Thursday in the Garden

This Thursday in the Garden edition is brought to you by the sites of Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina.

::meowww::

 Here's the first view of the magnificent Biltmore House.

 This handsome lion was waiting to greet us when we were closer to the house...

 Saint Francis stood in one of the small gardens...

 These purple puffs are called Allium.  They reminded me of something out of a Dr Suess movie!

 This alligator was friendly and was protecting some of the tropical plants in the greenhouse.

 Have always loved blue hydrangeas.  Well, anything blue really :)

 This is another view of the purple puff allium...

 We saw many interesting creatures in the garden shop...this rooster was very tall!

On the way to the new Antler Point Village, we waited for a family of geese to cross the road...they wouldn't tell us why they were crossing though!

 

 

To see more wonderful gardens, visit Master Gardener Jonsie.

Mr Chewy Review

We were given an opportunity to review some cat treats from the Mr Chewy site.  We have done reviews for them before and did not hesitate to do another one.  Mr Chewy's customer service is superb.  We love the fast shipping, and for all you cats out there, they pack their boxes with the most fabulous brown crinkle paper! 

 

 Another great feature of Mr Chewy is the box size...it is perfect for most cats to fit in comfortably...Cousin Sophie will now demonstrate.

The treats we chose to review are the Natural Balance, Perfect Bites, Rabbit Formula.

 These treats also come in Salmon and Chicken.

 Smokey gobbled his treats right up!  He had a bit of trouble with the texture, they are on the soft and chewy side, as opposed to a crunchy treat.  He finally got the hang of the texture and ate all 4 that were given.  He even ate more as the day wore on and more were offered.

 Tanner does not mind chewy treats and enjoyed his sample immensely.  He loved the flavor and did not hesitate in the least to try these new treats.

Cousin Pirate was not impressed to begin with...he sniffed and then walked away.  However, when he was offered these treats a second time, he ate every one he was given.

 

These treats are low in calories, so you can feel good about giving them to your cats.

 

Here are the ingredients...

Rabbit, Rice Flour, Barley Flour, Whole Ground Potato, Maple Syrup, Chicken Meal, Natural Flavor, Tapioca Starch, Glycerine, Cane Molasses, Brewer's Yeast, Canola Oil, Salt, Phosphoric Acid, Sorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract

 

 

The only cat in our house that would not eat them was Cousin Sophie, but she loved the box and the crinkle paper.

 

We will give these treats 3-1/2 paws out of 4!

 

Visit Mr Chewy's site today and order some for your kitties!

**I was given a free bag of treats for our review, but all comments and opinions are 100% mine



Thursday in the Garden

Today's Thursday in the Garden is brought to you by the color PINK!

::meowww:: 

 The azaleas in the back yard...

 The Peony in the front yard.  On this day, it had taken quite a beating from the heavy rains we were having. 

 Closeup of an almost open bloom...

 The knock-out rose bush by the front porch.  This is not the one with the baby bird in it...

Finally, one of the Gerbera Daisy's that have made an appearance.

To see more lovely gardens head over to Master Gardener Jonesie's site...

Wordless Wednesday

Two on Tuesday

Today we show off two bird nests...

 This one is in the hanging ferns on the front porch.  It has 4 eggs...we believe three are mocking birds and one is a brown-headed cowbird.

This nest, with just one baby is in the rose bush.  There were two babies, but one didn't make it, so mom pushed it out of the nest.  This baby is thriving though!  This is also a mockingbird.

Mancat Monday

Tanner would like to show off his skills today...he is practicing for the "stuff on my cat" award!

He has the following on him:

1. red rabbit
2. purple catnip pillow
3. green rabbit
4. green catnip fish
5. catnip mouse with long tail
6. neko fly attachment
7. two pieces of broken yo-yo

Not too shabby for his first attempt!

Wordy Wednesday

 Yesterday was Smokey's Gotcha Day...I am such a slacker!  My boy has blessed me for 17 years now. 

Smokey as a wee kitten...his gotcha story is posted here.

 Smokey has always loved a comfy spot.  He loves to lay on fleece even in the summer!  He is about 5 years old in this picture...two weeks after this was taken we moved into the townhouse. 

Here is Smokey at 17 in his favorite morning spot, sunning in the breakfast nook! 

 

Looking forward to spending precious time with my Goose this weekend.  So glad to have found him.



Two on Tuesday

 Today we have Tanner looking out the window dreaming of all the fevvers he sees...

I wonder what Tanner would think if he saw these two lovely swans in his yard?

I took this photo last month when in San Francisco for a business trip.  They were lovely and so calm and so HUGE!  These are some big birds!

 

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Mancat Monday - A video

This is how a 17 year old mancat plays...he has been so frisky lately...I'm loving it!  The toy he is whapping is a Chinese yo-yo.  These are Tanner's favorite toys and we had been playing with it when Smokey decided he wanted to play too.  Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Two on Tuesday

Tanner and Smokey enjoy a nice nap...The pad Smokey is laying on will warm up when you lay on it.  It is always a favorite spot when it is cool.

Mancat Monday

Smokey and Tanner have both celebrated birthdays this month.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by to wish them well!

 Smokey enjoyed a nice plate of tuna for his birthday.  He plays some, but not enough to earn a new toy :)  He did get lots of sunggles with me throughout the day and seemed to enjoy our time together.  I know I cherished every moment!

 Tanner scored a few new toys and this one hasn't as big of a hit as I had hoped...he is warming up to it, but it is taking a while...oh well, it looked fun in the store!

Tanner did love his two new green toys...the ball of soft 'rabbit' fur and the catnip fish...



I'll take these, thank you very much!

 

All in all, the boys each had a good birthday and I hope to celebrate for many more years with them.

Thursday in the Garden

We haven't been outside for a few weeks because the pollen counts are pretty high in our area right now.  Our whole town is currently green with all the pine pollen floating around and sticking to everything!

Auntie has been outside working in the yard and found this on Sunday...

 One whole egg in the yard...

One empty egg nearby.  New life has emerged somewhere...

 A few weeks ago, this was the scene at the bird feeders...a very brown, bare bush with a few buds on it...and now...

This is the same bush on Sunday...full of life and new blooms!

 A close-up of the blooms...Spring is here and we are thankful.

Happy Birthday Smokey

Smokey is 17 today!  It is hard to believe he has been a part of my life for so long.  Each year, Smokey develops more and more personality.  He is so funny these days and I love seeing these sparks of life and spunk. 

Happy Birthday Tanner

Finally home and able to load the graphic I made for Tanner's birthday.  We have been catching up on some snuggling today, and I look forward to spending more time at home this weekend!

Thanks for everyone that has already been by to celebrate my boy this week!

Happy birthday Tanner

Happy birthday sweet boy!  Today you are 11 years old.  I'm sorry I forgot to post the graphic I made for you before I left on a business trip!  You got your new toys last week so we will post you playing with them.  Missing you and Smokey this morning.  See you both on Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday

Mancat Monday

These are some older pictures of the mancats...they are still some of my favorites.

 Smokey is doing well....love this 'cute' pose :)  He goes to the VET on Thursday to have his blood pressure checked and possibly some more blood work.  He is eating pretty good these days and either maintains his weight, or gains slightly each week.  Allergies are under control and the hair on his legs and arms is growing back...

Tanner loves laying in this bed still, especially in the late morning, early afternoon when the sun passes by...The trees are starting to bud and it won't be long before the leaves appear.  Tanner is still working hard to lose weight...he gained most of his weight back, but we have another game plan with him, and at least he didn't gain this week.  We are cutting the food back a touch more this week, so maybe see some loss.

My boys have both become super snuggle bugs lately...Tanner enjoys laying across my lap and watching tv with me.  Smokey still loves to be held like a baby and rest his head on my shoulder.  They have figured out how to both lay with me at the same time and not get upset. 

That's what is going on with us lately...sorry we haven't been very regular about posting.  Our lives are rather boring/routine at the moment and not many opportunities for photos.