Row, Row, Row your Pedal Boat?

Sam and Laura unhitched the pedal boat for it's first and quite probably last ride this season. As Laura pushed her pedals to the plastic, Sam let his feet effortlessly spin on his moving pedals and every now and then he rowed for a bit. A lot is revealed by how one masters an unwieldy pedal boat.

I SPILLED THE CATS!

We bought a king-size bed for comfort and sprawling...clearly at the time of purchase we had no idea who would be doing the sprawling. And if there's any doubt who uses the bed most, the leaf stained paw marks of our slothful companions leave telltale signs on the new white (almost) duvet. Oy.

Indoor/Outdoor Reading Nook

It took most of the summer to finish, but I finally have a little corner of the world just for reading. It's fashioned into the corner of our screened in porch and started as a bench that hid our kitty litter boxes. We've since expanded said bench, had a mattress made to fit into it, covered it in indoor/outdoor fabric and a pile of pillows...and YES, it still houses our kitty litter boxes....but Shhhhh, no one knows...and they're very tidy cats!!!

Mirror, Mirror on the Water....

Perhaps the most beautiful time in our corner of the world is....right...now....from yellow to orange to red all in one magical week. Even when the leaves all blow away, we're left with a magnificent, picture perfect vista. Since I've started teaching at our local college, I've not had much time to catch my breath and see what Mother Nature's breath has been up to. Today I did....and I must say she outdoes herself every year. Let's all throw a roast in the oven, put some apple sauce on to boil and call it Fall, shall we?

The Art of Being Black and White

Cat or cow - then or now - nothing photographs better than black and white critters in a coloured corner of the world. Painters have been inspired by such for years, as have photographers....black and whites aren't so much the canvas for a creative project, but the muse. Our cat, Louie (shown here) has always fancied himself a muse. Nothing to do with being black and white -he's just a cat who's comfortable in his own skin. Fur is simply a mere accessory to such a bon vivant!

The Cat With No Shame

No pedigree anything followed this cat to our house. He's been a scrapper since he was a kitten. Our dog Lucy, a speckled hound, took to raising him and now he behaves much like she did - rather dog-like. He nips at the other cats to hurry out the door and sleeps spread eagle wherever he likes. Good thing he was born with a diaper cuz no one wants to be looking at his business all....the....time!!

Artist in Residence

Our friend, Ricarda, visited for the weekend, and when she's not smothered in bubbles and raising her little guy, Quinton, the woman paints, paints and then paints some more. Having just purchased one that I find myself looking at daily, I'm left wondering where this young woman will be in another twenty or thirty years. Amazing work, and she sells her work on facebook of all places - averaging one to two sales a week. Ricarda Forbes Loth - go see - go buy.