This is the second year I’ve used the “Cat in a bag” carrier for Thor the cat’s vet visit, and I still think it is a brilliant invention.
He is not happy to go to the vet, but he doesn’t bounce off the walls in a desperate bid for escape like he does in a traditional cat carrier. At the vet he never has to get out of the bag since there is a zipper at the back for access to his body. He does prefer to hide his head under my arm, but will sometimes peek out.
This is the brand I purchased.
The raccoon kits are getting big! I pulled my trail cam photos and they are about half as big as their Momma, all six of them.
I think the number of kits explains Momma’s tail being thin and scraggly. I think I would give up and just let them play with my tail in order to get some sleep.
In April 2018 I decided to try making my own garden flags. I taped down cotton cloth on cardboard with masking tape, then used acrylic paint to completely cover the cloth.
Once the paint was dry I hemmed the flags and sewed in the top channel so they could hang on my garden flag pole.
These flags held up remarkably well. If I were to make them again, I would be sure to iron the fabric before taping it down, and sew the pocket at the top wide enough to accommodate the loops that are on my holder. In summary, iron the fabric, and measure twice, cut once, which is good advice for most projects.
I caught Mr Tom and his Shadow in the meadow allogrooming, a type of cat community behavior that establishes bonds and hierarchy. They didn’t know I was in the coop run, so I was able to capture a video. I was actually able to take many one minute recordings before they spotted me, then after realizing I was there they both played it cool like they weren’t just aggressively grooming each other.
The hearty hibiscus was not doing well in the shadowed front garden bed, so in winter I moved it out to the meadow next to the coop. I wasn’t sure it was alive, but it put out leaves and buds this summer!
I planted it near the rain runoff path, so usually I don’t need to worry about watering it. The cross vine planted there no longer needs watering, except when we get a week of 98 degrees. Then everything looks rather sad.
Critters and Craft 