OUR OLD LADY

Thinking about our cat Winky.  She's approaching a ripe old age for a cat.  She turned 14 years old on April 23rd.  I know this because that was the first date Bob and I had and I got her 6 weeks later.  I'll never forget the look on his face when I brought her over to his house.  I had gotten her from a friend that needed to get rid of the family of kittens that she had and me, being a sucker for a cute face, took one.  I had two cats already and a dog.  Bob looked at me and asked, "Do you know that having another cat is for life, right?  That's like another 15 years or so that you'll have to take care of her."

This was his prelude to our future life.  Good thing he got over it.  I mean we have had as many as 75 animals at once on this farm.

Again, I am a SUCKER for a cute face and helping people out when they need a new home for their animals.  I've taken in goats, cats, dogs, chickens, horses and ducks.  And loved everyone of them!  I would not change a thing.

Winky's been around a long time and has copped an attitude. Mostly because of her first experience in life when i brought her home to my house in Crystal Lake, Illinois when she was a little squirt. I set her down next to our dog Nigel and he immediately attacked her! Chased her around the house and tried to eat her alive.  She was never the same after that…Can't blame her there!

She was always stand offish for the most part, staying only with Sam and hanging with her best bud Fuzzy.  But when we moved here, she basically became the barn cat.

 Never came near the house.  An after Fuzzy died, she wouldn't even talk to us anymore.  Until this winter.  She decided that the house was a little bit warmer than my 55 degree studio or the -10 degree barn.  We let her in and she's been hanging ever since.  She knows and we know.  She's feeling her age.

Except for the other day when I caught her playing!!! She was playing with the window shade string.  Cute.  it lasted about 30 seconds, but she played!
Way to go Winky!

And she took over Cashew's beddy-bye basket!

TIKI IS A GREAT POLE DANCER

Yes, this is Tiki.  Tiki came to us years ago after my beloved calico cat, Pip-squeak AKA Pippy, was killed.


One of the few nice things are neighbors have done for us is bring me Tiki a few days after the death.  They found her up north by their cabin when her mother went missing, all her kittens were following them around looking for a home.  So they thought that I would like a new cat since my kitty was killed by a car.  The neighbor said that she would keep her as a barn cat if I didn't want her, but of course, I can never refuse a cute face!  Only problem is I had just picked up two other kittens from down the road.

The ad said she had calicos, but all she had was orange tabbies.  So silly me, instead of just taking one tabby or none (I really wanted a calico again), I took two.

There is logic behind this.  When I was a little girl we had taken in a couple kittens that were litter mates, and all their lives they were the best of freinds, grooming each other and always playing together.  The love was so beautiful to watch!  So I always believe that when you get one cat you better get two and they better be siblings.

We've had a lot of cats over the years.

So I took Tiki home and I set her on the bed next to me that night.  She curled up into a ball and never moved, she was so grateful to have a bed and a home with love she just purred and purred all night long!

Now this was the thing about Tiki, she never was a very brave cat. She never would have made it as a barn cat. She never went outside and was just happy to be with you.  Then we got Happy.

Happy chased Tiki immediately accross the living room and Tiki ran downstairs never to appear on the main level ever again.  Maddie once said that the song, "Because of you"  is what Tiki is thinking to herself everyday down there. She hid in the basement for two years, until that fateful day when Happy was hit by a car and died.  I miss Happy, he was such an awesome dog!  He was sooo Happy all the time!  He had a reason to be: he was a in a cage for 9 months at the shelter. But that's a story for another day.

It took about three weeks before Tiki realized that Happy was no longer around, and she slowly started appearing at the top opf the stairs.  Then into the living room, then into the kitchen.

It took another year after that until she peeked her head out the doggie door.

Then about 6 months after that - I noticed her outside running around with the pig!  I also noticed that she would never venture out alone, she attached herself to the pig and the pig became her guardian. They've been friends for a long time.

Brave Tiki.  Now she is very brave and we tease her all the time about it.  Brave, brave Tiki! 

I'm not sure I like the brave Tiki.  She's kinda annoying sometimes.  I preferred the timid Tiki.

But how can you dislike inter-species love???

A WEEK OF SLEEP, SICKNESS AND THE NEAR DEATH OF TWO KITTENS

 Yes, since last Monday, each night I have slept for 11 hours.  For most people this is unheard of but I really manage to get about 9 hours every night anyway.  I need it, it's part of who I am.  But to sleep 11 hours more than one night in a row, I had a feeling it was my body telling me something.  And I was correct: come Wednesday I felt it - the scratchy throat, the lethargy.  I was sick.  This is something that doesn't happen to me, the last time I was sick was about 6 years ago when I got asthma, and before that about 4 or 5 years and maybe that was just a little cold.  Anyway, I wasn't terribly sick, just tired.  The lethargy was just terrible and on Friday I slept for 18 hours! Wow!  I had my art show Saturday, so I had to get up and get my large photo canvases hung, but I just couldn't stay and help out, I was needing some more sleep if I were to make it through the night.

I did, it was a fabulous evening and thanks to my new friend Cassandra - it went off with out a hitch!  It was well attended and everyone loved the art work displayed.  I was a very happy little girl.

So yesterday was Sunday and I woke up feeling pretty darn good.  I went out and did chores and felt much better, almost anxious because with all that sitting around and resting - my ass was getting numb.  It was time to get out.  But knowing full well that when you start feeling a little better after being sick, you should NOT over do it or you will regret it!  So I took it easy, did some work on my websites, since I had two days off in a row (!)  unheard of really… and then just went to bed at 9.

Now things were going quite well, I was still sleeping soundly and enjoying my nice warm bed when I heard the God awful sound of someone hacking at the God awful time of 5 am.  Yes, hacking!  ukk ukk ukk haaaccckkk!

Gross!

Then it happened again.  ukk ukk ukk haaaccckkk!

and again. ukk ukk ukk haaaccckkk!

and again. ukk ukk ukk haaaccckkk!

and again. ukk ukk ukk haaaccckkk!

and again. ukk ukk ukk haaaccckkk!

Ok!  That was it!  Percy had a hacking problem and it was totally grossing me out, interrupting my sleep, and not to mention I had to listen to the lap, lap, lap after each and every hack!  OMG!  I know, dogs do that, but super gross!

So I said, "Come on Perc."  and I led her upstairs, got myself a cup of water, went and laid down on the coach in the office, and tucked myself under the big, comfy fleece blanket hoping for another hour or two of sleep.

Except a couple of other beings in the house had another idea.  Just as I am about to relax into a deep slumber I am pounced upon by some bugger called Bear.  I resisted the temptation to throw her across the room and placed her gently on the floor instead.

Now in this family there is something that is an unwritten law with us.  We DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT interrupt someone's sleeping.  I instilled this in my daughters from day one and if you come into a room to find someone taking a nap, you better leave the room and not interrupt them unless you want to take your life into your own hands.  This is a cause for murder in my book.  Sleep is precious, not to be messed with, dude.

So when an animal doesn't understand this law I don't know why, I mean they sleep 20 hours a day!  I never interrupt them!  Ever!  I go outta my way to make sure I do not disturb them, you would think they would offer me the same courtesy.

But no.

Next came that little butt hole Cashew, who decided that my water tasted better then his water and started lapping up some out of my water glass.  Then preceded to knock it over.  All over my notebooks!  Now I'm MAD!  I grab each and everyone of them darn kittens and the other cat in there and throw them out of the room, slam the door and lay back down.

Wide awake.

Well, at least I feel better now.

How could something so cute be so evil?

CATS DO NOT LIKE TO SHARE - JUST SAYIN'

No, not when it's your beddy-bye basket.  And little ol' Cashew just wanted to stick up for his sister, Bear.

Winky was inside again.  I really can tell she's getting older now.  She is not comfortable with the cold air outside, even though she does have a great little place to hang out thats' heated; my old office!  It's still my workshop for food images and framing so it is comfortable, heated and has a couch.  But she has chosen to come inside, for now.

But back to the beddy-bye basket.  Winky saw the basket and couldn't help herself.  I mean, who could, right?  It's  a beddy-bye basket with a burlap blankie!

So there she was:  Winky - in the basket!

Then Cashew awoke from his deep slumber and noticed her:

It took him a moment to realize the intensity of this faux pas at beddy-bye basket etiquette, but once noticed he quickly responded with a strike to the head!

Winky retaliated with several power punches to the face!

and then it was over.  Statement made.

COMFYNESS ABOUNDS!

Here on the Sanctuary - there is nothing but comfyness - on the couch, in the basket, on the ledge of the stairwell:

HEY! THAT'S MY BEDDY-BYE BASKET!

Cashew -
he had a box that got all bent
so I gave him a beddy-bye basket
he used it all day
he wouldn't share - no way
and he really liked the burlap blanket

a little upset his sister got
tried to steal it when he left his plot
but it wouldn't last long
For when Cashew returned
He booted her out of the basket

I felt real bad, thought, "Bear is sad."
and found her her own beddy-bye basket
It matched Cashew's
Looked brand new
and had the same burlap blanket

they took one look and hopped inside
took a six hour nap for the first ride
they rotated once
exchanged twice
and lived happily ever after aside.

Ok, so I'm not a poet.

MERRY CHRISTMAS DAY 2012

Ha!  It was a wonderful day, in spite of not having my baby girl, Madison here.  She's living in L.A. now and had no money to come back home for Christmas.  Waaahhhhh!  But lucky for me, Sam came over for Bob's birthday on Christmas eve and stayed the night, so she was here in the morning, just like the old days!  That made me very happy! : )

This was the start of Christmas morning:  an asiago bagel with artichoke and spinach cream cheese ( a new find) onions and cucumbers. Nummy!  and a real treat for me since I don't eat much bread anymore.

NO!  I do not have too many cats!!!

So all the animals got their special treat:  the pig - a whole apple

the cats - cans of cat food

The horses:  extra hay

 Edy got one of those smart toys that you put treats into and they have to move the little nobs around to find the treats.  She figured it out right away, of course!
Percy and Louie got a bone that they immediately unwrapped.  Edy got one too.

This was my pile, which included this really cool coffee mug:

it's even purple too!  (I now it looks black here but trust me it's purple)

and my new awesomest Carhardt Jacket!  Now I'll really look cool riding the tractor!

Here's Sam's pile!

and here's Bob's!  See that Life Is Good shirt?  It has Bob on it, with a dog and a cup of coffee and a barcolounger.  Which is Bob.

Then Edy had a moment of selfishness and rage:

 Louie got too close to her bone.  Although Louie denied the whole thing!  Look at that innocent face!

I'm warning you!

I'll eat you alive!

So Louie went and hid by grandpa.

 Cashew's first Christmas!  Not quite sure what's going on.

 We offered Edy some food and water because guarding your bone from the evil Louie can be tiresome.

The carnage!

And then it was over.