Above Ground & Breathing

We say that a lot around here because it is something to be grateful for these days.

Today I finally decided to spread some almost-black mulch around my flower bed and under the waterfall cherry tree, or whatever it's called.

Two years ago we bought 5 bags of mulch with the intent to distribute it the following spring.  Heat came on like a banshee and I was in no mood to be working in it.  We then stacked the five bags near the front porch out of eyesight from  the street.

Today, two bags of mulch were spread in the flower bed where a white dogwood tree resides.  I think we are going to have to replace that tree as it gets worse each year as far as blooming goes.  As of now the pink and white daffodils and the purple hyacinths are blooming.  The day lilies will soon follow with blooms.  The remaining three bags of mulch were then shoveled underneath the cherry tree.  The cascading branches have to be severely cut back each fall or early spring because they grow like wildfire.  In a few more weeks that mulch will go unseen but it was something I have been wanting to do for quite some time.  I will have to rest my back now because it was put through a lot today.

On another note, yesterday when I went out to feed the cats (and kittens) another female cat was with Stumpy's kittens.  It made no sense to me since Stumpy was nearby so I thought she hired a wet nurse.  What I didn't know, and couldn't see, was the fact that this other cat had deposited four more kittens into the same nest and she was caring for all of them.  She (Saddle) is the daughter of Stumpy so they take turns with the kittens.  One big happy family.

How did Saddle get such an odd name?  When Stumpy had her three kittens early last year they went nameless as most kittens do until they show some characteristic that they can be named for or after.  My husband decided that the one with the white paws would be named Boots.  I then said Boots and Saddle.  The solid black one wasn't named right away.  Eventually we started calling that one Spur because it just fit the other two names.

Hark!  I hear a cup of coffee calling my name right about now.  It keeps me going these days and I don't know what I would do with it.

 

It's Not Going Away

Just to keep you updated on the cardboard lying alongside the neighbor's garage and facing me every time I look out the window, here is the latest photo.  Yes, that is one of our outside cats inspecting the cardboard.

This mess above is right alongside the cardboard box.  That is the so-called fence they put up between our properties.  And they never clean the trash that gathers on both sides or take care of the weeds.  The photo is cloudy on the side because I take these out of my window.

Below is a photo of their front yard.  Those are sunflower plants and they don't pull them until they are completely dried and ugly.  This was taken before all the ugliness of what they did to their yard that has since occurred behind the sunflowers.  Now there is an ugly green chicken wire fence back there as well as a garden and I just cannot begin to talk about the rest of it.  We get asked all the time about the sunflowers.  They plant them wherever they have room.  They have since cut down a hickory nut tree and a few others as well in the left of the photo.  There was nothing wrong with the trees.

 This photo above is of the cardboard box in its better days.  It is almost a year it has been put there.  I know they are making a statement by keeping it there.  We don't call them The Honey Boo Boos for nothing.  Remember that TV show?

Love My New Bread Maker

A few months ago I finally made up my mind to get a bread machine after all these years.  I have never attempted to bake bread, but I felt that a machine that would do everything for me seemed ideal.

I used some of my reward e-cards and did not pay a single penny toward the bread maker.  That way, if it didn't work I had nothing to lose since those reward cards didn't cost me anything.

And so I made my first loaf of bread.  I decided to use a boxed bread mix to be safe ~ that way if anything went wrong it wasn't my fault and I could blame it on the machine.

This was my first masterpiece:

It doesn't have to be pretty to taste good.  

My next foray into bread making was a boxed quick bread (pumpkin) which also turned out beyond my expectations.  I used to make those in the big oven a lot but eventually stopped when energy costs started soaring.  I rarely use my big oven these days since I have all kinds of small appliances that do the job.

I decided to tackle French bread using a recipe from the manual.  Success!  I began to feel a lot better after that.  Using a boxed cake mix I again approached the machine with great apprehension but I shouldn't have worried.  It was a white cake mix and eggs had to be added making it a different color but my taste buds don't know that.  Once I frosted it, it looked quite tasty...and it was.

Since then I made a garlic-herb bread using my own ingredients and last week I made cornbread.

My new favorite toy not only gives me something to get excited about these days, it also fills the house with an old-time feeling of homeyness from the aroma of fresh bread wafting throughout.  And it doesn't heat the house like the big oven would.

I have a lot of recipes to try, like honey-oatmeal bread, carrot bread, garlic bread, and on and on...
 

Knock Knock

Does anyone out there read this blog anymore?  If I have no readers, then why am I wasting my time?  It makes me sad to think nobody likes me anymore...

The Promise Of Spring

We finally decided to trim back the purple lilac bush.  This has grown from 10 very small whips planted many years ago.  The kittens loved to play under this bush because a lot of those low limbs grew sideways just above ground level.

And this is what it looked like after we were done with it.  I wanted all the old stuff cut back so the new ones could get stronger. 

This is what I found in our cat shelter (hothouse) two days ago:

Stumpy finally had her litter.  There are four of them in that tangled bundle.  We have a big black and white cat that roams the neighborhood looking for females.  He is not one of ours and we don't know who he belongs to. 

This next photo was taken just this morning:

I can't believe how much they have grown in just two days.  That little black and white one is always wandering away from the nest.  Mom usually comes back in and puts it back where it belongs.  

So there you have it ~ the pictures I promised.  I would put more on here but I haven't the patience to wait over two minutes for each picture to pop up.  I will wait for a better day because I have a lot more stories to tell.

 
 

75° Today, Baby!

I am so glad this stuff is behind us for at least another seven or eight months.  I thought we'd never get out from under all the snow and bad weather we had this past winter.  I am officially out of hibernation and currently thawing out.  

Husband and I have been doing some yard work the past few days and this decrepit body feels the strain from all of it.  Today I was especially glad to get under a hot shower to soak the old bones and muscles.  Sunshine and fresh air is all I needed to get myself rejuvenated and ready for spring and summer.

I took some before and after pictures of our huge lilac bush which we cut back a lot earlier today.  Also have a picture of the first kitten litter of the year.  I suspect there will be more of those in the next month.

I realize I do not have many followers any more but I will continue to post here as much as I can.  I know I will post a lot more now than I did over the dull dreary nasty winter months.

It's great to be alive!

Just Sayin'