Living with Animals

How I wished I had a camera this morning. Must be four times I shooed Zoe off the stove, where she was determined to stay. The last time I found her very delicately perched on top of my teapot. Damndest thing I ever saw and I wish to hell I had a picture. She doesn’t like it when her tiny little paws are cold, but certainly wasn’t going up into the bed in the nice warm loft when everybody else was down here. Someday my ship will come in, and I’ll insulate the floor. Not soon.

I had a little extra work to do on the chicken yard before I could leave for shit-shoveling, when I came outside to find one of the ladies wandering fearfully around the yard. She was very cooperative about going back in, having probably been examined by Ghost a time or two before I found her. I’ve always known there’s a big gap in the wire above the gate, but until this morning none of them ever used it. Now I’ve got that covered up.

And Little Bear, bless his homicidal heart, damn near put a stop to my antics as we left the cabin for the Jeep. He gets very excited at the sight of the leash, and has almost hauled me off the top of the steps before. This morning he succeeded, and sent me flying. Fortunately I landed on my feet and not my head, but I was roaring displeasure and he knew at whom. Can’t really get mad at him, though – pound for pound he’s got to be one of the strongest and stupidest creatures alive, but that’s not his fault. He didn’t mean anything by it. He just gets excited.

And my neighbor H is off to the city for some sort of “Christmas lights” parade. Cruise Control the miniature horse, along with his cart, has allegedly been decorated with battery-powered Christmas lights and a Santa hat. And I missed it.