Sunday, July 25, 2010

Cat-Sitting Once Again

Guess what – I’m a cat-sitter once again!

Meet my friend’s cat, known simply as The Kitten. He looks to be at least partly Maine Coon. He’s affectionate and sweet, and I’m in love.

Kitten on the chair

Curled up, showing a bit of fang:

Curled up

Did I mention that I’m in love? Well, I am, and I don’t care who knows it!

Breakfast

On Friday morning, a friend took me out for breakfast at a local café:

Breakfast

What a beautiful way to start the morning. Thank you, A.

New Background Image

See that background image? It’s not the one that was there before.

I decided that I wanted to use an image of my own as my background image. I found this post on the Blogger help forums, and then tried out a bunch of photos until I found one I liked.

I also figured out what portion of the photo Blogger uses as the background image. That means that now, when I take photos, I can compose the pic in a way that may allow me to use it for a future background image.

I really like this new system. I can do so much more, and I’m learning a lot!

(Here’s another great post about how to change the background image if you’re using the Picture Window template.)

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

A New Site

Long ago (well, probably more like a hundred years ago in Internet years), I designed the website for my women’s tefilla group, Shirat Sara.

A while back, I decided that it was time to redo the site on Blogger, and I just completed it. The end result is here.

It’s two sites, actually – English and Hebrew. Each links to the other. Check ’em out!

UPDATE: I finished another one. Check out the Leader Minyan’s new home page. (In Hebrew, too.)

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Answer

(silly verse inspired by today’s high temperatures)

“How hot?” she asked, dodging a sunbeam
That bid fair to chase her.
“So hot that I’m wishing I lived
On a glacier.

“How hot?” and she wrinkled her nose
As if shocked that I’d ask her:
“So hot I’d consider a move
To Alaska!”

Monday, July 05, 2010

Remnants

When I saw these items on a low stone wall near the trash bin in the parking lot of my apartment building, I had to wonder, for a few moments, about their history.

Remnants

An Easter card (in Polish, I think); a small wooden box that had once held tea from Nepal but now held partially-used Sabbath candles (not pictured); a small red flower; and a slide.

Here is a closeup of the slide:

Slide

To me, it looks like a silhouette of a group of people talking comfortably around a potted plant with tall, broad leaves.

Day of the Dolls

When I was in the Rehavia neighborhood last Friday morning, I passed a florist shop (where Rita the tortie hangs out), and saw what looked like a display of rag dolls facing the street:

Dolls and plants

dolls_and_plants_3

Then, on my way home, I passed a terrace with an effigy of what looked like a young man wearing pajamas:

Flat guy on terrace

I guess one could call it the Day of the Dolls.

Attempted Rescue

A few nights ago, I saw a kitten trapped on this ledge (click on the photo to see the notes of where it was, and where I was):

Ledge 2

I could see that this kitten was trapped, and was not going to get off the ledge without help.

So I grabbed a flashlight, a step-stool and a small bowl of canned cat food and headed out to the far wall, which is actually at ground level on the other side. I went up the step-stool, climbed over the wall, carefully let myself down onto the ledge (although that far wall looks low, it’s actually a bit high for a person of my height), and put the food bowl down near the kitten, who wouldn’t even look at it. Instead, it hissed and backed away from me, redoubling its frantic efforts to find a way off the ledge.

Although I have a slight fear of heights, I realized that I could handle this situation. The ledge is fairly broad, and I was in no danger of falling. A resident of the building watched me from the entrance, but did nothing – he couldn’t do anything from where he was, anyway, and I assume that he could tell from the kitten’s loud cries of distress, the food bowl in my hand, and my attempts to calm the kitten, why I was there.

Gathering my courage, I crouched near the wall, reached out and grabbed the kitten – who was leaning over the ledge by this time – by the scruff of its neck, lifted it up and whisked it to the upper ledge on the far side, which leads to safety.

I put the kitten down next to the food bowl, but it didn’t even look at the food. It bolted almost the moment that its paws touched the surface.

Sigh.

Well, I tried.

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Two Cats

A local cat poses for the camera:

Local cat

Hadi watches a fly:

Hadi watches a fly

The Friday Ark. The Carnival of the Cats.