Fabulous February Sunshine

The weather in western North Carolina has been freakishly beautiful all week, and according to The Weather Channel we'll get to enjoy this for another week to come. What a treat. I LOVE IT. March can be a snowy month in this area, so about the time we get used to temps in the 60s, the rug of springtime delight may get yanked out from under us. But who knows, maybe we'll get lucky this year. Either way, it's beautiful now, and I'm enjoying every second of it. After months of cold, gray, dreary weather, the warm rays of the sun make me want to play hooky from work and bask like a lizard. Or roll around in sunshiny joy, like Lucy.

Lady, whose personal mission in life is to watch over and take care of everyone in the family, can only stand this rolling and convulsing for so long before checking in.

"Are you okay?"

I'm betting on a daffodil bloom by the weekend. About five years ago I planted a very early variety called Rijnveld's Early Sensation, however it's so early that I've only seen it bloom once. Most years the buds appear, teasing me with the promise of winter banishing blooms - only to get zapped by a sudden return to temperatures in the teens or single digits. But this year they're going to bloom, I just know it. Stay tuned!

You Watch My Back, I'll Watch Yours

"Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!"

I set the remote aside and hop up from the couch; Lady wants to come in. In yesterday's post, I commented that Lady's caretaking behaviors toward her canine brother Lucky are never reciprocated. However, that's not the case with the cat. When Lady goes outside to "take care of business," Lucy keeps watch and lets everyone know when she's ready to come back in. And it's not just random meowing. there's a specific pitch, tone and urgency of meows reserved only for this occasion.

And if you're busy, and don't come right away... well, it's sort of like trying to ignore your alarm clock. The "Lady wants to come in" alert gets louder and more insistent. I imagine it translates into something like this:

"HELLO!! Are you going to leave the poor dog out there all day??! 

It's cold!! Come open the door! No, not in a minute! Now!" 

"It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it."