Mystery Visitor at the Farm

Hello, it is Babette here!

We had a mystery visitor! A little black cat who must have left home in a hurry without wearing a collar. How unwise!

My human thinks it is a lost house cat, but I think not, it is a barn cat all right,  with all that hissing scratching my human (what bad manners) she ought to be wild.

Cooper, Willy and I approached to say welcome with gentle woofs.  You would think he had seen the devil!  He climbed the maple tree and would not come down even after scrumptious treats were offered.

Silly cat! 

Nonetheless he remained in the garden. In the mornings as soon we lifted the shade here he was with big yellow eyes, gently meowing.  I guess it is kind of cute in a feline way.

We put out milk for him and he made himself comfortable under the porch and cleaned the plate with good appetite. Finally we became good friends. She had that ‘je ne cat quoi’, a wise wildness and comforting quietness.

My first cat friend. 

Then one day he was recognized by the postman, he said this cat belongs to someone, a neighbour 3 miles away. Apparently he was being searched for days: “ Haven’t  you seen the posters?  “ he asked. No we didn’t.

And now he is gone. 

I never liked that postman. 

Next time he comes around I plan to nip his ankle…

Apparently the cat was a she. 

NO wonder...

The sea in my mind

Illustration-Collage©2010Babetteandfriends

My human dreams of Maine these days. 

She keeps saying ‘Babette, very soon we will go by the sea, hear the waves, walk on the cliffs, go down on the beach, collect pebbles and eat fish cakes in a simple shack by the ocean and then feed the gulls’.

Well, I don’t like that big gaping bathtub she calls sea. Who knows what could be lurking under that deep puddle. I have no intention to get my pretty hair wet. Besides the lulling sighing song drives me nuts!

But how to woof this to her? 

 Collage available in Shop.

Storm

Storm is definitely brewing... There is already the smell of rain and wild flowers and hay in the air. Time to get my thunder wrap on!

Early Morning Mist

It is hard to believe only two weeks ago this very apple tree was struggling with April snow.

Reality, so arduously beautiful…

Dream

Collage©2010Babetteandfriends

if you like the collage above you can find it and many more of Babette and friend's similar whimsical cards in our Shop.

Babette's dream

Last night Babette had an unusual and long dream. Her paws were in full motion and her ears and whiskers were twitching, her nose got very busy sniffing something interesting. Suddenly she moaned and made crying sounds and her legs moved more and more wildly as if she was now really really running and her tail started to go up and down and shake left and right. I believe what ever she was up to became not so pleasant anymore! When she opened her eyes, she had the face of a dazed dog. I wondered if she had a nightmare and was relieved to awake and get out of whatever she was dreaming. Of course we can never tell..

I read that not all animals that experience REM sleep necessarily dream. Some think that perhaps only mammals dream during REM sleep. However, dolphins, thought to be highly intelligent do not have any REM sleep whatsoever!

I was surprised to read that elephants,giraffes,cows,horses and even sheep dream too!

Apparently elephants don't change in posture when entering or exiting REM sleep. Therefore, it is often difficult to tell if they are in NonREM or REM sleep. It is hard to see the eye movements since their eyes are relatively small. However, some indicators of REM sleep in elephants, as well as other animals, are twitches, vocalizing and irregular breathing.

Giraffes have about 20 min. of REM sleep each night in episodes of 1-6 minutes each. During this time, they lie down, heads resting over their bodies or on the ground.

Horses which must lie down to experience REM sleep, sometimes move their legs while sleeping, and will even neigh in their sleep!

Sheep who often sleep in a "sphinx-like" position occasionally stretch out while sleeping. During this time, they experience many REM sleep-like sleep. During this time, they have eye movements and ears and their legs occasionally twitch.

Interesting, isn't it?

Mother's Days

Collage©2010Babetteandfriends

Come fly with me!

'Babette and friends' cards in the Shop.

Etymology of the word: Dog

Illustration©2010Babetteandfriends

Fascinating information about the word Dog:
Dog (noun) In Old English O.E. docga, a late, rare word used of a powerful breed of canine. It forced out O.E. hund (the general Germanic) by 16c. and subsequently was picked up in many continental languages (cf. Fr. dogue, Danish: dogge), but the origin remains one of the great mysteries of English etymology.

Many expressions -- a dog's life (c.1600), go to the dogs (1610s), etc. -- reflect earlier hard use of the animals as hunting accessories, not pampered pets.
In ancient times, "the dog" was the worst throw in dice (attested in Greek, Latin, where the word for "the lucky player" was "the dog-killer"), which plausibly explains the Greek word for "danger," kindynas, which appears to be "play the dog."

Slang meaning "ugly woman" is from 1930s; that of "sexually aggressive man" is from 1950s. Dog tag is from 1918. To dog-ear a book is from 1650s; dog-eared in extended sense of "worn, unkempt" is from 1894.

In a letter addressed To King Edward VI, 15th May 1546, Queen Elizabeth I, wrote the sentence below { read the whole letter by clicking on the sentence if you are interested in Tudor History and to understand the meaning of the whole sentence}
Notwithstanding, as a dog hath a day, so may I perchance have time to declare it in deeds. [Queen Elizabeth, 1546]

It is ill wakyng of a sleapyng dogge. [Heywood, 1562]

Phrase put on the dog "get dressed up" (1934) may refer back to the stiff stand-up shirt collars that in the 1890s were the height of male fashion (and were known as dog-collars at least from 1883), with reference to collars worn by dogs. The common Spanish word for "dog," perro, also is a mystery word of unknown origin, perhaps from Iberian.

Did you ever wonder where do the phrase "The Dog Days" come from?
Not from our dogs but from stars and calendars.
It is first recorded in 1538 as Dies Caniculares in Latin. In Greek it was known as Kyon Seirios. Greeks thus named time period around the heliacal rising of Sirius (q.v.), the Dog-star, noted as the hottest and most unwholesome time of the year; usually July 3 to Aug. 11. But variously calculated, depending on latitude and on whether the greater Dog-star (Sirius) or the lesser one (Procyon) is reckoned.
The heliacal rising of Sirius has shifted down the calendar with the precession of the equinoxes; in ancient Egypt c.3000 B.C.E. it coincided with the summer solstice, which was also the new year and the beginning of the inundation of the Nile. The "dog" association apparently began here (the star's hieroglyph was a dog)