Theft From Above

While walking the dog this evening my attention was caught by a feral cat on the other side of the street that had jumped on a dove. The bird hopped around squawking loudly while flapping its wings. Fat-cat took a big swipe with his paw, knocking the dove into a roll over the grass, and then jumped into the air after it. The cat was still airborne when he was passed by a Peregrine falcon that swooped in to grab the dove! The cat landed and tried to jump up after the thieving falcon but only knocked the dove slightly askew. Turning my direction the falcon struggled with its prey while flying right at me, screeching all the way! I ducked as it flew over my head close enough for me to focus for a second on the thrashing doves eyes that seemed to know only two streets over a nest in an empty field was waiting. 


-- Tree

Higgs boson in my lifetime is pretty darn cool

I remember laughing at the old movie "Parenthood" where the grandmother sucks in helium during a birthday party and says, "When I was a girl Grover Cleveland was president." My version might be, "When I was a girl the Mayan language and simple physics were still mysteries". What a world! :)
 I appreciate the reserve expressed in the link... be 100%. Still, Higgs boson in my lifetime is pretty darn cool to me! "It remains an open question whether this is the Higgs boson of the Standard Model ... or possibly the lightest of several bosons predicted in some theories that go beyond the Standard Model,"http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/14/us-science-higgs-idUSBRE9270XW20130314


-- Tree

Rockin With Mars

If there was or is life on Mars the evidence will be found in the rocks; stone doesn't lie! I think it's so cool that what is basically ichnology is being useful to outerspace programs! I spent every moment of my childhood that I could crawling an ancient streambed, wondering about the marks and how they were made... heck I still loose hours in wonder pouring over the specimens I collected; An entire scene can be recreated from just the information found in fossil imprints! Mars rocks! ;)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/12/life-on-mars-evidence-nasa-curiosity_n_2861505.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk1%26pLid%3D282730



-- Tree

G Loving Day

 I had a "G" day... glorious grey, though some would say gloomy, grateful, giggling, good, Gabby! It wasn't too long ago that I accidently sat on the new cat because Gabrielle had never lain on the sofa before; She'd not shown interest in sitting on the cushions until that day. Afterwards she was fine, and I healed, but today she took a new liberty by climbing up to lay on my chest when I sat down on the sofa! Being not quite two years old she's still more play than cuddle, so a purring curl-up was a shock that left me glowing (another "G" word).
 She can be grabbed for a hug anytime, but this was her choice and more intimate than holding her while standing. Her motion was slow, sweet, gentle, and she looked right into my eyes while searching for the perfect snuggle-in position. She purred while I rubbed her tummy until a bird landed in view outside a nearby window. Laying just an inch or two from my face Gabby chirped a cat song to the bird. I did my best to imitate the sound she'd made, and when I did her eyes widened in shock. She picked up one of her paws to gently stroke my face in the same manner that I do for her when showing that she's been a "good girl"! After that she twisted her head into a darling snuggle under my chin -- truly touching! Her purring deepened in tone. I sat there far longer than I'd intended but was left with a smile that has lasted longer still. It's a joy to watch this cat continue to develop and grow!

You'd never suspect this sweetie likes to pretend the dog is a wildebeest and she's a lioness!

-- Tree

Metaphorically Yours

A ball got thrown into the air, and there it stayed while with bat in hand I waited on the ground for my chance at a hit, until at last I decided to jump up and fly after it.


-- Tree

Goodbye Shoe String Rule

Our ragdoll cat Lily has always had a fetish for shoe strings, tearing them to pieces, so the rule has been no playing with them. Now though, I think that after 15 years of holding back she deserves to play with whatever the heck she likes! We can buy more strings, but we only get one Lily! :)

Lily in action with the laces of my boots, March 2013.

-- Tree

A week Ends

Endings can be sad but the passing of this last week brings no sorrow. It did however bring lots of love, things to be grateful for, things that we didn't know, reminded us of things that we'd forgotten, and gave opportunities for more love to grow. It almost feels like Spring. :)

-- Tree