Tuesday

Of all 7 cats that eat and sleep on farmette lands, Dance is by far the most attached to us. Ed often says she is more like a dog than a cat, following us on our farmette walks, always being the first one at the feeding station, always asking for scraps of dinner food, always loving that snuggle on the couch or a cheek rub on the kitchen counter. Sure, she does hunt -- mice, the occasional chipmunk, and unfortunately, every few months she lands a bird. But apart from that (and her utter fear of strangers and little children), she is a thoroughly domesticated feral. Loves to stay as close to the home as possible.

So it was very strange when she did not come in for her dinner (at the shed) or our dinner (at the farmhouse) last night. Even stranger that she did not come in all night to sleep in her favorite spot (diaper table, or curled up with Unfriendly, on the orange couch. And even stranger that this morning there was absolutely no sign of her.

I wasn't going to feed the animals, thinking that perhaps Ed can carry on for a few more days, but the morning is so beautiful and I do want to throw an eye out here and there, call out her name, look for signs of what may have happened to her. 

The walk is lovely...

(the lilac once again...)

I feed everyone and walk back toward the house, genuinely worried.

(a month ago, there wasn't a leaf to be seen, and now? a transformed landscape!)

And I notice that I left the car lights on my Blue Moon. Odd how that turned out: I usually keep them on auto. Must have nudged the handle in my clumsy exit from the car.

I go to turn them off and try the engine. And who should I find staring mournfully out the driver's seat window? Dance.

Oh you poor dear! I had left the trunk up when I was carrying the Kopke's plants to the picnic table yesterday late afternoon. She must have hopped inside to check things out. Unknowingly, I shut her inside.

To her credit, she held off relieving herself until I freed her this morning. Still, the car was full of her paw prints and hairs and so Ed and I spent the next hour thoroughly vacuuming it and washing it down, which she watched nearby, wondering, I'm sure, why we were treating the stupid monster machine with such respect. Oh, Dance!

Breakfast on the porch. Like I said -- it's a gorgeous day!

After a brief rest, I return outside to put in some phloxes and hollyhock. I'm working on improving the Big Bed, a little at a time (hence the hollyhock), and I am also eager to fill in the newest bed by the walkway. I don't wish a sickly demise to any tree on the property, but I have to admit to being awfully glad to have one huge one die on us right by the house. Ed brought the tree down a couple of years ago and now we have ourselves a bed that used to be all shade and now is mostly sunshine. Slowly I've been taking out all the hostas and shade loving ground cover and replacing in with lilies, irises, phloxes, indigos, beard tongue and lavenders. In other words, the usual Nina favorites.

A quick errand... (to the House Wine shop because, as I said, I'm not done with Mother's Day!)...

Then to Snowdrop's house to do a little hair fixing for dance. She didn't go to school today (as a precaution), but she is happily done with her bug which is a huge relief for her, since her last ballet class of the year takes place today and it's one where parents and the occasional grandparent are invited to watch.

They've choreographed a short dance to Stravinsky's Firebird, and for this they have a bit of a costume...

Seeing her joyous face in these dance productions is always wonderful!

And now I am home again, cooking up a pot of soup for the next couple of suppers. Ed's put the hens away and fed the cats -- ever animal is in her or his place, everyone accounted for and that's such a good thing!