Onyx in snooze mode

Onyx curled up on the couch, with his little white toes peeking out! A good place to be on this snowy winter day.

Talent in the family

My sister Carolyn has a lovely voice.  Here is a (rather dark, unfortunately) little video of her singing a bit on Christmas Eve at our church.

Christmas morning

Iain and I still can't help but get up early on Christmas day; in bed at 11 and awake at 5:30!  Finally got out of bed at 6, anxious to get into our Christmas stockings.

Jezebel checks out the gifts...

...as does Onyx.

Open gifts are even better than nicely-wrapped ones, of course!!!

Cats and boxes...

...go together perfectly!

Everyone enjoys the morning.



Snaps inspects the paper pile.

 

Stitches enjoys the tree.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Tired but happy kitties!

Christmas lights

Iain made a lovely job of putting up the lights in the backyard tree.  Here he is, hard at work.

And here is the resulting beauty at night!

Wingscape Birdcam!

As I mentioned in the previous post, I was using pictures taken with a wildlife camera.  It's a Wingscapes model that was a gift from Iain's mom a couple of Christmases ago.  The usual use is for getting shots of birds visiting the feeders, but we have used it for other spots as well, most notably as a time-lapse of a few of our camping trips.  The camera is only usable in daylight hours, which is a minor drawback, but we have enjoyed it a lot.

Our camera quit working this August; I thought it was case of depleted batteries, but new ones made no difference, and when I ran a test the display showed an error message.  So I decided to contact the manufacturers, an American company, by email.  I hoped they would tell me where to take the camera to be repaired, if it could indeed BE repaired.  I went to their website, http://www.wingscapes.com/ , and wrote them a short "help!" letter.

I received a nice email back from Kim Creel, their customer service manager, and she explained that the error code meant there was a software problem, and the unit would have to be replaced.  She asked for my model and serial number, so they could send me a replacement.

Now, when I sent the info off to her, I thought I'd get an email back saying "Okay, now send money".  But I didn't.  They just found one like it at their factory, tested it to be sure it worked, and sent it off to me.  Gratis.  I had the replacement camera (which they sent with new documention, bungee cords, cables, and remote control, even though I already had these things) delivered by courier to my home in less than 2 weeks!

And because I'm in Canada and sending the camera back across the border would be kind of a hassle, they said "nah, never mind returning it; enjoy your new camera".  Absolutely outstanding customer service!

So if you ever plan to buy one of these cameras, don't pass on the Wingscapes because they are a little more expensive.  They're worth it.

A picture of Onyx enjoying the window seat... 

 ...and a picture of Snaps, enjoying the same spot!

The New Cat Tower

My friend Debbie is a very talented lady.  When I heard she was making cat trees, I asked her to build one for us, and she obliged!  In the first picture you can see the top 2 levels of it; and strung across the top like a little roof is a cat-hammock she macraméd!  There are a couple of hidey-tubes further down, and lots of twine and carpet to scratch at.  I'd like to get a few shots of them using it, but the camera hasn't been handy at the right time.

 I set up the birdcam - and there's a story about THAT which I will share next time I write - next to the top shelf.  We have our old one snugged up against it here, because it needs to be bolted to the wall, and we haven't had a chance to do that as yet.  Jezebel is sitting on the old one.

I was also rewarded with a shot of Onyx checking out the situation.

And here he decided to have a look out the window from this ideal vantage point. 

I think they like it!

Visiting with the Rotors on Sunday

It's no fun, saying goodbye! But we were glad to get the chance to visit with Elaine and Dave before they head out to the land of Oz.

We also had a chance to see Dak and Rob, and meet some other fine folks. And to see the house looking very empty, which was sad and kinda awesome at the same time.

We'll miss you guys!

Summer's end, and settling in for the winter.

We closed up the cottage on the 16th; and so another summer draws to a close. I took only a few pictures on the trip, and here they are:

Not a great shot, but it was a lovely sunset, and the last one we would be seeing up there for a while.  Taken on the Friday night as we headed up to the lake.

On our way home, we paused for a moment at Mud Lake.  I'm always a bit verklempt on the last day up there; I miss the place and am always anxious to go back, come springtime.

And now, a little insight into our Saturday and Sunday mornings, where we sip coffee and play on our respective computers.  The Boarder has claimed the top of the loveseat recliner as his territory.

We had him, Jezebel and Snaps all to the V-E-T on Saturday morning, and I'm pleased to report that all are well.  I'd worried we would have a hard time with Onyx, and warned Dr.Al that he had a reputation as a biter, but there were no problems.  Onyx was a perfect gentleman, and enjoyed the treats he received as a reward.

Update on Snaps fitting in....

Just a little proof that the kitties are finally starting to settle down and live in something approaching harmony. Okay, I exagerrate; they are nowhere near harmonious, unless"yowling in unison" can somehow be thought of as harmony. Things are slowly improving, though.

Everyone except Stitches...who has eaten and ran!



Jezebel would like to have some of what's left on that plate.





I'll just help myself!



Finishing the shed

Ok, finally found a minute to blog. *sigh*

I don't think the problem is so much that I am very busy; I just find lots to do to fill my time.

Anyway, I wanted to post these pics of the shed which is mostly complete now, after Iain puttering away at it most weekends this summer. There's still lots of work to do, but it is user-friendly now.

This is the add-on Iain built for the garden/lawn care tools.

Starting work on the additional cabinet for paint etc.

The completed back of the shed; the centre area is storage for firewood.

Iain had to refit the doors and build a ramp.

Working area and relaxo-chair (with cup/bottle holder).  Great ideas start here!

The work/canoe storage area; lots of room to move, now!

All in all, a very happy conclusion to the project!

Last Weekend of August

I had meant to mention the very nice birthday day I had, thanks to Iain, who spoiled me!  It was the last beautiful cottage weekend, and we took full advantage by spending as much time on the deck as possible.  Not great swimming weather, as the week of cooler weather and rain had made the lake slightly uncomfortable (it was hot enought that I got in up to my knees, but that was it).  We went for a lovely boat ride and lazed about on Saturday, and then in the evening had a fantastic roast of beef that Iain cooked on the smoker.

Getting it ready.  It was absolutely perfect when cooked.

Getting the charcoal ready always takes a while; usually about one beer's worth of time.

And getting the charcoal out of the chimney can be tricky.

Dinner, gifts, drinks, and family (not everyone is in this pic, but
doesn't the food look delicious?).

And Dodie made a most excellent trifle.  I love trifle!