Exit to Eternal Summers: April 2014

Monday, April 28, 2014

Today there are two. When they jump on the bird feeder I open and slam the window to frighten them away so now they're plotting their revenge against me!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Cool critters from my yard!

Jeff found these wonderful grubs while he was doing yard work. I'm guessing they are cicada grubs from the size. I found the pearly little worm snake.

I've subjected my patient friends to many tortures; a shrinky-dink party, an adult Easter egg hunt, a wedding in Yellowstone. But last night I introduced them to the horrors of painting. We did our own renditions of Gustav Klimt's Tree of Life.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Earth Day & the Eco-friendly Cat Litter Box

I've posted before about the catio (cat patio) we made for our kitties. But since then I've made some cool updates that I thought I'd share. Catio sand pit + pine litter indoors = an environmentally friendly, low-maintenence alternative to the cat litter box.

I felt bad about the environmental issues with cat litter but I seem to have found a solution. I built my cats a catio (cat patio) outside. They exit the house through the fireplace clean out (don't worry, we never have fires) and enter the catio where they can climb and perch. It is enclosed, so I know they're safe and can't kill birds. I dug out the floor of the catio and prepared a drainage layer of lava rocks covered with erosion control cloth and then a deep bed of sand. The girls do their business out there and nature takes its course breaking down the waste. Even standing next to it, you can't smell anything. I sift it now and then, but there's surprisingly little waste when I do. Indoors, I've switched to pine litter which I can compost. The girls don't really care for it, but they will use it in a pinch when it's stormy or wet out. I know this setup might not work for everyone, but we love it!
More pics of the catio here.