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Quote of the Day: Wesley Bates

February 20th, 2011

There’s no need for a piece of sculpture
in a home that has a cat.
~Wesley Bates





We love all of our cats, they provide so much entertainment and give us lots of laughs.

Even Miss Mama and Little Softie the garage cats bring us lots of joy. We took Little Softie in to get spayed this past week, she seems to be going well. Hopefully she’ll live a long happy life in the Chiot’s Run garage.

I’m definitely a cat person, I love cats, always have. We almost always had cats in the house while I was growing up and Mr Chiots and I have had pet cats for most of our married lives. We’ll probably always have them. I’m not as much of a dog person as I am a cat person though, if I had to choose one I’d choose cats (shhhh, don’t tell the resident Chiots, the namesake of the garden).

Are you a cat or a dog person?

Not Chickens, but They’ll Do For Now

January 8th, 2011

I’ve always wanted to have chickens, we’re not allowed in our little neighborhood. I’m pretty sure I could hide some though, as they don’t really enforce the rules unless your neighbors complain. I’m not sure I’m ready for chickens though, as they take daily care, and I can be a bit reluctant to head out into the cold on a single digit morning. Those garage cats are great practice though. I have to make sure they have food every day and give them fresh water as well. Whenever I have to suit up to head out and feed them I remember that this is what it would be like to have chickens.

Miss Mama and Little Softie are doing great. They’ve made themselves a little nest in our garage with an old coat and a few cardboard boxes (amazing how they do things like this). I’m thinking of getting them a heated mat though because it’s quite cold out there, and a heated water bowl would be good as well. Perhaps I’ll attempt to build a solar waterer like I saw in Mother Earth News once.


We don’t see them out and about much in the winter, they seem to be hibernating, I think the kitty litter pan we put in the garage for them makes them stay in more as well. When we go out to the garage they come out to beg for food. They also come out when I head to take photos, feed the birds, or run something to the compost. I think they’re missing the human interaction they got in the warm months when I’m outside for several hours. Miss Mama especially is demanding when she sees you out, she wants some attention and some petting! Miss Mama has gotten a little chunky this winter, I bet she has no trouble staying warm.


It’s getting about time to take Little Softie in to get her spayed. She’s still slightly feral and doesn’t trust us 100% yet. Can you blame her after her series of unfortunate events when we had to keep her in a kennel for 2 weeks giving her antibiotics 2x a day (she did not love that). Bet she’s not going to trust us for a while after getting her fixed!

Do you have chickens? How much work are they during the cold winter months? Any other outdoor animals you have to take care of?

Cat Antics

November 13th, 2010

The weather has been super nice recently so I’ve been spending my afternoons working in the garden. While I’m outside, I’ve been letting Dexter spend some time outside. He’s supposed to stay on the front porch, but occasionally he sneaks off. Yesterday evening, I was mulching the front hillside and looked up to check on Dexter. I didn’t see him on the porch and then I noticed he was in the maple tree in the front yard.

It was quite funny, luckily I had my camera so I could take some photos for Mr Chiots (who happened to be off walking the dog at the time). I was worried Dexter would get stuck in the tree since he’s not the smallest most nimble cat in the world, but I guess he used to climb trees before he showed up on our doorstep.

At one point I was afraid he was going to fall out of the tree, but he managed to get down, not very gracefully though. At least I didn’t have to call the fire department, do people really do that?


It was quite a sight, I got a good laugh out of it as did Mr Chiots when we saw the photos (hope you do as well). When he got out of the tree he collapsed on the porch as little Softie looked on. Little Softie seems to LOVE Dexter. Every time she sees him she runs right up to him.

I don’t know why animals can be so funny, perhaps it’s their lack of expression, or that they don’t get embarrassed. We love that the cats provide such comic relief around here, and Dexter seems to be the comic of the group.

Any great things that made you smile this week? Do your pets keep you entertained?

Friday Favorite: the Feline Edition

November 5th, 2010

It’s not secret that we’re cat lovers here at Chiot’s Run (at least I am, perhaps I shouldn’t lump Mr Chiots into the “crazy cat lady” group with me). If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ll know that we have indoor cats and outdoor cats and have a soft spot in our hearts for these furry friends.


We have Soafie (gray) and Samson (orange), which are brother and sister that we rescued 6-7 years ago from a feral cat rescue in Cincinnati, OH. They’re indoor cats that have never lived outdoors. Soafie is the princess and rules over all the other pets in the house. Samson is the quintessential orange cat, a lover that can never have too much attention.

Dexter showed up on our doorstep two years ago in November. After unsuccessfully trying to find his owners, we had him fixed and welcomed him into the family. He quickly found a place in our hearts, he’s a chatty fat cat with a personality as big as he is.

The newest additions to our growing list of furry friends are the garage cats of course. If you remember, we had a feral cat coming around last winter. We started feeding her because she was looking a little scrawny and a little rough around the edges.

This summer she moved her kittens into our garage and was coined “Miss Mama”. After a series of unfortunate events, only one survived. She was coined “Little Softie” and has been a great addition to the gardens. It sure is fun watching her scamper around chasing leaves and acorns. Here she’s eating the bone meal I made for my garlic.

Cats definitely bring much joy into our lives. Lucy does as well of course, after all she’s the namesake of the garden, but I’m more of a cat person than a dog person. Besides, Lucy can have her own Friday Favorite some day.

Some day we hope to have a larger piece of land so we can add some chickens, sheep, perhaps a donkey and maybe even my dream pet, a Scottish Highland cow. Until then we’ll practice with all the cats.

What’s your favorite pet? Do you have a dream pet?

Protecting the Fall Crops

October 7th, 2010

Miss Mama is coming in quite handy protecting the fall crops from moles and chipmunks. One year the chipmunks ate all of my fall beets, this year, thanks to Miss Mama I should enjoy a great harvest.

We’ve had a lot of moles or voles in the garden at my mom’s house, hopefully they don’t do too much damage to our crops. Miss Mama seems to be keeping them out of my crops so far, too bad she’s too small to chase away a groundhog.

What’s your biggest pest in your fall garden?

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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