This past Saturday was the first ever Austin Catio Tour put on by the Travis County Audubon Society. They did an amazing job of showcasing 10 catios that varied in size, style, and number of contented cat customers served. One " certified cat lady " had a screened porch built for her herd, but hers wasn't even the largest structure featured. A stop by the home with that honor came with a side of barbecue and refreshments. One homeowner added style to her catio by planting a clean, modern border of foxtail ferns along the outer wall. Her catio was basically a screened-in porch, and its construction included building a wooden deck, exterior paint to match the house, and plenty of cat perches clustered in favored spots to avoid squabbles over the perfect vantage point. For this inaugural tour, all but one were built by The Cat Carpenter , David Murphy. David is a cat lover and customizes the structures with the cats' safety and needs in m
If you're particularly interested in rainwater harvesting, see these posts: "900 and Counting" on 4/28/08, "First Crop" on 4/10/08, "Ongoing Saga of the Rain Tank" on 3/2/08, and "The Debate" on 2/7/08. Vermiculture was covered 8/12/08. Pond construction was covered in "The Heart of Our Garden" on January 22, 2008.