Snow cat

We got up to 6 inches of snow last night.  Daisy had fun in the snow with me this morning.  Here is when I had the camera with me.

Here is a video of Daisy in the snow: http://youtu.be/H6HynLDwz8w

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Window watching

Daisy was in and out of the house much of the day.  The temperature had warmed to the upper 20s F.  Daisy caught mouse number 73 this morning, a big fat mouse.

In the late afternoon it started to snow lightly.  When she wasn't laying near the wood stove she kept an eye on things out this window.

Nicer temps make for a happier cat

The temperature was nicer Sunday and Monday.  The chill wasn't in the air.  Not that it was warm, but it was nicer.

Daisy spent more time outside today, which made her happier.  During the cold temperatures she would lay with her head on her front paws, eyes open, and... bored.  She reminded me of how a dog will sometimes lay with its head on the floor and then will follow you around the room with just its eyes.

Each morning Daisy gets me up around 6 am to open the front door so she can check the temperature.  Usually she decides not to go outside.  Then a half hour or so later she asks me to get out of bed again and open the door for her.  She'll go outside then.  After a half hour to an hour I will wake up yet again and check the front door or call for her.  Usually she is there or nearby and comes running into the house.  She'll run to my bed and jump up on it before I can get back to it.  Then we'll sleep for a few more hours before both getting up.

Today was no exception.  But by noon the temperature warmed up enough Daisy went out for an extended time.  And she was outside more than inside for most of the afternoon.

When I worked on splitting firewood late afternoon until dark Daisy roamed here and there checking for mice.  I found a big fat dead mouse near the house earlier in the afternoon.  Number 72 for the year.

Daisy is laying by the wood stove now warming her paws.

Night moves

The middle of last night I was woken up by Daisy making a commotion in the bedroom.  She was running around the bedroom's floor banging on stuff.  I thought she was playing with one of her toys.  Since she is not going outside sometimes she gets crazy playing with her toys to burn off energy.  I quickly fell back asleep.

In the morning I found a dead mouse by the wood stove.  That makes 71 for thee year (that I know of).

Good job Daisy!

I hope it is the mouse I heard in the ceiling a few nights ago when it first got cold and Daisy would still go outside early in the morning.

The cold weather continues.  Daisy doesn't even ask to go outside at 6 am anymore.  Being inside so much is making her cranky at times.   This morning when I went to pet her head she grabbed my hand with both her paws and clomped her mouth around my palm by my thumb.  She didn't break my skin with her teeth or claws but I definitely felt her teeth and claws.  She knew just how much pressure to apply to get her point across.

After taking a nap this afternoon she was in a better mood.  She came and laid by me near the wood stove and put her paw on my leg and head head against my thigh.  No claws this time.

This evening as we sat by the wood stove, when I was warming up after being outside and splitting wood, Daisy was moaning and complaining about the weather and being inside the house so much.  After as while she decided to go outside.  Not for too long as it is still cold.  But it perked her up as she ran around and around the house to various windows and for the fun of it after she came inside.  She's calmed down now.

Back to her Winter routine

The Arctic weather has modified Daisy's routine.  She wanted to go outside at 5 am.  That didn't last long.  I waited and after a few minutes she came back inside.  But before 6 am she came to the bed and asked to go outside again.  This time she went off to explore and stayed outside until 8:30 am.  After that she stayed inside the house all day.  This evening she is back to her Winter routine of looking out all the house's windows but doesn't ask to go outside.  She is not dumb, she sees the snow and hears the wind outside.

This morning she found a new box to lay in by the wood stove to warm up after her morning outing.

Stump sitting near the irrigation shed

A Winter storm is forecast to come on Sunday and I am trying to get a few projects done, or else to a state ready for the snow and wind.  The fixing of the irrigation shed roof is one of those 'get ready' projects as I won't be done with it by Sunday. 

Friday I spent the afternoon putting a new roof on the shed.  I had to haul material in the pickup to the shed.  Daisy was running around in the morning wanting to be with me.  So I picked her up and put her in the pickup to drive to the river.  She wasn't keen on the idea as she doesn't care to ride in vehicles.  Once at the river she was happy and began exploring while I worked on the shed.  At one point she wanted up on the roof to be with me so I lifted her up there.

Later she sat on a tree stump and watched for mice.   I saw her go after something in the tall grass but never saw her with a mouse.

It was along afternoon and she laid in the irrigation shed for a while - until I dropped a board through the open hole in the roof.  Sorry Daisy!  Then she laid under the pickup.

When it was time to go home I had to coax her out from under the pickup.  Finally she came out and I was able to pick her up and put her in the pickup for the drive home.  She stood and watched out the window as I drove and was very happy to be home and out of the pickup.  And she was hungry.  I got an earful as we walked to the house.

She is one tired cat and is currently curled up and sleeping hard on my bed.   I hope it won't be like last night where she hogged the bed and didn't give me much room to lay.

November mouse hunting

For a while Daisy hasn't brought any mice back to the house.  She is still hunting.  I saw her roaming around the neighbor's house a few days ago and this morning I saw her in the hayfield hunting.

Then around noon I walked out in the pasture to the irrigation shed to do some measurements for my next project. Daisy walked with me.  On the way I left some apples for the cattle.  Daisy waited a safe distance while I gave the apples then followed me to the shed.

While I checked the shed over, and after Daisy was done inspecting the shed, she went hunting for mice.

Yup, she caught a mouse.  Number 69 for the year (that I know of - the number is probably much higher)  In the video below you'll see she didn't get to play with it much as it appears to have died quickly.

Daisy likes to do somersaults around me.  The photo below catches her in mid somersault.

 

Here is a short video of Daisy hunting when I was at the irrigation shed.

http://youtu.be/HvK1KIhgePA