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Sunbathing in January

Cats loathe the rain. Conversely, they love the sun. Though our freakishly warm temps are anything *but* normal, they’re okay with it.  They’ve been sunbathing in the garden and generally loving life.

lindy in the sun

Winter shadows, summer temps

beijing in the sun

Beijing faces the sun

Squirrels have hunkered down in other parts of the country.  Not around here.  This little fella is soaking up some rays from the comfort of a neighboring pine tree.  I love the way he drapes his tail across his back for extra warmth.

squirrel in pine tree

Catching some rays

Apparently the spinner of this web is on walkabout.  All that sun went to her head.  Of course I didn’t linger long in-case she tapped me on the shoulder to prove me otherwise.

spider web

I wonder where she is?

What do cats, squirrels and spiders have in common?

Stealth mode.  They can hold completely still, then move at lightening speed when the mood (or the meal) strikes.  You can drop that little piece of trivia at your next cocktail party.

We’ve been so long without rain now that even the rain-haters are talking about it.  Meanwhile, critters everywhere are stocking up on Vitamin D.

Have a terrific weekend.  Wishing you seasonally appropriate weather in your special place in the world.

37 thoughts on “Sunbathing in January”

  1. I think we may have to cede on the ‘seasonally appropriate weather’ wishes Alys – it seems we have something new to get our heads around! I’ve decided to go for passive acceptance, count my blessings [it’s not actually flooding or freezing] and look forward to May or June when I might possibly get some vitamin D….. I find I’m monitoring the weather on my daily cards, as if that is the thing that matters most in my life right now! And who knows, maybe it is! We are living history …… All the same, I do hope you get some rain soon – we have a bit to spare…..

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  2. I miss you all so much. Looks so comfy and sleepy in the garden. I’d like to make myself really small so I could climb on up and have a little chit-cha with your squirrel. I’ll take a little poncho with me to stay warm since I haven’t a tail.

    I’m very worried about the weather everywhere. Nothing is normal. I wonder if all the disasters will get to the point where no one will be able to afford insurance..fire, flood, ice storms, dead crops…it’s too scary. I guess we can only do our best as individuals to Reduce-Recycle-Reuse and consume less none compostables. Our gas bill is practically none existent since we moved downtown, and there’s no lawns in the complex. They do not water the park, it survives on seasonal weather only. But there’s plenty of gas gosling giant trucks on the road here, and they are what guns are to some states in America. These guys will never give up their trucks. Most don’t even need them for work.

    Webs are so much more pretty when the spiders are gone. I imagine it’s somewhere’s near by. I’ve walked into the odd web while doing yard work. It’s so distressing for me. Then I’d stand there shaking my hair and clothes like a maniac to make sure the spider wasn’t up there….I’m sure it was great entertainment for the neighbours. Great post hon, I love seeing all your critters, mwaaaa.

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    • LOL. Yes, it would be great fun to chat up the squirrel. I wonder what he’s thinking when he looks down at me with my camera?

      Blogging has made me super aware of all the strange weather world wide. Extremes of all types: wind, rain, frost, heat, drought. I share your concern. I’m sure the insurance companies will figure out a way to come out ahead.

      In California, all the insurance companies dropped earthquake insurance. The state then formed the California Earthquake Authority, and we pay separately to CEA for our policy. Our annual homeowners insurance is $1,700. We pay an additional $3,500 for earthquake coverage.*and* would have to pay the first 20% of loss.

      I’m glad your fuel costs are down in the city. I imagine that is true for water as well.

      I can see you jumping up and down and screaming because I have done *exactly* the same thing. I feel like a goofball afterwards, but it is so creepy to feel that web pressing down on your head. EEEK!

      Thanks for being here!

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      • I sometimes wonder too, maybe he’s thinking, “what happened to her tail?” hehe

        Insurance companies don’t seem to want to ensure you for things that could probably happen. So silly. At the lake, we couldn’t get flood insurance. Basically, we were only covered if our house burn’t down, which was a certainly given how far we were from responders. They were also volunteer. Mr B is giving me the let’s go, back later xoxoxo Mwaaa

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        • Oh dear. We’ll I’m glad that never happened. The fire here in San Jose over the weekend was two doors down from the fire department. They were on the scene in 7 minutes and the entire structure is a total loss. You just never know.

          I’m not a fan of insurance companies. They are a necessary evil in my book.

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          • Wow, 7 minutes. Geez, that’s really quick. Didn’t you work for an insurance company at one time? HA, they are exactly that, ‘a necessary evil’. We always cringe when we have to call…..they just raise your premiums when you actually ‘USE’ their product.

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  3. I love that the spider has gone walkabout. That tickled me. Seems the weather is all sideways everywhere. We have cold and fog, no rain. Odd for Portland. I’m happy because I can’t drive in big rain, just little rain. Rain is so essential to life, that I try not to complain about it when we have it. I have plenty to read and do. I wish you rain.

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  5. That first photo, with the light, is a stunner!
    I’ve been hearing about your poor state and it’s weather conditions on NPR. Breaking a 100 year old record for lack of rain … so very sorry!
    Have you ever read Wallace Stegner?

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    • Thank you, Laurie! I love those blooms.

      I’m a big NPR fan. It’s my station of choice whenever I’m in the car. We’re officially a drought state as of Friday. It’s really discouraging. With just eight weeks of winter left and no rain in the immediate forecast, we’re going to have a dangerous summer of wild fires, higher prices at the grocery store, huge losses for farmers, fewer jobs for field workers, and on and on.

      I have not read Wallace Stegner, but I looked up his bio and his prolific writing career. What do you recommend?

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  6. Another gardener! “WOOT!” 🙂 Consider yourself now tucked into my RSS Feed Reader where I will read every one of your delightful posts and will most probably comment on all of them (which may, or may not wear thin very quickly 😉 ).

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