Contentedness Defined

Paladin naps with his favorite catnip-filled toys. His serenity is remarkable. My husband calls it “Contentedness defined,” and hence an appropriate flamboyant title, which does not disturb Paladin in the least.

 

I’m dreaming of a grey Christmas. . .

I’m dreaming of a grey Christmas. . .

A grey and cloudy vista can be morale boosting or demoralizing. Personally I have no real preference. I like clouds. I can’t imagine a bright sunny Christmas day in the northwestern prairie where I live.

Effie Just in Case

Effie’s Dad is a lawyer, so she naturally thought she should have a brief case of her own. She had no way to express  this, other than to express the fairness of her desire, so she climbed into my husband’s file-filled brief case to make her point, which we found most endearing.

Paladin and Effie Love Their Toys

Paladin received seven wonderful toys containing organic catnip from the 4Cats company in Germany, thanks to Marc-Andre at Katzenworld. This tiger-striped one is his favorite.

Effie loves her catnip-stuffed heart that sticks to her blanketed chair and appropriated the heart that was part of the catnip toy contingent.

Fishing is about Fish

Saturday chores accomplished, my husband and I decided to go fishing in the Snake River beyond Asotin. We wanted to stand on a beach this time, instead of taking our boat. The fish were not biting, but a few jumped up from the water so we could know they were there, but they had no interest in coming home with us. We’ve had lots of fishing excursions like this, and we also have lots of freezer space occupied by cleaned, wrapped fish we’ve caught on several other occasions.

My husband loves fishing and fish. I love fishing and I am extremely allergic to fish and I never eat it. Fish are wonderful creatures. They can be beautiful, elusive, and eager to grab onto a lure, all within a few minutes or a full day. Sometimes I think I’m just there for the scenery. We can’t rule a fish’s instincts or choices; only fish can do that. We’re really just along for the ride. Fish have amazing skills we know nothing about.

Skunked

I walked up to our chickens’ house yesterday with their usual daily apple core treat and to check for any eggs. It wasn’t a usual day. There were four hens. There should have been five. They had never before left the confines of their relatively large chicken house. I walked around the chicken house, seeking clues. A mass of feathers ten feet or so to the west lay on the damp ground. My impulse was to put some of my blood in a kettle to boil.

I assumed a neighbor’s dog had killed one of our hens. They bark constantly and enter our property presuming dominion.

My husband knows far more about farming than I do. He grew up on a farm and, like his father, became a lawyer with a heart for farming. He thought a skunk was a more likely candidate for a chicken killer than a dog. I Googled “do skunks kill chickens?” and discovered that skunks are notorious killers of chickens. Good. There are no residences close enough to our chicken hutch to make it illegal to shoot a chicken-menacing skunk.

Thanks go to Ellen Pilch of the https://15andmeowing.com blog for reminding me I hadn’t posted in a month. I appreciate you, Ellen!

Two cats and a tiny snake

A very small baby Gopher snake (center, looks like a brown cord between Effie’s and Paladin’s paws) fended its way through Effieland yesterday. Effie, a veteran of carrying a full grown Garter snake around in her mouth, and Paladin, treating the Gopher snake as a living toy, took turns carrying the snake in their mouths and playing harmlessly with it on the ground.  Eventually they freed the tiny reptile, which slithered its way to the fence. Paladin laid on top of the snake. Somehow the snake made it out of Effieland.

Effie’s tummy gives her the look of a sage

Effie appears proud of her tummy. Her wise expression appears reminiscent of Churchill.

Paladin: At the brink for a drink

Paladin prefers faucets to bowls when it comes to drinking water.

 

 

 

Oh deer!

M’lady Doe has no tea, but she has a lawn good for a brief rest.