Laura Peebles

@arvafan55

Baseball, cats, gardening, and occasional baseball or parody verse. Associate Editor for the SABR Game Story Project.

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Picked up Clancy's heart medication at a major drug store. There are no special inserts for non-human use of these medications, so I have been informed that the patient should not operate machinery until he knows how it affects him. I guess pushing slippers around with his face is probably okay.

Large orange tabby cat has his head in a slipper and is pushing it across the wooden floor. The other slipper is to his left. The cat's back end is still on the oriental rug as he is pushing the slipper around the corner of an uninteresting white cabinet.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· 15d

Exhibit at the League Park museum in Cleveland. @bbl-astrophyscs.bsky.social thought of you.

Exhibit shows how to assemble a baseball. Starts with a red rubber core on tge left, adding layers of grey, white, dark grey, and white yarns. Then the leather and stitching are shown, with a completed baseball on the right. The exhibit is on the glass top of a glass and wood display case.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· 16d

Female house finch making her annual visit to eat seeds on our balcony. Last year the couple brought a fledgling, so this could be her.

Small brown bird clinging to a plant stem while pulling seeds off the plant. White balcony railing at bottom. Brick wall with small white window in background.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· 19d

They come and eat my zinnia (and other) seeds every year. I have a good crop of zinnias this year so I expect them again. Lucy the cat will be very excited when they arrive (she's not allowed outside, but she can dream).

Male goldfinch, about 5" long, bright yellow, among a group of three pink zinnias and their green leaves. The photo is shot through a window screen so a little fuzzy.

Top-down shot of a pot of zinnias in bloom. 10 flowers: one white, one yellow, one large orange, four red in various sizes, and three pink-lavender. The roof tiles and roof parapet are visible as the background.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· 23d

Celosia coming on strong.

Closeup of celosia flowers: the larger one is shaded pink to orange, the smaller is bright purple. These celosia flowers are shaped like a rooster’s comb. The flowers are surrounded by green leaves. A patio door and a brick wall are visible in thr background.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· 29d

Gazanias are so sharp!

Three identical flowers. About three inches across: a single layer of petals, each petal is yellow with an orange stripe that darkens as it reaches the center of the flower. The center is bright yellow with pollen-laden stamens. Dark green foliage is visible to the left.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jul 16

Now with identity: Cleome or Spiderflowers.

For detailed description, see previous post (same photo--just someone found the name for me).

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jul 7

Stopped by the Field of Dreams. There was a game going on. She legged out a single.

Baseball field in Iowa, bright sunny afternoon. A dad is pitching to his daughter. Who is swinging a bat just shorter than she is. Mom is filming her at-bat, while her brother runs to cover first. Light standards, snack shack, and trees in the background. There are small wooden stands that could seat about 30.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jun 28

I spy cucumbers!

Among a tangle of cucumber vines and leaves, three tiny cucumbers (less than one inch long) are visible behind their yellow flowers. The rim of the brown pot is below, as is a green metal bar , which is part of a baker’s rack being used as a trellis.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jun 24

According to the email from Purina, today is World Cat Domination Day. Here are our cats plotting domination (and then forgetting about it and taking a nap instead). Lucy is the lighter one, Clancy the darker one.

Two orange tabby cats in a cat gym, both staring seriously into the camera. There are baseballs in plastic cubes in the background.

Same two orange tabbies in the same cat gym, sound asleep. Baseballs in plastic cubes and baseball bobbleheads in the background.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jun 22

Happy fifth birthday to Lucy, who's been entertaining us for the past 4+ years. Here's to many, many more! Here is a rare moment of calm (probably before a catnip-induced storm).

An orange tabby cat is curled peacefully asleep in an oval red wicker basket sitting on a light hardwood floor. The cat fully fills the basket. A bookcase is in the upper right, the edge of a woven rug in the lower left corner.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jun 21

So is my cat Lucy—here she is eating the greens from a bunch from the farmers market!

Orange tabby cat eating the greens from a bunch of french breakfast radishes. Tiled kitchen floor in background.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jun 18

Great! I just ate my first two tomatoes this morning!

Small orange tomatoes on plant. Yellow and orange glass “bee ball” (holds water for bees) under plant.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jun 6

So I went to the farmer's market and bought a bunch of French breakfast radishes. Here's Lucy enjoying the radish greens (no accounting for taste!).

Orange tabby cat chewing on the radish leaves of a bunch of French breakfast radishes. Those radishes are about 2 inches long, pink and white, rather than the typical round red radishes. FYI, they are milder than the round red ones. The background is a white large-tiled floor. The radish bunch is sitting on a mesh produce bag.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· May 25

Remembering my great-uncles the Carlson brothers. Served with the Canadian forces in WWI. Survived gas and shrapnel. Lived long enough that I remember meeting Uncle Van when I was 8 or so. Even in the nursing home he would play practical jokes on the nurses. Never lost his sense of humor.

Sepia-toned photograph of two rather handsome young men in winter military garb. The one on the left is wearing a woolen uniform and wool overcoat. The one on the right has a shirt and tie under his overcoat. Both are wearing caps that seem a bit large for their heads.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· May 20

And this is why boxes don't get recycled around here. (That's Clancy by the window and Lucy closer to me).

Orange tabby cats tucked in neatly in cardboard boxes. Boxes are about 16 x 20 inches, so plenty of room for even large kitties. Some packing paper is visible around the cats. A catnip toy tube is hanging out of the closer box. Decorative pillows are visible to the side of the boxes, as these boxes are on a futon.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Mar 31

Lucy managed to get cozy and turn into a tripping hazard.

Large striped rag rug on a grey carpet. An orange tabby cat is barely visible under the rug, which she has turned into a cozy cave. She is awake and looking out from under the rug.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Mar 25

Old metal sign saying Ball Game Today on a baseball.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Mar 5

Planted 46 radish seeds today (Cherry Belle and Easter Egg). Radish seeds are tiny and not very interesting, so here's some of last year's Easter Egg radish crop. Put some coffee grounds in the soil this year for the first time.

Three radishes on a grey counter. They have just been picked and washed, so they are complete with roots and leaves with water drops. Two are yellow, one red.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Feb 25

Working on a baseball story project for SABR. And playing with the cats after spending a delightful early evening playing board games with friends. Said cats:

Two orange tabby cats in a kitty gym. The larger one in the top hammock is laying on his side staring right into the camera. The smaller one is on the second level staring up at the first one and I know she's plotting how to get up there, evict him, and get the better spot.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Feb 22

We resemble that remark. Certain toys are kept in the laundry room to avoid midnight "what was that!?" responses (or, "drop the toy on the person in the bed so they can play with me"). Here are Clancy and Reynard with a "safe to be kept out" toy.

On the left, a large orange tabby cat sits in a round cat scratcher. He is staring at the three-level round orange ball tower. On the right, another large orange tabby cat (this one with a white patch under his chin, stares at the ball tower. He is sitting on a large navy blue cat bed. They are apparently trying to decide whose turn it is to hit the balls in the tower. There is a carpeted cat castle, a filing cabinet, and a pair of cat scratcher poles in the background. In other words, this area is all about the cats.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Feb 21

Did I buy a baby ninja potato?

Purple potato about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide, with yellow markings. Each yellow marking is a flattened diamond shape. The top three markings give the potato the look of a serious face, and given the dark potato skin, the look of a ninja. The potato has a slight narrowing below the "face," giving the look of a head and body, resembling a pupa. There is a normal small yellow potato in the background. Both sitting on a vinyl cutting sheet on a grey granite countertop.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Feb 13

Clancy and Lucy would like to endorse the catnip pickle and catnips balls. I would like to endorse them because they are quiet when the catnip takes effect and they (C & L) bat the toys down the hallway. They are not under the influence in this photo.

Two orange tabby cats on a grey couch. Both cats are in loaf position, staring intently at the camera, alert, whiskers forward. The one on the left (Lucy) is slightly smaller and lighter colored than the one on the right (Clancy).

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Feb 12

A bit of good news: my hyacinths appear to have survived spending 2 weeks under the Arlington Virginia snowcrete. Also good--enough ice melted that I could go out on the terrace to check on them without slipping on said snowcrete.

At least 14 hyacinth bulbs poking their little green heads up from the soil in a rectangular 1 x 3 foot beige plastic planter. None are more than an inch tall, but all have broken through the soil.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jan 11

Please wish Clancy a happy 12th birthday. As you can see, he's celebrating by digging in the catnip bowl (notice he's licking his chops) so I'm thinking a very happy birthday is underway!

A large orange tabby cat has his front feet in a large plastic bowl containing freshly served catnip. He's licking his lips. There are catnip toys in front of the catnip bowl--two bananas, a catnip cigar and a cloth-covered spring. The floor is hardwood.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Jan 1

Good news to finish the year--12-year-old Clancy got a "stable" evaluation from his kitty cardiologist! (despite having spit up this morning's medication along with a hairball). "Stable" refers to his heart, not necessarily his mental state!

Large orange tabby cat, sitting up, on a hardwood floor surrounded by six catnip toys that he's pulled out of a blue bowl that contains another dozen or so catnip toys including a blue fish and a pineapple. He has a catnip banana at his feet. He is staring at the camera with a "who, me?" look. Catnip toys in the background include a carrot, a crayon, another banana, two soft balls, and a catnip joint. A cat toy rolling track with balls is visible in the upper left corner.

Large orange tabby cat has stuffed his head into a soft house slipper and is pushing the slipper off an oriental rug and across the hardwood floor. The other slipper is visible next to the cat.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Dec 26

Reynard enjoyed Boxing Day in true cat style.

Large orange tabby cat sleeping in a box full of crumpled brown paper.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Dec 25

Lucy very much enjoying her catnip fish.

Orange tabby cat lying on an oriental rug licking and hugging a green catnip fish.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Dec 10

I think this is a Unitarian hymn: "Come, thou badly needed coffee." For me, it's more like national anthem status.

Song sheet with lyrics: Come thou badly-needed coffee, Come to make thy people see. From our weary slumbers wake us, let us end our rest with thee. This real bracing consolation bids us from our beds arise, Water, beans in combination, open up our sleeping eyes.

Laura Peebles@arvafan55· Dec 5

Yeah, I know the snow will kill the celosia, but it looks so pretty in the meantime.