Butterflies and Claire-the-Foster-Puss's Next Chapter

Unlike last year, it is easy to spot butterflies in my garden this summer.

In particular, they favour a big clump of purple coneflowers.

I've very little skill in identifying what is what and found myself looking up the differences between Viceroys and Monarchs.

Monarch, yes?

I think this is a Red Admiral.

Another, with its open wings, allows you to  better see the colour pattern.

With a bit of beautiful blue, a Black Swallowtail made an appearance. I hadn't noticed it before and hope it returns.

Moving on, this will be the last picture you'll see of Claire, the puss that moved in as my foster last February. After application forms, a Meet and Greet, an Extended Home Visit, and more forms, some wonderful people finalized their adoption of beautiful Claire last week.

If you've ever thought of fostering an animal, whether or not you already have a furry friend of your own, I encourage you to look into that possibility in your community.

Some people have said they could never "give up" an animal after having it in their home. For me, to not "give up" on Claire meant loving and caring for her until a wonderful home was found. I can't take on a pet full time, but I could do this.

As the website of the group I worked with points out:
"If you have ever said, 'It’s so sad, but there’s nothing I can do.' Well, fortunately, you can do something." 

Just one cat, you might say, but Claire's story has a happy ending.

Wishing you a lovely week,

Karen

Odds and Ends

Another rainfall today is no doubt helping my tomato plants grow more productive and allowing the weeds to get an even stronger toehold in the garden beds. It will be a good day to get some things done indoors.

These unusually shaped tomatoes are called Austin Pear. I picked up two at a local garden sale in the spring. The plants were started by high school students in their horticultural class and they've been growing beautifully in big pots on my patio. I'm looking forward to tasting them later in the season. As I understand it, this is an heirloom variety.

Elsewhere, the dipladenia is adding plenty of colour.

So is the Jethro Tull coreopsis. How the plant came to be named after a British rock group is a mystery to me. I do like the tubular shape of the petals. I wonder if the band ever featured any horns in their music . . .

A little cosmos was added to the garden mix this year. More would have been better. A mass of them dancing in the summer breeze would have been very pretty.

As for this girl, my foster puss met a lovely family this month. They were interested enough to move beyond the "Meet and Greet" (during which time Claire hid under the chair) and this lovely cat has now been on an "Extended Home Visit" with them since last Wednesday evening. Basically, it's a trial run where the family determines whether the puss fits happily into their household. I imagine the decision will be made very soon, one way or the other.

It's been an interesting month thus far: a gum graft, new glasses (my first foray into the land of progressive lenses), some interest in my foster feline, a bit of house-hunting (no luck there) and other assorted odds and ends. How are things with you?

Happy Canada Day & a Claire-the-Foster-Puss Update

I mentioned in the post about peonies in my garden that I'd soon give a little update about Claire. My foster puss has been with me since mid February and those of you who visit regularly will have seen many pictures of her sprinkled throughout the blog and on my Facebook page.

Those eyes make me melt. 

Claire's a sweet puss and loves attention from someone she trusts. I have been very well trained in giving belly rubs on demand and the fine art of swishing the wand toy for her to chase.

This is her "before" picture, as in the one taken shorty before Claire arrived. I won't have you believe she never gets nervous anymore, as she's not very keen on most company and a vet visit has her scrunched into the corner of her carrier. Thunder, on the other hand, doesn't seem to bother her and, on a daily basis, she's shown herself to be affectionate and playful, not the "scaredy-cat" of the photo.

What I haven't mentioned is that Claire had a urinary tract infection, which led to a few incidents outside her litter box. Once the problem was identified as medical and not behavioural, a 2 week round of medication was prescribed. This past week was the follow-up test; the caring young vet joked that the test results were "boring" and that all was well. I can say the same here on the home front. Yippee! Claire is now one truly adoptable puss and her good health is one reason to celebrate.

Here's another reason: it's Canada Day!

Best Wishes to all, 

with a special greeting to my Canadian friends, at home and abroad.

Thank you for visiting and for your thoughtful comments. 

Karen

My Own Little Peony Festival

In my last post, I showed some photos of the local Peony Festival and mentioned that I'd return (somewhat belatedly) with some peonies from my own garden.

The mid and deep peonies have been finished for awhile now, with the exception of a few small secondary blooms.

It's the lushness and sweet fragrance that appeal to me and, I know, to many of you.

This rich colour comes on peonies that stand on their own without any support. Of course, I don't recall the name, but I do appreciate their fortitude, if one can apply such a virtue to a plant.

The palest of my peonies lives in the shadow of a forsythia shrub for part of the day and, as a result, blooms later than the others. I picked a bouquet this afternoon, shown in the lavender and white jug. It's a pleasure to bring some blooms indoors to enjoy.

Claire the Foster Puss has not been above a bit of exploration, which led to the strategic placement of some arrangements. (For those who have been interested in Claire's story, I'll have an update next time.)

The peonies may be almost gone, but that means the roses are coming along. 

Don't you love a garden!

Thank you for your visits and comments. Both are appreciated!

I'm happy, after a long absence, to be linking with Mary at Little Red House.
For the first time, I pleased to be joining Trishie at Under Lock and Key

Peony Festival

Last weekend was a beautiful one for the local Peony Festival.  This is one of many beds in the garden that features over 300 varieties of peonies. I wonder if the number of cameras there rivaled the number of plants.

Some featured entertainment included these three young women who played pieces of Chinese music, in recognition of the significance of the peony as China's national flower. I did, however, hear them slip in their rendition of "Red River Valley".

There was a great deal of loveliness in the park by the creek. In my next post, I'll have to show some of my own peonies. I don't have many varieties, but at least I can pick bouquets of them to enjoy indoors.

Thank you for visiting. I may be a bit slow in responding to your comments as my laptop is out for repairs and the netbook tends to slog along. I will get back to you, though!

Hoping you have plenty of blooms to enjoy,
Karen