fresh Monday?

It's a beautiful day! Truly gorgeous. A tad cold, but the snow transforms the farmette into something out of a painting.











We begin to move forward after all our animal dramas. Well, we're trying. We have a lovely, sunny breakfast...





And as we settle into our routines (no Sparrow today -- plans are still being adjusted for the young family following last week's medical emergency), we talk about corrections we can make going forward. Protecting the cheepers from hawks and owls has always been a challenge. We don't want a rooster -- I wont put up with that aggressive temperament. We'll muddle along as best we can.

As for Stop Sign -- that's now a challenge too. We had talked about trapping her to get her vaccinated and spayed (Ed has been actively involved in any number of feral cat maintenance programs), but then she up and got herself pregnant! Figuring out how to help her protect her kitties is a major problem (should she again choose to mate). We think she lost several little ones before she brought her two to the garage. Given that she kept them hidden for a long while, it's hard to imagine how we can keep them safe for the duration of their young lives. These are animal issues that will be part of our conversation for many weeks to come.

And now here comes another twist: today for the first time, we spot the big blob of a raccoon, hanging out under the writer's shed. That is bad news at so many levels! A raccoon is a danger to the cheepers. He carries diseases. He probably wont hunt down Stop Sign, but he can kill her by infection. And for sure, we have to limit the amount of time we leave food for her outside. Eat now or forget it, little girl!

In the meantime, Stop Sign seems at times morose...






... at times sanguine, or at least her usual calm self.






When I go out to chat her up, she comes closer and meows non stop. I tell her I have no answers for her. Just care and concern.


Ed and I should have gone skiing, but I tell you, all this animal stuff is a time drain! I do my yoga and we enjoy the utter beauty of the day looking out, from the warm comfort of the farmhouse living space.






And in the afternoon, I pick up Snowdrop.


 


As we come inside, Ed comes in. He hovers, as if wanting to talk.
I ask -- You been to the garage? Something's up?
Well, you wont believe it, but as I was going in, this large animal came out, running past me toward the writer's shed!
The raccoon?
Maybe. But Gorgeous, I don't think it's a raccoon.
Was it a leopard?? (This from Snowdrop.)
Let me show you how raccoons run. He finds a youtube and we watch raccoons saunter across the lawn to the tune of Chariots of Fire. Snowdrop is fascinated.





This was not the way the big animal ran.
So what are you saying?
It's not a raccoon.
What is it then? (Here's a tiny shot of it, taken from the kitchen, so at a big distance and through window panes and porch screens.)





I think it's a Maine Coon.
A what???
You know, that very, very large cat.
Ed, this thing was huge!
They are huge. And look! Stop Sign isn't concerned! She's on her way now to check him out!






Snowdrop is captivated by this exchange. What should we name him?
What do you think?
She'd been listening to Ed's description of these large cats. How about Long Whiskers? She does pick the complicated names.






(You cannot say that Stop Sign is not interested in The Huge Cat! At the very least, it's refreshing to see her demonstrate some spark again. Off she goes to sniff him out!)






Snowdrop and I play. I try not to think about the animals in our various sheltered spots. Who is this newcomer? A welcome friend? A new headache? How will it all turn out? I save all this for later and concentrate on Snowdrop's story of the snake in a box. It is, thankfully, a happy story.






(A pause for a new book: The Pink Umbrella. Rich in illustrations... Suggestively spartan in its story line. The Amazon pitch is "perfect for fans of Amélie." For whatever reason, she loves it.)






When I drive the little girl home, I notice it -- the full Snow Supermoon. I mean, it's supersized! And beautiful. A February special. Funny how even this month has its fair share of stunning surprises.