Shrimp and Grits

Wouldn’t this make a much better gift than a fruit basket?

Rusty in a small basket. 1024x768 JPG

I’d hate to be the one to try to gift-wrap this basket!

Patty caught Tom displaying some attitude!

Nyah nyah! Tom displays some attitude! 1024x768 JPEG

“Friday cat” is back for the New Year!

I'm never going to do that much catnip again!

Hiding  under the blankets isn’t usually Ash’s thing.  So, I suppose that Ash is feeling just a little bit hung over after her New Year’s Eve catnip party.

Our cats all live indoors, and normally they’re very happy that way.  But sometimes, I think the cats wish they could teleport themselves through the glass – if only for an instant

Desire (1024x768 JPEG image)

Sing with me.

“Tom’s between two turtles…”

Tom and the turtles - 1024x768

“Sleepin’ like a log…”

This week, Rusty enjoys a flat-rate Priority Mail box.

“You mean that even if I mail myself, it’s the same flat rate?  Great! Tape this box shut and mail me to a seafood restaurant!”

Here are Rusty and Ash enjoying their new beds.  Just don’t tell them that the beds are actually supposed to be for dogs!

Uh oh … it looks like Ash might have heard me!

What?  This is a dog bed?

Well, what do you know, it really is “turtles all the way down“!

This is a group of sliders (I think! Someone correct me if I’m wrong) I saw while on the way to work. This group was actually difficult to photograph, for the simple reason that they are incredibly easy to spook. Getting even a little close to them results in them, well, sliding off their log and disappearing into the water.

This is in fact the second time I stopped at this little pond to photograph these turtles. The first time, they were gone the moment I set the tripod down. I suppose if I want better pictures of turtles in the future, I should invest in a better telephoto lens?

We have a new resident in our yard.

Patty says this is a mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) – a common game bird. This dove has made her*** nest (and laid her eggs) in one of the bushes in our front yard. The nest is surprisingly exposed at the moment – but will probably be more hidden in a few days when the bushes put out more leaves.

But for right now, we have a bird’s eye view of the nest!

***We’re not quite sure whether the dove in the pictures is the male or the female. The pictures were taken during the late afternoon.

Behold Tom, the black hole!  A place so dark that nothing, not even light, can escape!

… until he opens his eyes.