He Has a Name....

 Helllooooo!  Just checking in from the land of the Little Ones.  Would you be surprised to know that most of yesterday was spent playing with one very small kitty?

Meet Pete.   Pete The Cat, to be exact.  Ask any 6 year old what they want to name a boy cat and I would bet your answer (at least 90% of the time) will be Pete!  

I made subtle suggestions that maybe he looked like a "Gus" for August (or Augustus to be exact) since he arrived in August... but that suggestion was quickly vetoed.  So, Pete The Cat it is.

Welcome Pete... you furry little love sponge!!

He's very adventurous, so we are keeping a close eye on him, lest he should stray too far. 

 One of these days we will give him his freedom.  For now, until he learns that the barn is his forever home, he requires close supervision!

And did you know that this "mile-a-minute" vine is called a Dorito Vine?  According to Mackenzie, that is exactly what it is called!

Yes, maybe we should have 6 year olds name everything... they'd be much easier to remember!

If you have been following along with the tale of our pond (it's an ongoing tale with once-in-a-while installments) you might remember that we have 2 domestic pond ducks that live here year round.  Then, we have a family of 12 mallard ducklings that were raised here on the pond, who return with their extended families at certain times of the year.  For the most part, they leave for the summer to mate and return each fall with even more extended family to over-winter on our pond where the ice doesn't freeze (thanks to our bubbling aerators) and there is always plenty of food available.

Well, a dozen ducks have returned as of now.  Actually it started with just a couple and each day a couple more are added to the group.  It will be fun to see just how many ducks return for the winter this year!  I think our two lone domestic ducks enjoy the company.