Tough plants

Sometimes Mother Nature works so hard to put something beautiful in the worst looking spots. It seems every summer there are wildflowers that grow up in the crack between the asphalt and the curbing, while there is plentiful space over the curb for growing. But the stubborn plants will insist on growing in that tiny space with cars speeding over or next to them and putrid exhaust spewing out on them.

Domino

Well, the mystery cat has taken up residence and is now making himself at home. He has been renamed Domino because of his black and white markings. Evidently he has been dumped or lost. Domino has definitely been someone's housecat. I have checked around and of course no one seems to know anything about a lost cat. He is probably 10-12 months old and as is his peculiarity, still hisses and growls while he is noticably enjoying the petting we give him.

He has learned that the dogs are not a major threat and that not every other animal in the area is interested in him. He has been quite offended by Baby Abby as she has not seen him as a threat when he growls and hisses at her when she tries to play.

Because of his demeanor, and the changes that have occurred in his personality since he arrived, we have been paying lots of attention to him. He has probably doubled his weight and become more tolerant. He is quite expressive and responsive. Last night he did the funniest thing. Baby Abby usually warrants a hiss and cuff when she attempts to include him in her games. But last night in the newly cut grass, he pounced and bounced and ran and played with her as if she and he were littermates. She was ecstatic and we were astounded.

Beautiful Breakfast

As I opened my eyes this morning, my daughter came through my bedroom door. Since she rarely is up before lunch, this was a shock. She had not been able to sleep all night long and as soon as reasonable, had come to join me for company. This morning, I was accompanied by my daughter in the feeding rituals. It is always a pleasure for me to enjoy my cats when they are at their best and normally morning is a good time for them. But today was special because I got to start my day with my daughter too! After all the critters had been fed their breakfast, then the humans get to have theirs. I was attempting to get everything ready and was handing things off to daughter #2. Out of the blue, she asked if we could have breakfast outdoors. Nothing could have been better to start the day. The sun was beautiful, the breeze was cool, great company and we were able to share our milk.

Kitty Feast

Because we feed so many cats, we keep several galvanized steel pans for feeding dishes. We rotate them, some are filled with food, while others are being washed. Today the weather is absolutely gorgeous here and because I usually miss these days because I work full time, I considered having my lunch on the deck to enjoy the great weather. Normally, this requires a juggling act because any food on the deck is an invitation to the kitties who are not seriously napping. I went to the door so I could try to see which cats I would be sharing with and this is what I found! Clean pans are so comfortable.

The Mystery Cat cont.

Well, the mystery cat is still with us. He is still expecting mass quantities of food. He will eat 3 cans of Fancy Feast at a time. He appears any time there is any activity on the deck. He knows that is where the food appears!
Last night he decided he liked us well enough to try to get into the house with us. I was grilling dinner and on a trip indoors, he chose to dash in and check things out. I did catch him and took him back out.

The Mystery Owl

I am not well informed on birds. I know the common songbirds and a few unusual migratory birds. When we moved ten years ago, I learned more about some of the birds in this area. We have Scissortailed flycatchers in the spring. They have very ungraceful, erratic flights, as if that beautiful tail is holding them back. We have Indigo Buntings - as beautiful as peacocks and tiny. There are killdeer who build their nests on the side of the road and then behave as if they are injured and run to distract you from the nest. We also have owls.

I had seen little owls at the barn and was accustomed to hearing them. But I was not prepared for the beautiful owl that appeared in the headlights of my car on a stormy rainy night. We were returning home late and in the headlights we saw a beautiful gray colored owl that appeared to be stunned. He/she was standing in the middle of the gravel road in the pouring rain. We sat and watched and were almost as stunned as the owl. After a few minutes, it flew away. Fortunately, I have witnesses or I would think I had seen a ghost!

Surprise visitor

Occasionally another animal shows up at our house. (See tongue in cheek here - LOL) Yesterday was no exception. A lot of cleaning was being done and trips were being made back and forth through the house. On one trip, I noticed a lovely black and white tom cat sitting on the car and looking in the window from inside the garage. We do have a dog door to the outside, but it is usually guarded and most strange animals are not confident enough to challenge. I opened the garage door and started out to investigate. Of course, he ran away. So, I went out to see where he went and he had stopped part way down the drive. He meowed, I responded and he decided to chance it and started toward me, meowing.

He is very pretty and very battered and starving. He allowed me to pet him and examine him, purring and hissing all the while. I gave him some dry food and he took off.

Later that night he came back and did the same hissing and purring while my daughter looked him over. Very strange kitty! She gave him three cans of food and he chowed down till he was belching with every other breath! Guess he is ours now!

Everything falls together!

On occasion everything just falls together. For years I have listened to the radio show, Prairie Home Companion. This year a movie has been made about the show. I have enjoyed the programming and often will recall something from the show and relate it to my mother, who does listen occasionally.

I didn't realize that over the years, my daughter had heard the show and had appreciated a few of its merits. So, when she asked me to go to the movie, I was stunned. She found out the dates and times of the movie premiere and issued an invitation via an index card at my place at the table. I had been discussing the movies premiere with my mom and for some reason assumed she had called and my daughter had left me a message. What a wonderful surprise to find that we all wanted to see the movie.

We went and had a good time at the movie theatre - three generations. Such a nice memory made!

Jessie

17 years ago we acquired a kitten from our local vet. Bless his heart, he saw us coming and drug us to the back where this little darling was begging to be taken home. She had been found by two college students on the parking lot of the local McDonald's and had been nicknamed Grimace after the character from McDonald's and because of the huge change in her face when she meowed so loud.
My daughter named her Jessie. She is a gray calico with peach, gray and white markings. She was allowed to go outside to play with the dog until we discovered that she was terrified of motors of any kind. She heard the neighbor next door turn on his car and shot 40 ft. up a pine tree. She stayed there for one day and most of the next before she took a flying leap from the top of the tree and landed with a splat on the ground below. She then scrambled to the back door and clawed the door trying to get inside. She had no injuries and has been indoors ever since. She is very loud and has quite a vast language. She has never been very large, maxing out at about 8 lbs.

She is a water cat. She enjoys swishing her tail in the bath or getting in it if it isn't too deep. She will jump right into the shower and has no fear of the water. Not really a good thing, as she also will jump right out and into the middle of the bed. She regularly uses the sink as her bed and will not drink from a water dish, but must have the tap turned on for fresh water.

She has lived a long healthy life without illness until this year. This year she developed an upper respiratory illness and scared us all to death. Fiesty little thing has come back though and is back to her regular routines. She does not believe in remaining in bed after 6:00a and seems to be set like a clock, regardless of the alarm setting on the clock. She, of course, takes many naps through the day, but feels the need to start the day at a regular time. She also takes her treats at a specific time at night and rarely deviates if she can help it. She demands her treats at 8:30p and is then set for the night. We have other cats, but she is the only one who seems to keep time that well.

Summer Evenings

In the summer, after dinner is finished, my children and I spend a special time out on the deck watching time go by. My eldest has moved on to her own eventful life, but my youngest daughter and I still use this time to visit and watch the outdoors.

Most of the time, our cats and dogs come wandering in to the feeders about that time. It is beginning to cool off about that time. We have all but eliminated television from our summer evenings, choosing instead to watch the critters. The cats play with one another and groom each other. Some choose to align themselves with the dogs to go hunting. Sometimes they catch bugs, or mice, and occasionally moles. Or Geni and Lil Bit use this time to roll luxuriously in the grass, groaning and grinning while they are flipping from side to side on their backs. The youngest cats play with each other or vie for our attention for play and affection. It is very relaxed and calming. We hear the neighbors cows as they come up for the evening and hear people on the road walking to get their exercise. Seems like the neighborhood slows down to watch the sunset.