Henry

We have a handsome feral cat named Henry that lives under our porch. He was a new addition to the landscape in the winter and I guess we had good food and a dry place for him to hang out so he stayed. I like to call him the troll under the bridge because he doesn't like us looking at him unless he is under the porch. Today I caught him sunning himself on the table on the patio but I was looking out the window so he didn't notice me.
I trapped him and got him neutered a while ago. He wasn't happy about his two days in the trap but it was all for the best. The other outdoor cats on the property are all fixed but you never know how far they might roam in search of a cat in heat.... There has been a noticeable drop in the cat fight sounds we used to hear out in the field at night. I assume it is partially because we got Henry fixed. Not sure who he was fighting with out there. I wonder if it was this orange tabby Dave had named Buckingham. He hung out here for a few weeks and then left.

Anyway, Henry is a part of the family now. We'll make him an insulated shelter before the end of the year.

Henry

First non-turtle post

Hey! So our first non-turtle post. Ichi will make guest appearances but since she is all better now, and I was trying to think of a new blog name for a regular ole' blog, I just decided to change the nature of this one. Anyway, so if you haven't already heard, I am head over heels about growing things, even more so than when I only had a small shady community garden plot in the city. I over did it with my seed starting earlier this year and ended up with way too may to plants. I've given away some to friends and also exchanged them for things. Above are about twenty tomato, eggplant, and pepper plants I traded someone for some eggs from her chickens. I don't eat eggs but I figured my dog likes them and that is what she had extra of so it was a good trade. Here is Muncho checking them out. He thinks he wants them till they are in his bowl , then he doesn't want them anymore so he won't get any.

We also traded tomato plants with our friend Colleen and we got candied popcorn and no-knead bread. They were both so delicious that we didn't get a chance to photograph them before we devoured them. She seriously needs to go commercial with her baked goods.....

First non-turtle post

Out in the sun again

Ichigo says it's been great getting out in the sun again...........

Out in the sun again

Finally eats pellets

For whatever reason Ichigo knew exactly when winter began and ended even though her tank water temperature and lights were the same before, during, and after. Now she's back better than ever and finally eating her pellets which means I don't have to make home made food for her any more which is really a pain in the butt. Looking good Ichi!

Now we have to plan upgrading her tank.............

Finally eats pellets

Punky's "Titanic" pose

Remember the scene in Titanic with Kate Winslet inside a steamy carriage????

Punky's "Titanic" pose

Almost frozen

We had a five day power outage from an ice storm that swept through last week. It was really rough. We obviously should have had a generator but we plan on making that purchase next time we have extra cash. We tried to keep the turtles warm by boiling water and putting hot water bottles in their tanks every 45 minutes or so but after 2 whole days of that we were exhausted and running low on propane. A neighbor lent us a kerosene heater which heated the turtle room up real nice but it smelled so awful, we had to discontinue use after a day. One day went by after that with us having exhausted our resources and I hoped that the turtles would go into hibernation and make it through okay. The final day we found the last propane camping heater available at a store across the river and got that to heat the turtle room.
Luckily, the turts made it through and are back to normal but it was so stressful not knowing if they cold handle the sudden temperature changes.
Here is a picture of Ichigo enjoying her reheated tub.

Almost frozen

What a forlorn look.........

This is Pan-kun on his basking dock, looking out his window at the rest of the world. Looking pretty forlorn wouldn't you say? Ichigo comes out of her tank almost everyday even in cold weather to at least walk around the room a bit. If I take Pan-kun out of his tank, he hides in his shell most of the time now so I haven't taken him out recently. I wonder if he looks out his window to watch Ichi in the next tank over or if he looks through the glass door to the kitchen to see what we are doing or if he just dreams of a different life. Even though his tank is mighty big I dream of making a more natural and "fun" living area for him one day. I figure if I take good care of both of these turtles, I'll have lots of time to upgrade in the years to come. (We're talking decades here)
Ichigo and I had a break through today of sorts. While on her rounds outside her tank, she decided to find me sitting on the ground and climb into my lap. She turned herself around to look at me, tried to climb my up my stomach a bit, then back down and just hung out on my lap for a while. She did this twice today. Although I would like to think that she enjoys my company, I have a feeling she just found the warmest spot on the ground to heat up on before taking off on her wanderings again. At least she trusts me enough .........

What a forlorn look.........