thriving

benji saw the vet after his first few days with us and because of his young age (6 weeks at most) and being seriously underweight/undernourished she recommended getting him on to a combination of kitten kibbles soaked in KMR (kitten milk replacer).  i gave him just the KMR for the first day to get him hydrated and let his digestive system have a rest and a reset and then started giving him the soaked kibbles.  he ate like a maniac and came up to a healthy weight in the first couple days.  he's now at 8 weeks old and has been maintaining a healthy weight and growing like crazy.

he's rarely still long enough for me to take any decent pictures but here are a few taken in moments when he was between bouts of savagery...

giving me crazy eyes as he's about to attack

recharging between bouts of savagery (he's adapted to the harness without any trouble)

momentarily mesmerized by something out the window in the garden

he's a very active little guy these days and quite a terror most of the time (zane can attest).  most of the time he is running, jumping, climbing, clawing, batting, and biting...so much biting right now...

he's absolutely sweet when he calms down a bit after blowing off some of his crazy, kitten energy. 
still lots of purring...

i'm having a lot of fun getting to know him and i think he's going to grow into a very nice cat.  i'm happy he's settling in so well with us and seems to be happy and thriving.

ripening

most of the summer fruits and veggies are winding down, setting seed, and ripening.  here are a few pictures of the gardens as summer ends and transitions to fall.

the winter squash are maturing on the vine and the summer squash are producing fewer and smaller fruits.

tromboncino ripening next year's seed

spaghetti squash ready for harvest

summer squashes looking tired as asian greens and kales start to take over

pac choi cross looking happy as the summer squash fade around it

we've got a good store of eggs in the fridge as the ducks take a break from laying and work on replacing their feathers and fattening up a little for the cooling weather.
 

the nerds letting me know it's time to start cooking rice for them again

tough go for beans this year.  the erratic spring weather and pest pressure forced multiple sowings and depleted most of the seed i've saved.  instead of eating this year's crop i've allowed the plants to ripen the pods to replenish our seed store for planting next spring.

'rattlesnake' pole beans ripening

 i planted some popcorn mostly for fun and it ended up doing quite well.

i will probably harvest the ears and let the stalks stand over winter so the praying mantises will have a sheltered place to overwinter their egg casings...

perfectly camouflaged mama mantis looking full of eggs

very good year for berries.  we've still got blackberries ripening and the raspberries, which gave us a nice crop in the spring, are now ripening a good fall crop.

 the figs are still ripening their main crop and we've been getting a handful of figs every day or two.

'violette de bordeaux'

assorted figs, an asian pear, and a late plum

first year of fruiting for the asian pears.  we have four trees of various ages, each a different variety.  three of the four have fruited this year and the oldest of them, the 'hosui', is loaded with tasty, round pears.

'hosui' asian pear with 'indian free' peach in the background

as the heat lovers wind down the cooler weather crops are taking over.

two bathtubs full of daikons and radishes

daikons and radishes heading to the kitchen

assorted greens coming up through the shelter of the stalks that bore them

it was a beautiful and bountiful summer.  i'm looking forward to what fall will bring. 

seventy-five

lately i've been thinking about how truly and deeply strange a person i am and am ever becoming and how lucky i am to be living with someone who accepts me and loves me anyway.  i never feel like i can do enough for such an amazing man.
happy birthday, staal.  i love you...dearly, deeply, madly.

still far more likely to find him on a roof than you are snoring in the la-z-boy

benji-moto'

i like benji as a name for the little furry one (don't know why) and staal has been calling him motor sometimes because he purrs so much.  so...benji-moto', though i'll probably mostly just call him benji.  i think it sounds like the name of some ancient japanese poet.  maybe there's a book in it.  poems and short stories inspired by the lessons this little fuzz ball will share with me as we get to know each other ---the wisdom of benji-moto', illustrations and translation (from cat to english) by melina wade staal.

a little one

a couple days ago a local woman found a kitten (only 5-6 weeks old), alone, covered in stickers, and very hungry.  she posted a video of him on social media asking if anyone could give him a home.  i watched the video.  i wasn't sure what i was feeling.  i slept on it.  then yesterday morning i watched the video again and contacted the woman and asked if anyone had shown an interest in him.  she said no.  i wrestled with thoughts and emotions.  talked with staal to see how he felt.  agonized some more and finally told the woman we would take him.  we met her in bootjack at the little market/gas station around 12:30,  picked him up and brought him home.   he has been purring loudly and pretty much continuously since yesterday.

kitten specifications:  he was pretty dirty so i gave him a bath.  no fleas or ticks.  he's skin and bones but seems healthy otherwise (will get him a vet check soon).  he's eating soft, solid food but is young enough he still wants to nurse so i may try bottle feeding him for a while in addition to the solid food.  he's playful and inquisitive and sweet and completely fascinated with zane.  he doesn't seem able to meow but he purrs like a maniac.  he's going to be an indoor cat but i'm going to leash train him so he can come outside with me.  haven't given him an name yet.

here he is...

getting ready for a dip in the sink

helping me and zane keep an eye on the ducks while they forage

snuggled in for a snooze

feeling frisky

purring...

i don't feel fully ready for all of this but it still seems right.  this little one needs a good, loving, safe home and i want to give that to him.