Friday - 154th

The animal hospital didn't call us until after midnight. We drove over then to pick up a terrified and sick Calico and to bring her home. That is if you can call the unfinished writer's shed home. She certainly didn't feel it to be that. But it is, in fact, perfect, because it keeps her safe for now. She is in no position to go it alone outside. Of course, she's not eating or drinking and so the hope for a quick recovery is not very high. We'll see what the next few days will bring.

In the morning, I check on her, feed everyone else, and tidy the garden.





















And of course, we have breakfast. With the furrowed brow you maintain when an animal is not well and you haven't a clue as to what to do next.





Friday is Snowdrop's day at the farmhouse. I do not know why it hits me now, toward the end of summer, that I should be teaching the little girl to ride a bike. I suppose I feel it's a bit complicated, out here, in rural terrain. She's plenty eager to do it, but it requires some work.

Finding a bike is the easy part. Ed's friend had salvaged and repaired a discarded girl's bike that fits her perfectly now. Ed tweaked it and it's good to go. The little one doesn't have a helmet, but that's not hard either. I pick her up at her house and we drive over to a bike shop, where we do a curbside pick up of a helmet to fit her measured head. A light spray of disinfectant and we're good!

To say that she is excited is an understatement.

(Trying it out...)





We walk over to the bike path crossing the new development. I took a stroll here the other day and saw that it really is nearly perfect for novice riders, in that it is flat and no one uses it because it goes nowhere. It stops, just like that. If you're going fast, you'll be surprised.

Ed scoots over to watch and assist.






There are theories about learning to ride on balance bikes, learning with training wheels, learning cold turkey, without training wheels -- on and on. I take the the easy way -- with training wheels, to get her confident. She has a good run, a happy run, though keeping her on track requires oversight!






Happy girl, happy gaga.






It's a hot hot day today and baking in the sun for a while made us really and I mean really appreciate the air conditioning in the farmhouse. I read her a new mystery book and she is thrilled with it. I'm going to make a mystery lover out of her yet! A shared passion!






And yes, there is a happy session of super pig drawing!






Really, you could not ask for a better day for her. We ended it with a walk to where I tried hard to grow the skinny French beans. Most have been eaten by the groundhog, but a few are still there.





Snowdrop loves to munch on them them raw!

A final bike ride -- from house to car, along a very bumpy packed gravel path. But hey, I rode my bike for years on dirt paths (there were no paved roads within miles of where I spent my childhood summers). She manages, with a proud smile and a professed love of biking.


In the evening, I sit with Calico in the shed for a very long while. She lets me pet her, which, I suppose, is either good or worrisome. I'm thinking that at some point, we'll try to walk into the shed and she'll seize that moment to escape, but for now, we keep trying to get her to eat, drink, and rest.

Eat, drink, rest. Sounds pretty good to me as well! I cook some fish, we pop some corn, I open a bottle of Italian white. Now all we need is a good night's sleep.