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snow-day slideshow: wild cat, elusive buddha

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IT’S A DAY OF MUFFLED SOUNDS AND LOTS OF SHOVELING. A day tucked in feeling thankful the wind hasn’t taken out the power (even though it keeps devilishly re-covering walkways as fast as I clean them, invoking its formidable power of drift). It’s a day indoors with Jack the Demon Cat, and it began at 4:30 AM.

Someone, you see–someone who wasn’t a sleepover-type house cat in the nine years since he adopted me, not until this winter–has learned to open the door to the upstairs. Where I sleep. Or try to. And he wanted to go out.

But no, on second thought, maybe not. It’s snowing; can you clear me a path maybe first?

I bundle up; I get my shovel. The path is cleared in the dark, amid swirling wind and snow.

He inspects my work.

No, I think I’ll just wait a little while longer. I can hold it.

OK.

But I think I’ll scream pretty much nonstop while I wait.

Perfect.

And then, finally, at first light, out he goes–barreling head-first into a snowbank, completely foregoing the paths I’d shoveled, and digs himself a little snow-cave of a restroom.

Charming.

That’s him at the window now, wanting back in.

And then before I can get my tea, the backyard Buddha starts playing hide-and-go-seek–like the wind and like Jack, he’s a trickster today–and…well, you can just see for yourselves. Where’s Buddha?

Click the first thumbnail to start the slides, then toggle from image to image using the arrows beside the captions, or the arrows on your keyboard. Enjoy.

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14 comments
December 27, 2010

comments

  1. Kristi says

    December 27, 2010 at 6:06 pm

    I’m strangely jealous. Not of the shoveling, of the opportunity to hibernate. The snow missed us, but the wind won’t leave us alone.

    Reply
  2. Terryk says

    December 27, 2010 at 6:16 pm

    We had outdoor cats before and they seem to love getting out there in the worst weather. Even when we moved here and had to make them indoor cats because the road is too busy they still wanted out every so often. Jack is so handsome, you just have to forgive him for his early morning antics.

    Reply
  3. NancyH says

    December 27, 2010 at 6:48 pm

    You did such a nice job of writing that “conversation.” It has great reality. I hope Jack appreciates you as he should–you are a great mom/friend to him and a great storyteller–everyone so interesting should have such a chronicler.

    Reply
  4. Nan says

    December 28, 2010 at 8:54 am

    There’s something so nice about burrowing in isn’t there? A chance to slow down and unwind… after all the shoveling that is :)

    Thanks for the great images and story! I think we have the same color of yellow green in our gardens!

    Reply
  5. Matt says

    December 28, 2010 at 11:49 am

    I guess it’s a skill, but how do you remember where your paths are under all that snow. Whenever I have to shovel, I’m paranoid about digging into the garden bed, and I end up doing it every time.

    Reply
  6. Tyler says

    December 28, 2010 at 12:08 pm

    I love the image of the chairs. If you look at it long enough, those looks like snow creatures sitting in the chairs, “sunning” themselves.

    Oh, and your cat is a scoundrel – he and my Smokey would get along nicely.

    Reply
  7. Julie says

    December 28, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    Nothing like a former tomcat to keep you busy. The picture of Jack with snow on his forehead–with that demonic/defiant look in his eyes–is adorable. I enjoyed listening to your radio show while I shoveled my drive- and walkway yesterday.

    Reply
  8. sandra says

    December 29, 2010 at 3:44 pm

    I loved your snowy pictures – and we think we have snow in England!! The buddha one made me smile.

    I like your obelisks – do they have lights on them?

    Reply
    • Margaret says

      December 29, 2010 at 3:49 pm

      Hi, Sandra. Yes, the obelisks have small white lights strung all over them; fun at night in winter. Nice to “see” you.

      Reply
  9. James Hitz says

    December 29, 2010 at 4:28 pm

    The chairs in the snow is a perfect shot. Love the cat too.

    Reply
    • Margaret says

      December 29, 2010 at 5:38 pm

      Welcome, James. The chairs were shot through the upstairs screened window. Funny that it even came out. And oh, that Jack…how in the world did I turn into someone who takes pictures of her cat? :) See you soon, I hope.

      Reply
  10. Terryk says

    December 30, 2010 at 7:55 am

    Anyone else having problems with the slide show when viewing from a smart phone or iPad? I keep exiting because the “next” button seems so close to the “x” button. Any chance it can be tweaked Margaret?

    Reply
  11. Dee says

    January 1, 2011 at 9:32 pm

    Wow. That’s real snow. I’m a little jealous too, but not of the shoveling.

    Reply
  12. Valerie Gillman says

    June 28, 2011 at 11:46 pm

    Do you know about Jack’s past? Where did he spend his winters before he adopted you? Such a beautiful boy! It’s OK to take pics of your cat. A few.

    Reply

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Podcast: Soups, Soups & More Soups

I’VE FOLLOWED a vegetarian diet for decades, but it wasn’t until just a few years ago that I mastered a really good vegetable soup. Now I’m learning variations on vegetable-based soups, plus ones with beans and even ideas for mushroom soups, too–all thanks to Alexandra Stafford and these recipes. (Stream it below, read the transcript or subscribe free.)

https://robinhoodradioondemand.com/podcast-player/6211/vegetable-soup-ideas-with-ali-stafford-november-5-a-way-to-garden-with-margaret-roach.mp3

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awaytogarden

mad gardener, nature addict, award-winning writer & podcaster, rural resident, corporate dropout, creator of awaytogarden dot com and matching book.

Instagram post 2190297402408409324_444552553 Snow day. To be followed by a snow night. #awaytogarden #wavehillchairs
Instagram post 2177779417009402040_444552553 No matter that it was 11F and 17F on mornings this week; my lifelong companions and I are all tucked in, each in our respective offseason spots. Three giant pots of #cliviaminiata that are actually pieces of my long-gone grandmother’s original plant from many, many decades ago, love the offseason bright cold of the mudroom, and get no water till around the new year or so. They need a chill (under 50 but above 35) for about 40 days to trigger timely bloom in late winter/early spring (without it they will bloom whenever, later, like June or even summer). The #alocasia reacts to the cold of the mudroom by shutting down and going dormant and leafless, and then I’ll let it sleep till late winter, when I give it a drink to see if it awakens. That one sleeps and wakes on its own timetable because I do not have a proper spot for it (ideally warm, like 60 or 65 at least, and humid and bright...no can do the humid part here). We have been together probably 10 years anyhow, despite my shortcomings as a #plantparent . #alocasiaamazonica #clivias #houseplantsofinstagram #houseplants #awaytogarden
Instagram post 2172580656557749859_444552553 Gardener: “I raked all the leaves!” Nature: “Oh, really?” (Cue sound of demonic laughter from on high.)
Instagram post 2170506606641504178_444552553 I wanna tell you how it’s gonna be You’re gonna give your love to me I wanna love you night and day You know my love will not fade away Not fade away Nope. Not this #cotinus leaf’s fiery hot love at least. Like the 1957 #buddyholly song I first heard by #therollingstones in 1964, it keeps going. #awaytogarden #fallfoliage2019 #cotinusgrace #notfadeaway
Instagram post 2168987273989949378_444552553 “Jack Frost nipping at your, er, geraniums...” And here it comes.
Instagram post 2166837817953503284_444552553 Constant companions: If you want to keep good company all winter, grow some good keepers. My house is stuffed with piles of #cucurbita awaiting their time in the oven or soup kettle. Each one is a character, distinctive. On one chair in the mudroom two close cousins in #cucurbitamoschata — the horse collar-shaped one called ‘Tromboncino’ or ‘Tromboncino Rampicante’ snuggles with some ‘Butternut.’ The ‘Tromboncino’ are better eaten green and small as #zucchini but I can’t resist their eventual mad size and shape, big enough to wear around your neck. I use their meat for enriching vegetable stock; the ‘Butternut’ are far more rich and delicious. Seed respectively from sandhillpreservation.com #sandhillpreservationcenter and @turtle_tree_seed (whose ‘Butternut,’ selected for “lastingness” for decades, will keep and keep into next spring or more). #wintersquash #awaytogarden #goodkeeper #cucurbitaceae
Instagram post 2162565040882902064_444552553 Furry fall friend: I look forward to crossing paths with this woolly caterpillar of the #giantleopardmoth this time of year, when its fiery intersegmental bands and plush coat seem to be just the right autumn-into-winter look. Miraculously this tiny animal will overwinter in a woodpile or in the leaf litter, even here in the North, building up a concentration of antifreeze (glycerol I think?) in its cells before the worst weather begins to avoid disaster. (Reminds me of the super-hardy #woodfrog who does similarly. Such heroes.) Swipe to see a beat-up pic of the adult moth, tattered with scales missing at its wing margins, but still dramatic. Unlike various spine-covered caterpillars that can sting you, this one’s hairs (or setae) won’t, but he will roll up tight if touched, in self-defense. I am in awe of such complex strategies of survival, I am. #mothsofinstagram #caterpillars #awaytogarden #hypercompescribonia #hypercompe
Instagram post 2161992098629435854_444552553 Beans are life. I mean, not only do I live on them daily (as I have as a vegetarian for 40+ years) but each one is a seed, a living embryo, a distinct and gorgeous little DNA miracle. I have been inspired by the hashtag #31daysofbeans by @lukasvolger lately, loving watching someone unknown to me (um, who shares my oatmeal thing too apparently...also see his #28daysofoatmeal) dish up the #phaseolus. We both admire bean ambassador Steve Sando @rancho_gordo and this photo might be my fave bean of all that I “met” via Steve years back, big and flat and chestnutty ‘Christmas Lima.’ My advice: don’t wait till Dec. 25 to dig in.
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Welcome! I’m Margaret Roach, a leading garden writer for 25 years—at ‘Martha Stewart Living,’ ‘Newsday,’ and in three books. I host a public-radio podcast; I also lecture, plus hold tours at my 2.3-acre Hudson Valley (NY) Zone 5B garden, and always say no to chemicals and yes to great plants.

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