sedum, dust, bats & cats

The mystery sedum is S. alboroseum medio-variegatum (I discovered I had kept the tag after all, when I was weeding that bed the other day), next to Geranium 'Orion'.

There's another sedum all over the place here that has self-seeded, even in the woods. I don't know what that one is -- my guess would be S. spectabile. The only other sedum that I have is S. 'Matrona', a lovely one with purplish leaves.

What am I reading? I'm re-reading The Seven Storey Mountain, by Thomas Merton. Can you tell that I have been moving my books around again? As I said, I'm the world's worst cleaner-upper because I end up fondly reminiscing or re-reading books that, even though I looked at them every day in their previous spot, now look different (?almost new) as I clean up and re-arrange things.

I also found, amongst some sheet music, a small poster that my youngest daughter made in grade school. It's impossible for me to say how old she might have been when she made this, but it gave me a little charge to come across it. Try as I might, I have been unable to upload it here...sometimes a dial-up connection is soo...o.o.o irritating!! So you'll just have to imagine how it looks: the green world in the middle, little people around the perimeter and a rah-rah eco-aware slogan...naw, that's not satisfying at all, is it?

There is a thudding and banging going on in the basement. Somehow, a bat has found it's way into the basement and can't find it's way out...any attempt I make to 'guide' it back outside only results in it hiding itself away in some wee cranny or another. As soon as I give up and go back upstairs, the bat resumes its banging and thudding about against the duct work and windows. That sets the dogs to barking... Great, huh? Suggestions, anyone?

I believe a cat might be helpful here. Speaking of which, a cat would probably help me deal with the chipmunks in the greenhouse too!

An odd wrinkle in timing prevented me from acquiring one, actually. My friend Kim had three kittens to find homes for. They were weaned towards the end of June. I wanted one of them, but I thought it might be a smoother transition if one of the kittens came to live with me after Ann moves out. They were becoming very rambunctious and Kim phoned me to ask if I could take one or more, sooner -- or now! But my phone has started doing funny things after we've had rain...I can't hear anything but the person on the other end can hear me just fine!! By the time I retrieved my messages, Kim had phoned again and left a message to say she just had to find a home now and already did so for all three. Thus, sorry, I am out of luck.

Perhaps it's all for the best, after all, because I am busy planning that trip to Ethiopia with my son. Maybe acquiring a cat is better done after I have returned from my trip. I mean, who ever ends up being kind enough to babysit my animals while I'm gone might appreciate that: a cat is pretty independent, but a kitten is ... very busy playing, usually at night!

One hot summer a few years ago, I was rudely awakened many times from a sound sleep by ten kitten-claws grabbing my feet through the sheets.`Once, I was so startled by the pain that I kicked violently, the kitten went flying and struck the wall across the room! By that time, I was more awake and felt terrible. The kitten however, was none the worse for wear.

Caspar lives with my youngest daughter now. He has always been the most demanding cat, talking and chattering and pushing, until you fed him, or petted him or played with him. He decides if he's awake, everybody else must wake up too. Then he makes a lot of noise until somebody gets up. No point in just checking his food or water, because what he wants is for you to get up and do something interesting, something that will entertain him.

He enjoys being petted so much that he quite forgets himself, rolling onto his back, thoroughly enjoying being massaged and loved, totally blissed out. Once, when Caspar was being scratched and petted by my son, he got so into it, he forgot that he was perched on the piano. As he started to roll over to get a real belly rub, he fell right off. If you could have seen the expression on his face...