Cattywampus, While Cats Look On; Season in Review . . .

Franklin does some serious editing

Cattywampus season post, last spring to now in review; some will be sad. I didn’t have these pictures before due to computer stuff. Anyway there’s no fall leaves scenery here yet; and in the southern hemisphere, it’s even spring.

I had to switch to another machine. Learning new tech is not so easy, with the energy deficits I have. Everything is different, trying to size the pictures is a challenge. And most of my pictures are marooned in the old computer; time is scarce for the hubs so we haven’t accessed the back-up drives yet.

An important note, the visual balance on the screen is off, all those factors like contrast, dark and light, etc. There’s been no time to try to try to get it back to default settings either. That means I’m not photoshopping to the same standard setting most viewers will see on their screens. I have no idea what it will look like on a typically balanced screen.

The last weather picture was of the odd snow storm in February, but then on March 17th there was severe weather potential. Here’s Shelley that day, you can see the TV weatherperson reflected in the window.

Shelley on Stormwatch

There were 25 tornadoes in the state that day. Sometimes a tornado stays up in the air and does not descend to ground level. They’ll tell you during the event but we won’t hear about it later; I’ve only seen the ones that hit the ground get written up in reports. This is the way the sky looked around the time they said one went over near us. Also around this time a neighbor heard something either go by or over.

Disagreeable Sky

Here’s Shelley later in the afternoon.

Sweet Shelley

There were some injuries, but no loss of human life that day. But sadly there were 6 deaths in the March 25 tornado outbreak.

In April:

Spring busting out all over

Moonpie is glorious!

Moonpie brings on the spring beauty

Iris and Spiderwort

Our Spooky Girl is still a little wild thing (and makes our hearts sing)

In early May we went to the creek, for the last time before the mosquito population exploded this summer. Everything was already bright green.

Forest in reflection

I had my phone camera pointed at the trees when this vulture zoomed in and out of the frame. They are nature’s clean-up crew, not really bad birds. This is October so perhaps this bird serves as a Halloween decoration. Muhahahaha.

Vulture, there for an instant

Tulip tree petal, grounded

Our Tulip Trees are about 40 feet and the blooms are all at the top, where we never see them. Petals had drifted down as the flowers wilted, or could have been blown there by a wind.

I tried to root one of the little blooms that was on the ground, but it didn’t work.

This was fun and pretty for awhile.

Stripey’s a happy kitty!

Regular summer mimosa

Lynx is ever watchful, no cattywampus will get past him!

Speaking of cattywampus if anyone knows if it’s safe to download the non-google versions of Picassa that are the only ones available now, please let me know. Picassa made it so much easier to work with photos and with far fewer clicks.

“Early bloomers” in the fall department

This happened in July, but it was an anomaly. We are still . . . so green.

We lost a dear friend a few weeks ago. A person of great courage who had marched with Dr. Martin Luther King. I had looked forward to visiting her when the virus situation gets better and I’m heartbroken. She is mentioned in my book. She loved the natural world; this post is dedicated to her.

The American Beautyberries begin

At least the beautyberries are in full swing for autumn now, they are everywhere. I’m getting weaker and may have trouble getting around to commenting on everyone’s posts, much as I enjoy the camaraderie of commenting back and forth. Hopefully I can get back with some black cat stuff and some more fall-like scenery soon!

Boss Buddy

My gorgeous Boss is here!

He wants y’all to get my MUSE Award winning book, Catwoods! It has the stories of our five decades of rescuing outdoor cats and adopting them, or finding them good homes when we were at catpacity. People who read it say they read it over and over; when they give it to friends, they get another copy to keep. We just need more people to get it, that will help us take care of the kittens, their feral elders, and Franklin. Link at the right top of the page now should go to Borgo Publishing; the Amazon listing is now messed up and puts used book sellers first on the list at inflated prices. The correct price of a new copy is 23.95 before sales tax and shipping. The link on Amazon just goes back to Borgo but it’s now hard to find. Go to Amazon only to read the 5-Star reviews and to read the descriptions and nice comments from friends. You can also go to the “Order the MUSE Award winning book Catwoods Online” page to find the link directly to Borgo Publishing.

Remember Me Thursday; To Promote Adoptions of Homeless Animals

Lynx at about 6 to 8 months

Lynx was one of five kittens brought to us by a feral mom in 2019. We had Momkitty spayed and we keep her fed now, but she keeps her distance and I don’t think she’ll ever be socialized to humans. This guy looked much more like a lynx when he was younger. He’s an absolute sweetie of a floofer!

We meant to foster the kittens and find them homes but we foster-failed big-time and kept all five. We just couldn’t part with Boss, Spooky, Stripey, Moonpie, and Lynx. It’s fascinating to watch the ways they interact, stepping around each other and trilling. When I watch them sleep, I feel peaceful. (Most of my photos are marooned in another computer, but the “Kittens” are all pictured throughout this site.)

There are now many animals in shelters needing homes, especially in our part of the southeastern US region. The buzz I see on social media is that shelters are very full this year, the rescue groups are also full and cannot take more, and they need funds. So anyone who is considering adding a pet to your home, please remember shelter pets and visit your local shelter!

For five decades my husband and I have adopted, reunited, and sometimes rehomed, animals who were wandering outdoor spaces. We always checked to be sure no owner was looking for them. We were fortunate to have a great local vet who often helped with rehoming. The sad part is that we never went to a shelter to adopt because we always had plenty of “street and woods cats” in the house. But when at catpacity we also never took newly found strays to shelters, we found them good homes instead. When we first had cats there were no rescue groups and there was no one doing Trap, Neuter, and Return (TNR) of ferals. We and our parents took in cats right off the street, as did many other individuals who adopted off the street in those same time periods. When the marvelous rescue groups and feral caretakers who TNRed came along, they helped enormously. Even so there is still a large population of cats in town. So continued spaying and neutering is vitally important to give the ferals a healthy life and to keep them from producing more kittens.

Humans are healthier in every way when they live with pets. I feel pet companionship is a basic human need and should be recognized as such. That’s one thing to advocate for. To open up more homes for pets, it would help if we could persuade landlords to accept pets in rental housing.  I also think people going into assisted living care should be able to keep their pets, pet care should be part of the assistance. These are just a few ways to increase the homes available for pets. There are now many great advocates working to raise public awareness in so many ways and that’s got to help.

So please remember those animals who never got homes.

The kitties and I are joining the #RememberMeThursday Blog Hop at Lola The Rescued Cat. We send thanks to them, and also to the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day 2021

Our Little Ultraviolet

I called her Ultraviolet, or UV. My husband called her Little Girl. She was so little . . . and so sweet.

August 28th is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day. My heart is heavy with so many kitties who have left us, and eventually, when I can again access older photos, I’ll make a post with all of them.

Ultraviolet is our most recent loss. I still miss her so much. She showed up amidst a friend’s ferals. She was friendly but we couldn’t find anyone who claimed her, so on August 22nd of 2017, the day after the solar eclipse, we brought her inside. She helped me edit Catwoods in 2018 when it was finally coming together.

She left us on September 3, 2018. All cat loss is difficult but her loss was especially heartbreaking for me. She had just had a good report at her annual vet checkup. She was estimated by vets to be only about 11 years old, and many of our cats have lived well into their teens. She was with us for only a little over a year.

I don’t think we’ve ever had a sweeter kitty. All day and all evening she would go from one of us to the other, making little “urrrp oop eep” sounds of greeting. “Come up Sweetheart,” I’d answer. She’d jump up, sometimes with a little help from us, and settle in for pets, scritches, and purrs. I miss her soft chirrups. And, of course, her editing.

She left us for the Rainbow Bridge suddenly, due to what was probably an undiagnosed heart condition. Since the vets thought she was doing well, her unexpected leaving made it harder.

She was so loving and had such cuteness and whimsey about her.

She shines in my memories. But knowing those memories are over and gone hurts my heart.

As sad as we are, I would take an older cat again. I’m happy we could give her snuggles, her favorite tasty foods, toys, comfy blankies, and a safe home in her last year. I just wish we could have had more time with her.

I want to thank Deb Barnes of Zee and Zoey’s Cat Chronicles, founder of Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, for creating this day of remembrance. We are joining her Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day 2021 – Purr Prints of the Heart Blog Hop.

I so miss you, Little Ultraviolet Girl!

ETA: We were okay in the storm, just tons of rain. Most friends on the coast have told us they are okay. Sept. 1, 2021.

ETA again Sept 1, now we are worried about everyone through the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states because the storm is causing tornadoes and tornado watches and severe weather way on up into those areas!

Again this year at this time, there is a hurricane approaching the Gulf Coast. At the moment it looks like we will on the eastern side of the storm which means we could have some rough weather. So, I may be slow to answer comments.

Black Cat Appreciation Day; Show-Off Party with Miscellaneous News

Franklin shows off his feet

Black Cat Appreciation Day is August 17th! This is our celebration party starring our black cats, and our cats of other colors are joining the festivities too! We’re still using old pictures because we’re still trying to get all ducks in a row to shift the computer stuff around.

In that first picture our young Franklin suns himself from a high spot, doing a three paw dangle. Franklin is our little wild boy!

I like and try for a more natural look in photos now, but I do enjoy bringing colors up or down, and working with patterns, the way I used to work on a painting or collage. I’m really not a photographer.

Boss on left, Moonpie on right

Siblings Boss and Moonpie in late summer.

Beautiful black cats come to us from nature and stay a part of it though they inhabit our lives too. That’s why they, and indeed all cats, make our hearts soar so much, especially in autumn when our focus is on the beauties and bounties of the natural world. They are all-natural, not supernatural. I’ve tried to express that before, and haven’t always succeeded in getting through. Maybe I’m writing too subtle; I write in older ways. Today’s writing is more direct and explanatory. Cats have mysteries but scientific study via careful observation will lead to explanations, eventually. Meanwhile, I try to depict and describe them in ways of poetry, analogy, and rhapsody. Black fur on cats is one permutation of the earth’s beguiling color ranges that show up on animals, plants, rocks and minerals; the earth scenery we live with. It’s all good.

Spooky Girl

Spooky the tuxie girl is named for her spookiness towards humans. She is slowly sweetening up though.

The computer I work on is having random reboots. Time to transfer everything to another computer is scarce.

Little Moonpie

Moonpie was the smallest of the kittens. She still is, but she has grown a bit. She’s a darling!

News: I’ve started posting a little on Instagram. Once I learned how, it was easy and I enjoy it more than I thought I would. I still prefer posting here and I will when I can. So, go there and check it out!

Handsome Boss in younger days

Boss is a mini-panther of deep wisdom, he has a really knowing gaze!

More news: As part of their ongoing series, the Cat Writers’ Association published my “How My Cat (Writing) Career Started” article, on their Facebook page and their Instagram. For some historical insight into a fascination that really started with our first cat over 50 years ago, and sparked a writing project that began in 2004, go check it out at either one of those sites!

Lynxie Boy!

Our Household Lynx greets y’all! We are partying with and for all cats today, Black Cat Appreciation Day. We appreciate all cats, in any and all of nature’s magnificent varieties of coloration!

Also news: We are over the moon and back with joy that Sawyer has returned home safe! His peeps run The Cat on My Head blog. Check them out! The Cat On My Head

We are also terribly sad for all whose kitties have gone on to The Rainbow Bridge and we wish their peeps peace and comfort.

Our Stripey is grand!

Stripey is an adorable kitty, the largest of them all, and very affectionate! Celebrating and showing all our kitties, and all kitties everywhere today!

News: I finished Catwoods Volume 2! Unless another stray thought strolls by . . . Most of it was written a long time ago but since “ending” it in 2018, we’ve had new cats enter our home and I’ve had a few more ideas I wanted to add. I’d really like to publish it this year but I don’t know if that’s possible.

Black Cat Appreciation Day News: There is a book launch of Mollie Hunt’s newest book on August 17th, with a beautiful cover featuring a black cat. I’ll put the link to the advance notice on her blog here, and change it when it’s updated:  BOOK LAUNCH LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY

More Black Cat Appreciation Day News: Rosa has included my Catwoods book in a post on Katzenworld called 10 Books to Read on Black Cat Appreciation Day The kitties and I thank you, Rosa!

A tech glitch of some sort: Whenever anyone ‘likes’ a comment I make on someone else’s blog, I go back to see if there is an answer. I always try to ‘like’ the answer but these days, the function won’t always work. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. It may be that the old program I’m using doesn’t interface well somehow with the newer tech of WordPress. So maybe the upcoming changes we are trying to make will help.

Beautiful Shelley

Shelley is our friend’s beautiful tortie.

All these cats say “Phssssst” to any silly ideas about luck! If you have the love of a beautiful black cat, or any cat, you are lucky indeed!

All of the kitties in this post came directly from the streets. We always check to be sure a cat or cats do not have an owner(s) looking for him or her before taking the cat(s) into our home or rehoming them. If they have feral pals or elders around, as our kittens did, we continue to feed those ferals and spay and neuter them. Please spay and neuter cats. The population of new kittens seems high this summer, as reported by all the rescue groups I follow.

Also please consider getting a copy of our book which tells, in depth, of our long history of cat keeping. It celebrates cats as marvelous pets and hopefully, inspires more adoptions. There’s a lot in it about black cats, as well as all our cats of other colors and patterns. Book sales also help us keep helping more cats as well as our own kitties! Click the Amazon page at the upper right, or go direct to Borgo Publishing from the “Order the Catwoods Book Online” page, linked to under the banner. I know the Amazon page is a little different from most, you have to click on the “1 new from . . .” and sometimes it says “2 new from . . . ” From there you purchase the book direct from Borgo Publishing, a reliable local publisher.

There several other posts on this blog that celebrate black kitties as the all-natural beings they are, here are two:

Black Cats in Sun and Shade, a Painter’s Eye View

Beauties of Black Cats, Beauties of Autumn Leaves

At Home With Cats

Young Franklin

This site is all about cats, getting them adopted, showing their beauty and their expressive beguiling ways, their stories, their lives with humans who are making homes, homes and families that include cats. And mostly, the cats who weave themselves throughout those human homes and hearts. That’s my focus, though there is sometimes a little about us, the humans: our lives, my art and art I like, our surroundings, and our wish to preserve the natural world and its cats. Always, the cats are along with us.

Still using past pictures due to computer stuff, we don’t work fast around here . . .

Stripey with a smile

Any place I’ve ever lived, cats seem to already be there, or to show up, or to live around us, somewhere nearby. That’s true of any place humans have settled. Cats do cluster near people. Even unfriendly ferals appear to gravitate towards people, they keep their distance but if they always stayed hidden away we wouldn’t be aware of so many feral colonies. Like the ones we saw years ago on our way to an out-of-town doctor’s appointment, eating, being fed and maintained by the employees of a quick mart in a dent in a forest off a highway.

Well-fed stray cats

Did those ferals come from deep in that forest or originally from distant houses? Sometimes terrible people drive cats out in the countryside and dump them, but those cats almost always try to make their way back to locations with humans. Even those who were born feral outside make their way to homes. They might be drawn by the odors of food, which are apparent to them over much longer distances than they are to us, and by other cats as potential mates, but between a choice of total wilderness hiding and playing “now you see me now you don’t” with scary tall beings, in my experience they choose us, humans, most of the time. Of course, just as they did at our historic beginnings with cats, they also come in pursuit of any rodents who may still have designs on human food supplies.

Lovely Moonpie stretches

During our life with cats, most came directly to the door or to the doors of friends who placed them with us. We arranged for those cats to join us and be in our care. Wait, how much did we arrange, or did they come to us seeking, or already knowing? The feral cat mom (now spayed) who won’t come anywhere near us except for food, was she wise, looking out for the future for her kittens . . . or do I imagine that?

Spooky and Boss

Spooky says, “Protect me, big brother, but keep your large rear end out of my foot space.”

I hope to advocate for kitties through my work and my book, to showcase the delights of living with cats, and help increase adoptions. I have a rare and limiting chronic illness (it’s more or less stable right now), and I could never have made it this far without the cats. I am so grateful for those readers who understand that our “cat purpose” and our “cats in homes” purpose is what matters here at this site. I regret that being limited, I can’t get out and about on the cat blogosphere as much as I would like to.

Lynx is grand!

When writing I think like rolling prose-poems, though here I often chop up the sentences to be more modern, to be absolutely “clear”. I halfway “go with the flow” of present day . . . When I was young we were reading “stream of consciousness” works. We were reading beat poetry in snack bars and “coffee houses” in makeshift spaces, and reading all those old British poets and playwrights in classes. So I’m part “old school” or should I say, “old library”?

Spooky Girl Next to Stripey

Boss as the day fades

In those days we were hearing and making prose poetry in parks, where we saw people giving away kittens, and we learned that we were there to take those kittens and go make homes, and to find the moms and the elders and make sure they were in homes too. Homes that can happen deep in a forest as ours did, or way up in skyscrapers in busy cities, or in pleasant suburbia, wherever. Homes where the cats keep coming around just to see what’s going on . . . what’s cooking . . . And we were meant to keep on taking those kittens, those young cats, those older cats into our homes and families, and we did, cats who padded into the home, and then infiltrated the poetry whenever we took up writing again.

Shelley the Show-Off, Our Friend’s Cat

All our household cats came direct from neighborhoods, streets . . . although some prior cats in my Muse Award winning book, Catwoods, traveled through forests to get to remote houses. The book went through rewrites but retains writing styles that are either quirky or polished, according to the decades it describes . . . I wanted it to be conversational, using cadence and expressions of humans actually talking; I wanted it to be rhythmic, with beats, like music. But mostly I wanted it to be about cats, to help cats, and to help us care for cats! Links to the book are at the upper right-hand side and on the page under the banner, “Order the Muse Award winning book online”.

Cheers and Meows until next time!

It’s The Third of June, Already; Music, With Cats

CAT-themed sites are preferred if you wish to repost or reblog; ask permission!

Boss Last June

Here’s the Boss (pic taken last June), making an appearance so he can supervise our efforts today!

Every 3rd of June I post this deftly worded mystery in song form, Ode to Billie Joe, written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry. In 1967 it was number one for four weeks and it even knocked the Beatles out of first place; it stayed on the charts for 20 weeks. It had eight Grammy nominations, with four wins.

This is the best version for vocals, IMO.

IMO the song is effective and lasting partly because it doesn’t provide an answer, but leaves the listener wondering and imagining.

I think this song endures because it has authenticity; Bobby Gentry grew up in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta and sings with an accent and rhythm of the US Deep South, where I now live, and the lyrics are worded in ways I’ve actually heard used here. That makes it real; sometimes everyone everywhere can recognize the sound of real people talking even though they may not have heard the actual speakers. That’s how stories become implanted in minds and resonate, even across years. That’s also part of why the song was such a hit, in my opinion.

This version has IMO the best visuals, plus an explanation of how the rivers are positioned.

I was captivated by this song when I first heard it, though it was years later, after I’d learned more about how storytelling works, when I realized just how brilliant it is.

Summer photos from May/June last year:

Sky Sweep

 

Green-Blue Scenario

 

Mimosa standing out

When I wrote my MUSE Award winning cat book I tried to capture the daily aural ambiance of the place I live in, a university town surrounded by coal mines, agricultural lands, and industrial areas. I mixed scholarly language with occasional local sayings, and I also borrowed from many regions of the US, several other languages, old counter-cultural slang, and from the expanding terminology of cat people, as in “floofer”. Language and the way it forms and grows is a topic that fascinates me.

Links to get the book are at the upper right and on the page “Order the MUSE-Award-winning book.” Order direct from Borgo Publishing, as Amazon has now messed up the listing with used booksellers at inflated prices. The correct price of a new copy is 23.95 before sales tax and shipping.

Her sweetness Moonpie is here to close. All our cats are thriving and we’ll get back soon with pictures of all those kitties! Still working through some computer issues.

Our little Moonpie last June

Big Cat Identity Kerfluffles

Check with me before reblogging or reposting. Cat-themed sites are preferred.

Lynx loose in the house!

That’s a Lynx in the picture at about 7 months old. Our household domesticated cat named Lynx, that is.

It’s spring, and animals are showing up on game cameras. I’ve always seen facebook discussions of just which species of wild cats are out there. Many people claim to have actually seen cougars when out in the wild. There’s never been a consensus of opinion; persons working in professional wildlife capacities always say these sightings are mistaken identity – maybe bobcats or large dogs – and there are no cougars in Alabama.

Lynx, pictured here during last year’s run on tp; he wants everyone to know that a bobcat actually is a lynx.

Boisterous young Lynx!

In one chapter of Catwoods, I looked into these questions. I cited a paper by an expert in the state whose opinion was, no cougars are present here. Even with the wide range of statements, when I wrote the book I never thought this would turn into a controversy. Don’t serious investigators, or even savvy casual observers, search for, weigh, and consider any and all data? I tried to paint with a broad brush.

That chapter was sparked by an encounter that my husband and I had with an unknown animal in the night. We are two highly observant and thoughtful persons who respect science and I did honestly state our opinions, that there might have been a cougar out there. I relayed experiences of other credible persons in the state who had reported actually seeing a cougar. Gulp! I agreed that this would have been a passerby or escaped captive and that there are no breeding populations. And I didn’t say any of us are infallible. I’ve read online discussions of “What kind of cat was that?” for years but only recently did I see one become sort of heated. Gulp again.

I was striving for scientific accuracy as much as possible in the book, but I also included observational history of my own, and some from others. So that might be called informal and/or anecdotal evidence, as I’m not a biologist. I don’t usually speak in absolutes because there is always more data out there to be added in the future, and, there’s always research, and articles, that I just never encountered when researching for the book. Due to the illness which began before I wrote it, I was not able to get out to go do onsite library research, or to talk to people.

Catwoods is essentially nonfiction, although there are brief breakthroughs of fiction when I “voice” the cats. I had actually seen that done in other nonfiction cat narratives. I did always try to base any statements I invented for the cats on actual cat behaviors known to science.

So y’all, the book is a memoir, mostly about smaller wild felines, the somewhat domesticated kind we call housecats. I present facts and state honest opinions. Readers are welcome to form their own conclusions.

On a lighter note regarding mistaken identity, if you looked across a field one hazy evening and saw that guy in the pictures above . . .  Though he doesn’t look quite so lynxie now that he’s older. Getting the book helps us support wraithes, er waifs, like the Lynx kitty above.

And this guy! A moody older picture of Boss:

Awww, wistful Boss!

And, all our other kitties and their feral elders too. I just wanted to do something quick and not post everyone’s pictures this time. I hope the other kitties won’t mind. Gulp!

I’m still using older pictures. We’re still trying to arrange more picture space so I can start using more recent pictures. With multiple items on the to-do list it’s going to take awhile.

Lynx to get the book are at the upper right, please use the Borgo link rather than Amazon, and on the Order the MUSE Award-winning Catwoods Book online page which goes direct to Borgo Publishing. Amazon has messed up the listing and made the new copy hard to find now. The correct price is 23.95.

Black Cat Beauty Through All Seasons

Boss is a wise kitty

Boss is here to brighten things up a bit.

I usually wait several weeks between posts, and I’m not ready to do a long post. But I wanted to strike a pleasant note by leaving a couple of pictures here until I can post something longer.

Cats are a force of nature, livening up whatever scenery surrounds us.

And, another spring picture!

Crabapple blooms

In spring many kittens are found, and some might have radial hypoplasia. These cats can be cared for and can live a happy life. My post about our late Little Buddy, “Our Cat With Feline Radial Hypoplasia” is here. It has stayed on the first page of a google search for “feline radial hypoplasia” for years. He was my late Mom’s cat who came to live with us after she passed.

There is even more about Little Buddy in my book, Catwoods. If you have read the book, thank you so much! If you like it, please consider that the kitties and I would love to see some more Amazon reviews! We have all 5-star reviews so far, but we’d like to have more! And if you haven’t yet read it and you order a copy, that will help us take care of our kitties and their feral elders!

I’ve had an Instagram account for awhile now and have yet to figure out exactly how I’ll post there, as we work on photo stuff. Thanks so much to all those who have followed it! I will post eventually, for now I am “liking” and enjoying the posts of others.

4/27/11 Tornado, 10th Anniversary

We survived. Many did not. Church bells will ring at 5:13 pm today, the time when the tornado hit the town 10 years ago, for those who didn’t make it.

Our cats survived, too.

I’m just going to post links to some videos and an article. These are not my work, they were done by others as specified at the links.

Tornado Synced

When my husband rebuilt the house we survived in, he made it even stronger. He purposely left a piece of glass embedded in the wall, as a reminder.

The PTSD is getting worse, not better. Sometimes I wish we’d moved to another part of the country where tornadoes are far less common. But we’d have been leaving a lifetime of treasured friendships. And we wouldn’t have met our more recent and wonderful cats.

If you’re driving around and you see a tornado, here are safety suggestions.

What to do if you see a tornado while driving

Stay safe! If you see a tornado don’t watch it or video-record it like some of the folks in the videos did. Take cover. That said, the following is one of the most intense videos of a tornado ever:

Jason Rosolowski video (It seems to be starting from late in the recording, you may have to to drag the starting thingie back to the beginning.):

Jason Rosolowski video

You can look under the “Tornado” category here for various posts I wrote about it.

Be mindful of tornado safety and look up your state’s safety information. Use helmets. The lowest level of of any structure, in a small interior room like a bathroom or closet, away from windows, is said to be the safest.

Tornadoes have occurred in every contiguous state of the US.

Still working on photos and computers, we’ll be back soon with spring pictures and kitty photos.

Springing Through Time With Cats

Moody Franklin

(Pictures and words are for the use of Catwoods Porch Party only. Reposts for the love of cats and nature are welcome. See the “Extended Copyright ….” page above for more info about why I start posts this way.)

All who love cats are deeply appreciated here!

Franklin has decided he likes editing and will um, cheerfully bring his opinions to the keyboard. (Actually he’s rather insistent that we do things his way.)

While I wait until we sort out the photo overload, we’ll hop all over seasons and years for cat pictures, and use the few spring pics we have. So weird sky pics from the severe weather days will have to wait.

Glorious Stripey!

We go back to last autumn to catch Stripey lounging about and looking regal!

Thoughtful Boss

Boss looking dreamy on a winter evening.

The crabby apple tree

The crab apple tree was the earliest bloomer.

Moonpie the cutie!

Moonpie has the tallest ears!

Dandy Lion

The first dandelion I saw!

Oh wait, while we’re being all springy, let’s not forget the deep freeze that happened in February!

February brrrr

That’s the light snow we had with sub-freezing temperatures for a few days.

February Cedar Waxwings

The Cedar Waxwing Division of the cold spell bird invasion made for excellent Bird TV.

Boss and Spooky

All cats tuned in. A good chance for a little “Protect me big brother” snuggling.

Early flowering

Back to flowering trees. (We’ll get to the severe weather pics between these events when the photo thing is sorted.)

Wisteria, delicate and sparse

Gray spring day

. . . wisteria, and that scent, but not for long and nothing like the sustained wisteria explosion we had last year.

Sweet violets

And these, this year’s violets. Those are last year’s violets in the border.

The violets are all mostly gone now, they only stay a short time. But these kitties, they bloom with beauty and charming hi-jinks every day throughout the year. Some older pics of the Kittens, they were such little cuties:

Valiant Spookums

Young self-assured Bossy Cat

Boss with hints of color skittering on his furs.

Lynx does his nails

Ouch, Lynxie! He likes to flex his nails on my jeans.

Grand Lynx

Here’s Lynx with an important message: Fellow blogger TW from the wonderful blog Stunning Keisha could use some support and purrs:

https://www.stunningkeisha.com/2021/04/thankful-thursday.html

Lagniappe:

Shelley Girl

Our friend’s cat, Shelley.

And here’s Boss with another important message:

Evening Boss

He’s finished reading my MUSE Award winning book Catwoods, and recommends it highly! We so appreciate everyone who has read it, and we need for more people to get the book and read it.

People who like Catwoods really like it and tell me they read it over and over again. While some are old friends, there are others I don’t know from far away, California, New York, Michigan. It’s 364 pages full of cat stories from many decades, music and art and the “languages” that arise between cats and humans, and some human language too. Yes there’s some colorful southeastern variant language, that’s where I and the kitties live. Getting the book helps us care for our kitties. Click on the cover at the upper right for Amazon or “Order the Catwoods book online” page, under the Franklin banner for the link that goes direct to Borgo Publishing, our indie publisher.