Kitten!

I suppose it's a little bit soon to get a new cat, but briefly, let's recount terrible events of the last week:

1. Bodkay becomes terribly ill.

2. Huge storm comes through, blowing two of our outbuildings over- and moving them each 20 feet or so- and a bee hive is knocked over.

3. All of our ducks are killed or fly away in terror.

4. Goose is comepletely eaten by a predator- only his heart and one wing are left.

5. After suffering for five days and spending considerable time with our wonderful vet, after getting worse and better again twice, Bodkay dies at five and a half years old.

So, we were down in the dumps. And then who did we see, but Stripe, the long lost bunny we had to give away a while ago. We knew it was a possibility that he would be a part of a traveling petting zoo, but we were quite shocked and delighted to find him at a company picnic, with hundreds of children lining up to pet him!

It was thrilling to see him- in show business! Our old bunny. To think, he was born in Big Z's bedroom. 

We went back to pet him twice. Both times, we could hardly believe what a hit he was. So soft. So cute. So friendly. Just and all around great bunny, doing a great job with the petting zoo kids. Z was especially delighted. 

Then we went to the annual Jacobs Sheep Breeders Association Meeting, hanging out in a hot, humid barn with a bunch of stinky old sheep. (Okay, they were mostly sweet, sweet little lambs. Just a few stinky old sheep. And a few stinky old people, too, I suppose- myself included in the last lot. Remember: it was hot.) This one was my favorite stinky old sheep:

And then there were the seminars, the discussions of what to breed for, the marvelous rug making seminar, the discussion of the best age to butcher, how to market meat, and then there were the pasties, the raffle- where Z drew her own name, and the whole time the raffle was going on- item after item, talked about, kids (our kid) drawing numbers, and BAH whispering to me,

"Ten more minutes. That's all I can stand. I'm dying over here!"

I was downing plastic cup after plastic cup full of red wine, with the theory that it helped me radiate heat. 

"Let's stay for dessert," I kept saying. "There's a sheep cake! And we can't leave, anyway- Z is drawing the numbers for the raffle!"

"I'm melting... I'm going to die. You don't want me to die, do you?"

The heat was unbearable. All that time, we were waiting for dessert, and then the organizers said,

"Thanks for coming everyone!"

They forgot dessert! Oh, for the love of God! We were dying! 

And then the Master Weaver saved us, reminding everyone there was a cake shaped like two sheep to be eaten. Phew. 

And all was okay.

We went home. We slept. In air conditioning. 

So, yesterday, we were just going to look. Just go out to the humane society and take a little peak- at the cats. Don't take anyone home or anything, mind you. Just a look-see. Window shopping. We would never take one home. Too soon.

Oh, but he was sweet. So sweet. 

Honestly, they didn't have to twist my arm about it. 

And now we have Grenix. (It's a Klingon name.)

Uncle Dennis says that cats reincarnate quicker than most people. Somehow, I found that comforting.

P.S. We put the beehive back up. The bees are okay.