Chapter One

Mom and I had a sit together yesterday.  We sat and sat and sat.  Mom petted on me and I purred.  Then I got up and had Mom scratch me all over my back and at the base of my tail.

I purred as LOUD as I could.

A HUGE BIG PURR.

Then I looked Mom in the eye and said as clearly as I possibly could: “We have to move on.  Boomer would want that.  Besides he comes to see us even now.  You just have to look for him.”

I stared and stared in Mom’s eyes trying to get her to understand.

I think she did. But I’m not sure.  Anyway, I tried to get her to understand.

After I had all the purring and scratching, I wanted, I jumped down and went to the back door—Mom followed me.

OUTSIDE!

Outside where I love to be.

Hum, I wonder where Dad is?

Oh!  There he is.

Time to give Dad lots of love and purrs.

That’s my job (besides catching and eating mice) giving Mom and Dad purrs.

Okay.  That’s enough.

I have things I need to do.

Let’s see…the combine is parked in its regular spot. That means Dad is done with the corn harvest.  That also means there might be MICE inside the header looking for left-behind corn.

YUMMY

MICE!

I peered up into the combine.

Nothing.  Not a movement, or a flick of a tail, nothing.

Well, off to the woodpile.

I can usually find mice scurrying up and over the logs there.

STOP!

WAIT!

SHHHHHHHHHHHH  BIRD!!!

Mom would NOT like it if I caught (and ate) a bird…but…THERE ONE IS!!!

I crept down real low

Moving slow, ever so slow, slower…s.l.o.w.e.r

NOW!

WHAT JUST HAPPENED!

Something brown furry and fluffy just ran out of a log and right toward me!

(Of course, scaring off the BIRD!)

“MINDY!! MINDY!!” Screeched the brown furry

SQUIRREL!

“OH! Stanley! You gave me a huge fright! And you scared off a bird.”

“Scared off a bird!  Oh, good!  Glad to help Ya. I’ll try to do so again.” Stanley ran quickly down the log and sat right in front of me with his chitter-chatter going a-mile-minute.

“Stop, Stanley!  You are talking so fast I can’t understand you.  Besides my heart is still trying to calm down.”

“That’s okay, Cat.  I’m not looking for you anyway.  I’ve been hanging out here waiting for my buddy, Boomer to come along so we can have an adventure!”

“Boomer?” I questioned Stanley in a sad little voice.

“Yes, Yes, Boomer.  Stewart and I want to go on an adventure over to the equipment area and we want to ride on Boomer’s back.”

“Boomer,” I said, quietly.  “Boomer left us, Stanley.  He now lives over the rainbow bridge.”

“The Rainbow Bridge! NO! NO! I Don’t want Boomer to go live over the Rainbow Bridge! NO!”  Stanley wailed.

“I didn’t want him to go either,” I replied miserably.

“Gosh, Mindy, I could swear I saw him just a few hours ago,

trotting passed the Grain Truck.  I called to him.  He stopped gave me one of his sweet beagle smiles, wagged his tail, then put his nose to the ground and trotted on passed the grain truck over toward one of Mom’s gardens.  I swear I saw him.”

“I think you did, Stanley.  I think he is coming back and visiting ever now and again.  I saw him yesterday, while Mom and Dad were busy with the corn.  He was right by the cornfield watching Mom and Dad. Sometimes dozing, sometimes sitting up and staring at them.”

I walked over to the woodpile, climbed up on one of the logs; started stretching out my claws grabbing the wood with each one of my nails, then raking them toward me.

SCRATCH   SCRATCH   RAKE

“I talked to Boomer at that point. He said he was happy. And that he would be back and forth to check on us.  Right after that he sorta, kinda, faded.  Then I didn’t see him anymore.”

“Geeze, I didn’t know.  I have to go now. Gotta Go.  I gotta let Stewart know.”

Zoom, Stanley was gone.

I stopped sharping my nails and sat down on the log.  The log is nice and warm, the sunshine perfect, no wind…the log nice and warm.

Gosh, this log is perfect for a wee little cat nap…………….