well, that didn't last long

and I am still feeling sad about it now. 

Long story short: on Friday I noted that one of Freya's kittens was not gaining weight, and then it started loosing weight over the next few days. The foster coordinator asked us to bring them all in to see the vet at their location. They told us it would be best to have a different foster look after them, who had experience with very young kittens and giving supplemental feedings. I had to agree, because I have no training with that, and this kitten was already doing poorly. It really disappointed me to leave them all there though, because of course they won't want to move Freya and the kittens again, so they'll all stay with the other foster until old enough to be fixed and adopted. We're still supposed to be given the first chance to adopt Freya, though. 

I miss her already. Her sweet little prrrup when I came in the room, how she tipped her chin up and leaned into the brush, wound around our legs affectionately, squinted her eyes at us- if you know cats, you know- and even gave me little head-bumps when I bent down to pet her or peek at the kittens or give her the food dish. I couldn't help but think she really liked us, though of course it could just be that she is a super friendly cat who likes all people.

I hope she remembers us, if we do get to go pick her up again in about two months' time, as they said.

I am sad that I didn't ever get to see the kittens open their eyes, didn't even get any more photos of them past that one where they were on the red cloth- I was trying to not stress the mama by being too close all the time looking at the babies, as advised. I was planning on taking some individual photos when the kittens were two weeks old, starting to open their eyes, and hopefully Freya more comfortable with me holding them.

But never got that far.

And now I got news that the littlest one didn't make it, they tried but it wouldn't take the bottle and wasn't nursing at all anymore. 

I'm supposed to get further ongoing updates, I hope Freya and her remaining kittens do well- those four were putting on weight rapidly- 15 to 20g per day!- and at six days old had nearly doubled their birth weights. I know they're better off in someone else's care right now, but I can't help missing them and feeling like I didn't do enough.

this is Freya

On Friday, my neighbor brought us this cat, and asked us to temporarily care for it. She told us it was thrown out of a moving car on the highway. I don’t understand how someone could do such a thing- this is the sweetest, most friendly cat ever. 

We set her up in our spare bedroom and noticed right away she had quite a large belly on a small frame. I suspected she was pregnant and mentioned it to the neighbor, who immediately said oh no, her friend who was interested wouldn’t want a pregnant cat. But it only took us one day to fall in love with her and want to keep her ourselves. 

We took her to a vet and they did x-rays -no broken bones!- and confirmed yes, she was expecting four or five kittens. Her paws are scraped up and she had a small cut near one eye, but otherwise seems okay. I’m sure she’s bruised and sore though. 

Then drove her to animal control because we felt obligated to report the incident, and thought someone might be looking for her (as the person who threw her out of a car may not have been the owner). She was scanned several times- no microchip. After a lot of discussion the shelter agreed to support us in fostering the kittens, get them all vaccinated and fixed, and then after the babies are weaned and up for adoption, we can officially adopt Freya. 

Upon coming home from the vet and shelter visit she spent the whole next day chilling in the carrier- I thought she might want to keep her kittens in there but also set up several other places for her to choose from. 

She ended up having her kittens on the guest bed- in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. She didn’t have four or five kittens- she had six! But the smallest one didn’t make it through the night. 

Next morning (or rather, later that same morning after we’d all tried to get a few hours’ sleep) she was still on the bed with them. I thought she would have moved them already. She greeted us, jumped down to eat the food I offered, then went to a box I’d put next to the bed, sat in it and meowed at me. She looked up at her kittens on the bed, looked at me, meowed again. I didn’t think she’d want me to handle them on the very first day, but also thought hey, it’s an opportunity to get their birth weight so I got the digital kitchen scale, one by one took their weights and set them in the box with mom. She settled right down with them. 

I’ve had cats most of my life (aside from college years) but never before kittens in the house!

cat damage

It is still just cold enough at night that I bring my tomatoes in, or keep them in all day round the clock- they've grown so tall no space under the cage so I had to prop it up on children's building blocks. Must be really happy in the mini greenhouse, because other tomato plants that have been in the coldframe right next to it, half the height and a bit yellowing on lower leaves. Unfortunately, my cat Eliza won't leave plants alone. Even the pot of wheatgrass I have just for her, I have to keep out of her reach and give access too just for five or ten minutes every other day- she chews it down to nothing. She's been sticking her paw through the cage bars, pulling the green bean stems towards her, and eating the leaves off!

Half of these had leaves. It's very frustrating. I had to put plastic panels against the cage sides to prevent her from ruining all of them.

I've also had to re-think my garden fence plans (no it's not built yet). It was going to border the lower deck in a way that would allow the cats access to the ground there, under the deck and through the garden. Now I'm going to just fence a loop around to the edge of the stairs, and access the garden myself from under the deck (I don't think a rabbit will go in via that way, the squirrel might?) Cats are confined to the deck only- and the gate at top of stairs. I've put short fencing around the lower railings so they don't lean out so far- always afraid they might try to jump one day.

They really enjoy being out there and Eliza begs sometimes, pawing the glass and meowing hopefully.

things growing

First true leaves of parsley!

My tomatoes have grown taller than the coldframe.

There's a few nights of frost still expected, I'll have to bring them in.

And move the plant cage again- it's now out on the deck protecting some things from my cat! I put a bit of fencing around the lower part of the deck railings, so the cats don't lean out so far looking like they'll jump. They really like hanging out on the deck with us now. But Eliza chomps all the plants. The foreground pot in here is of sprouted wheat I pulled out of the mulched beds and stuck in dirt for her- but I have to keep her from chewing it down to nothing, give her access to it only occasionally. Also protected are- thyme, chives (which she chewed a lot of) and dill. The mint pot is unsheltered, she leaves that one alone.

I also had to block her from getting onto the greenhouse shelves and biting plants in there. With the coldframe window.

The cats especially like being on the deck right now because there is a bird nesting under one corner of it- on top of that carpenter bee trap I hung.

Today I managed to get a few photos of it- I think they're house finches. The male has a rosy chest and head.

From above, you can put your eye to a crack between the boards and see straight into the nest- five small very pale blue eggs. I can't wait to see the baby birds hatch! 

edible

I used to eat the purple dead nettle from the backyard- but now don't make the only recipe I liked it in anymore, so pull most of it. However I took a blurry photo (the little white flower sits high on the stalk above rosette) to identify this plant which is all over the place in spring. When the flower heads turn into dry seedpods, they catapult the seeds everywhere at the slightest touch. 

I found out it's called hairy bittercress and it's edible! 

So I tried it. After plucking off only the cleanest, nicest leaves (no bug holes, mud or slug slime for me, thanks) gave them a good rinse.

I tried some fresh on leftover chicken and rice, some tossed into scrambled eggs and a bit more added to a soup, on different days. The name is a misnomer- you don't even notice the hairs (minuscule) and the taste isn't bitter- it just has a slight kick. Not as tangy as sorrel, and not quite so pepper bite as arugula. I liked it best with the chicken or eggs, not so much in the soup, though I haven't tried doing purée yet.

Oh, and my cat sampled some too:

more protection

Cold nights, so I covered tomato seedlings with extra plastic cloche.

Didn't like the benches as barriers, so I made a wire box, and put the rest of the seedling trays inside an empty aquarium for one night.

The tools and remnants

and the wire box:

I liked that so much better that the next day I took some broken poles from my outdoor compost bin, and some straights sticks picked up off the yard, whittled off the bark-

and stretched window screen material over a frame to make this:

and then used a saw, nails and wood glue to make a similar open-bottom box out of wood scrap:

So now all my seedlings are protected thus:

The cats have not bothered them yet 

and during the day when the plants go out into my little greenhouse I stack the cages off to the side, so kitties can enjoy the bench in the sun.

snowfall

Yesterday it was 80°. Today it is snowing.

I moved my three pots of herbs on the deck into the greenhouse (which is still holding at 38°) and brought all the seedling trays inside. Some of them- the tatsoi and tokyo bekana- could probably be fine out there, but I prefer not to take chances. Not now, when I'm still getting back into managing the plants and taking care of all the tasks.

I put the seedling trays into shallow boxes and affixed wire mesh over, to keep my cats from messing with it. The wire is in narrow strips that used to cover my planter boxes on the deck railings (which I removed last year, they were cracking and sun faded and split apart) but it seems to be enough- kitties have stood up to sniff at it but not tried to jump on top or stick their paws in.

A few in the wire cage are under the bench too.

They are all safe from the cold and getting enough light (to survive), and in a few days I can move them back out again.

caged

Two days later and my first seedlings have sprouted! Some tokyo bekana and a few tatsoi. Both of saved seed from my own garden- plus a few tokyo bekana seed from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (none of the SESE tatsoi sprouted yet). I'm guessing my saved seed sprouted first because it's not as old, and thus more viable. But glad to know that putting the seed containers in my basement room worked just as well as the fridge- at least for some.

One of my biggest hurdles with gardening this year is how to do the seedling stage- because my method for years and years has been to use warmth of the fridge top for germination, and natural sunlight from windows for growth. (I just never had any desire to buy heated mats or grow lights when I already have sources of heat and light) That's why I built all those long benches to stack them up by our one large window that gets good light. But now my cats think they own that bench, it's their sunning spot. And they are very destructive to plants, and like to mess with everything (it's why I only have two house plants now, kept very high up. Sadness).

So I put my seedlings in a cage. 

An old, too-small hamster cage. It's only big enough for a few trays, if I make a shelf in there. The germinating trays are on top of the fridge in large boxes- so the cat can't jump there (one of her favorite high places). I have some wire shelving removed from a closet years ago, I'm thinking of having the boxes open top with the wire shelves across it and something to weigh or lash it down, when they need light.

Of course the best place will be out in my little greenhouse, so I'm trying to conscientiously start things later than I used to, so they can withstand the night temperatures and stay out there 24-7 sooner. But am expecting that some will have to come indoors on colder nights at times, trying to plan ahead for that. Also growing far less than in previous years- I'm planning on filling only five of the nine garden beds (tenth has the permanent rue). It still feels like a lot! However I'm feeling energized for it and seeing these first green sprouts lifting their seed coat heads cheers me immensely.

reckoning

There's a lot to re-evaluate as I start working in the garden again. I found out which plants can't survive the winter without extra mulch and care. I've lost my potted figs, chocolate mint, green onions, tarragon, some stinking hellebores, the hyssop, winter savory and probably more that I can't remember now. Or have forgotten their names. 

I was surprised to find that both rosemary plants are still alive- doing better when I ignored them. My shady sideyard has been overwhelmed by the joe pye weed and black-and-blue salvia (which pleases me). The salvia crowded out the lamb's ears and gladiolas. Somehow I don't mind loosing some glads- I'm not as fond of them anymore- but I do miss the lamb's ears. Mabye I will try to move them to a different spot, because I love seeing the blue salvia thrive. I even saw two hummingbirds fighting over the space this week! 

I find I'm not too keen on the yellow salvia under my trees anymore, or the sensitive fern that looks terrible half the year, or the 'autumn joy' sedums that the deer munch on so they don't look great and have very few blooms. My lilac appears to be suffering, some branches have died, and my lavender is much reduced in size, but I cut out a lot of dead stems and hope it will grow back.

Today I pulled out a ton of mock strawberry in and around some garden beds, and straightened out one whole brick row of edging, on bed 4. I thought I was lining the bricks up straight enough, but then when I got to the end the last brick wouldn't meet the corner one square. So I took them all off again and ran a string line from one end to the other. Redid it- much straighter! Packed the clay soil in tight underneath and hopefully I won't have to re-do this one for several years (the clay gets pretty solid). I'm pleased because this bed has always had a crooked edge where the stump of an old tree never came out. I finally broke up and removed most of that. Then planted some calamint (nepitella) along the edge- which I'd pulled up when trimming in the front bed. Stems had rooted where they trailed on the ground. Easy to move and put in more areas. Such a bright, sharp scent.

The lovage there at the end wasn't doing too great but a few weeks ago I cut out yellowing foliage, weeded around it, mulched and watered. It's perking up a little bit.

In bed 1, I yanked out all the mock strawberry but left half a dozen of this plant that's growing there as volunteer (or weed) also. I've always left a few of these around the yard, they seem to get eaten more by the insects - so I view it as a decoy or trap plant. I still don't know what it is!

I was also pleased to see that the little broken stone "mowing strip" I dug in along the outside base of bed 1, is mostly still in place! There were some weeds in the cracks but once I pulled those up, it was far easier to make this a clean edge when mowing. Encourages me to continue with that project (I have a lot of rocks stacked on my bench intended for this). There are more edging bricks to straighten too (as visible on the left).

Here's the few herbs I have: parsley, thyme and chives. All bought as starts from the nursery months ago, I didn't do anything from seed this year. With my cat Eliza in the window.

She was meowing at me.

I had basil and mint also, but they died. I forget to water sometimes, still. I've removed and dumped the soil from the planter boxes that hung on my deck railings. One was badly cracked and spilled- I'd fixed it with duct tape years ago but it wasn't holding and looked awful. Another was warped, and all four the plastic really faded and discolored. Not sure yet if I will replace those or use them somewhere else. 

It's a lot of work but I'm trying to just do a little bit at a time. Mostly focused on rebuilding and fixing structures in the garden, improving the soil again (when I pulled off the bricks, nice to see the soil was still dark and healthy-looking under the dried crusty top inches), and getting rid of weeds. Have to figure out a fencing solution too, or the rabbits will just eat everything I grow. Oddly, I have not seen many squirrels in my yard this year. We do have red-tailed hawks, an owl and foxes that come through regularly, I wonder if they have just reduced the numbers. Or if they don't have as many nuts to bury, or if they aren't interested in digging in my garden because the soil got so hard and compacted without me working and amending it.

I think my cats

are best buddies now. They have two cat beds side-by-side, but try to fit in the same one together. It's snug!

Mabel wouldn't look at me when I squeaked to get them both facing the camera. 

our two kitties

are starting to get along! Just a few weeks ago, I would have never seen them relaxing together like this. They still have plenty of spats and swat at or chase each other, but also do friendly greetings, nose bumps and I've even caught Eliza briefly licking Mabel's head, or giving her eye-squints. Good signs!

this blog

has kinda gone defunct, because I had various health problems and injuries one after another, and simply didn't plant a garden last season, or this. It's all weeds out there plus some self-seeded and perennial herbs, a few flowers. Borage, nicotiana. I still have the mints, the figs, the geraniums (for now). The chives died in the heat this week, but perhaps will revive with some watering. . . 

I don't know if I'll get the garden going again, but did want to make note of some changes.

One: we got a new cat!

two, actually-

The first one is quite a little beast. Sweet at times, but definitely has her own mind. And she likes to chomp on plants. Has eaten my big spider plant- all the foliage shorter, with shredded ends. Well, now I will be glad of all the babies to start new ones with! (I used to constantly give them away)

I had to give away and re-home a ton of houseplants that would make her sick (or outright kill her) if she nibbled on them. And I'm so glad I did, because she shows no signs of stopping. My Pilea peperomioides has bite marks in all the leaves. And the second cat we adopted, the tortie- she likes to dig in the dirt of my parlor palm. I'm sweeping up and replacing dirt in there all the time.

I kept only a few of the toxic plants- heartleaf philodendron, velvet philodendron, zebrina and pothos 'cebu blue'-

they are on very high shelves she can't reach, or hung from the ceiling.

It was difficult to part with so many, but many went to my brother-in-law's girlfriend, a woman just as passionate about plants, and when I visit her home I will see them thriving. The giant dracanea flowered again the week after she took it home!

Photos of our big schefflera, the only houseplant we'd named (Bob), right before I gave it away.

I had recently cut it back severely. There were plenty of new baby leaves growing

Some stem pieces I had cut and dipped in rooting hormone, the leaves all dropped off and I thought they were done for, but I pulled one out and after weeks and weeks, there were roots finally growing at the base of the cutting. So I was looking forward to see if those finally sprouted new leaves. Maybe they will and I will see someday.

I was most sad, to part with my angelwing begonias. These were cuttings I'd just started of the narrow-leaved one (forget the variety name at the moment)

And all my different coleus. They're planted outside in the front beds or in pots now, but I won't be bringing cuttings inside to keep over winter again. Toxic. I can't even name now, all the ones that are gone- but it was well over half my collection. Two-thirds or even three-quarters of it.

I do still have most of the semi-succulents, the creeping charlie (sweedish ivy), boston fern (shabby but regrowing), most of my african violets, and the zygo cactus. That's about it. For now.

Someone had just offered me cuttings of her zz plant, one I'd always wanted to have, but I had to decline. That one's toxic too. It's just not worth the risk. I know I'll never teach this cat not to chew on plants when she's bored (or antsy that dinner's not getting served fast enough). But we already love the kitties too much, they are more to me than plants right now.