And a new neighbor to get to know — It’s been cold outside and I’ve been reluctant to get dressed and go out for my daily photo walks. Although I know I’m mostly over my bout with COVID and I have taken a couple of walks with no problems, I still don’t want to go out every day. So…

She ran away whenever I got too close — I love cats, but I’m not in a position to adopt an indoor cat. Our tenants who live across the driveway from us on our rural property usually have cats. I’ve been able to tame some feral ones and befriend most of the others. Our present neighbors brought five cats…

Watch one of my favorite cats devour a meal — Pumpkin was one of my favorite cats. She lived in the mobile home across the driveway from us and belonged to our tenant. She was an excellent hunter and I appreciated the way she helped control the gophers on our property. One day she happened to be eating one as…

Sometimes we miss what we should be focused on — This is Logan, the black cat who lived near my home in Paso Robles when this photo was taken. He liked to visit me while I worked in the garden. I used to enjoy his company as I worked, even though I knew he just wanted to raid my catmint. …

It’s not every day you find a black widow hanging from your favorite chair — My uninvited guests A few nights ago I was sitting in my favorite chair, which happens to be a rocking recliner. It is one of a matching pair I inherited along with my mother’s house in 2005. When I used to visit Mom, she would sit where I sit now, close to the…

Lest you think I’m a violent person, be assured this was in self-defense. — Can You Coexist Peacefully with Someone Who Can Hurt You? For me, the answer is no. I tried for a month. I learned that as used to a threat as you may be, sometimes you have to eliminate it. Here is why I killed my uninvited guest. Dangerous spiders have a certain look about them and certain patterns of behavior…