Kittens!

I’m sure what you all really want to see is better pictures of our new fur babies. Of the approximately 10,000 that I have taken in the last week, here are a few of the better ones. 

It should be noted that Reno’s name is now Bingo. I picked out Banjo’s name nearly 40 years ago when I showed my high school students a film about Jane Goodall’s study of a lion pride. She named all the animals after stringed instruments. The only one I remember besides Banjo was Lute. Anyway, at the time, I thought, “Banjo! What a great name for a cat!” The only thing was I already had my cat Fruitcake, a.k.a. “Bubby”, and our next cat, Della, was a girl, and Banjo just seems more like a boy’s name. When we got these cats, it was Banjo’s turn. I let Terry name the other cat, but he didn’t pick out a name in 1986 and has been debating. He has until next Monday to make up his mind because that is when the kittens go to the vet for a wellness visit. 

The entertainment center is highly entertaining, particularly the nearly empty shelf where the LPs used to live (as evidenced by the wires that once held them vertically). Now we keep two 3-D wooden puzzles, a wine glass and a bottle, and two gourds. 

Bingo in the defunct LP storage area

Banjo is still the more outgoing of the two. He is the first to find a perch on the back of Terry’s recliner.

Banjo on Terry's recliner

The cat tree has been a big hit. Here is Banjo playing with a feather toy that dangles from a chain. 

Banjo playing with the feather toy on the cat tree

He likes to sleep in the tunnel on the top. (I experimented with getting the reflection out of his eyes, but the fix was worse than the original.) 

One of Banjo's preferred napping areas

During play time, both the boys like to bat at each other from the various levels. 

Fun  in the cat tree

Bingo’s favorite hangout is the chair underneath the table. I think he feels more hidden and secure there. Sometimes Banjo will join him. 

The boys on the chair under the table

Banjo will also sleep on the futon sometimes while Bingo snoozes on the lower level of the cat tree.

Nap time

When Jane got two kittens earlier in the summer, she noticed that they do everything together—eat, sleep, use the litter box, etc. Our boys are a bit more independent, although they often eat together, and I saw them both get in the litter box this morning. 

Synchronous eating

They like to wrestle and groom each other. Like most cats, they like to lie in the sun. 

Brotherly love means licking each other's head

 Their grooming session was interrupted by a fly… 

Whoa! What's up there?

Which they tried (unsuccessfully) to catch. We are hoping that their fly-catching skills will improve. What do they think we pay them for?? 

In pursuit

With the coming of fall, the mornings have been cool and dewy. What I thought were bits of tissue paper scattered across the lawn were actually misty spider webs. 

Webs on the lawn

 We all know the iconic “orb weaver” spider webs with their tidy radial symmetry. These webs are called “irregular net,” which seems to imply “haphazard,” and is rather insulting when one really looks at the architectural feat it represents. The net neatly binds up the grass not only below, but also above, and funnels down to where the spider hides. 

Irregular, but well-constructed, net funneling down to a hole for the spider, just to the right of center

When an insect hits the sticky web, the vibrations signal the spider that it’s dinner time. He or she runs out to capture the prey and pull it into its hidden lair. I tried drawing out the spider by gently tapping on the silk threads, but the spider was not fooled. Thus, I was unable to determine what kind of spider made these nets. 

I’m steadily checking items off the Must Be Done Before Fall list. I picked the onions a couple of weeks ago and set them under a shade/rain shelter to dry. Last week, I cut the tops off and brought them in the house. 

Onions ready for winter storage

I had a marathon canning day Saturday, finishing all the tomato canning I’m going to do this year. In truth, we likely could have gotten along with what we had left from last year. Someday, I hope to come out even. 

The last of the canned tomatoes

 When I went through the seeds last spring, I came upon a padded envelope that had been sent from Athens, Greece. Inside were giant beans that Hilda had ordered. As with all projects that Hilda left undone, my heart broke, but to honor her memory, I planted the giant beans. Well. It ain’t just the beans that are giant. The vines have grown up and over the high tunnel supports. 

Giant bean stalks

The seed set hasn’t been great. I have a couple hypotheses: 1) each bean takes so much energy that it is normal for only a small proportion of seeds to fully develop, or 2) we are not in Athens, Greece. It is also possible that there are more beans higher up, better supported by the larger vines. Time will tell. I found one pod that had all mature seeds. 

Giant beans

I found this large moth in the high tunnel. I suspect that it might be a 5-spotted hawkmoth, which would be bad because they are the ones that start life as tomato hornworms. I moved it out to a birch tree for the picture and will watch the high tunnel tomatoes for signs of infestation. 

Well-camouflaged hawkmoth

The days are approaching 12 hours. The hummingbirds are drinking sugar water like mad. It’s hard to think of them as “bulking up” for their journey south when they are so tiny, but bulk up they must. With the earlier sunset, we can see the backlit hummingbirds during dinner. 

Juvenile male just getting his dark throat feathers

Same bird showing iridescent green back

Just when I was getting sad about the end of summer, I was reminded in the grocery that it is Count Chocula season! Hooray! I have been having my favorite cereal with fresh red raspberries for breakfast. So good!

Count Chocula with raspberries