Tell me...

Tell me,
Little Missy Oreo
the wild garden kitty...

How do you get your nose so dirty
while your paws stay so white?

I know you patrol the gardens when I'm not there,
sniffing each corner and every twig to detect who's been there before.
Is that how your nose turns from pink to brown?

It can't be from sniffing the morning glories.
You probably can't even see how brilliant blue they are
or appreciate they're radiant transient beauty.
Most kitties wouldn't, I'm certain.

Is your nose getting filthy because you nap
in the shade of the watermelon-colored cannas
escaping from the heat of mid-day like all smart kitties do?
When you tuck your nose against the flagstones to block out the sun,
is that when your nose turns brown?

I know...
It probably gets dirty when you're rooting for the critters
that live in the nooks and crannies
of the stone planter boxes where the zucchini blooms and grows.

Did you catch anything today
like the lizard I witnessed you catch
last week in the blink of an eye?


Because your nose certainly looks like you did.

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Milestones That Warm Our Hearts

Yesterday, Oreo, the garden kitty, achieved a major milestone in her little feral kitty life. Oreo curled up and laid down in a little ball of fur on my lap for an extended period of time and actually just let herself be stroked while she curled up and kneaded my lap! This morning, she did the same thing for almost a full 30 minutes. I was honored to have her completely bathe my fingers on both hands with her sweet little pink sandpaper tongue.

Being only 4-5 pounds, Oreo is diminutive in size and is very cautious and afraid of everything because of it. We had just moved here when she was born over 6 years ago, and she has led a solitary life away from all the other cats that she is related to that make up the feral colony that lives across the street where a kind neighbor is a steward over them with assistance from A.R.F. (Animal Rescue Foundation).

Over time Oreo came to adopt our garden, then our front porch, and finally us. It took about three years for us to be able to touch her. She now spends most of her days in our front and back gardens and her nights are spent on or around our very sheltered front porch (with a heated bed and heat lamp for chilly nights).

This week's events of her becoming a "lap kitty" have been very momentous for us and for Oreo. She has accomplished a lot, and we are very proud of her for being so brave and trusting us gargantuan human beings.

And on another wonderful note...

Holly over at 2 Kids and Tired awarded me this award, and I am very touched! “The award was created by The Little Aussie Cynic to honor those blogs with integrity..." and can be awarded in several different categories. Holly chose to award me in the category of "For Social Conscience" and says:

"For Social Conscience, Cindy because she strives to live in harmony with the world around her and shares herself and her insights with us all."

I am so touched that someone views me and this blog that way. It is an amazing honor! I try to do my part in being a good steward in this world and for the earth. I'm happy that it comes through in my writing.

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Pussycat in the Posies and Other Garden Serendipity

Pussycat in the Posies
(this photo is now available in a greeting card)

I was strolling around outside today just puttering in the garden with my camera in tow. I was enjoying the mild summer weather we're having and the wonderful coastal breezes. I had my camera with me because I'd just gotten done trying to photograph some items for the online store I'll be opening soon on Etsy (didn't like the effect I was getting with the light) so I decided to meander around and just enjoy the outside instead of focusing on my frustrating failed photography attempt.

I was enjoying looking at all the flowers in bloom, taking shots of them. I came around the corner of the pink rosebush and there was our little wild garden kitty Oreo who had been sleeping in a bed of posies and was sitting up all groggy from her nap. She was just so cute amidst the blooms that I had to take her photo (although I had to do so gingerly or I'd frighten her).

(The photo below is now available in a greeting card)
When I encountered Oreo, I had originally been headed to look at a sunflower that I saw blooming from the other side of the garden. I wanted a better look at it to see if it was worth photographing. It was! The background of the burgeoning green fennel fronds was perfect.

The sunflowers that I got from K. only a couple of weeks ago are so happy where I've planted them throughout the front garden. I'm enjoying their little sunshiney-faces as they begin to bloom around the garden adding a splash of brightness here and there.

Later when I went into the back garden to feed the goldfish, I again had my camera around my neck just in case there was a shot I wanted to get. Good thing too, because as I neared the pond I saw a tiny movement out of the corner of my eye. I slowly bent down to see if it was what I thought it was. I was right! It was one of the cute little lizards that lives out among the stones around the pond. I always see them but never have my camera with me when I do. And they're so darn fast it's really hard to photograph them anyway. Well, this one decided to lay really still and play "camo lizard" and let me get close enough to get a great shot or two before it scurried away.