Zen Cat Art

Beginning 2012

This is the view out my bedroom window just as the sun is coming up on a cold and cloudy day the week after New Years.  I spent three days in bed with the flu and a week getting my energy back and the next week catching up.  It's amazing how far behind three days can put you.

There is a poem about a young boy who is sick and has to stay in bed and how his quilt becomes his playground.  I can't remember the first lines or I would put it up here.  I'll ask Phil tomorrow. 

Anyway, I am recovered.  And so is Sammy who was spayed a week ago Friday.   Phil and I pick her up last Saturday after her over night stay at the vet.  We were so glad to get her back home, we have been doting on her ever since.  Well, let say even more than usual.

You can see her little shaved tummy.  I'm typing one handed because she is snuggled in the crook of my other arm.  Oh, how we cater to our fur children.

Today it is snowing again.  Mrs. Cardinal had to hold on to the rhododendron branch to avoid being blown around.  You can just see the fine snow blowing sideways.

And the goldfinches were chowing down by the dozens.  I can see them out my sewing room window.  I try to have my tea there every morning. 

There is more to tell but it will have to be tomorrow...

The power is on!

The weathermen said we would probably lose the electric because of the amount of snow that would fall with the leaves still on the trees.  And sure enough as I took a few pictures as I was getting ready for bed and with in minutes the lights went out.

By morning the lawn chair was almost indistinguishable as a chair.

Coming down fast and hard.  The railing is only about an inch and a half wide and look how it piled up.

The last picture before the lights went out.  Beautiful chaos Denna called it.  I agree and the chaos part was just beginning.  We went three days without power.  About half of CT still doesn't have power.  We'll be hosting friends for hot food and hot showers later today - just like friends on the shoreline did for us yesterday.  I found out that I wouldn't have made a good pioneer woman.  After three days of not being warm or washing my hair I was pretty snarky!  Thank heaven for Phil pumping out some BTUs in bed at night - better than the three quilts and the down comforter. 
This is the same shelf by our back door as in the last post but the next morning.  Quite different!  This was just after sun up - I had lost electric by then and when I woke up it was cold!  The cats were little round islands of fur between the folds of the quilt.  Have you ever noticed how a ten pound cat can turn into a 500 hundred pound cat when it's sleeping on your legs?

And I took on the porch.  I was heading for breakfast!

When we treated ourselves to a gas grill this summer, even on sale, we hesitated thinking it a bit extravagant.  It was worth every penny.

Toasted bagels and water boiling for coffee and tea!  Yes! 
So how deep was it?

19 inches!  It was deeper in some places but more than the 19 inches was the down trees.

It didn't get cleared until the crews came on Monday but once they moved the tree and picked up the wires the locals had cut it up and hauled it off to fuel their wood stoves within hours.
On Tuesday we were headed for friends on the shore, a hot shower and a fabulous meal.  Thanks Robin & Rick!  And now I have to chance to do the same for others.  

Time to start some bolognese sauce and bake some foccacia...   

 

Snow in October - Take Two...

OK this is just plain silly!  I took this picture an hour ago and there is another 3 inches already. 
The weather channel is saying we could get 12 to 18 inches.  We went out for breakfast, filled up the gas tanks, got a new pair of snow gloves and went home to batten down the hatches.  We took out the air conditioners out of the windows and stowed them in the basement.  Those suckers are heavy!  The cats were pretty excited about the open windows when we pulled them out but not about the weather that was drifting in so no one tried to escape.  They also were impressed with the large cat water bowl we put in the bath tub.  It's a big plastic bin with water in case we lose electric.
Sammy did think I was a bit crazy to hang out the window to take this video. 

Here you are... snow video. 
   

Snow in October?

Just for the record, that white stuff covering the leaves on the deck and the chair not to mention the cover of the BBQ, is snow.  Yes, Virginia...Christmas is coming. 

Pictures for my kids in Charlotte...

Phil shoveling his way out.

This is on the deck where Phil was shoveling.  OY!

This is before the drive was plowed and toped the snow at the end of the drive to about 6 feet high. 

The picnic table.  Do I dare say the snow has been no picnic?  Nah!

It's up to Hannah's waist.

It's a little hard to see but that is ice.  We broke some of it off but it pretty much encased the house.

Where it ran over the windows some of it dripped inside the house.  We sopped it up with towels.
This is one of the living room windows, you can see the ice on the left side of the picture.  We went though about a towel an hour.  It has slowed down now.     

Using the roof rake to get some of the snow off of the roof.

The edge of the roof about the gutters is about a foot of ice - they call it an ice damn.  I think damn ice is closer to the truth. 

We are just hoping that the deck holds.
The cats are taking it all in stride, catching every sunbeam they can. 

Breezy was watching Phil until she just couldn't hold up her head any more.  Sunbeams are like that.

Maggie is sleeping on Gladys' quilt.  It was made in the 1920's by a woman in CT.  I bought the quilt top and layered and hand quilted it.  It needs a bit more hand work but I couldn't resist putting it on the bed over the feather comforter.  I just looks so warm.
 
And ... it looks like we are going to get some more!

Big Snow...

I took this earlier this morning (10am) on my front step which is a bit protected.  And, it's still snowing! 

This is the shelf that runs along my deck as you come in the back door (the door we use all the time).  I haven't measured it yet, I have to shovel out by the door first! 

I think it has stopped snowing... 21 inches!  

Summer butterfly, winter drink.  Hot Chocolate...yum!

 

the snow at night...

We went for a walk in the snow. 

SNOW!

When the weather channel said blizzard conditions, I believed them but it looked like this - just a dusting on the porch.

So we put out some extra bird seed and made sure the suet feeder was filled.

"Get on with it lady; I can only pose so long on this swinging feeder.  I got some eating to do."

Phil turned on the outside light.  I'm not sure how the downy felt about the ambiance.

The snow was getting deeper.

By 9 pm it looked like our two porch chairs were holding hands.

By 10 pm the bird house was almost covered and the stone circle long gone.

When I opened the door for the last shot, the snow whipped in so quickly that I was instantly covered with snow.  A good time for pajamas, a book and the last cup of tea.   

~23 degrees, wind chill 5 degrees, wind gusts over 40 mph, blizzard conditions until tomorrow afternoon.