Sint Maarten kitties

I have been to St. Maarten, NA (an island in the Caribbean) about 6 times in the past 10 years.  When there, I see feral cats wandering near our doorsteps and feral dogs roaming the streets.  This is a burgeoning issue for the island.  The animals are very friendly, however.
Kitties would come visit us on the porch outside our door.  

And on another visit, this kitty below visited us frequently.  She was so sweet and friendly.

 

Her golden eyes were mesmerizing.

  

If you click on the photo below to enlarge it, you will see this cat has skin issues.

 

St Maarten is beginning to deal with its feral animal issues:

Animals Are Friends See what this organization has to offer including plans for an eventual sanctuary

World Animal Day every October 4, worldwide

Team Goldendog sails the Heineken Regatta to support “helping homeless animals find their forever homes”, donating all funds raised to The St. Maarten Animal Welfare Foundation, Les Quatre Pattes (SXM Paws) and Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue of Hudson, Massachusetts, USA.

Les Quatre Pattes (SXM Paws) finding forever homes

Feral animals are the offspring of stray or abandoned household pets. Raised without human contact, they quickly revert to a wild state and form colonies wherever food and shelter are available. 

Life Savers Animal Rescue feral cat information  and philosophy  

a blogger friend, Mishcat (Katie) recommends this link:  Alley Cat Allies for information on feral cat care and TNR (trap, neuter, release)

This post is for the meme Cats on Tuesday published by Gattina.  Go to Gattina's BLOG to see more cats or to link up yourself.

photos by me © 2007-2010

honestly...seriously

seriously....honestly

Thanks go to AlpHa at Simplify for this fun award!  Do check out her most wonderful blog!

To begin, tell 10 things about yourself that are true:

1.  My daughter was born at home (with 2 midwives).

2.  I love looking through a camera to catch the play of light on an object or to frame a scene just so.  I started taking photos when I was a young child.  I am most proud of a photo I took of my cousins when I was 10.

3.  I love riding my road bike.

4.  I haven't met a craft I didn't like.  2 days ago, I screen printed with my son.

(a little note:  My son and a friend, Nancy, bought screens and equipment, studied the procedures, and made our screens some weeks ago.  Nancy's etsy shop.

5.  I have a degree in zoology.

6.  I am a lover of cats.  My first cat was named Chocolate.

7.  I love to travel to places of beauty.

HERE is one of my travel posts.

8.  I love to read.  When I was young I would read late at night with a flashlight under the bed covers.

9.  I love the beach.

6 years old

10. With a friend, I once created and ran a camp (for 3 years) where we taught children nature, art, science, music, and movement.  It was a blast.

 making seed collages

a guard ant

                                                         a butterfly                              

 each child had their "own" tree which they painted with water colors on paper

RULES:

1.  Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award.

2.  Share “10 Honest Things” about myself. 

3.  Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.

4.  Tell those 7 people they’ve been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving. 

And now....(in no particular order)

Squirrel Queen at The Road to Here 
Beaded Tail

Spark Lines
Adrienne in Ohio
Mishcat
Wayside Treasures
Makin Art   

photos by me © 2009

Super Comments Award

Mishcat gave me this Super Comments Award. And guess what - it has no rules! How fun is that! It would be great to give this to everyone who comments on this blog, but I closed my eyes and picked five bloggers to pass it on to:
Beaded Tail
Rose Works Jewelry
Vintage Inspired Jewelry
Southern Charm Quilts
Aly Gatr's Everywhere

Please feel free to pass it on to anyone you like - or just enjoy it. I think this is a really pretty award and the panda is so cute.

Neno's Award

The aim of

NENO'S AWARD is

1) a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.

2) to seek the reasons why we all love blogging.

This stellar award was presented to me by AlpHa Buttonpusher at INduCed MEtaMoRphOsis. See her post about the award here. And go check out her other blog Push the Button Alpha. Her posts are just incredible. See for yourself! (NOTE: Sqirrel Queen gave AlpHa this award. And that just re-iterates why blogging is rewarding--new discoveries around every bloggy bend.)

REASON: When I started blogging , I had no idea it would lead down such wonderful paths. Sharing a bit of my world is such fun, but interacting with others is a joy. I have met some amazing people, read funny and sad stories, and been inspired through blogland. Here are just a few...

I present this award to:

Dorset Hill Beads (Her Themes For Thursday are awesome!)

Sweet Romance

Sophism Press

Mishcat

Nature With Me

Gardens of a Golden Afternoon a blog I referred to in my post here Hermes writes other wonderful blogs, but you will have to go to this one to find out.

Sharing is the key word here, and the above blogs do just that! They are a joy to read. I am itching to write something about each one, but I will leave the joy of discovery to you.

When you receive this award~
1) Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it, explaining the aim of the award.
2) Don't forget to mention the person who gives you the award.
3) Answer the award's question by writing the reason why you love blogging.
4) Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.
5) Don't forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.
(or make up your own rules!)

(NOTE: html was NOT being cooperative, so the above blogs are in different colors & sizes. Even the placement is crazy--not at all what it looks like as I sit here composing this. sigh....)