Seesaw Weather

Seesaw Weather

Chloe in the yard

Every year I get taken by surprise. I see the daffodils poking through the ground and we have a few sunny warm days. Why. it even got into the high 70s just a week ago and I think Spring is on its way .

Then we wake up the next morning and we have either a biting wind that takes your breath away or even worse, a late winter snow blizzard.
That's just what happened today. Just "flurries" the weatherman said but I'd hardly call what we got "flurries'.  It started about 9 am and continued all through the day and we ended up with about 4 inches of snow. We didn't care as we were not planning on going anywhere but the road were a real mess and lots of people were caught up in problems.

Natalie goes out to see Bud in the yard.

It looked pretty and for sure the dogs always love it. Lets hope that's the last of the white stuff until next year.

Goodbye Cooper

Goodbye Cooper

Cooper ( a while ago around 2013)

This week we said goodbye to another one of our resident pets.
Cooper was an inherited cat that we took in from a friend when she was dying. He was already close to 17 years old at that time and she said she couldn't have him put down as he wasn't ready to go .He was still very active.

We certainly found that out. He had always lived with other cats but never dogs so he treated the dogs in our family , just like he would treat the cats which means he would give them all a very direct stare from his beautiful blue eyes and No Pets would intimidate him. He was the Boss!
I can't say any of the cats, all female, really liked him but they tolerated him and found it just easier to keep out of his way. Occasionally there would be hissy , noisy fights but the other cats usually just ran off and being younger than Cooper, could move faster.

There was no doubt Cooper was a beautiful cat with his long white fur and blue, blue eyes. He never seemed to clean his coat like most cats do and within a short while I realized visits to the groomer were going to be necessary. Most times he would have to be shaved right down to his skin as the fine hair would just be so tangled up. It was hard on him and he hated the groomer as his back end and legs certainly had arthritis and it must have been very uncomfortable for him as he was being bathed and shaved. I bet the groomer hated him as well as although he couldn't scratch as he was declawed, he certainly would bite to get his way.

There was no doubt he was  a character. He got used to going out in the yard following the same route around the house each time.He would even go under the decks sometimes where the armadillos hang out. I wonder what they thought of him? 
He would also let out blood curdling yowls from time to time. a favorite time being in the middle of the night. This was not a cat you could ever keep in an apartment.We never understood why this happened.

I had noticed he seemed to be slowing down and was very irritable for the last week or so. He was getting close to 20 years old and was  losing his appetite yet demanding food at ever moment that he actually didn't eat . It wasn't until I saw these photos from about 3 years ago I realized how much weight he had also lost. But his disappearance and presumed death was still quite unexpected.

I got up in the morning and there was just no Cooper anymore.I thought he must have gone for an early morning walk, which he often did but sadly he didn't return. We looked all over for him and there was not the slightest sign of him- not a tiny piece of white hair anywhere, We asked the neighbors as well but  eventually realized sadly he had gone somewhere to pass on. 
We have had a few cats do this now.He had decided that it was now time to go and so he went. No fuss. This is what independent cats do.

 It is always sad when this happens but Cooper had had a good life and we will certainly remember him with love.

Challenge painting - Ah Coffee!

Challenge painting - Ah Coffee!

My painting.

This was again not a very interesting subject for me to paint. It was certainly challenging but I really couldn't get too inspired by it.
It is in water color and I find it difficult to get depth of color using this medium which I think is because I am so used to painting in oil and more often, in acrylic where rich colors are easier to obtain. The pattern on the top of the coffee was the most interesting to do.
Still it is by attempting we learn so I'll keep at it!!

The original photo

A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay

A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay

Carl Weaver’s son Scott dies in an accident and Carl, a private investigator, is determined to find out more about the accident and has strong suspicions that there is more to this than has been told. He is going to many of Scott friends trying to find the answers when one night during a bad rain storm he gerts a tap on his car window and picks up a young girl who knew his son.

From this encounter , Carl then gets pulled into involvement in a complicated investigation of the girl’s disappearance, a murder and a complex ongoing fight between the small town’s police force and the council and mayor..

It is quite a believable modern story and the mystery is complex. It is a story set in a small town and with  topical problems.

A good read if you like mysteries. I  was surprised by the end of the story and found it a sad ending.

Another Special Day

Another Special Day

Visit http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3374/perfect-pancakes
English pancake recipe.

We have lots of interesting days this week . I am really surprised by just how many. Although I still don't know what "Nirvana" day was celebrating.
But on Tuesday this week,  we have a day known by 3 different names and it is a special day at my house. It's Shrove Tuesday, Mardis Gras or my favorite name, Pancake Day! 
Maybe if I was in New Orleans , Mardis Gras would maybe my first pick but as I am a traditionalist lady who celebrates English special days , I go with Pancake Day!!
And why not? Mike makes REALLY GOOD Pancakes and we have them served with dollops of butter and lemon juice and lots of sugar. Sometimes we have one or two with maple syrup just to add a little Canadian flavor to the mix.

So don't forget to serve pancakes on this special day.
I might just get out my mardis gras Beads as well !

To Brighten the Day

To Brighten the Day

It rather dull weather here today; not cold especially compared to other places further North but dreary so it was so nice to see some of my beginning Spring flowers had come into bloom. They have been showing green for a good while now and a few closed buds were there but today actual blooms. So nice and cheerful to see.

I just hope now that they can last through the icy weather that is supposed to come in the next day or so.

Perhaps we will be lucky this time!!

The surprising thing is these bulbs are coming up all over the place where I never planted them so I guess the "friendly" squirrels or armadillos have been replanting for me.

The Valley Of Amazement by Amy Tan

The Valley Of Amazement by Amy Tan

The setting for this book is mostly Shanghai in China and covers the period from 1912 through 1950.  It was a time of much change in China as empires crumble, colonial powers come and go and lives both Chinese and American are constantly changing.

The main characters in the book are Violet ,half Chinese and her mother, born in San Francisco  who runs away to China as a teenager .It is a story of traditions , expectations and  betrayal. It details the profession of  a courtesan and is  a most compelling story.

It takes a while for the story to evolve but when it does the action keeps you involved right through to the very end.

A very interesting book.

Signs of Spring

Signs of Spring

Just recently where we live the weather has been very 'Spring like" Temperatures in the mid 70s and we haven't even got to February 14 and Valentines Day yet. It obviously can't last and we were fooled like this last year and March was really cold. Still I saw one little flower out in the yard today when I was raking Fall leaves off the flower beds so maybe, just maybe  Spring is on it's way .

I can't believe why so many people hate dandelions. It seems to be the bane on many gardeners lives but who cannot appreciate seeing that bright yellow star in the brown ground telling us that the cold has nearly gone.

DULL day Doldrums

DULL day Doldrums

sketch of baby but head too small I think.

The nice thing about living in North Texas in the winter is we get very few snowy or icy and freezing days. Most of the time the temperatures hover around the 40 - 55 degree temperature during the day and then we might get a burst of a few  days where the sun comes out and the temperatures jump up to the high 60 and even the 70s so we really should complain. 
Having lived 11 years of my life in a very cold and snowy Montreal winter and even longer in  a damp and dreary English winter , I count myself very lucky to be living where I am now.

That is until we get the "grey days". As Mike will tell you, " I hate dull, dreary, grey days with clouds".It makes me lethargic and really miserable. It can be fairly cold and I can stand it if there is sunshine and brightness but dull clouds are my downfall.
This is the reason I haven't been blogging lately as the dull days of February are here. It puts me in the big doldrums and I can't get enthused to do much of anything.

 I tried sorting out  my computer  to get rid of junk I seem to accumulate. Then I had a go at a couple of really bad mixed up drawers  that really needed it but that all seem so uninspiring to me. I started doing a couple of paintings and neither went well. I started 3 new novels and none made me feel I wanted to keep reading them. The sketch at the top of the page is from a while back but I haven't done much sketching either. I checked out the many gardening catalogues that I still get sent even though I never buy much from them.I love looking at all the flowers and veggies that it would be wonderful to grow but I know it isn't going to happen here and after a while even that gets depressing.

I did order some seeds , wildflowers and grasses , which is a way of making me look forward to the brighter days ahead, I think. 

Tomorrow the sun is supposed to return so back to normal again I hope.
My new seeds might also come.