Somersault

Earlier I wrote about what a trooper Daisy was to come with me to check on Momma.   Even more impressive is that Tammy said before she left for work this morning Daisy ran from the garage to the house to go inside before Tammy left.  On the bottom concrete step Daisy slipped and did a somersault and ended up hitting her head on the next step.  Daisy got up and shook her head to shake it off and get the stars out of her eyes then ran inside the house.  And Daisy still came outside with me a little bit later.  What a cat!

Tammy gives Daisy the time she needs to get inside the house so I don't know why Daisy sometimes runs like a rocket is attached to her tail.

Arm wrap sleeping

Good ol' Daisy.   This morning I went out early to check on Momma.  She was by herself but had not given birth.  There was still snow on the ground and it was chilly outside. Yet Daisy came all the way out with me to check on Momma then followed me back into the house to get more sleep time.

Scary TV

This afternoon Daisy saw a bear on a TV commercial and got worried.

Eventually this passed and Daisy settled down to sleep.

Snuggie napping

Today is a lazy day for Daisy.  She doesn't have much interest in going outside as it is a cool and windy day.  Yes, she did scratch on the closet door and bed and meow at 6 am but didn't want to go outside.   Thanks... Daisy. 

Last night I had to sit on the floor to watch TV as Daisy claimed the loveseat and snuggie.  At one point she stretched out and would have fallen off the loveseat if Tammy and I hadn't caught her.

Currently Daisy is sleeping on my computer chair while I use another chair.  No... she isn't a princess or spoiled. 

Daisy's day

Daisy woke me up at exactly 6 am to go outside.  She came back inside the house at 9:30 am.  No mice by the door.

Played the rest of the morning.  Napped all afternoon on the bed.

Later afternoon she went outside for a drink from her favorite place: the downspout.

Then a little fence walking while I loaded tree branches into the pickup.

Daisy supervising the stomping down of the branches.

Watching out as I filled the cattle's water trough.

Daisy got her exercise as she followed me around the yard as I worked, occasionally taking breaks to look for mice nearby.  No mice gotten.

In the evening Daisy decided to use my computer mouse as a pillow when I was on the computer.  The problem was when she moved the mouse and highlighted a section of text then pressed her paw on the keyboard deleting half of the email I was composing to my friend Jeff.  I ended up writing the email text several times as Daisy did that trick twice before I took the mouse away from her.

Cuddling with Tammy

Last night Daisy climbed on the loveseat between Tammy and I as we watched an episode of "Mad Men" on DVD.  After grooming herself Daisy then leaned over to hug Tammy and then fell asleep doing so.

Animated pet fish

At the Cracker Barrel in Missoula this weekend I bought a toy fish toy to amuse Daisy.  The fish bowl is filled with water; the fish have magnets in them; the base has a magnet and two AA batteries.  The magnets cause the fish to "swim" in the water.  The fish don't swim a whole lot, as in my bowl the fish tend to move only a bit against one side of the bowl.

 

Is this a new toy for me?

I'm not impressed.

If I close my eyes maybe it will go away.

Darn. Still there.

Let me concentrate really hard and maybe it'll go away.

Nope. Still here. They don't move much do they?  Boring!

Birds at the feeder are always more interesting to watch.

Every time I buy a fancy toy for Daisy she is not impressed.  She would rather play with sticks, cardboard boxes, or bat a rubber band around the floor.

Cat and mouse

In the mornings I walk out into the hayfield to spread the wood stove's ashes from the previous day.  This morning Daisy had been out and about since Tammy left for work.  Daisy followed me partway out in the hayfield.  When I returned I found Daisy near a larger clump of grass.  She was looking and pawing at something.  Not seeing anything I thought it may be a bug as Daisy will play with bugs.

Daisy was hyper-alert and passing cars or any sound distracted her.  Then I saw a large gray mouse sneak off when Daisy was looking away.  I brought Daisy's attention to the mouse and she pounced on it.

After playing with the mouse a short while Daisy carried it back to the house and let it go.  The mouse ran into a shrub and was hidden in the tall grass around the shrub's branch stalks.  I helped flush the mouse out and it ran to the concrete blocks making the flower bed around two sides of the house.

More playing before Daisy brought the mouse up near to the front step.  The mouse didn't move much and Daisy being hyper-alert was easily distracted by distant sounds.

The mouse made a run for it and got up into the flower bed and under the house siding.

"Oh no!" 

Daisy searched along the siding but she couldn't reach the mouse.

I got a broom handle and dug the dirt where it met the siding.  Daisy searched for the mouse as I dug. I finished and no mouse. Then I saw Daisy with the mouse down at the corner of the house.

"Maybe I can slowly sneak away while Daisy is distracted." 

"Careful Daisy!  Trying to sniff the mouse may not be a good idea!"

"Hey!  Knock it off!  I don't want to play with you any more!"

This is what Daisy thinks of the mouse's complaining.

More back talk by the mouse.

Daisy moving the mouse again.

The mouse is getting "tired" from playing and is slowing way down.

I then left to get more firewood from my wood pile. After a few minutes Daisy showed up to be with me.  Walking back to the house with the wood I saw the mouse laying on its back near the tool shed.

I left the mouse.  Later in the afternoon the mouse was gone. Daisy had been in the house resting and I doubt the mouse moved on its own.  I imagine some large bird came and took the mouse.

Folding a sheet

Daisy "helped" Tammy fold up a sheet.

Squeezed in

Last weekend Tammy had a open house for her Tastefully Simple business and rearranged the living room.  Daisy found a new spot to lay.

Out all day

Daisy got up at 6:30 am (old pre-daylight savings time) and wanted outside. It was raining so she came back inside after a few minutes.  A few hours later she came in the bedroom and let me know she wanted outside again. This time it was not raining.  I was very tired from the prior days work, and since I no longer have to get up at 8 am to feed the cattle, I slept in for a few more hours.

Daisy took advantage of the nice weather and stayed outside.  All day.  Over 10 hours. Tammy and I called for her in the evening many times. No Daisy.  Tammy was worried Daisy may have fallen into a water pond or got hurt somewhere else and needed our help.

Fortunately for me - as I would have had to go slog around looking for her - Daisy showed up 15 minutes before the Amazing Race TV show ended.   She was fine except for wet and muddy back feet.  After eating and checking the house over, Daisy settled down by me and the computer.  And made it hard for me to use my computer.

Sleeping in

Tammy and Daisy slept in this morning.  I had to get up and feed the cattle.

Downspout and Tammy

The temperature is back to normal: highs in the low 40s.   That means melting and running water.   Daisy has two favorite places to drink: the cattle's water trough and the downspout on the house.  Today she drank and drank from the downspout.

Daisy kept me company outside when I shoveled a little wet snow and fed the cattle.   The snow is really melting and water is everywhere.  Sometimes Daisy would climb up on the fence and sit, sometimes she walked right through water puddles, and sometimes she complained to me that it was time to go back inside the house as she was tired of all the water everywhere.


Below... Daisy lives dangerously as she plays near the couch and Tammy.  Daisy knows she is not suppose to use her claws on the couch (the old carpet is ok) but sometimes she "forgets" and gets a scolding from Tammy.

Lazing

This past weekend... on a cold and windy Winter day the best place to be was near the wood stove.