Cats and Deer

It was cool and windy here yesterday, but it should reach the mid- to upper-50s today. The sky is cloudless and the wind is not blowing. There are ten mule deer does bedded down in the backyard, keeping a sharp eye on Cloudy, who is out investigating. Shady just saw me at the desk, and came in through the office door, pausing to give me a rub before heading out to the kitchen. Alexy and Karen are due home tomorrow evening, and then I'll go home to the kits and my own bed. I've had to laugh over at Karen's - Twister has always been friendly, and I wrote last Sunday about finally laying eyes on Tinkerbell, who had been asleep under the bed covers. Both Tinkerbell and Twister greet me at the door now, and both want to be picked up and loved before feeding. Having seen Tinkerbell multiple times now, and in the light, I can tell you that she is a brown tabby, with patches of dilute tortie orange along her sides and back. She is quite a little lover! And the gerbils now recognize me when I sit down beside their cage and start doing my daily duties with them - they all like to crawl all over me, and neither Twister nor Tinkerbell try to hunt them. Last night, when I laid down to sleep, Shady came and crawled onto my chest and washed my face and my left hand; then he curled up, heaved a big sigh and slept. Cloudy did not join us last night.

My kits were ecstatic to see me yesterday, and I went out and sat on the patio after cleaning the litter boxes and feeding them. They had a ball running back and forth across the backyard, scrubbing their backs on the concrete, and chasing one another. It was a nice, relaxing time. I'm almost finished reading The Wrecker, by Clive Cussler and then I'm on to a James Lee Burke Dave Robicheaux adventure that I've somehow missed... Enjoy the rest of your weekend!