The Cats on Marshmallow Ranch

The Language of Cats

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 01:30:00 -0600

This cat always looks ticked off…bless her little Pumpkin head.

It’s been almost four years since Pumpkin Kitty graced us with her presence. It’s been a bit of a rocky road between her and me. She’s definitely a Daddy’s girl, but when he’s not around, she loves to mark me as her own with lots of head bumps and rubs against my legs. She’s still finicky about touch. If she’s in the mood, she wants you to pet her…but she kinda wants to bite you, too. I really don’t get cats. Now dogs? They speak my language. “Love me, love me, love me!” Cats are more like, “Oh, look. The can opener is back.”

The very first photo of Pumpkin Kitty…Halloween 2019.

When we were gone, the Former Mrs. FixIt came to check in on Pumpkin and make sure she was happy and well fed, had clean water and litter box. According to Daughter #2, Cat Mom Extraordinaire, cats only know two people…Mom and Not Mom. Or in Pumpkin’s case…Dad and Not Dad. When Not Dad shows up to feed her and love on her, she’s not havin’ it. Food, yes. You wanna pet me? I have two moods….1. Namaste 2. I will cut you. Former Mrs. FixIt still comes and feeds her…God bless her.

She is the Queen Kitty of Marshmallow Ranch!

The night after we got home, there was a break in the rain and I went out during the golden hour to take some pictures of the leaves changing. Somewhere along the way, I turned around and there was Mr. FixIt watching me. Where Mr. FixIt goes, Pumpkin is not far behind. We were commenting about the bumper crop of walnuts this year and walked down toward the end of the far field to check them out. The further we got out in the field, I notice Pumpkin was getting more and more agitated.

This is the only time she laid on me and slept. She’s Miss Independent!

I’ve never seen her act quite like this. She was standing straight as a pointer, staring into the hedgerow. Her tail was flicking and she kept looking back at us. When we got closer to the hedgerow ourselves, she came straight at us with the hair up on her back, hissing at us. I knew something was wrong so I told Mr. FixIt, “Don’t try to touch her or pick her up. She’s not having any of that. She wants us out of here.” So we backed up and headed back to the house. The closer we got to the house, the more relaxed Pumpkin became and by the time we were at the door, she was head butting me and rubbing on my legs.

Watching the world go by.

I puzzled over this for a while and came to the conclusion there was something out there that she felt was threatening. When she was very young, she got in a fight with a neighbor cat and ended up in the Kitty ER getting a hole in her side fixed up. It occurred to me I never see her down at that end of the field. I called Daughter #2 to get her take and she agreed…Pumpkin was decidedly uncomfortable with us being down there. She had been trying to alert me with the tail flicks and the staring with her head held high and the looks back at us. She was saying, “Let’s not go down there. It’s kinda scary and I don’t like it.” When we didn’t pick up on that, she elevated the conversation to, “HEY! I’m telling you…we do NOT want to go down there!!!” Finally, she flat out came lunging at us, spitting and hissing with fur flying screaming, “GET OUT OF HERE!”

Licking her chops because Dad just gave her a treat!

Yes, cats are much more complicated than dogs. Higher maintenance, to be sure. But I’m beginning to understand her better. Maybe it’ll be more of a “Love…Kinda” relationship when I learn how to speak Cat.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I had to do some work in the camper and on the computer. And at 4:00 Eastern, Big’s swim meet started. I watched on the computer in the office. The Women’s team won the meet, which was exciting. And Big got second place in two of her four events, which made this Nana proud!

It’s so fun to watch Big compete!

It was a really good day. The sun came out. Mr. FixIt still can’t figure out the furnace problem, but I have faith in him. He’ll get it done…not to worry!

🍁

“Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.”
Proverbs 12:10 ESV

The Final Countdown

Sat, 25 Mar 2023 01:30:00 -0600

I spent yesterday doing a little housekeeping of a different sort. I combed thought my project looking for anything that needed fixing. I sat with mug after mug of tea. Mr. FixIt brought me a sandwich to my Big Red Chair. I watched the rain steadily fall outside. And by 6:00, I proclaimed I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I’m leaving it alone tomorrow then I’ll take one last look through it on Sunday, Then I have the big unveiling on Monday!

It’s been a long few months and I’ve learned a lot of things. This is something I’ll need to work on every week, but I won’t have to dive down into it like I have since Christmas. Now I can focus on this quilt and the spring cleaning I have started. So may things have been put on the back burner, but I have a good feeling that the work I’ve put in will pay off in the long run.

When I sat down in my comfy chair to work I wondered where Pumpkin Kitty was. It rained all day and I knew she was keeping dry somewhere. I picked up the phone to look behind me and there she was…laying on her little blanket-covered shelf in the window.

Several years before Mr. FixIt and I got together, the West Virginia Department of Highways did a huge Highway upgrade on the two-lane State Highway in front of our home. Before the new highway came in, the side of the house facing the road was considered the “front.” There is a covered front porch out there and that’s where Pumpkin likes to hang out in inclement weather. She jumps all the way up to the window sills of whatever room we are in and talks to us. We have lots of interaction with her every day so I’m not worried about her. And, she sleeps in the big building every night so she is protected from any predators. It’s fun to have her come say hello several times a day.

I have organized a coffee gathering for my classmates tor this morning. We haven’t gathered since before Christmas and its time to have a good visit. Then I’ll get back home and get to work on the things I’ve let slide the last few months. This is getting exciting y’all!

“He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens.”
Luke 12:54 ESV

Pumpkin’s Magnificent Adventure

Wed, 26 May 2021 01:30:00 -0600

Pumpkin

For those of you who’ve followed a while, you’ll know I lived in my camper for a few years and vowed never to have pets again. Mr. Virgo’s little dog died just three months before he did and it was all just too much. I didn’t want to lose any more beloveds. Then, when I came off the road, I inherited a farm cat I dubbed “Boy Cat”. When I was gone on a trip over Thanksgiving, I came home to a tiny little kitten with exactly the same markings as the long-haired big boy except he had a short, sleek coat. I named him “Kitty Boy”.

While Boy Cat eventually warmed up to me and marked me as his by rubbing his face on my legs, Kitty Boy was as wild as wild could be and took off like a shot if he saw you. No rubs and chirps, but he came back every day to be fed and slept soundly through the winter in his bed box complete with an electric warming pad. While not a terribly enthusiastic cat person, I came to love them and watching their antics around the farm.

Boy Cat and Kitty Boy

When the time came to move to join Mr. FixIt at the Ponderosa, the farm kitties moved quite happily to my cousin’s barn down the road and adjusted well. Fast forward to Halloween 2019. Mr. FixIt and I had been married a year and I took off for several weeks camping all around the state of West Virginia in the Girl Camper Raffle Trailer. When I returned, here was this little black kitten someone had dumped and Mr. FixIt had been feeding him. I wasn’t thrilled to be tied down with another pet, but when this little thing shot straight to me like she’d been waiting forever to see me...well, let’s just say...she’s home.

We woke up yesterday morning and decided it was THE day to take TOW-Wanda down to Setzer’s World of Camping to get some leaks fixed. We haven’t moved that camper for at least two years...maybe three. As a matter of fact, we weren’t really sure when we camped in her last...save for sleeping out there in the field at the Ponderosa. All four tires and the spare were low on air so I got them pumped up. Mr. FixIt struggled and finally got the big tarp off of her. The battery was dead so we had to plug her into shore power to raise her up with the electric tongue jack.

Towing TOW-Wanda to Setzer’s

It was already near noon by the time we got her completely hooked up and ready to go. I went and closed the doors to the car. Mr. FixIt went to close the doors to the bay. We were sweating buckets. We grabbed a couple of electrolyte drinks and hopped in the truck for the three hour drive to Huntington.

When we got there, we went inside to register with Matt in the service department and told him all the things we wanted fixed. We visited a little while, then went back out to unhook the camper so the tractor could pull it into the shop. I needed a tool to unhook the weight distribution hitch so I went over to the storage compartment in the belly of the camper. When I opened the hatch door, I stood there so confused for a few seconds. There was Pumpkin! She cautiously peeked her head out and looked around...sniffing the air.

Now, Pumpkin is like most cats I’ve ever known. She’ll let you pet her for a few seconds then when she’s had enough, she’ll turn around and bite you a good one! Not this time. I picked her up and she literally climbed me and planted her head under my chin. Bless her heart! It never occurred to us that she would have jumped into the belly of the camper. And she’s black as night so you would never see her in there with all the gear and cargo we carry.

Pumpkin Peeks Out From Her New Roomy Carrier

Fortunately, she was no worse for the wear. We gave her a drink and sat with her for a while in the truck, running the air conditioning so she’d cool off. We stopped at the first Walmart we came to and bought a collapsible pop-up pet carrier and got her settled in on a nice clean blanket and hit the road home. She does really well in the car on the interstate. And she does fine for the short ride to town, which she often makes with Mr. FixIt. But you put this poor kitty in the car and go very far on these twisty turny West Virginia roads and she lets loose from every orifice. I don’t know what to do about that. The only time we ever go far is when we have to take her to the vet...or, when she’s a stowaway on an illicit adventure, apparently.

From now on, we’ll double and triple check compartments on the camper when we leave for a trip. This could have had disastrous results, and should serve as a warning to others, but fortunately...all it left us with was a very snuggly kitty...and some blog fodder!

“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”
Psalm 145:9 ESV

Day 224: The Sweetest Sounds

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 01:30:00 -0600

After such a long day on Wednesday, I was happy to sleep in a little yesterday. Mr. FixIt, being ever the early bird, was up long before me and I had what the Brits call a “lie in”. I stretched and read a little and gazed out the bedroom window at the cerulean sky. Suddenly, I heard the little tinkle of the bell on the cat’s collar as she jumped up onto the exterior window sill. She sat there and tweedled and chirped and sang me her “hello kitty” love song to start my day. I raised my phone, flipped the camera, and there she was...this little black cat that popped into our lives last Halloween. She’s a pistol. I could hear her purring as soon as I started talking to her.

I really didn’t want a cat. I didn’t want any pets. Mr. FixIt is enough for me to keep up with and we love to drop what we’re doing and go, go, go. The last thing in the world I wanted was something that would interfere with that. But, when I got back from my sojourn last fall in the raffle camper, I came face to face with this little black fluff ball that came running to me like... “It’s YOU! I’ve been waiting FOREVER!” I turned to my husband and said, “D*** you.” And we both laughed.

Then, he had two strokes. And life slowed down for a while. We were worried. We didn’t know what the future would look like. Mr. FixIt needed something joyful to look forward to just like I did after Mr. Virgo died. I bought a camper. Mr. FixIt got a cat. Every day, he walks out to the building in the mornings to let the kitty out. Whenever he goes out to work, the kitty follows him like a puppy dog. He greets her with “What’s a pretty kitty doin’, huh?” She melts into a puddle on the sidewalk...rolling and stretching and chirping at him. Pretty soon, he picks her up for a little snuggle and a scratch behind the ears and a kiss on top of the head. That’s when I realized...God sent this little kitty to us. We had no idea where she came from. We had no idea we needed her as much as she needed us. It softens my heart when he announces he’s going out to put the cat to bed for the night. He asks her if she wants a treat and he either picks her up and carries her out or she makes a beeline for the building. He shakes out a few little yummies and puts them on top of her food, turns on her light, then tells her goodnight.

We all need to feel needed. A man and his cat...needing each other through the tough times.

❤️

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”
Proverbs 12:10 NIV

Turning My Day Around

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 02:30:00 -0600

Poor Kitty got an abscess that needed to get fixed yesterday. She got a new body suit to protect her stitches.

First off, let me say that any penny ante thing that I had to deal with yesterday pales in comparison with how great it feels to see my sweetheart turning back into his sweet, handsome self. No one wants to hear those words...”You’ve had a stroke.” It takes the starch right out of you. It’s not only a physical blow, but a psychological one, as well. His hand is getting better every day. It’s no longer tingly...just a little numb. Improvement is wonderful. We’ll take that any day of the week! Thank you, Jesus!

That being said, I got up yesterday and went out to open the building so the kitty could go play and I knew right away something was wrong. She wouldn’t come out of her “kitty condo”...that warm bed I made for her when she arrived. I couldn’t even tempt her with her favorite treats. When I finally got her out, I ran my hands over her to find out if she had a sore place and she cried when I touched her left hind quarters.

I immediately put her in her carrier and went to get my purse. I told Mr. FixIt I was taking her to the vet. It was the first time I have left him since the stroke. He’s a grown man, I feel he’s out of immediate danger, and life goes on. I can’t be hyper-vigilant forever. The vet shaved the area where the kitty was hurting and revealed a horrifying sight. She had a hole the size of a golf ball in her side!

It scared me to pieces, but the vet said cats get abscesses easily and while this was a big one, it could be easily fixed. She did have to sedate her because she was not going to just lay there and let them stitch her up. About an hour later, I received a stoned cat with pupils the size of teacups and a “cone of shame” around her head. By the time we got home, Houdini-cat had managed to escape the cone.

We did get it back on her. Then we set up the really big wire dog crate so she was contained but still had room to move around. I hated leaving that cone on her because it inhibited her ability to eat and drink because she’s so little. One of my besties...Diane...is a big cat person. She suggested getting a child-sized t-shirt and jury rigging a kind of body suit so she could still move around but it wouldn’t inhibit her movements so much.

I went to the dollar store and they didn’t have a very good selection of little kid’s clothes. So, I bought a pair of women’s leggings and used one of the legs to fashion a sort of body sleeve that covered the affected area without restricting her movements in any way. I made holes for all four legs and that keeps it pulled down over the stitches and it works great! I also used a kitten collar threaded through small slits (like button holes) that kept the front part in place. And, since there are two legs in a pair of leggings, I can make another body sleeve when this one gets soiled.

So, that was the sucky part of my day. When I got home with the groceries, I made a wonderful meal...probably one of the better meals I’ve made in quite some time. Baked Salmon with Tzatziki, Quinoa with Mushrooms, Fresh Steamed Asparagus. And for dessert...Sugar Free Banana Pudding with Light & Fit Whipped Topping. Yes....we are back in the saddle with our diets working to be our best, most healthy selves.

Salmon with Tzatziki, Quinoa with Mushrooms, and Fresh Steamed Asparagus made for the perfect turnaround to a trying day.

We topped off the day with The Voice. Now, that’s how you turn a bad day around, I’d say.

❤️

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
James 1:2-8 NIV

James 1:2-8 NIV

Sensory Overload

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 02:30:59 -0600

“Here’s a soft kitty to take your mind off of things!”

It’s a well known fact…I hate television. I’ve spent long stretches of time in my life without watching TV and have never missed it. But, I’ve always owned one and had basic cable. I found that to be particularly important when I lived alone out at the family farm here in West Virginia. If there was some kind of alert or a national emergency or impending bad weather, it was important to me to be able to tune in for updates. I just never sit in front of the TV watching endless hours of mindless drivel. That is, until the hearings started.

Oh. My. Gosh. I feel like it is my civic duty to watch to see what is happening AND to further educate myself on the material being presented. I have now watched more television over the course of three days than I have watched in the last decade…total. My head is screaming. My eyes hurt and feel like I have sand in them. My ears are ringing. I’m nauseous and agitated. My temper is short. My memory is shorter.

How on earth do people watch TV all the time? Maybe it’s the material. I’m having to concentrate really hard. I also have to pause the proceedings every once in a while and Google a term or a name to keep track of what’s happening. I’m miserable, but I’m bound and determined to see it through to be an informed American.

That being said, there were several times when I had to ask Mr. FixIt to pause the TV and let me have a break. At which point I went outside for kitty snuggles. Every time I opened the door, this little bundle of sweetness came running for me to pick her up and tuck her in my sweater. We walked around and I listened to the steady rumble of her purr. I talked to her softly and told her what a sweet kitty she is. When my attention seemed to wander, she took her paw and gently touched my face to bring me back to her. Sometimes she would move up and snuggle her head right under my chin.

When sanity returned and the kitten went off to chase a leaf or pounce on a branch blowing in the breeze, I came back in and watched some more. It’s oddly addictive, like watching a train wreck and you can’t look away. Which, I suppose in many ways…it is. These are crazy times we live in…no matter what side of the aisle you sit on. I don’t know how much more of this I can watch…AND…I don’t want to miss anything.

With that…let me offer you a little black kitten to look at to take your mind off it all.

❤️

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalms 139:23-24 NIV

And So...It Begins

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 02:30:17 -0600

“One week. Two vet visits. Still in love!”

The tale of the little black kitten continues. If you’ve been following along, Mr. FixIt broke the news to me gently over breakfast last week that he’d been seeing another woman. Young, sleek, athletic, this raven-haired beauty had stolen his heart when I so ruthlessly left him to his own devices at the Ponderosa. At first, I was stunned that he could so blithely betray me in such a way. And without even a touch of remorse, too! Humph!!!

Then, just a few hours later, I met her myself. I was determined to not like her. I didn’t WANT her in my life. I liked things just the way they were, thank you very much. But, as I was unhooking the camper, Mr. FixIt stole away to find his little lady-friend and bring her ‘round to meet me. She ran to me with wild abandon and every shred of resolve I had to NOT like her dissolved on the spot.

And…we were cat owners. Well…as much as you can actually OWN a cat.

I took the kitten, now appropriately named Pumpkin to fit in with the whole black-cat-on-Halloween vibe, to the vet on Tuesday for her first shots and a thorough exam. She has obviously been handled by people because she isn’t in the least bit worried about anything. After the initial “get me out of this box” dance in the cat carrier, she settled in quite easily. Everyone at the vet’s office remarked how incredibly laid back this kitten is.

She weighs a little over four pounds. Healthy and sleek. Her lab tests showed she does not have feline leukemia nor does she have intestinal parasites. They figured she is around three months old. They gave her the appropriate vaccines and sent us on our way. In two minutes, she was asleep in the carrier and slept all the way home.

I fed her some kitten food, she demonstrated her excellent litter box skills (I didn’t have to train her, by the way) and readily went inside her nice warm kitty condo in the pole building for a well deserved snooze. I came out to check on her a couple of times and each time, she was more and more lethargic.

I called the vet’s office and they said kittens can get reactions like our own babies did when they got their shots and she should be fine, just to watch her. Well, yesterday morning she was even worse. She wouldn’t purr, and when I turned her over in my arms for a cuddle, she cried pitifully and tried to nip at me. I knew this wasn’t right so I called the vet again. They asked me to bring her in for a look.

Turned out, she was running quite a fever. They needed to give her fluids subcutaneously and a dose of an anti inflammatory to get her fever down. I took her home afterward and by evening she was much, much improved.

One of my dearest friends is quite the cat person, so I was sharing all the details with her yesterday. Diane knows me well. I could just see the look on her face as she read about the “first real emergency”. I think eye-rolling might have been involved just before the “lol”. I’m a bit of a princess. Maybe ever so slightly “high needs”. I think it’s only fitting that God sends me a kitten to love who is, perhaps, a “Delicate Flower 2.0”, as Diane put it.

Kismet. Karma. God has a sense of humor.

The thing is, I haven’t loved an animal for a long time. Oh, we had Cricket…Mr. Virgo’s little Yorkie-Maltese mix who was already ten years old when we met. Cricket was hard to be head over heels in love with. She barked incessantly and did her business anywhere she darn well pleased in my house. She did not like my grandchildren because she did not understand what these little aliens were. I loved her because she was one of God’s creatures, and because she was Mr. Virgo’s. I loved Old Mama Kitty, but I couldn’t pick her up and hold her. I loved my black lab, Sidney. And then there was that dog of my heart, Boofer…oh, I was crushed when she had to be put down with a brain tumor at only seven.

No, I had closed off my heart to pets. I swore I would never go down this road again. Then, this little ball of fur came bounding into my arms and something opened up in my chest that I didn’t even realize was closed. Something all soft and sweet and vibrant, like the purring of a thousand kittens, vibrated in my heart and I became just a little bit more…alive.

❤️

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”
Proverbs 12:10 NIV

Meet.....Pumpkin, the Kitten!

Sat, 02 Nov 2019 01:30:07 -0600

“Kitty has an appropriate Halloween name…Pumpkin!”

I hit the ground running yesterday. The first order of business was to haul the camper to the nearest dump station…a lovely fifty-four mile round trip drive out to and up the interstate and back. When I woke up at 8:00, it was a whopping 36 degrees. Two hours later, when I was finally hooked up and ready to go, it was all the way up to 37! Ohhhhh, I really wasn’t looking forward to that, but it had to be done. Last night’s overnight low was predicted to get down to 27 and stay there for four hours. That’s when you get freezing and possible damage to water lines in a camper.

The only way I have ever winterized a camper was to run pink RV antifreeze through the lines. But this camper is different. I looked it up on YouTube and it said to open the drains, dump the tanks, pour some antifreeze in the wastewater tanks to keep any residual from freezing, and take out the element in the hot water heater. Then, you go around and turn on each faucet, one at a time, and turn on the water pump. Any residual water left inside should drain out through the low water drain. It worked like a charm! But, man…I was chilled to the bone when I was done.

I pulled the camper back home and unhooked, fully expecting to head back to town and run errands on my list that’s a mile long. As I sat in the truck, I took inventory. Have you ever had to sit yourself down and give yourself a stern talking to? Well, that was me yesterday. I was feeling overwhelmed by the expectations I was placing on myself. No one else was telling, or even asking, me to get everything done. I counted up what I had already accomplished. I looked at the list to see what I could do alone, and what I would need Mr. FixIt’s help with. I checked off the list of phone calls I had already made. Then I took a physical inventory. My shoulders and neck were so tense and tight, I was getting a headache. My body was just…tired. So…I gave myself permission to kick back for the rest of the day.

I got out of the truck and the little black kitten came running and rubbed against my legs. I reached down and picked it up and really gave it a good once-over. Well, except for checking the nether regions. It still just didn’t occur to me to look. I was more interested in testing the kitten’s demeanor. One of the tests you do with puppies is to cradle them in your arm on their backs to see if they trust you. An alpha won’t have anything to do with that. And that may be a more stubborn, if not aggressive, animal. I didn’t know if it worked with cats, but this little baby let me roll it over and snuggle and scratch it all over. It purred like an Evinrude motor on a power boat. It head butts you to snuggle face to face and taps you very gently on the face. What a precious baby!

I held it up to look face to face.

“What is your name, little one? Hmmm? Is it…Spooky? You’re a black little who came to me on Halloween. It should be a festive name to commemorate the holiday. How about Snickers? You’re pretty sweet, and that’s my favorite Halloween candy. Someone suggested Ash or Asher, but I don’t know whether you’re a boy or girl. They thought Boo was cute, but that’s what we call our little Boone, now isn’t it.”

By this time, I was at the bay doors on the pole building. There is an old kitchen stool there and Mr. FixIt put a couple of our pumpkins on it. I plopped the kitten down and took a picture. I looked up from the camera app on my iPhone and smiled.

“Pumpkin! THAT’S your name, isn’t it?!?! I knew if I listened close enough, you’d tell me, you sweet little snuggle-bug.” I picked up the kitty and was again serenade with that mystical sound of purring. Now that the kitten has a name, Pumpkin just rolls off my tongue. So sweet, so simple. Such simple pleasures found in a sweet kitten. I had forgotten. The last time I had a kitten this size, I was in 9th grade and I talked my mom into letting me have a little orange marmalade kitten from my friend Sharon’s cat.

I gave the kitten a little more snuggle time and then went in to stretch out and read till Mr. FixIt came home. My nose was running like a sugar tree from handling the cat, but I wasn’t wheezing. That was a good sign. I washed my hands well, and was careful not to touch my face or eyes. I’m definitely allergic, but we’ll see how much of this I can get away with. Because this feels like something I didn’t even know I needed. Kittens are good medicine.

I have an appointment Tuesday for a checkup and shots. We’ll see how old Pumpkin is and when we can get him/her fixed. Today I will fix a winter box with a pet safe heating pad in it. I had those for the cats out at the farm. I’ll also get a heated water dish. The kitten seems to really like the safety of the building. We won’t have any mice in there anymore once this one gets big enough to catch them. And, there isn’t any poison in there. It’s a good, clean, safe place to sleep all cozy warm in a kitty condo. When we are home, the kitten is glued to us so…I think we’ve got this!

Oh, and I slept in the house for the first time in a month last night. I feel like I’m in prison after the freedom of the road. It’ll take time to acclimate, but last night’s low of 27 drove me back inside. In the meantime, I am filled with wonderful memories of the latest “Great Adventure”!

❤️

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
Isaiah 55:12 NIV

Re-Entry Begins!

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 01:30:08 -0600

“And, just like that…two became three.”

It was a very long day yesterday. I ended up pulling the camper myself with my truck and it did fine. Mr. FixIt is pretty sure the problem was a rock in the brakes. We’ll get it checked before we head anywhere with it. That was a big relief.

The weather yesterday was terrible driving home. We came through some torrential rain and as soon as we got home, the weather channel gave a tornado warning from the same storm. There are thousands without power from the wind. It seems I got home just in time for some wintery weather. I’ll have to winterize the camper after all…something I was hoping to avoid by heading south. We’ll still get there, but there’s quite a lot of work that needs to be done here at the Ponderosa before we can leave. The cold weather just caught up with me, I’m afraid.

As I’m writing this, I am home and snuggled in bed…in the camper! I can’t give it up yet. Re-entry has always been a problem for me. I love sleeping in a camper and this camper is especially comfortable. So, we’ll try a little cold weather camping this week and see how she does. After all, we’re out on five acres…it’s like our own little campground!

Another little thing happened yesterday. My world shifted. Mr. FixIt sat me down after breakfast yesterday and told me he had something to tell me. Oh, what woman wants to hear THAT? It seems, that while I was gone Mr. FixIt has been keeping company with someone else…a little black kitten that someone dumped at the Ponderosa. He’s been feeding it. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say. I’ve been determined to never have another pet. Then, when I got out of my truck at the house, this little black fur ball came running to me like it had been waiting its whole little life for ME! I’ve never seen such a friendly cat and my heart melted.

And, like that…two became three.

We have a cat!

❤️

“There is no fear in love...”
1 John 4:18 NIV

The Farm and Me

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 02:30:22 -0600

“The Farm is my ultimate happy place!”

If the weather hadn’t turned colder yesterday, I would have spent the night out in TOW-Wanda last night. But, with a low of 17 degrees forecast, I opted for the next best thing and headed to the farm! I made sure Mr. FixIt had everything he needed, filled him with more cold meds, propped him up in his recliner with a cover and a heating pad and made my escape. He still has some potato soup to warm up and I promised I’d be back sometime today. I could sit and watch him suffer and watch TV, or I could write. With his full support, I chose writing.

And write I did! As of the time I am typing this post, I’ve written 7141 words since Thursday morning at 11:00. That’s a lot of words! The goal when you write is just to get the rough draft down. Write it all out…worry about editing later. That is the most difficult part for me. I want it perfect the first time so I don’t have to go back over it again. I don’t know anyone that works for.

I stopped at my cousin’s barn on the way out here yesterday to leave 80 cans of cat food and a 40 pound bag of dry cat food. Yes, I was prepared for the winter and had just purchased all that a few days before the cats were moved to their new home in the big barn. So, they were gifted cat food aplenty! I was thrilled to learn the kitties are hanging out there and haven’t wandered off. I saw Kitty Boy, the young short hair. My cousin said they were both there last night when he fed them. There are six roosters down at the barn and they all get along fine. This makes me happy!

The farm is my time machine. Every time I get to stay here, I am swept back to my childhood. I get to feel all those really great feelings again. This farm and TOW-Wanda are my happy places. Right now, as I write this, I am propped up in Grandma’s bed. I cracked the window open when I first got here so I can hear the water running in the creek. We’ve had a lot of rain this week so the runoff is pretty high.

I’ve been really surprised we haven’t lost more trees out here. There are mudslides all around these parts this time of year. The ground freezes hard and when it thaws, it’s aerated. Then the heavy rains come and the ground gets so saturated, all it takes is a good windstorm and trees get uprooted. Mud and rocks slip down, sometimes covering the road…sometimes taking the road along with it.

As Mr. FixIt came home from bowling Thursday night, he called me to say there was a huge tree lying across the road at the top of a hill less that two miles from the house. He managed to turn around and, knowing every backroad within fifty miles of here, made a quick shortcut that would bring him back out on the two lane just past the tree. We were asking on the phone as he drove when he said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I asked what was wrong and he said he drove right into standing water on the road. He wasn’t driving too fast…it was just there before he knew it. It’s easy to see how people can get caught up and swept away in high water when you have little to no warning it’s ahead. Thank goodness, he got right through and was home in no time.

I stopped at the Piggly Wiggly on the way to the farm and picked up a few things. I had a small steak and baked potato for dinner. Yummmm! I’ll spend today writing and doing laundry before I head home. I hope you all are planning a wonderful weekend! ❤️

“My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”
Psalm 45:1 NIV

Moving Day for the Felines

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 02:30:46 -0600

“Boy Cat…a beautiful, long haired farm cat…moved to my cousin’s barn yesterday.”

I have been in a bit of a dilemma the last couple of months. We have had an inordinate amount of rain in West Virginia this year. We have a leaky stairwell with a very slow drain at the Ponderosa. So, when it rains…especially those long, soaking rains that last multiple days…the drain easily becomes overwhelmed and the basement floods. We have two sump pumps, but someone has to remain here to make sure they are operating correctly to keep the water level down. This is something we wanted to fix last summer, but Mr. FixIt really couldn’t use a jackhammer that soon after the reconstruction surgery he had on his hand last winter. It has to wait till this coming summer and that means we are tied here.

Boy Cat and Kitty Boy, the two farm cats couldn’t come live at the Ponderosa. We live on a very busy highway and they know nothing about busy roads. I was too afraid they would be hit and killed here. I left them at the farm and traded off with my cousin and his wife, taking turns feeding them. The plan was to stay at the farm for long stretches which would give my cousin a break from feeding, but the weather hasn’t been cooperating and being newlyweds…we like to be together. As the weather has deteriorated into icy winter storms, my trips have become fewer and farther between.

Last summer, Charlotte offered to take the cats to her farm, but then she got a new rabbit and we were afraid the kitties would hurt her bunny. When another bunny arrived, it was a definite now, as nature would have it, the bunnies died…one after the other. First, to a predator. The second to old age. The other day, Charlotte called and renewed her offer to take Boy Cat and Kitty Boy down the road to be the resident barn cats. I was so grateful because the barn has lots of hay to burrow down in, lots of mice to catch, and someone to love on them every day. AND…I can go visit anytime I want!

I’ve grown to love these two boys, and this just seemed like the most loving and responsible thing to do. They have been neutered so they aren’t going to produce a bunch of new feral kitties. Charlotte really has a way with them. Boy Cat will rub on my legs but has never let me pick him up. Charlotte can pick him up and love on him whenever she is there. Kitty Boy is still too skittish, but I’ll bet she will have him in her lap one of these days. I just bought a huge bag of cat food and 80 cans of soft food so I’ll deliver that the next time I’m over there. I will also give them the feral cat boxes, the electric heated pads for inside, the cat carriers, as well as the heated water dish. These barn kitties are royals…I’m so happy they have someone to love on them! ❤️

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”
Proverbs 12:10 NIV

The Velvet Blue of Dusk

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 01:30:40 -0600

“"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 ESV

This is the time of year where the days are noticeably shorter, yet the weather still screams “summer”. After a lovely day at the farm, Mr. FixIt and I had to drive back over to his house to get my truck. He has a job to do in town the next few days and we didn’t even think of having two vehicles till yesterday afternoon. I love having him around. I also love some alone time at the farm. I have the best of all worlds.

I threw some old carrots out on the lawn where the deer were gathered the other night. I sat out on the front porch at sunset to watch for them to come get their treat. As I sat there waiting, I tuned my ears to the sounds around me. There was a cardinal darting in the underbrush along the creek….chattering at the cats who must be nearby. Tree frogs, katydids, and locusts provided a chorus for free. I haven’t heard crickets here like I usually do. They didn’t show up at the Ponderosa till earlier this month. I thought that was odd.

I heard a passenger jet flying high overhead as we are on a flight path to somewhere. The occasional vehicle passes. Thankfully the traffic has slowed considerably due to the stage of construction on the pipeline and compressor station. And, of course, the condition of the road warrants slowing down.

There are very few flowers in bloom now. There is some sort of small purple flower in the ditch along the driveway. Some leaves are changing already. The dogwood have hints of pink and crimson. The berries on them aren’t red yet. There are little flashes of yellow at the tips of some branches on the hillside across the road. The incessant humming of the refrigerator is in the background.

This is the time of year when I am called out to the front porch to soak in every moment I can before Jack Frost sends me indoors. There wasn’t a breath of a breeze. The humidity was nearly 60%. It was still 84 degrees at 7:00pm. A Jenny Wren scolded the neighbor as he took his dog for a walk around the perimeter of his property. The wild turkeys in the woods across the way have gone to roost.

Another day is done. I’ve avoided the news. I’ve embraced the peaceful surroundings at the farm. I’ve seen pictures loved ones have shared. This little one had her first day of Girl Scouts. That one is recovering from surgery. Another one was out feeding the chickens. I am filled with grace and a peace beyond understanding. It is well. It is well…with my soul. ❤️

Feeling Stronger Every Day

Mon, 03 Sep 2018 01:30:27 -0600

“I love Psalms.”

“Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you,” Exodus 23:25 NIV

Remember that song? You never realize how sick you were till you feel better. My medication list just got longer...for the next twelve days, at least. But it’s a small price to pay at this point.

I went to the farm yesterday to look for something and do some laundry. When I walked up on the back porch, I noticed the cats had left a Ritual Sacrifice to the Food God. This one was of the rodent variety. Not sure of the significance, but it is their way of showing love…however icky. At least it wasn’t one of my pretty songbirds. As I was feeding Boy Cat, he shot past me and made a bee line for the driveway. I knew he was after something and soon he came back proudly carrying a frog to present to me. Of course, as soon as he set down the frog in front of me, it took off. I managed to shoo that cat enough to give the frog a chance to make his escape and soon Boy Cat was happily munching on his real supper.

As I walked into the house, I saw all the boxes. I have to tell you, my heart sank for a moment. I was so sick last week that I actually forgot for a moment they were out there. They’ll have to wait for a while though. Winter is coming fast enough and I’m not going to miss out on a moment of this gorgeous weather coming up. We are to have a very hot week, then things should cool off. There are already a lot of leaves changing around here. Spots of gold are everywhere and leaves are falling on some varieties of trees. I won’t mind cool nights. They make sleeping so much better.

The grass desperately needs cut out at the farm and I was actually smart enough to refrain from trying to mow it myself. I consider that a major accomplishment. I am not always to responsible. Unfortunately, I have shared this virus with Mr. FixIt and he’s feeling pretty miserable this evening. I certainly hope I can get him through this quickly. I don’t think he will have the same lung issue with it because he doesn’t have asthma like me. Thank goodness! I’m sterilizing everything because these respiratory viruses can live on surfaces for ten days. That’s how people keep getting reinfected.

Well, it’s Monday. Go out there and make it a good week and be good to each other. A smile can be such a blessing to someone that it bounces right back on you! ❤️

The Boys in the ‘Hood

Sat, 25 Aug 2018 01:30:54 -0600

“The farm cats chilling out on my picnic table.”

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We had to mow at the farm yesterday. The growth of the grass has slowed down a bit here in West Virginia. We’re back to once a week now instead of every four days. I stripped the bed and did laundry between my turns on the mower. If we tag team, neither one of us get overheated.

When we arrived, they were working on the road right in front of the house. What a mess. Now when the traffic goes by, huge white clouds of dust rise up and billow over everything. It was so bad you could taste it. The only upside…and it is a stretch to find any upside in this situation…the only upside is, the cars and 4-wheelers can no longer fly up the straight stretch in front of the house. I’m always afraid one of those 4-wheelers is going to roll and kill the rider. No helmet at fifty miles per hour. Oy!

We ate the last of the ribs for supper last night. What a treat they were! I did figure something out though. When I smoke ribs, I’m going to have to smoke a BUNCH of them at once and freeze some because…it took three hours to clean that smoker yesterday. That’s a lot of work to have it gone so quickly. I recently purchased some products from Norwex. They have special cloths that you can clean without using cleaning chemicals. They also have a sponge with a metallic scrubby surface. I used their cleaning paste and that scrubby sponge and the smoker looked brand new when I finished. I used the polishing cloth on the glass and there is no smoke film or baked on grease splatters at all.

When the yard was done and the laundry folded, we packed up and headed back over to the Ponderosa. As we were leaving, I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of the boys hanging out on my picnic table. They are obviously from the same lineage. They are two years apart. The longhair is Boy Cat…he’s the elder. The shorthair is Kitty Boy…he’s the feral one who won’t let you near him. He was being uncharacteristically chill yesterday and didn’t bat an eyelash when I scooted closer to catch this photo. These two are inseparable.

When we got home, the great grand baby was there with her entourage. We hadn’t seen her in nearly a month. She’s just now going through separation anxiety so she didn’t want to have anything to do with anyone but her mommy. It was wonderful to see everyone and wrap up a productive day with some relaxing family time.

Simple days like this seemed impossible after losing Mr. Virgo. He was estranged from his family and mine lived nearly three hours away. We didn’t get to have these impromptu family gatherings. After Mr. Virgo’s death, I wasn’t sure I would ever have another relationship. I know it’s different for everyone after loss. I didn’t expect this, but I am grateful to have this life. It is rich and full.

❤️ ***Little Khloe got to go home from the hospital yesterday. She will be home a week then return for outpatient chemotherapy. So, I can go back to using my signature red heart. ❤️

Country Life is Not for Sissies!

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 01:30:40 -0600

“There was a little squirrel…”

Yesterday was the most beautiful so far this year. The temperature got up to 82…truly hot on the front porch at 5:00. I think this “cold” might be allergies. I was listening to the news and they said with the late spring rains and cool temperatures, the pollen counts have been held down. That is, until the last couple of days. It warmed up dramatically and the wind whipped the pollen count into a veritable poison soup for those of us allergic to everything outdoors. I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t already been taking antihistamines.

I was sitting in the front window sipping my morning coffee and trying to decide if I was going to live or not when something outside caught my eye. A dark shadow passed by the window. When I looked closer, it was a vulture…sitting on my lawn. I swear he was looking at me. Dang…I knew I didn’t feel great, but…vultures? I was worried. So I went back to bed.

With enough Benadryl on board to knock out a line backer, I snoozed half the afternoon away but woke up feeling much better. My cousin Charlotte stopped by to visit…my first “front porch company” of the season! She brought me a cute little camper birdhouse I can’t wait to hang up. New birds are showing up every day here at the farm. The brown headed cowbirds are back. And some really big blue jays. And, of course…vultures! Oy.

I was wandering around last evening, checking out the flowers when I noticed Boy Cat chasing something…bigger than the usual mouse he’s after…definitely not a bird. I got closer and it was a….baby squirrel. I screamed. The cat froze, and for a moment, the little squirrel managed to get a couple of feet away. The cat and I stared each other down. I was praying for a little time for the baby to get to a safe place. The cat read my mind as I lunged for the little fur-ball and he took off like a shot. I grabbed a flower pot as the cat and I closed in but try as I might, I couldn’t get the pot over the baby! He scampered under the trailer with a blur of orange and white fur hot on his tail. The little squirrel wedged itself between the tire and the chock and I tried to shoo away the cat. He stood his ground like a Sherman tank. I made one last attempt by grabbing the baby squirrel’s tail but that spooked him and he took off under the camper. I scrambled around but I couldn’t get to him. I couldn’t help it. I really tried. But I had to get up and run in the house and close the door. I couldn’t watch. That was one determined cat. I can only pray the little squirrel got away.

These are the norms of nature. Farm cats kill little wild things. And sometimes bigger wild things kill farm cats. The only thing that I am grateful for is Boy Cat didn’t leave a dead baby squirrel on my doorstep as a gift for his Food God. That would have done me in. ❤

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

#Animals, #kindness, #farmlife

Rain on a Tin Roof

Wed, 28 Mar 2018 01:30:17 -0600

“Boy Cat”

Mr. FixIt and I both have a stack of things to do so we’re hunkered down in our respective houses working away. There’s taxes and banking, a new computer to set up, bills to pay, and writing deadlines. Every day I get a greater sense of urgency to copy my Facebook posts over to my website and it stuns me how much content is there. I know there is an end, but it’s nowhere in sight at the moment. I have been copying each post to the website for the last sixteen months. The backlog is entered up to September 2014, with a few blank spots I have to fill in.

If you have to be stuck inside doing paperwork, at least the weather isn’t sunny and warm outside. It rained off and on all day yesterday and as I typed this post last night, a gentle rain pattered on the tin roof of the farm house. I cannot hear that sound without smiling. I know every sound, every creak, every settling whisper of this old house. When I am here, I am wrapped in the arms of family memories as comforting as one of grandma’s quilts. The weather forecast shows a prolonged rain pattern which is typical for this time of year in West Virginia. It’s mud season. So there will be a few more nights of rain song here at “Marshmallow Ranch.”

The daffodils are almost open here on the farm. This little holler stays a good bit cooler than some of the surrounding area because we don’t get a lot of sun. Our flowers are always just a little bit behind. When I was copying posts over yesterday, there were several pictures of the farm in all its verdant splendor. I want time to slow down from now to October. I want to pay very close attention to the buds and flowers and leaves and not miss a thing. I want to stay present and mindful. We are heading into my very favorite time of the year and I am going to enjoy every second of it! ❤️

“Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.” ‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭10:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Peace

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 01:30:52 -0600

“Peace on the Porch”

I don’t think you can see in this picture, but there are some forsythia starting to bloom on the far side of the bank and some quince on this side. Another day or two and you’ll really be able to see them. Not much green on the hillsides yet, but the fields and lawns are greening up nicely here in West Virginia.

I came out to the farm for a little retreat because I have some writing deadlines. Yesterday, I worked on copying posts over to the website again. I have to spend some time on it every day and get it done before Facebook implodes. I’m up to the point in the blog where I am downsizing. Selling the house, getting rid of 95% of my personal belongings. Getting the house staged. I am not taking the time to read these posts as a rule, but a couple of the headlines caught my attention and I skimmed through two or three of the posts. OMGosh! I had totally forgotten how horrendous that whole process was! I am SO happy to be on the other side of it now.

As I was writing yesterday afternoon, I had the doors open to let the breeze through and air out the house. All of a sudden, I heard the screen door in the kitchen open and close. I jumped up like I was shot and looked in and there was Boy Cat on his way into the house. He took one look at me and thought better of it and backed out slowly. I went in and shut the door because I don’t have a hook on that screen. Tricky boy!

Then last night I was propped up writing this when I heard a mighty crash on the back porch and knew right away what it was. I had left the lid off the cat food can. I ran out and sure enough, there was a little possum in the can, munching away. I shooed him off and locked the lid on. Just a little while later, I had to break up a cat fight just outside the back door. Then not too long after that, I heard what I assume was the neighbor’s dog trotting up the creek past my bedroom window to see if there were any treats to be had. Sorry Mr. Doggy…Mr. Possum got here first!

Such is life back on the farm. I love it here and especially miss it in the spring. We need to stay here more now that the spring flowers will be in bloom before long. Life is good…no matter where we are. ❤️

““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

January Walkabout

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 02:30:47 -0600

Although I am at the farm quite often, I only do a real walkabout once every month or two. I check the outbuildings for damage, do a quick inventory of the chores that need doing, watch for trees than need felled before they come down where I don’t want them, and get a feel for the land in every season. That way I am more aware when things look out of the ordinary and I can fix them right away. I’ve noticed the old tool shed has tipped more toward the barn so this summer I’m going to have to get down under the back corner with a hydraulic jack to even it up. The yard is yet again full of mole hills. I need to spread something to kill the cutworms they feed on and that will send them on to greener pastures. I need to get ahead of the poison ivy in the spring. It’s easy to spot the vines when the leaves are off. The vines are “hairy” and often grow up the sides of buildings and other trees.

Yesterday, Boy Cat accompanied me as I meandered about the lower land around the farmhouse. His soft mewing and purring let me know he was glad to see me, even though he rarely comes close to me. I am nothing more than his Food God…”The One Who Opens the Can”. He is very sweet and I’m always grateful nothing has gotten him in the surrounding woods where he hunts. I still mourn for Old Mama Kitty. The sad thing about losing farm cats…there is seldom “closure”. Kitty Boy, the youngster, has grown into a sturdy, sleek, shorthaired version of Boy Cat. He is as aloof as ever and will not be on the porch at the same time as me. He will sit still and look at me if I stand in the kitchen and look out the back door. Nothing I have ever done has won him over…he is truly a wild boy.

The hydrangea is heavy with dried flower clusters…some as big as luncheon plates. The tubs that caught rain at the corners of the house got caught in the freeze and unfortunately have burst their seams. I want to get a couple plastic fifty-five gallon drums to catch the rainwater. Here in West Virginia, you can have cisterns to filter and store rainwater for washing, cooking, and drinking if you boil it. In Colorado, it is against the law to catch rain because we do not own that water. It has been sold to drier climates downstream. They are dead serious about it, too. I noticed several honeybees in my bird feeder yesterday. The weather is warming up and they are browsing for something to eat. I’ll look up what to put out for them and do that the next time I’m at the farm.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can spend the weekend out there. Mr. Fixit built a dam in the stairwell going to the basement to keep the water from flooding in like it did week before last. We are due for some heavy rains in the next few days and we need to make sure that protects the basement before we leave for any length of time. Ahhh, the downside of country living…there is always something needing built, rebuilt, repaired or torn down.

Oh….and an update on the snowy owl. The rescue folks got his weight up and his wing healed nicely. They took him north to the south shore of Lake Erie over the weekend and released him back into the wild. They posted a slow motion video of him taking flight and heading off into the distance. It was a beautiful thing. He was a magnificent creature and there is every hope he will thrive as they released him in the southernmost region of his winter territory. Several other snowy owls were reported in the region so he should do well.

That’s all from West Virginia today. I hope you all are well and maybe enjoying a little “spring-like weather” before the next cold snap. It was in the mid-60’s yesterday. I’ll take that any day of the week over the frigid temps we faced at the first of the year. ❤️

“Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭13:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

My Accidental Love

Tue, 21 Nov 2017 02:30:28 -0600

Old Mama Kitty is gone. I haven’t seen her in six days. She’s always at the back door, right at supper time. There were a couple of times this summer when she was gone for a day or two, but never six. She’s old. I know that. Just this fall, she seemed to be telling me she was tired. She has one leg that trembles sometimes…and not necessarily because of a chill in the air.

Being a farm cat, Mama is tough. She doesn’t take any guff from the younger boy cats. If they get too close to her feeding dish, she has no problem swatting them away…claws and fangs bared. They give her a wide berth on the front porch, arcing around her, well out of kitty reach with sly glances from the corner of their eyes. She has probably been to the vet once in her life and that was when she was spayed. She’s never been sick that I know of. She will act like she wants you to pet her, then she swats you if you linger too long. She’s one tough kitty.

I thought we’d lost her back in 2014 when I first came to the farm. I walked down to the road to get the mail and coming back, there…by the end of the driveway…was a yellow cat that had been hit by a car. I came up to the house to get my work gloves and a shovel. My aunt was still living on the farm at the time. I went to her and told her I was sorry, but Old Mama Kitty was hit by a car and was gone. I went back down and picked up the cat to take it up by the barn to bury it when…I saw the evidence. This was definitely NOT Old Mama Kitty. This was a boy! I wish I would have had the wherewithal to check that out before I told my aunt.

I had only had one cat in my life before coming to the farm. Ginger was yellow with deep gold stripes. I didn’t seem to be allergic to her as a teenager but the older I got, the more indoor cats bothered me. Ginger went to another home when I moved to England after I was married. Mom hadn’t wanted a cat in the first place. She just tolerated her for me.

I’ve always been more of a dog person. Dogs are easy to understand. Feed them. Throw the ball. Scratch the good places. Go for walks. They will worship the ground you walk on. Dogs have owners. Cats have staff. You are extra special if a cat loves you. It means you’ve met the criteria.

The problem with pets is, unless you own a large bird or a turtle, they are going to die before you. And every time a pet dies, they take more of your heart away. I’ve had to put four dogs down in my lifetime. It kills me.

I don’t want to think of Mama Kitty as “gone”. But, this is what happens with farm animals sometimes. They seem to know when it is their time, I think. I feel a little guilty though. I’ve been away a lot the last couple of weeks helping Mr. FixIt clean and paint his house. I was at the farm every day to feed the cats and spend time with them. Then, six days ago, she just wasn’t there. I called and called and called. It’s sad because I really came to love her. She’s been around forever. She was my Uncle Bob’s cat. He died in 2005. It’s like losing a family member. I know there is still a slim chance she could come back, but I really think it’s time to let her go.

Pope John Paul II stated that animals have souls and are important beings in God’s creation. And, since souls can go to heaven, it isn’t a stretch to picture our pets running and jumping on us when we get there. I hope to see all my fur babies when I get there!

I inherited Old Mama Kitty with the farm. She was my accidental love. And…I’ll really miss her. ❤️

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25:23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Sentinels

Sun, 12 Nov 2017 02:30:11 -0600

We survived the first day of painting…barely! It wasn’t a problem working together. That part was awesome! We put on ‘70s music and be-bopped around the living room, dancing and singing and having a grand time making each other laugh. Till we had to move the treadmill out of the corner and into the middle of the room to paint around it. The part you walk on folds up and you pull back on the entire thing to make it stand on two wheels. This allegedly makes it move easier. Well, not so on carpet. I bent down and grabbed the front legs and helped Mr. FixIt move this thing several feet. I’m not sure what happened, but when we set the front end down, it came down like a shot and the handles slammed me in the side of the head so hard it literally knocked me off my feet and sent me flying about six feet. It didn’t hurt as bad as it surprised me. And of course, scared Mr. FixIt to death. I laid there on the floor for a couple minutes to let the bells stop ringing in my head and got up. I’m fine, thank God!

We finished painting the ceiling in time for the kickoff of the WVU game so I left Mr. FixIt to his own devices and headed to the farm to feed the cats. The last couple of years, I’ve been trying to embrace fall and not hate it as the harbinger of winter. I’m trying to embrace winter, too…but, one thing at a time. As I drove across the two-lane, I made myself look at the landscape. In the past I would just feel sadness that the leaves were gone. This time, I asked myself to name something lovely. Suddenly…I saw texture. Where leaves were densely packed in the summer months, bare trees now stand and you can see the ridges and waterways that they line. “Name one thing that’s lovely.” The sycamore. They stand like ghostly sentinels, guardians of the creek banks, their white arms stretched toward the sky. Their limbs are crooked like a gnarly witch’s hand, the last of their dinner-plate sized leaves clinging curled and crispy to the uppermost limbs. Their round, light mustard-brown seed pods dangle like ornaments silhouetted against the sky.

Once I noticed them, I saw sycamores everywhere. They were so beautiful. As I drove back from the farm, the sun was setting and the light turned rose-gold. The trees on the hillside looked like the tips of paintbrushes dipped in yellow and gold, orange and red…only the tippy-top leaves were left. Soon the winter winds will strip all but the most hardy leaves and the twigs and branches will create a mosaic against a thin blue sky. There was a hard freeze last night…a hoar frost still clinging to the frozen grass. As I pulled into the driveway at Mr. FixIt’s house, ten deer were out grazing in the field. I sat there for a while, contemplating. It was a good day. This is a good life. I am healthy, loved, secure…happy. I smiled and went inside to start supper. ❤️

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Ice Cream Truck...for Adults

Sat, 21 Oct 2017 01:30:23 -0600

I finally broke down and got Amazon Prime. Living out here in the boonies makes shopping difficult sometimes…especially in winter. And, while I try to buy local at every opportunity, there are things that I’m not willing to compromise on like saving money. Prime gives you free two day shipping. It pays for itself quickly. Also, I love the music channel. I can ask Alexis to play “Kari Jobe” or “Contemporary Christian Rock” and she gets right to it.

I’ve told you before but, since downsizing, I’m very careful about what I accumulate. It would be very easy to let things get out of control. If I run across something I think I might need, I jot it down on a list in my iPhone. If I haven’t thought of it in a couple of weeks, I figure I don’t need it and take it off the list. When I get four or five items on the list, I go on Amazon and put them in my cart but I don’t actually buy them. If I haven’t bought them in a week or two, I re-evaluate whether I really need that particular item. Often, my fascination with it wanes or I figure out how to use something I already have.

I placed an order this week and the UPS man backed up my driveway this afternoon. Four boxes arrived and it felt like Christmas! I ordered some probiotics for the best price around. I bought Lisa Mora’s book called Vintage Trailer Style. (I’ve been eyeing it for months. Cute camper ideas.) I ordered a microwaveable corn bag to warm my feet up at night. I have a barley one but cannot find it anywhere. And I bought a small gas stove for the bathroom. You may remember I replaced the stove in there in the spring, but we got the thing hooked up before we realized the stove had no thermostat. I thought we’d get by, but a stove that runs all the time soon has this little house WAY too hot! This new stove is exactly like the other one but with a thermostat. We’ll get that installed this weekend…another winter prep job.

I mowed the yard yesterday. I put the mower away in the barn so hopefully I won’t have to drag it out again this fall. I mulched the leaves into the lawn for extra fertilizer. I covered the air conditioner with heavy plastic for winter. I got the lawn chairs put away in the basement and worked on the back porch. It has become a catch all this summer and it was getting out of control. Still didn’t get the cat beds fixed yet. As I was writing this last night, Old Mama Kitty knocked one of the beds off the table and onto the cement porch floor. It sounded like a bear was getting into a trash can. I jumped and looked out the back door. When I went out, poor Mama came running like she needed me to save her from that big, bad plastic tub. ?

We’re supposed to have good weather this weekend and rain comes Monday. There’s a meteor shower this weekend. Get away from the city lights to someplace dark and enjoy Morher Nature’s fireworks. ❤️

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

#UPS, #cleanhouse, #farmlife

Tea Time

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 01:30:02 -0600

I’m a coffee drinker but I can’t have it after about noon or I’ll be counting the spots on the ceiling all night. I can drink tea at night without a problem. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I share tea time with Mr. FixIt every evening. He catches up with the news on his phone. I sit here on the sofa, write my post and schedule it for 4:00 in the morning so you can read it when you have YOUR cuppa.

I always liked tea, even as a young girl. But, I really got into it when I lived in England. I learned to drink it with cream and a side of “digestive biscuits”…England’s counterpart for graham crackers. I bought a Brown Betty while I was there…a sturdy, brown, earthenware teapot that keeps your tea at a proper temperature for quite some time. I was taught to put in a teaspoon of loose leaf tea per cup and add one for the pot. I poured my cream into the pot then fresh, boiling water. I let it steep till it was the color I like and poured it through a strainer to removed the leaves.

I had my first child in the Royal Berkshire Maternity Hospital. My physician was Mr. Stalabrass (certain physicians are referred to as Mr. in Britain, or at least that’s the way it was forty-three years ago.) I had pre-eclampsia and had to be in the hospital for a week before I had the baby. Every afternoon, an aide would take your lunch tray, close the curtains and the door, and settle you in for a nap. Two hours later, she would come back with a warm face cloth and a tea tray…a lovely pot of tea, finger sandwiches, and sweets. It was divine! They should do that everywhere.

I am working double time trying to give this house a deep cleaning before winter sets in. The water here at the farm is hard and has a lot of iron in it. It turns the porcelain dark brown and takes a great deal of elbow grease to get clean. I discovered a wonderful product called Zap. The tub hasn’t been this white since I was a kid and they installed running water in this house. Seriously…it’s probably some horrid chemical, but the bathroom looks great!

I have to tackle the outside next, scrub the porches, and get the kitty beds ready for cold weather. But, first…another spot of tea! ❤️

“Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭6:6-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A Little R&R

Mon, 09 Oct 2017 01:30:27 -0600

We awoke to the sound of rain gently falling on the tin roof yesterday. What a welcome sound. Something else grabbed my attention. It was stuffy and still in the bedroom. I picked up my phone to check the temperature. No wifi. The power was out so the fan was off. This happens frequently here at the farm. I keep thinking I’ll get a generator but haven’t yet.

Old Mama Kitty curled up at my feet while I sat on the porch, watching the rain. Every time we have this moment, I wonder how much longer we’ll have her. She’s about twenty-four years old now. I love this sweet little kitty.

The persistent rain made me sleepy and I couldn’t get motivated to do much. I did put about half the stuff away in the kitchen that I had brought in from TOW-Wanda. The rest of the day was literally spent doing as little as possible. Sometimes you just need a day like that. Mr. FixIt is like the Energizer bunny. He never stops. I like to do a lot of stuff but when I need down time, I NEED down time. I sent him off to deliver a chair to his granddaughter and go bowling and I spent the afternoon/evening laying low. Just what the doctor ordered!

The only downside of having a lay low, shut in kind of day was not going to church. The only upside to that is the Warehouse Church where we attend goes live on their Facebook page every Sunday night at 7:00 so if I can’t go for some reason, I can watch the sermon from home.

Last night, Pastor Justin spoke on getting past your past. I dragged my past behind me like a sack of rotting garbage for years. I played and replayed every mistake, every misstep, every wrongdoing I ever did and berated myself for being a bad daughter, sister, wife, mother. It turns out, those were all lies…whispered into my life by the enemy. He has no power over the future, but man…does he know how to play the past. There are ways you can use the past. Learning from your mistakes and moving forward, letting the past “push” you into the person God has always intended you to be…THAT’S the only useful thing the past can give you. God uses those mistakes you made in the past to allow you to minister to others, to speak life over them, to demonstrate that you do not have to let your past define who you are. You can get past it. Powerful message. So, I got my lay low day, I had a nap under the sounds of a gentle rain on a tin roof, AND I heard a great message from God. What’s not to love about that? ❤️

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:13-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Curiosity

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 01:05:28 -0600

You know what they say about curiosity…it killed the cat! I don’t know what Kitty Boy was after, but something sure had his attention yesterday. This old stump is what’s left of a poplar tree my Pop-Pop planted when I was a teenager. Poplars grow fast, tall, and straight as an arrow but they are pretty fragile in a storm. Long after Grandma died, my aunt was living here alone and a bad storm blew up. She said that poplar tree was twisting in a circle and she was just sure it was going to come down on the house so the next time her brother came, she had him cut it down. I understand why, but it broke my heart to see it gone. Thoughtfully, they left a tall stump and we use it for the rain gauge…and occasional cat perch. I noticed as I sat and wrote this last night, the rain gauge needs emptying. It’s at five inches. It hasn’t been emptied since before I left for Colorado in early July. I’m sure there has been some evaporation, but I know we had a lot of rain while I was gone.

I noticed when I was mowing yesterday that the creek banks are eroding a lot this year. I pointed it out to Mr. FixIt last night. We’re going to have to line the banks with heavy stones to keep the creek from eating out into the yard and into the foundation of the house. The new dehumidifier is doing a great job and has reduced the humidity in the basement from 75% to 45-50%. That makes the whole house feel more comfortable. This house was built in the early 1930’s. And it was a cheaply made one, at that. The rough sawn timber siding has shrunk over the years and there are now gaps of nearly an inch between them. It has the original tin roof. The walls in the upstairs bedrooms are made of what looks like a stiff corrugated cardboard with several layers of wallpaper accumulated over the years. The basement is unfinished and damp and could use a good coating of a waterproofing product. There’s just a boatload of work that should be done, but here it sits…held together with spit and love.

I was blessed that my friend Charlotte mowed for me while I was gone. It rained the last several days though so I couldn’t mow till yesterday. I swear I could have used a bailer on it! It was still pretty wet and the grass clumped up bad as I mowed. It kept clogging up the grass chute and I’d have to stop, turn off the mower, clear it out, and start up again. It was in the 90’s yesterday and I had to keep taking breaks. It took five attempts to get the yard done and I didn’t even attempt the area up by the barn. I don’t have a rake here. Well, there may be one up in the barn somewhere but this is snake and spider season so if it’s up there, there it’s staying for now. Mr. FixIt called before he headed to the farm yesterday and I asked if he could bring me a rake. He had to kind of piece one together from parts but it’ll do. As I am writing this, he is out in the yard, raking up those ugly clumps of wet grass so they don’t kill spots in my yard. What a good man!

It sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? This farm…this old house…this home of my heart. It is. Things are always breaking or fumbling but I fix them and move on. Yesterday it was the water. I was running a bath and it was sputtering and sent bits of black sediment from the hot water heater. It’s old and fragile. I flushed it out for a while, checked the pump, and checked the heater itself. I think it was from sitting dormant for a month. After I flushed it out it seemed fine. Yes, there’s a lot to do, and it is hard work. But, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Farm living suits me. It’s brought a pride into my life I felt lacking most of my adulthood. The kind of pride that comes with working hard and going to bed tired, and happy. ❤️

“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Welcome Home!

Fri, 11 Aug 2017 01:55:35 -0600

Is there anything more wonderful than the glow of the gas light in the yard to welcome you home? This light has burned continuously since I was a little girl. It’s had many mates replaced and several panes of glass. It’s had a coat or two of flat black paint and it can no longer be adjusted for the rust, but it’s the beacon that greets me when I come up the driveway here at the farm

I ran errands this morning…mail, groceries, produce stand, coffee. Then made a beeline home. All the kitties came to greet me. Old Mama Kitty trembled at the sound of my voice. Boy cat sat a respectable distance and gave me his best throaty hello. Kitty Boy skirted me and settled at the barn with a mouse or some such critter.

I called the neighbors to let them know I was home. They had informed me several days ago not to be too surprised when I come home and find four new kittens. What??? It seems they hitch-hiked up in the car and stayed. I think the mama took one back because it was back at their house down the road. That left three. I managed to catch two of them and delivered them back to their mama. I just didn’t have it in me to try to catch the last one. I’ll try today.

It rained an extraordinary amount here this summer and many of the surfaces in the house are covered in a light mold and mildew. I need to get after it with bleach water. I also need a dehumidifier. I put the groceries away, fed the cats, sorted the mail, cleaned the fridge, and just about emptied the truck. I am spent. I don’t know if it’s age, or if it’s after effects of the concussion, or all the trouble with the camper, but this trip was a rough one for me…even with the help of Mr. FixIt. Thank God he was along. It was fun. I loved seeing the kids and I miss everyone already. But I swear…I’m going to sleep for a week!

If you don’t hear from me for a bit, I’m laying low and catching my breath. I just wanted you to know I’m home…really home! God protected us and kept us safe and we are so grateful! ❤️

““Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Weekend Walkabout

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 01:55:26 -0600

We are truly knee-deep in June now here in West Virginia. We’ve been getting some rain finally. But oh my…it has been so hot so now it’s muggy. It is a pleasure to lay in front of an open window at night, though. When the cool of the evening comes in and you pull a quilt up to your chin, it makes for divine sleeping weather.

I went to town for the last Saturday evening service at my church till fall. I love going on Saturday night, going out to dinner with a friend afterwards, then taking a long walk by the river as the day cools off. It was a perfect evening.

As I write this, the thunder is rolling on the surrounding hills. I love thunderstorms! So far we have been really lucky and haven’t lost electricity. The cats are sitting at opposite ends of the porch. Old Mama Kitty has her nose out of joint because I scooted her away when she tried to jump up on me. She has never done that so I suppose I am now officially the Food Goddess of the tribe. I wouldn’t mind giving her a cuddle, but fleas and ticks have been a problem in the past and I found I was out of flea treatment when I looked. I must put that on my list.

The turkeys are calling in the bottom across the road. A pair of cardinals are chasing each other around the locust flowers. An Eastern Bluebird has made his appearance the last few evenings and sits on the phone line a few feet from me as if he has no place better to be. Mr. Virgo has always sent me bluebirds. This one showed up the day I brought “Joy” home. His official seal of approval.

I went to church at the little white church on the hill yesterday so I could say farewell to young Pastor Matt. He is taking a new charge, and a new wife we found out yesterday, to a small town north of Cleveland. I have grown quite fond of that young man. He has helped me reach something deep inside that has never been touched. I feel filled by the Holy Spirit through deep, fervent prayer and anointing. The last night I attended Revival, I was facing a situation coming up that normally would fill me with fear and dread and anxiety. I needed to be absolutely at the top of my game last week to help a friend through a scary medical procedure. At the altar call, I went forward and knelt and prayed that God would remove this fear from me completely so that I could be of service to my friend. I had no sooner knelt down when I felt hands on my back and shoulders. Pastor Matt’s father is a pastor as well and he put his arm around my shoulders and started praying loudly over me. Exultant, exuberant, fervent pleas went up asking for exactly what I was silently praying for. He shouted, “Lord, bring this sister the strength and courage she needs to go through what she is faced with this week. Let her be strong and fearless as she marches through what she needs to do!” This went on and on. I was stunned. How did he know? I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me and I could do nothing but bask in this praise and prayer surrounding me. I was totally drained when I got up and went back to my seat. And you know what? From that moment on, any dread, any anxiety, any fear left me completely. I helped my friend get through the procedure as though I’d had a sedative, I kid you not. It was downright supernatural. I want more of that. How could you not want more of that?

I’m loving this space that I’m in right now. I’m walking in love and light and Spirit. It’s incredibly peaceful. As I sign off for the night, the lightning bugs are rising, the rain is falling, and the thunder rolls. I hope you have a wonderful Monday. Make a choice to have a good week. Lift people up. Pay it forward. Be good and kind to one another. Life is a beautiful thing…really appreciate it while you’ve got it. ❤️

“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭8:14-17‬ ‭NIV

Motivation Monday: A Whole Lotta Happy

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 01:55:03 -0600

Yesterday was a really great day! I went to church with a friend and heard an amazing sermon about bridging the gap between churches. I attend a young church. The pastor said when he first got started, the other pastors around town were calling him and offering words of encouragement. The other pastors prayed for our success, which is how it should be. Then, we started to grow. Word got around town that the Warehouse Church was a place where miracles were happening and people flocked in droves. All of a sudden, those same pastors who had been “praying for our success” started talking negatively about our pastor. The thing about denominations is this…Jesus isn’t Baptist, he isn’t Methodist, he isn’t Church of Christ, he isn’t Protestant. He’s just Jesus. We should all be encouraging each other. There is a gap between churches. And there is a gap between Christians who are judgmental of other Christians. We need to bridge the gap. It was a wonderful service.

I’m reminded of Rodney King when he was arrested in the middle of the violence taking place in LA in 1992. “People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we get along?” There have been episodes in the past that are as bad as, if not worse than, those we are dealing with now. Like grief, violence and anger and hatred seem to come along in waves. I’m desperately waiting for peace again because violence hurts my spirit. Look at these kitties. The two younger, orange and white ones, always make a wide berth around Ol’ Mama Kitty, and for good reason. She’d just as soon swat you as look at you, although she’s almost always sweet with me. After all, I am the Goddess of Food. But for some reason, last night these three were chummy. Kitty Boy, the youngest, was so happy and purring so loud he was actually making little mewling sounds. It was so sweet. What made this night different than all other nights? I don’t have any idea. But I’d like to bottle happiness and spread it around.

We are to be lights in the world. Let’s go out there and keep shining, no matter what the climate is, ok? ❤️

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Deer and the Cat

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 01:55:08 -0600

Well, I saw something I’ve never seen before. I sure wish I would have had my camera ready fast enough. I was sitting out on the porch yesterday, enjoying the cool of the evening when I heard a ruckus on the hill you see here. The lawn goes to the edge of the creek there and then the hill goes up the other side. I heard something running through the underbrush over there and could just make out an orange streak barreling down the hill. Kitty Boy! He doesn’t show up but maybe three nights a week or so these days. Fixing him and feeding him and the companionship of Boy Cat doesn’t seem to be enough for this adolescent and he’s off galavanting the farms and hills. As I watched this fairly small cat making a bee line down through the woods, it occurred to me he was making a whale of a lot of noise. I looked on up behind him and hot on his trail was a doe! She almost got him but he jumped on down into the creek and the doe stopped just short of coming out of the cover of the thicket. She proceeded to stomp her front hooves on the ground and snort for a good five minutes before she was convinced the big bad kitty was gone. My guess is she has a baby hidden up in those trees and Kitty Boy got a little too curious.

The hummingbirds were causing quite a ruckus of their own…buzzing back and forth in front of me as I sat and wrote my daily post. The evening birds were calling. I could see across to the old garden area…the birds have totally cleaned out the cherry trees. Grandma’s snowball bush was blooming and the purple and white clematis were making a show of themselves on the metal lawn bracket my uncle built for them years ago. Sumac with broad heads of yellow-green blossoms were sweet on the evening air. The sparrows and chickadees and titmice were darting back and forth from the shrubs to the feeders. Three pairs of mourning doves foraged on the ground below the feeders, picking up the excess seed discarded by the more aggressive birds above. The brown headed cowbirds were there, but they’ve stopped their watery plunking calls and the dancing on the phone line meant to entice the ladies. The wildlife are settling into the summer child rearing season quite nicely and there seems to be a different rhythm on the farm these days.

The clouds came rolling over the far ridge in time to catch the evening sun, sending a golden light over everything. Two turkeys called back and forth to one another from opposite hilltops. Rain was coming. The air thickened with the dampness that gathers just before the shower begins. By 8:00 last night, as I was writing this, I still hadn’t managed to sleep more than an hour out of the previous thirty-six. I took a walk. A hot bath. I wrote. I meditated. I prayed. And, I am quite sure…I’ll sleep afterwards. Because…here comes the rain. ❤️

“When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭51:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Color Green

Thu, 18 May 2017 01:55:46 -0600

Seriously, could it get any greener than this??? This is my all-time favorite time of the year. The freshness of spring hasn’t left us yet. I’ve identified a new sound. Tree frogs! These aren’t peepers like you hear in the spring. And they aren’t the deep-throated bullfrogs. These frogs have a two second croak that reminds me of that musical instrument that draws a wooden dowel over a serrated edge. I love when it’s warm enough to go out first thing in the morning with coffee and last thing at night with something cold and refreshing. I can hear the neighbor’s TV down the road. Who would want to sit inside and watch television when you can live inside the “nature station”?

The cherries are turning red across the creek in the old garden area. The birds are lined up in great anticipation for the taste treat of the year and I can guarantee you, if I were going to be home when they ripen fully, I’d be hard pressed to get enough for a pie before they’re gone. The clematis is blooming as are grandma’s peonies. I did not realize peonies have a scent. In the midday sun they give off a soft, sweet aroma that is quite lovely.

I caught so many carpenter bees in the trap that I actually had to empty it tonight. I got a plastic container and added water and a generous squirt of dish soap and dumped them in. They cannot escape the soapy water. Now there’s room for more.

As I write this, my “tribe” has gathered around me for my evening writing session. Kitty Boy has returned from his sojourns well and hardy. He doesn’t stick around house like Boy Cat. It’s rare for Old Mama Kitty to be gone long. She snoozes in the chair beside me whenever I come outside. I’ve never been much of a cat person although I had one as a teenager. These kitties have stolen my heart. Go figure!

After my day of surfing the mattress Tuesday, I slept eleven hours straight that night. I woke up feeling much better physically. There is still sadness at the periphery…not for me, but for others. One of my fellow Sisters on the Fly lost her son Tuesday after being hit by a car as he crossed the road. He was to be married this Saturday. A high school friend lost a family member in a freak accident Monday when the tractor rolled over on him as they were cutting down a tree. People are getting out and doing things after being cooped up all winter. There seem to be a lot of outdoor accidents this time of year. Please, everyone…be safe out there. And say some prayers for the families of these beautiful people. Hold your loved ones close. ❤️

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬

THE "CRAZY CAT LADY KIT" HAS ARRIVED

Sun, 27 Nov 2016 03:00:12 -0600

Oy!

The “Crazy Cat Lady Kit” arrived while I was gone for Thanksgiving. I returned well after dark and emptied the truck. I had just settled into a long awaited bath when I heard the plaintive cries of a tiny kitten. I thought I was hearing things. I don’t have a kitten. I CAN’T have a kitten! I don’t WANT a kitten! After my bath, I went out back and sure enough, someone dumped a little orange and white kitten who was scared and looking for mama. I put out some extra food because it’s big enough to feed itself. But it was obvious it missed someone. It cried all night.

In the morning, there was a pecking order established over the food. Old Mama Kitty rules the roost so she chased the kitten off the porch till she was finished eating. When Little Bit, the big boy cat, came out of the woods for breakfast, the kitten chased him off and set to chowing down from every dish available. Including the warm Half & Half I put out for it. Oh, no…I REALLY don’t want another cat!

I set about my chores and was filling the bird feeders when Little Bit came out on the front porch and talked to me for awhile. He was definitely complaining about that little thing that was, even at that moment, weaseling it’s way into the farm family. He rolled around and looked cute for a little while just to make sure I loved him most. He won’t let me near him since he got flea medicine up his nose in August. But he’s warming up little by little. He doesn’t understand what happened to his peaceful breakfast. I told him I didn’t understand either. I don’t WANT another cat, I assured him. He looked at me steadily as if to say, “Yeah? How’s that working out for you so far?”

So, the chores progressed and the kitten has a name.

Tootie.

sigh

❤️

(picture is not the actual kitten, but it looks just like it)

“These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Surprises

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 01:30:06 -0600

After the Annual Invasion of the Asian Ladybug, I was hoping my surprises were over for awhile. Ahhhh...no. I live on a farm now. This is not a life for the faint of heart.

Yesterday started out on a lovely, although somewhat disappointing note. I had every intention of going to church but when I woke up at 10:30, I realized that wasn't happening. Instead, I cooked a leisurely breakfast of French toast. Gluten free bread is great for this as it has a very dense texture. I had a patty of hot breakfast sausage and fresh ground Starbucks. It was 65° when I carried my meal to the little red bistro table on the front porch. I took my time and relished the warmth of the morning knowing full well we could have snow in a month.

Just as I finished my coffee, a shiny red pickup went up the road at a pretty fair clip. I heard him stop and back up and thought he was going to turn up the driveway. Instead, he stopped, pulled forward, backed up, pulled forward, backed up...all while looking out his window at the road. Curious, I walked off the porch and down to the edge of the road to see what he was up to. He noticed me, smiled, waved and yelled, "Copperhead! It was on its way over to see ya!" With a tip of his hat, Mr. Pickup was gone and I was left staring in disbelief at a mangled mess in the middle of the road in front of the farmhouse. Oh...ick! "Ok...I can do this." I found a stick, picked up the leftovers of said dead copperhead and tossed it in the brush pile...undoubtedly with several of his living relatives. That is the first snake I have ever seen at the farm since I was a little girl and my grandma killed a six foot black snake in the outhouse. I developed the remarkable ability to avoid emptying my bladder for an entire weekend after that. At least...not in an outhouse!

I put out straw bales on the porch yesterday with blankets over them to keep the kitties warm over the winter. I swept 500 ladybugs off the porch and the front of the house. And I set up a driveway alarm to let me know when a car comes up the drive. I can't hear anyone till they set foot on the porch and it startles me. Now I get to hear every deer that walks up the driveway at 2:00 in the morning. Brilliant. There isn't a setting labeled 'car' vs. 'deer'. I checked.

So, where "snake" hadn't been on my radar, now I wear my rain boots to check the mail...even when it's not raining. And, I also know why grandma carried a hoe everywhere with her. We always thought she was just crazy about weeding. Turns out, a good sharp hoe can dispatch a copperhead nearly as fast as a pickup truck if you don't mind getting up close and personal. Good golly...fleas in the basement, spiders in the laundry (safety tip...do NOT leave your underwear on the bathroom floor on a farm! Just sayin'!), possums in the cat food, roving nocturnal deer setting off alarms in the middle of the night, raccoons in the trash, and now copperheads facing down pickup trucks. Nope...this life ain't for sissies. Not by a long shot!

❤️

“they help each other and say to their companions, “Be strong!””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

An Army

Fri, 12 Aug 2016 01:30:30 -0600

You guessed it...I used "The Enforcer" on my unwelcome house guests yesterday. It's one step shy of napalm! I sprayed every floor around the periphery then in the center. I kept it closed up overnight. I think I got what few there were in the bathroom from where I danced like a ninja when I found my legs black with the little suckers. Then I went down in the basement for the ultimate test and...those bad boys were STILL doing the Macarena down there. I think I may have decreased the numbers...slightly. That does it...time to call in the pros!!!

Here's where it gets gross. It seems flea eggs can lie dormant for months and then...the VIBRATION from your steps triggers a mass hatching!!! Ewwww!!! He'll be at the farm first thing Monday morning. My instructions are to pick everything up off the floor and vacuum thoroughly before he gets there and take the bag outside to dispose of it. I'll treat the kitties once a month to assure myself they are flea free in case she brings the long haired one in this winter.

In the meantime, I went yesterday and got my hair trimmed, a MUCH NEEDED pedicure, and a very cute pair of little strappy sandals on sale! This is a big weekend...my 45th High School Reunion!!! It's time to party and forget fleas for a while!!!

❤️

“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.””
Exodus 33:14 NIV

You Scream, I Scream...

Thu, 11 Aug 2016 01:30:21 -0600

We all scream for ice cream!!! Ok, it's 92 degrees as I write this on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30. I'm sitting out in the McDonald's parking lot, eating an ice cream cone. Things are desperate! As I told you, Tuesday I set off flea bombs in the basement and the bathroom out at the farm. I kept the house shut up tighter than a drum for six hours...three times what was recommended. I went in around 8:00pm and opened the windows and started the fans running to clear out the toxic waste cloud.

I intended to sleep in my tent up by the barn, but everything is infested with fleas and I couldn't run the risk of contaminating my camping gear and then bringing it back to my camper. So, I slept in the back seat of my truck. Now, before you look at me as that poor street person, this is one swanky truck! It's a full double crew cab and the back seats fold up leaving a large flat space that I spread out blankets and a sleeping pad. Comfy cozy!

I went across the road to check the mail and the neighbor was standing out there looking at his garden (which is gorgeous, by the way!) and I told him about the flea issue. He said he never had much luck with flea bombs and to get this stuff called Enforcer at the Rural King. I went downstairs yesterday morning with great hopes the fleas would be eight tiny toes up but instead they were all doing the Macarena down there! Holy cats!!! Ok...time for the big guns! I drove back into town and bought 3 GALLONS of this stuff, industrial gloves, a respirator, rubber boots and a Hazmat suit! Well, ok, it's coveralls...but still. When I was heading back toward the farm, I passed the McDonald's and this here little ice cream cone was calling my name...and who am I to deny it a chance in the sun??? Besides...I am a Superhero!!! You may call me....

"The Flea Slayer"...

...I hope!

❤️

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12 NIV

Giving

Tue, 09 Aug 2016 01:30:05 -0600

I never really looked at staying on the farm as giving of myself, but I feel the gratitude of my family for caring for the place with the same love my grandparents had. Even though I wasn't able to stay here and care for my aunt the way I intended, I can care for the farm with all my heart and soul.

I came to town to get a flea bomb. It seems my aunt let the farm cat stay in the basement all winter and now it's infested with fleas down there. Thank goodness it's confined to the basement. So, I stopped in to the family cemetery as I came over the hill since my phone started beeping and buzzing as soon as I hit a service area. I thought I'd take a moment and tell you a funny story.

While my aunt was in the hospital, we had to report to the doctor something she told us earlier. It seems she's been hearing voices. They talk to her in the middle of the night and tell her the same thing over and over. "Your house is on fire!!! You must leave your house immediately!!!" We thought "Poor thing...she's gone 'round the bend." As I was driving out to the farm yesterday, I was mulling that over in my mind. When someone is delusional and hears voices, they don't hear the very same things over and over. I remember her telling me something in the spring about a voice telling her to get out of her house because it was on fire. But she brushed it off as a weird dream and I didn't give it much thought...till now. I kept thinking, "Why does this sound SO familiar?" Well, suddenly it hit me!!!

Two years ago, when I lived on the farm in my attempt to care for her, my uncle asked me to install fire and carbon monoxide detectors. My aunt insisted I only buy what was on sale and the only ones on sale that were combo units, get this....TALK TO YOU!!! Yep, that's right. When they go off, they say "Your house is on fire!!! You must leave your house immediately!!!!" I'm not sure what set them off...low batteries, high carbon monoxide from the gas stove she burns constantly, a full moon? Who knows? But that has to be what it was because it's the same message over and over. I bought new batteries but haven't put them in yet. I'm waiting till I hear voices in the night!!!

(Face palm)

❤️

“It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.”
Deuteronomy 11:12 NIV

Kitties

Fri, 14 Nov 2014 02:30:28 -0600

“Me with a little barn kitten.”

We had our first flakes of snow yesterday. I have been here nearly a month and have spent a good deal of time winterizing the farm but I can’t say I’m excited about snow coming. Last night gave me a taste of what winter might hold. The power started going off and on at dusk. Finally at around 6:00, my second cousin up the road called to say the power company was at her farm and were preparing to go back up on the hill to fix the line and were preparing to turn off the electric. She wanted to make sure we had our flashlights at hand. The thing about losing electric in the country is…it could be an hour or all night or next week before power is restored. It’s just part of rural living.

We made coffee and toasted honey buns by flashlight. I got out grandma’s oil lamp and put it on the dining room table. We sat around and talked way past what we thought we would. We discussed love and longevity. Loss and recovery. Assisted suicide and faith. Heavy, dark subjects approached honestly with a woman on her way to 83 who has buried two husbands. She is from a different time, a different generation, and offers me insight I may not find on my own. We lost a family member a couple of days ago and that prompted the “heaviosity”. My uncle in Chicago passed away on Wednesday after a couple of strokes and a no-win battle with dementia. God rest his soul and be with his family.

One of my jobs yesterday was preparing winter beds for our two barn cats. I had made a trip to town Wednesday to buy two electric “pet pads” (outdoor “heating pads” for under the cat’s bedding). That evening I watched a video on Facebook about making beds for feral cats out of plastic tubs, styrofoam coolers and straw….items we already had in the basement. I had two cat beds put together in half an hour so I took the heating pads back yesterday. I bought a bale of straw and a French pie pumpkin, half price. I got a little cap to put on the valve on the line to the new gas wall heater. I got new work gloves and working girl’s heavy duty hand cream to battle the painful cracks in my skin. Ahhhh, the life of a farm girl. The work may never be done but the days are always interesting! <3

Old Mama Kitty

Fri, 24 Oct 2014 01:30:45 -0600

“Old Mama Kitty”

This little gal has been the resident mouser around here for about 23 years. She spends her days on the front porch now, leaving the capture (and eventual presentation at our doorstep of many mice, moles, snakes, and bird)s to the younger generation. This summer there were three feral kittens and their mama who showed up and caused Old Mama Kitty all kinds of grief. We had to send the mother and two of the babies elsewhere and kept one little orange and white kitten to take over the mousing duties, leaving the old gal to take her much deserved naps on the lounge chair. We named her Little Bit because she was so tiny and dainty with such a quiet little voice. She was the one her mama brought from the barn and placed at my aunt’s feet. My grandma always said that the mama will give you the best kitten and she was right. While the feline matriarch will let my aunt scratch her back with her foot, Little Bit will climb up into your lap and purr like crazy. I’ve never been much of a cat person, but these two farm cats have captured my heart. Old Mama Kitty won’t be with us too much longer, but hopefully Little Bit will provide us with years of devotion.

The neighbor’s golden retriever, Willy, is traipsing around my trailer as I write this. He’s young and sleek…a gorgeous deep reddish gold. His paws rustle through the leaves and I can hear him panting at the door, hoping I’ll come scratch him behind the ears. Thankfully, our road isn’t terribly busy. I’d hate it if something happened to him.

Yesterday was really fun. I called up my younger daughter on FaceTime on my iPad and my nearly 83 year old aunt was mesmerized. We didn’t get a paper today so I pulled it up online and showed it to her. I chatted with my cousin’s daughter in the evening and found out she can FaceTime as well so we’ll get to see her baby. That must seem amazing to one who has never operated a computer. Not that my aunt is uneducated, mind you. She reads the top news and financial magazines every week. She was one of the first Head Start teachers in Washington, DC. She’s been around and is quite interesting to talk with.

I had a totally indulgent day of rest yesterday. I believe I will get a few boxes emptied today. I have a barrel of apples in the cellar and I need to make some applesauce for winter days. Maybe I’ll bake a couple of apple pies. I also need to get out for a walk and enjoy the nice weather predicted for the next few days. I have the new Lehman’s catalog to look at and I’m going to order a seed catalog or two for planning the garden for spring.

Today marks the end of my first week as a farm girl! I think I’m settling in just fine. <3

A Simple Life

Mon, 04 Aug 2014 01:30:07 -0600

“A Simple Life”

I’m back! Here it is, August 4th already…can you believe it? Those three weeks literally flew by. I’ve missed you all even though I did peek in from time to time. And I am rested, refreshed and rearing to go!

I’m still snuggled up in bed, preparing my mind for the onslaught of civilization. I’m listening to the morning call of a whip-poor-will knowing full well in a few hours I’ll be hustling through busy international airports. I’m not looking forward to it…and I LOVE to fly. I want to pour a cup of coffee and go out on the front porch, the familiar stretchy squeak of the screen door spring the only sound louder than the morning birdsong. I want to see old Mama Kitty curled up in the corner, one eye opened slightly in protest over the crude interruption of her peaceful slumber. I want to listen to whip-poor-wills every day for the rest of my life.

I need to head to Colorado. I need to settle some business. I need to snuggle my babies and spoil them a little bit. I need to do the really big purge and get rid of the things in life that weigh me down. I am so grateful to my son-in-law’s mom for sitting me down and telling me to look at what I want my life to look like and make it that. I will miss my kids and grandkids and my Colorado family like crazy, and I will travel to see them as often as I can. But I also know I need to live where my heart sings…where I can stretch out and be free…where I can own a piece of God’s country. It’s time to go home.

Money will only stretch so far. When you have x-amount of dollars to spend on housing and you have a choice of a repossessed HUD home in a dicey neighborhood or a hundred acre farm, tell me…where would you go? What are you willing to let go of in order to set your heart free and give it wings? How far are you willing to fly?