Cushions Condensed

 I've owned This End Up furniture since the mid-70s. Every decade or so, I replace the cushions. I last replaced them in 1909, when then-kitten Chloe "helped" me unpack huge big boxes on the deck. After 14 years of continuous use, those cushions needed replacing. Consequently, I ordered some replacements from the aptly named Replace My Cushions.

When they arrived, I was surprised there weren't any huge boxes—just two boxes that looked way too small to contain my order. One box was torn open in a couple of places, so I expected the worst. When I opened the boxes, I saw three tightly compressed packages. 

How could these squashed things possibly decompress? But there was some kind of valve on each package. What would that do?

My husband opened the value, decompression began and soon revealed exactly the kind of cushions I wanted.

The covers still needed to be zipped, which took both sets of hands. I'm glad all we had to do was zip. I can't imagine trying to get those tight-fitting covers on the cushions. 

Before long, we had a stack of cushions ready to go on the sofa and two chairs.

Charlotte had to inspect them. Then Grover took a look.

After the cats' inspection was complete, we started putting the cushions where they belonged.

These are probably the last set of cushions I'll order for this furniture. I expect they'll outlast me.

~

March Flowers 2023

 The spring flowers on my property were putting on a show the other day: tulips, dogwood, redbud, lilacs, and forsythia, oh my!

Spring has officially sprung.

~

SOTK Spring 2023

 State of the Kitties Report, Spring 2023

by Tanner (Resident Cat-in-Chief)

Here I am in bed with Rufus, Grover, Charlotte, Orville, Jim-Bob. and Arlo.

Not a lot has changed since my last year state of the kitties report. I am still in charge but I am slowing down a little, and I sometimes only work half a shift instead of a whole day. I only stay in the garage at night if it's warm. If it's cold, I stay in the house and sleep on mommy's bed with a bunch of the other cats. It is a good thing we all get along.

I am an old cat now. I turned 10 this winter.  There are only three cats on the property who are older than I am—Chloe and her brother Jim-Bob will be 14 in August, and the outside cat Spotz will be 14 in June or July.

Spotz in her domain—the shop window.

Spotz works around the pasture and goes in the shop at night. She has a friend named Max who is a feral cat, and they sometimes hunt rats together when Max isn't away for a few days. Mommy told me he is likely looking for love. Mommy golf-carts out to feed them twice a day. Spotz is always glad to see her, but Max won't come closer than a foot. He is the only cat on the property that Mommy hasn't been able to tame. He usually sleeps in a box on the patio under the deck.

Skippy and his kitty Cedrick also work outside, and they usually sleep close to the house where Mommy has fixed several cat nests for them. They often sleep together. Cedrick has been here for a few years now, and I still do not much like him. I can usually tolerate Skippy, though. Jim-Bob still hates Cedrick and wants to fight him.

Cedrick thinks he's king of the castle.

Jim-Bob and I are the only housecats who work outside during the day now. Chloe would like to go out the way she used to four years ago before she disappeared for 9 days and came home hurt real bad, but Mommy won't let her go out anymore because it cost a lot of money to get Chloe's fracture fixed. Jim-Bob usually only works half a day. Then he comes in and naps with some of the others. Arlo would like to sneak out if he could like he did a few times last year, but Mommy watches him whenever she goes out. Arlo and Chloe usually stay in the garage at night to hunt the rat, but we haven't seen any garage rats for a long time. The other cats have no interest whatsoever in going out.

Rufus, Jim-Bob, Otis, Orville, and Grover.

Late in the afternoon, the sun shines in the window and a lot of us like to sleep in its warmth. Claudine gets in the window and tries to hog all the sunlight for herself. Her brother Rufus is so big that he gets a lot more sun than anyone else.

 

Sometimes I'm in and out during the day. When I'm out, I do my catwork, which is mostly patrolling and watching. Two weeks ago, Mommy golf-carted me and Skippy out to the former pasture so we could check the fence line. Here I am inspecting it.

Skippy inspected it too.

The weeping cherry tree by the fence is real pretty when it blooms.

An even prettier one is across the pasture. A bird planted the see there a long time ago.

Here's a closer look at it. In summer, I sometimes sleep under it.

A few weeks ago, Spring was just starting to show itself. The corkscrew willow that Mommy planted a long time ago—before I even got here—was the first to show green.

Next to it is a cherry tree, which is in bloom. 

Here's a closer look at the cherry tree.

The redbud soon started showing its buds. I sometimes climb the redbud trees.

The forsythia near the mailbox really showed its color. 

The bridal wreath near the side yard bloomed early this year. Sometimes I sit under it because it is a good hiding place. 

All around the yard things are changing, but the view of the mountains doesn't change all that much.

That is about all for my report this time. It is time for my nap.

~