If I see you in the Garden...

 ... I will abandon my post at the birdbath...

 ...smile...

...and run up to you for attention.

Caturday #1

Thomas, our favorite guest, enjoys the sunshine on one of his daily visits.

The Cat Days of Summer

Nothing like a cool drink on a hot summer day.  Thomas digs in.

Afternoon Relaxing

Oh to have time for an afternoon nap in the sun! Thomas found a sunny spot on the patio yesterday and hunkered down to take advantage.

I've been a bad blogger lately, so just in case I have to ignore the blog for a little while, I thought you might like to see this guy.  Now, if only we could teach him to help pack orders...

A Morning Visitor

 The other morning I pulled the curtains back, surprised to be greeted by none other than Thomas perched on top of the porch.  Usually he's fearful of heights and wants help back to ground level, but not this day.

 He was content to hang on with his tail, listen to the birds and take in the elements.

 Eventually I retreated to make tea and breakfast, leaving my favorite visitor to greet the day in his own way.

A Visit From Thomas

Thomas, the cat who lives across the street and visits us frequently, has been stopping by in the evenings for a little exercise. I keep a shoelace draped over the back fence for just such occasions.

Thomas likes our heavy gardening, too. With so much bare soil he can roll in the dirt and run through the dried lawn all he wants. Above, he thought attacking a calla was more fun than the string...

I got his attention though and pretty soon he was in hot pursuit.

He'll play "I'm not watching you" then, with a leap, he's up and on the hunt, chasing as fast as he can move. Even though we've played countless times, his speed and agility never cease to amaze me!

A Favorite Neighbor

This isn't my cat, but he hangs around the house enough to have his own bowl, brush and favorite hiding places in the yard. We've named him Thomas, though across the street at his real home he has another name. As the weather warms up he's around more and more, lurking in ferns and waiting for birds at the bird bath. If he comes over and isn't seen right away he likes to stand on the arms of the patio furniture and meow until he's noticed and let in for a bowl of whipped cream.

Be sure to visit Mary over at Little Red House for more mosaics!

P.S. There's still time to enter our giveaway over at JustSomethingImade.blogspot.com.
Enter for a chance to win a pair of handmade journals.

A Surprise Visit

Thomas, the cat that lives across the street, showed up at my door this morning. He led me outside, proceeded to find a patch of dirt and took a furious, dusty bath.

Sometimes he stops by to chase a shoelace I leave on the fence for him, but not today. He was content to have a pinch of catnip and relax in the shade of the patio.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Thomas likes to hide amongst the shadows and blend in with the porch railing for optimal hunting at the bird bath in the flower bed. We're pretty sure most of the birds know he's there and torment him on purpose, as his attempt-to-catch ratio isn't too high. He's not deterred though, and spends quite some time hunkered down in the sun half snoozing, half watching.

Happy Halloween!

Thomas gets festive.

Thomas and the Disappearing Gophers: A Natural Solution to Stop the Digging

Can you spot Thomas above?

Last year our yards were riddled with gopher holes -- in the lawn, in the flower beds, even the empty field next door had a series of dirt mounds and a subterranean maze of tunnels. Not the neighborhood cats nor the hose discouraged the digging, and one by one our daffodils and bulbs disappeared, plants keeled over with roots eaten to the crown and our frustration levels rose. It only got worse when we saw one of the gophers come part way out of a hole to eat fresh grass shoots -- he was absolutely ADORABLE! So we stopped watering down his soil mounds and filling his tunnels with water and just hoped he'd eventually move along to a different yard. He stayed.

Our favorite visitor, Thomas.

For the last 6 months we haven't seen hide nor hair of the gopher or any evidence of digging. Turns out that an old wives tale of sorts was put into effect and worked like a charm! According to my grandmother, if you put a tuft of cat fur inside the gopher's holes, he'll think a predator is always patiently waiting and move along.

Hiding in the ferns.

Pictured is Thomas, donor of fur and indirect eradicator of gophers. He lives across the street, but shows up for pets, treats and the occasional nap. He has his own brush (source of fur for putting in holes), is treated like he's our own and likes to hide in the ferns by my bird bath and startle unsuspecting birds. While Thomas would have preferred to actually capture the gophers, we couldn't be more pleased that he was around to lend us a hand in another way.