Thursday, December 10, 2020

My Day

Yesterday Blue-the-cat, Gabe-the-schnauzer, and I (Donna-the-human) went on our usual walk to the edge of the woods.  When I turned around and started back to the house, Blue didn't seem interested in joining us, even when I called him.  I don't think it's more than a quarter-mile back there, so I figured the silly cat would come home on his own.  He surely knows the way, since he's made the trip several times. 

Three hours later he still hadn't come back, so I put Gabe on the leash and we went north through the pasture again.  When we got near the turnaround place, I began calling Blue; he came right out of the brush and was ready to follow us home... finally.  I should have left him back there, because I'm almost positive he'd have come home by 4:30; that's when I feed the cats their canned food.  Food is mighty important to Blue.  But any time he's missing, I picture coyotes or foxes feasting on him, or an eagle flying off with the cat in his claws.  Since Blue is an outside cat, I see that gruesome picture in my mind quite often.  Old Mama Kitty is at least 13 years old, and she's still around.  Surely Blue will make it as long.  But I worry.

Because I took two walks yesterday, I'm paying today with sore knees.  No walk today, and I only spent 15 minutes on the exercise bike.  I have had a productive day, though.  I had a tiny roast in the freezer:  one pound, six ounces.  I told Cliff it was a two-person roast, although it was a wee bit too much for us at one meal.  I made mashed potatoes and gravy and heated up green beans.  While the roast was in the Insta-Pot, I made rice pudding.  Cliff was pleasantly surprised.

This morning I wrote my sister a much better left-hand letter than the one I was going to send.  I needed the practice, right?  I thought I did my best job yet on her letter, so later when I was getting ready to send a payment in the mail, I thought it was time to try writing a check left-handed.  First, though, I used my left hand to write my return address on the envelope.  I used a pen writing the return address first.  But I'm not as proficient with a pen; it's as if they have a mind of their own.  After seeing my poor attempt at writing a return address, I realized I'm not ready for prime-time yet and used my right hand for the check.   

What's Cliff doing on these beautiful days?  Well, he got everything done he intended to do with the "parts tractor"he turned into a working one, so he parked it and got the other 880 Oliver out; this is the tractor he bought with intentions to fix up.  Everything seems to be working on it, except that it needs a rear end.  The man who sold him the tractor told him he had no idea what was wrong with it, but it makes a loud noise when it's put in reverse.

I don't know where he'll get another parts tractor.  He saw a cheap one Monday on Facebook Marketplace, but it sold before he had a chance at it.


That thing between the hose on the left and the stool on the right is a power takeoff (PTO).   I'm sure my readers will find this fascinating.  

I guess we are still looking for a used Kubota 7040.  And now, to find another 880 parts tractor and hope my husband resists the urge to get it running.

The two cats are at the door demanding their supper, and it's almost that time.

And that's what's happening today at Woodhaven Acres.



9 comments:

  1. I am scared of letting my cat outside because there are coyotes around due to the number of trees in our green belt. (in a housing development!) There are also pit bulls who live behind me, and are "very nice" according to their owners, but lunge at me and bark loudly when I'm out mowing the lawn. So...I steer clear and don't think they would be friendly to my cat either. Pets are certainly a worry, although they're also a source of entertainment and love. Cliff's work with tractors seems to keep him very busy and active; that's a good thing!

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    1. I'd never have an outdoor cat in town. I tried after we moved to Kansas City, in my early teens; Mother did not want cats in the house. I was lucky to have any of my cats longer than a year back then.

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    2. I may try the left hand writing. I all right handed so it’ll be hard I’m sure.

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  2. That sun & blue sky, Donna.... I stopped to look at that photo for quite awhile. I could smell the fresh cool air! I'm glad you went after Blue. He wasn't in any trouble but he might have been. I'm sorry your knees hurt extra tho. You & I are sistas in that too. ~Andrea xoxo

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  3. I am so glad you found Blue. I was afraid something had happened to him.

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  4. Your animals are so cute!

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  5. Cats are so good when they take walks with their humans. When my neighbor goes for a walk in the neighborhood, her cat walks right along with her but far enough out to her side to look independent. Anytime I see them, the cat is just meow yakking at her the whole time as he walks along a ways off to her side. Our Persian cat that we had years ago, would never, ever, ever have condescended to walking anywhere near us. When we would go for a walk he went the other way. He was a very beautiful Gray Persian, but he was rather stubborn for all of his 17 years.

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  6. My grandparents had an indoor cat that lived to be 21 years old and our indoor cat lived to be 18. However, I recently wrote on my blog about the death of our long time outdoor cat. His mate died 10 years ago at age 15 which is ancient for an outdoor cat. "Old Man" as we called him, lived another ten years and died at age 25 this past summer, we think. Anyway, he disappeared and never came home so he met his demise in some manner. I always joked to Old Man that God had forgotten about him.

    We had a different green for our tractors, all John Deere. During the farm sale the previous winter, I had notions of saving the 5-20 and fixing it back up but then saw the line of people looking at it before the auction. It brought a good price and I'm sure went to a great home and is being fixed up or is fixed up as I write this.

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    1. Cliff has a 2003 John Deere, under 50 horse. He's painted and restored a 520, several B's, and an A. He's never seen any tractor he didn't love, although when my uncle showed us an old Allis WC he'd bought for parts and I asked how much he would take for it... and then he said we could just have it... Cliff wasn't too enthralled. He doesn't like the older tractors as well. Just for me, though, he got it running and painted it. That tractor now belongs to that uncle's grandson in Nebraska.

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