Franklin chillin’
Fall is usually brindled here anyway. Now it’s starting, but only in patches. The weather’s still hot and Franklin stays cool on smooth surfaces.
Lonesome yellow
Small areas are changing.
Delightfully violet
Purple Mist Flowers are blooming on schedule.
Determined Shelley
Our friend’s beautiful Shelley, who is quite the patchy girl herself, keeps busy by applying fur to clothing and shoes.
Scattered, flighty autumn
Fall’s there, you just have to look for it.
Excitement galore!
We even have red!
Deep and glorious
The thing is, all these red leaves quickly crinkled up and fell. Weather persons promise rain soon. I’m cautiously optimistic, even though . . .
Leaf fest with Beautyberries
Not long ago the forest looked like this. Now most of the Beautyberries are gone, so something’s happening.
Luscious lavender
Meanwhile I enjoy these Purple Mist Flowers so much, even with the addition of the hubs’ cables of unknown purpose in the yard.
Frankie lounges
The dominant color is still, well, you know.
Franklin with my Catwoods book
Franklin is a Non-Editing Cat but he wants our Catwoods Vol. 1 book to be a success. That would mean we could go on to publish Volume 2, which continues to the times when he came along. He’s pleased that in editing this photo, I chose to make his beautiful panthery fur stand out more versus getting true color in the book cover. (I’m not all that good at photos and editing them.) He has gained weight and looks a tad chunky but the angle and the way he’s sitting make him look bigger than he actually is. He accepts that explanation.
The book cover, with truer colors, is visible in the upper right hand corner of the page. It’s available on many online booksellers. See our new page (page links are directly under the banner) with links to your choice of three online venues.
I live near a creek in a forest, in close observation and awe of the wildlife outside, as well as the domestic animals of the household. I'm writer Leah T. Alford. I was "catwoods" on this site Catwoods Porch Party, Itchmo Forums for Cats and Dogs, and a few other sites that may or may not exist now. I have now published a book, and the publisher wanted it called Catwoods. I never expected the book title to be the same as my username, so for now I've changed the username to Leah. For more info, click the "About" button above.
Catwoods Porch Party 
We have beautiful Autumn colors, but it’s so windy here on the prairie that the leaves are very tentative!
Yay for having the colors! Just today I saw some reds coming in that weren’t there before . . . and it’s windy here too, so we’ll have to ready and vigilant to capture them!
Embrace the season. đđđž
Indeed!
Love that top photo with the light falling on Franklin’s beautiful silky fur. Shelley is a pretty cat too.. We don’t worry about seasons here in Southern California… some days it’s cool, some days it’s warm! The cats take it as it comes. When it rains Freddie doesn’t seem to notice and jumps on my desk soaking wet!!! He needs an umbrella…
Franklin and Shelley and I thank you! That top pic of Frankie is the best light we have in the house. Now that the weather’s turned cool, though, he seeks other surfaces. That Southern California weather sounds very appealing! We’ve gone from too hot to way too chilly . . . I can just imagine a wet cat on the desk!! Frankie stays inside but paws on keyboards can still be very inconvenient . . .
I hope Franklin gets his wish and is immortalized in a published Volume 2! We, too, only ever have a late fall if any fall at all in Phoenix but tomorrow we may be heading up north and they should have some colors.
That sounds like a fun trip, Candace! I’m starting to see pictures of some changes farther north now. Since we’ve turned colder we may get a little more color in the not too distant future. Franklin is glad that you see his point of view, he thinks we should have put 2 first!
Charlee: “What pretty colors!”
Chaplin: “I think my favorite part of fall would be staring at the leaves while they blow around!”
Thank you Charlee and Chaplin, I’m happy you enjoyed the colors! I too enjoy seeing the leaves blow around, or slowly drift down when they fall.
Congrats on the book! Franklin looks very pleased with himself and he deserves to be. I love your fall photos. Out here in Arizona, we cool down a little but we don’t get the fall colors like you do so it was lovely to see them.
Thank you for good wishes on the book, MNL! I’m happy you enjoyed the fall pics. We should have more later, but I never know exactly when. We’re still mainly green. But we are getting rain and cooler weather now so maybe it won’t be so long.
I’ll enjoy seeing them as they come up.
Still waiting . . . it’s cloudy outside, and green, so far, lol . . .
I love mistflower. A local apiary grows large swaths of it for the bees.
Franklin looks lovely lined in purple. đ
I bet those mistflower expanses look grand, Eliza! Ours were sparse and they’re mostly gone now. Glad you like Franklin with purple, I do too! I like him with blue backgrounds, too.
Beautiful leaf photos! It’s so hard to catch the beauty of autumn.
I’m happy you liked the pictures, Claire! Thank you so much!
The leaves all turn red now, so beatiful ⤠Shelley has some autumn colours too and Frankie you look so beautiful with the purple background and you did a great job on the pictures, Leah, it will get easier in no-time đ Good Luck with your book, it looks like a great readđ¸Pawkisses for a Happy Thursday to all of youđžđ˝đ
Good to know the leaves are turning somewhere. We are getting a few red ones now but not many. Thanks for the encouraging words on the pictures, I’m trying to learn some new electronic systems, always hard for me. Franklin and Shelley and I thank you very much for the nice things you said about them, and I thank you for the encouraging words about the book. Many purrs and Happy Thursday to Little Binky and the household! â¤
Really pretty and your cat is gorgeousđđ
Thank you so much Garfield Hug, I’m glad you liked the pictures and Franklin is really pleased with your comment about him!
Garfield Hugs to Franklin
Franklin thanks you and sends Hugs back!
Cables of unknown purpose must be a man thang. I have some in my yard, too. Your fall-ish photos are beautiful and, of course, so is Franklin. đť
LOL, you’re so right about the cables, Charlotte. It’s at least, the only actual orange in the yard right now. Thank you, I’m happy you liked the pics and Franklin is very pleased with what you said about him!
Beautiful colors in your neck of the woods. It’s still fairly green around here.
I’m glad you enjoyed our splashes of color, Indulgedfurries! Those have gone now but a few more trees have started changing, although overall, we’re still green.
Vibrant as always, Leah.đ
Thanks so much Pam, I’m happy you enjoyed the pictures!
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especially lovely photos, Leah. I love autumn colors .. and cats.
Thank you Abbylynn, I’m happy you enjoyed the photos! I really love the autumn colors too, when we can get them, lol. And I adore cats, always!
Probably the camera lens angle distortion making Franklin’s bum look big and his head so small. Fall is an apt name for it as I pick up a bucket of fallen apples off the ground every morning. How many can I eat? Not many and just the nicest and most delicious. Shelley has great autumn coloring. As I look out the window on this windy blowy morning, I see plenty of yellow leaves accumulating in the backyard, which I will have to dispose of one way or another. And so the year moves on to it’s conclusion.
I think you are right Greg, I caught Franklin at the wrong angle – and that explanation certainly satisfies him! Ah, apples, nice to have them right there off the tree for you! I think Shelley’s a beauty too, and very autumn-like. Sounds like you have the real deal fall already! It’s pretty but takes work if you wish to remove leaves. As you say though, the year goes by so there’s no stopping it, might as well enjoy the colors!
Franklin and Shelley are proper sweetie and reminds me Panther who comes to my place and Shelley looks bit like my Yuki Sweetie. Lavender looks colorful and all the images have powerful vibrant of Fall’s arrival! Thanks for sharing….
Thank you Ashraf, I’m happy you enjoyed the post, and that my kitties remind you of your kitties!
Lovely. I know weâve discussed how much my Scout looks like your Franklin. But my younger catâs name is Patches, so I got a kick out of your title.
Thank you! I love the name Patches for a kitty! I haven’t had a kitty it would really fit though. Maybe one day . . .
I wanted to name Patches âIndyâ because she cane from Indiana, but my husband wouldnât budge. So Patches it is.
LOL, I know about those ‘which name does the cat get’ issues. Sometimes we’ve just used both names, or several . . .
I call them both honey and sweetie and beautiful kitty. Thank
Oops.
I can fix it if you like. Or not, just let me know.
No need to fix it!
I so look forward to your blogs đ
Thank you so much Rosie, I enjoy yours every day!
Autumn colours are so beautiful but cats more đ Good Luck for your book dear Leah, and have a wonderful Autumn days, Love and Hugs to you all, nia
Thank you Nia, for your kind words and well wishes! I’m happy you enjoyed the pictures and the kitties! Franklin and I wish you a marvelous Autumn, with love and hugs, Leah
you are welcome dear Leah, and Thank you, love, nia
All the best with the new book, Leah, and Volume II as well! Franklin and Shelley look very sweet!
Autumn came in like a freight train here.
Lavinia, thanks so much for the good wishes! Franklin and Shelley are both sweet and are also rascally young cats. Love your description of autumn’s arrival, and glad to know someone actually has a real deal autumn!
For many years I was the crazy cat lady of the neighborhood … always rescuing … and always thinking “Someday I’ll write down these unique stories…” but never did. Your book arrived yesterday, and I look forward to reading your stories. Please stroke Franklin’s back for me.
Jazz, thank you so much for getting my book, I hope you enjoy! How wonderful that you have a history of rescuing cats! I think you could still write the stories down, you might want to do something with them one day or maybe just have them as memories. I’ll certainly deliver some pats to Franklin for you!
Beautiful photos. Always nice to see Frankie. XO
Thanks so much Ellen, I’m happy you like the pictures. Frankie sends XO and purrs also!
Another wonderful post to put me in the mood for autumn, Leah. But even more so, your words and photos always seem so … well … relaxing to me. Itâs like I get to take a hike in the woods without putting on my shoes â or having to worry about seeing a ssssnnnake! [A tangential/brief story: My cousinâs wife just told me she got bit by a rattlesnake while hiking in Wyoming and they rushed her to the hospital. Fortunately, she was able to take the anti-venom serum, but … guess what the grand total hospital bill was? $88,000! An expensive hike to be sure!] I do so wish I knew our property up north the way you know intimately your environs â such a great way to connect with your home setting. Wishing you, your husband and Franklin a peaceful autumn! Deb
Deb, oh my what a terrible experience your cousin’s wife had, the rattlesnake and the cost, yikes! I have been fortunate to only see rat snakes and a speckled king snake out here. Others, including hubs, say they’ve seen cottonmouth water moccasins occasionally. That freaks me out but OTOH, in the months after the tornado they were seen in a lake in town that had houses all around it before the storm. I don’t know if they’d always been there. Haven’t heard of a rattler nearby but they’ve been seen in places not too far from here. Thanks so much for encouraging me about the pics and words . . . Unfortunately since I now don’t get out and about much I know far less than most people do about this forest and others around the state . . . but I’m learning. Hoping you have a marvelous autumn too! Leah
Yes, it was a terrible experience for my cousinâs wife, but it turned out all right, in the end. Still, it seems to be another example of American health care being way too expensive. Thank heavens they had good insurance; I feel for those who donât, though. Yes, your words and photos are excellent, Leah. I just love the âworldâ you present to the readers of your blogâas Iâve said many times, reading your blog always brings me back to nature, and thatâs golden. Rainy and colder here, bu still not many leaves have turned color. Wishing you and yours a lovely weekend! Deb
Health care should change here for sure. I think everyone should have something like Medicare, with none of the proposed changes to that program, of course. Keeping people healthy just makes sense. No one should have to go bankrupt to maintain health. Thanks again for your supportive words, Deb. We’re getting cooler and we’re supposed to have some rain. I could do with a little dip in temps, but I hope it doesn’t get really cold. Slow color change here too, a few more reds every day but you have to look for them, lol. A lovely weekend to you all, too.
Fall is falling in place beautifully. Shelley has really nice colors. Franklin’s a good model.
Thank you Tim, I’m happy you like the pictures! I think Shelley’s quite the beauty, too. I usually like Franklin’s pics, whenever I can catch him in a rare still moment.
Mee-yow Franklin an Miss Leah yore Atumm colors are speck-taculer there! It iss furry kewl here an leevess are changing quik an fallin efurry day! Soon it will bee you know…seeson of THE white stuff fallin from THE sky!!!
Franklin yore lookin furry hansum inn yore photoess.
**purrsss** BellaDharma
Wow, fall is happening fast for you, BellaDharma and LadyMew! I hope you don’t get snow too quickly and have time to enjoy autumn! Purrs from Franklin and Leah
Autumm has bin guud to us so far Miss Leah an Franklin! Mee an LadyMew bin sittin out twice a day an enjoyin THE sunshine an nice scenery. An wee hope snow waitss till Deecemburr to arrive……pawss are crossed here! đ
**purrsss** BellaDharma
That sounds so pleasant! Oh I hope the snow will hold off like, until actual winter! Purrs in return!
Mee-yow wow what THE cat iss goin on?? Iss cloudy an freezin outside! This iss our Thanxgivin weekend …no snow butt it sure feels cold enuff to snow!
**purrsss** BellaDharma
We had our first chilly day here too, and we are down around the southern end of the Appalachians. This is really early for us for a cold day. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
EEKKK!!! No chilley dayss yet rite Miss Leah an Franklin??? Today iss lovelee here an mee was out inn condo hangin with Chewy an Chico Chipmunk! Nitess are chilley tho’ an mee has to get LadyMew to put heet on….
Thanxgivin has bin pawsum an there iss more guud nomss on THE way fore tonite! Mee xcited!!!! đ
Glad you are having a lovely day, sounds wonderful! Still cool and cloudy here. Not my favorite weather. Hopefully we have a few more warm days ahead! Celebrate and have fun!
You have beautiful colors to enjoy, Leah. Rabbitbrush is about it for us at this time of year in Eastern Washington on the Idaho border. Flax is our only consolation until Spring warms up a little. . .
I’m glad you enjoyed the colors here, Lauren. I can actually enjoy viewing more subdued colors also, but I don’t know how to photograph them well. But I’ve seen photos of darker and grayer scenes in which the colors are very rich and deep, so I know it can be done.