Sunday, May 24, 2015

Ado Annie Comes to the Roost

by Pa Rock
Farmer in Springtime

Rock's Roost, my little patch of deep Ozark green, is home to a symphony of sound.  Every time I step outside the back door I am greeted with a cacophony of yapping, clucking, crowing, honking, peeping, barking, and even the occasional "moo" drifting over from a neighbor's pasture.  Now, however, there is a new sound in the tapestry of noise, and it is loud, and insistent, and comes from one of the tiniest residents of The Roost.  Now the other sounds are stitched together with mewing.

That's right.  There is a cat at Rock's Roost - a kitten actually, a tiny, tiny kitten with a big, big voice.  Little Ado Annie, a calico mewer of the first water, came to the farm from the Kansas City area where she was part of a litter born to a barn cat in Kansas.  She arrived yesterday morning and seems bound and determined to stay, regardless of what the dogs think on the matter.  Ado Annie can expect to be a barn cat at The Roost.

Rosie is particularly aggrieved at the new arrival ever since she noticed that I was feeding the kitten some canned dog food that Rosie felt should be hers alone.  And Thor is so excited by the kitten that he has finally begun barking.  Both dogs are endeavoring to prove their superiority to the little cat through angry dancing and noises of frustration, but neither seems set to pose any real threat to her.  And Annie doesn't pay much attention to her canine brother and sister - she just arches her little back and hisses when they are putting on their shows.

(For those not old enough to recognize the name, Ado Annie was the young lady in the musical Oklahoma! who lacked the ability to say "no.")

Another day, another baby at The Roost!

1 comment:

RockyMissouri said...

I love your blog! I'm late in finding it, as I'm very slow..... Do you still go to Noel...? Last time Mike & I went, (a very long time, alas!) there was a wonderful shelter perched with a view of the water cascading over the rocks.. Combined with the water piped on the corrugated roof, and dripping off the edge, just like a sheer curtain..the effect was mesmerizing. It was a lovely place.