My cat, Middi!

Since I talk so much about my dog, it's only fair to mention my cat, Middi, also, because she's a smart and brave cat who has earned her way into this house...and I secretly think she's partly responsible in keeping the bugs away that are ever so abundant in humid climates like Southern Georgia and Florida. She adopted me in spite of the dog, who absolutely hates cats. Thankfully, she's smart, streetwise and good natured, so that she can always find a way to avoid him. I also have the apartment rigged so that she has plenty of high spaces to sit on. Occasionally, he gets her cornered, but then I go over and pick him up so that she can make her getaway. She feels secure in knowing that I'm a team player. She loves to sleep on top of me and since Gizzy's not a lap dog, he doesn't seem to mind...unless when it's thundering and lightning outside and then he cries to sit on me. I named Middi for midnight, but I also call her Miss Middi Prickly-Claws because she has the sharpest, thorny needle claws that I have ever felt on a cat before. I take her to the Vet's for a trim every month or so because she won't let me do it. She turns into an absolute and perfect daemon that seems to grow ten legs equipped with sharp, scratchy claws. She scratches and bites with a vengeance and I'm just not in the mood for that. She is otherwise a sweet and loving cat and since I let her in, about eight months ago, this cat has morphed into a healthy, shiny coated, full-bodied beauty because when I first saw her, she was nothing but skin and bones, a total mess, but nothing that a couple of hundred dollars at the Vet's couldn't fix. (Here she looks disturbed over having to be my model and wear the cat collar that I crocheted. I like it, only she was NOT impressed.) After having been starved, Middi now has a healthy appetite (to the point of gluttony) and a strange fascination with danger because occasionally I see her sneaking into Gizzy's bed to take a nap (usually when he's asleep somewhere else or on top of the windowsill.) I have bought her a pretty pink bed, but she doesn't use it, so Gizzy took it over and now he has two. So what if it's pink? He's male enough to pull it off! Handsome boy - even in pink!

Mein Haeuschen (mit Kurzfilm)

(BITTE MERKEN: Dass wenn man an den Bildern zweimal darauf drueckt, dann werden sie gross und sind besser zu sehen.) Da, an der Ecke wo die schoenen, rosa Azela Straeucher bluehen und die bluehenden Baeume stehen, bin ich zu Hause. Da hat gerade die Sonne so schoen hingescheint und ich wollte Euch die Bilder davon zeigen. Es ist halb 7 Uhr Abends und die Sonne geht ganz langsam unter. Am Mittwoch bekomme ich neuen Boden. Die werden den alten Teppich herausreissen und ich kriege dafuer, wie gewuenscht, Linoleum Tile boden. Dann brauche ich nur schoen abwischen und bin damit fertig. Ich freue mich darauf und werde Euch dann Bilder von innerhalb der Wohnung schicken. Noch ein kurzer Film von wenn ich heute Abend draussen um die Wohnung mit Gizzy herumgelaufen bin. Tschuess! Mein erster Kurzfilm von zuhause:

Bank's Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Pear Blossoms

Greetings from Bank's Lake! (This photo was taken two years ago, when my friend took me for a boat ride and we kept getting stuck on the roots of the Cypress trees) (REMEMBER to double click on the photos to make them large for better viewing.) Today, I would like to share a few photos that I took on the way to Bank's Lake back on February 1st, 2009, because the weather was interesting with the clouds and the sun playing peek-a-boo. I live only about 1 mile away from the National Wildlife Refuge, so we (my dog, Gizzy, and I) visit there often. If you would like to know more about Bank's Lake, just click here: U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service On the way to the lake, I passed my two most favorite pear trees. They are late/winter pears and give an abundance of pears that I like to cook up into a delicious compote. I look forward to these pears, but look, they were blooming already and it was barely February. We were still expecting some frost and freezing temperatures. My concern was that the blossoms won't survive and I would not get pears again this year. They didn't produce last year. I was told these trees skip a season sometimes. But the blossoms sure looked beautiful. I wanted to share some pictures for those of you that still had snow to provide a little glimpse of Spring. Here's Gizzy inside the car, barking and yelping at me as if to say: "hurry up already with the picture taking and take me to the lake..." When we got there, I placed him on an old tree stump and proceeded to take a few very photogenic shots of him posing like Rin-Tin-Tin (for those of you too young to remember, Rin-Tin-Tin was a German Shepard movie hero dog, similar to Lassie that I saw on TV in Germany when I was a kid) Soon, the clouds began to get darker and thicken, so that the sun was almost covered completely, except for a few rays that reflected on the water. Eventually, it got so dark that I feared of getting rained on and we headed on home. Only it never rained that day.

Walking Buddies (with video clip)

This clip is from last year, in July, but since I didn't blog then, here it is now. A few of us always ended up being at the lake (Lake Irma) in the morning at the same time. Some walked regularly, others fished and I just did whatever Gizzy wanted to do because, after all, it's HIS walk. (Lake Irma, March,'09) We decided to have a little celebration whenever it's someone's birthday. This time it was Joe's 70th and I brought my camera along. This little clip was an accidental movie (July, '08) because I had never filmed before and somehow I recorded, when I thought I was just making a group photo. I think it's kind of cute, so here it is ;-)

I have high hopes for saving our honey bees!

Here are a couple of great sites to start learning more about our honey bees and how to help. These websites are very colorful, interactive and kid-friendly, so that the whole family can learn and enjoy together. There are also some fun projects everyone can do without having to become a beekeeper to help save our honey bees. Haagen-Dazs Help the Honey Bees and The Great Sunflower Project Finally, here's a little encouragement for our beloved honey bees: Next time you're found, with your chin on the ground There's a lot to be learned, so look around Just what makes that little old ant Think he'll move that rubber tree plant Anyone knows an ant, can't Move a rubber tree plant But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes So any time your gettin' low 'stead of lettin' go Just remember that ant Oops there goes another rubber tree plant When troubles call, and your back's to the wall There's a lot to be learned, that wall could fall Once there was a silly old ram Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam No one could make that ram, scram He kept buttin' that dam 'cause he had high hopes, he had high hopes He had high apple pie, in the sky hopes So any time you're feelin' bad 'stead of feelin sad Just remember that ram Oops there goes a billion kilowatt dam A problem's just a toy balloon They'll be bursted soon They're just bound to go pop Oops there goes another problem kerplop (Thanks, Frankie!)

Gizzy's Bad/Bath

Hier sind ein paar lustige Bilder von Gizzy. (Here are a few funny pictures of Gizzy) Da hat er gerade ein Bad bekommen, der Arme! (He just got a bath, the poor thing) Und nachher waren wir im Park wo ich ihn gut gebuersted habe. (Later we went to the Park where I gave him a good brushing) Und wieder daheim am Sofa mit seinem Teddy Baer. (Home again on the sofa with his teddy bear)

Ein Spatziergang mit Gizzy

(BITTE MERKEN: dass wenn man auf den Bildern zweimal klickd, dann werden sie gross und sind besser zu sehen.) Ich mache jetzt diesen "Post" damit meine Familie in Deutschland genau sehen kann wie die Landschaft hier aussieht wo ich wohne. Falls (oder wenn) ich etwas falsch buchstabiere, dann bitte ich um Entschuldigung, aber nachdem ich schon lange nicht mehr Deutsch spreche, habe ich leider schon viel vergessen. Deshalb versuche ich so wenig wie moeglich zu schreiben und Euch lieber die Photographien zeigen. Also, jetzt geht's los: Heute war ein besonders schoener Tag und wir sind durch den Wald und dann runter zum Teich gegangen. Da laufen wir auf dem sandigen Weg und der Gizzy zieht nach dem Wald. Weiter und weiter geht's... Dann machen wir rechts um die Ecke und in das kleine Waeldchen hinein. und jetzt sehr vorsichtig, Gizzy...aufpassen...da liegen die vielen, spitzigen Tannenzipfel am Waldboden. Da hinten links steht ein schoenes Haeuschen Langsam wird der kleine Kerl auch muede... und ich setzte ihn auf mein Waegerle und schiebe ihn weiter. Die Voegelchen zwitschern, die Libellen fliegen hin und her und die Sonne scheint schoen zwischen den Baeumen. Gizzy geniesst die Sonne und ist sehr bequem auf seinem Sitz (der eigenlich meiner sein soll). Jetzt kann er wieder ein Wenig weiter laufen, der kleine Hund im grossen Wald. Ah, jetzt sind wir bald wieder an der Strasse wo ich wohne. Da rechts ist das Brombeerfeld und hinten ist die Siedlung wo ich wohne. Jetzt machen wir links wo es der Strasse entlang zum Teich geht, welcher "Lake Irma" heisst. Am schoenen, grossen Haus vorbei wo die reiche Frau wohnt und weiter zum Teich Schoene Azalea Straeucher bluehen jetzt ueberall in weiss, rosa, orange und rot. Und jetzt koennen wir das Wasser in der Sonne glitzern sehen Das schoene, grosse Haus welches dem Teich gegenueber steht. Ich liebe es wenn die Sonne am Wasser wie Diamanten glitzert Ein anderes Haus beim Teich. Die Baeume mit den schoenen, weissen Blueten heissen "Dogwood" (Hundeholz) und die Blueten haben einen sehr schoenen Duft, aber die tragen keine Fruechte. Da links ist eine kleine Insel im Teich mit Schilf (Katzenschwanz.) Die Voegel machen dort gern ihre Nester. Noch ein anderes Haus beim Teich Jetzt geht's links wieder der Strasse hinauf zum Heimweg Schoene, kleine weisse Mini Azaleas Noch ein schoener, bluehender Dogwood Baum Azalea Strauch Schoene Bluemchen welche ein Nachbar in unserer Siedlung gepflanzt hat Und da wohne ich. Meine Wohnung ist an der Ecke mit je einen weissen Baum vorne und hinten. Und da geht es Vorne in meine Wohnung hinein. Und zum Letzten, ein paar schoene Bilder von den bluehenden Baeumen neben meiner Wohnung. Die heissen "Ornamental Pear" und haben nur kleine unessbare Fruechte. Aber die bluehen schoen im Fruehling (mit viele Bienen drin.) Auch im Herbst faerben sich die Blaetter sehr schoen und bunt. Das war unser heutiger Spatziergang. Ich hoffe es hat Euch gefallen. Es hat uns sehr gut gefallen und wir machen's bald wieder.