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!

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.

BARN CATS REVOLT!

I know something is up when the barn cat comes to my window. This is Winky. She has been with me for 12 years now.

She decided to become a barn cat when we moved here 

and she has not come into the house since.

Obviously, she needs something.

I am not responding quickly enough. 

 I have just been given the evil eye by a cat.

"Now you must suffer, i will come right through this window 

and scratch your eyes out!"

Mmmwwwwwwaaaahahahahahahaha!

She didn't succeed.  But i figured she's probably out of food out there.

Which was almost correct.  When the hay guy delivered the hay, he shut the barn door all the way and she couldn't get in under the door to eat.  Very upsetting.

So after this, I started thinking....how cool it would be to be a cat! 

For 10 reasons:

1. You have claws - that can cause damage to people and objects
2. You can give someone the finger one minute and come back a little while later and love them and they love you
3. You have amazing agility - you can jump up onto an object the size of a golf ball and stand on it!
4. You can purr - how cool is that??!?!?!
5. You can sleep for 20 hours a day and no one will give you a hard time about it
6. You don't have to write papers for school
7. You don't have to go to school
8. You can eat whenever your hungry
9. You can get love whenever you want it and whenever you don't want it you don't have anyone complaining
10. You never have to take a bath

I think overall, when i go - i wanna come back as a cat.  Cuz that's good living right there.