Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #PotLuck -Thinking Outside the Box – Puzzle by Susanne Swanson

Welcome to the  Posts from Your Archives, where bloggers put their trust in me. In this series, I dive into a blogger’s archives and select four posts to share here to my audience.

If you would like to know how it works here is the original post: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/smorgasbord-posts-from-your-archives-newseries-pot-luck-and-do-you-trust-me/

This is the third post from the archives of  Susanne Swanson that I have chosen.. you will find plenty to browse if you head over.  Cats in particular are the muses in her household and they have some wonderful adventures. This week I have selected a post which mirrors my sentiments about team building exercises in general.  And it is something to think about in relation to how we all react when we here the words ‘Think outside the Box’

Thinking Outside the Box – Puzzle by Susanne Swanson

Let me say first that I mostly prefer the box – take comfort in the box, do not as a general rule, ‘think outside the box,’ because well, who likes uncertainty? I majored in accounting and liked very much how things fit nicely on both sides of the ledger, added up, balanced out and everything was governed by rules at the same time – perfect!

Once I was on a project which was run by a team of consultants and we had to participate in team building exercises, which were possibly my most unfavorite thing to do. We were given two toothpicks and asked to make a triangle out of them. And no, you couldn’t break them. Huh? Not possible I thought to myself. It takes three lines to make a triangle, that much I remember from my most hated math class – Geometry. Once you got it, you were to indicate that you had, then we would discuss. I pondered. I squirmed. I watched others who seemed to get it. At some point I must have mimicked something they were doing and they said, ‘ she got it” though I really DIDN’T. I just wasn’t about to volunteer the information, ‘hey I’m stupid here,’ and so we proceeded to discuss what the exercise was all about and what it meant to ‘think outside the box.’

Okay, just for the record, at some point, I finally GOT IT – though not on my own. The table was the base, you raised the toothpicks like a teepee and voila! you had a triangle!

Apparently this not fun, team building exercise which I thought was to teach me to ‘think outside the box,’ taught me instead how we are all different from one another, think differently, learn differently, and need one another to get through. But it also taught me how much I like being in the box. And how much I hate puzzles.

And so I slip this story in, just under the wire, in response to Lorna’s prompt over at Gin & Lemonade Puzzle.

©Susanne Swanson

About Susanne

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

In my blog you will meet my two favorite felines, Tiger and Benji, and see pictures and stories from my travels, especially in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Connect to Susanne

Blog: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/swansos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsandtrailsandgardentales

I am sure you enjoyed as much as I did and thanks to Susanne for letting me browse her archives.. so much to choose from… I know she would love your feedback.. thanks Sally.

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives -#PotLuck #Seattle – A shrimp story by Susanne Swanson

Welcome to the  Posts from Your Archives, where bloggers put their trust in me. In this series, I dive into a blogger’s archives and select four posts to share here to my audience.

If you would like to know how it works here is the original post: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/smorgasbord-posts-from-your-archives-newseries-pot-luck-and-do-you-trust-me/

This is the second post from the archives of  Susanne Swanson that I have chosen.. you will find plenty to browse if you head over.  Cats in particular are the muses in her household and they have some wonderful adventures. This week I have chosen a post about Susanne’s home of Seattle and a fishy tale from her childhood…

Seattle – A shrimp story by Susanne Swanson

Just off of Highway 101 where it runs along Hood Canal there was a small restaurant with a home in back and attached store in front. They were owned and operated by Floyd and Elsie Chapman and the sign in front read “ELSIE’S PLEASANT HARBOR.” Hood Canal is a narrow shimmering fjord 50 miles long, reaching depths up to 600 feet, though the average is 177. The clear, blue, water is filled with abundant life and on its shores are plentiful clams and oysters. Pleasant Harbor is a quiet natural cove on the canal and that is where Floyd moored his shrimp boat.

On a sleepy day in 1963 Floyd was outside in his blue overhauls and captain’s hat, working the fire under a large kettle where the day’s catch of shrimp was to be cooked. He’d been up since early that morning when he had gone to drop the traps in the canal.

He dumped the buckets full of shrimp into the boiling water and when they turned white in their orange shells he put them in prepared cardboard boxes where they’d be stored on ice and ready for sale in the store.

The Seattle Times had taken an interest in the man and his shrimp boat and a reporter and photographer were on the scene. I was also there watching. Every summer we grand kids got to stay a week with grandma and grandpa at Pleasant Harbor. Those sunny days were filled with dusty hikes through woods to the canal below where we played on the beach and swam in the icy cold water. We dropped homemade lines off the state dock down the barnacle covered pilings where the perch were feeding and when they took the bait we yanked hard and pulled them up. If we got up in time we went out with grandpa on the boat early in the morning to set the traps or later that day to collect them filled with shrimp and the occasional hitchhiking crab or squid.

After they had taken several pictures of grandpa the reporter covering the story asked me if I liked shrimp.

“No,” I replied definitely.

“Would you eat one for a dime?” he asked.

A dime!

“Yes!” I nodded eagerly.

So he set me up just so and after he took the picture I downed that shrimp he had put in my outstretched hand. A deal was a deal.

I ran to buy candy with my dime.

Later that summer when the article appeared in the paper, there I was in my striped shirt and pearl necklace, holding that shrimp ready to drop it into my mouth. (my eyes are saying, ‘oh no…. here it comes…’)

And the caption read, “Granddaughter, Susan, age 8, gobbles down a shrimp with obvious delight.”

Obvious delight. A real shrimp story, that one.

©Susanne Swanson

About Susanne

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

In my blog you will meet my two favorite felines, Tiger and Benji, and see pictures and stories from my travels, especially in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Connect to Susanne

Blog: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/swansos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsandtrailsandgardentales

I am sure you enjoyed as much as I did and thanks to Susanne for letting me browse her archives.. so much to choose from… I know she would love your feedback.. thanks Sally.

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #Potluck – #Hawaii – the beginnings by Susanne Swanson

Welcome to the  Posts from Your Archives, where bloggers put their trust in me. In this series, I dive into a blogger’s archives and select four posts to share here to my audience.

If you would like to know how it works here is the original post: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/smorgasbord-posts-from-your-archives-newseries-pot-luck-and-do-you-trust-me/

A welcome back to Susanne Swanson with the first of the posts that I have selected from her archives…cats are the muses in her household and they have some wonderful adventures. There are also some great travel posts and Susanne has a series on Hawaii…one of my favourite places and today I am sharing the first in that series.

Hawaii – the beginnings by Susanne Swanson

No, not the beginning of the islands themselves. (Though you can still witness them grow as molten lava flows into the ocean.) I’m talking about my own humble beginnings with these wonderful Pacific islands collectively known as Hawaii.

It started sometime after my 20th wedding anniversary when I said to my husband, with a smile on my face and stars in my eyes, “Isn’t it wonderful that we will celebrate our 25th Anniversary in Hawaii?”

His laughter indicated he didn’t know this to be true at the time. In fact, I knew my husband had little to no interest in Hawaii, why I do not know. Nevertheless, I continued this prophetic speak when the occasion so warranted, wisely and judiciously until the message was heard; until he deduced from my unabashed hinting that I wasn’t kidding, and yes it may be time for such a trip.

“Honey, if you really want to go, we will go.”

And so my planning began in earnest as we settled on the islands of Oahu and Hawaii (aka, ‘the big island’) to celebrate our anniversary almost 10 years ago.

I won’t bore you with too many details from that first trip. (For I have been making up for lost time ever since.) I can only tell you that I was immediately smitten; it was everything I hoped it would be and much, much more. I can find no word more suitable to describe this magical place than Lush.

Lush. Hanging vines. Coconuts. Papayas and mangoes. Banyan trees. Waterfalls. Rich fragrances of fruits and flowers filling the moist air.

And so while the Seattle winter rains are heavy upon us I am making final preparations for our next trip, the second to the island of Maui. It may be our last, who knows? But I am so glad I spoke that first trip into being many years ago, by a few simple words.

“Isn’t it wonderful that we will celebrate our 25th Anniversary in Hawaii?”

Yes. It was.

©Susanne Swanson

About Susanne

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

In my blog you will meet my two favorite felines, Tiger and Benji, and see pictures and stories from my travels, especially in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Connect to Susanne

Blog: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/swansos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsandtrailsandgardentales

My thanks to Susanne for allowing me to share posts from her archives and you can find more of the amazing scenery of Hawaii in her Hawaii directory

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #Family- The Mouse Had No Chance by Susanne Swanson

This is the fourth post in the series from the archives of Susanne Swanson…and for this one she turns us over to Benji to share one of his own experiences…..

The Mouse Had No Chance by Susanne Swanson and Benji

This is Benji and let me just say it up front, right out loud: I am not a vegetarian. No, not from my youth. Neither were my ancestors. Nor my big brother Tiger. We are all hunters. If this bothers you then read no further. I understand. For those who wish to continue, be assured that no blood was actually shed today. Here’s how it went down.

It was a beautiful day with mild temperatures and no rain. Tiger and I were out sporting around, all in good fun. Sue happened upon us just as I found the catch of the day. Bad timing to say the least. And wouldn’t you know it she accidentally let him escape by picking me up to cuddle at the most inopportune moment. Oh well. I’m always up for a cuddle. And I knew I could catch him later. He was not that bright and he was awfully slow. (Just begging to be caught in fact. No challenge at all. But I digress.)

When Sue tired of the outdoors, Tiger and I were left to ourselves. As was the mouse. We played in the garden awhile. Nibbled on the grass. Chased one another and a few squirrels. But it wasn’t long until that slow mouse wandered back into the grass and lost all cover. I pursued for a while. Gently for play. When Tiger took note and I perceived he wanted a go at him, I said to myself, why not? What are brothers for?

And so we had some brotherly bonding time today over that mouser until we both tired of him and let him go. (Honest Sue we did.)

Anyway this kind is not good for eating.

And so I remain,

©Susanne Swanson

About Susanne

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

In my blog you will meet my two favorite felines, Tiger and Benji, and see pictures and stories from my travels, especially in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Connect to Susanne

Blog: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/swansos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsandtrailsandgardentales

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #Family #cats – In my dreams I soar by Susanne Swanson

Welcome to the third post from the archives of Susanne Swanson who shares something short and sweet this week….

In my dreams I soar  by Susanne Swanson

This is Benji and I am not what you call a big cat. From the beginning they called me the runt of the litter. (No thank you for that.) Sue even still doubts my birthday. Much too small to be that old she said to the vet who readily agreed.

But when I am asleep I show them all wrong. In my dreams I soar!

©Susanne Swanson

About Susanne

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

In my blog you will meet my two favorite felines, Tiger and Benji, and see pictures and stories from my travels, especially in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Connect to Susanne

Blog: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/swansos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsandtrailsandgardentales

 

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #family Mora and Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park by Susanne Swanson

Here is the second post from the archives of Susanne Swanson and this week she shares their trip to the Olympic National Park in Washington State and the beaches with amazing roots and tree remains.

Mora and Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park spreads over the Olympic Peninsula in the northwest corner of Washington State, almost a million acres of protected wilderness, with mountains, forests and the wildest coastline in the contiguous United States. A designated World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve it attracts visitors from around the world. It also attracts us locals and we visited again this summer, this time camping in a remote section of the Park at beautiful Mora.

Mora Campground

Located next to the Quillayute River, and a mile from Rialto Beach, Mora lies deep in old growth forest, dripping green and gorgeous and that’s where we parked our trailer the first two nights. Mora doesn’t take reservations but we got there early in the week and easily found a spot. You may be surprised to hear it cost us a measly $10 a night to camp. Yes, true. Already a bargain at $20 a night, it’s only $10 for those with a Senior National Parks Pass. Money well spent, I think.

Quillayute River

The Quillayute River is only four miles long, formed by the confluence of the Sol Duc and the Bogachiel Rivers, before it flows into the Pacific Ocean. We stopped by the river on our way to Rialto Beach and I felt transported to an earlier time, almost expecting to see Native Americans in traditional garb, fishing, and weaving baskets from cedar bark. In fact the Quileute Indian Reservation is home to the Quileute tribe who’ve lived in this area for thousands of years. The village of La Push is its largest community and sits at the mouth of river, just south of Rialto Beach.

We visited instead with a family from France, who had stopped to take pictures of the eagles.

They also pointed out this resting seal to us, a real treat!

Rialto Beach

We discovered Rialto Beach on our trip to the park last year, but I was impressed all over again with its rugged beauty, offshore sea stacks, and the size of the giant drift logs and standing ghost trees on the beach.

I asked Bob to pose in front of one of the logs for scale and he obliged.

Then while he fished in the surf (catching only seaweed) I walked a mile up the beach to get a closer look at some sea stacks.

On my walk I saw what looked like a giant tarantula but was another tree stump, not completely bleached of color yet.

Though it was cool and overcast, it was a refreshing change from the dry heat we’ve had in the Seattle area most of the summer. We did find blue skies on our visit to La Push and First Beach the next day and on our hike to Third Beach; more to come on that in a future post.

©Susanne Swanson

About Susanne

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

In my blog you will meet my two favorite felines, Tiger and Benji, and see pictures and stories from my travels, especially in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Connect to Susanne

Blog: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/swansos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsandtrailsandgardentales

My thanks to Susanne for sharing the family vacation and I know that she would love your feedback.. thanks Sally.

Thank you for dropping in today and look out for the new series of Posts from Your Archives coming after Easter….another chance to showcase your blog and books.

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #Family – Frank B. Cooper School Refrain by Susanne Swanson

Delighted to welcome Susanne Swanson to the Posts from Your Archives series, and her first post today shares her return to her kindergarten which was celebrating its 100th anniversary..(I don’t think Susanne was one of the first pupils!)

Frank B. Cooper School Refrain by Susanne Swanson

I’m not sure what I was looking for by returning. It was years and years ago when I attended Frank B. Cooper school, kindergarten through 6th grade. But it was the school’s 100th anniversary and the building, now the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, where artists live and work, would be open for celebration and tours.

But why go? Was I hoping to run into childhood friends? (Maybe.) Did I hope to trigger memories that were no doubt bound up in those indescribable hallway sounds and smells? Warm sandwiches left in lockers, new shoes shuffling on heavy floors, recess bells? Whatever the reason, I made the trek to the old school on Delridge Way, and was met by that overpass, still standing, though empty and lonely of children.

I entered through the front and was welcomed by young greeters. Had I ever been there before they asked? (Um, yes, maybe 50 years ago?) There were other alumni visiting they said, and encouraged me to look around. I could take a tour of the artists quarters too if I liked. I did a bit of both.

Almost reverently I walked through the building, tracing steps from long ago till I found the stairs I’d climbed many times before.

It was 4th grade and I was with my best friend Joyce, the one with perfectly blond hair (she was Scandinavian and her hair was almost white, and sleek and straight.) We were debating who was the best, Paul Revere and the Raiders (her choice) or the Monkees (mine), when Miss Warner interrupted and told us to stop acting like monkeys. How we laughed at her words though I felt my group had been impugned.

There was the auditorium/lunch room where we bought hot lunches for 35 cents from smiling ladies wearing soft shoes, dressed in white aprons and hair nets. I loved the hamburgers where much of the meat was stretched with oatmeal; and who can forget the ice cream sandwiches? Weren’t they 12 cents?

We ate in the same room that served us up assemblies and Disney movies after school and where I stood on the stage and spoke a part in the Christmas program.

I visited the gym and wondered how we’d played ‘red rover’ and ‘soak out’ in such a small space. (Did they still play the game where we got people ‘out’ with the sting of a red rubber ball? I doubt it.) Somehow we even had room to square dance to ‘pistol packin’ mama’, a song I’m pretty sure is no longer welcomed on school grounds.

And who could forget the naughty kids being sent to the Principal’s Office where they sometimes got the paddle for their foolery?

Not me. I was an ‘office girl’ behind the desk, answering the phones with ‘Cooper School student speaking.’ (I guess I was destined to be in an office.)

I wandered the hallways for an hour or so, taking pictures and looking for memories and stories to tell, perhaps hoping for an epiphany. Or perhaps waiting to meet someone from the old days. Neither happened. Or did it? Maybe the old friends were there under gray hair and lined smiling faces? And maybe the stories were found but are still waiting to be told? We shall see.

©Susanne Swanson

About Susanne

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

In my blog you will meet my two favorite felines, Tiger and Benji, and see pictures and stories from my travels, especially in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Connect to Susanne

Blog: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/swansos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsandtrailsandgardentales

It would be great if you could share your experiences of attending school reunions and Susanne would enjoy your feedback.. thanks Sally.

 

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – Another Rainy Day in Seattle means MOHAI by Susanne Swanson

Welcome to the final post in the current series of posts from the blog of Susanne Swanson which she published in 2016. Seattle is a wonderful city and I have been a couple of times.. but it does rain a lot.  But if you are visiting and it should be a wet day, Susanne has a great suggestions to occupy you.

Another Rainy Day in Seattle means MOHAI by Susanne Swanson

Here’s one for starters: MOHAI. No it’s not some exotic island in the Pacific. And it’s not the Smithsonian either. It’s Seattle’s own humble Museum of History and Industry at its new location on the shores of Lake Union.

The Grand Atrium

One recent rainy day we made the trek into Seattle to visit the museum. First up was the Grand Atrium where we saw colorful icons from Seattle’s past. Soaring overhead – Boeing’s first commercial aircraft, the 1919 B-1 flying boat (the only one made) which provided international airmail service between Seattle and Victoria, B.C. for eight years. Also on display: the Rainier brewery sign, Slo-Mo-Shun IV the legendary hydroplane, and the original Lincoln Toe Truck with its big toe reaching 11 feet into the air.

Enterprising Seattle!

Before continuing to the next floor I sat through a short film and was reminded of the many companies (and entire industries) that got their start in Seattle beginning with the granddaddy of them all, the Boeing Airplane Company. Did you know that a Boeing 737 takes off or lands somewhere every two seconds? And Starbucks opened its first store in 1971 at the Pike Place market and changed America forever by making strong, delicious (and over priced) coffee drinks available on every corner. And how about Microsoft, started by local brainy teenagers (now billionaires) Bill Gates and Paul Allen. And lets not forget that other billionaire maker, Amazon. And that’s just to name a few.

My oh my, as Dave Niehaus would say. Seattle you’ve come a long way!

Of course there’s too much in the museum to cover in a single post, just as there’s too much to cover in a single museum visit. Especially if you read everything, which most people do not, including me. So I will just mention a few things of interest, starting with the landing at Alki.

Denny Party arrives at Alki

In November of 1851 twenty-two white settlers known as the Denny Party come ashore at Alki Point in the dreary cold and icy rain. How fitting. Chief Seattle and his tribe welcomes them and eventually the new town is named after the accommodating chief. Henry Yesler starts up a lumber mill on Elliott Bay and logs are dragged to the mill down “Skid Road.” The town grows and there seems to be a shortage of women who might teach and perhaps marry the loggers. What to do? Import them!

Here Come the Brides

Asa Mercer goes east in search of educated and adventurous women who are willing to come to Seattle. The journey was a long one from Massachusetts to New York, through the Isthmus of Panama and San Francisco to finally reach Seattle. In 1864 the first small group of women arrives with more to follow. Remember the nineteen sixties TV show that tells the story? I do!

The Big Fire of 1889

The town continues to grow and prosper until like any big city worth its salt in history, it burns to the ground. On June 6, 1889 the main business core of Seattle (mainly built of wood) burns down when a glue-pot tips over. The volunteer fire department shows up but alas there is no water to be had anywhere. As the singing exhibit will tell you, “The tide was out and the hydrants were dry!”

There was no loss of life but the town was turned into rubble, leading to rebuilding with brick and mortar under new building codes.

(By the way it is a fact that much of the new town was rebuilt on top of the old one giving rise to today’s tours of Underground Seattle in Pioneer Square, which most locals never take; but hey, don’t let that stop you!)

Fast forward to the 20th Century and Music, Music, Music!

Yes, Seattle has a vibrant music history! Ray Charles moves to Seattle in 1948 and cuts his first record in his adopted city. He meets Quincy Jones who grew up here. Jimmy Hendrix also grows up in Seattle and teaches himself guitar. And grunge rock takes off in the eighties led by the likes of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.

The Seattle World’s Fair

And how can I fail to mention the 1962 Century 21 Exposition otherwise known as the Seattle World’s Fair that helped shape Seattle’s future and brought the Space Needle to our skyline? You can learn all about it at MOHAI.

So why don’t you come and see the exhibits for yourself the next time the rain is falling? And don’t forget to take in the views of Lake Union from the Maritime Gallery on the 4th floor and peer through the WW2 Periscope.

And now I leave you with this Happy Ending: Elvis Presley parading through the Seattle Fairgrounds in front of the Coliseum in, ‘It Happened at the World’s Fair.”

So long for now and …. Mohai!

Thanks to Susanne for another terrific post and for the guide to what to do on a rainy day in Seattle.

©images Susanne Swanson

About Susanne Swanson

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

The name of my blog is Cats and Trails and Garden Tales for ‘these are a few of my favorite things.’ Here you will find tales from my favorite felines, Tiger and Benji; and stories and pictures from the Pacific Northwest where I live and other places I visit. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Susanne shares a post from one of the bloggers who has supported her and is one who is familiar to you… John Rieber who has contributed several of his travel posts in the last six months.

Here is a recent post of John’s that Susanne recommends: https://johnrieber.com/2018/03/26/cinemas-strangest-movie-titles-sex-witches-dustin-hoffman-slimeballs-too-2/

You can connect to Susanne through her blog and discover her current posts: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com/

Thank you for dropping by and there will be a new season of Posts from Your Archives after Easter… a great way to share your older posts with a new audience.

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – The Many Faces of Benji by Susanne Swanson

Welcome to the third in the archive series from Susanne Swanson. This week it is just for #catlovers… well for any of us really who are a sucker for a fabulous feline face….

The Many Faces of Benji by Susanne Swanson

“Hey Benji,” I said. “I’d like to take some pictures of you to submit to American Rescue Cats magazine. They’re looking for their next CoverCat. You’d be perfect. Just pretend I don’t have a camera.”

“Sure! Love to!” he replied. “How’s this?”

“Hmmmm,” I said. “Very nice. Only I’m looking for something more relaxed. Maybe you could tone it down just a bit.”

“Okay, okay.” he said excitedly. “I know exactly what you mean. Something more like this?””

“Great Benji,” I said. “Really good…. only … well the eyes, Benji. Maybe we should forget the props and just go for a headshot.”

“Sure!” he said. “I can do it! How about this?”

“Now Benji, don’t get me wrong. It looks great but, well, I was thinking of something a bit more pensive…”

“Got it,” he said, jumping up to the desk. “How’s this?” .

“Good Benji. Good. Say Benji, why don’t we try again tomorrow when we’re fresh?”

“Okay ” he said. “I give up.”

“That’s it Benji! I got it!”

~ just for fun,

@Susanne Swanson and Benji

About Susanne Swanson

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

The name of my blog is Cats and Trails and Garden Tales for ‘these are a few of my favorite things.’ Here you will find tales from my favorite felines, Tiger and Benji; and stories and pictures from the Pacific Northwest where I live and other places I visit. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Susanne shares a post from one of the bloggers who has supported her and is one who is familiar to you… John Rieber who has contributed several of his travel posts in the last six months.

Here is a recent post of John’s that Susanne recommends: https://johnrieber.com/2018/03/19/bond-25-is-on-rock-on-007-the-best-james-bond-theme-songs-the-worst-two-that-were-censored/

You can connect to Susanne through her blog and discover her current posts: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com/

My thanks to Susanne for sharing these great photos of Benji… and as always your feedback is very much welcome.

If you would like to share one of your posts over Easter and also promote your blog and books then here is the link to tell you more about it.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/smorgasbord-easter-and-spring-celebration-share-a-post-from-your-archives-and-the-lost-sheep/

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – A surprise visitor to the fall garden by Susanne Swanson

A warm welcome back to Susanne Swanson of Cats and Trails and Garden Tails who is sharing the second of her posts from her archives. This week a surprise visitor to the garden .. and we all wondered where he had gone!

A surprise visitor to the fall garden by Susanne Swanson

While strolling in my garden this fine day I came across an unexpected visitor..

 

It wasn’t this squirrel storing up supplies for the coming winter…

And it wasn’t this pair of kinglets who stopped by for a drink and bath.

It wasn’t Tiger who drank the flavored water after they left..

Nor this spider who made a home in the rosemary..

The turtle stands daily, stone cold on the stream’s edge, so it was not him.

No. It was in the woodpile.

Where I found the visitor hiding.

E.T.

How he got there I will never know. But I shall let him stay.

©Susanne Swanson 2016 images.

About Susanne Swanson

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

The name of my blog is Cats and Trails and Garden Tales for ‘these are a few of my favorite things.’ Here you will find tales from my favorite felines, Tiger and Benji; and stories and pictures from the Pacific Northwest where I live and other places I visit. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Susanne shares a post from one of the bloggers who has supported her and is one who is familiar to you… John Rieber who has contributed several of his travel posts in the last six months.

Here is a recent post that Susanne recommends: https://johnrieber.com/2018/03/12/this-japanese-scorpion-is-a-killer-cult-empowered-j-sploitation-action-star/

You can connect to Susanne through her blog and discover her current posts: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com/

My thanks to Susanne for sharing some lovely images from her garden and also the whereabouts of the elusive alien… have you found something unusual in your garden? Please let us know… or put a link to a post with images from your own garden. Thank you Sally