I'll add to the mix today. Cake from DD's 21st birthday party over the weekend. It was about 2 feet long to feed 40 people.

Alisande... I can only guess...but those pellet like "things" may be engorged ticks. When I zoomed in on your original postings...I saw them then. They seem to be aligned alone her back spinal area. She's been through the wringer for one reason or another and her immunity defenses may not be what they should be. Being weak, she'll become an easy host for almost anything. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be so visible [in your yard] on such a continual basis...and if those are ticks...she would have rubbed them off long before they reached that size. She's there because neither you nor your pets have threatened her and she needs a safe haven for her twins. She's probably bedding down with them in your tall grass areas and provided she has a water source nearby...she'll stay there until her twins are strong enough to survive on their own. Those wounds, if we're right, are not that old. If they were, we wouldn't be able to see them so easily. I'm glad you brought mama cat in for a while. At least until she's strong enough to run fast and climb. Most cats have enough sense to run from a bear. Dogs want to defend their territory often to their own demise. It must have been a terrible experience for you. I know it would have been for me. If possible...could you post photos/progress reports from time-to-time? It's hard to tell her age from photos but if she's a liability, her own kind will shun her...and I hope she makes it.

Thanks, Susan. The daylily could be anything. As a landscaper I frequently work for people that want a bed redone and when I ask where should the existing flowers go they usually say, "Oh, just toss them." I can't bear to do that so I bring them home and then stand in the middle of my yard and wonder where to plant them. That's why my yard looks the way it does; No apparent plan in effect. That and my brother gets in something new at the greenhouse and says' "Take one of these home and see how it does for you." Ron

Thanks so much Jodi....the Robins have just migrated through here and we had a ton of them on campus last week. The crabapple and holly trees were filled with them every day. We are lucky enough to have Robins year round where we are. They are one of my favorites too......Cherbo, I love the Shorpy site.... ~Kathy~