the catio... and a bookend...

 I've been remiss in my continuity of photos ...

These are the completed catio photos.  I needed something that would be above ground level for rain and stray tom cat reasons.  It was not the window I had originally intended on using, but I think it worked out better.   Most of the catios that I looked at when shopping for it, had large wire screening, maybe inch square openings.  I didn't want anything that large because of mosquitos, bees, wasps, and flies potentially getting into the catio or house.  This is a durable metal screen like what is for windows.

The Littles [the name I've given rock band members, Oliver & Calliope] have taken to it with gusto, as they have the steps I installed (see yesterday's photos).  The Girls [Gracie & Lucy, the older two cats] feel that being forced into the catio amounts to tortuous punishment, which is odd because they love being on the front porch.  They want in immediately and act like they haven't a clue how to go through the cat door, even though it is the same type of door I installed in their Cat Cave [laundry/litter box room].

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This is the 2nd of the two bookends that I first posted on August 18th.  I tried to do a reversed freehand of the Deathly Hallows that I did before but didn't like it.  Instead, I thought a wand and Severus Snape's iconic word would be a fitting tribute to Alan Rickman.

a little of this and that ...

   I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted any pictures ...

Latest fun.  Walmart sells them already dotted; I just had to fill in the dots.

Spider bling for me.  The one I made for my friend & neighbor is below.

Got a new2me cabinet to match my other furniture.  Art Deco Waterfall style.

I suppose this makes me a crazy cat lady now.

The catio has been installed, and I added the steps today.

We all enjoyed the front porch this morning.  Charlie most of all.

The rock band members looking for more trouble.

Oliver was neutered last Tuesday, but it will be a month before he stops wanting to break things.

Gracie is contemplating her escape, while Lucy pleads deniable culpability.

Leaves are beginning to fall, and the maple I can see has orange highlights.

My succulents have been happy on the porch for the summer, but they will be moved inside at first frost.

A stray I befriended while waiting for my physical therapy appointment after dropping Oliver off for his snip snip.

Paris' spider bling.

Lucy.

Calliope.

Stay strong out there... Ci💚

Spotted ...

   Thal and Kael quietly crept through the trees until they could see the village and its inhabitants.  They weren't wood elves like themselves, but they also weren't gnolls much to Kael's relief.

  He whispered to Thal, "What are you feeling?  Friendly or not?  Has Vondran told you anything more?"

  Thal slowly shook his head no, and motioned to the group before he whispered, "Look.  They are wearing spotted black cloaks."

  Kael's eyes grew wide, and he began to back away into the shadow of the forest when the unthinkable happened.  Stepping on a large stick that cracked loudly, the two of them froze in place as the singing and dancing group stopped and turned to stare in their direction.

  Unexpectedly the wind picked up, blowing hot embers from the bonfire onto the thatched roof of a cottage opposite of where Thal and Kael were standing in the shadows.  Suddenly, all attention was on the fire that was quickly growing in size and threatening to spread.

  As the dancers ran to get water to douse the fire, the two young wood elves took the opportunity to further disappear into the trees and made their way back to where Lyri and Eldrin were waiting for them.  

  "No time to fish, Eldrin, or do any shopping for dinner in the village, Lyri  They are the spotted blacks that Vondran said to avoid, so we must hit the road quickly and get this trip moving.  As quietly as you can, we must circle around the village in the shadows."  Thal spoke with a harsh urgency that revealed his fear.

  He didn't know why he felt so afraid of them and wasn't sure he wanted to ask Vondran for more details.  But he sensed that the further away from the village they could get before dark, the better.

 [This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]

This week's Words for Wednesday prompts can be found here.

familiarity breeds ....

   As they drew closer to the music, they began to hear actual lyrics, although they didn't necessarily understand what the song was about.

  "Something about a ship wreck," mused Lyri, "but I'm not sure why any kind of a wreck would be something to sing about, and I don't know what a ship is."

  "I think a ship is like a boat," Eldrin offered. "Bigger than a raft or a canoe, and much bigger than a boat.  Something to go on the water, maybe a lake bigger than anything we've ever seen?  Speaking of which, I was just looking at this creek and there seems to be some large trout in it.  Lyri, do you have something I can use to make a hook, and I'll catch us some for dinner in case they aren't friendly?"

  "Do you ever stop thinking of food, Eldrin?"

  "No need to get testy.  I was thinking for all of us."

  "Which is quite unexpected, to be honest.  I may have something you can use, just one moment.  Thal, do you think we should stop here and wait while you and Kael go forward to see if they are friendly?"

  "That's not a bad idea. You and El wait here, while Kael and I scout it out.  Don't light a fire in any case until we know if we have to leave quickly."

  "Oh, what I would give for some of your mother's buttermilk biscuits, Lyri, to have with some fresh trout!"

  Thal rolled his eyes, "And keep El quiet if you can.  We don't need to announce ourselves just yet, and all his talk about food is making my stomach growl."

  "I'd love to shove a biscuit in his mouth if it would shut him up," Kael remarked under his breath.  He clenched his fists until they were white-knuckled.  The last few days together had made all of them just a little buggy with familiarity, and what he wouldn't give for some peace and quiet.

 [This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]

This week's Words for Wednesday prompts can be found here.

the joy of it all ...

   Now that the four of them were free to travel during the daylight hours, they were making better time than they previously had.  On the second day, they could see a village in the distance, and the smell of food being prepared was reaching them occasionally on the breeze.

  Naturally, Eldrin was the first to remark on the scent in the air.  "Oh, my goodness, I can't believe how much I've missed real cooking.  I hope they invite us to stay a night.  No offense, Lyri, but purple beauty berries and weeds just don't fill me up like a good rabbit roast does."

  Lyri side-eyed him, "Umph.  See if I try to cook for you again."  When she had been born, the fairies had given her the gift of conviviality which had served her well as she got older.  Others in their forest community, not just Kael and Thalion, had developed an adoration for her, and whether she knew it or not, she'd often been protected from harm by the forest animals.  It was taking Kael a great deal of willpower on this journey to not speak of his feelings for her because he could clearly see that Lyri and Thal cared deeply for each other although neither of them showed it in front of him or Eldrin.  It was as it should be, and the change in Kael kept him from speaking out and risking his newfound friendship with both of them.

  The closer they got to the village, the more they could hear the mellow, gentle sounds of a guitar.  "Perhaps it is a celebration?" Lyri remarked.  "It would be nice for one night to relax and dance, don't you think, Thal?"

  "Hmmm.  Perhaps.  We will have to see what kind of a reception we get from them when we arrive.  These are unfamiliar woods, and we don't know if they are wood elves who would welcome us or something else.  I think it would be wise to observe from a distance before we just waltz into their village."  Vondran's warning to him that not everything in the forest was friendly to wood elves was still on the back of his mind.

 [This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]

This week's Words for Wednesday prompts can be found here.