Kitty frolics

The other day, I moved the cathouse onto the porch. The cats had been ignoring it as of late, and it is hardly an attractive furniture statement. It's not exactly making our screened front porch into something out of House & Home either, but by golly, the cats are pleased!

Here we have wee Naomi lording it over Julius:

"Hello, hello, is anybody home?"

Naomi left her lofty perch for one where she could get a better view of her orange boyfriend (as opposed to her three-legged boyfriend, Alex. Naomi is very loose.)

"Yes, I am fully aware of my great beauty. Don't let it fry your retinas!"

Mr. Fluffy, being the elder statesman of the cats at age nine, is more relaxed and slightly less egotistical. He lives for sunshine.

But finally he'd had enough sunshine, so he vacated the cathouse...

...to cool off under the table. I love it when he stretches out like this, with his legs splayed behind him. I've read that Maine Coon cats often assume this posture, and while Julius is not likely 100% Maine Coon (he showed up at our back door in Nova Scotia one winter), he does have many MC features, including very furry feet, like a lynx.

"And now, the cathouse is mine mine MINE MINE MINEMINEMINE! Bwaaahahahahaha!"

"Get my best side. Oh wait, all my sides are my best side!"

And now for something completely different. Gordon bought me a used tiller the other day. It's in fine shape. He keeps calling it "my" tiller, like he thinks I'm actually going to be the one tilling. HAHAHAHAHA!

And look what slithered out of the barn pumphouse on Sunday...

It's a very large eastern garter snake, maybe 20" long. Fortunately the dogs didn't notice, since they are always happy to wrassle with snakes. Gordon held them back while I got my camera. This morning, I surprised another garter snake in my vegetable garden. It was under the straw mulch around one of my pumpkin plants. I am definitely not afraid of snakes, particularly since we don't have any venomous ones around here, and it's just as well I'm serpent-positive, since I spent the past 3-1/2 years, off and on, illustrating a kids' book about a rattlesnake. (Blatant plug!)

Happy summer. My tomato plants are finally starting to bloom.