Another Thing

So, I did another thing...

This is the artwork that my tattoo guy used on Tuesday.

Will take clear pics to share, after the wrapping comes off and some healing happens.

My Swee Wee, in her tiara and reclining upon an open book.

Before my appointment, I enjoyed a walk through my favorite natural landscape, Tenhave Woods, in Royal Oak, Michigan, and snapped a few pretty things:

Trillium
Am pretty sure these will be white, but they could be red.

Bloodroot
The red sap is used as a dye.

Trout Lily
The speckled leaf pattern reminded someone of a fish!

Also met a fellow nature-lover, who was watching for birds.

She pointed out a hawk not far above our heads.

We compared tattoos, our love of libraries, and had a delightful few moments of chat.

😺😸😺

P.S. It's The Hubby's Birthday today, but he doesn't want to hear the 'b' word!

It's lucky that he doesn't read this blog.

Happy Birthday, dearest, and may you celebrate many more.

😽😽😽

Earth Day

Join the World’s Largest Environmental Movement.

As Earth is the only planet with cats that we know of, why are we treating her so very badly?

💕🌏🌎🌍💓

Last weekend, I visited one of my favorite locations, where one can breathe deeply, enjoy the wildlife, and look at the pretty Spring ephemeral flowers. 

Yellow Trout Lilies
Erythronium americanum
Click on the image to enjoy a jigsaw puzzle.

Growing wild at Tenhave Woods at Quickstad Park, Royal Oak Michigan

Let's Hop!

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Color

I am drawn to colorful things.

Multi-colored, swirls of color, rainbows of color!

Lucky for me, my Prisma phone app never lets me down.

Today, I offer two images: the first, of Paddy O'Malley in glorious color.

Click on the image above to enjoy a jigsaw puzzle!

Click on the image above to enjoy a jigsaw puzzle!

 A dear friend, however, has mentioned that she prefers artified nature scenes.

Therefore, I also offer this fern image, taken when on a native-to-Michigan fern walk at Tenhave Woods, in Royal Oak, Michigan last week.  

Honestly, I only stayed for about half of the instructional walk, because the mosquitoes were too much for me.

Enjoy!

Let's Hop!

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Another Cat Surprise While In The Woods

Sunday, May 5, I attended two separate Spring Wildflower Walks.  Although the day was sunny and warmish, the ground is still saturated from all of the rain we've experienced.  Not only were my shoes and pants very mud-spattered, I stepped straight into a hidden swale with five or six inches of water, so my socks and feet were soaked too.  I didn't wear boots, in order to be stylish, but I paid the price!

First, I was at Balduck Memorial Park, in Detroit.  This walk was sponsored by The Detroit Garden Center.  There were about ten of us; nice and informal.  Unfortunately, I lost my native plant guide, andso I do not remember the names to some of these.

See the little serrations on the leaf edges?
I thought it was cool.

Our guide said that some plants have extra tannins in their spring leaves, causing them to be reddish.
Some critters don't like tannins, so this is a way for the plants to ward off being eaten up during this important growing time. 

Heck if I can remember this one, but it's cute!

White sharp-lobed hepatica

Jack-in-the-pulpit buds

In the afternoon, I was in Tenhave Woods, in Royal Oak.  The Royal Oak Nature Society was on hand to show about 50 people around.  We saw:

A bank of trillium

The expert didn't know if this was a Grey Tree Frog or a Cope's Grey Tree Frog.  The only known difference between the two frogs, is their mating call, and this frog wasn't saying nuthin'!  The expert released the frog onto the nearest tree...

...Can you see the frog on the oak tree?
Blends in extremely well, yes?

May Apple

Jack-in-the-pulpit bloom

And, as the tour was wrapping up, a man came along, wearing this t-shirt:

Cats drive us crazy first, THEN we consult them for therapy, amIright?

He graciously allowed me to snap a photo, and I am again amazed at how my attempts at hanging out with Mother Nature seems to throw some feline action at me too!  It's beginning to get weird!

See previous post: To My Surprise...Thrice!

🌺🌸🌿🐈

To My Surprise...Thrice!

The Spring weather here in Michigan has been changeable, to say the least.  In spite of that, I was able to visit Tenhave Woods Nature Trail on my lunch hour.  Some photos:

Wakerobin, a trillium

Bloodroot

Troutlily

Please forgive me if the plants are misidentified; I looked them up on a couple of wildflower websites, and my friend CE id'd the wakerobin.

To my surprise, after enjoying the woods and the flowers and the chippies and the sunshine, to meet up with this adorable kitten!

Kismet, and dad

Kismet's dad is habituating the eight-week old rescue kitten to walk on a lease, and they were practicing near the woods!  Is this kitten seriously adorable or what?!?

That night, I walked the neighborhood, and my half-way-round boyfriend Sly showed up.  He was being so adorable, that I sat on the driveway...legs outstretched...and snapped photos of his floofiness.

Maybe Sly knocked me over with his cute, and I didn't realize it?

While so engaged, a car pulls up, and the man asks if I am okay.  He thought that maybe I had tripped and fallen!  LOL!  Guess they didn't catch the camera/phone in my hand, and Sly rolling on the ground in front of me.  The kindness of a stranger; that's a surprise!

After that, I kept walking.

Surprised for the third time,  a tabby kitty in the bushes ran over to me, and let me pet her!  I've not seen her before, and she was wearing a collar that read, "Annie Smith" and a phone #.  

Annie

 What a great day, to my surprise!

***

New Beginnings Animal Rescue

While not exactly a cat cafe, New Beginnings Animal Rescue allows a visitor to interact with all of the kitties.  Located in Royal Oak, Michigan, NBAR was established in 2010, and per their website: "We are completely run by volunteers, funded by donations, and powered by cat hair."

I visited NBAR last week for a fund-raising garage sale, and was given a site tour.  I didn't take photos of everything, but there are separate rooms for adult cats, kittens, new cats, and ornery cats.  In addition, there are display cages in the lobby, for those special cats that the staff know need even more interaction with humans.

"Lemme OUT!"

Working the "Puss In Boots" routine

Snowball, who broke my heart as he gazed at
me from behind bars.  He's partially blind, and FIV+,
but friendly as all get out.

Seriously, how can a person be sad while holding kittens?
Nope, it's impawssible!

Napping for these two was more impawtant than making
goo-goo eyes at any potential adopter.

Not only do they adopt out cats, they have a cat food bank, for folks who meet a minimum requirement, so their pets won't go hungry.  They are seriously anti-declaw also.

This weekend, NBAR is having Whiskers and Whimsy Art Show, from 4 to 7 pm tonight, and 12 to 4 pm Saturday.  Lucky for me, I will drive there straight after work today, and still be home for dinner without The Hubby knowing about my stop!  I am a sneak, aren't I?

Learned it from my cats...

National Cat Day: 10/29/17

In honor of National Cat Day yesterday, the internationally famous movie Kedi played in theatres all over the U.S., and my friends and I went to see it in downtown Royal Oak, Michigan.

If you haven't indulged in this film, please give yourself a chance to enjoy.  More of a documentary than a Hollywood movie, the filmmakers Ceyda Torun and Charlie Wuppermann tell the story of the street cat loving humans in Istanbul, the city that is in both Europe and Asia.

This is the marquee at the Detroit Film Theatre
where I originally saw 'Kedi' in March, 2017

After watching this delightful film, we ventured to the Ferndale Catfe Lounge to play with the adoptable cats and kittens living there.  Funny, since I had visited the Catfe Lounge on Friday last week also!  YAY!

 

I did not record the names of all the sweet babies, hoping that they'll be whisked off to their furrever homes before I can return to visit again.