Monkey | Life on a Colorado Farm

We have had rain, lots and lots of beautiful wonderful rain. No wind, just rain, everything is soaked and laying flat from the rain…but we are not complaining.

Friday was my Mother’s birthday. If she were still alive she would be 87 years old. All that day I kept missing her.

Sometimes the rain felt like cold tears from heaven.

I think part of the reason is we have had too many animals deaths this year…first Balou

Then Molly Dog

And, of course Monkey our cat, and Hank the grandchildren’s dog.

Death is like a cold shadow; a cloud passing over head…sudden in its appearance, then passing quickly on.

Out of the corner of my eye, all throughout the day I caught swisp of visions…Momma in her garden, Momma laughing…the tail of one her cats she loved, moving just ahead of her…just things…long known, now gone.

Like smoke, everything was like smoke…tangible and real, but fading quickly.

I look at all these little gifts —these half-ghost memories of my Mother as small blessings.

From my world to your heart,

Linda

Well, I guess it’s true. Fuzzy isn’t coming back.

After following Mom around for days and days until I got into a daze (TEE HEE) I decided hanging with Mom 24-7 is BORING!!!! If she is outside that’s okay, but if she is inside all that I can do is sleep. Right at first that seemed like a really good thing….then it hit me.

THIS IS BORING!!!

I tried whining at Mom, trying to get her to come outside and ‘DO SOMETHING’, but she would just reach down and pet me all over and give me a really nice leg shaking/scratching belly rub. Then she would continue dusting or whatever it was she was doing.

I tried helping her cook—THAT didn’t work for sure.

So I said to myself—“WHAT CAN I DO?!?!??!” That’s when it hit me —I can make friends with the cats! Maybe we could do ‘stuff’ together!!

The first thing I had to do was to get Monkey-Cat to want to go outside. Monkey-cat never likes to go outside, but I whined and begged her until she finally said: “Okay, dog! Let’s go outside and see what so neat about being out there”!

Sammy-Sam grudgingly said Monkey-Cat and I could go out with him…BUT we could NOT get in his way. He said he has extremely important work to do on a twice a day basis and we were NOT to create havoc with his routines!

“YIPPEE!!!” I howled…”LET’S GO OUTSIDE AND SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE!”

First we had to get outside…I can go…I just put my head against the back door and I’m out. But the cats have to wait for Mom or Dad to open the door.

“To get outside, Monkey, you are going to have to sit at the door and meow and meow loudly”, I told Monkey.

Sammy turned a scornful eye at the both of us and said…”you just watch…I’ll get all of us out in a cat minute.”

Slowly he walked over to the door and sat down. He just sat there looking into the rest of the house waiting for Mom or Dad.

They never came.

It’s not working I fretted.

“Hang-on Dog I’m not done yet.”

“MEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!!! Screech, yowl.”

“Wow! You sure are demanding, Sam,” Dad exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen then onto the back porch. Dad pushed open the backdoor and Sam yelled—NOW. So we all bolted out the back door.

After a few minutes Mom and Dad came out! “YAY! We are all outside!” I bayed!

Dad headed over to the big truck where he is working on fixing the tail lights and Mom packed the trash to the trash cans.

“Come on, Monkey and Sam lets go see if there is any news at the canal.”

“SAY THIS IS FUN!” Monkey screamed as she zoomed by Sam, Mom and I…”first one up the Willow tree is Queen of the world!”

“Look at that cat go!” Mom laughed. “I think she has finally figured out being outside is fun!” Then Mom started loading up wood for the day.

“Come on Sam let’s see who has passed this way.”

Sniff, sniff…..”oh, Aanda’s big yellow and white Tom Cat.”

“GRRR, GROWL that neighbor cat is NOT welcome on this place….grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.” Sammy casted a malevolent eye toward the canal.

“What cat? Huh, what cat, Sam….how can you tell, are you sure…where did he go…huh, Sam? Sam….”

“Shhhhhhh, Monkey…just put your nose to the ground and follow the scent”…Sam glared at Monkey.

“Sniff, sniff…..oh, yeah, you are right, Sam, snuff, snuff…yep, right here…down this side of the canal…”

“COME ON…let’s see how far he went up the canal!” I invited as I slid down the side of the canal.

Down we all went- Sam, Monkey and myself.

“Oh! This is really fun!’ Monkey exclaimed…”look there are pockets of water trapped between the rocks and little hidey holes under the long grass along the canal bank…”

“Look for mice”, Sam said. “Don’t waste your time jumping on the rocks, Monkey…if you can find a mouse or two you can have a really nice snack.”

“You cats just go on and enjoy yourself, I think I’m going to hop up on the ditch bank road to smell what news is up here”…hummm,

deer…yes…buck and a nice buck.

Oh…yes…the mom and the fawn are in the corn….RACCOONS!!! A couple of big ones….snuff, sniffle…mice. “HEY! SAM THERE ARE A TON OF MICE IN THE CORN FIELD!!!”

“SAM!”

“Thanks, Boomer, yum, yum, swallow, slurp…I found a few down here.”

“BOOMIE!!! WHERE ARE YOU?”

WHAT! Mom’s calling. Maybe I’d better —————head ——————–home…but………..wait……….hummmmmmmmm…skunk…I think they are getting ready to hunker down for the winter.

“BOOMIE! YOU WANT TO GO TO TOWN WITH ME? BOOMER! DO YOU WANT TO GO!!!?”

GO?

GO” Town!?