Seven years ago, when we bought this campground, we discovered that a cat came with it. She simply showed up one day about six years before we came along. I think she was a Blue Russian. She was a bit aloof and at first would only allow me to pet her when I would put her food out. As our first winter winds started to blow I worried about her being outside. She refused to come inside, but she did allow me to pick her up and hold her.
She was quite independent and caught her own food. She seemed to like birds the best, but she was also a good mouser. I lined an old hooded litter box with a wool blanket and she began spending her nights and nap times in there. I was resigned to her not taking me up on my offer to come inside.
We would wonder, from time to time, just how old she might be. She must have been spayed, because she never had any kittens. But, like most proud females, she kept her age a secret. No tell-tell signs of gray ........ she already had gray fur.
Last winter was extreme and she finally decided to come live inside. Only at night. She began depending on the catfood I gave her as the main part of her diet and bird feathers no longer appeared on the front porch. I still kept her food outside to prevent the dogs from eating it and witnessed her sharing it with an old possum. The older she got the more docile she became. She would hop into my lap if I sat on the front porch and purr contentedly.
For the past few months, she preferred the indoors and seemed to be fading away. She was losing weight, not matter how often I would feed her. I resorted to offering special treats to her. She loved canned tuna and she snacked on dog food when ever she found the bowl without canine presence. When I held her she felt like just skin and bones. But she still purred contentedly. I knew she was not going to be with us much longer.
I did not see her yesterday morning when I went outside. I didn't see her all afternoon. She would usually come to the store door and slip in with a customer. Late yesterday afternoon, after closing the store, I decided to walk out to the barn with the new puppy. He is like a baby, motion will put him to sleep.
I saw the still form of the old gray cat right under the front of my car. She looked like she was catching a nap. I called out "kitty, kitty" and she did not move. She looked like she simply lay down and went to sleep for the last time. Still, I was sad that she died all alone.
She had a proper burial and I called the only other person who loved her as much as I did. Debbie had renamed her Smokey and we both were sad, but Deb reminded me that Spooky/Smokey had a really good life. Still, it was sad not to see her on the porch this morning.
Meet Max. My newest grandpuppy. Max will only be here until I can get to Minnesota and deliver him to his new owner, my grandson, Gavin.
I was minding my own business here at the kampground, sitting here in my broken chair at my desk, nimbly playing spider solitaire and thinking about taking a bathroom break. A woman that I only know from pool season entered in a cloud of perfume. As my sinus pain was in remission and I did not want it to return with a vengeance, I was concentrating on finding out what she wanted quickly.
She started her tale of woe about her granddaughter having surgery and needing to leave in a hurry as I half listened and made appropriate murmurs. She got to the part of a litter of puppies in her car and I saw my opportunity to go outside! She was on her way to the animal shelter in town to give the puppies up. They are Chihuahuas (she pronounced it shihuahua).
I had no intention of getting a puppy ...... none at all. I just wanted to get outside in fresh air. My sinus pain is making the left side of my jaw feel like I should grab some pliers and yank out my teeth. A little pressure, you know.
So, she pulls this kennel out and opens it up to reveal five little puppies, one of which was white and looked a lot like Wall-E. Wall-E, Gavin's first dog. Wall-E, who came to live with us when Gavin could not keep the dog in the apartment. Wall-E, the dog that Papa would not give up when Gavin moved and could have a dog. So, what was I to do? I mean she was headed to the dog pound, for heaven's sake!
Being wise beyond my years (okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration), I summoned he who is a sucker for puppies to the office and literally stuck the puppy in his face. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?" I asked. We both said "Gavin" at the same time. And that is how I came to be writing this with a little white puppy against my bare skin in my shirt.
He was scared of my scary scarecrow, which is good, since that is the very definition of what scarecrows are supposed to do ......
He slept for awhile in his kennel, but is missing his litter mates now and wants the company of myself very close to him. I will not get attached to him! The scent of puppy breath is in the air and my sinuses have no problem with that!
Wall-E graciously gave up his own puppy blanket and wrote his boy a letter asking that he give the puppy without a name something to call him by, other than "it" or "puppy".
His name is Max and Gramma is planning a trip north to unite Max and Gavin.
No kidding, the circus is coming. I came out the door to see he who is always curious talking to these clowns.
They were here to let everyone know that the circus was coming. They were very excited, as you can see. Even the circus car was sporting a clown nose.
The clown ride encountered a bump along the way and was sporting band-aids.
I just opened the weekly paper and saw the ad for the circus. Those clowns were right!
It is that time of year again. My gourds from two years ago are ready to be used. White paint and some scary faces for these ghosts.
Red eyed demons ........
Sweet faced scarecrows ....
here and there ...
A wicked graveyard cat.
and a charming witch. Setting the stage for the end of the season party. October 29th. Chili/soup cook-off, bonfire, hayride through spooky forest. Did I mention there are fabulous prizes? There are.
Okay, the book is in the early stages right now, but we hope to have it in print by January. I am just excited. The book is in the voice of a dog and is three years of letters to his boy, my grandson. I will definitely be broadcasting the release far and wide as the end of this process draws near. I will blog about writing a book!
In the meantime I will blog about closer subject matter and he who provides so much inspiration .......
My hardworking husband always has an extra job on the back burner for our down time in the winter. He was working at the gas station at the end of the road here until the owner decided to subtract ride-offs from his meager paycheck. Ride-offs are those folks who decide to pump fuel into their tanks and simply ride off and not pay. The higher the cost of fuel, the more often it happens. So, when he confronted the man about the deduction, the man did not want to talk. He wanted to fight. Really. I tell you, you cannot make this stuff up! The man is known for his hot temper and rather colorful use of language. He who is a lover, not a fighter, simply drove away.
He has a new job. He takes calls to go out with the wrecker and tow or haul the wrecks in. This not only allows him to drive a big truck and play with equipment, but he gets to wear safety green and orange day-glo colors. He is kind of cute, I must say.
But ........ when the phone rings in the wee hours of the morning and he proceeds to talk to the dispatcher while still in our bedroom, not four feet from my head and then turns on every light in the house to find his clothes, he is not at all cute. I get up out of bed when I cannot sleep and quietly leave the room under cover of darkness so as not to disturb my mate. I only ask for that same consideration. I am a very light sleeper and once awake find it difficult to get back to sleep. I suppose he thinks it must be okay not to even try to be quiet, since I will wake up anyway.
He got a call around 4 this morning. I had already been up once to take the dogs out and find out why the cat was yowling. Of course, when I got up, I did not talk on the phone or turn on the lights and I made no unnecessary noises. I may have grunted when I heaved the fat dachshund back into bed. Did I cry out when I stubbed my toe on the fan that he insists on positioning right in the normal walking path? No, I did not. Did I throw the dog toy I stepped on against the wall and say a few choice words to the animal responsible? No, I did not. If I need some illumination, I turn the closet light, not the overhead light on.
He got out of the bed while talking in a normal tone to the caller and left the room as he talked and turned on every light he encountered. The dogs thought it was great time for an excursion and stood waiting patiently at the end of the bed to be lowered to the floor. Two of them, anyway. One tried to push me out of the bed to overtake my warm spot and the puppy called Toni jumped in and out of the bed to let me know she was ready for some outside time. So, I got out of bed to accommodate the dogs and ran into him as he came back through the house turning on any lights he may have missed on the first pass. He was looking for some jeans. Not in the closet where they hang, but in a stack of folded laundry ..... or previously folded, I should say. So, I followed the man and directed him to clothes and turned out lights. When he left, he told me to go back to sleep. That helped a lot.......
I just might be a wee bit hung over ........
It all started when I bought this lovely bottle of wine. I actually was buying it for the bottle. I liked the bottle, It was tall and it was a lovely shade of blue. Very tall. I had been working on emptying this bottle for quite some time. I want to give the bottle to my daughter. She needs it. I know just where to put it in her house. I can see it in my minds eye, nestled on the shelf next to her fireplace.
So, you can see that I was doing this for her. I suppose I could have given her the bottle with the contents intact, but being the good mom that I am, I was willing to sacrifice my sobriety and empty this lovely bottle and prepare it for display.
The bottle had several glasses left in it at the beginning of the evening. I am not sure how many, because I did not use a wine glass. I did not drink from the bottle! I have more class than that! I drank from my insulated cup that goes into the freezer and keeps your beverage cold. This comes fully equipped with a straw to sip from. After the first cup and sharing with others, there wasn't much left. Didn't look like much to me ....... so I polished it off.
Not so perky this morning, even after the half a pot of coffee. But, things are looking up, here at the kampground. My old pink phone adorned with the bejeweled frog is holding a charge and working. Good thing, too, since I never got the other one to turn on. It is a beautiful fall day, warm and breezy.
Oh, and my first book is being published!!
I have found the cell phone for me! I tried to describe it to he who purchases electronics ........ he couldn't hear me ... the TV was too loud.
