Watched And Watching

Every move you make
every step you take
I'll be watching you.

My dog and cats spend a lot of time watching me.  But I reciprocate the action because they are so cute and fun to watch.  Monita especially follows me around everywhere, even to the bathroom.  She has a lot more energy and curiosity than Stevie and Maggie, so is relentless.

Many studies have shown that people care a great deal about being watched. We are on better behavior, and often change our choice of actions without even realizing it.  Just notice the difference in how you drive when there is a policeman behind you.

Now, with the rise of social media, we have been taught to carefully choose the information we present to the digital world.  Our online activities are an exercise in managing our appearances.  We think about all the potential eyeballs that are scanning our Facebook updates, Twitter feeds, and personal blog pages.  Shoot, we can't even go anywhere without being tracked on our I-phone by Google.
  

I love this photo Britney took of her cat watching her.

I have noticed that our dog and cats get into more trouble when we are not around.  Are they just bored, looking for excitement, or do they consciously watch and wait for us to be out of sight before they get into or do something they know is off limits?

It was 18 degrees Saturday morning.  I had watched the temperature drop 40 degrees since the previous morning.  At least we didn't get the precipitation here, near as bad as predicted.  There was just a light dusting of snow and not too much ice from the freezing rain.  Although I did slip and fall on a patch of ice I wasn't expecting while walking Maggie. 

Monita watching the birds and squirrel while a few flurries came down outside.  My plan was to stay put in the house all day, and catch up on inside tasks.

Stevie and Maggie watching it snow... or maybe there was a critter out there.

We had light flurries all day, but no accumulation to speak of.  I remained in my loungers and inside, except for a few dog walks.






There were tons of birds at the feeders most of the day, especially finches.

Red house finch and goldfinch in winter color.

I spent a good part of the day choosing, down loading, and editing photos from the four files the professional photographer sent us.  Then I started on a blog post to save, remember, and share all of the many favorite photos he had taken of our clan.

At one point, all evidence of life disappeared from the back.  There was not a bird or squirrel around.  I started looking closely and saw this hawk in a tree down by the creek.  The watched and the watching.











At sunset, flakes continued to gently drift down from above and again not a creature was in sight.  I think they went to bed early, and eventually, so did I.

It was 7 degrees for our pre-dawn walk Sunday morning.

Maggie and Monita watch each other as they play.  Maggie has been taught to leave the cat toys alone, but sometimes the kitten goes after a dog toy when Maggie is playing with it.





As you can see I am still struggling with windows 10 and this Blog editing program.  I decided to go with larger font, to help Mom, you, and I out when reading this.  Well, on the editor page, it all looks the same (large) size.  So why isn't it on the view page?  UGH!!!

I keep a close eye on my plants, watching for healthy growth.  With all the gloom lately, I have added a grow light that is especially used in the entryway on cloudy days. 






I also move plants to areas of sunlight.  My parsley has done real well this winter, and I keep chopping away at it to add to salads and cooking.

It was mostly a lazy day, but I did go to the gym for almost three hours.  Shirley, Patty, and I met there.  It was a good way to get motivated to get up and go. 








Once home I did some chores and then sat by the fire and watched TV.  Joe was at poker.  I felt sore and tired, but like that feeling because I know I have worked my muscles and they will re-build stronger.

Monday was a pretty sunshiny day. It actually got up to 40 degrees in the afternoon. 

As you can see from this series of photos, taken in about a five minute time span, Monita is always on the go.  If Stevie isn't in the mood to play, she just ignores the kitten.

Monita can't even decide where or if to take a nap.

I met Patty at the gym and we did a little bit of an aerobic workout before the Ballroom Aerobics class.

I came home planning to go ride, so had an early lunch, but then decided to lie on the floor in the sun and read.

The three pets were right there with me.  Monita was playing with her ball toy.  She loves chasing the balls around and around, and is sometimes able to get them out.  Well, she fell asleep while playing.  She is sleeping with her leg inside the toy.

 After I took the first two photos, she woke up enough to move her leg out of the toy and then fell right back to sleep.  She is so stinkin' cute.



Eventually I made myself get up and leave the warmth of the sun and the cuteness of my pets.  And I went out into the 40 degree cold to go to the barn.

Zorro looking at Amiga who was quite dirty.

It really wasn't too bad out.  There were five others at the barn with their horses, but most of them were just checking on their horses and grooming them.  If I go to that much effort, I usually at least ride for awhile, which I did.

The sun was warm on my body, and Amiga's bare back was warm under my rear end.  I let her eat lush green winter wheat in the bean field for quite awhile, because the mare's pasture grass is so scant.






Bad weather was expected so in the evening when I brought bird feeders in, I took some extra corn down to the ducks.  And then I settled in for the next spell of cold and snow, and watched the weather channel and Fixer Upper.

The cold had arrived but not the snow when I walked Maggie just before 6am Tuesday.  This poster fairly well describes our week of weather, which, lets face it, we all are always watching.  The snow did start before my second cup of tea and an E-blast announced that all of FGCC amenities would be closed all day.  But it was supposed to be back up to almost the 50s by Friday.













In the above photo, from left to right, can be seen a pileated woodpecker, cardinal, finches, and squirrel.  Click on it to enlarge it.  And seen right, a closer look at 'Woody the Woodpecker.' 





It snowed most of the day, sometimes coming down fairly hard.  These morning feeder photos, show snow accumulating on the roof tops across the pond and on the squirrel's back.

I spent a good part of the day catching up on blogging and finally finished this (blog post) of the professional family photos on the beach.







Snow continued to come down and, because no one was watching, I never put on bra or ear rings during the day. 







A few hours before dinner, I did take Maggie on a relatively long walk.  We did four holes of Druid.

Our walk was fun, invigorating, and beautiful.  And I think Maggie had a good time (video).








We took a look at the waterfall project that is being constructed above the cliff, and will flow into the pond on #14.  Below, this natural frozen water fall was caused by the freezing rain.  

 

As we came around the #17 green towards home, I took these photos of our house.

 

Almost all the green netting was pulled off
the little cherry tree, and branches broken.

I decided to put out more corn for the deer and put a little more dry food in the dish for Hobo.  Yep, I have been putting 1/4 cup of cat food out once a day on the really cold or rainy days.  The dish is actually under the screened porch off our bedroom.  Well, when down back, I noticed that the deer had caused some tree damage.

This redbud was broken off a foot above ground with
some green netting caught in the splintered stem.

I hoped the deer hadn't eaten the nylon mesh, but wasn't sure how it had gotten from around the cherry tree to some on the redbud 'stump.'  I was hoping it was just caught on a deer's antlers.

I saw this pretty sunset when I went out to bring in all the bird feeders.  

Joe and I watched TV by a warm fire before bed.

 Wednesday looked to be a repeat of Tuesday.  All FGCC amenities were closed for the day.  The temperature was -1 when I got up and it was snowing.  Carol was watching mine and her weather and sent this, saying she was experiencing the same exact temperatures.

Birds, including these two ducks, came to feed on the morning's rations.  The crow and ducks had to work out who got to eat first.

As usual, it was a play day for Monita, and a good day for me to stay inside and work and also play.

I made a batch of chocolate, chocolate chip cookies using Chris' recipe.  They came out pretty good.

I worked quite awhile, too long actually, at trying to convert blog posts into word documents so I could permanently save them.  My new computer does not have Microsoft Word.  Joe tried to help, but then had to leave for his poker game.  I had more difficulties and finally gave up.

Monita often sleeps with her legs stretched out like this.  She is silly.  I was considering reading and a nap by the fire but got a text from Karen saying that some horses had ice balls stuck in their hooves.

Shirley was about to leave for the barn to check on Gov's water situation, so I hitched a ride with her.  We got bundled up.

All the horses were in their stalls for the night.  I brought Amiga and Zorro out together and checked their feet for ice balls.  Only Amiga's one front foot had a problem (the ice balls usually only form on shod hooves, which is why I left shoes off Amiga's back feet) and I borrowed Shirley's hammer to chop the ice out. 

I made a big, hearty pot of creamy, hamburger potato soup and then settled in front of the fire with the fury babies. 

Stevie was so silly sleeping balanced atop this pillow.  And Monita couldn't resist the out-stretch paw or leave Stevie alone.

After two episodes of Fixer Upper, I read in bed and finally finished the 4th Amish mystery I had started before going to Florida.    

Yowser it was still cold Thursday morning.  Even though the cats were playful, I was not feeling very energetic.  I knew I needed to get up and out of the house to get my blood flowing, but enjoyed sitting here at my computer and bird watching with Monita (video).    

Joe helped me with a different word program to save my last four blog posts.  But we struggled with it for probably two hours, off and on.



Eventually I was able to finish that task, pretty much to my liking, but not without a great deal of frustration.

I felt great after a much needed three hours at the gym which included weights, elliptical, Stretch class and long hot shower.

Leftovers and Fixer Upper in front of a fire ended the day.

It was warming up Friday and snow was melting.  I switched from my heavy winter coat, back to my fall jacket I had out earlier in the week. 

Joe left midmorning for a poker tournament in Tunica.   

My pets and I were all bird watching while I messed on my computer.  At one point Hobo came up on the deck and was taking a tongue bath.  My indoor critters all went nuts.  How dare this strange cat come on their property.

This Great Blue Heron was being watched by me as he was watching for fish.

Stevie taking a cat nap, hopefully out of sight of the kitten.

But when I took the photo, Monita discovered Stevie, and the peaceful nap session was over.

I went to the barn to ride for a little while.  Again, bareback and just a short little ride.  The trails were treacherous. They were either icy, muddy, slushy, or very rugged from the frozen up-heaves of hard mud.   

Amiga slipped or tripped several times and even went down to one front knee once.  

So I only rode to the two bean fields and let her do a lot of grazing.

Once back at the barn, I rode in the empty pasture, but it too was squishy; four inches of soft, wet ground on top of a frozen lower layer. 

The evening of dinner and dancing started at Legends.  The food was good but service was very slow.  At least we had lively conversations to entertain ourselves.  The music was okay and there was a little bit of dancing.
Seated at our table: Shirley, Me, Mary, Joyce, Bob, Del, Sherri, and Patty.




Mary and I continued on to Red's to meet up with these four lady friends of hers.  The place was definitely hopping much more than Legends had been.  I had a great time and enjoyed the lively spirits of these gals, who all enjoyed singing and dancing.  I got the dancing bug out of my system, for the time being.