Things cats do and get away with

If you don't already know, I'm telling you now: I love cats. I sometime wish I was one of them; they have such an easy life.

I was looking at mine today, they were laying in a patch of sun, sleeping and looking perfectly content.  Here is what they do all day; mine anyway. They wake us up very early in the morning because they want to go out, and then they want to come in, and they want to go out again and then in again, or sometime just in between.  A good thing my boyfriend is an early riser. Once that's done they want to eat, so they jump on the bed to get me up to feed them, which of course I oblige. Then they want to go out again, unless they're not sure because it's too cold or rainy or windy or whatever. In that case, they usually end up sitting halfway in, halfway out, in the middle of the open door thinking about if they should go or not. And of course yours truly is waiting for them to decide. When they do make up their mind, it's usually to change it a couple of seconds later. Do I get angry at them? ......Oh no, I just open the door once more.  I’ve read somewhere that cats are their own master, and of course they are, they're the rulers and we are mere servants at their beck and call; well I am.  No wonder the Egyptians worshiped them as Gods. 

Imagine if your kids behaved that way.  Actually I should say: imagine when your kids behave this way.  Do you open the door back and forth when they’re screaming and scratching at the screen door?  No, you do it once or twice, if you’re a very good and particularly patient parent, and then you tell them (well that maybe a pretty timid word for what you actually do) it’s either in or out. Even the dog couldn’t behave that way and get away with it again and again and again.  So why can cats?  Because…………they’re cats, and they thoroughly believe that they are entitled to everything they want.  Children too for that matter.  So, again the question: why do we let cats get away with it?  I have no good answers other than, they're cats and they do what they want.

Now to illustrate my point: Cats and doors  

From The Bored Ninja Website

      

By the way, I just let the cats out for the 50th time today. Want to bet they come back in the next couple of minutes?

If you did, you have lost my friend.  Sachat just wanted in...........again.

Not a Happy Camper

About one month ago, I saw one of my cats playing with something.  Looking a little bit closer, I saw something orange.  Not knowing what it was, I drew closer and found out it was a garden snake.  Gris-Gris had just caught a couleuvre; a big nice one, but very pissed off.  I think that it did not really appreciate having been dragged out of its hideout by my curious cat.  In fact, I am very sure of it.  It was acting like a cobra, trying to attack us.  Gris-Gris had injured it on the neck so it was a little slower than usual so, instead of slithering away, it decided to try to frighten us.  Well it kind of worked 'cause I stepped away each time it raised its head and try to fight.  However, it did not prevent me to run in the house to get my camera and shoot a couple of pictures.



It is a couleuvre rayée or Common Garter Snake.  Its scientific name:
Thamnophis sirtalis.  If you want to learn more about the different types of reptiles in Quebec you can have a look at this site.  It even allows you to record your sittings.
Atlas des Amphibiens et des Reptiles du Québec

Here are some more shots of our not so happy camper.

 

My boyfriend, Chris, ended up catching it with a 2 rakes.  It spent the night and the next day in a bucket so we could show it to his kids when they came back from school.  We released it afterward and it looked just fine slithering away under the garage.

Now, let me introduce you to the brave warrior that without fear caught this ferocious reptile.  Here is Gris-Gris the cat.

Gris-Gris

Gris-Gris and his sister Sachat were born in March 2010 and have been our companions since they were three months old.  They are the best cat ever and are great hunters.  So far they have brought back home: birds, frogs, grass hoppers, cicadas, and a snake.  We'll see what they come up with next.

Real or Fake

Flower season is over.  What am I going to talk about? 
Well I'll have to figure it out.
So I started to go through my pictures to get some inspiration, and what did I find?

But of course.......... more flowers.

This one might looks like it's made out of paper and is on sale at Walmart but, it's a real one.  The picture was taken at Le Centre de la Nature de Laval, last June.  It's a kind of poppy but it doesn't grow wild in Quebec.  However, it does in California, and it may look familiar to you.  Look carefully and you'll figure it out.

Pavot, Centre de la Nature, Laval, June 2011

Yes, it is the same kind of flower that's on the background of my blog.  It's not the same picture though.  The one in the background was taken earlier this spring in San Francisco.  Here it is so you can see it in more details.  I think I'm going to have it enlarged and framed; it's one of my favorites.

California poppy, Coit Tower, San Francisco, May 2011

Next time, I'll find something else to talk about.

Oops I was wrong

Yes I was, when I said I had seen the last blooming flowers of the year.  I went for a walk yesterday and stumbled on a kind of flower I had not seen before.  Unfortunately, I had left my camera at home since it was rainy and I did not think I would see anything interesting.  I guess I did not learn my lesson even though I remember saying that I would never leave home without it (Wasn't that American Express slogan ?).  Anyway, my boyfriend Chris had his iPhone and I tried to get pictures but, phones are not very good for macrophotography so...........no pictures unless you want to see a white blur.

Don't worry I'll show you something else.  In the last blog I showed you the Asters but I also talked about some touches of yellow and orange.  Here is what I was talking about.

Impatiente du cap, Boibriand, QC, septembre 2011

Here is the Impatiente du Cap.  Can you believe I found it right before the access ramp to highway 13 in front of a gas station?  Incredible, don't you think?  It's English common name is Jewelweed, how appropriate.















The next one I found in a lot for sale next to two new houses in my neighbourhood.  It's called Linaire vulgaire or Butter-and-egg, you'll see why when you look at the picture.


Linaire vulgaire, Boisbriand, QC, septembre 2011

It's almost over.....but,

Spring will come again.

In the mean time here are the Asters, the last flowers in bloom.  They put a touch of purple in our fields and along our highways before the leaves start showing there fall colors.  They come in multiple shades.  Here are some that I saw last week in fields of the neighborhood.



Aster de la Nouvelle-Angleterre, Boisbriand, 25 septembre 2011

This one too is a New-England Aster but it is more pink than purple.  The picture was taken in the same field as the previous one.
 

Aster de la Nouvelle-Angleterre, Boisbriand, 25 septembre 2011





Aster à feuilles cordées, Boisbriand, 25 septembre 2011

This last one is the smallest one of the three.  If you don't pay attention, from afar it doesn't look like much.  But if you come closer and look at each flower, you will see the subtlety of the colors.