Buy it?

I have a decent digital camera but you know what? I take pictures to post on my blog, to send to friends and family and to keep as records. I don't print them, I don't do anything too terribly complicated with editing them. I use picnik.com to quickly edit and then save either to my picasa site or my hard drive. I'm not terribly organized about my pictures either. So - I am thinking of buying a second camera, small and tiny and cheap to take with me on my walks and in my car. I've seen them for as cheap as $20. I could take pictures of the cats of Moberly. I saw four on the way to work the other day and it just saddens me that I am not prepared to snap. So stand by, while I figure this out - the deer I saw on my walk in the park today, the praying mantis on the building downtown and the cats of Moberly might be arriving in lovely low definition color!

Haunted Lamp

The lamppost in front of my house had started looking like it could be the Addams family's lamp. It had no glass, dirty cobwebs, no bulb and was in obvious disrepair. So, Plexiglas was cut and frosted, a light bulb was installed and now it looks somewhat complete. There is no light from the bulb but that really doesn't matter. The picture doesn't do it justice as it is in the rain but you see where I'm going with this. It looks better - like life exists within. I'm getting estimates on tree removal and the dreaded sweet gum trees (see the comments after the article) with spindly balls and invasive roots will be removed in a couple weeks. I won't have to pick up balls or rake leaves from it this fall. I cannot wait! The tree is pretty but when the roots grow halfway back the house and through the foundation, it has to stop. I hope that removing the trees and stumps will stop this monster.

Ahhh if only topics stuck to Smalltown Life and Cats!

Up Close

Bug Control, Bug Patrol

It's hard to shoot a picture from a darkish room of a moving cat after a fly. This day was Margeaux's day of glory. She stalked, killed, ate and barfed three big flies! I am happier to see her go after gnats. Our house is devoid of indoor spiders and the occasional wayward mosquito does not last long with three predators patrolling. Shannon, may she rest in kitty peace, used to wait at the hole in the wall of our apartment and prey upon the crickets that emerged. She'd leave the legs and we'd be aghast at the carnage! Dee vacuumed up the spindly remains with horror, yet admiration, that Shannon was so dedicated to the task.

Flowers of My Back Yard

The morning glories are finally blooming! It is September 1 and last week they began unfurling in a blue and fuchsia display. The vines have been crazy - wrapping around anything it can including itself. I will plant fewer morning glories next year! The moonflowers (relative of morning glory but blooms at night) have shown one blossom. It was several inches across - white. We call the slab that is in back of the house "the back yard" and have now put a black iron table with chairs and an umbrella to go with the Weber grill. It isn't worthy of better homes and gardens but we like it and it is a work in progress.