My routine trip to the barn this morning to feed the cats turned into something more of an adventure than even yesterday (I found a dead possum in the back of the barn yesterday). 

I pushed open the door and gave my usual "Tom-Tom! Little Bit" holler; Tom quickly appeared with a big, hungry "Mowel!" I called Little Bit again (I didn't see her all day yesterday so I was little worried.) Well, I heard a little meow from the back so I went to the back. I kept calling her and she kept answering...but she wasn't showing up. Due to the resonance in the back of the barn, I was having trouble locating the direction of that pitiful mew. For some reason, I turned around, took a step backward and looked up.

There she was. Roughly 15 feet in the air on the rafters. 

Oh. Great.

She sure is a smart little cat though and as I told her to start moving and indicating direction with my hand, she followed (I also basically walked underneath her). When we got to the opposite end of the barn, I kept asking her if she could "go over there" (aka...step from her rafter to the door lintel). It took a minute, but she did so. I was trying to get her centered over one of the vehicle roofs hoping she would jump down. Well, she got over the green Ford first...and wouldn't jump. So next I talked her along the wide rafter next to the bee truck. The skinny cross traces where a little scary for her, but she walked across it for a little then backed up again. She kept pacing the fat rafters and I kept trying to get her back onto the skinny rafter over the truck.

"Uh-uh, Big Cat. I ain't doing that! I almost fell off earlier!"

Oh yes, and during this time she's piteously meowling. She really wanted down but was scared to jump. Finally, I got an idea. A can of food! (Prompted by the other day when I used a can of food to temp her down the ladder in the side of the barn loft--what a nut.) 

I tried just setting it on top of the box on the back of the bee truck...once again hoping she'd jump. Well, she didn't. She got a little more agitated, but couldn't quite bring herself to make that scary four foot leap of that narrow little board.

Bah. Do I have  ladder in here long enough to reach the top of the truck?

Yep. Right there.

So, up I went (I hate ladders). I ended up having to get on the top of the box myself (it's nasty dirty up there). It still took several minutes after that to get her. She wouldn't come close enough for me to reach until I had popped the lid of the can and set it on the far side of the 'V' brace. I kept tapping the can with my fingernail and it finally got to her. She got close and I reached out with my left hand and got a good grip on her scruff and pulled. She dug her claws into the rafters but I got her pulled loose. (Oh yeah, Tom had come up the front of the truck and was pacing around my feet. He was more concerned to get his breakfast than he was the fate of his little sis.) I set Little Bit down and went down the ladder....taking the food with me. 

Tom jumped off the box down over the cab and hood...and raced around to their normal feeding spot. Little Bit wouldn't jump. I guess she was still too scared. So...back up the ladder I went, taking the lid completely off the can and held it under her nose. Once again, once she got close enough I took a handful of fur. This time I tossed her on my shoulder and went down the ladder. The last few rungs she was literally standing with her front paws in the small of my back. 

I hope Little Bit will learn not to go traipsing across the rafters in future. This morning's adventure is not one that I want to repeat! Particularly on my own empty stomach...

It is Spring!! 

You already knew that, though...but still...I can get excited. The weather is warming up around here (more or less)--it was in the high 50's today and I spent a nice hour and a half out of doors this morning, puttering.

First I planted the mustard greens (finally, I might add). I had pulled out the chard, but looking at the package, it seemed like a little bit warmer weather would be better for planting that.

Secondly, I gathered up the lopers and addressed myself to the "orchard". I went through and cut down the little saplings from where the Peonies will come up...from under the Flowering Quince (it gets these beautiful little red flowers) and whatever that other thing is next to it. Then I trimmed the little upstart Lindens and Maples from under that very characterful pine along the front. The top is missing from it and it does have such an interesting shape. From there I moved to the asparagus bed (if I remember correctly, it didn't do so outstanding last year; not that I myself would personally care over much as asparagus is one of those things I just don't like). I left one of the saplings in there...it can always come out later if the Executives (heehee!) don't like the underling's decision. ;) Anyway, I went about and did some "spring cleaning" in just that one area. I also picked up the dead fall. Still, I set myself the task and I completed it. I'm going to ease my way back into work and see how much I can do without coming down with a case of "the M"....

I did one or two piddly other things before coming in to be greeted by the piteous yowls of a cat who just knew it was lunch time...

I am pleased to say that I got everything on my to-do list done today. :) That included washing eggs. I always intend to do them every two days or so, but lately it's been more like every five--so it's no wonder I end up with 9 dozen at a time...

The next thing on my agenda was vacuuming the house. I did that, singing, as usual, songs along the vein of "The Southern Soldier" and "Riding a Raid". Abby dodged me and hid--also as usual.

Ah...satisfaction.... :) I even got this skirt I'm planning on making cut out....which really just entailed cutting the legs off a pair of jeans (the legs simply shredded when washed after I walked through the briers in Florida once) and cutting the one yard swaths of two different green fabrics into strips. I'm going to have a flouncy cotton skirt! :)

I'll leave you with that interesting tidbit of information...

For me, sore feet often mean that I have been working, and working hard. So, on the one hand, sore feet are a good thing. :) However, on the other hand, they aren't necessarily the most comfortable.

Anyway, I'm not really complaining because me feet are sore this evening. I'm just thinking out loud.

I did work fairly hard today. I started out (after the morning dishes) by doing a deep cleaning of the back bathroom/laundry room. It was really being to need it. (And I just realized I forgot to clean the mirrors! Oops...) The dryer was piled messily and was quite dusty, the floor had coffee from last week still dried on it, there was a pile of wet towels in one corner (why were they all piled there anyway?), and the sink was nasty. If you can't tell already, I think I forgot to clean the bathroom last week. 

From there, I moved upstairs with the vacuum cleaner, which Daddy fixed (yippee!) and proceeded to do a fairly in-depth vacuuming of my floor. I don't always move the old treadle machine (make that "hardly ever"), but I did today. I also changed the towel under the cat box (along with the litter)...and took all the cat dishes downstairs. As soon as I was done and re-introduced the cats to the room (I take them out when I clean; locking Runty in Savannah's room and tying Curio to the banister in the stairwell), I brought them up some water--but I didn't bring up clean food plates...and I forgot, as usual, I had done so when I went to feed them this evening! Thus, an extra trip downstairs. :D 

Runty has this irritating habit of playing in the cat box when I first put in clean litter. It's ridiculous!

Anyway, by the time this stuff was all done, it was time for lunch. We ate and I did the dishes again...and sometime during the afternoon I headed out for the garden where I ended up hoeing down both sides of the carrot row and weeding it (Savannah did a little weeding too). I developed a pretty good system by the time I was done. First, I took the hoe ("my" hoe, I think it was Grandma's, is really short, too short for anyone else to use with any comfort), and went along the edge of the carrots for roughly six to eight feet (I am aware of only  one carrot I chopped out--which is somewhat impressive since the carrots are still tiny) and then along the edge of the opposing row of whatever (greens of some sort on the west side, peppers on the other). After that I took this really great hoe (basically like a scuffle hoe, if you know what that is) and cleaned the center of the row. Next, I actually pulled the weeds from among the carrots. Repeat. 

That is all I got done in the garden. It doesn't sound like much, but it took a while. When one weeds carrots, most particularly small carrots, one must be careful. (Huh...I sound like some kind of textbook!)

Before I came in, I limped over and checked on my chicks, feeding and watering them. They look nice and lively!

Anyway, to return to sore feet (that's where we started, remember?), I believe I have a little infection in the center of my left sole. I stepped/kicked a ragged bone in my bedroom a couple mornings ago and poked a minuscule hole in the bottom of my foot--and then spent the next couple of days charging around everywhere barefoot. Yeah...smart, I know. 

Oh, and if you wonder if I really keep bones on my bedroom floor; I can explain. I feed the bones to my cats and they drag them all over the place...

Clear? ;)

Oh, yes...and I started the Cowden protocol this morning. And since I had my dinner dose thirty minutes ago...I can go eat now!!!

Today's post is a "guest" post! Our own dearly beloved Nate Reckrap* has put his mischevious journalistic mind to the task of telling in humorous fashion what would ordinarily be a rather plain story. Okay, brother Nate...you're on!

Well!!

Since last I put fingers to keyboard here on "The Adventures of a Middle Kid" quite a bit has happened...more or less. :P Would you like a quick run-down of all the happenings?

You would??

Great! Hang on to your hats! ;)

                                                                        Monday
This was a busy day. I was grouchy all day long too, which didn't help anybody--much less myself. Most particularly poor Granddaddy whom I blew up at while making supper. Yes, I lost my self-control and barked at the old man for not staying put, but instead, coming back into the kitchen after I had already taken him out once. I felt really bad about it and apologized to him once I quit shaking with irrational fury.

Anyway, the day was spent doing last minute things to get ready for the arrival of one young man by the name of Andrew. My parents and Savannah went to pick the "Man from Tomorrow" up at the airport, leaving around 3:30 (pm). Andrew is courting Savannah and has been for several months. He's from Australia so there are definitely some different things about him. He's also left-handed. ;) Not that that has anything to do with anything...but the really funny thing about that is he shares a birthday with another man we know (and love!) who is likewise left-handed. (And yes, that's some of that "Racheal's Trivia" stuff that collects in the resesses of her skull....) We fixed him up a bedroom in the living room...this isn't the first time we've had a young man crashing in our living room, so it's no big deal.

Monday evening I had a few 'things' happen with my computer that I hadn't had happen in the past...it was weird, but my thinking that it needed to go to the shop was heightened.

                                                                    Tuesday

Tuesday I turned on my computer and promptly turned it off. Daddy would eventually get ahold of a computer repair man that day...but on to more important stuff.

Of course, that "more important stuff" falls into the category of usual daily chores (on my front) at anyrate. (Hopefully I'm getting my days straight here!) This means: Laundry! (Yes, that's right...I did Andrew's laundry that day as well as two loads of Granddaddy stuff and at least one of our stuff). Dishes! Cooking! (You wouldn't believe how many onions I massacre in the making of a single meal--I LOVE them cooked.)

Naturally, I did some eavesdropping...don't ask me what the topic(s) of conversation were. I don't remember.

Mama went to town and while she was gone, Daddy and Savannah gave Andrew a "walking tour" of the place and introduced him to Grandma and Grandpa. Katherine was doing her school and during this time I sat on the piano bench and thumped my way through a hunk of my guitar repertoire. On Andy Kenway's reels I jumped down to B (or up rather) with the most ease that I think I've ever had with them. I was quite pleased. I guess I've played enough recently that my D to B jumps on the (high) E-string have improved due to the extra hand stretching and loosening.

                                                                           Wednesday

Daddy took my computer into the shop (boy, you'd think that was pretty important!) 

                                                    {break here for family worship}

Anyway, Wednesday was a lot of the same...only I did read a chapter out of God and Government, Vol. 2. I'm gaining something of a wee bit more knowledge of biblical economics. For some reason, a uncomplicated understanding of that particular subject is rather elusive to my brain. 

                                                                            Thursday

For being rather "useless" (or so I felt yesterday), I guess I really did alright.

Other than doing the usual laundry and dishes, I played my guitar (sitting in the cold room) for a while. I haven't been through that particular book (and I only got about half way when my toes got too cold to stay in there any longer) in over a year--which is understandable since it was one I sent with Katherine when our family temporarily split up!

I also read both my philosophy/theology (and economics) and my history too. I was having a ball with the history reading. I had Shelby Foote's Narrative open over here, my Long's The Civil War, Day by Day open over there, my Generals in Gray in my lap, and a book concerning WBtS's battlefieds containing maps in one hand. As I was reading about First Manassas (or the First Battle of Bull Run for my friends of Union stripe ;P), I naturally had the battlefield guide open to that particular engagement's map and Long's Day by Day open to July 21st, 1861 (which was a Sunday). I referred to Generals a couple of times to put faces to names of particular Confederate generals. Naturally, I already have facial recognition with Beauregard, Joe Johnson, and Stonewall, but I couldn't reall what Gen. Bee looked like and "who was this guy??" There are SO many generals (on both sides) that most of us have never heard of.

Other things of note: both my cats got spayed. Curio is still kind of sleeping off the drugs. Runty seems mostly back to normal. My biggest question is an incredulous "How do you expect me to keep cats from jumping up onto the furniture [bed, treadle machine, chair, vanity]?" Most particularly since their favorite napping spots are all up and not down?

I have done like I was supposed to and checked their incision sites a couple of times today. They look fine--not red or swollen. The glue on Runty's incision is mostly gone (they are stitched internally, then glued shut), but so far is still fine. Curio is still growling at me a little when I pick her up...like I said, I think she's still a little doped. (I imagine they gave her a little more 'stuff'.)

Mama did most of the cooking on Thursday.

                                                                                Friday

That's today! I started the morning with laundry (actually just flipping the wash machine on when I got up--I had a load of socks soaking overnight), letting a groggy white and black cat out of her carrier (I let Runty out last night [she slept with me most of the night--as is usual] because I couldn't stand listening to her fussing and rattling the door), drinking my coffee and reading my Bible--with said black and white cat sitting on my stomach. She doesn't usually sit in my lap for any length of time, but she curled up there and promptly went to sleep. Runty joined in the nap curled against my knee (question...why do cats pick the side between you and the edge of the bed and never the side between you and the wall??)

Speaking of coffee...by day two in our house we had "created" another black coffee drinker. :) Tuesday morning (or was it Wednesday?) Daddy was still asleep, but all the ladies and Andrew were awake, so we sat around talking--and drinking coffee. Someone offered Andrew some and he accepted and took it black since the rest of us were and decided he actually liked the stuff.

Today, I did the cooking, most of the dishes (thanks, Katie, for doing the supper dishes several times this week!), some paltry amounts of laundry, some eavesdropping (of the obvious sort :D). It got kind of funny as I was "waiting for the onions" before I could make supper this evening. Mama and Daddy had gone to town (hey, you wondered where/when I got my computer back, didn't you? ;P) and I knew she was going to buy more onions (I used the last three at lunch time--by the way, I cook with a mightly lot of onions--to quote Gen. McDowell [US], I think them "monstrous fine!" {only he was referring to a watermelon...}).

I didn't get any history reading done today though I did get through the next chapter in God and Government. Instead of reading history, I scribbled out a letter. (Okay, so I really did try to write neatly...) You who are destined to receive that letter (you know who you are) can probably read my messing handwriting by this point--afterall, you've been doing it since those long ago days when we lived but an hour (or so) apart. I also, strangely, used a pencil instead of a pen. I "always" use a pen...but I actually write neater with a pencil (besides which I can erase). But anyway...that's neither here nor there.

I am, currently, in possession of "the ear" (aka the baby monitor by which we listen to Granddaddy while he sleeps/wakes/etc.) I will gladly hand it back to Daddy when he finishes his shower. I'll pass back the hat he placed on my head with a little less enthusiasm however. Andrew got him this white "boat-hat" that says "Capitan" on it. It looks adorable on Daddy and good on me (vainity!) and I like it a lot. I also made the discovery that I can wear it over my braids cross on top of my head. Nifty...

By the way, I'd put some pictures up...but it's getting late and I haven't been able to locate Savannah's camera cord recently--and I definitely won't bug her post-10 pm for it! I'm going to sign off here and spare you all the details of the evening that had me in stitches a couple of times. I can't remember what they all were anyway...

I guess there really isn't overly much to ramble about, but if I can hold your attention, I'll tell you about my day. :)

After the usual morning routine of dishes, etc. I settled in as the person-who-keeps-an-eye-on-Granddady. The reason someone has to be at least semi-vigilant is that he goes to get up and he might fall if someone's not there to help him. So, while he slept and twitched, I watched the last half of a Perry Mason episode. Shortly after Ironside came on, Savannah woke him up and did therapy with him. She really is the best with him. Regardless of the fact that he was nearly asleep the whole time, he did alright. I sat there, tossing a ball from one hand to the other or just straight in the air with either hand and catching it in the same hand (I guess I can catch okay with my left hand like that), and "dodging" Savannah to see the television. I enjoy Ironside so when she'd step into my line of sight I'd lean one way or the other.

I didn't do much else this morning beside stashing a box of Christmas bows under the Victrola in my room. I was going to put them under the bed, but they didn't fit, so I stacked the boot box (reenacting boots) that I had under there on top of the box holding
my new boots and stuffed the bow box down there.

Before lunch and for a while after lunch, I scribbled. There are three things I'm trying to get back into--my Latin, writing a little bit every day on one of my stories (I didn't ever really have a habit of that), and my music. Of course, I washed dishes again.

Daddy and I went out this afternoon and split some wood. He ran the splitter and I loaded the back of the go-buggy with wood and carted it off like that (then unloaded it, of course). We did four loads. The first two got dumped in the basement and the other two I stacked under the lean-to on the old garage. Daddy hurt his back when he went to unhook the splitter from the go-buggy when we were done and so I put it away (with some help from Daddy--I'm not sure I could have gotten the 'oomph' to get it rolling in the mud without him). He was going to help unload the wood but decided he'd better not with his back hurting. We got a little wet with some sleety rain. That stuff stings when it hits your face. The slush has quit now, but the wind is blowing harder.

When we came in, I slogged my way through a Latin sentence (I had a couple of breaks--one of which was to help Granddaddy onto the potty) and now I'm writing this...

I need to change the cat-box in my room, so I reckon I'd better skedaddle and do that. I meant to do it yesterday...

Over and out (for now)!

I am still here. I didn't stub my toe and fall off the face of the earth. I've just been down with a cold ever since Tuesday morning. I have spent the week in bed with my nose (runny or stuffy depending on the minute) poked into varying mysteries by either American or British authors of the early 1940's. (I picked up a collection of old Detective Book Club books consisting of eleven volumes with three novel's apiece at the local annual book sale several years ago.) Some of them are just mediocre, but some of them are really quite good. 

I'm not much of a hand at napping, so I haven't napped any, though there have been definite times were I was laying down with my eyes shut. I'd pop back up at some point to lean on my pillows and blow my nose or drink the tea someone brought me or just to put my nose back into my book.

I spent some time playing with the cats...Runty in particular. All I have to do is wiggle my toes under the covers and she will pounce. I have to admit they did cause me quite a bit of amusement over the course of the week. Now eating...that was interesting. :D I'd have my plate or bowl or whatever balanced between my knees and my sternum and next thing I knew, I had a couple of black noses pointed my way, wiggling gently as they sniffed the pleasing aroma's of whatever I happened to be eating. (If I were a gambling gal, I'd bet you a buck they could smell it better than I could!) Then they would start encroaching into my "plate territory". I'd shove off Cuiro--then Runty...then maybe both at the same time...like I said, it got interesting.

Other cat amusements were watching little Runts playing with my sock...a white anklet with black lace on it (a lovely gift from a dear friend--Thanks Mrs. S!! They've gotten some wear! :])...then I lost the hair band out of the end of my braid at some point yesterday and Runty's been goofing around with that. This morning she had it hanging out of her mouth and I nearly laughed out loud because it looked like she had a long, fuzzy, florecent lime green tongue!

Then of course, the two of them get to chasing each other and bouncing of the bed, me, the other furniture, and whatever. I got leaped on unexpectedly the other day. Curio landed right smack dab in the middle of my stomach (aka. right in the soft spot); if she were much heavier I think I would have had all the air knocked out of me!

Of course, they weren't funny the whole time. Curio in particular decided that she like playing with my digital thermometer (the highest my temperture got--that I'm aware--was 100.4) and my bed-side clock--knocking both of them on the floor a couple of times. (The battery falls out every time the clock hits the floor.) Finally, I had enough of it and tucked the thermometer under my pillow and leaned the clock up in bed against the wall.

Curio is in heat again so she's acting a little nuts and when awake she spends a large portion of time making that noise that is someplace inbetween a purr and a meow. It's gets a little annoying after a while, so maybe it's a good thing my ears are stuffed up! :D

I'm on the upside of this cold and I hope to be back to normal in a day or two here...I'm just grateful I can go crawl in bed and stick my nose into a book when I feel as lousy as I have this past week.

We continue to attempt to get three cats to co-exist. Suffice to say, at this point, I still have two confined to my room.

Abby and Runty would probably get along just fine...but Abby and Curio are going rather head to head. Surprisingly, Curio has been the pugnacious one. She chased Abby under Mom's bed a couple of days ago and yesterday was a total catastrophe!

Abby sat in a window and alternately growled and hissed at Curio who did a little bit of growling herself. After about 30 minutes of that, Curio wondered off and Abby got brave enough to come down and go sit on the table by the window in the dining room. When Curio decided to get too close there, Abby hissed, jumped off the table and took off. Curio was right at her heels...

Minutes later, Curio was dumped back in my room...and Abby hissed at me a couple of time throughout the remainder of the day. She also started sneezing. Mom thinks it was the stress.

I think we'll give poor Abby a rest from the other cats today...but if I do decide to bring one down, I'll put the harness Mom has on her...that way she can't get away from me.