A backyard sanctuary...

Thank you all so very much for your kind words...

... regarding the loss of one of our backyard Chips to the cat next door yesterday afternoon.

As anyone who stops by my blog, even on a semi-regular basis, knows, I/we have a serious love affair with the little critters who grace our backyard with their presence.

All the birdbaths with fresh water... 

... and all the peanuts & bird seed we set out...

... are meant as a thank you to these sweet little friends, because they truly do brighten our days.

All of the shrubs and flowers we plant are done with butterflies and birds in mind.

(The red lucifer crocosmia is a favorite of the hummingbirds!)

We've tried to create a little sanctuary where all of God's little creatures can visit on their way through, or even set up camp and make their homes here.

(Dad and Chip, 2010)

I know these are outside animals and not our pets, but I come from a long line of animal lovers...

(Me feeding Chip, Summer 2013)

... and the little Chips who live in our yard have wormed their way into our hearts big time.

(Hubby and Chip relaxing, Summer 2013)

They are gentle little things who love nothing more than to scamper about the yard looking for food. And they are more than happy to sit with us and enjoy the backyard when we bring the peanut basket outside.

Naturally, there is always the threat of predators. This spring, a hawk came out of nowhere and landed on one of our Chips. As the hawk flew away, I was amazed to see Chip peek out from under the stairs, right next to where the hawk attacked. He had apparently been close enough to the stairs to escape underneath.

Some of our Sammy squirrels and backyard birds have not been so lucky. I have been out in the yard and witnessed them being swooped down on and carried away by the hawks, who also visit our yard.

As sad as that is to see, it is nature's way. The hawk must kill and eat in order to live himself.

But that is not the case with what happened yesterday. The indoor/outdoor cat from next door did not need to kill the chipmunk in order to live himself. It was purely for the thrill of the hunt/kill. This is our Baby, one of our two cats. They are indoor kitties, for their own safety and for the well being of the creatures and birds who reside in our yard.

(Baby and Sammy Squirrel in the window feeder)

Baby would love nothing more than to get at one of the Chips, Sammy's or birds who visit our yard. It is, indeed, her instinct to hunt them down and kill them. Were she a stray cat, this instinct would be necessary for her survival, but as a house cat, it serves no purpose. She is a well fed and well tended to (dare I say even spoiled?) kitty, as is our older 20-year Tiger, whose 'thrill of the hunt' days have given way to wanting nothing more than a warm bed to nap on.

We have one neighbor who knows her cats like to be outside sometimes. She built a nice screened in area, enclosed on the sides and the top, so her cats can go outside for a while. She did that for her own cats' protection as well as the fact that she doesn't feel that her neighbors should have to put up with her cats wandering into their yards, doing their business in kids' sand boxes, spraying, or just being a general nuisance. I wish everyone felt like she does.

Where we live, there are laws that control dogs. They are not allowed to roam free. Dog owners are responsible for their dogs' whereabouts. They must be kept in their own homes/yards, or if out and about, they must be on a leash. I personally wish these laws pertained to cats as well.

And believe me, I am not trying to be the "cat" police. If people want to let their cats outside, there is no law that says they cannot. I must respect their right to do so, whether I agree or not. (I personally wouldn't want to take the chance of our our cats being hit by a car, stolen, eaten by a coyote, getting rabies, etc.)  

But where it does become my business is that I feel that my very own yard should be "cat free" if that's what I want. And therein lies the problem. Even though we have a 6' stockade fence around our entire yard, cats have no problem scaling/jumping over the fence or climbing a tree to come into the yard. So I am at the mercy of the cat owners who choose to let their cats run free.

I know that many will disagree with me, but I feel that this little 1/3 acre of land that we own should be for our enjoyment (God knows we pay enough taxes on it). If I want to feed the birds and chipmunks and squirrels without them falling prey to a neighbor's well fed kitty, I feel I should be able to do so without worrying about somebody's cat hiding in the bushes next to a chipmunk hole, or laying in wait for the mourning doves to peck at the ground around a bird feeder, or for a robin to land on one of our many bird baths.

Anyhow, I guess I feel that Nature is part of the overall plan, the bigger picture, as hard as it is to watch sometimes. But a fat and sassy, well fed neighborhood cat, that's another story.

Another thing that makes this subject touchy is that I LIKE these particular neighbors. They are GOOD people. We are so blessed to have them next door to us. This is our only issue. We have talked to them about it, they know how we feel, and they say they will try to keep their kitty inside, but with little ones opening the door constantly and a kitty who just loves to get outside, they say there's just not much that they can do about the situation.

So in the end, I can only hope and pray that their cat stops coming into our yard. It's ironic, there were two cats down the street that used to constantly be in our yard, for the very same reason (the wildlife). As they have gotten older, they've taken to staying closer to their own home. I thought we were finally going to have a respite from the neighborhood cats... until Mr. M came along (not using his real name to protect his true identity :)

Sigh....

Donna

Our Pet Chipmunk

Sometimes I feel as though we really do have an enchanted garden, and the other afternoon was a perfect example. While it's not very big or fancy, our little backyard is filled with a variety of birds and little critters scampering about. And we've made some "enchanting" friends back there.

One day last week hubby and I sat back there and spent quite a bit of time with one of our "Chips," seen here taking peanuts from me.

Not wanting to play favorites, Chip divided his time equally between hubby and me.

We all hung out, just chit-chatting, admiring the garden, and enjoying a glorious summer day.

After a while, Chip decided he'd like to choose his own peanuts.

He may be small, but he's got a mighty big appetite!

A bit later, while tossing peanuts on the patio for Chip and some of his friends, one peanut ended up in the waterfall fountain.

Our little Chip wasn't about to let a bit of water stop him from retrieving that tasty tidbit, as evidenced by this short video:

I've made a set of "steps" by placing rocks, from small to large, along the inside edge of the lower level as it's a bit deep for small animals and birds and I want to make sure they're able to get out if they ever fall in. Chip was smart enough to climb down those rocks in order to reach his peanut. That's my boy!

Wishing you all enchanted gardens filled with magical little creatures!

I'm linking to Tracie's Cottage Garden Party at the lovely Fishtail Cottage
and Cindy's Show & Tell Friday at the lovely My Romantic Home this week.

Donna

A Roswell update, and my sweet pet chipmunks

Little by little the backyard is coming along...

Mulch is being spread and garden paths are being staked out (photo from 2 weeks ago)...

A few years back when we took down our old above ground pool, we were left with a crater that I nicknamed Roswell because it looked like a flying saucer had landed in our yard.

Here's the yard several years later, slowly but surely looking less like a crater and more like a garden-in-the-making (Photo from last night, after the gravel was put down in the pathways.)

Another photo from a few weeks ago, showing the paths without gravel. We held off working on this section of the garden until Mr. & Mrs. Wren and their babies moved out of the house pictured above (which has now happened).

There are still so many plants I want to add between the gravel paths...

.. but all in good time.

One of the highlights of working in the garden is being surrounded by the sweet little critters and birds who bless us with their presence. I always carry peanuts in my pocket when I'm watering and such, and that means that my Chips and the Bluejays (HUGE peanut fans) scurry around and/or watch from the trees for me to toss them some treats. Here are several 15 second clips taken over the past week or two of my garden friends.

Chip eating out of my hand.

Check out Chip's cute little tongue while he positions 

the peanut in his cheek! haha

Chip literally leaping into my lap!

My smart little Chip!

A visit from Mr. Bluejay

Another Day, Another Chip...

I just can't get enough of my little Chips! 

Hopefully I'll someday have the camera handy when there are 2 or 3 Chips visiting at the same time. It gets CRAZY as they chase each other around!

Please stop by to visit Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend :)

Donna

How do you spell STRESS?

Say what????????? Okay, I know I have gotten off track lately, but I didn't realize how off track until I weighed in last Monday (for the first time since mid-June)...


UP 6.9 lbs. Yes, you read that right. And after losing over 50 lbs. I'll be danged if I'm going to start going backwards and gain it all back. So it is once again time to buckle down and get serious. I'm going to be eating a lot less of...


this...


...and this....

...and this... And a lot more of ...

this,...

...these,

... more of this,

... and this, so that I can look like this:

Okay, well that might be stretching it. I could eat the healthiest diet ever and workout 23 hours a day and NEVER look like that! Sophia Loren has been quoted as saying, "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." She has said that she eats pasta every day. Every day! Apparently it goes to all the right places on Sophia...

If I were to eat pasta every day, this is where it would go on me...

Actually, these days I wouldn't even mind looking like Fiona!

I am a stress eater. Stress has been my middle name for a while now, and it's gotten worse over the summer... Stressing over finances, stressing over work, stressing over some personal issues, stressing over things that are out of my control and stressing over things that are in my control (like getting off my rear and getting to those WW weigh-ins!). There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I am trying to do and a lack of sleep hasn't helped either...

These days, instead of my house looking like this...

... it's looking more like this (okay, slight exaggeration... but only slight)

I worry a lot about my dad, who is now 87; my dad who was always so strong and independent, and who always took care of his family. It is very stressful to be a part of the sandwich generation; to still be worrying about children (even if they are grown), and to also be worrying about an aging parent. I see my dad every day. Ever since he took ill last year, he has not been able to be left alone. So either my sister or myself are with him at all times. And even on the days when dad is not at my house to be watched, he is here for supper...

Ever since dad was ill last year, he has not been able to drive (not his choice). If he had his way, he would still be driving. We have taken his keys and it has not been an easy thing at times. He does not like being told what he can or cannot do, but for his own safety and for the safety of everyone else on the road, there is no way he can ever be allowed to drive again. But he does not understand and/or accept this. He will bring up driving and we will tell him why he can't. The next day he will bring it up again and not remember that we even talked about it the night before. And that is just the tip of the iceberg...

Independence and dignity feel like a thing of the past to him more and more. Other people are calling the shots, "No, you can't drive," "Yes, you do have to go to the doctor," "Yes, no, yes, no..." It is heartbreaking and it can also be very trying at times. I thank God that most of the time dad is resigned to the fact that this is the way it is now, and is very easygoing about everything. But on those occasions where there is no reasoning with him, it can be so difficult, for him, and for us... But mostly for him, and it truly breaks my heart.

I know some of you are going through very similar situations right now. I pray for all of us, that we have the patience and strength to kindly and lovingly deal with the people in our lives who
have had to relinquish so much of their independence. When my dad is having one of his difficult moments, I try to remember the following poem as it truly puts things into perspective:

When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Dundee, Scotland, it was felt that she had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through her meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

An Old Lady's Poem

What do you see, nurses, what do you see?

What are you thinking when you're looking at me?

A crabby old woman, not very wise,

Uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles her food and makes no reply

When you say in a loud voice, "I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice the things that you do,

And forever is missing a stocking or shoe.....

Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will,

With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill....

Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?

Then open your eyes, nurse; you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,

As I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.

I'm a small child of ten ... with a father and mother,

Brothers and sisters, who love one another.

A young girl of sixteen, with wings on her feet,

Dreaming that soon now a lover she'll meet.

A bride soon at twenty -- my heart gives a leap,

Remembering the vows that I promised to keep.

At twenty-five now, I have young of my own,

Who need me to guide and a secure happy home.

A woman of thirty, my young now grown fast,

Bound to each other with ties that should last.

At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,

But my man's beside me to see I don't mourn.

At fifty once more, babies play round my knee,

Again we know children, my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead;

I look at the future, I shudder with dread.

For my young are all rearing young of their own,

And I think of the years and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old woman ... and nature is cruel;

'Tis jest to make old age look like a fool.

The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart,

There is now a stone where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,

And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,

And I'm loving and living life over again.

I think of the years .... all too few, gone too fast,

And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, nurses, open and see,

Not a crabby old woman; look closer ... see ME!

I wish all of you patience and strength with any trials and tribulations you might be facing. And we must remember to take care of ourselves, something I lost sight of these past few months. So here's to getting back on track, regaining balance in life, and to patience, kindness, love, laughter, and always trying to retain a sense of humor, even when it seems that there is nothing to laugh about!

Donna