Oh, Henry!

At the beginning of this summer, a stray cat appeared in our neighborhood. He initially hung out at a neighbor's house, then he started showing up at our house. We would see him lurking in the woods, and when we called to him, he would run away.

Then, one day, we saw him next to our driveway when we were out with Teddy. I crouched down, called to him, and he came running right to me! I scooped him up and cuddled him and he began purring loudly. Bruce fetched one of our cat carriers and in he went.

 
Probably wasn't what he had in mind.

After a visit to the vet for immunizations and neutering, he stayed in our guest room for a couple of weeks. We wanted to make sure he knew this was his new home. Bruce really wanted him to be an indoor cat, but we still have three indoor cats and I didn't want to rock the boat. However, I decided to leave it up to Bruce.

Henry then made the decision for us. He tore a hole in the bedroom window screen. Oops.

So, out he went.

And he didn't run away! He liked hanging out with us on the front porch. He accompanied Bruce as he distributed deer food in the Backyard Bistro. And the other two outdoor cats, Sera and Shadow, didn't seem to mind him, either.

"What's one more cat around here?"

We heaved a sigh of relief. He was our new cat.

Then, he disappeared. He didn't show up one morning. And then the next morning. We called our neighbor to see if he was back at their house. Nope. Our stomachs started churning and our thoughts went to dark places. We had been hearing coyotes every night. What if...?

And then...

Henry came home! We've been through this before with our other outside cats, but it never gets easier.

So Henry is now our inside/outside cat. He likes to come inside sometimes during the day for a nap, or just to hang out on a lap and get some pets.

He even spends the night every once in awhile after some exploring.

"I'm just one of the toys"

In case you haven't noticed, he loves Teddy!


He is not shy about letting us know when he's ready to go back out. He runs to one of the doors and says "Mrrrrrrp!"

Oh, and I didn't mention what a great mouser he is. He seems to catch at least one mouse per day. Now, I don't necessarily like cute things killing other cute things, but I guess I'd rather him keep the rodent population down around here than be overrun with mousies. And he doesn't bring them into the house or deposit them on our porch. He disposes of them away from the house. Thank you, Henry.

So that's an introduction to our newest fur kid. We love this guy. He has quite the personality. And to quote Bruce: "I've always wanted a cat JUST like him!"

Campfire Songs

Ever since we moved into this house, we've talked about building a campfire area.  Originally, we were going to build it out in a clearing beyond the barn, but the idea of traipsing back and forth to the house to use the bathroom or get more S'More supplies in the dark didn't really appeal to me.

Last summer, the lawn in the side yard between the house, barn and garden pretty much died.  There was a big patch of dirt where the grass used to be.  And a lightbulb came on: why not build the campfire area there?  It's an open area for star gazing, and the sparks won't ignite any trees above.  Close to the house, I can run in and out without worry of Bigfoot getting me.  And it would cover up that ugly dirt patch.

We got to work, dragging and carrying logs in from the various piles Bruce has made on the property, felling dead trees.

There was an old rusty campfire ring already on the property, so Bruce hauled that over and filled it with rocks dug up from the pet cemetery.

Bruce then started cutting up the logs and forming the outer circle.

We then bought 1" Montana river rock (to match the 2" Montana river rock in our driveway and garden) and Bruce filled the ring.

I wanted to connect the campfire area to the path leading out to the woods that the previous owner had made.

Done!

So my next project will be to line the path steps with rocks and fill them in with either rock or decomposed granite (if I can find it up here).

We're very pleased with this spot.

Nestled between the house, garden and barn...

And it's Teddy-approved!

Here's the view from my sewing loft:

The deer weren't sure what to make of it at first, but they're getting used to it.

For the final touch, Bruce customized the fire ring just for me.

Can't see it?

It's a "Y" for "Yami", his nickname for me.  Awwwwww.  His version of writing my name in the sand.

So now we wait for the seasonal burn ban to be lifted so we can have our first campfire.  I need to stock up on graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows.  Oh, and I can't forget the campfire songs: B-I-N-G-O, Little Rabbit in the Woods, and Sweetly Sings the Donkey.  Better start practicing...

Whirlwind College Tour

My niece, Christy, came for a visit from Wisconsin with her husband, Mike, and kids, Jake and Abbey.  They were on a whirlwind tour of colleges here in the wild west.  Jake is going to be a junior and is starting to shop around.

The blueberry bushes are prolific this year.  Bruce made us delicious blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  Abbey did her best to help us out with the hundreds remaining on the bushes.

They only had one full day here, so we took them over to Farragut State Park, the WWII Museum, and the overlook of beautiful Lake Pend O'reille.

Bruce and Jake studied the lake information. I'm not sure what they were talking about. Bruce waved his arms around and pointed at things. He was probably talking about the geology of the area and how the lake was formed. Or maybe the yellow jackets were after him.

As is their vacation tradition, the boys struck a yoga pose. In this case, it was Warrior I.  Fine form, boys!

So we're pulling for MSU-Missoula.  It's only a couple of hours away, so Jake can come visit for a weekend here and there, bring his laundry, go shooting or boating or fishing with us (depending on the time of year), or just hang out and eat brownies.  Not that I'm trying to bribe him with chocolate or anything.

Whichever college you choose, Jake, we think your future's so bright, ya gotta wear shades!!!

(And Abbey, Gonzaga University was really nice, right? It's even closer than Missoula!)

It was so fun to see all of you. Come back again sometime. I guess you will if we get both of your kids going to college out here, right? Bwwaaaaahaaahaaa!

Charlotte Goes a'Walkabout

Our oldest cat, Charlotte, is over seventeen years old now. Her coat is matted, she has arthritis and struggles to hold her tail up, she wobbles sometimes when she walks, her kidneys are struggling and she has a thyroid issue, but hey, we all have problems, right?

However, for an old lady (119 in human years) she gets around pretty darn well. She walks (occasionally runs) up and down the stairs about fifty times a day and still has a healthy appetite. And she loves her treats.

Several months ago, she started having a real battle with balance. She fell down the stairs a few times (just a few steps, not the entire length of the staircase), and seemed to be unable to control her back end as she walked. She looked like she'd gotten into the whisky bottle.

After some tests, our vet prescribed a thyroid medication for her, along with special food for her kidney condition and meds for her arthritis. We set up the master bath as her assisted living quarters. Quite a nice little apartment for a kitty!

After just a few weeks, she started making quite a turnaround. She was walking straight, and jumping up on furniture and jumping back down without doing a face plant or somersault.

Since she hadn't been outside in quite awhile, we thought she might like some fresh air and a little adventure. We took her outside to let her have a supervised romp.

Bruce, always looking for an opportunity to clean up some of her mats, did a little plucking on the way out.

OK, Charlotte, you are free to roam. Call if you get work!

She glanced around to see if Dad was going to follow her. Am I really free to wander? Woohoo!

Into the jungle she disappeared...

and we never saw her again.

KIDDING!

But just to be sure, Bruce stealthily followed her to ensure she stayed out of trouble.

She wound around out in the woods and emerged at the edge of the driveway.

What is this look?

Defiance?

Victory? 

After looking around for a few minutes...

Charlotte got very, very sleepy. Or maybe she was bored. It's pretty quiet around here most days.

We took her back inside, and she promptly headed upstairs and took a nap...

No doubt dreaming of grass, bugs, deer, trees, birds and squirrels.

Sweet dreams, Princess Charlotte!

Dad Goes Home and Cait Graduates

And just like that, it was time for Bruce to drive Dad home to California.

Teddy: "Bye, Angel. Nice meeting you. They keep telling me you're a dog, but I'm still not sure."
Angel: "Yeah, well, thanks for not eating me. I'm ready to go home. Where's the truck?"

Bye, Dad! Thanks for coming up to visit and see this beautiful part of the country. We'll all miss you!

And then they left...

Going

Going

Gone!

And then I was alone. Better start on all those chores that Bruce usually does. No more laying around eating bon bons!

Bruce and Dad spent the night in Redmond, Oregon and ate supper at the Black Bear Diner. Bruce had the Tri Tip plate and Dad had...the Bigfoot Chicken Fried Steak!

The next morning, a rainbow paved their way south on the road to California.

While Dad was up here, I made new "sails" for a bird thingamajig that he had in his front yard. As you can see, the old sails were worn and faded from the sun.

Peggy and I came up with a pattern for new sails.

Dad took the new sails home and installed them on the thingamajig.
If you look closely, you can see the sails at the far end of the flowerbed.

The flowers had grown quite a bit in the five weeks Dad had been away. The deck looked beautiful!

Caitlin was graduating from UC Davis the next day, and had an extra ticket. Guess who got to go?

He even got a haircut for the occasion!

Awwww, Grandpa and Caitlin at her college graduation. They both looked great! I bet Dad was remembering the little six year old girl who would only wear pink dresses.

Here's Cait with her friend, Jennifer, getting ready for the ceremony.

And here she is walking across the stage to get her diploma. She's the one to the right of Mr. Red Robe.

After the ceremony, Bruce and Dad went to Cait's house to celebrate at her graduation party. There was delicious Indian food, which Dad had no problem devouring.

And a scrumptious cake for dessert.

Everyone had a wonderful time celebrating Cait's grand accomplishment. Graduating with high honors, with a double major, in just three years!

Dad hung out, looking pretty snazzy.

The next day, Bruce went to see his friend. Ricky. They hadn't seen each other in years, and a visit was long overdue!

They yukked it up for a couple of hours, and then Bruce stopped by for a quick visit with our dear friend, Doris, and her doggie, Jerry.

Jerry looks crazy!

That night, Bruce and Dad had supper with our family friends from waaaaaaaaay back. I'm talking back to the '60s!

L to R: Dad, Terry, Mary, Gail, Lucy and Arlene

The next morning, Bruce got up at the crack of dawn and headed north. It took him two days to get home to me, Teddy, and all the kitties and other critters.

We are so grateful he got Dad and Angel home safe and sound, Caitlin graduated and is off to a bright future, and Bruce got home safely to us.

Thus ends Dad's Idaho Adventure!