My heart is breaking

It hurts me so much to put this news on my blog but I know it must be done.

Sadly tonight our sweet Eric (the cat) was hit by a car in front of our house.  This happened just about an hour before we normally would have brought him inside for the night.  Poor Coleen had went outside for something and saw him lying in the street.  There was nothing that could be done as he was already gone.  I quickly picked up his bloody/limp body out of the street and we buried him with a special blanket that he enjoyed laying on in the winter. 

It hurts our hearts so much that his life ended so tragically.  The horrible part is had he been our cat from the very start he would "never" have been raised as an outdoor/indoor cat. 

Please people if you own cats and live in the city keep them inside.  His other owners loved him as much as we did and tried to keep him inside as much as possible but he seemed to love being outside.

To anyone who may hit a cat (God forbid) but if you do, Please do the owners the courtesy of at least trying to find out who owned the cat and move the cat out of the street.  I am at least thankful I got his body off the street before people just continued to run over it.

We will truly miss his gentle sweet soul.

This was one of the last photo's I took of him about 2 days ago when he was inside for the night.

Below is a collage I took of him playing with a paper towel roll.

I feel horrible tonight and I know it will be sometime before the pain of his loss eases but everyone who knows me or stops by this blog knows how much I loved him and how much joy he brought into our lives from the very first time we met him.

Rest in Peace Eric.

Good Fences #58 - This one is for you "guys" out there.

Hello and Welcome!

Before I get started with today's post I'd want to let everyone know that our e-mail program is having issues and I am not able to send e-mails at this time.  It also makes it harder for me to visit your blogs because I'm having to view your blog posts in a different program that I'm not familiar with.  I will do my best to visit & comment on posts though.  Just wanted to give you a heads up in case you wonder why I haven't been by your blogs.

Okay let's join Theresa (The Run-a-round Ranch Report) for:
GOOD FENCES.

I'm driving around the other day looking for new fences to share and I found several that I will post in the future.  On my way back home I happened to spot a fence with a cool gate so I just had to stop and take a couple of photos to share.   Later when I decided to show Coleen the gate it took me 45 minutes to locate the property again as I couldn't seem to remember the exact location of the house!  Next time I'll write the address down.

Click to enlarge:

This one shows the gate but also all the (stuff) in the background so it sort of distracts from the actual gate.

A much better view don't you think.

Finally a close-up of the rider.

There was fencing around the home but it was all the black wrought iron like the gate so I didn't take photos of that.  I was more excited about the gate since my hubby rides a Harley.  I thought he would enjoy seeing this gate (and he did).  I hope you do as well.

Enjoy your day.

Saturday Art

Joining Claudia for:

 

The Original SOOC (Straight Out of Camera)

 



A little Geometric Pattern and some Texture Added:

Lastly:

 

Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.

Thich Nhat Hanh

 

 

 

6 Words, Willy Nilly Randoms and of Course Cats.

Joining in today for :   -  Click to Enlarge All Photos.

SIX WORD FRIDAYS

WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY 5

FELINE ART & FELINE FRIDAY

Let's get started:  Adrienne (My Memory Art) hosts this meme.  This weeks word was:

LIMIT.  Here is what I came up with. 

The Original SOOC (Straight Out of Camera Shot) is first.

                                        A plain tulip has been transformed.......

                                                     I did not limit my creativity.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Tanya from (Around Roankoke) hosts: Willy-Nilly Friday Five.

 

1.  My hubby has been working on a job project where an apartment complex is being built.  He told me the other day that the job site was the former sight of an hisotric school that use to be located on the property.  The school is long gone now but they have erected a sign telling about it's history.  I went down today and took pictures of the sign.

 



It's fun to learn more about the history of our town.

2.  I shared a photo earlier this week of my mom's Lilac Tree.  I couldn't resist sharing another photo today.  Even though the scent of the tree makes me sneeze I still think it's stunning.

3.  Something I spotted on a lawn while walking around the neighborhood.  This one is for the guys (although girls like them too).  My hubby owns one, just got it fixed but hasn't been able to ride yet due to the broken finger on his hand.

4.  I found this on a photo drive this morning.

What a neat little water wheel.  I looked up waterwheels and found this You Tube Video that is super cool.

It's lengthy but fascinating.

5. Another of my mom's flowers.  This one is an Azalea bush.  I was surprised when I uploaded the photo to discover something in the middle of the flower.  Can you spot it?







 

 

Yep there's a ladybug there.  Do you like bugs?  How about some of these:

God's creation is fantastic don't you think.

 
 

Eric (the cat) as Pop Art.

The Orignal:

Isn't he a handsome kitty.

 

 

 

Now for some information.  I am moving my CAPTION THIS to Monday.  Very few put a caption to last weeks photo so I'm extending the deadline.  Visit on Monday for more details.

 

Have a great weekend.

Good Fences #57 and a Blogging Award

Hi & Welcome.  It's always a pleasure to have you stop by.

It's Thursday and time for GOOD FENCES hosted by Theresa (The Run-a-round Ranch Report).  It's a place where you can view fences from all over the world.  So what's so cool about fences?  - Well stop by and check it out and I think you'll understand.


So does anyone remember this Concrete Block Fence I posted back in February?

I thought it was pretty neat and different.  I was driving around the other day and spotted a different concrete block fence.  This pattern is quite different from the square pattern of the other concrete blocks so I thought I would share it with you.

In this shot you can see a "rug" draped over the fence and the wooden fence on the front side of the yard. 

A little closer view and some of the shadows from the trees.

In this shot you can see moss growing on top the concrete blocks.  Gives it character I think.

So which pattern do you like better?  I'm leaning towards the circle pattern shown here today.

So don't forget to stop by Theresa's blog and check out the other participants.

Now for the Blogging Award:  Annie (McGuffy's Reader)  Nominated me for a Blogging Award last Friday.  It's called the Creative Blogger Award.  I just want to say,  Thanks to Annie for nominating me for this award.

There are a few (rules) or suggestions as I like to call them for receiving this award:
A.) Thank the one who gave you the award.  - Which I've already done above.

 

B.) Link to the blog of the one who gave the award to you. - Ditto above.

 

C.) Tell five things about yourself.  - This part is always hard for me. Does that count as one of my five things?  No...well then if you insist here are 5 things you may or may not care to know about me.

 

1.  My favorite actor of all time is,  Robert Redford.  I don't think though that I have a favorite actress although I have enjoyed every film that Audrey Hepburn made so perhaps I'll go with her for my favorite. 

 

2.  I love music of all types but really don't like (Rap or Opera).  My favorite though is Classic Rock and yes I'm stuck in the 70's. Favorite Group:  The Eagles, which I've had the thrill of hearing in concert a few times.

 

3.  I've got a "sweet tooth" and love baked goods.  I feel the urge to bake something off of Gina Kleinworth's blog.  Perhaps these:  They look pretty sinful and delicious.

 

4.  This is no secret to anyone who's visited my blog before,  I love cats.  Cats of all kinds.  Lately we've started bringing in Eric (the cat). Someone recently commented that I'd mentioned he was a neighbors cat and asked why we were bringing him inside our house then.  True he (did) belong to some neighbors but he was an outside only cat and he started hanging around our place and we were feeding him and taking care of him and he decided to stay around.  I talked to the owner about him and she said, "He apparently chose you and we don't mind because we know he's being loved." - So now he spends a lot of time inside (especially at night) and occasionally during the day and we're calling him our cat now.

 

5.  I'm afraid of flying. I've flown before though but really don't enjoy it.  I'm always thankful when the plane is back on the ground. 

 

Finally nominate other bloggers.

 

Here are a few I enjoy:  You don't have to accept the award but if you do please play along the best you can.

 

Shug...My Steps of Faith  -  She always has something fun on her blog and is such a positive person.  She's got a great fence there today for Good Fences.

 

Heather-Our Life In A Click - Heather has great photos, good recipes and fun crafts to share.  I always enjoy popping by her blog.

 

Lynda - Farm-ily - She's a new to me blogger that I've recently started visiting but I love her blog. Since I'm sort of a city girl it's fun to learn about farming and she has great photos of farm life that I think you'd enjoy even if you aren't into farming.

 

Gail - At The Farm - Again she is also a new blogger I've recently started visiting.  She's learning photography and doing a fine job I think.  She writes poetry as well.  I find her blog very interesting and I think you will too.

 

Those are just a few of the many blogs I visit and enjoy.  I hope you'll check them out.

 

Have a great day. 

Wordless Wednesday

 



Participating today for WORDLESS WEDNESDAY (Create With Joy)

 

 

 



Willy-Nilly Friday Five, Cats & Captions, Six Words & some Fill-In Fun.

Joining several memes here today. (Feline Friday, Follow Friday For Fill In Fun, Six Word Friday, Willy Nilly Friday FivePlease read the whole post to find the meme your are looking for.





Happy Friday! - It made me feel happy to know that Tanya (Around Roanoke) was back this week for Willy-Nilly Friday Five.


So let's get started....


1.  While out and about on one of our walks Coleen & I spotted this man with his dog delivering the newspaper.  - I asked him if I could take their photo and he said yes.  I wish I could recall what his name & his dog's name are but the memory isn't what it use to be.  I just thought it was fun that he took his dog along to deliver the paper.

2. My mom & I went for a short walk around the block earlier this week.  On the way I spotted some Shaggy Mane Mushrooms in a neighbor's flower bed.  Thankfully she only lives 2 houses from us so I was able to go back and get the camera to snap a picture.  These are pretty tasty mushrooms.

 

3. We woke up to this on Tuesday.  Thank goodness it was only on the foothills and higher elevations of the mountains.  I drove out in the afternoon to get this shot.  I love how it shows the green fields and the snow covered mountains together.  Plus apparently someone is building a new home there in the valley.

 

 

4.  My hubby has the weirdest sense of humor.  I discovered something on the kitchen counter the other morning.  Due to bad lighting I took it outside to get a better photograph.  So what did I find?.....

 

 A Yam that had sprouted on the counter.  He got artistic with it.  Speaking of artistic....Check out this artist and what he does with a typewriter.

Now that is amazing!


5.  It's time for my weekly feature I'm calling Caption This.

Before I show this weeks photo here is last weeks photo with the winning caption contributed by Theresa (aka TexWiseGirl) from The Run-a-round Ranch Report.

Thanks Theresa for playing along.

Here is this weeks photo:  Please play along and have fun with this.  You have until midnight PST on Thursday the 23rd to leave a caption for this photo.

So for Feline Friday and Six Word Friday (This weeks word was, Collect) I give you this photo:

                                    Collect Your Thoughts.....Take a Nap!

Shot this little fur ball at the Humane Society taking a nap last week. 

 

 





Also joining Hilary (Feeling Beachie) For some Fill-In Fun.

The statements:

1. If I _______________I’d change ____________
2. I’d rather __________ some where than ___________
3. Seeing_____ makes me_______.
4. Could you still______ after______

My Answers:

1.  If I could turn back time I'd change probably nothing because God has had a purpose for everything that has happened in my life.
So that's it for this week. I hope you've enjoyed stopping by.

2.  I'd rather read a good book somewhere than a boring book anywhere.

3.  Seeing flowers in spring makes me happy and tired as I have to start yard work to keep them looking nice.

4.  Could you still eat something after it made you sick once?  My hubby won't eat fudge after eating a lot of it as a kid and getting sick on it.

That's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed all the fun and will visit each of the memes to check out the other participants.

Good Fences #56 (Let the Sun Shine In)

Hello!  Hope you are all enjoying a wonderful day.
It's sunny here today (Hooray) and I'm enjoying that.

So let's have some fun by joining Theresa (The Run-a-round Ranch Report) for GOOD FENCES.


In honor of the sun shining here today I'm sharing a fence that I took photos of sometime last fall.    I'd never seen this pattern before on a fence and I really liked it.  I do believe that Debbie (It's All About Purple) featured this fence pattern HERE back in 2014 and I remember thinking then, Oh darn now mine won't be as cool.  But you know that's silly because it's not a competition to see who has the coolest fence so today I'm sharing my Sun Fence shots.

 You can see the leaves in the yard indicating that it was fall but the sun was out and shining that day just as it is today.

And a closer look at the sun in the fence pattern.

Have a sun shine day!

Songography - Soak Up The Sun

It's time to join Kathy (You'll Shoot Your Eye Out) for SONGOGRAPHY

This weeks song choice:  Soak Up The Sun by Sheryl Crow.





We haven't had much sun this past week - It's taken a bit of a "spring break" I think.  Looks like it might be back this weekend though as the forecast is for sunny skies and temps in the 70's!

My choice for the song.  This sun lawn ornament I captured a few weeks ago when the sun was actually out.  I love that it has cobwebs on it.

Off to bowling now.  Have a great day.

Enough is Enough

So Friday morning I'm getting ready to take Coleen and her friend Emily out to lunch and then to play at the park as part of her fun times for Spring break.  I call hubby to let him know that we'll be gone during lunch and he answers the phone kinda weird like.  So I say, "What's Wrong?"

He replies,  "I smashed my finger with a concrete step this morning!"
I said,  "Did you break anything?"
He said, "I'm on my way to X-Ray right now."

Later.....
Hubby calls,  "Well I have a compound fracture of my middle finger on the left hand.  They may need to do surgery and put in some pins."

Much later.....

 

Home from the hospital and trying to cut his food.  -  We are thinking of getting a Plastic Bubble he can get in and hopefully not have anything else go wrong.  It's been a "year" for him.

 



Friday Fun

Happy Friday! -  I'm a bit "sad" today as I know that Nancy (A Rural Journal) is not posting Random5Friday and Tanya (Around Roanoke) apparently isn't doing Willy-Nilly Friday 5 right now either.  What's a girl to do?......Post 5 Random Things Anyway!!!!

Click to enlarge photos.  Some photos are not related to my 5 Random Things and I gave them titles as well.

                                               CAMO SQUIRREL
Coleen and I spotted this guy on a tree surrounded by twisted branches from another plant growing on the tree.  It has a nice tight grip on that nut in it's mouth.  Sure blends in with the surroundings.

1.  This week I saw something that really shows the times are changing.  It was a form where you check off stuff like if you are married, single etc...Under Gender it had boxes for:  Male,  Female & Other!

                                             COLOR ME PURPLE
Coleen and I spotted this deep purple flower growing in someone's flower bed while on one of our walks.  It was different so I snapped a picture of it.

2.  People will steal just about anything.  Last night there was a little blurb in our paper about some people here in WA state that went to their cabin in the wood only to discover that someone had stolen the entire cabin off it's foundation!

                                              WOODY RETURNS

3.  Every year a woodpecker arrives come spring and pecks away on the same telephone pole for at least 45 minutes. Usually in the morning when I'm trying to sleep!

                                          THE LONGEST RIDE
Coleen taking a ride on the "bull" at the Kid's Rodeo a few weeks ago.

4.  Has anyone seen the movie,  "The Longest Ride" which just came out this past week?  -  I'm a huge fan of watching PBR Bullriding and I just finished reading the book (The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks).  I enjoyed the book but thought it to be a bit "far-fetched" in places so I'm debating about whether or not to see the movie.  I think I'll wait till it comes out on a DVD rather then spend a lot money to see it at the Theater.

5. Last week I featured a cat photo and asked people to leave a caption for it.  Here is the photo again....with the winning caption.

 

 

 

 

I want to thank everyone who did leave a caption.  There were quite a few and several that I really liked.  My favorite though came from Jeanne who blogs at (Butterfly Tales: Metamorphosis).  Congrats Jeanne for a very funny caption.

So I am going to do this every week and call it,  Caption This.  I'll feature the winning caption the following week with a shout out to the person who I think gave the best caption.  I might do polls to let people vote (if I can figure out how to do that) and maybe even offer a prize once a month for the best caption out of all the photos I feature that month.

With that said here is this weeks photo for Caption This.

Coleen & I heard some barking while on our walk and we spotted this in the window of a house we passed by.

So that's it for me this week.  I'm forgoing a few of the Meme's I usually participate in on Friday as it's Spring Break and I've got Coleen to entertain.

Have fun with the captioning of the photo.