The Mama was playing in the mud this morning. Her favorite thing to do. Okay, she was replanting  Filipino onions, which she does every several weeks. The Mama likes to say, "You cannot fool me." And that's what I say. The Mama cannot fool me. She's playing in the mud and she's having lots of fun out there. Yup, she's still out there as I'm writing this post. While the Mama was playing with her onions, Molly the Cat did her rounds of the backyard. She was late this morning. She sat on the chair, which was once the Mama's favorite chair, for the longest time after breakfast. The Mama asked her, "Are you sick, Molly?  Do you have a headache?" The Mama opened the back door and Molly the Cat jumped off the chair in no time. "Don't go far," said the Mama. I think Molly wanted her photo taken because she kept close to me while I was clicking away by the lemon tree. But, would she look prettily at the camera? Of course, n

"I own all that I see," says Molly, sashaying down the paths of the Mama's garden. I've caught her eating bean leaves and sitting happily in a box of green onions. When I scold and shoo her from the veggies, she retorts, "You have no business telling me what to do." Glaring at me, Molly kindly moves away from where she's not supposed to be.

10.  I feel like numbering. No reason. 9.  Molly the Cat chased a rat in the backyard yesterday evening. I opened the sliding door. Flash! Out went Molly. She hid behind two planters, her tail wagging. Zoom! There went a black rat. Jeez. 8.  I tell myself that there's no reason to be scared of rats. 7.  Shudder. 6.  Molly wouldn't follow me into the garage as I took out the garbage. 5.  No reason to be scared of rats. 4.  I wish I hadn't seen the rat. 3.  I cannot pretend that I saw the rat. 2.  If Molly catches the rat, she's going to rush it into the house. 1.  Shudder.

Molly the Cat, Huntress. Now, that would be a nice calling card for the feline. She's very good at catching bugs. She has bagged a couple of birds. That fell out of trees. The Mama has decreed Molly the chaser of squirrels for the backyard. One squirrel (maybe more) has been eating the apricots in the tree. Once the squirrel eats part of an apricot, it falls. The Mama has lined the gnawed fruit beneath the tree as evidence. The other day, the Mama told me that Molly guarded the apricot tree all afternoon. But, still the squirrel ate the apricots. This morning, Molly was hanging out on the front lawn when she heard something crackle behind her. She immediately went into stealth mode. Two doves flew out of the tree! Molly whooooooossshhhed across the yard and amazingly came to a halt in the shade of the car. The doves were on the fence. Did the doves know she was there? Molly swished her tail in anticipation. One dove flew off. It was now or never. Molly ran forwar

"Hey," said Molly the Cat. "It's time for more of me on your blog. Show how cute I am when I stretch." Yes, you're pretty darn cute, Molly. " Prrrrrrr ," murmurs Molly. "I'm cute whatever I do." Verily.

"Someone ate all the bean sprouts," the Mama said in April. "The birds ate them," I suggested. The Mama looked at me like "Yeah, right." The other day I was in the garden with Molly the Cat. I learned something new about Molly. She likes the taste of bean leaves. Purrrrrrrrr.

"Maybe Molly needs a table," said the Mama, eying the barely touched breakfast plate of food on the floor. "She wouldn't be able to reach her food," I said, envisioning Molly the Cat sitting at a little kid's table. "She has too bend so low to eat," Mama said. Molly the Cat circled her plate, sniffed it, and walked away. Molly had to have been hungry. She tried to climb on my calves (yeah, I have big calves) while I was spooning her food onto her plate, which was her sign of saying "Hurry up, Human!" I set the plate down. She took a few bites and walked away. She'd been doing that for a couple of days. Maybe the Mama was onto something. I went into the hallway where a whole bunch of nothing rested and found a cardboard carton to hold take-out coffee. It was the perfect size for the plate to rest on. So, I tried it. "Come here, Molly." Molly approached her breakfast. She sniffed her makeshift table. She sat dow

Molly said, "Take a rest from words." "May I post more photos of you then?" I asked. She shrugged and walked away. I take that to mean she's okay about it.

"Who is that?" asked Molly the Cat. "That's your shadow." "Make it stop following me." "We have to go inside then." "No," said Molly the Cat. "It better know that I do the leading around here!" Molly the Cat and I are participating in The Weekend in Black and White , hosted by Dragonstar. Please click here to see B&W works by cool bloggers around the world.

Over an hour ago, I put down the scissors and the Husband had a new look. His beard was trimmed and his long, beautiful locks were no more, which he had been growing for nearly four years. Recall that three weeks ago he cut off mine .  Molly the Cat always seems to know when we're doing something interesting. All of a sudden there she was watching us set up the cutting area in the kitchen. She hung out until nearly all of the Husband's hair was on the floor. She hasn't seen the Husband yet with his new look. We're wondering if Molly the Cat will act shy around the Husband when she finally sees him. She only knows him as a hairy guy.

"May I go outside, please?" asked Molly the Cat, nearly squishing her face to the screened door. Molly and I are heading over to The Weekend in Black and White , hosted by Dragonstar. Come join us by clicking here .

Recently, Birgit of BB Creations honored me with the Inspiring Blog Award. Thank you, Birgit, I appreciate it very much. The award came with a request that I write about three things that have inspired me this past few weeks. As usual, I started by pulling out the dictionary. Inspire -- To rouse/motivate/encourage/influence/incite someone to do or feel something. In particular, to do some kind of creative thing. Highly incited to clean the bedroom Being bit two nights in a row, and having those bug bites swell and itch to no end, inspired me to find the source and do something about it. Poor Molly the Cat was brushed and combed several times throughout the day. Then I decided to look under our bed since I was being bit on my feet. Horror! Carpet beetles were feasting on a blanket that once belonged to the Husband's parents, which we had tucked under the bed last summer. Out came the vacuum cleaner again! I got down on my stomach and back to vacuum and ended up with a

Jump . That was Molly the Cat. She jumped onto my not-so-organized desk, tip-toed across my arms as I was tippy-tapping on the keyboard, then crawled through spaces that were crammed with stuff. Of course, I had to stop to watch her. And, I had to take her photo when she decided to rest her tail on my keyboard. "Get the picture," said Molly the Cat. "Then, get me my lunch, Missus." Molly and I are hooking up with The Weekend in Black and White , hosted by Dragonstar. Come check out other black and white photos with us by clicking here .

The other night, around 3 a.m., I noticed a light was on downstairs as I stumbled to the bathroom. It was too bright to be coming from the Mama's bedroom when she leaves her door open. I went downstairs to find the corner lamp in the living room shining on Molly the Cat. She was in sleeping pose on the Mama's reading chair. As I went by Molly, she opened her eyes and gave me a t urn-off-that-light-now! look. No doubt, the Mama had a dream about Molly. In the morning, Mama told me about her dream. Molly had disappeared into a field far, far away from the house. The Mama couldn't see her because the grass was taller than Molly. She finally found her when she heard Molly calling out. The Mama woke up from her dream and immediately went to the living room to make sure that Molly was in the house. The Mama has always had vivid dreams that cause her to wake up worrying. When I was a young thing living on my own in a big city far, far away, she would call me early in the m

Molly the Cat is up on the roof of the shed, scratching her pretty little nose against the apple tree branches. "It's what I like," said Molly. "Purrrrrrrrrr." Molly and I are hooking up at Camera Critters . Click here to join us.

"You want a picture, Su- sieee! Mac?" asked Molly the Cat. "Okay, I'll give you a sweet picture!" Did she ever! Today, Molly the Cat and I are linking up at Sweet Shot Tuesday , hosted by Kent Weakley. Click here to check out sweet shots by other bloggers.

I had completed a post for today several days ago. It featured a photo that I hooked up to a photo meme. Then I decided to hook up a photo on my other blog -- Take 25 to Hollister -- to the same meme. So, off came the finished post for this blog. You'll see it later this week. Certainly, I could've posted both, but I didn't want to think about how to handle my visits to bloggers participating in the meme. Should I comment under one blog or both? If done individually, which blogs should I visit as The View from the Top of the Ladder and as Take 25 to Hollister . I just make things more complicated than they need be. Seeking Oompah My goal for 2015 is finding my creative groove again. That is why I'm rambling on the blog today rather than seeing if there are any Modern Family  reruns on TV. Posting on my blogs daily is part of the plan to finding my creative groove, mojo, hoodoo, voodoo, fancy, desire, and plain old oompah.  Of course, once I do my thing for toda

Molly the Cat is more prrrrrr! than bite. She climbed this tree a few times last winter to catch a bird or two. No luck. Will she climb it this year?  Perhaps when the Mama and I no longer have any leaves to rake.

Are you a z orilla? Noooooooo. Are you a Spanish zorro? Noooooooooooooo. I am Molly the Cat!   You know that. Molly the Cat and I are linking up at Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday . To read other Z posts, please click here .