Fireworks are still going off here and there almost a week after 4th of July, and regardless of laws against that. Quint’s no dummy. Tucked between fleece and a poofy comforter is probably the best place to ride out this time of year.
Meanwhile, around Colehaus . . .
Resident raccoon Rose Ears still visits, as we would expect. Her name comes from a combination of flower names Mom picks and by this raccoon’s unusual ear “markings.” It’s pretty easy to spot Rose Ears at a glance. She’s of the last generation to interact with Mom and Dad and while she’s cautious like a good raccoon should be, Rose Ears still poses for Mom’s camera. After a wildlife-hating neighbor went on a raccoon killing spree last summer, Mom and Dad decided to quit leaving cat food out after dark in hopes to discourage them from visiting. Secretly, Mom and Dad love seeing them still.
We mentioned the wildlife-hating neighbor because we believe he trapped and killed Rose Ears’s sister, Peek-a-Boo, last year. Peek-a-boo was VERY people friendly for reasons we can only speculate on – that we weren’t the only ones trying to care for the raccoons. Unfortunately, this probably led to her death. Unfortunately still, Peek-a-Boo was nursing three babies when she disappeared. Her sister Rose Ears stepped in, as raccoon mamas often do, and raised those three babies alongside her own.
This spring, Rose Ears often brought a friend when she visited, like female raccoons do. She was smaller than Rose Ears and the two seemed very close. We truly believe this is one of Peek-a-Boos babies, raised by Rose Ears, and so we named her Peek-n-Thru because she likes to sit at our fence opening, with her chin resting on the fence support rail, peeking out at the world beyond. Mom calls her Peeky. Peeky is a good raccoon, like Rose Ears, and like her mama, is curious about people. We hope that doesn’t do her in and have continued to intentionally NOT interact with her or Rose Ears. Still, that curiosity.
So, is it any wonder that Rose Ears wouldn’t bring her 2019 babies to visit? Rose is from a long line, some seven or eight generations back, who always came to visit each spring and brought their babies to visit each summer. Welcome, Rose Ear babies! You’ll always be safe here but you won’t often find food, so no begging!
After observing these new babies for a while, Mom proclaimed these two seemed much more robust than previous generations of visiting raccoon babies, and says this should be seen as proof that letting raccoons be raccoons, meaning they should find their own food and not come to rely on cat food, is best for all.
Elsewhere,
Neighborhood cat Scruffy is still around and still visits us almost every day. He’s very old for a cat who lives mostly outside. He’s well cared for and always finds food here waiting for his visit.
A neighbor’s cat W visits daily, too. He’s a good boy, now that he gave up bunny hunting three years ago of which Mom is extremely grateful for.
Farther away neighbor cat Pierre made a rare appearance in the garden just yesterday. He was moseying through and chatted at some birds. Mom was just about to bang on the window to stop him from going after any but then saw that Pierre isn’t exactly the quickest cat around. In fact, he was pretty slow. Like drying mud slow. Don’t tell him she said that.
Wally Winston Porkchop makes a daily appearance, too. Hourly, almost. He lives way up around the corner, but apparently, there’s more action going on down this way than at home. That could be Mom’s fault. She’s discovered that Wally likes brushies and five Greenie treats per day. Okay, to be honest, five sometimes turns into ten.
Here he is walking through our dry fountain bed because what’s a summer without things breaking around here? Why, that would be a boring summer. No worries though. The dead fountain pump is under extended warranty and is slated to be fixed perhaps as early as next week.
Wally sometimes hangs out on our tiny back porch (No, not waiting for Greenie treats, we swear!) and well, Quint thinks that’s just wrong on so many levels. They may have even had a discussion through the glass that might have gone something like this:
Quint: Hey! You! Go away!
Wally: Um, no.
Elsewhere still, it’s been an unusual summer so far with the lack of any real heat and with lots of rain that we don’t usually get. Flowers aren’t being burnt the very moment they open and everything is green, green, green instead of turning brown. Then again, the blueberries are late and it might be one of those green tomato kinds of summers when nothing really ripens. Mom and Dad LOVE this but know it won’t last. Nice change!
Thanks for visiting!
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Here’s an 80-piece online jigsaw puzzle of Quint’s photo way up above, courtesy of jigsawplanet.com. Have fun!
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A Colehaus Cats flashback:
2018 – No post on this day but here’s a random post from July 2012
2017 – No post
2016 – No post
2015 – Zuzu’s Vacation
2014 – No post
2013 – Awards and Bee-Bees!
2012 – No post
Raccoons are definitely cute. But Quint and his introoder chatting was much cuter! I’ve noticed outside cats tend to be much more laid back than the kittehs on the inside of the glass.
We’re sad that the neighbor did such an awful thing but we’re glad that you have so many wonderful friends visiting.
The Florida Furkids
Your yard is just lovely. It is nice that you have so many visitors. I sure hope those fireworks stop soon.
What a refreshing tour!
Quint, you are very smart staying tucked beneath the covers during the boomers and also in your objection of neighbor kitty hanging out on YOUR deck. All the flowers are gorgeous. We think you should paint some pix of those hydrangeas. Even with all our construction, we still have a resident raccoon that comes at night. We never see it. Our groundhog, however, seems to have moved on. XOCK, angel Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, Cooper Murphy and Sawyer
How sad about the raccoons being killed by a neighbor. So many neighborhood cats, they are all cuties. Thank you for the puzzle. XO
We have a groundhog issue in our neighborhood this year; they are plentiful, and they eat our gardens down to nubs! I don’t care; it’s nature, afterall, but several neighbors have set out traps. They say that they take them a few miles away and release them, and I have to believe them. I know raccoons are around, but I haven’t seen them in our yard, but they use The ‘O’ Cats water bowl to wash their paws in. I make sure no food is outside before I turn in every night. I’ll puzzle on my lunch break in a little while! Also, is it rude to ask how the job hunt it going for your hubby? Even though the automotive industry here in Michigan is being strangely weird, all of the electric car start-ups and autonomous driving companies seem to need employees. Anyhow, still sending good thoughts for gainful employment.
If I were an outside kitty, I’d want to visit your house for sure!
guyz…..thiz post ROX…..we give it 984 pawz up outta 489….
tho we wood like ta give 984 *%% @&^)%!& two de naybor ~~~~~~~~~~~ hizzzzzz…they coulda went with any kinda optshun….bee sidez killing ~~
quint…knot much for conversashunz ta day huh buddy 😉 ♥♥♥
Wow! You get a lot of great visitors to your yard. I’m sorry to hear that you have a neighbor that doesn’t like wildlife. Some people just don’t understand the joy that can be found in wild animals.
Your mom has such a lovely inviting garden. It is no surprise it gets constant visitors. Your cat guests, are those their real names?
Thanks fur an update on all the action going on. We have no visitors anymore and really appreciate keeping up on the action. Purrs to all
We know we have raccoons around us, but we never see them. But we’ve smelled skunks! Now that’s one animal you don’t want living around you.
The raccoons are cute, but it is sad that your neighbour killed some of them. The photo of Quint and Wally “having words” is sweet.
Thanks for the puzzle.
This post DOES rock. I loved every word and every picture.
I like raccoons too but around here in east TN there seem to be many that are rabid and they do tend to bite as several of my women friends found out. However…adorable for certain. Don;t get me wrong.
The neighborhood cats are just smoochable and Quint…you have every right to tell them to move along. But after you do…look over the flowers…maybe the chive flowers, and consider painting them. I think that would be gorgeous. I went to your studio a few weeks ago.
Lovely photos and critters. We have a cat hating neighbor and that scares us for our ferals.
I love reading about your neighbors. Pop loves raccoons but we never had any friendly ones. MOL! WWP looks like an old man cat.
All of your visitors, kitties and raccoons alike, are so cute! We enjoyed Quint and Wally Winston Porkchop’s conversation (sorry, Quint!). 🙂
Ya shure get a lot of interesting visitors!
So heartbreaking when people hurt wildlife, or even not wildlife 🙁 It’s nice to have so many visitors around. We had that too in our other house, we would love to see them all coming in our garden. Your flowers are very beautiful. No dull moments at your place, kitties😸Pawkisses for a Happy Thursday🐾😽💞
I’d love your neighborhood. Though I’d struggle with the people who leave their cats out 24/7 and the raccoon killers.
Thanks for the update. Interesting about your raccoons.