Water, water, water. We had a lot of rain last month and the beginning of this one. We had a few snow/rain mixed days here and there early on; nothing like the snow and ice back in January. Just soft steady rain. Six years ago, we had record rainfall for March, and though the month’s just a bit past half over, no records will be smashed this year.
Maybe it’s been the perfect amount of rain. These wild sweet violets are having the best year ever! Some eight or ten years ago, Mom found one plant struggling along the foundation of a nearby old, abandoned house and dug it out before the place was torched for fire department practice. She’s never regretted taking it. The plant’s been moved a few times, looking for the best place to thrive and she thinks it found its permanent spot.
Due to all the rain, some things are getting a slow start. The crocus should have been up in February. The mini daffodils are about two weeks late.
The chives are on time.
And so is Lloyd, who looking for brushings and dried chicken treats. Lloyd, we can tell by your scratched up nose you’re still fighting with someone in the neighborhood. Could you stop that, please?
One late night last month, as Mom was on her way to pick up Dad from his job, she saw Lloyd walking up a long sidewalk toward a fancy neighborhood about a quarter mile from our house. She knew it was him because of his wide leg walk and that he stopped, turned, and looked at Mom’s headlights. It was him. This boy has range! Hopefully, he was on his way to even better food or his real home where Mom had never even thought to look or inquire.
Some perennials are slowly coming back. These are the yearly standard sprouts. Mom’s more interested in what comes back in that new flower bed she created last year when the big golden arborvitae had to be chopped down. Out of all the perennials she planted there, so far, nothing’s poking out.
Some mushrooms decided to take over an old, dead maple stump. Did you know mushrooms take up to two years to sprout out of old tree stumps? These aren’t edible mushrooms but are just on time.
Sadly, Mom’s cyclamen isn’t looking happy this year. The slugs are getting to it despite the hazelnut shells and the slug bait that just washes away in all the rain. Why can’t slugs go after ants instead of pretty plants and flowers? Mom might need to take more drastic action by way of placing copper flashing around the whole area. As you probably know, slugs hate copper flashing as well as dry cleaning and all forms of housework.
Mr. Stubbs seems a bit alarmed to hear about the slugs. “You mean I’m not getting my dry cleaning back??” he enquires.
Mom’s looking forward to spring clean up and every year, she hopes she won’t be working in mud. Every year starts off with her working in mud. You’d think she’d be used to it by now. Maybe Mr. G will help!
Pia is feeling much better since the Pre-Spring ant invasion fiasco. No ants for three solid weeks and Pia’s gaining weight thanks to her kibble-only choice of diet. It was a dry, warm weekend here and Mom wasted no time renewing ant bait around the under house vents.
Quint, Tessa, and Viola are doing well and so are we. Dad got a forty cent an hour raise that goes into effect next month and Mom survived a big layoff. We haven’t had to visit our local food bank since last November and our cupboards are looking good with enough food and cleaning supplies and cat food and litter to last us a while. We can’t complain.
Only sweet visitor Colby complains. This adorable, hunky, talky boy loves those dried chicken catnip treats! Oh, if only in another time, Mom would have scooped this boy up and made him an indoor cat regardless of who he’s supposed to belong to.
~ ~ ~ ~
A Colehaus Cats flashback:
2023 – No post
2022 – Noise Again?
2021 – No post
2020 – Wordless Wednesday
2019 – Cats Who Sing, Episode 4
2018 – No post
2017 – No post
2016 – Foster Friday with Miss Itty
2015 – One Word Wednesday
2014 – No post
2013 – The Basket
2012 – No post
We’re glad your dad is getting a raise! Your garden is looking great and we wish we could have some of that rain. We’ve had a dry winter.
We have cyclamen on the memorial garden, and they were looking so good I got some more to put on the raised flower bed by the garden gate. In spite of various pellets the slugs have demolished every single one. We have small slabs of slate over the pellets so the birds can’t get at them. We also have wild violets growing along the bottom of the hedgerows.
I had no idea how far cats travelled until one day I was coming back from riding on the moors and came face to face with our Auntie Cat. She must have been at least a mile from home. I asked what she thought she was doing out on the lanes and she ran all the way back in front of me instead of taking a short cut through the fields. She was spayed so didn’t have that as an excuse for her travels.
All of the cats are looking good.
Dearest Colehauscats + Parents,
Those March violets sure look happy and healthy.
We’ve done the very same for years, collecting them and planting them in better spots.
It is such a joy to see spring budding all around us.
Glad to hear about the little raise—everything helps!
Is Lloyd being neutered? Strange that he leaves home and wanders around, he looks rather chunky so he might find something to eat, somewhere.
Mushroom spores are everywhere and IF there is some decaying wood, they will start digesting it. Those are good edible Honey mushrooms: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2015/01/toadstools-digest-lignin-in-nature.html
For a recipe here: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2021/11/honey-mushrooms-or-armillaria-mellea.html
Hope you still can harvest them and even if stir fried in butter or margarine, it makes for a delicious sandwich.
Colby is indeed another hunky boy!
Sending you hugs from Georgia,
Mariette + Kitties
Dear Colehauscats + Parents,
Did leave a comment here but it is not showing…
Will try to re–compose it.
First off I love your happy and healthy March violets.
We too have done that often, transplanting them for having them in a better place.
Lloyd is a big guy, is he neutered—in regard to his wandering off in the neighborhood.
What you call as maple trunk mushrooms are actually delicious honey mushrooms. Will send you the link from my post as I presume that this is the reason why my comment did not go through here.
Colby is another chunky cat, we only have lightweight and svelte kitties…
Happy to read that your husband got a slight raise.
There will be many in this country that are facing tough times with everything getting more and more expensive. Our health insurance premium is raised again.
Big hugs and I email you the rest.
Mariette + Kitties
They are all cuties, but yes, Colby is one I would try to bring in too. Thank you for the kind words you left on my blog for the loss of Lucy. XO
Where are my two previous comments…?
Mercy but that’s a lot going on! I do hope the garden thrives, you get just enough water without too much, and the slugs simply slug off.
You do seem to have some nice flowers blooming. And we hope more to come. TBT suspects that more sunlight from the cut shrub will bring some surprises at griubd-level.
Lloyd is a bruiser!
Concats on the raise.
Way to go, Pia…just leave those darn ants alone.
Yay, Pia! We’re happy to hear you’re eating that kibble and gaining a little weight. Keep up the good work. 🙂
Lots of good news at Colehaus, and hey, we never knew slugs were housework haters!