Farm Update

My sweet girl Dixie Belle

Tolerating a goat in her house

Trying to intimidate the dog out of her bed (she was always successful)

This week we had the very low point of saying goodbye to our sweet girl Dixie. Even though she was an old (16+ years) cat, I wasn't ready to say goodbye to her. She came into our family when she was about 4 months old and, as a house cat, was ever-present in our lives. Dixie and I immediately bonded - in fact she chose me - when I found her at a local Humane Society shelter. I went into the enclosure where they kept cats and, while the other cats cowered, she ran right up to me. Over the years she tolerated the games our children played with her, survived the move from Florida to Virginia, and even made several car trips between the two states. She was a real trooper and good company.

We had some good times this week, as well. We went to see a violin/piano duet called Duo Amiable on Saturday night, after we had sold at the Holiday Bazaar. Sunday afternoon saw us attending a children's theater production of Fiddler on the Roof. Unfortunately, from all the stress of losing our cat Mr. Fabulous and saying goodbye to Dixie, I came down with a virus that sidelined me for Thanksgiving. Due to a combination of herbal remedies, natural treatments, and lots of rest, I've had a pretty rapid recovery.

We also took off the week so didn't have deliveries to make, so we had some leisure time. Leisure time for us usually means catching up on neglected chores but it's always a good feeling to get those tasks out of the way.

Fabs wreaking havoc on the furniture

Fabs in one of his unique sleeping positions

But we ended this week on a very high note (and one reason why I didn't post Farm Friday): Mr. Fabulous was found! Bill's sister and her husband are staying in the farm house for the weekend. Around 4:30 yesterday afternoon, she called me and said Fabs had shown up there! We raced to the house and found him cowering under the back porch. He acted feral, as if he had never seen us before in his life. Once he came out, he started heading for the woods, with me carefully trailing behind and calling his name. When we got near the woods, I knew that if I continued pursuing him we could lose him. So I crouched down, called his name, and waited. He hesitated for a few moments then came to my waiting arms. I scooped him up and held him tight until we were able to get him to the safety of our house.

The poor boy must have wandered farther than normal and just couldn't find his way home. He was skinny and starving. Last night he cuddled with me on the couch - something he normally wouldn't do -  and climbed into bed with us in the wee hours of the morning. I'm not going to let him out for a while - if ever - and I think he now appreciates the good home he has. An unexpectedly good ending.

Have a great week!