by Pa Rock
Farmer in Spring
It's a cool, crisp spring day in the Ozarks. The temperature is just barely above freezing and the forecast calls for rain later in the day. The Roost is suffering a bit of a shiver, but in one corner of the chicken coop things are warm and content. Fiona, my farm cat, gave birth yesterday to four beautiful kittens, and the entire family lies curled up on the coop floor in a box full of wood shavings that I originally constructed as a place for the peahens to nest. The peahens didn't care for it, and neither did the goose who occasionally lays an egg - but Fiona found it to be a perfect place to give birth to her second litter of kittens. Big brother, Magoo, stays close by keeping an eye on his new siblings.
Fiona's last litter arrived in the barn loft this past May 8th, Harry Truman's birthday. This batch got here on the March 31st, the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and Al Gore's 70th birthday. Fiona definitely appears to be expressing Democratic tendencies.
The first litter consisted of five babies: two brindle (like the mother), two orange, and one black. The new group of four has one brindle, one orange, one black, and one gray and black striped. All are large, as kittens go, and appear to be very healthy. I suspected there would be more this time. Just before the births Fiona was enormous, resembling a short, constipated raccoon, but she has quickly regained her girlish figure.
The first litter of kittens constantly begged to move to the Kansas City area, which three of them eventually did. This group is already mewing about the beauty of the Idaho panhandle.
Forewarned is forearmed!
Farmer in Spring
It's a cool, crisp spring day in the Ozarks. The temperature is just barely above freezing and the forecast calls for rain later in the day. The Roost is suffering a bit of a shiver, but in one corner of the chicken coop things are warm and content. Fiona, my farm cat, gave birth yesterday to four beautiful kittens, and the entire family lies curled up on the coop floor in a box full of wood shavings that I originally constructed as a place for the peahens to nest. The peahens didn't care for it, and neither did the goose who occasionally lays an egg - but Fiona found it to be a perfect place to give birth to her second litter of kittens. Big brother, Magoo, stays close by keeping an eye on his new siblings.
Fiona's last litter arrived in the barn loft this past May 8th, Harry Truman's birthday. This batch got here on the March 31st, the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and Al Gore's 70th birthday. Fiona definitely appears to be expressing Democratic tendencies.
The first litter consisted of five babies: two brindle (like the mother), two orange, and one black. The new group of four has one brindle, one orange, one black, and one gray and black striped. All are large, as kittens go, and appear to be very healthy. I suspected there would be more this time. Just before the births Fiona was enormous, resembling a short, constipated raccoon, but she has quickly regained her girlish figure.
The first litter of kittens constantly begged to move to the Kansas City area, which three of them eventually did. This group is already mewing about the beauty of the Idaho panhandle.
Forewarned is forearmed!
1 comment:
My cat, Tarzan would follow me as I hiked among the yellow rape fields of the Palouse, north of Troy, Idaho.
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