carolyncat353's Blog

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Oct 30, 2009 | 6:22 AM PST

I used to really love Halloween, I haven't even bought a pumpkin this year. :(  but-I found this little poem:

SWOOPING BATS, DANCING RATS, GLOWING PUMPKINS & WITCHES HATS

HAZY MOONLIGHT, GHOSTS IN FLIGHT-ALL ARE READY FOR

HALLOWEEN NIGHT!!  

The Flu-The Hawk & The River
Oct 28, 2009 | 7:20 PM PST

So much going on today.  We are having bad rain/weather issues and the river where Petey lives is rising.  But-First-my neighbor called me around noon today and told me her 11/12 year old nephew died suddenly-apparently of the flu!!  He was feeling real bad Monday-went to the doctor yesterday(Tuesday)-got medicine-this morning he told his step mother  he felt really tired and was going to lay down.  She passed his room and looked in on him-and something didn't seem right-the boy had DIED! What a Heartbreaker!!  I had seen the boy several times-he played in the yard next door & I would watch them play chase & toss baseball/football/soccer balls around-this is so terrible!  I just can't imagine the parent's pain!!!  This flu strain is nothing to take casually-even when you've been to the doctor it is bad!! Please don't try to treat it yourself!

Came home a little early, because the river is rising and more rain expected tomorrow (2-8 inches-what a span!), and strong, strong south winds that blows the Gulf up into the lakes & rivers- so flooding is predicted.  I walked out my back door to check the area as usual, and a whole covey of tweety birds flew up from my patio-BUT 2 feet off my patio a hawk flew off with a large bird in its claws!  It circled my back yard neighbors house, flew back over my house, and dropped the bird in my front yard-and flew to a small tree in the front and just watched me (Peanut's running out and barking of course!).  I assumed it was a dove-but when I checked- it was a PIGEON! A LARGE pigeon!  I was always laughing because Motley would stalk the pigeons and they were as big as her-Makes me wonder-did a Hawk get my Motley?

So-on to Petey's house on the river-Thankfully his daughter,her boyfriend and 16 year old grandson showed up to help move things.  We don't expect a major flood-but if you have 6 inches or 3 feet-it's all the same!  Cleaning up the mud is the nasty part-So we are waiting to see how much rain we get-and how much rain they get above us, because it all drains into the Calcasieu River (pronounced Cal-Ca-Shew), which runs right in front of Petey's house.  If it floods bad, I will have Pete, his beagle dog, and 2 crazy cats at my house.  I hope it's not bad.  Sooooo-I'll let you know the circumstances later!

Fall is Going On
Oct 25, 2009 | 11:03 AM PST

We are nearing the end of October in SW Louisiana, and there is really not a lot going on.  Our leaves haven't started to turn yet, maybe in a couple of weeks.  Temp is 70 today-sunny & nice (ground is still very soggy from last week's rains).  The fall veg's are planted-the cabbage is looking good-and the broccoli is "pale", but it was two weeks before I could put them in the ground. They are all standing up smartly, so, they'll be ok.  Radish are up, and I kept a few straggler zinnias for the butterflies.  These are our signs of Fall:

Confederat Rose-Top picture is the whole tree. Unfortunately when this one is through blooming I will have to cut it down-it is brushing both back neighbors fences-and has split in the middle. - Then-This is a Rain Tree I pass every morning on my way to work-There are hundreds of them in bloom all over town-A picture just does not do it justice:

 And it wouldn't be October without Lousiana Satsumas!

AND-I heard and saw the first V-formation of geese this morning.  Fall is here.

A little bit of Louisiana to make your day! (Go SAINTS!)  Make it a good one!   (  still no cat- :(

 

Missing Cat
Oct 21, 2009 | 6:41 PM PST
This morning early my neighbor called me and asked if Motley had come home last night.  No, I hadn't seen or heard her.  Motley would jump up on their window sill late at night when the light was on to catch bugs & geckos.  She said around 1 this morning she heard something in the window and when she raised the shade, she was almost certain it was Motley! It was definitely a cat!  Now, there are a couple of other cats around, but what are the chances of one jumping up in the window like  Motley did? Weird!  I hope it was Mot & that she comes home.  Keep praying for her return-I really miss her.  I managed to plant my broccoli, radish & carrots without help today, but I fixing to chop down the Cannas, and she needs to be here for that.

Footloose-Take II
Oct 17, 2009 | 7:21 PM PST

Ok-so there is this BIG blank shaded area where my blog should be-The New GG is still a work in progress-and eventually I know, all will be well!

I had just finished watching FOOTLOOSE for the upteenth time.  My all time favorite movies that I can watch again & again-TOP GUN (OH, yea!), Dirty Dancing ( OH YEA!!), and Footloose!  (I must add Casablanca-in B & W to that list.  I AM NOT a movie or TV fan.  Rarely watch either, and I am not into Drama, scary, Blood & Guts, or anything that involves a lot of emotion-I'd rather be entertained and not be given an emotional roller coaster ride.  Footloose-kick off your Sunday shoes!

Still no Cat-I am terribly sad.  Today me & Peanut worked on the mound of mulch left from the Pine Tree removal.  It's full of Fire Ants (THAT is a big mound!).  I did rake off some of the bigger stuff to throw away, and spread a little here and there.  The ground is still WAY too wet to plant anything and it was too wet to mow (maybe where I can find a dry spot tomorrow),but I did pull up some spent zinnias, and cut several branches off the Morning Glory Tree that fell over earlier this summer, and that will be cut totally down in a few days (kinda wet there, too).  I had a box that was labeled "the cat house", that they could get under or on top of, and was sort of an outside shelter for the cats that was starting to rot-and since apparently I cannot own a cat-I threw it away, along with the BBQ pit that the bottom fell out of.  I am over-whelmed with the amount of things that needs to be done around my house...I am kind of in a deep funk.  And, I also have a really bad cold, and that doesn' help, either.

I really need to put my broccoli in the ground-I have had this pack for 2 weeks now, and they are not looking too good. I turned the mud in the garden area today, maybe by tomorrow it will be dry enough.  Low tonite in the upper 40's (wow!), and high tomorrow only around 70 or so. 

Later Gators.

Still Missing
Oct 13, 2009 | 4:37 AM PST
Today is one week since Motley is gone.  My last hope was the neighbor that had been gone-he was home yesterday, and we looked in his sheds.   Nope.  Peeanut has been barking enough, that I feel if she was just lost in the neighborhood, she would have heard him & come home.  She would come from nowhere when Peanut barked.  We have foxes in the neighborhood, too, but I think she is too big for a fox-but maybe not.  Still praying & hoping

Broken Heart
Oct 10, 2009 | 7:43 AM PST
My little one-eyed Motley cat is missing.  She's been gone since early Tuesday morning.  I have done all the usual things, searched the ditches, flyers in the neighborhood, ad in the paper, alerted animal control.  Nothing.  I have one neighbor who is out of town, and he has 2 large sheds-I am hoping she accidentally got shut in one of those sheds.  Please help me pray for her return.   Thanks.

Angel Trumpet Peak
Oct 8, 2009 | 6:28 AM PST

I have a couple of pics here of the AT.  It is at it's peak  right now.  The whole yard smells in the early mornings when I go on the patio.  I think it had a better show last year-but it is still something to see...and SMELL!

another-closer taken late yesterday

A lot of the tips are already turning brown-it is HOT & muggy here.  At 8 AM it was 84 degrees with 89% humidity-the air is THICK!-

Have a great day Everyone!

What a Mess!
Oct 3, 2009 | 11:09 AM PST

Well, first things first: The diswasher is screwed back in place and it works properly now.  The washer hasn't leaked since last weekend (fixed itself?), Peanut hasn't had a full-blown rash blow out, so I'm tryng to keep him out of the weeds & flower beds.  The car is still not fixed-will get that done next week.

THis was going to be my weekend to plant my vegetables, but it will have to wait.  It has rained 2 nights in a row and the ground is a mess.  I did turn over some of the dirt, but it will need to dry a full day, and we have more rain predicted.  I did manage to finally get the 2 eggplants out of their tubs-I chopped and pulled and dug with the shovel, and finally got them out.  I removed some of the dirt, and refurbished the rest and planted 1 cabbage in one-turned around, and Motly jumped up in the pot and promptly peed on my cabbage!  Dang CAT!  Then, Peanut is in the squash and the flowers poking his nose and breaking them all up!  OUT!  If they were kids, I could give them each a shovel and a pack of seeds...

I am going to extend one of my veg. plots, so I got out the weed/grass killer and sprayed it while the animals want to rest and weren't following me around. It will be dry in a couple of hours.  Then I will lay a tarp on that area and weigh it down and take it off next spring-grass & weed free!

I did plant a few flowers, but I will have to remove some summer annuals first.  IF the rain holds off I may do that this evening.  I want to get my new patio set on the patio, and take the old one off this evening when I have help.  I have some shrubs/trees/plants that need to go in the ground, but will probably wait until the end of this month, and when we haven't had 2 days of rain.

The Angel Trumpet is starting to bloom, it will get much prettier than this, but I had to show it (in case the rain beats it up!)

Hope you have a nice weekend!