Archive | May, 2020

A Floral, Horsey Adventure May whatever, 2020

19 May

Yesterday, my sister and I took a jaunt about 35-40 miles northeast of Carson Valley to visit the Campies Lavender Patch to purchase some lavender plants and products.  https://www.campieslavender.com/    I’m including the link to the farm because I forgot I had the camera until after we visited the Lavender Patch.

The owners, Mike and Diane, own a few acres out near Stagecoach, Nevada, and offer up to 40 varieties of lavender.  Some of those varieties have been bred by Mike himself.  The best thing about these plants is that they are acclimated to the Nevada climate, can stand up to our weather extremes and they won’t die as have most of my other lavender plants.  Good friends at the Jacobs Family Berry Farm https://www.jacobsberries.com/  have many of the Campie plants and they are beautiful!

Stagecoach in Lyon County, Nevada, United States, located east of Reno. Its name is likely derived from its place as the Overland Stagecoach station at Desert Well.  The 2010 population was 1874 and I don’t think it’s grown much since then. The Lavender Patch is a few miles north of US Hwy. 50 located on an upslope of a hilly valley.

It was rather stormy here in Minden, but was just windy out near the Patch.  Mike met us outside the house and then showed us the buildings where the smaller plants are kept.  He described the plants and what they look like (they were mostly all alike to us) and then showed us the gallon plants.  We chose our plants and then purchased our lavender products that we had ordered ahead of time.  (Remember, technically, Campies Patch is still closed.  So, our orders were “to go.”)   We had a pleasant visit and then hopped in the car to go home with our treasures.

Nevada is home to many herds of wild horses and the area we were in is famous for its herds.  We happened to see the largest herd we’ve ever seen before we got back to Hwy. 50.  We counted them from afar (between 50-54) and then I was able to find a road/gravel path to get closer.  We could see horses of all ages and they all looked pretty healthy.  It was then I remembered my camera and took a few photos of them engaging in several activities and two were doing what comes naturally.  If you wish to see that picture, please contact me as this is a family blog.    Jerri and I were pretty excited to see this herd because if we are lucky enough to see any wild horses, they are in groups of maybe 5-6 or so.

You can see the terrain and the desert foliage.  It must be difficult for the herd to sustain itself as I don’t think sagebrush is all that tasty. I think the brown roofed house on the left side is close to where the Lavender Patch is.  Please click on the image to enlarge it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dean Johnson Moves In!

11 May

Basically all my volunteer activities and most of my social life were kaput when the corona virus hit Nevada and then the ensuing shutdown occurred.  The family and a few friends became concerned that I might get depressed or something and suggested that I get a cat.  I thought I was doing fine, but kept the cat idea in mind.  The seed was planted and soon I was looking on line for pets at the local shelters.  It seems many senior folks had the same idea and the nearest short-haired cats I could find were almost 30 miles away in Incline Village (on the north shore of Lake Tahoe).

So, on April 6, I brought home Lulu and Dean, two kitties I wanted to foster with an option to adopt.  I thought two cats would be good because they could be buddies when I resumed my normal museum and other volunteer activities, but hadn’t considered these two hadn’t met each other before I brought them home.

Lulu had been the shelter thrift store cat for about a year and was quite independent.  Within 15 minutes of arriving at my house, she had explored the house, had a snack and used the litter box.  She became the instant queen of the house. Lulu is 8 years old.

Poor 2 year old Dean had been in the shelter for only a week and was quite shy when he was let out of the box at my house.  In fact, Lulu bullied him and he hid under a recliner for several days.  There was a lot of growling and carrying on, especially at night when Dean would venture out from the recliner.

This is Dean’s first eating station in my bedroom. Lulu wouldn’t let him into the kitchen.

Lulu was unrelenting and, after a week, I took her back to the shelter.  Within a couple of days of Lulu’s departure, Dean was a new cat.  You will see what he has morphed into when you see the ensuing pictures.

Catching some rays early in the morning.

Using his ramp scratch board. It’s just about wrecked from so much use.

Loves to play with his mouse on a string.  Here he’s waiting for the mouse to fall off the cat tree. He strategizes and doesn’t waste much energy.

Catching his mouse.  He loves this toy and even plays with it on his own. He’ll get a new one next week as the feathers are
all off now and the stuffing is falling out.

On his tower.  He loves to take naps here and scratch the daylights out of the left hand post.

He’s quite a talker and we have conversations several times a day.  His official description is that he’s a domestic short-hair mixed.  He’s definitely a mix and I believe one of his forebearers was a Siamese.  His voice is like a Siamese and his eyes are a handsome blue.

Dean is an athlete and he stretches a lot.  Here he’s reaching for a bird decal that is supposed to deter birds from flying into the window.  It works most of the time.  I marvel at his agility when he’s leaping for his mouse on a string.  He can jump higher than my couch and change direction in mid-air while catching his mouse.  I’ve tried for photos/videos, but with no success.

Bird watching.  He’s very well behaved and never tries to get out after the birds.

Making sure the printer doesn’t jam.

Walt Disney is one of his favorites to watch.  After all, Walt created a mouse!

Dean’s made friends with Jolee, but he doesn’t practice any social distancing.

His curiosity is insatiable. He loves to go where no other cat goes.  He’s even shut himself in the guest bathroom when he tried to get a towel on the rack, somehow hit the door and shut it.  He’s been accidentally shut in my closet and the hall closet.  His cries soon alert me that he’s in trouble.

Guess I should have gotten a bigger bed.

Dean chose this bed under my bed, which I put there because he chose to sleep there with no bed.  You can see he likes it and curls up in it.

Dean ventures into this little house on occasion but it’s really too small for him. He’d rather play with his paper sacks and mouse on a string.

Here is Dean working out with one of my exercise items.  Those black handles are no longer in one piece.

Dean is a very clean cat and tends to that duty anytime, anyplace…even when playing on my bed.

Skyping with friends on Dean’s official adoption day, April 30, 2020

Dean works and plays hard and is tired when I go to bed.  Recently, he decided he would like to sleep with me.  He’s a very long cat and when he stretches across the bed, he takes up about two thirds of it.

Dean Johnson has indeed moved into my house and heart.  He makes me laugh and is good company.  I think he likes it here too.