My girls (the hairy ones with whiskers)

Just wanted to make that clear as I do have two beautiful daughters, too. :)

Annie likes the camera and will allow a few photo throughout the day. And, she will sing for you. :)

She never misses a sun-puddle even if it's crammed between two chair legs.

She has taken over Sierra's spot in the kitchen window.

I love that.

She watches as the birds swoop down on the feeders.

And I love her peachy paws.

Audrey,well, she is incorrigible.

 

That's about all you'll get from her.

I have to sneak up on her or else she dives into her hidey-hole when she spots the camera. If I follow her with the camera the glare I get is one you don't soon forget.

Annie has some BIG news. She wants the world to know she caught her first mouse at the mouse-house last night. So now this tiny dwelling stands up to it's name.
This happened in the garage of the carriage house where she likes to spend her evenings.
She proudly brought it upstairs for all to admire.  Which we did... in between..."Oh, dear God!, ewwww, oh no!, geeesh, oh for goodness sake, get it outahere and of course, "Poor thing" because I hate to see that. :-(

"Thanks Annie but no thanks."
The retired-guy took care of it and Annie was miffed for the rest of the night.
I know she would be quite the hunter if allowed to roam the great outdoors. There would not be a bird left in sight. Not a one.
I expect now she will spend even more time down there.

hugs, Deb

                  

A place of peace.

Early mornings at the mouse-house 

is a time that I like to take my cup of coffee outside to check on the gardens.

Because we live in the country, there are often feeders knocked over, branches on the ground and dirty paw marks across the butter-coloured lawn chairs.

Raccoons have been here to grab some apple slices and any seed left over from the day.

I don't mind at all as there are many with young ones and they are all hungry.

After tidying up, checking on the gardens and filling the 4 bird baths, I sometimes head back to the grave-site for my beloved cats that have passed away over the years.

It gives me a time to reflect

and I find it very peaceful.

We just recently laid to rest our dear Sierra.

I still feel the need to stand and look at her grave to have the reality of her death sink in.

It still feels unreal to me.

She was here on this property for one year only and now she's gone.

And so suddenly.

Sierra lived 13 years and to some that may seem like a long cat life but not to me. I have enjoyed the company of cats that have lived for over 20 years.

I wanted that for her.

So I still tear up as I water the ground that surrounds her spot,

add a few more shade-loving plants 

and think of her sweet personality;

her love for us.

The wall behind the grave-site was built by my ancestors over 100 years ago.

It looks out over our neighbour's pasture.

It's a humbling experience for me to stand here and think of all the hard work done by hands of generations before me.

They built this wall while clearing the land.

All the cats that I have shared my life with in the last 40 years lie in peace here.

It's a place I feel connected to them; I remember them all so vividly when I stand here.

I recall their softness; their beautiful eyes.

I thank them for their love and companionship

and tell them I miss them everyday.

And I do.

Every.single.day.

Each and everyone of them.

On my way back up the path, I was greeted by a grey squirrel

who was busy at the feeder.

I guess the early squirrel

gets the seed here.

Cheeky devil.

hugs, Deb

Busy as a Bee

It's been a busy weekend with many highlights.
What could be more fun than partaking in a fundraiser for Homes with Woofs at Bee Meadow Farm.
I was so excited not only to attend the fundraiser but to see Natalie & Gordon again. Two wonderful and dedicated rescuers of many needy animals who are now enjoying life on the rolling hills at the farm.
It was such a fun day.

We went with friends Iain and Susan fromhttp://readymadecosmos.blogspot.ca/

 

Natalie was so busy but got around to say "hi".

Then it was on to meet the animals.

First on my list was to find Saul and say "hello".

He was even more adorable in person. 

And getting to meet Chirpy and actually cuddle a rooster was

always on my bucket list. lol

This guy wasn't hard to find.
And there goes Henry.

The goats were all out grazing along with Ophelia and her piggy friends.
Celebrity judges, Alan Neal & Carol-Anne Meehan were on hand for a live auction of beautiful hand-made dog houses, art work and photography by local artists along with a silent auction of fabulous items. There were pony rides available and Sandy, Gordon's horse, happily carried children around the beautiful farm. There was a barbecue, cupcake table (unbelievably yummy) and home-made lemonade. Natalie's honey was on sale along with freshly baked desserts, cat toys and beeswax candles.

All of Natalie's animals were out and about to meet and greet but no-one took the spot-light from Monty, the new herding dog. Pop on over to Natalie's World to meet him.http://knatolee.blogspot.ca/

I hope they had a wonderfully successful day.
Thank you Natalie & Gordon for all that you do.

And today was a double celebration for our family. Father's Day & my birthday brought the family together for a delicious barbecue lunch and birthday cake. What a weekend! :)
"Thank you everyone for making us feel so special today."

And all this with +32 C temperatures. Perfect summery weather. :)

Hope you all had a great weekend and a Happy Father's Day.

And this morning I wish you all a wonderful summer ahead.

hugs, Deb.

Around the mouse-house...inside & out

Oh my goodness, everything is growing faster than a cat whippin' it's tail around here. I am having to weed every-time I walk past the gardens. And the grass...I don't even want to talk about that.

 

 

 

Tiny blooms appear like magic. It's so uplifting to walk out to see what's new in the garden every morning with my first cup of coffee. I just know my grandmother and mother have a hand in all that grows here. I especially feel my grandmother's presence as I walk about taking in all that late spring offers. I look in the direction of our vegetable garden and remember her garden in the very same place. As a young child visiting for the summer, I can still smell the freshly picked carrots that we would carry in our dirty little hands in to her summer kitchen to be washed for dinner that night. Oh, and the yellow beans...my favorite. And I listen to the birds around me and think, "She heard the birds sing while she gardened right where I now stand." It leaves me a bit awe-struck.

Simon is still around although he is not at home much anymore. I do see him at night sitting on the old pump before calling it a day but he is very active with the other chips all day long.
The other evening we had an early down-pour with a bit of thunder and he came tearing across the lawn and flew down his little hole; safe from the coming storm. I felt happy to see him have his little comfort-spot.

Little Red has a favorite eating spot which is the platform bird-feeder. Why?...because it swings while he eats. He seems to love that. He's a mover and a groover.

And while Audrey snoozes in her hidey-hole,
Annie is always close by me; my shadow, really.

She's always interested in anything that I'm doing.

And especially enjoys 'tea-time' at the mouse-house.

"Just milk in mine, please."

hugs, Deb

I guess this is a "me" day. :)

Our grandittle, Gwynn had a sleep-over at the mouse-house and joined us for breakfast and some birthday shopping in the town of Merrickville today.
It was a gorgeous day; perfect, really, so we shopped, ate ice cream and watched the boats go by.
Merrickville is a town that you want to visit over and over again. The architecture of this lovely town, the shops, the art-work, restaurants and parks make this town a fun destination.

Chocolate milk shake time. :)))

Watching the boats at the Rideau Canal locks in Merrickville.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rideau_Canal

It was a fun day and I'm looking forward to a gathering of our family this weekend where we will celebrate my birthday and all the dad's in our family for Father's Day.

I was born on Father's Day many, many moons ago.

Thank you to everyone for your kind birthday wishes.

hugs, Deb

Tea and a recipe.

A special tea was enjoyed today at the mouse-house.

Blueberry Superfruit

A lovely blogger and reader of Just Cats and tea-cups sent me a beautiful birthday card ( yep...another year older this Wednesday (geesh!),  and inside was this delicious tea to sample. "Thank you so much, Snap, for your thoughtfulness. Snap has a charming blog at http://twistylane.blogspot.ca/. 
Drop by to meet Snap & felines, Teddy, Cassie & Mina.
The cat on the card looks just like her Teddy. :)

With my tea I had a slice of home-made banana bread fresh out of the oven. It was time to use up some of those brown, frozen bananas taking up room in the freezer. :)

I will post the bread recipe next but today I want to share this delicious recipe with you. It's a favorite meal here.

                                                Macaroni & Cheese 
Preheat oven to 350.
3/4 of a pound (or three cups) of macaroni (uncooked) 
1 egg 
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons of butter
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (I added 1/4 cup of gouda, also)
salt & pepper
Boil macaroni for  minutes until half-cooked.
Mix the egg & milk together. Melt the butter and add to egg mixture. Add the grated cheese.
Place the macaroni in a buttered baking dish. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the macaroni. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and mix well.
I topped it with sliced tomatoes and fresh basil from our garden.
Bake uncovered for 30-35 min. 
This is nice served with a vegetable side-dish.

This is delicious

and since I was home alone for the weekend, I just paired it with some cole-slaw and 12 grain bread.

You can never go wrong with pasta for dinner. :)

Even Annie enjoyed a bite or two of this cheesy delight. =^..^=

Audrey won't take part in this dining experience as she thinks all 'people food' is disgusting.

Her only request is canned soft cat food.

"Open a can and no-one gets hurt."

 

No manners here.

 But...I still love her.

=^..^=

We've had a lot of rain and now the sun and heat is returning.

I spent a good part of the day weeding

so the garden looks nice again.

It's a never ending job, though, isn't it?

hugs, Deb

The entertainers at the mouse-house.

I could watch these guys for hours. :) But then, I do have a life. ha!

"You do?"

"Excuse me. I believe I have emptied your feeder."

They certainly keep me entertained when I'm in the garden.

The weather was beautiful here with the humidity gone and a cool breeze along with sunny days. It's been perfect.
Today the rain falls as the daisies stand up tall to drink it in.

It's a well-needed rain.
                                                                    (before the rain)

Today's

Cat-in-window

is our little Peach

aka  Annie.

She's busy watching doves returning to the side bird-feeders

after being away sitting on nests, I presume.

"Welcome back, little Doves."

I miss our chickadees as they have been absent from the mouse-house for a month now.

I really miss their sweet faces.

But, they will return with their fledglings very soon. :)

That will be a nice day.

hugs, Deb