Huntress

We let Hannah out of the house occasionally because
1. She doesn't go far - she stays in the yard
2. She always comes home when we call her - or more specifically, shake her food bowl
3. She manages to catch a rodent every now and then

We won't let Louie outside because he's young and we are afraid he might run off. There are coyotes still in the area and it's best to keep him inside.

But Hannah, she enjoys the comforts of home too much now to wander off.

Hannah watched as I was taking picture of the icy branches Monday afternoon and started to meow so loudly that one of the kids let her out to join me. She didn't know she would become my next subject.





Here she is in "stalking mode":

But maybe she's just slinking around because the ground is so cold!

She didn't catch anything today. Maybe next time, Hannah-girl.

Sharing with This or That Thursday

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Hannah on Our Balance Beam

With the Olympics in full swing, it's hard not to be inspired by the feats the athletes display. Here is Hannah, channeling the gymnasts as she balances herself on our banister.



I don't know how she or the gymnasts do it - I can't even stand on a 4" beam for a minute.

Today's post is my entry into I Heart Faces Pet Photo Challenge.

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P365+1 Week 4 - Cats, Horses and Camera Toys

With my knee injury, using my iPhone for my daily photo has been a blessing. I can no longer carry my purse with the DSLR in it - the purse is too heavy and I am worried I would drop it.

I spent last weekend confined to the house, but I still found interesting things to take pictures of [mainly because I was bored out of my mind!].

Saturday morning was super cold and windy, but the sun was shining and the cats basked in its warmth.


I stayed home from church on Sunday and Hannah woke early to peer out the dining room window.


Monday - I had the MRI on my knee and Erica got her braces off, but she wouldn't let me take her picture. Teenagers! Instead, Sam hung out with me, trying to vie for my attention.


Tuesday - I went back to work at the office and got the official word from the doctor's office that I have a torn ACL in my left knee. I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in late February - a long three weeks away - that was the earliest appointment they had! After work, I took the kids to have passport photos taken. I waited until Erica had her braces off because I thought she would appreciate having a non metallic smile for these photos. So much for that plan.....


Wednesday - Look what came in the mail! This is what happens when I'm laid up with a bum knee - I start shopping....

A vintage Kodak Brownie camera. It's in great condition and I plan to buy 120mm film and try it out.

Thursday - A visit to the stable to see Caesar. Because of my knee, I am unable to go into the stable area - the ground is too uneven and today it was super muddy due to heavy rains that passed through the area. I'm relegated to the car and I got some reading done. I'm reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.


Friday - yet more camera toys (I told you I spent too much time online shopping)

The Olloclip attaches to the iPhone and comes with three lenses - macro, wide angle and fisheye.

Here is the first macro shot I took:

The stitching details on Caesar's bridle. We were again at the stable, I was again stuck in the car.

In the stable, Erica took this picture of Caesar with his winter blanket:

Since Caesar's winter coat doesn't come in as thick around his upper body, we bought a blanket for him to wear when the temps dip below 20 degF. We think he looks quite formal with his wrap.

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Labor Day

It's a holiday in the US and Canada - Labor Day - and the unofficial end of summer.
The cooler temperatures (55DegF this morning), couldn't be more welcome after the triple digits of two days ago.

I took advantage of the day off with a nice, long run.


I christened a new pair of running shoes:


Then I made a nice breakfast of crepes - they are super easy to make.

I filled them with ricotta cheese mixed with lemon curd. About a 1/4 of ricotta and 2 tsp of the lemon curd. Add in a hot cup of lemon ginger tea and I about died and went to heaven, it was so good.

Later on, Hannah hung out while getting her ears scratched.


I would have liked to take a nap, but I ended up washing my car instead. With all the trips to the Stable, it was covered with dust.
Much like some of the horses - except they are covered in mud.

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At The Birdfeeder

I was watching the interaction at the bird feeder and realized that big Mr. Cardinal was having a hard time sharing with the smaller titmouses.



Every time a smaller bird would get close to him, he would flap his wings until the smaller bird flew off.


See, the little birds all get along with each other.


They just don't realize what is watching them from the house.....


Not that the cat is going anywhere in the cold and snow!

Just another day at the bird feeder.

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351/365 - Sleepy Sunday

Can you tell winter break has started for our kids? That's Brian sleeping in the kitchen on the makeshift couch. He's joined by the two cats.



I think the cats will be completely spoiled by the time the kids have to go back.

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327/365 - Happy Thanksgiving

From our house to yours.



We didn't include Rascal in the picture - too much work.

And some of pictures leading up to the whole family:





On this cold, rainy Thanksgiving, we are so thankful for our friends, family, our warm home and so much more.

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Wake Me Up

Hannah was napping on the makeshift couch in the kitchen that Scott sets up when the kids take over the family room TV.

Of course two minutes before this was taken, Scott was resting comfortably on the "couch" but got up to do something. You know what they say - you snooze, you lose. Or you move, you lose your spot.



Can you make out the "cat bokeh" in the background? That's Sam, the Siamese. This is the closest the two cats get to one another.

Of course, I took Hannah's picture, which woke her up....


I think she didn't appreciate my taking her picture. What do you think?

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Bonus Shot - Relaxed Hannah

After I posted last yesterday's Daily picture, Erica summoned me to take a picture of her and Hannah on the couch.



Hannah never gets this relaxed and "unlady-like". So we take her picture and post it to the blog. Will she ever live this down?

I think if we give her more food, she won't care at all.

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288/365 - The Family Picture for 2010

Long story short, here is the 2010 installment of the family photo.



Taken in the backyard, with the remote shutter release.
Of course, the entire event was fraught with the usual drama and silliness as the kids had to check each picture as it was taken. We really gave our neighbors some comic relief with our shenanigans.
Some of the outtakes:




And then we added in an extra dynamic - pictures with the cats:


This is as good as it gets with three cats who don't really like each other:


Because soon after, one of them always gets away:

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282/365 - Hannah's Turn At the Vet

Since the cats don't get along, we take them to the vet on separate days.

Today was Hannah's turn. Since she is young, she gets an additional vaccine for Feline Leukemia. She wasn't happy about that.

But on the way home from the vet, Erica took her out of her cat carrier so she could enjoy the car ride.


And what about Sam? We'll take him in March.

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163/365 - Checking Each Other Out

About a week ago, Sammy the Siamese Cat spent the night at our house. Well, he's back and probably here to stay. Jen and her mother brought him over Saturday, and we think he's settling in now.

Saturday night was a little rough - Sammy is able to open doors (we have those lever-style door handles) and he tried to get out of Erica's room between the hours of 3 and 5 am. Finally, at 5am, Scott and Erica relegated him to the basement. He's been spending his nights there. We keep the basement door secured closed with a 20 pound weight.

Sammy has been introduced to our other cats, Rascal and Hannah. Rascal, being her old, grumpy self decided to attack Sammy, so we are minimizing their interaction. But Hannah and Sammy seem to be exercising restraint with each other. They tend to simply stare at each other:



It's not the clearest picture, but Hannah is perched on the chair cushion, looking down at Sammy. Here's to hoping they get to be friends.

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130/365 - Hanging Out

I returned home from running Brian around to find Erica lounging comfortably on the couch with Hannah resting on her back. After I took some pictures with her cell phone, I had to take some with my camera for today's P365.



She's texting the pictures I took of her to her friends. Because that's what they do.

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120/365 - Hanging Out on the Couch This Marathon Morning

For the kids it was a lazy Saturday, since Erica's soccer game were played on Thursday.
That's because road closures due to today's Illinois Marathon complicates getting around town, especially in the morning.

Scott ran the 5K race early this morning and we know several people running the 1/2 Marathon. I ran the 1/2 Marathon last year, but didn't sign up this year. Instead, I ran 7 miles and cleaned out the pond.

And today's picture is courtesy of Brian, who borrowed my camera.

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115/365 - Make Up Your Mind

On cooler days like today, Hannah can't seem to decide if she should go outside or stay inside.



So she hangs out at the open screen door, trying to decide.


Eventually, she was drawn outside by the various birds flitting about outside. But after 5 minutes, she headed back inside. Such is the life of our cat.

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84/365 - Guest Photographer, Brian

Today's pictures were taken by Brian.

I love that my son shares my love of photography. He often points out things to photograph and if something strikes his fancy, he'll pick up my big SLR and start clicking away.

He was the one who noticed the cardinal at the bird feeder yesterday. Today, he took a couple pictures of Hannah, who was immersed in bird watching herself.



Because the cardinal is back.


He brought a friend, too (sorry, no pictures of the female, but I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to take her picture soon).

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68/365 - Open Windows

I couldn't hardly believe it when I pulled up the local weather on my iPhone this morning - 51degF! I ran in shorts this morning - first time this year.

The afternoon warmed up to 70 degrees! I arrived home to find all the windows open - Erica opened them up to let in the nice spring air.


The kids were outside playing kick ball, riding bikes and scooters.

And Hannah, our huntress was stalking....


.... a leaf or blade of grass.....

She just likes to look fierce.

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Cat Crazy

Oh, we are very excited - Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman has issued a follow up Photography Challenge to last week’s Dog Photo Challenge. See, we are all about cats at our house, and this weekend it’s all about those felines. We have two cats in our family – Rascal and Hannah, and I am giving equal billing to both for this challenge (we are allowed to submit one photo per day).

After conferring with the kids, I am submitting “Hannah in Stereo” and “Relaxing in the Grass”:





In going through my Flickr stream, I realized we take way more pictures of Hannah, so I took additional pictures of Rascal today:



OK, maybe she's become a bit of a sourpuss in her old age:


If you are a cat person, check out those wonderful kitty cat pictures at The Pioneer Woman.

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