side was probably a reflection in the window).

You can make out the Empire State Building as the tallest building to the right of the moon.

Flashback Friday

As February draws close to a close, we are thinking Spring and Summer around here. Mom helped me find this picture from last year, from one day when she and I did a circuit around the house, and I sat in this favorite spot for quite a while, listening and looking. This year I will be wearing my collar and 007 tag whenever I have a chance to be out, and Mom hopes I will be willing to have a leash as well. And maybe Dad will finally build me an enclosure on the deck. I want a giant one that takes up a big area of the deck so I don't really think I am in an enclosure.

An Award

Kitties, Brian has very kindly nominated me for the Awesome Blog Award. Thank you very much, Brian.

I am supposed to write 7 things about myself, nominate 15 blogs to receive the award, and notify them about the award.

I recently did a list of 7 things about myself for the Stylish Blogger award so I have to put my thinking cap on now to come up with 7 news things to say. Hmmm……Most of these have to do with my foods or drink.

1. I drink water from the OTHER side of the bowl (furthest away)

2. I never completely clean my plate when I eat my wet fuds. I always leave some bits in the bowl “just in case” for later, but then they get dried out

3. I caught my first real mousie recently, and boy was it exciting!

4. I will eat human tuna if it is offered to me, but I don’t seem too impressed with tuna juice, which surprises my humans, because it is the gravy I love on my cat food

5. I don’t like milk but I will eat a little yogurt from an “empty” yogurt container

6. I have never tried whipped cream, but I would like to.

7. I refuse to look at the cat in the mirror, or anything on tv. I act as if there is nothing there

Now I need to nominate 15 blogs to receive the award. I don’t know any other kitties/woofies who have received it yet, except for the list Brian gave it to, so here goes: however, nobody should feel left out, because you all deserve it!

Lucy and Hannah

Wally, Ernie and Zoey

Nicky and Derry

Chey Gemini and Ichiro

Cory and her siblings

Sweet Praline

TK and Squashies

Attie and Audrey

Millie

Mr Puddy

Angel Isabella and Sadie

Fin

Sparkle

Raymond and Busby

Abby, Boo, Ping, Jinx and Gracie

Opportunity to Help Animals in New Zealand

My friend Rumblepurr has a widget on his blog for donating money to the Christchurch, New Zealand SPCA, via Paypal. If you would like to participate here is the link to go to his blog:

http://rumble-bum.blogspot.com/

Monday Update

What a lot of different weathers we had the past few days! Thursday and Friday it was so warm that a lot of our snow melted, which really helped clean things up (it went up to 60 F)! Then on Saturday it was super freezing, and very windy. But I had had a taste of going on the deck on Friday, so I was asking to go out, not realizing how nasty it was. I did get a little deck time yesterday, but it was not too much fun, because Mom was hassling Dad about watching me very closely, because I didn't have my new collar and tag on and also because they had seen the hawk up in the air nearby. Dad counted birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count yesterday, and the hawk was included in his count, so he is excited, because he will be able to upload one of his hawk pictures to the GBBC website. He also saw several different varieties of woodpeckers, who are such cute birdies. The 40 or so grackles, not so much.

Then overnight we got 6 inches of SNOW! I am telling you, kitties, one could take a nap around here and wake to a completely different climate.

PhotoHunt - Silhouette

The year after I came to live here, my humans took a trip to Maui and Kauai, Hawaii. They spent several evenings watching the sun go down from this particular spot. Mom loves the silhouette of the trees and restaurant, and the light reflecting off the wet sand. Maybe it is time to go back!

Annual Purrformance Review

Last February was my first experience with the Purrformance Reviews, and I did not do one for Mom. However this year I am definitely rating her:

1. Quantity of Output. Well, here I might be tempted to give Mom three paws because she posts on a lot of days, although not every day. However, I notice many other kitties post a whole series of photographs each time they post, and my Mom usually only puts one photo up for each post. So I feel she can do better. Two paws.

2. Quality of Output: Mom is usually quite good when I comes to finding suitable photos of me for each post, although she doesn’t always help me to do a Gardening Post every Thursday or a PhotoHunt post every Saturday: sometimes she bails and says she can’t find a good photo. She needs to take more SUITABLE pictures, and plan them out more, not depending upon endless versions of me sleeping on my messy blankie. Two Paws.

3. Client Pawticipation: Mom helps me make comments on my friends' blogs a lot, but some days she is too busy to help me comment on all of them. I have an email address, but she doesn’t link to it on my blog. So I give her 2 paws here.

4. Pawticipation (Part II): Mom lets me take part in al the parties she ever knows about, and some contests, etc. She could improve some, though. Three paws.

5. Client Satisfaction: I think most of my friends seem to like reading my blog by the sweet comments they leave. Though some posts don’t get a lot of comments, and I think she could do better at writing stimulating stuff to encourage more comments. Three paws.

Overall rating: 2.4 paws. Mom, let’s try for an average of at least 3 paws next year!

Thursday Gardening with Simba

First I want to say farewell to Annie, one of the sweet (and crabbilated) members of the SoFG. Annie went to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday, after not having been well for quite a long time. She is joining Chumley there. Annie, run free and happy. We will meet again one day. Please purr for her Mom, Kim, who has a sad hole in her heart now.

At our place, what little gardening I can do is inside. Here are my narcissus bulbs. They are being kept mostly in the dark in the basement for now, but we brought them up for the photos. They have to grow in the dark until mid March, then they will come into the light.

Look at how many roots they are making so they can drink lots and lots of water!

One Word Wednesday

Washday!

Happy Valentine's Day

To all my BEEYOOTIFUL ladycat friends, I wish you a wonderful Valentine's Day, full of love and special treats.

Graphic from Microsoft Clip Art

Photo Hunt - Education

Mom thought she could get a picture of me wearing her graduation cap. Forget that!

But I found the tassel a lot of fun!

Sorry the pictures are a bit fuzzy , but that is what happens with me and ACTION SHOTS!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for my multiple blankets on the couch.

I am thankful that we have not had any significant additional snow this week.

I am thankful that our hawk is behaving like a normal hawk again, soaring up high and increasing her range.

I am thankful the humans stocked up on wet food and have two tall towers of cans in the cupboard.

I am thankful for Dad being round the house more now, so I can ask him for extra meals.

I am thankful that we are much closer to Spring than to Fall.

Wordless Wednesday

Taste of Spring

Wow, yesterday and the day before it got so warm (about 44 degrees F) that our icicles melted, and a bunch of snow and ice melted as well. I got to look out through the storm door, and it was nice! Mom and Dad are heeding your good advice not to let me out on the deck while the hawk is around, though. She/he no longer sits for long periods of time close to our deck, but we can see her high in the trees, or soaring overhead, and they are sure she would be happy to have a bit of juicy kitty cat if she could. Nature is hard: they want the hawk to have a good life, and be successful finding food, but they also want the little birds and animals in our yard to be okay.

Today a super cold front has roared in, so it is back to hats and gloves outside again. But the extended forecast looks okay for no snow for about a week at least.

Happy Tuesday to all!

Sunday spying

I am going to lie at either the front storm dooer or the back storm door and spy on the little animals and the hawk. For each of the past three days, the hawk has been sitting close to the house - either on tree branches or even on our deck railing! He/she is amazing to see up so close.

Happy Stupid Bowl, everybody. I think the game is too noisy for cats. My Dad is bound to be diligently watching, but this year the hoomans will be at home with me rather than going to a party. I personally like the idea of Souper Bowl, and using today to donate canned soup and money for soup kitchens or food banks. But there is no reason not to watch the game and ALSO donate soup!

Feathered Surprise and World Cancer Day

We have seen hawk(s) in the vicinity of our yard a few times recently, but they have always been high in the trees, or swooping quickly past. Imagine our surprise yesterday when this fella was sitting on a branch just off our deck. And he surely must have been aware of Mom taking pictures through the window, yet he stayed there for quite a while, eyes watching the small birds and squirrels nearby and looking down to the snow below. Dad wasn't home, unfortunately, because he is the real "bird person" in the family, but he identified it as a "Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk" from his books. That means he is young and maybe a bit clueless (the hawk, not Dad). Mom has uploaded a bit of video of him that shows some interesting interaction with a rather cheeky squirrel.

Oh, and after I posted about spending most of my time sleeping, yesterday, it was sunny, and I was much more perky, asking Mom to let me look out the front and back door, and following her around. Maybe I got the message from the Groundhog that Spring will be early?

Edited to add:

I have just received an email from Gracie, alerting me to the fact that today is World Cancer Day. How is it that I did not know that? Praying for a cure, and lighting a candle in memory of all who have been affected by cancer.

S-A-D?

Mom and Dad have noticed that I have been sleeping even more than usual lately. There is no incentive to ask to go on the deck, and I seem to realize that it is yucky outside. My basement is pretty cold, so it is not as much fun to go down there these days, and we haven't had sunpuddles in quite a while. So I tend to sleep on the couch or in this corner almost all the time, except for when I wake up to ask for meals and snacks. Mom wonders if cats get depressed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), too.

Wordless Wednesday