Thankful Thursday - Cats and Other Stuff

I like cats...at a distance.  I like to watch them because they are fascinating creatures.  I don't want them in my house, however.  So, I'm thankful for the neighborhood cats that visit my yard during my morning quiet time.  This one I named Blackie, for obvious reasons, but his owners named him Doonchie.  He's one of six who belong to my neighbor.  He comes by every morning to drink from the bird bath.  He doesn't respond when I talk to him, and he doesn't stay long.

This is Bentley, and I like his name.  He likes to drink out of the pond, which is not healthy, believe me.  After he does it, he sneezes and spits.  You'd think he'd learn, right?  He visits every morning, too, and lays on the patio for a while.  He looks at me when I talk to him and he lingers, but not for long.  It was so funny...one morning he visited, and I had moved my ceramic turtle.  It scared him, and he backed up and looked at it for a long time.  He finally decided it was safe to move forward, but he stepped very carefully.  I love Bentley.

There are two more cats from next door that I've named Tabby and Yeller Cat.  Tabby is a scaredy cat and runs by without stopping.  Yeller Cat is a big, long yellow fellow and he's a scaredy cat, too.  They never stay long enough to have their picture taken, but I have hope.  I'd like to make friends.

They live in a zoo ( six cats, two of which stay inside, four dogs, a hamster, and a snake), so I figure they need a break from the chaos.  I enjoy their visits and I think they do, too.  I also think they've impacted the amount of birds that visit my birdfeeders, but I'm not complaining.  I do shoo them away when I see them hunch down into hunting mode.

I'm also thankful that the painted buntings are back for the winter.  I love seeing them at the feeders. The photo below is of a female (top) and male (bottom).  They usually come together, and I've soon two couples so far.

Here's a sweet little female.  Isn't she precious?

We took a trip to St. Augustine for the Night of Lights.  The whole downtown is lit with white lights and it's beautiful.  They will keep the lights up through January 31, so I highly recommend a visit if you're visiting northeast Florida this month.  Most of my pics didn't turn out because they were taken while riding the Holly Jolly Trolley, which was very bumpy, but I recommend it, too.

This is one of the many bed and breakfasts we saw on the trolley tour.

I especially enjoyed being with my "sister" on the trip.  I never had any brothers or sisters, but I claim Linda as my sister.  We met in the hospital after giving birth to our daughters, and we've been friends for over forty years.  Our daughters are good friends, too, and often get together for their birthday celebrations since they were born on the same day.  We enjoyed a great time together in St. Augustine, and just wish we'd had a longer visit.

One day I will learn to take selfies, and I have no idea who the lady is behind us.

While there, I did a bit of bird watching, and took these photos.  The first is of an eagle, and the second is of two cranes, but I'm not sure what kind.  I couldn't get closer because there was a body of water between us.

I'm thankful for my doggie.  She is blind, but is a valiant protector of us, and is vigilent in detecting cats in the backyard.  Here she is, working hard.  She can't see them, but she knows they're out there.  She growls to let me know.

At the end of the day, she is super tired from all that guarding.  After a nightly nap in her daddy's lap, we say, "Are you ready for bed?"  She trots off to her bed and waits to be covered with her blanket.

What are you thankful for this week, Gail-Friends?

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