I found this little friend in the yard today. After much research online, I've concluded that this fuzzy caterpillar is a Douglas-fir Tussock Moth Larvae in one of it's last stages before transitioning! Very neat!

When I went to switch the laundry I noticed what I thought looked like tiny mouse droppings, and as that thought formed, out ran a mouse from under the dryer leaving me shrieking "Mouse, mouse!"while I did the heebie jeebies dance. Being an unprepared city to country transplant, I gathered my three indoor cats and left them to deal with the mouse. The cats were interested because they have only ever seen toy mice, but they were lacking a certain predatory instinct [left picture]. At one point Roux and Simone just looked at the mouse, who sat in front of the two cats as though it were no big deal[center picture].  Seeing that my cats didn't know what to do either made me realize that I needed to come up with a solution so I could get on with my day. City girl + city cats + no mouse trap =  organic peanut butter in a mason jar. I put a dab of peanut butter towards the bottom of a mason jar, tipped it on its side in the laundry room and held back the cats while the mouse ran in. I tipped the jar up and put a lid on it. Problem solved [right picture].  I put the mouse back outside far, far away from our house.  I know that there will be more mice, but I also know that I am more prepared and a little bit more country. 

It's official, we've left the big, beautiful and busy city of San Francisco for a more relaxed and rural life up north. We're all settled in to our new maison which is buried deep in the country, outside of Healdsburg, California.  

We're loving every moment of everyday and I'm looking forward to sharing about our adventures and wildlife encounters! 

Pictured left: Roux has his first sighting of a bird (house finch) that really, really wanted to fly though our window late at night! This is the closest that Roux has ever been to a bird! We (humans) are not the only ones excited about all of the wildlife surrounding us!  

I spotted this moth and have not been able to identify it yet, but love the pattern and colors on the wings!
Edit: I've learned that this lovely little creature is a Buckeye Butterfly!

♥ Miss Bojambo

 I don't have a garden, let alone a yard or a balcony to grow and cut flowers from, but I do my best to bring nature indoors. Thank goodness for little corner flower markets in the city!

Instead of simply posting the finished painting, I thought I would share the pictorial journey of my new snow leopard painting from start to finish. Medium: Gouache