Brolly ☂

☂️10 February was National Umbrella Day🌂

Celebrating doesn’t require rain; enjoy a cocktail with an umbrella, watch a related movie ("Singing in the Rain" anyone?), or simply appreciate the umbrella’s design and history.

A search on my photo library pulled up the following:

"The Gentlemen Statues" by Ju Ming, 2015, at the AMA Plaza, Chicago.

Unknown artist, found on the interwebs.

"Paris Street; Rainy Day" by Gustave Caillebotte, 1877, displayed at Chicago Institute of Art.

While it's pouring rain today...

It's PO'Monday!

Images from 3 December, 2016.

We look so dry!

It's been cloudy, grey, and wet, hence our posts yesterday and today.

⛆

Garden Walk Cats

Our city had a garden walk yesterday, with rain included in the ticket price, and the starting point was the local history museum and garden.

Image my surprise when I found cats!

A sleeping cat stuffy, in the front parlor at The Crocker House Museum

This shy kitty was watching the garden lovers.
Cool mat!

Sly's humans opened their lovely yard to sightseers; I was greeted with, "Hiya, Sly's Girlfriend!"
Himself did not deign to appear; this image is from last week.

Saxifrage, according to my iPhone; the homeowner didn't know the name.

Some sort of succulent, on the edge of a delightful swimming pool.

Magnolia

What a delight chatting with the docents and homeowners, despite the wet.

Met:

-A retired cat veterinarian (!)

-A professional gardener

-A Michigan-loving UK transplant

Convos about:

Hummingbirds

Koi 

The library and a few book titles (!)

Architecture

Plants: bamboo, strawberries, milkweed, lavender, sedum

Garden decorations: Japanese dog sculpture, ponds and waterfalls, mosaic, wrought-iron chairs/railing/fencing, and the desire to use found/recycled objects.

☔🌼🌂🌿🐝

PO'M Makes Biscuits

PO'Monday!

As usual, he's happy to enjoy my lap.

Silly!

"Look into my eyes..."

Click on the image above for a jigsaw puzzle!

We had torrents of rain, which pretty much washed away the snow that fell last week. 

The sidewalks are clear for me to walk the neighborhood...yes! *fist pump*

The temps are dropping, however, so it's going to get cold.

Lucky for me, I have a big tabby cat to warm my lap when I'm outside.

Late Update

Angel, at Saturday's vet visit

This morning, as she noms a little

An update!

Saturday's vet visit went much better than I'd dreamed of.

By adding an appetite stimulant and pain meds, the doc is sure Angel will eat more soon.

The snowstorm took my mind off of my concerns for Angel, then the wonderful staff at Cats Veterinary Hospital easily gave me instructions and loaded us up with needed items.

I left the office with wings on my heels, and my heart as light as air.

She isn't cured, but she will stay with us for awhile longer...YAY!

💕😻💘

As for that storm, Paddy and Sweetie are fine!

The PO'M, using my lap as his look out

We received about 6 inches of snow...with huge drifts, and then it rained.

We shoveled the heavy, wet snow.

Overnight, the temperature dropped into the basement.

The photo above was taken at 5 pm today, when the windchill was in the single digits F.

Sweetie and The PO'M were happy to have dinner and fresh water, and I was delighted to pet them and give them love.

I'll share more photos tomorrow.

🌨⛄❄

Footprints Of Love

The front porch

It was pouring buckets of rain when I got up this morning.  Weather like this makes me wonder: should I run out now with food for Patty O'Malley and Sweetie, as I do most every day...or wait, to see if the rain slows or stops in a little while?  Today, I decided to pour kibble out, and run it to the backyard for them.  However, Patty was already on the front porch, and he was soaked*!  

Once I was finished with my food delivery, the resulting foot- and paw-prints on the porch amused me. The Hubby was out in the rain too, since it's trash-pickup day.

*I've noticed that Patty is scratching a bit, so it's time for a flea and tick preventative treatment.  I really dislike putting chemicals on him, however any holistic remedy that I've tried has been ineffective. Yesterday, I was ready to squeeze the little vial of DIE-BUG-DIE stuff on him, but somehow got distracted and did not do it.  Glad that I didn't, because it would have all washed off of him in the morning rain!  Why was he out in the rain, anyhow?  My silly Patty!

Selfie taken on Saturday...when it was dry!

Cat Paw Prints in the Snow

But now we've got light rain, and the temperatures are rising.  This white stuff will melt away...yay!  Rain really is not normal for Michigan in early January, however since the rest of the country is getting bizarre weather (cold in the South, torrential rains out West), I suppose we'll do our part.

And it only took 1-1/2 hours to drive to the office this morning; usually takes about 40 minutes.  But I had the memory of cuddles with Patty O'Malley to see me through.

Patty O'Malley, I love you!

Snow Tracks

We had snow today, and now it's pouring rain.  This afternoon, I expected to see lots of kitty paw prints in the snow, because Patty O'Malley never saw a snowstorm that he didn't like.

Instead of his prints, I found these:

Some little birdy mades tracks all over our front porch!  Wished I'd witnessed it happening in person, but it's kinda nifty that we found the evidence in the snow.

Patty and Sweetie came out for a early dinner, in the span of time between snow and rain, and that's when I snapped a few shots of the bank of periwinkles covered in snow, and some daffodils too.

The periwinkles come up on their own; I did not plant them, and they spread farther into the yard every year.  I like the natural feel of their presence.  The small daffodils were a gift from my family, planted after I helped Sammy over the Rainbow Bridge a couple of years ago.

Scratching and scratching

Patty, at rest between scratching his ears with his hind foot

See how he's worn off the fur on his ears?

Can you see the white stuff in Sweetie's fur?

Diatomaceous earth on Patty's back

Patty's been scratching at his ears.  I have dosed him with Revolution, but he was still scratching hard.  I do NOT find any fleas on him, but the veterinarian who checked him over earlier this year said he probably has an allergy to flea bites.  As a good measure, I rubbed a very small portion of diatomaceous earth into his fur, and even managed to get some on Sweetie too, before she could dance away.

Diatomaceous earth looks like flour, but it has remarkable drying abilities. Bugs that come in contact with it will dry up and die.  I've put it in their food, and sprinkle very small amounts in the corners of The Cat Hotel.  I do NOT want them (or me!) breathing the stuff in, so I rub it into their fur so there would be no dust.  Now Sweetie has big 'ol white handprints on her black furs, and Patty's bright golds and browns are a bit grey.  We had just had a rain shower, and both of them were damp from running through the wet grass when I came out to visit with them.  Seemed a good time to powder them!

If you are considering the use of human food grade diatomaceous earth, please read up on it first!  Yes, many holistic websites will extol the wonders of it's effectiveness, but it's dangerous because of it's drying abilities, so inhaling it or rubbing it into eyes, nose, etc. is a HAZARD! The small bag that I purchased of the stuff has lasted me for years, because we use only tiny amounts.

Now, it's rained here for 1-1/2 days, so I'll bet both Sweetie and Patty have managed to wash themselves free of the stuff.  And it's cold!  Such crazy weather around here...

Aftermath

Angel at rest

Chuck relaxing

I cannot tell you how emotional this past week has been.  Doubt, anger, sadness, self-recrimination, relief, worry are only the tip of the feelings iceberg that I have experienced.  Angel and Chuck appear to be fine, however Angel seems to get very anxious when she's upstairs near my computer table.  And no cat has entered the parlor, which was the safe room.  We just placed a brand-new litter box in there, so we hope we'll see some 'action' in that direction soon.  I find myself mulling it all over at odd times of the day, and the desire to visit Shadow/Loretta at the PetSmart draws me, but I know better to torture myself that way.  I pray a new family falls in love with her, as she so deserves, and she will have a home to enjoy.

In the meantime, we've had very wet weather in Michigan, and the outside cats barely received two meals yesterday as the rain prevented us from hanging out together.  They stayed in their shelters until I showed up with food, then they dashed back inside...well, except for Patty who will rub against me irregardless of weather.  I have a small hand towel reserved for them only, and I tried to dry each cat off while they ate.  Mia won't allow the towel treatment, but Patty and Sammy purr and eat as I rub them down.  They really teach me how to overcome adversity, especially when you don't classify it as adversity.  They are just living.  No worries about the job, the holidays, the gas bill or an absent friend.  How lucky I am to have them in my life!