Saturday's Nature Adventure

Design - "Log Cabin Cat"

Designer - Barrick Samplers

Fabric - 40 count R & R Sheep's Straw linen

Fibers - DMC - 1 strand over 2 threads

Started - 29 September 2014

Completed - 12 April 2015

It took some time, but it was worth it.  This is a very different color pallet than I normally stitch and the 40 count fabric was a challenge.

Aren't these wonderful birdhouses?  I saw them for sale at our Saturday Market.

When I am outside I often feel as though I am being watched!

Peek-a-boo I see you!

You might remember two male Evening Grosbeaks came to my feeders on April 1st.  Since then the birds have been AWOL until Saturday when I saw this group of 10 birds.  Though they did not come to the feeders, I was pleased to see both males and females.  Here's hoping!   

I haven't seen any nest building, but everything I've read indicates that the Black-capped Chickadees should be making nests and starting families.

At our old house we had a very small ornamental birdhouse on a post in our garden very near a tree.  Each year a Chickadee couple occupied the house and raised a family.

I think they liked the site - close to a tree.  They'd fly to the tree and wait an bit, then flit into the birdhouse. 

I still have the birdhouse, but thus far I've not been successful at attracting tenants.

Saturday afternoon around 4:00pm I was in the house stitching when I heard a sound outside a saw Padma trot across the back patio.  I thought he might have made a dash to chase the Band-tailed Pigeons, and the noise was then caused by the flock of birds. 

I decided to investigate and when I opened the door and stepped outside to look, there was a large Bob-cat at the back edge of the lawn looking intently at the four cats who were all looking back with equal intensity.  I immediately started trying to herd the cats back in, beginning with Padma who was the farthest away.  I got a couple of cats inside and they began wailing and caterwauling. By the time I'd successful gotten everyone safely inside the Bob-cat was long gone and my hands were shaking!  

The above two photos show how interested the house-cats remained when I allowed them back outside about 20 minutes later.  Tom-Cat stayed safe by the green chair with his fur like a Halloween cat - his tail looked liked bottle brush.  He sniffed the air several times and wanted right back inside.  Solomon, the other tiger, walked to the edge of the patio focused on the area where the Bob-cat had been - sniffing, sniffing, sniffing.  Sunday morning Padma walked out on the grass with Tom-Cat and they more closely investigated the area where I'd seen the Bob-cat.  No photos of the Bob-cat as that was the last thing I was thinking about - I just wanted the Cat Crew safe inside.