Henry's Ancestry (or why we should look in Poulsbo for a house)

We think we may have discovered some of Henry the Cat's mysterious ancestry. Despite the fact that his mom wandered into the yard on Moncure Rd. (probably a victim of the sub-prime loan disaster- from a foreclosed house), and his father remains forever anonymous. Today we took Henry to get neutered, and Jim ran across a cat magazine in the waiting room, that described the Norwegian Forest Cat, or Skogkatt to all you Scandinavian majors. Henry really seems to match the description. This isn't his most flattering picture- a few hours after surgery isn't the best time for a mugshot! The following is from Wikipedia, and the picture is from a Skogkatt website.

"The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed of domestic cat native to Northern Europe, and adapted to a very cold climate. In Norway they are known as skogkatter or more properly, the Norsk skogkatt (literally, Norwegian Forest Cat).

The breed is very old, and occurred as a natural adaptation to the cold climate of the region, but it was not regarded as anything other than a standard house-cat until the late 1930s, when a small number of 'Skaukatts' were shown in Germany and received very favorably by the judges. World War II brought an abrupt end to the fledgling Norwegian show cat industry, and the breed was forgotten until the 1970s. The cats are now being bred and shown in several countries including the United States. The first international association to accept the breed was FIFe, in 1977. They are rumored to be the early ancestors of the Maine Coon and the long-haired Manx.

Norwegian Forest Cats have a thick fluffy double-layered coat, tufted ears and a long bushy tail to protect them against the cold. Their coat is essentially waterproof due to its coarse outer layer and dense underlay. They are very large cats with adult males weighing 6 to 10 kg (13 to 22 lb), while females are approximately half that size. Their hind legs are longer than their front legs. They are very intelligent, playful cats that enjoy human company. The nickname of "Wegie" began in the United States and is a shortened version of the word Norwegian."

A Weekend with Hazel (and her parents)

We had a fun weekend in Colfax with Liz and Hazel- Jason was there, but REALLY sick, so he was sequestered in the bedroom most of the time. Such fun being Grandma and Grandpa. We went to the Farmers' Market and then went apple picking and cider crushing at a farm nearby. Maybe next year Hazel will be able to help a bit more!

Admiral! There Be Whales Here!

After a morning of learning the very basics of greenhouse building at Charley's GreenHouses in Mt Vernon, we had a great picnic at Deception Pass State Park. Deception Pass was so named by Capt. George Vancouver, because it is so narrow that it is looks like a bay, but actually leads to the waters around the east side of Whidbey Island. We decided to take a boat tour, and were blessed that 2 pods of orcas were out in Rosario Straight, so our captain really floored it (that boat could really go!) and we went whale watching. We had to stay quite far away from them (the above pic is thanks to the wonders of ZOOM). but could see them breaching and feeding. Fantastic! God has created such an abundance of fascinating creatures. And the day was absolutely perfect. Some pictures for you to enjoy.

FINALLY!

I guess for all you Californians, these 2 little red fruits are normal in your garden by, say, the 4th of July. But here in the frigid north, Sept 13 is the momentous day when I picked our 1st tomatoes. There is 1 more showing color on 1 of the 2 bushes, so we may get 3 ripe tomatoes by the time it gets too cold for them. Which explains why we went to a greenhouse building class today.

House Hunting in "Little Norway"

We decided to take advantage of a gorgeous day for a trip to the Kitsap Peninsula and Poulsbo, looking at about 18 houses over there. Even though I had to tolerate all the NORWEGIAN influence in the town, we found the area really pleasant, and with definite possibilities! A short ferry ride from Seattle, and can you beat that view of Mt Rainier from the ferry? Overall, a fun day.

Congratulations Lindsey and Herman and Riley!

Little Spencer Robert was most cooperative and arrived, all 7# 11 oz of him, on Sunday Sept 7. so I could meet him while I was in California. Wish we lived closer so I could see these 2 "adopted" grandsons more often! Love the hat, Z.!