Stinky is delighted when he sees the teleportation tunnel begin to vibrate. It means Periwinkle will be arriving momentarily. He never likes to miss a minute of time together on their weekly adventures. He stands at the exit of the tunnel with his paws outstretched and catches her as she tumbles out with the usual whoosh. They both giggle and spend several minutes whisker kissing and paw hugging.
When they come up for air, Periwinkle asks, “What’s the plan for today, Stinky.”
National Gardening Day
“I hope you won’t be disappointed. Today is National Gardening Day, so we are going to stay here and help my mom plant a few perennials she bought recently. It is still too early for annuals, and those are not even available yet at the garden center. She has been working really hard in the yard for the past month, and I thought it would be nice if we lent her our paws.”
“I love spending time outside and am always happy to help your mom,” replies Periwinkle. “What are we going to plant?”
“She has bee balm, Lavender and some catmint. When we finish, if we are not too tired, we can nave a picnic in the periwinkle.”
“I am never too tired for a picnic!”
They find Stinky’s mom in the backyard with the plants, pots and soil. When she sees Periwinkle, she scoops her up in her arms and gives her a big hug, which makes Periwinkle purr.
Lavender
Stinky asks his mom where they should begin. She says that they are going to plant the lavender first, and she shows the tabbies the pot they will use. Mom Janet explains that she bought the pot in the early 70s. She and Dad Tom lived in Kansas City, Missouri, then, and they took a trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. That’s where she purchased it.
Stinky says, ”I cannot believe that pot is over 50 years old. It still looks pretty good.”
“It’s not as colorful as it once was, but it brings back nice memories every year,” his mom explains.
Once the plant is in the pot, Stinky’s mom says, “I usually plant lobelia in this pot, as the blue color on the pot is complementary to the blue flower. Unfortunately, the wildlife have eaten all the flowers off of it the past couple of years.”
“The lavender smells really nice, and I like the tall ceramic cat. Maybe he’ll guard the lavender and scare off any flower-eating critters,” Periwinkle says with a giggle. She adds,”This will look really pretty when the lavender and these peonies are both blooming.”
Stinky’s mom agrees and tells her that the peonies usually bloom around Mother’s Day.
Bee Balm
Mom Janet then gets the bee balm. “We are going to plant it in this big clay pot. The hummingbirds really like bee balm, so I may move it to the flower box beneath the bedroom window before the hummers arrive or just buy more for there.”
Periwinkle and Stinky get busy digging two holes for the plants. When they finish and the plants are firmly tamped down, Mom Janet adds a cat with a lantern to the pot. “That is so cute,” exclaims Periwinkle. ”Does the lantern light up?” she asks.
“It is solar and should light up tonight after being outside today. Though, it has been mostly cloudy today, so we’ll just have to see what happens when it gets dark. It was a gift from Mom Pam and Teddy (Two Spoiled Cats) at Christmas.”
“That was definitely a special gift,” says Periwinkle.
Catmint
The last plant they have to pot is some catmint.
“What is the difference between catmint and catnip?” Asks Periwinkle.
Stinky replies, “I looked that up on the internet. They are related perennials from the mint family, but catmint is an ornamental garden plant with small lavender-blue or pink flowers. There are 27 varieties of catmint. Some of the names are Cat’s Pajamas, Cat’s Meow, Kitten Around, Pink Panther and Pink Cat. I think that is so funny, since we cats want catnip not catmint.”
Periwinkle asks Mom Janet, “What is this variety?”
“It is called Little Titch. Maybe later in the spring one of those varieties Stinky mentioned will be available. And, Periwinkle, catmint attracts butterflies.”
“That’s cool since I have butterflies on my hat!”
Stinky continues, “Of course, it is catnip that is for kitties. It has larger leaves and white flowers and a very high concentration of nepetalactone. That’s the compound that can make us cats act crazy. I sure hope Mom is going to plant some for us again this year.”
“Don’t worry, Stinky. As soon as some is available at one of the places your dad and I buy plants, we will get some for you and all the Kitties Blue,” says Mom Janet.
Yard Cats
“Stinky, your yard definitely has lots of cat items. Maybe that’s why the bad person thought it would be okay to leave all the cats and kittens here.”
Mom Janet replies to her comment, “If that was what the cruel and irresponsible person was thinking, they better not try it again.”
Periwinkle ducks her head and is sorry she mentioned anything about the “dumped” kitties.
“We can check out some of the other cats, Periwinkle, if you like,” says Stinky.
“Yes please. What about the one with the butterfly?”
“This is where Astrid is buried. Mom wanted to plant tulips here like she did on Giullietta’s grave, but with the kittens and her knee surgery, she didn’t get it done in the fall. She will try to do it this coming fall.”
“That will really make it special,” replies Periwinkle.
Stinky tells her that the graves for Madison, MacKenzie and Misty May are in another section of the same flower bed.
Periwinkle sees a cat flag and runs over to it. “Stinky, will you take my photo here? I think this is super funny, as you don’t even have a dog.”
Stinky shows Periwinkle a couple of other cats and some of his mom’s irises that have started to bloom.
“Periwinkle, these are just a few of the cat statues and signs in the yard. Maybe on another adventure, I can show you the others.”
“That would be great, Stinky.”
Picnic Time
“So, are you ready for our pincic?”
“I could eat,” replies Periwinkle with a giggle.
Stinky’s mom has set up their picnic in their usual spot among the periwinkles, and the tabbies head there.
“Stinky, I am always delighted when I think I was named after these beautiful flowers.”
“They aren’t nearly as beautiful as you,” Stinky tells her.
Periwinkle blushes and gives Stinky a paw hug. The tabbies eat their lunch. When finished, they lie down on their blanket for a nap. After their nap, it is time for Periwinkle to head home. But, she asks if she can visit the kittens before she leaves, so she and Stinky head to the catio, where they find Gibbs and Tali hanging out at the top of the cat tree. Periwinkle climbs up onto the railing so she can give them each a kiss.
Periwinkle also says,”hi,” to all the other Kitties Blue, and then she and Stinky head to the teleportation tunnel. After several minutes of whisker kissing and paw hugging, Periwinkle enters the teleportation tunnel and with a wave, blown kiss and a whoosh, she is on her way home.
Stinky returns to the catio to hang out with his fursibs.
The End
Periwinkle and Stinky will be heading over to Comedy Plus to participate in the Happy Tuesday blog hop. If you would like to do the same, click on the Happy badge.
“Stinky, we love the 
“Stinky, I know you all like the Automatic Random Interactive Cat Laser Toy Noelle gifted Sawyer.”
