Hello. I'm the cat.

Hello.  I'm the cat.  Just like the title says.  No home is complete me, or at least someone like me.

Although, I am the cutest.

I am in charge of the following:

1. Rodent control
2. Bird watching
3. Sun bathing
4. Purring
5. Clawing my mother in conspicuous places
6. Teasing the dogs

Number 6 is a winter sport.  Mom brings both dogs out on leashes.  I dash in front of them, and the dogs pull Mom across the snow-packed yard.  She gets to ski, the dogs get to exercise, and I get to chuckle.  Works for everyone.

Did I mention I was the cutest?

Festivus, the cat

The dinosaur farm

It's been frigid cold here in NW PA, much like the rest of the United States this week.  This leaves ample time to be inside and work on creative passions--like blogging--but it is not the best motivator for taking photos.  At least not for me!  I like to feel the button on the camera when I push it.

Nonetheless, the best medicine for cold weather in January is movement--up and out of my seat, bundled up, and to my vehicle.  A Canon in one hand, some coffee for added warmth in the other. 

One of the things I find myself photographing over and over is barns.  This particular barn is just a few miles down the road.  I've photographed it in just about every season and soon, I fear, its owners (who still live in the adjacent house) will surely have me arrested for stalking.

The other side of the barn is completely fallen in.  But this must have once been a beautiful farm, I'm sure.  It's now living its final years as a would-be ghost of its own past.  A reminder, perhaps, of why the small farm today is so important to regenerate.  We've become a nation of convenience, driving one of our country's mainstays into extinction.  The local farmer is a dinosaur on his own acreage.

Under a watchful eye

In this house, we are always under a watchful eye...actually, make that "eyes".  One of those sets of eyes belongs to our beloved greyhound, Sam.  We don't know much about Sam's background--he is from somewhere in New York state.  The sparse paperwork we do have indicates Sam never ran a greyhound race.  Having lived with him now for about 6 years, this is not a surprise to either me or my husband. 

The speed at which he appears in this picture is his typical speed of the day.  Except when it snows.  And the snow gets between his toes.  We do not like snow between our toes and, therefore, must use our greyt greyhound powers to sled mom and Ginger (our other dog) across the property and to the safety and warmth of the fireplace. 

"Be prompt with dinner tonight, Mom.  I needs my energies!"

Lol.  Mary Ann

Rising to the New Year

I took this photograph last year, on the way in to my office.  It is one of my very favorite photos, most particularly because I love a sunrise--but a sunrise this pretty, amidst one cold winter day, is filled with some extra special promise.  And hope.

It is easy to rise to the occasion of a new day--or a new year--when things are going well.  Jobs are intact, health is good, all is well.  But rising above the difficult days of a lifetime and still coming out with something positive is not quite as easy to achieve.  And may require that you be in the right place at the right time, heading down your road with a positive perspective in place before you even start.

Here's hoping everyone finds a beautiful sunrise and sunset each day of the coming new year.  Happy holidays to all.

Mary Ann

And then it snuck back in...

How quickly things change.  In the blink of an eye, it is once again white and snowy.  The only remaining color in our forest is that of the evergreen, standing proudly with its sharpened, scented needles as the steward of a winter's season.

Winter snuck away today

Winter snuck away, sometime overnight. 

Just a few days ago, right around the corner from yesterday, snow spread on the land around us like a blanket covering a newborn from head to toe. 

There's a comfort to the first few early snows of a winter's season.  Almost relief, when everything must come to a near standstill due to wintry, blustery conditions. 

As if we need an excuse to slow ourselves down from the day-to-day needs of our world.

Maybe we do.

Come February, I guarantee I won't be posting about how lovely and quieting it is to see snow; nor will I be welcoming it with the same enthusiasm I feel today.

For right now, however, I am comforted with the thought it will soon return, and stoke my fire, ready to pull the blanket a bit tighter around me.

Today's visitor

Visiting us today in our barn was this lovely little male downy woodpecker.  We have a woodlot behind our home that makes a wonderful setting for a variety of woodpeckers, large and small.  This fellow was lost and looking for his way out.  I rescued him moments before my cat decided he made a really neat play thing.