Surviving!

I've had a story in my head but just haven't been able to sit down and write about it yet.  Somehow, I still feel the need to tell the story.  As you all know, I love cats.  I think they are the most interesting creature God created and if I could, I would take in every one of them but I know that is impossible.

Over a year ago, I noticed a stray cat in the field behind my house.  One day I heard her mewing and noticed she was watching as I put out food and water for my own cats.  I called to her but she continued to stay crouched down and kept her distance.  I decided to put out a special dish of food and water for her and as she moved towards it cautiously, watching me, I moved back to give her the space as I could see she was hungry and thirsty.  She began to eat and alternated between the food and the water dish.

I had to keep my own cats away as she would run off each time one would come near and they weren't all that friendly to her either.  But every day, I would make sure there was food and water put in a special place just for her.  She came and gave me a look of gratitude but as soon as one of my cats would appear, she would take off.  I even caught one of my females chasing her away one day so I moved the food and water to another location so she would feel safer about coming to it.

It was late in the fall and this daily routine kept up until mid winter when she disappeared.  She didn't come in to eat or drink and I didn't see her again.  But then one day I saw her prowling around the neighbor's house and learned that she had been coming up to share the food they put out for their cat.  Their cat, Bashful wasn't as agressive towards her and even allowed her to stay around.

Once in a while she would venture over into my yard and if my cats weren't around, she would sneak food or a drink but would run if she saw them or me and there were times when she was chased away as well. 

My heart was breaking as I knew she was relying on catching her food or stealing food wherever she could find it.  She was a pretty thing, long hair with multi colors and big green eyes that seemed to penetrate as they looked at you but yet gave away her feelings.  I knew when she was glad to see me as the eyes weren't searching or looking around but actually watching me and as I said, I could see the appreciation in those eyes.

When spring came, she disappeared again and I learned later that she was living in a shed at the neighbor's house and then he told me that he had heard the sound of kittens and knew they were hidden somewhere in the shed.  He continued to put out food for his own knowing she was eating it as well.  But he really didn't want the mama cat and her kittens and scaled back.

I was busy keeping up with my own brood of cats and new kittens but one night I noticed three little yellow kittens playing with some of my kittens and had no idea where they came from.  When I went out to look at them, they took off and then I saw the mama cat sitting off at a distance.  She began to walk away and the kittens followed her.

There were several days that she and the kittens appeared, mainly at night but then she began coming during the daytime.  I again put out food and water in a special place for her.  She kept her distance from my cats who still didn't like her presence but yet they accepted the kittens as they ate and played with mine without problems.  Mama began to leave, leaving the kittens here to sleep, eat and play but would return as they weren't completely weaned.  But after about a week or so, they were roaming the neighborhood again.  They would appear here, or across the street or would go back to where she had been living.  Then, they all disappeared.  I didn't see her or the kittens.

I learned from my neighbor that he had found one kitten dead in his yard but hadn't seen the others.  I accidentally scared one out of its hiding place and it scampered away so fast that I didn't see where it went too.  I haven't seen the other remaining kittten or the mother for several weeks.

With the excessive heat we have had and knowing how hard it has been on my own cats as I make sure they have a cool place to lay and have fresh cool water, I worry about the mama cat and her remaining kittens.

The one thing I have learned and I really think the reason she was coming around here.  She was looking for a home for her kittens as I don't think she was capable of caring for them.  She was weaning them early and it could be due to her own lack of nutrition, she couldn't provide for them and she was trying to find them a home where they could survive.  However, they loved their mother and followed her.  I discovered again the feelings between mother and children as I've seen so many times with my cats.  The mama cats are protective and provide not only food but protection and care for their offspring just as we humans do and they do it in such loving ways that a person cannot be touched by the scene of a mama cat with her babies nursing and her paws kneading the air and the contentment on her face, or how she gently wraps her paws around them to hold them as she bathes them.  I've watched as they play with their kittens and later as they began the training of the hunt and survival.

I'm sure this mama cat was trying to train her own kittens and at the same time provide the best she could for them.  I can only hope that the mama cat and her two remaining kittens are surviving as she has a strong sense of survival and I'm sure she has passed this on to her offspring.  Feral cats are so prevalent and it is a shame we can't catch them to prevent additional kittens but they also serve a purpose.  With even my own, I know that they catch mice and snakes which only helps me or my neighbors.

And I have to admire her determination to survive and to provide for her offspring.  Not only is she a pretty cat to look at but is pretty inside as she has compassion for her young and as with any mother, wanted only the best for them, even if it meant leaving them with strangers.  That is love.

Just Chattering

A few years ago when I first saw the word "blog" I had no idea of what it was and later when I found out, I thought I could never do that.  I really didn't have anything to contribute.  But I have changed my mind.  I may not blog about current affairs or products and services, but I do love to write and so I created this blog to be used as a tool for me and hopefully entertainment for those who read it.

I may write something silly and inconsequential, or I might get serious and just write about what I am feeling or what is going on in my life.  Either way, it is my tool of expression, my way of continuing my craft and my love of writing.

I have been a writer since way back.  I have written short stories and little poems for the family and never ever thought about becoming a writer as a profession.  I just love to write and have people read what I write and enjoy the story I tell.

I've said it many times but it is true.  When my brother and I were growing up, we lived on the edge of a small town and there weren't many neighbors, especially children so we only had each other.  Our mother always read to us but sometimes she would just sit and spin a tale for us.  I can still see her sitting on the porch or perhaps we were traveling in the car and she would be telling a story.  She had a knack of entertaining us with her stories of children or animals.  But it came naturally to her as well.  She had grown up in a large family, long before every household had a radio or if they did, it was limited to what was broadcast and certainly long before television came along.  So her mother entertained her children with story telling.  My grandfather could spin a tale as well.

Maybe that is why I have wanted to write.  I like to tell a story and I know I have a huge imagination.  But that comes from my brother and I growing up together and playing.  We used to watch the clouds in the sky and both of us would visualize shapes and animals and then we would start making up a story about them.  We had imaginations that extended beyond our actual toys.  We could live in mansions or he would use his cars to build roads and race.  We went to the matinees as we got a little older and of course when we came home, we had to re-enact the movie we had seen.  Most were westerns but there were some gangster type we saw occasionally.

When we got our first TV, a whole new world opened up to us as we watched the cowboy shows, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Cisco Kid and others.  We watched space shows, circus shows and theater presentations.  It just fed our imaginations as we pretended we were those characters or were with them.

When someone asks me, "Why did you become a writer?" I tell them, there is something inside me that just has to be said.  Whether I'm telling a story or writing, there are times when I feel I will bust if I can't get the words out.  I may be grocery shopping or driving my car and an idea will strike.  I can hardly wait to get to my computer and start to work.  I have let my housekeeping slide at times as that need to write is so overwhelming that I cannot concentrate on anything else.

I am very fortunate in the fact that I had a lot of support from my family.  My mother always encouraged me and for years my husband kept after me and when I did finally published my first book, he became my biggest supporter.  He even made sure I had a place where I could write without to much interference and overlooked the fact that I might not have got the vacuuming done or there were still breakfast dishes in the sink.  He knew I would get to it but he also knew that I had to get those words down on paper.

I can't say it is an obsession with me but when the muse is teasing my thoughts I have to stop what I'm doing and start writing.  It is my outlet for my emotions and allows me to reach deep into my mind and soul to express my feelings.  I am a part of every story I've ever written and I hate to see a story end as I feel I'm losing friends and maybe a part of me too.

But there are times when I have no thoughts to write down.  That is when I feel anxious and at a loss as to what to do.  I get my housework done, I may watch television or go visit with a neighbor or when it is cool enough, I work out in the yard.  But I'm still thinking about my next story and looking for something that might spark an idea.

This morning I woke up early and decided to go out onto the porch to have my coffee.  It was about 78 degrees and a little muggy but not too bad.  I sat there listening to the birds singing, watching the outdoor kitties play knowing they were enjoying the coolness of the morning and would be in a shady spot later.  I watched as the sun emerged shining its orange and gold colors through the clouds and breaking through to form that bright yellow ball in the sky.  I also knew it would be another hot day.  I enjoyed those few moments of peace and quiet.  There were no cars, no voices from neighbors and even the dogs on the next block were quiet.  It was a perfect morning to start the day.

I've let my blog go without much to add.  It isn't that I don't want to come here, but I haven't taken the time to just let my hair down and chat away.  But now, I've chatted long enough and it is time to get busy here.  The dishes are done, the pets have been fed and watered so now it is my time and so I will plug in the flash drive and escape into another world.

Take Me Away!

The other day my muse was after me to finish up this story I'm working on so I was switching back and forth from the story to searching for information on the internet.  I may write fiction and have a huge imagination but I do research when I'm writing about a location or an event.  I want to make sure that my imagination doesn't take over and distorts the truth.

In this case, I have my characters living in Athens, Greece.  But they travel to other cities or countries near by so I had to be sure of the correctness and also the sights they were seeing.  Since I have always wanted to go to Greece, I picked it as my central location and I enjoyed doing the research almost as much as I did the writing of the story.

But while I was browsing the net, a thought came to me.  I remembered an old commercial about a bath product that advertised "Take me away!"  

That is exactly what my computer was doing.  It was taking me away from this quiet existence I have here to an exciting new place.  A land that I could only dream about.  So I looked at my computer and said, "From now on, I will call you Calgon."  You take me away.

It is so true.  Whether we are browsing far off lands or our favorite shopping site, we are being whisked away for a few minutes from our ordinary lives.  The computer is becoming more and more a huge part of our lives and opens up new worlds and we can see exciting places and things.

So I have named my computer, Calgon and it is going to take me away!

4th of July

I know the 4th of July is behind us now.  I haven't had the time to come here to let everyone know how we celebrated and to wish you all a Happy 4th.

I worked for weeks getting the porch ready for our 4th of July party.  I put up colored lights along with some white lights, decorative flag lights and even some stars.  We had the big Flag out front waving in the breeze, plus I put my two small Uncle Sam's out, one on the north side of the house, the other on the south side.  Inside, we had two standing Uncle Sam's holding their flags proudly. The two dining tables had large flag bandanas on top with candles while the buffet table was covered in a blue and white check with a red,white and blue centerpiece.

We were decorated all right.  The stereo was moved outside so we'd have music and we did have the variety.  The mini bar was set up along with an ice chest so everyone could have their refreshments.

The grill was fired up for the burgers and hot dogs.  Potato salad and Kidney Bean salad were staples along with chips.  And off course we had a platter of sliced tomatoes, sliced onion, cheese slices and dill pickles for all the relish to put on those burgers.

It was a hot evening with little breeze so the big oscillating fan was put into use and made it bearable.  But the main focus was the camaraderie with our guests.  Only three weren't able to join us but we still had a good time eating, talking and later watching our own fireworks display.

Since it is so dry and of course, we didn't get any of the rain that day, it all went around us, so my daughter manned the water hose as my grandson fired off the rockets and fountains.  Luckily we didn't have any fires or mishaps and had quite a showing.

Earlier in the day, my grandson came out early and we went to a fireworks stand so that I could buy a few that I wanted.  So we ended up with a pretty good selection.

Since he had to go to work the next day and daughter had to head back home to Owasso, they had to leave around 10 PM, then two more of our friends left around 11 PM, but my good friends and neighbors next door stayed and we visited until almost 12:30.

Everyone had a good time and are looking forward to our next party at the new "party central".  The screened in porch is kind of nice as we don't have to contend with the skeeters or gnats and usually there is a good breeze blowing through but if not, the fan seems to do a good job of making it comfortable.

And we all remembered why we were celebrating.  It was the birth of our nation.  So many people have forgotten the meaning of the 4th of July but we were not only celebrating the fireworks, but a birthday. 

I waited a couple of days before taking down the Uncle Sam's.  I enjoy having them up and will leave them as long as I can.  They come out on every holiday, except Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, so they will be back.

I hope you all had a great 4th of July as well. 

Here are some of our party pictures: