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So, my parents are on vacation. So am I. They're driving all over creation (or at least a good ways). I'm taking a long weekend at home. :) I drove over to their house today - first time since they left (as I was on call the first week of it), just to check on the cats and the house, and maybe say hi and be social with the fuzzballs.
It was an utterly gorgeous drive. The sun was out but there were clouds, so some areas were shadowed, and everything was spring green and much of it flowerful...fields were green carpets. The old over-patched barn on Calkins (the paved part of it - I was avoiding school zones, since I'm not patient) made me want my camera, as did a number of other things I saw, so of course I hadn't taken it, not thinking I would want it. It was just utterly gorgeous out, that's all I can say, and I very much enjoyed the whole drive.
Got there and am pleased to report that, as expected, the house and other buildings are all still standing. This is good, I wouldn't know what to say to my parents if I had to tell them otherwise, after all. :) I had a hard time turning up cats, though. I called kitty-kitty and no one came, and I thought oh no, they've all taken off. (They're indoor-outdoor cats, outdoor for the duration of the trip so the neighbors can just fill food and water, so I wouldn't put it past them to vanish if their companionship did, either.)
Checked food and water and confirmed they had both; heat lamp for them was on in the barn and not frying anything; so they're as good as can be. Topped the food up out of habit and then laughed at myself; the neighbor kid taking care of that may be puzzled. Or may not, for that matter.
I was wandering back up toward the house and decided to go look at what used to be the dog run (and is now the side yard), for no reason but curiosity. At the top, I saw Spot - I think it was Spot, anyway, the right face and a lot of white, but shied into the bushes. So I kept trying to call him and he drifted closer through the bushes, but stopped without actually coming into plain view. I hope it was him; the cat was moving well, and Spot's been getting in fights and getting hurt. The possibility he might repeat that was one that had made me want to check on them.
Then went to the back deck. I thought that perhaps, if I called from there, I would get him to come to me. I didn't, but I did get one of the black-and-whites. Tips or Babe. I'm not sure. Some white-tipped fur but I can't remember if Babe had any. Shy, but willing to be petted. There was another of similar coloration who hid under the house and peeped out at me through the hole in the foundation that's meant to be attached to the oven vent, but the face didn't quite look right for being the other one. I'm not sure, though, since I didn't see a whole lot of it. I saw that one later, down in the woodshed, but only from the back porch, so sitll not sure.
I also got Basta, eventually. I'd seen her a bit earlier, when I was on the front walk, the venerable old matron-cat (hah! venerable enough to still hunt, I think, and full of energy) lying lazily on her perch...on top of the trellis that holds up the vines...far enough above my head that, with the vines in the way, I could only just brush her cheek. While on tip-toe, and stretched uncomfortably. She was most put out when I stopped, but she didn't seem to mind getting petted and brushed all over when she came down to the deck later.
I got out a few Pounce treats, but only Basta would eat them. Babe or Tips, whichever it was, wanted to occupy my lap and put holes in my legs and muddy pawprints on my pants and shed white fur on my black pants and black fur on my white shirt. She did, by the way, a very good job at all of the above, and I couldn't really grudge it to her - it took a bit of work to coax her up on the porch in the first place, and I had gone there to say hi, and I entirely deserved all of the above, really.
There was some white fur scattered in the driveway by the lilac. Not sure who's, except it wasn't either of the ones I was petting. Basta was missing a good chunk of overcoat, though. About 3-4 inches long and maybe an inch wide along her back, the reddish-black overcoat was just not there and the dark black undercoat showed through. Ran hands all over and found no damage under it, though. So whatever happened, she either won, or moved fast enough.
There are a bunch of houseplants around the back porch, all hardy enough to survive outside this time of year, getting watered by mother nature (who has been entirely over-enthusiastic lately, but the plants don't seem to mind). One or two appear to have had upsets: there was a long, narrow tray sitting on a deck-step, next to a patch of dirt the same color as that in it. Looks like it got knocked over, but if so, it got set upright again. I somehow doubt mom meant to grow the daisy that was in one corner of it, but on the off-chance I'm wrong, I left it alone. It can always be removed later.
The other plant with problems was a tall one, that had fallen over. When I tried to bring it up again, I found it was overbalanced, probably what took it over in the first place (or, if not, once over it shifted enough to do that). I propped it against the deck, which seemed to do the trick.
Wandered down to the shop then and let myself in to look at the work dad's been doing on the water tank. It's really fairly impressive, and also very little like I'd imagined it (but that's really no surprise). Smaller than I'd thought, for so much volume as it can hold. Let myself back out (having watched for cats coming in - what a thought!) and locked it up again.
On the way back up the driveway, I collected a double-stem of flowers from the lilac. I love the scent of that thing. I love it. Must have one. When I clear the lower part of the back yard, maybe for next year, so I can let it grow some instead of having to stunt it. At any rate, I took a bit of my parents' and then went into the house to borrow some paper towels and tinfoil to give it a bit of water and keep it fresh longer. That worked well.
Home now. Did some clothes shopping after that, have new pants, and still my lovely-smelling lilac-bit. Miss the cats already and long since; they really are sweethearts.
It was an utterly gorgeous drive. The sun was out but there were clouds, so some areas were shadowed, and everything was spring green and much of it flowerful...fields were green carpets. The old over-patched barn on Calkins (the paved part of it - I was avoiding school zones, since I'm not patient) made me want my camera, as did a number of other things I saw, so of course I hadn't taken it, not thinking I would want it. It was just utterly gorgeous out, that's all I can say, and I very much enjoyed the whole drive.
Got there and am pleased to report that, as expected, the house and other buildings are all still standing. This is good, I wouldn't know what to say to my parents if I had to tell them otherwise, after all. :) I had a hard time turning up cats, though. I called kitty-kitty and no one came, and I thought oh no, they've all taken off. (They're indoor-outdoor cats, outdoor for the duration of the trip so the neighbors can just fill food and water, so I wouldn't put it past them to vanish if their companionship did, either.)
Checked food and water and confirmed they had both; heat lamp for them was on in the barn and not frying anything; so they're as good as can be. Topped the food up out of habit and then laughed at myself; the neighbor kid taking care of that may be puzzled. Or may not, for that matter.
I was wandering back up toward the house and decided to go look at what used to be the dog run (and is now the side yard), for no reason but curiosity. At the top, I saw Spot - I think it was Spot, anyway, the right face and a lot of white, but shied into the bushes. So I kept trying to call him and he drifted closer through the bushes, but stopped without actually coming into plain view. I hope it was him; the cat was moving well, and Spot's been getting in fights and getting hurt. The possibility he might repeat that was one that had made me want to check on them.
Then went to the back deck. I thought that perhaps, if I called from there, I would get him to come to me. I didn't, but I did get one of the black-and-whites. Tips or Babe. I'm not sure. Some white-tipped fur but I can't remember if Babe had any. Shy, but willing to be petted. There was another of similar coloration who hid under the house and peeped out at me through the hole in the foundation that's meant to be attached to the oven vent, but the face didn't quite look right for being the other one. I'm not sure, though, since I didn't see a whole lot of it. I saw that one later, down in the woodshed, but only from the back porch, so sitll not sure.
I also got Basta, eventually. I'd seen her a bit earlier, when I was on the front walk, the venerable old matron-cat (hah! venerable enough to still hunt, I think, and full of energy) lying lazily on her perch...on top of the trellis that holds up the vines...far enough above my head that, with the vines in the way, I could only just brush her cheek. While on tip-toe, and stretched uncomfortably. She was most put out when I stopped, but she didn't seem to mind getting petted and brushed all over when she came down to the deck later.
I got out a few Pounce treats, but only Basta would eat them. Babe or Tips, whichever it was, wanted to occupy my lap and put holes in my legs and muddy pawprints on my pants and shed white fur on my black pants and black fur on my white shirt. She did, by the way, a very good job at all of the above, and I couldn't really grudge it to her - it took a bit of work to coax her up on the porch in the first place, and I had gone there to say hi, and I entirely deserved all of the above, really.
There was some white fur scattered in the driveway by the lilac. Not sure who's, except it wasn't either of the ones I was petting. Basta was missing a good chunk of overcoat, though. About 3-4 inches long and maybe an inch wide along her back, the reddish-black overcoat was just not there and the dark black undercoat showed through. Ran hands all over and found no damage under it, though. So whatever happened, she either won, or moved fast enough.
There are a bunch of houseplants around the back porch, all hardy enough to survive outside this time of year, getting watered by mother nature (who has been entirely over-enthusiastic lately, but the plants don't seem to mind). One or two appear to have had upsets: there was a long, narrow tray sitting on a deck-step, next to a patch of dirt the same color as that in it. Looks like it got knocked over, but if so, it got set upright again. I somehow doubt mom meant to grow the daisy that was in one corner of it, but on the off-chance I'm wrong, I left it alone. It can always be removed later.
The other plant with problems was a tall one, that had fallen over. When I tried to bring it up again, I found it was overbalanced, probably what took it over in the first place (or, if not, once over it shifted enough to do that). I propped it against the deck, which seemed to do the trick.
Wandered down to the shop then and let myself in to look at the work dad's been doing on the water tank. It's really fairly impressive, and also very little like I'd imagined it (but that's really no surprise). Smaller than I'd thought, for so much volume as it can hold. Let myself back out (having watched for cats coming in - what a thought!) and locked it up again.
On the way back up the driveway, I collected a double-stem of flowers from the lilac. I love the scent of that thing. I love it. Must have one. When I clear the lower part of the back yard, maybe for next year, so I can let it grow some instead of having to stunt it. At any rate, I took a bit of my parents' and then went into the house to borrow some paper towels and tinfoil to give it a bit of water and keep it fresh longer. That worked well.
Home now. Did some clothes shopping after that, have new pants, and still my lovely-smelling lilac-bit. Miss the cats already and long since; they really are sweethearts.
Thanks
Basta was missing a good chunk of overcoat, though. That is the remains of an old wound. It's just taking a long time to grow back.
Many thanks for going out there. It is nice to hear that they are all still around. [Last time we were away for a while, Basta moved out and lived with someone else for several years.]
Re: Thanks
Re: Thanks