The challenge for this theme is to post a photo where just one color dominates. I could have easily gone with green, but then I discovered this photo I took Friday afternoon which is mostly ivory.
The Siamese cat caught my attention as she wandered around this xeriscaped yard. She finally wandered over to pose in front of the ivory garage door beside this tall shrub. So I decided to use this as the theme photo. The next one is a variation. I allowed a few more of the colors into this one.
This clump of Jupiter's Beard adds some needed color to this yard. Like the other plants, it doesn't need much water to look lovely. It's a very popular plant in my neighborhood, and I finally got some it it planted in my yard. I'm waiting for it to bloom.
The most colorful thing in this garden is this colorful sculpted snail -- definitely a bright piece of yard art. It appears to be a planter, but I couldn't get close enough to see if anything was planted there yet. Time will tell.
Kitty seems to prefer to look back at me than face the snail, even though I was much less colorful. Do you think that the snail fits well within this garden? Contrast it with the rest of the garden art and meet the other cat that lives here, in this post: Cat on the Rocks in a Xeriscaped Yard
As I was walking around my neighborhood this afternoon, I almost missed this very still cat crouching in the rocks in this xeriscaped yard. She appeared to be hunting and waiting patiently for some prey to come out. I'm guessing she may have been waiting for a lizard, since I've seen a lot of cats hunt them, but she also may have heard a rodent.
Xeriscaping is landscaping that is designed to use very little water. It depends upon drought-resistant plants, drip irrigation, mulch, and decorative art to make it beautiful. You can see all these things in this yard. The cat I introduced above lives here, and if you look very carefully, you might see her lurking behind the rocks. But you need very sharp eyes.
Notice the rock mulch, drip irrigation, and drought-resistant plants used in the design. The benches are there so the owners can enjoy the garden. The cats also seem to enjoy roaming here. Below is a closer look at the plants around the tabby cat.
The homeowner next door also made good use of yard art. I thought his cactus sculpture was clever. The tortoises, ant and bunny also caught my attention.
The sculptures above matched the coloring of the rocks pretty well and blended nicely with the plants. They didn't try to steal the show. The art below grabs a bit more attention.
The snail is brightly colored. It appears to be a planter. I will show you a closer look at it tomorrow. That Siamese cat you see on the walkway in the background will star in tomorrow's post. Stay tuned.
This last photo shows the edge of the property near the sidewalk. You can see how the branches of a tree which I'm assuming the homeowner removed or trimmed features prominently as a border.
Did you get any xeriscaping ideas from these photos? Get more ideas from my gardening blog, Barb's Garden Observations.
If any creature understands what to do when tired, it is the cat. This month's City Daily Photo Bloggers theme is tired. So today I will show you some of my favorite photos of tired cats. The one below was taken at Jack Creek Farms in Templeton. This one is so fast asleep you'd hardly know it was alive.
One can usually find cats when visiting wineries, but they are often outside. These two, from Grey Wolf Winery in Paso Robles, are obviously tired and giving in to that urge to sleep by the fire. The fireplace is out of sight, but they are facing it.
The cats at Jack Creek Farms in Templeton must work hard because I often find them asleep when I visit. This photo was taken in autumn when all the pumpkins and squashes were on display a few years ago.
The cat below is Garfield, who belonged to my neighbor across the driveway. He decided there should be no property boundaries and felt free to take naps in my yard and on our cars whenever the mood hit him. He's a bit grumpy since I disturbed his nap here.
Here's another view of Garfield sleeping on our car. In this photo all his feet are on the car, but he's not as fat here as this angle makes him look. He just pretends to be a tiger.
If you have followed my last two posts, you know that I went for a photo walk on Wednesday and lost all but five of my 71 photos I took on my block. Seems I had a bad SanDisk. I was fortunate that all the photos were within quick walking distance and could be reshot. The plan today was to replace the shots I lost.
Off I went with my camera. It was a beautiful day. Wednesday had been dark and overcast. One of the shots I had planned to reshoot was this pomegranate tree. I loved the sign at the bottom.
I Left with Just a Camera and Came Back with Much More Than Photos
Today as I walked by the tree I noticed someone was there, but it appeared to be a workman. I thought I'd ask anyway if the tree was his. He said it belonged to the homeowner, but he was authorized to let me have some fruit. He picked two lovely pomegranates for me and I brought them home. Aren't they beautiful? The man who picked them for me told me they were ripe when they cracked. I never would have known that.
A Chat with the Neighbor Who Owns the Other Pomegranate Tree
I found Judy back in her front yard today, and stopped to chat and take pictures of her garden. I had noticed on Wednesday that all the pomegranates had been picked, so I figured she was planning to use them. That's one reason I'm so glad the other neighbor shared. As we were talking, the neighborhood cat came up to us. I mentioned him in What's Going on in Kitty's Mind a couple of weeks ago. He was a bit friendlier this time. I found out his name is Mack and that the neighbors want to fatten him up because he had been sick and not eaten. I didn't realize until I unloaded my photos that while I was trying to photograph him, Judy and I were both in the photo with him -- in shadow form.
We actually did chat about more than the cat. We talked about her plants and I found out the names of some of them I didn't know. Then she told me she had just dug out some bulbs she didn't want and offered them to me. She thinks they are daffodils. I can always use more of those, but it means I'll have to start working in my garden again. I really need to do that.
I didn't have anything but my pocket to carry the bulbs in, but I stuffed them in my pocket. Then I put them in this strawberry basket so you could see my gift.
It always amazes me how something as beautiful as a daffodil begins like this.
A Final Gift
This last gift was one only God could provide. There was quite a sky show as I was returning home after my walk. There were a lot of contrails going in different directions. Here's a photo.
Now let's watch the contrails as they are made. Pretend you aren't in a hurry and spend this minute and a half watching jets you can't see making contrails you can see. You can even still see them when they are partly into the cloud.
The sky show was an added blessing and I would not have seen it had it not been for another inconvenience. After I'd talked to Judy and had a pocket full of bulbs, I shot a few more pictures on the way back home. As I was almost back to the pomegranate tree, which was to be my most important shot, my camera battery died. I had to go home and charge it. So I put it on the charger and fixed dinner and ate while it charged. It had charged enough to shoot again by the time I finished eating and the sun was beginning to go down.
I went back to the pomegranate tree and got my final tangible gift. Then the sky show started and I shot as much of it as I could. So I guess it was also a blessing that my camera battery died when it did or I would not have been outside for the sky show.
All in all, it's been a day of blessing. Have you had days when inconveniences were blessings in disguise?
A few days ago I spent a few minutes stalking this kitty in my neighbor's flower bed with camera in hand. Part of her territory is near my mailbox. I have encountered her before and she was pretty shy then, too. I first introduced her in Two Very Different Cats: One Shy, the Other Sociable.
Normally I can at least get a strange cat to look me in the eye, but not this one. If she's looking at me at all, she is scowling. As we appraised each other, she also let out a few growls. Evidently she doesn't like to have me stalk her. I think she'd rather do the stalking herself. On this day it seems her mind was fixed on eating grass.
What I Learned about This Kitty
One day when I went to get the mail, I was concerned that for a few weeks I hadn't seen any signs of the neighbor I thought owned this kitty. When I saw her neighbor across the street, I asked if she knew why her neighbor wasn't around. I learned she was on vacation and her nephew was taking care of the property.
While we were talking Kitty strolled over. I asked who she belonged to. The neighbor replied that the cat sort of belonged to everyone. She visited all of them and many of them fed her. I immediately thought of Six Dinner Sid, a humorous cat picture book by Inga Moore. Anyone who loves cats will want to read it.
Sid is also a neighborhood cat, but none of the six neighbors know it. They all think he belongs just to them. He has managed to convince each that he's theirs and they all feed him. He gets six dinners a day. He is able to keep them all unaware of his duplicity because the neighbors don't talk to each other -- until the day Sid gets sick and all six neighbors take him to the same vet, who puts it all together. He lets them know what Sid has been up to. I won't tell you the rest. The book, and its sequel, which I just found out about, is available at Amazon. At least our neighbor kitty hasn't fooled anyone. They all know what she's doing and they don't care.
I Wonder If Kitty Will Ever Be My Friend?
One of my favorite neighbor cats, Sarah, was very hard to befriend, but after a few days and many cat treats she finally warmed up to me. Soon she was hanging out on my porch. I looked forward to coming home every afternoon, knowing she'd be there waiting for me -- and her cat treat. Unfortunately Sarah met with an unknown fate. Her owners kept all their cats, including Sarah, outside. One day she was gone and never returned. We think she met with disaster in the form of the coyotes that roam our property from time to time. I made this memorial ornament to honor her. I miss her every time I return to our Templeton home. The ornament is easy to customize to memorialize any pet.
I wonder if I will ever make friends with neighbor kitty as I did with Sarah. Maybe I'd better buy some cat treats to take with me when I get the mail. I'd like to change the scowl to a smile and the growl to a purr. It would be enlightening to know what Kitty is thinking. I wonder if she would really like to be friends and just wants to be coaxed. I'd love to be able to talk to her.
Do you ever befriend neighbor pets? Do any special ones come to mind?
The Rio Seco tasting room is surrounded by vineyards. As you head east on Union Road from North River Road, you will enjoy a beautiful drive through wine country. Just before you get to Penman Springs Road you will find Rio Seco's entrance road. The tasting room is at the end of that road. This is where I parked.
The Rio Seco Tasting Room
Below is the overview from the entrance road. On the way, you pass some of the vineyards. I love the big oak, but you knew I would, didn't you.
It was a cloudy day, and I arrived about 4:35, just as the sun was about to set. The sky views were spectacular. I felt I was at the bottom of a big bowl of clouds.
A View of the Rio Seco Vineyard and Oak Near Tasting Room
Unfortunately, it's impossible for me to capture such a panoramic sky view in a blog post. I felt a bit like this lone oak under the sky.
A Lone Oak High in the Vineyard
The closer it got to sundown, the more interesting the sky became. This view was facing west, and it looks back at Union Road, the way we came.
A View from the Rio Seco Vineyard. Union Road is heading west back to town.
The Winery Cats I Met
Most of the wineries I visit have working pets. Some have dogs, some have cats, and some have both. As I approached the tasting room, Midnight greeted me. Actually, the photo is deceiving. He really was friendly. He was meowing a greeting and let me pet him. He reminds me of the feline P.I. Midnight Louie in the mysteries by Carole Nelson Douglas that bear his name. I love those books.
Midnight, the Rio Seco Feline Greeter.
This is the other tomcat I met while he was dining. From his size I imagine he dines often.
Winery Cat Enjoying Dinner
A Restful End to a Busy Day
I normally rest on Sunday, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I spent a good part of the day working hard physically. After a late lunch and some rest, I was determined to get back into Union Road wine country this afternoon, even if it was late. I like the cloudy days because they work magic on the sky.
I would encourage you to make the drive yourself if you haven't done it yet. There are wineries all along the way if you enjoy wine tasting. It's only a short way farther to get to Steinbeck Winery from Rio Seco. We visited Steinbeck twice this week. They have rearranged their tasting room historical exhibits a bit since our first visit. See it as we saw it in March 2015.
Almost every year that we lived in Templeton the tenants who have shared our property have had at least one cat. Some we adopted when they left. Some we fostered until tenants who had vacated had a place for their cats. Some, unfortunately, crossed the Rainbow Bridge.Of all the neighbor cats I will be missing this year, Sarah has become my favorite. She is pictured here. Read more about Sarah and see several photos of her with her sidekick, Garfield in my post Our Home-Grown Extortion Cats on Persona Paper. You don't have to register to read posts there.
Sarah was a good hunter. Unfortunately, she enjoyed catching lizards that liked to hang around our porch in Templeton. One day I had my video camera with me while she was after a lizard. You might enjoy watching Sarah and the lizard in action. This time Sarah thought she had her prize, but it kept escaping. She lets us know what she thinks about that. And do watch the lizard's tail after it's detached.
Trouble, the White Cat, Lived Up to Her Name
One neighbor had two prized cats they kept on a leash outside so they wouldn't run away. They fed many other cats that were feral or kittens of the two they had. I've never been sure. When they moved, they took only the two cats they cared about with them. They left five behind with us, three of which were totally feral cats and two which were not so afraid of humans. We continued to feed them, give them water, and pet the two who would let us. We became very fond of Trouble, who lived up to her name in every way. This is Trouble.
Trouble was a white cat and small for her age. Her voice and personality made me think she was part Siamese. She always wanted to come into the house, and the only way to get her out was to shut the door to the outside. Then she would run to the door to get out. While we were waiting for her to get old enough to spay, she got pregnant.
One day she came to breakfast skinny again. It took weeks before we could locate the kittens, whom she had hidden behind some boards that were leaning against the wall of the inside of the pump house. It had a cat door. We found the five kittens too late to socialize them, but we had lots of fun watching them play.
One lasted only a couple of days. It was puny from the beginning. The ones who remained were Piggy, another black one whose name I don't remember, Richie, and Smudgie. This photo shows Smudgie (the white one) and Richie climbing a tree. You can click any photo to enlarge it.
Pumpkin, the Tabby Cat, Was the Easiest to Get Along With
One of the sweetest neighbor cats I've had was Pumpkin. She belonged to a former tenant and was much loved and well taken care of. She got to roam the property during the day with the other cats in her family, but they all were put back in the house at night. After the tenant moved, she still didn't have a place that would take cats, so we got to foster them for a few weeks. I really wish we could have kept them, but they were finally picked up and taken to their new home.
After having Pumpkin as my feline friend for several years, I really miss not having her around. She visited me often. I used to leave this old chair beside my sliding glass door to put things I was carrying down on while opening the door. The cats decided it was theirs.
Pumpkin was affectionate, a great hunter who kept the mice and gophers under control, and a good lap cat. Here are some of the other photos I took of her over the years.
I hope you've enjoyed meeting the neighbor cats whom I've cared about, even though they weren't legally mine. Here are some of the ways I've made them live forever at Zazzle.
