Who's Watching Whom?

Yesterday afternoon I had Ike out with us in my office and Elvis was sprawled across my desk (you can just see his ears and nose) when Ms. Squirrel showed up for her afternoon snack. The cats were watching her (and another squirrel) eating peanuts and sunflower seeds and she was standing up on the feeder and watching them as she chewed each bite. You've got to wonder what goes through their little minds!

Only in Texas!

Yesterday was Go Texan day and I got this shot of the trail riders on their way past our house and into Memorial Park, as I was TRYING to get to the bank.

Beach Weekend

Last weekend, we went to Galveston and had a relaxing time. Here's my sweet Denny.



Elvis agrees with the saying ... "A bad day at the beach is better than a good day at work!" His paws are tucked under the pillow and his back toes are curled under - wish I could sleep this well!



Ducks on one of the golf course lakes



Boys on the balcony, enjoying the view. Our Ike is having another "down time", we're on round two of the antibiotics and hope his white blood cells look better in two weeks.



Denny was also out with the boys. They make good use of those ottomans!



Pelican ready for flight.

Our Snow went to Dallas!

Dallas "Snomageddon 2011" - Day Four!

Just what they needed ... snow on top of snow in Dallas. Instead of 1-3 inches in Houston, Dallas got another 6 inches on top of the ice and snow that was still on the ground from their snow event on Tuesday.

Dallas Brewer's house with a beautiful coating ...



Looking down their street ...



Across the street neighbors ...



Pathfinder on ice!



Rex the wonder-dog! The snow was so deep he could barely walk in it.



"Fort Brewer" in the snow



Masked snow enthusiasts, Luke & Zach



Thanks, Dallas Brewers for sharing your photos so that Houstonians can live vicariously through you guys. We are a bit jealous that the snow missed us!

Creatures in the Cold

Our little squirrel friends made a lot of stops at the feeder during the cold snap!



I like the patches of white fur behind her ears ... I guess that's "winter camo"



My other creatures discovered a fun game on the back patio ... Denny heading into the plant cover.



Elvis wondering if he should follow



Denny teasing Elvis through the plant cover



Out again!



The cats enjoyed the cold snap - even if it did cause a lot of trouble around the city.

Ice Ice Baby

After every forecaster from local news to NWS to international forecasters in London predicting 1 - 3 inches of snow in Houston on Thursday night, all we got was ice!

Schools and businesses closed, flights were cancelled and airports closed ... millions in revenue was lost and there was not one single flake. Granted, there were over 800 reported car accidents in Houston because of the ice, but it was a great disappointment to all that there was no snow.

Here are a few photos from around the house ...

When it's going to freeze, I always open our patio umbrellas to help insulate the plants and keep the cold air from reaching the ground. Here's what we saw when I put the small umbrella down yesterday morning ...



Completely coated in ice!



Bird feeder on back patio ...



... turned into an ice rink for birds.



Queen palm branch bent low with ice.



BBQ pit completely covered.



Out in front, the crepe myrtles had a pretty coating.



... and there were icicles on our neighbor's house.



Out in back, an uncovered sago palm sports "ice balls" on every tip.



Even though it was wrapped, our neighbor's faucet leaked and created a large icicle.



Not that we can believe them, but forecasters think we'll have one more cold event next week and then we should be sailing into summer. Probably more quickly than we would like!

Becoming Friends

Although they're not allowed to stay together, or eat out of the same dish, Ike continues to win over the boys with his friendly, calm demeanor. Last week he was downstairs, while they were in another room, and he wanted to sit on their ottoman to watch the birds. I knew he was just sitting there so I wasn't really paying attention - next thing I knew Denny came back into the office and jumped in his bed.



It makes Ike happy to be part of the BrewZoo. I guess he was lonely for so long he wants to belong!

Goofing Around ...

Elvis, napping on the sofa last weekend ... paws up, mouth open. Click on the photo to see a full sized version. He looks like Jack Nicholson as The Joker!



It's a shame he can't relax.