Rascal Cat (March, 1990-October, 2009)

Rascal was apparently needed on the other side for Halloween as she crossed the rainbow bridge Friday morning, October 30. I have a heavy heart as she was a companion to me for nearly 20 years, helping me weather many a crisis in my life.

Mom and Dad had a beautiful Abyssinian cat who adopted them in the mid 80’s. She had a litter of kittens in the spring of 1990 and tried valiantly to be a good mother, but she didn’t have any nutrition for them in her milk. As a result, two of the kittens were hand fed. When Mom and Dad left for vacation, the kittens were brought to my house to care for while they were gone. Somehow, Rascal and Scruffy stayed with me after Mom and Dad returned. Mom wanted to call the all black kitten Rastus but I didn’t think that fit a cute little girl cat. The name Scruffy didn’t fit the little black and white one either after she grew up, but she always got so much food on her when she was little that she did look a bit scruffy right after meal times. (Scruffy was with me for nearly 15 years. She refused to come in the house one night because there were too many fun things to do outside-like chase mice and lizards. She chased something onto the highway just as a vehicle was driving by and didn’t make it back off the highway. I will always remember her because she really liked Cashew nuts. Most cats won’t eat nuts, but she thought those were better than cat treats and there was no way I could eat them without sharing with her.) Rascal also had a terrific personality. She was playful and intelligent. As a young cat she was a bold hunter and very creative as well as patient when it came to killing mice. As old age took its toll on her body, she could no longer hunt and became content to be in the house, particularly lying in the sunshine as it streamed through the windows or sleeping beside the wood stove in the winter. She slept on me most nights keeping us both warm. She insisted on being as close to the keyboard as she could get when I typed on the computer and was always in the same room with me if possible.

She had been failing in health for the last 3 or 4 years, but started declining at an alarming rate about a month ago. Although she never appeared to be in any pain, I could tell it was frustrating for her not to be able to get around. She could no longer jump quickly onto my lap or wherever I was working, but still managed to figure out a way to there by climbing on shorter things and working her way to wherever I was sitting. I know I gave her a comfortable and happy life. In return she gave me comfort and companionship which I will always remember and I thank her for it. It was her time to cross the rainbow bridge, but I am sad she left me behind.

Goodbye, Rascal Cat. I will never forget you.

A tough month

October has been a tough month at Prairie House. We had a net gain of 1 duck. Molly Mallard stayed, but all the drakes flew away-apparently to the neighbor's pond. We lost King Kong Kat to the highway. We lost 3 chickens-1 for an unknown reason, Tealy due to old age, and Frizzle to a bad dog. No, we didn't get a dog to replace Belle. Visitors brought dogs with them and one decided Frizzle would make a nice snack. She didn't survive the attack. Rascal is failing fast. She is 19 3/4 years old and had a tough start to life. Her mother didn't have any nutrients in her milk, and two of her litter mates died before we realized what the problem was. Rascal and Scruffy were hand fed as a result. Scruffy died on the highway after 15 years of a spoiled life. I was hoping Rascal would make it to 20 years, but it looks doubtful at this time. That is harder to accept than any of the other October departures.

Just Poor Folk

One day , the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what society would consider a very poor family. On their return from their trip , the father asked his son , "How was the trip?" "It was great , Dad." "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. "Oh yeah , " said the son. "So , tell me , what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us , but they serve others. We buy our food , but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us , they have friends to protect them." The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added , "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are." Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have. Appreciate every single thing you have , especially your friends! "Life is too short and friends are too few." This is not an original composition, and unfortunately I do not know who wrote it. I'm posting it here because it clearly defines WHY we live at Prairie House and not in the big city where I grew up. Aunt Jo

Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Last night was one filled with odd dreams. My Mom and Dad were still living and we were working on projects around Prairie House. Both were vibrant and healthy. Then Mom just disappeared, but Dad and I continued to do things here. (I have been recently missing my Dad and thinking how much simpler things would be if he was still here to help me.) The dream ended with Dad having a heart attack. I watched him turn ashen and die. It was a frightening dream. Upon becoming fully awake, I realized that he died 5 years ago yesterday. Funny how the mind works when it is unfettered. I miss my Mom and Dad daily, but am very grateful for all they taught me and the love they gave me when they were alive. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

New Residents

When I go on vacation, frequently some of the occupants at Prairie House find new homes. It seems only fair that when Evelyne goes on vacation the opposite should happen. These are the latest new residents at Prairie House: .

They are "rescue" ducks. People just can't resist those cute little fuzzy things in the store, but they don't stop to consider they won't be cute and fuzzy for long. The people who were "getting rid" of these 3 drakes and a hen "just didn't realize they would get that big and be so messy". .. DUH!

They can fly quite well. I thought they were gone for good when three of them took to the air. They flew way south over the open fields then turned, came back to the yard and marched right in to the area where they are supposed to be staying. On another note, Turks babies are also growing. All 7 have survived so far and are looking good. They can't seem to settle on a good place to roost at night so it is always interesting to see where they end up. As you can see, they are quickly gaining on Papa in size: (Turk is the one in the front.)

Jalapeno Peppers

I'm ready to offer a pretty good deal to anyone who wants Jalapeno peppers. It threatened to frost last night, so we pulled up all the pepper plants in the garden. We left the ones in the raised bed and covered them. We had previously picked over 1/2 bushel of jalapenos. After we get the rest of them picked off the plants, we will have another 3/4 bushel. I've been on the internet looking for recipes to use the peppers in! Tonight there is a function for the food coop that Prairie House is providing snacks for. Do you suppose some of those snacks and finger foods will include Jalapenos? I suspect tomorrows donations to the food cause for the Coop will also include jalapenos in some form. I think next year we won't plant so many.

good news-bad news

Good news! EmmaPatches did not succumb to the predators. She showed up again this afternoon, none the worse for wear. I suspect she has another family somewhere...kind of like those traveling salesmen who keep two families but neither of them knows who the others are. Bad news. Krazy Kat still has not been seen. They disappeared about the same time, so I haven't given up hope, but that hope is pretty dim.