BEST. CAT. EVER. 💔

The time has come to blog about something I’ve always dreaded, and the tears will be inevitable as I write it.
It has taken me a while to accept the heartbreaking fact that, after a brief but devastating illness, our precious Vivian is no longer with us.

Vivian K. Perry

Life is too quiet now. Our home will never be the same. Perry’s Point will never be the same. I’m still grieving far too much to make these words eloquent, so just know that our pain and loss is real.

Vivian was our constant companion and our family member for over sixteen wonderful years. Her love and her devotion to Paul and me was unconditional and mutual. She will remain in our hearts forever.

Her last night on my lap—November 2/23

My hope is that she is reunited with her sister Maisie, enjoying all kinds of capers, cuddles and catnaps in a sweet kitty afterlife.

🐾 🐾 ❤️❤️ 🐾 🐾

Rest easy, sweet kitty!

I’m sharing Vivian’s first guest post on my blog from 2012 below:

Guest Post: Vivian’s View From Here

Autumn Walk: “Across the Farm”*

When I first moved to Newtown back in 2010, my husband Paul told me how he used to play in “the farm” as a child.
“Show me this farm!” I said.
“Oh, it isn’t actually a farm anymore,” he chuckled. “But we used to play Cowboys and Indians, and climb the big rocks over there. Folks pick berries there now.”

In recent years, the farm trail has been upgraded and storyboards have been added.

The Farm: “In the late 1860’s and into the 1900’s, there were two ways to get from Perry’s Point to E & S Barbour’s and William Barbour and Son’s businesses. The long way was a semicircle past the Greens and Tulk’s houses, but usually when asked which way you had gone, the answer would be across “the Farm”.

“Uncle Ned Green had a long “hen’s house” . . . and in the summer, horses would gather to feed and were not driven away. This was the area where all young kids would play games, climb the rocks, and build mud and wooden huts. The Farm became their playground in the summer and a place for snow sledding in the winter. It was also a great place to pick berries in late summer.”

Did you know Beothuk children played here long before Paul and his friends did?

”Nature gives us so much: clean air, beautiful landscape, breathtaking views, fish, animals, and the list goes on. We want people to come, see, and actually walk the path where a tribe of Beothuk once lived with their children and took care of the land without damaging our environment. We need to show our appreciation to the first peoples by protecting and preserving this same environment for future generations.”

Well said and I couldn’t agree more!

*This hiking trail is part of the Wonder Shore Trails system which start in Greenspond and go all the way to Musgrave Harbour here in beautiful Bonavista North.

Vivian’s View From Here: I’m Sweet 16!

Greetings, Peeps and Pets. Vivian K. Perry here, happy to share that I celebrated a milestone birthday last week. I know, I know, I’m already sweet and fabulous!

Sixteen wonderful years with Jennifer and Paul—three years in the city, thirteen in the country. And thirteen years with my sweet and beautiful sister Maisie.

Our Maisie

I still get to explore the outdoors here on Perry’s Point …

… especially during the gentle days of summer.

I even grab naps outside!

🐾 🐾 🐾

Yet, it’s equally as lovely indoors where I get tons of love and attention.

Jennifer says she can’t imagine life without me.

All I know is, however long I remain in this earthly realm …

… I’m pretty sure no cat has had a better life.

I am one grateful feline.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

🎈🐾🎈🐾🎈

Invincible Summer

Perry’s Point sunset

RDP Wednesday – SUNSET

Vivian’s View from Here: Sunday Snaps (and an Anniversary!)

Cat on a picnic table

Hello, Peeps and Pets! Vivian K. Perry here, fondly looking back on a memory from Summer 2022. Oh, how I miss the warm days on Perry’s Point! The brilliant sunshine, the butterflies and buttercups, the soft sea breezes and birds aplenty—yes, I know they will all come again, but I can’t wait.

cat on picnic table Perry's Point

The Photo Challenge prompt over at Xingfu Mama is Pull up a Seat.*

Well, a picnic table certainly counts, doesn’t it? Of course it does.

cat on picnic table 2022

I don’t like going outside for very long when it’s cold. So in the meantime, I will endure the long winter by taking lots of naps, with pleasant dreams of long summery days. The good news? The days are getting longer! Do you look forward to summer as much as I do?

Oh! Before I forget, let me share Jennifer’s blogging anniversary. This blog, Jennifer’s Journal, has now entered its twelfth year! Meow and Wow!

blogging anniversary

***************

*Pull Up a Seat Challenge @ XINGFUMAMA.COM

Photo Challenge: Close-up

Cee Neuner’s challenge for photographers yesterday* reminds me of this photo I took back in August. I captured the spider and her masterpiece through my kitchen window that fog-shrouded night, not knowing how the outdoor light on our house would illuminate its detail so well, especially the misty moisture that clings to every intricate strand of the web. The overall effect reminds me of fine gold chain.

PERRY’S POINT, NL – AUGUST 13, 2022

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” – Pablo Picasso

*Cee’s Midweek Madness Photo Challenge: Close-up or Macro

Vivian’s View From Here: A Fresh Look

Hello everyone! Vivian K. Perry here, eager to bring you a fresh look of me enjoying Perry’s Point this morning.

It’s been an odd sort of winter here in Newfoundland and Labrador, with less snow than usual, particularly here on the Bonavista North coastline where a strong gale often whisks the flakes away before they can even think about settling. But overnight last night the light wind allowed a pretty layer of snow to fall, and the sun came out, so I couldn’t wait to go outside and explore.

This was my second trip outside this morning.
Time to make more tracks!

I’ve made plenty of paw prints but I look for the dry spots too.


I think I’ve had enough for now. Time to go inside for a cuddle.

“You know, sometimes the world seems like a pretty mean place.
That’s why animals are so soft and huggy.” – Bill Watterson

Check out my very short YouTube video below
to see how I try to retrace my snow-prints! ~ love, Vivian


Photo Challenge: Sunday Stills – Another Fresh Look At…

Sunday Snaps: Beach Birds

Even though it’s November, we are still seeing shorebirds around Perry’s Point. Sandpipers, plovers, whatever the species, I like them all.

And I love that they make their home here in late spring, summer and fall. With the cold temperatures increasing, I predict our feathered friends will be winging their way south very soon. Here are three of my favourite shots of them from my files.

This one seems to have something to say!

So imagine my delight when I scored these lovelies at HomeSense recently:

Now I can enjoy beach birds all year round. 🙂

Bloggers and e-friends: My apologies for not visiting your blogs as much this month, due to my participation in NaNoWriMo. By the time I finish writing each day, I need to take a break from constant screens. But I shall return!

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

September Sky

Indian summer winds blow through the hills,
As the autumn sun shines on your hair;
I will always remember the day that we met,
In that wonderful time of the year.

So, will you dance with me tonight, my love,
Beneath the September sky?
Will you sing with me tonight, my love,
And we’ll waltz for the rest of our lives.

~ excerpt from the song September Sky
by Louise Morrissey

I will never forget the night we met in September of 1994, when “I fell head over heels in LIKE,” and how my whole life changed. Thank you for being you.

Further Reading: The Day We Met

RDP Friday: Autumn

Photo Challenge: Orange

Happy Monday, everyone!

I’m away from home for a second week, part of our annual summer getaway to St. John’s and surrounding areas. I had planned to blog a few Sunday Snaps yesterday, but time got away from me while visiting family and friends, so here we are. Monday Snaps it is!

I couldn’t resist Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge from last week, even though it’s the last day today. Orange in the great outdoors is often a vibrant colour, as the following selection of my photos will attest.

Carrots from my friend’s garden last fall. Thanks, Libby. They were sweet and delicious!
Colourful leaves in Corner Brook last fall . . .
. . . and in Marystown, mingling with shades of red and gold.
A “flutter-by” on our house. Is blue your favourite colour too, little one?
An orange-belted bumblebee rests on my bench.
This orange sunset warmed up a chilly winter eventide.
As did this one!
Vivian listens for voles in the sun-drenched sea oats.
You’ll be back there enjoying the golden evenings before you know it, kitty. ❤