Black Cats and White Flowers

It wouldn't be spring here without the white anemones (vitsippor) that carpet the forest floors, and while the relatively chilly temperatures (50-59 F/10-15 C) have kept me indoors more than most years, I still couldn't resist taking some pictures one afternoon when the wind died down.

My cats have certainly been enjoying spring, and I don't think they're as bothered by the cold. They like to lurk in the vegetation, and if they hunker down, they can almost disappear in the anemones.

My husband still can't tell them apart, but as you can see here, there really are two, and the size difference is substantial. Teddy (on the left) is much bigger than his sister, Dora. Teddy is in the picture at the top of this post, and Dora is in the other two.

I think Dora is more photogenic. She got her name because as a kitten, she was the adventurous one. But as she grew up, she became less Dora the Explorer and more Dora 'Dorable. She's a real sweety, though she's not quite as affectionate as her brother, and she's more reserved around strangers.

Teddy has been a total love-cat since the beginning. He was as cuddly as a Teddy bear. He has a bit of an oral fixation which results in him sucking his toes if you pet him too much. After their mother was given away (she was psycho!), he started sucking on his sister's thumb. She eventually tired of that, and it's been his own hind toes ever since.