moar ktnz on kntrz

I came into my (freshly cleaned, may I add) kitchen this morning to find the guys again on the kitchen counter. So help me Goddess, if I ever find one of them curled up asleep in that old-fashioned wash basin that I use to hold dirty dishes, I may go mental.



Ohhh... tomatoes...



OHHHH... OUTDOORS...



Cat ADD.



OHHHHHHHHH... OUTDOORS...



Sink.



Tear is taking the high road.



You can almost see the wheels churning. "Mebbe dangurous this waye." I did see him lick the soap, though.

ktnz on ktchn kntrz

For as long as I've had my kittens (about 2 1/2 months now), there have been horizontal surfaces that I was reasonably certain the animals could not reach, and upon which I could therefore put anything I did not want the cats to get into.

This weekend, my most crucial cat-free space - the kitchen counter - has been breached.



Here is Baby Guy on one end of the counter. Notice he can't even look me in the eye.



Stealth mission: Passing through the dish rack. Remind me never to leave anything breakable on this thing. Ever. Again.



"Houston, we have reached the sink."



Temporary descent into the sink. Oh - and if you are ever invited to be a guest in my house in the future? Be aware that I take no responsibility whatsoever for any paw-borne illnesses you may contract as a result of these guys walking all over my food preparation and clean-up area. Just saying.



Ascent from the sink.



All the interesting stuff lies ahead.



I'm not sure what's so un-cat-smelling about one of my wooden spatulas, but both cats had to rub it with the sides of their heads. "Mine."

the first leaf

Fall is my favorite time of year. The last few days I've been salivating in anticipation - I can already feel the chill in the air in the early morning, and I love bringing out the warmer clothes and blankets. There's a smell that only fall has - maybe it's the dead leaves on the wet ground, maybe it's the colour of the sunshine against my nostrils... whatever, I especially love the colours of the leaves as they turn. Today, walking home from work, I saw this leaf. I'm pretty sure it's the first colourful leaf I've seen this season. So I took a picture of it.

scarlet runners

When I was at my parents' house last night picking some vegetables from Dad's garden, Dad asked if I wanted some beans. He grows scarlet runners in containers along the side of the garage, and the vines climb up the six-foot lengths of twine that he re-strings every year.



Dad climbed a ladder and picked the highest beans while I picked the low ones. Here's my loot, right before I topped and tailed the beans for my supper.

new rocking chair with a history

I went to Goodwill today on my way home from my walk, because I needed a couple of dishes to replace ones I'd broken. I checked out the furniture section, hoping there might be a rocking chair... and there was. This weathered beauty was on sale for $15.



When I got it home and was wiping off years of accumulated dust and grime, I noticed some writing on the underside of the seat.



The metal tags below the writing identify the chair as the former property of St. Joseph's Hospital, which has a renowned obstetrical department. Now I can't stop wondering how many mothers and nurses have sat in this chair rocking babies over the years.

(And BTW, Laure - this is a Laurie-sized rocking chair, with a seat very low to the ground...)

river rocks

My London has a Thames River, and there's a place I like to go where I can walk on the dried-up parts of the riverbed. Above is a picture of the rocks just as it was starting to rain.



Some dark grey rocks that had most recently been underwater.



Green rocks, covered with algae.



I loved how the leaves echoed the colour of the pink rock on the right.

tomatoes and a painted rock

I've been getting fresh, home-grown tomatoes from my Mom and Dad's garden the last couple of weeks. Here are some of them, lined up on my kitchen windowsill to ripen.











The painted rock I bought on my way home from work one night, from some kids who had set up a little storefront on the sidewalk in the neighbourhood where I park my car. This one made me happy. I think I spent $2 on it. Sometimes it felt like I was single-handedly keeping these kids in business, since this was not the only rock I bought over the course of the week that they were there.