Cactivity

There was a lot of cat activity yesterday...or cactivity, if you prefer Smitty's name for it. He often lies in the window while I write my blog posts offering up translations of Catonese when necessary.

Downstairs, Sadie helped me sew the binding on my mystery project.

It's small, and so it didn't take very long. For now, I can only show you the back. I'll try to remember to post a picture on Instagram, and you can see it there if you just can't wait any longer. Oh, and actually, I can post this one on Facebook. Send me a friend request if you like. You'll need to go to my personal page...Barbara Stanbro.

Small or not, Sadie was completely exhausted by that effort and so she needed a good long nap afterward.

So while Sadie napped, I stitched on the October heart. Just the words around the outside are left now...oh yes, and the running stitch around things. I might finish it this morning...for sure, I'll finish it by tomorrow morning.

After that, I made the Tomatillo Apple Salsa. My yield was 8 half pints, and a little bonus I added to a jar already opened in the refrigerator. This is a great recipe. It's easy to make, and the whole process from start to finish took about an hour and a half. I used to make a chunky tomatillo salsa verde, but it seemed no matter how long I cooked the tomatillos down, the salsa still ended up watery. I think the natural pectin in the apples helps to thicken the salsa so that the consistency is just right with only 15 minutes of cooking. This is my go-to salsa verde from here on. Oh yes, and I used four jalapenos with seeds and ribs mostly removed. It has a nice little kick, but not enough to knock your head off.

Okay, and I want to thank all of you who had suggestions about growing grass on the catio for Smitty. Smitty thanks you too. They were all good ideas, but Smitty is very purrticular about his grass. He only likes the long wide blades. These are the blades that will actually cut your fingers if you run them along the blade. (They don't call them "blades" for nothing.) So I've been harvesting the long blades at the edges of the property where they don't get mowed and bringing them inside to my very grateful kitty. Here's a video. Be sure to turn up your volume so you can hear the purring. If you can't see the video, then click right here.

Okay, and so he can't really eat the grass unless I hold it for him. I've tried cutting it up and putting it on a plate, but he can't really pick it up off the plate that way. It lies too flat. He needs me to hold it for him so that he can bite it off like he does when he's outside chewing on the vertical blades. I might decide to give the pet grass a try...it's cheap enough, after all...but, honestly, I think Smitty likes these little sessions together. It's good to stay close as a family, you know. Also, I'm going to plant some catnip in a pot that can stay on the catio. They like the fresh catnip too, and it would be easy enough to keep watered if I put it close to the fencing.

Now here's something else. Smitty was looking intently out the window this morning. I looked out to see what he was watching, and I saw this guy hunting squirrels. He'd just pounced on something, but he missed it, whatever it was.

Moments later, he was joined by his partner in crime.

A piece of slightly good news is that one of our neighbors called yesterday to get the scoop on Coyote Man. We told her the whole sad story. She has a dog she's had to keep confined to a run, and she believes the coyotes have taken up residence in the ravine behind her house. She's found their scat around, and she believes they are marking territory there. She also shared that our other neighbors are worried about their dogs. So far, we are the only ones in the vicinity who've shelled out any money to try to rid ourselves of these predatory critters. Now that we know at least two other neighbors are concerned, we might get some help. The neighbor who called also informs us she's acquainted with a wildlife specialist from Yellowstone National Park, and she was going to see if he could give us some advice. Of course, I'll keep you posted. For now...indoor kitties only, and it makes me so sad. The kitties are adjusting, but I'm not.

There was nothing accomplished in the sewing room yesterday. All the sewing I did was hand-sewing. Today I need to make two more Tiny Tuesday blocks, and I'd like to get to work on the third of my mystery projects. I'll intersperse today's sewing with housekeeping chores, so everything will get a little attention today. Our weather is back to cloudy and cool after a nice warm day yesterday. We seem to go one day on and one day off with the summer sun. It's been kind of nice.