Pee-yew!

I was sitting here chatting with my dear friend Amanda when all this racket started. I looked over my shoulder at what the noise was and saw my kitty Domino who was going crazy at the window.

I figured the outdoor kitty must be outside so I checked and found...

this rascally skunk!  He was pretty bold and I was pretty shy, staying behind our storm door with the exception of my arm to get this blurry shot.  He was pretty cute but his cuteness doesn't help him when it comes to that stench.  I've smelled the bombs this little guy has laid around our house before and it's nothing to wrinkle your nose at so to speak.

The Cutest!

We are just a few days away from it officially being the third season, fall, autumn whatever you want to call it. Warm days, cool nights, beautiful foliage,  apple pies, pumpkin pies, hay rides, corn mazes and Halloween!

Look what I just picked up from my local Target, the cutest tissue boxes in fall themes and colors.

Foxes & Owls

There are a few other designs but these were my favorite.

Green Thumb

I've never had problems keeping plants alive, in fact at my last job I had amazing luck with many different plants, african violets and orchids to be specific but also some other green plants as well.  I was able to get my orchid to bloom at least twice a year which is pretty amazing.  One thing I had never thought to try was growing my own plants from seeds until this last spring.  I planted some basil, some catnip and some spearmint.  The basil and the cat nip took off quickly with more heartier sprouts than the spearmint which was super tiny and delicate.  I totally underestimated the spearmint.  Because of its more delicate stature I did not transplant them into bigger pots when I did the basil and the cat nip and for that they suffered, root bound and unable to grow further.  That all changed this last weekend when I finally transplanted them and they are taking off like weeds!   The feeling that you grew a plant from a seed and it is flourishing is amazing.

Check out my basil plant.  It is starting to get it's second round of leaves bursting at the seams of the older leaves thickening the plant up even more.

Here is the catnip.  The kitties love to eat fresh catnip leaves but the buds are where it's at, my plant hasn't budded yet though.  I just recently learned how to grow and maintain catnip so I am going to need to do some pruning.

Here are the spearmint pants (and one strawberry plant on the right which isn't doing as well).  when I transplanted them a week ago they were so very tiny and now they are full on fledglings ready to give me all the fresh mint I could ever want or need.  

I want to grow some flowering plants but not sure what to embark upon next.  I'm running out of window room there and am going to have to find another window to take over.

Stormin'

Check out the downpour we are getting right now.  Lightning, heavy rain, wind, hail, the sidewalks turning into rivers... this California girl isn't used to such intense weather.

Yes those are the storm drains overflowing.

Thankfully the largest size is only dime sized.  My poor car is parked outside!

Camping!

Joseph and I are planning on going camping again in a couple of weeks back to the campground we discovered last month.  The campground is quiet and gorgeous and simple. It is set on an old oak savanna near a nice sized lake and is covered in wild flowers.

 Heading down to check out the lake.

 We saw turtles!

 A walk we took down behind an old farm.

 The campsite at dusk.

 Roasting marshmallows for smores.

 We woke up to see this cute wild baby kitty keeping warm in the cinders from our fire the night before.

I'm looking forward to camping in fall, bringing sweaters and being all cozy in my sleeping bag!

Black Fluffy!

A few days ago it was decided that Joseph and I would sort of adopt this very sweet and loving fluffy black kitty that hangs out in our yard. He is pretty skinny and so we decided to feed him knowing that this pretty much means we're now his new parents.  Domino hates him though, she gets super growly at the window and tries to attack him through the glass storm door.  She just needs to chill out because Black Fluffy is so sweet and cuddly and just craves love and affection.

 Domino being nosy!

 Trying to get a better view of Black Fluffy!

Best Place

A couple of weeks ago Joseph and I headed out with our friend Joe to a yelp elite meet up at Best Place which is located at the historic Pabst Brewery.

We got to enjoy free food and PBR for the night while watching old beer commercials.  We also got to take a tour of the founders office space.  It was a really fun night out.

Joseph enjoying his beverage in the Captains office.

Oh yeah and I won a thirty pack of PBR in a raffle! Talk about a great night out especially when everything is free and you walk away a winner.

Andy Warhol & Campbell's Soup

Target is currently carrying a limited supply of colorful Andy Warhol inspired Campbell's Tomato Soup cans for just seventy-five cents.  I picked mine up a few days ago.  I am planning to do something with the labels but probably won't keep them on the soup.  I need some art for my kitchen!