Cats in Sun & Valentine's Fun

I'm loving all the birds that are starting to come out, even though it's definitely not spring weather yet.

Carolina wrens are constantly singing outside my office window.

Our belted kingfisher is back!  He won't let me get very close...

...but he hangs out on a branch over the water.  I love to watch him skim the surface for insects, but I have to watch from indoors.  Even stepping out onto the back deck, a considerable distance from his perch, elicits a scold. 

We have lots of red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks around here, and the local crows have been mobbing them on a daily basis.  As soon as I hear the crows start up, I know that a lone hawk is nearby.  Sometimes I watch them chase him from tree to tree until he's safely out of their territory.

A brief respite...

...now he's on the move again!

Mostly I just see the little songbirds in the gardenia bushes outside.  Here's a dark-eyed junco tidying his feathers.

The local squirrels are tired of being in their drays and are scampering about, or doing some bathing.

The cats go out on the deck when the sun is out...

...but mostly they hang out in the back living room, under the couch.  We have a sectional couch in there which is directly over 2 heating vents.  It makes a nice warm place for an all-day nap.  Sometimes I'll just see a tail or a leg...

...but I always know they're there!

I finished knitting the socks I was working on, but I'm not very pleased with them.  They're a little loose on the leg, and I like a nice tight fit.  Oh, well, I'm not going to fix the problem, so I'll have to just live with them the way they are.

Valentine's Day is coming up, and this year I decided to do an advent-style calendar for Todd.  I really don't like mushy/overly sentimental messages, so I searched online for sentiments that felt more 'real' to our relationship.  I'm definitely more Spock than Cupid.  ;)  I used this tutorial to fold Valentine-themed craft paper into tiny envelopes.  Each envelope has a number to denote the date for opening.

Sealed with a sticker...

...and taped to a big piece of craft paper.

He opens one every morning.  I love the buildup to "the big day," even though we'll probably just play board games and watch The Walking Dead.  Maybe even a TWD marathon...now that's romantic!  :) 

Have a great week!