Seeing Red! :)

After a late start in the garden, (due to an extra cold and wet Spring), - followed by an extra mild summer, - and some concerned prayers offered that our hard work can be rewarded with some produce, - (mentioning the tomatoes, in particular, which have stayed green way too long), - I'm finally ...

Seeing RED!!! :)

Along For The Ride! :)

The kittens environment seems to be ever changing as fast as they are! :) The big box that used to be their whole world is now their play and sleep room! I've purchased a new "cat tree" to give them more safe places to climb, play, and sleep! :)
I also have a box with bedding, to the side of the big box, for an added sleeping area! :)
In order to keep these areas cleaner, the litter box and the upgraded food & water station have been moved outside the large box! Already it has cut down on how often I need to wash their bedding! :)
In spite of all the nice sleeping areas I've provided for them, I'll find them sleeping in various unexpected locations, like on this folded tarp, ...
Or in this old wooden farm box, ... or many other locations that look just as uncomfortable! :)
It's actually a nice surprise when I find them sleeping on one of the comfortable surfaces I arranged for them! :)

In this ever changing feline journey, one thing that has been constant, is the enjoyment they bring me daily! :)

True to cat nature, I can provide the best I know how, for them, but they ultimately choose what they want for themselves! ... I'm pretty much just ... along for the ride! :)

A Milestone For Cali's Kids! :)

This week Cali's kids graduated from nursery to preschool! :) This is a milestone change in their lives that they're all pretty excited about! :)

They've all been given names, too! :) ...
This is Sylvester, and since he was the first one to graduate, he has the honors of telling you all about it! :) ...

"Hi, I'm Sylvester, and since I was getting tired of being in nursery, and only getting out for social-time, I decided it was time for a change! I leaped and scratched until I figured out how to get out of the big nursery box! After that there was no keeping me in!
This is Mick, and he wore himself out playing, so napped through our photo session, today! :)
This is my sister, Gerdy!
Since she's the smallest, I expected she would be the last one to graduate.
This is my brother, Apollo! He was the 2'nd to escape, or um, Graduate, - and boy did we have fun! We've formed a real bond!
As you can see, we are all graduated now, and we're all enjoying our new freedom! :)
We all get to be outside with our Mom, when we want to be! :)
She takes good care of us because she loves us!
We love her, too!
Gerdy is excited about being outside with us! Today was her first day experiencing these new freedoms!

Apollo and I have gotten used to it, as we've been out of nursery for a few days now, but we still enjoy it!
I think she likes to watch us as we kind of know the ropes already, ...
and we can show her how preschool works!
She's very observant, so I think she's going to be a fast learner!
Notice the hole cut in the bottom of the box? The nice lady who helps our Mom care for us, decided it was time for Mick and Gerdy to graduate, too, this morning!
Sometimes we still use the nursery room for taking naps, and our upgraded bathroom is in the nursery too. All of us kids still use it.
So that's pretty much our graduation story.
We can take baths out here, ...
wrestle, ...
or just do pretty much what ... we ... please." ...

Looks like Sylvester is taking a cat-nap, so we'll leave him to it! :)

I'm proud of how well they are all doing! I can hardly believe they are already 8 weeks old! I think I feel as proud of them as Cali does! :)

Soon we are going to visit the vet' for the first time, and that is going to be a little less fun for them, but good for them, just the same. It will be one more milestone in their lives, and maybe in mine too! Wish me luck! :)

The Days Are Filled With The Tastes Of Summer! :)

I love watching the sun come up and feeling the sense of wonder and the thrill of all that's possible in this new day! :)

This morning as I watched the sun rising, I thought of the many things on my to-do list, and narrowed down what I would focus on today! :)

One of the things I would do, was right in view! I would spend some time in the garden! :)

When I'd been out digging up our Yukon Gold Potatoes, I'd noticed some green beans that had gotten a little too fat on the vine, and today it was time to harvest some of the awaiting garden produce! :)
Speaking of produce, I should mention that the yellow potatoes were extra impressive this year! :)
For only having planted 4 or 5 seeds, they gave us enough for 4 or 5 meals! :)
I was happy with the size of the potatoes as well! :)
They taste as good as they look, and next year I'm planning to grow a longer row so we'll have some to store! :)
So today, after I picked the pole beans, I went back out and took a look at the tomatoes! There were a few more ripe ones waiting to be picked! :)
Though most of our tomatoes are still green, many are now showing a golden blush on them, promising that this summer heat may do the trick and ripen them! I'm more than ready!! :)
Some are starting to look yellow so it shouldn't be too much longer until they turn orange and then red! :)
I was able to fill a garden tray with color today! Aren't vegetables a feast for the eyes!? :)
Since we ate the last of the green beans I picked last time, the timing's good! We all enjoy how they taste fresh from the garden, so we'll be eating more green beans tonight! :)

I love this time of year when the days are filled with the tastes of summer! :)