Happy New Year!

We met our goal of moving into 1776 before Thanksgiving, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the house. Of course there are odds and ends that are still in progress - like the fact that we still do not have internet!!! (My Verizon rant I will save for another time, but trust me when I say that they are the devil) but we are living comfortably and our animals are living in their new barn (I will save my Parco rant for another time, too. The barn is beautiful but the "2 1/2 week" construction time was closer to 3 months, and it still isn't 100% complete). Jim and I look around and marvel at the fact that we live here.

Dream
Vision
Plan
Action
Reality

It all happened!! And it is just like we dreamed and envisioned it, only possibly better. Mom moved in the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and is loving life. Her dog Tops made the adjustment well, despite his age and lack of vision. My pups are happy as clams (we have officially fallen head over heels for our new girl Willow) and my goaties have finally settled. The brutal cold caused by the now famous "Polar Vortex" made for some challenges, but all is well, thanks to blankets and heaters.

Apollo the kitty had a bit of a time adjusting, and disappeared a few days after arrival when he was spooked by the installation of the back door on the barn. The temps plunged below zero, and I was sick with worry. We knew there were a couple of potential scenarios: coyote snack (there have been lots of tracks around 1776), a "helpful" neighbor snatched him, he froze in the ungodly cold, OR he headed back home to his goat shed. Jim suggested that he made the long and dangerous trek back "home", so I set out to see. Being the "expert" tracker that I am, I noticed a neat little indent in the goats' hay in the old shed which looked like a nest, while the rest of the hay was all scattered from where they had been walking. I put out food, and I put a few strands of hay in front of the kitty door to see if it was being used. The next morning on my way to work I saw some food had been eaten and the door was used ----- I was so excited. I searched and called but no kitty, BUT I put Mom and Chandler on it, and they caught him! He was so happy to see his family, and so purrrry and sweet. He has been residing in our basement at 1776, but he is a true outside kitty, and we plan to re-introduce him to his new digs this weekend when the weather is more mild.

There are folks who think having a cat live outside is cruel, but that is not necessarily the case with proper care and the right cat. Apollo was from a feral family of cats in a Buffalo warehouse that my husband once owned, and we tried to make him love life inside our house, but to no avail. He loves his goats and is bonded with them, and he is a master hunter. He is housed in a barn with his own beds and unlimited dry food and wet food each morning. He is fully vaccinated and neutered, and he is parasite free. He has the best kitty life, and he serves a vital role of rodent control officer. The basement is not for him.

~ photo by Chandler ~