At a far corner fence

Daisy followed me all the way out to where I was working on the corner hayfield fence.  Usually she doesn't venture far from the house or outbuildings.  But there was a path through the tall grass where I had driven the pickup several times over the past few days, and without Tammy around Daisy has been spending even more time with me.

I didn't expect Daisy to follow me so I didn't bring my camera along.  I missed taking lots of awesome photos of her (and of another bright yellow glowing sunset).

In the beginning Daisy stayed very close to me.  Whenever I knelt down she tried to stand or sit on my front legs, or would stand on my ankles.  Eventually she did a little exploring.  Then she climbed up on top of a railroad tie, or would sit on the top board acting as a brace between two railroad ties.

Later she sat quietly among the trees across the fence on the neighbor's property.  She sat for the longest time.  I was happy she wasn't meowing that she wanted to go home.  Then when I was almost ready to go home she came trotting back over by me with a huge squealing mouse in her mouth.  She hopped the fence to the shorter grass in the south pasture.  Unfortunately Daisy dropped the mouse to play with too close to the tall grass in the hayfield.  The mouse ran to the tall grass.  Two times Daisy caught and took it back to the pasture.  The third time the mouse slipped away in the tall grass.  Daisy looked and looked for it and then sat and listened. At one point Daisy stood way up on her hind legs to get a better view through the tall grass. The mosquitoes had come out in full force by then so we headed home.  I'm not done with this fence so maybe Daisy will come with me tomorrow and look for more mice.

As we walked home in the vehicle tracks it began to rain.  We both got wet by the time we got home.  She is now zonked out on the back of the couch after such a busy day.

Missing Tammy

Now that Tammy is gone Daisy is thrown by the empty office and missing stuff of Tammy's.

Usually Daisy lays on the table when I work on the computer, then moves to the loveseat to sit next to Tammy.  No Tammy so last night Daisy laid on my lap for a long time, something she rarely does.

Thursday morning she was feeling ornery (blaming me for Tammy leaving?) and clamped her mouth and both paws around my wrist, another rarity with me.  I had a flannel shirt on and she bit just hard enough to not break my skin - but close.

Tammy took the long white blanket on which Daisy laid on the back of the couch.  I found a white towel that Tammy stained when she colored her hair and I placed it on the back of the couch.  Daisy is laying there tonight.

I have made fun of snuggies but, as Daisy liked the one Tammy had, I will have to buy one else find a similar blanket for Daisy to knead and lay on.

More rain

Another rainy day.   There was a lull overnight so Daisy woke me up at 4 am to go outside.  It started to rain by the time she came in after 9 am.  At least, with the chance to go outside earlier, Daisy didn't complain about the rain stopping her from going outside later.  This afternoon she took an uncomfortable looking sleep in the computer chair.

All day rain

It started to rain before midnight and has rained non-stop all day. By 4 pm we easily broke the rainfall record for the day.  The forecast is for rain through tomorrow.

Over and over all day Daisy wanted to go outside, starting at 4 am.  I let her outside and she sits on the step for a minute or two and then is ready to come inside the house.  It is killing her not to be able to go outside and play.  She is verbal about her dislike of the rain.

It is so wet Daisy doesn't even drink from her favorite downspout.

The soil is so porous that it is not common to see standing water.

Up a little higher they have snow.  Here is the view from the Glacier Park Apgar mountain webcam at around 6,651 ft.

Missed mice

Last week I opened the hole in the floor and went in the house's crawl space to open the vents for the Summer.  Daisy of course was very interested in the crawl space.  You'd think she would have trouble getting in and out of the crawl space - but no, no problem for her.

She brought up the first mouse when I was eating lunch.  She had it in her mouth and dropped it on the dining room floor to play with it.  Ummm... there are lots of things to in the house for the mouse to hide under.  The mouse got under the furnace.  I tried to help Daisy but we both lost the mouse.

An hour later she came back with another mouse - or the same one.  She started to play with it in another part of the dining room.  I ran and opened the house door and told Daisy to take her mouse outside to play with.  Before the mouse could get under the refrigerator Daisy grabbed it and with a run jumped into the hole in the floor down to the crawl space.  I never saw the mouse again.

But... very early the next morning I heard a mouse scratching.  The noise woke me up.  Daisy was sleeping on the back of the couch.  I got her and placed her where I heard the sound in the bathroom wall.  Daisy settled down on the floor to listen and wait.   She never got the mouse.

A few days later - at 3 am - Tammy heard the mouse scratching.  That afternoon she heard it again around the bedroom / bathroom wall.  Or maybe in the floor.

Late that afternoon, while Tammy was sitting on the loveseat, Daisy came walking with a mouse her mouth.  Before we could react she dropped it and began to chase it.  I leapt into action and ran to the house door.  But the mouse was fast and Daisy was chasing it all over the house.  Long story short - we lost the mouse again.

I gave Daisy a good talking to about playing with mice in the house.

Keeping company

Daisy kept me company as I worked in the yard this afternoon and evening.

I hung another gate in the corral.  I drilled a hole in the post behind Daisy.   She didn't mind the sound of the drill so close to her.

On the minivan

Lately Daisy has taken to sleeping on Tammy's minivan's roof.    One day Tammy couldn't get Daisy down and Tammy had to start to drive down the driveway a short distance before Daisy decided to get down.

In her basket

Daisy had an early and busy morning. I found a dead mouse on the front step when I woke up. In the afternoon she took a nap and was out like a light.

Stretching and in the wood box

Tammy took a few photos of Daisy.

The other night Daisy laid and slept in her usual style by Tammy on the snuggie on the loveseat.

Today Daisy laid a while in a box I had for wood near the wood stove as I cleaned the ashes and prepared the wood stove for a fire.  Here Tammy took photos of Daisy after I left and went outside.

Curled feet

Look how Daisy curls her back feet when she sleeps.

Later I made some noise and woke her up.

Messing on the couch

This is what I found in the morning.

Come scratch my neck please.

Birds and tree

Lots of robins are out and about.   This morning I was worried I may have to get a ladder to rescue Daisy from this box elder tree again.  But she stopped climbing and got back down to the ground.

Balloon

Tammy had an extra helium balloon from her last weekend Treasure Market.

Daisy usually is leery of balloons.  This balloon is against the ceiling so that may be why she is okay with the balloon.

Sometimes she plays with or chews on the ribbon tied to the balloon which causes the balloon to bump and move along the ceiling.

Normal sleeping

For once Daisy is not sleeping on her back.

Today Daisy was pretty active.

A little after 6 am Daisy got me out of bed so she could go outside even though I tried to ignore her.  At 8:30 pm she meowed loudly for me to get up to let her back in the house.  I went back to bed to sleep a little more.  After she ate some food she came meowing at me until I finally gave up and got out of bed.  Daisy didn't want to go outside - she wanted me to get out of bed.

After some running around the house she followed me outside the house when I dumped the wood stove ashes in the hayfield.  When I went to the pole shed to get firewood Daisy went into ninja mode.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw her run into another part of the pole shed.  She hid under some material.  Minutes later when I walked by the tool shed Daisy ran behind me and around the back of the tool shed to hide.  More ninja action.

Around 11 am she settled down and came back in the house and chilled out on the back of the couch.

In the evening after Tammy and I got back from setting up her Treasure Market to be held on Saturday, I did a little work in the corral.  More ninja action from Daisy as she would run here and there and then hide from me as I moved around the corral.

I don't know why Daisy is in ninja mode right now.

Playing dead

"Daisy... play dead."

"Daisy, show us how you play dead."

Actually Daisy was snoring when Tammy took this photo.

Snuggie sleeping

Daisy woke me up after 5 am, woke me again at 6 am and then went outside.  Came in at 10 am.  After that she stuck like glue to be near me.  By the time Tammy came back home at 4 pm from her Washington trip Daisy was nodding off.  So no big celebration to see Tammy.  Instead, once Tammy came home, Daisy claimed Tammy's spot on the loveseat and her snuggie and was out like a light.  She didn't even stir when I took a photo of her.  Usually Daisy settles down for her nap by noon or 1 pm.

Sleepy morning

Daisy slept in this morning.  Mostly.  She did come by after 6 am and scratched on the bed and closet door briefly.  But I think it was because of habit.  Once I got up a few hours later Daisy was sleeping on the back of the couch.

She may sleep in again.  After she slept all this afternoon I got her up and out to help me work in the corral and NE pasture this evening.  She ran off some of her energy.  No sleeping on my lap today - yet.

Stair sitting

Looking back at Tammy

Lap cat

Daisy is not a lap cat.  She prefers to lay against you.  However Tammy is in Washington state on a business trip and to visit my relatives.  Daisy is missing her.  The first evening Daisy would meow in the evening asking where Tammy was.  When I asked Daisy if she was missing Tammy Daisy would look over to the loveseat where Tammy usually sits.

Last night Daisy insisted on laying on my lap while I typed on the computer.  Usually Daisy lays on the table next to me. The last time Daisy laid on my lap was last year when Tammy was away.  This afternoon when I chatted with my brother on Skype Daisy insisted on laying on my lap again.  Even when I got up to check on the wood stove fire Daisy would get on my lap again when I sat down again.

She rarely lets me out of her sight during the day.

This morning Daisy was insistent on waking me up around 5 am.  Eventually I got up after 6 am and discovered her food dish was almost empty.  Tammy always makes sure Daisy has plenty of food.  I filled her dish with food and went back to bed.

Before Tammy left Daisy knew what was going on after I got Tammy's suitcase from the basement.  It was sitting there unopened.  Tammy walked by not wearing socks or slippers.  Daisy wrapped her paws around Tammy's feet with claws out and then bit Tammy's foot.  I think Daisy was unhappy Tammy was going to leave once again.  She did try to sneak in the suitcase once when it was open later.

Old catnip

I had planted catnip last year.  Winter came and I didn't get around to harvesting it.  The snow melted and Daisy spent part of a day rolling in it.  That is, until she got distracted by some large birds in the front yard.  All of a sudden she took off like a flash and ran to the bunkhouse.