Super Stealth Ninjas Die Young

Seriously, I am getting too old for this. I need my sleep. ALL of it!!!! See, after the Memorial Day Concert I randomly decided to stop off at the ol' Cat Shed of Loose-Moraled Felines and see how the young mothers were growing. My current evil plot is to kidnap mothers when they are just about to pop, force them to live in well-fed safety while raising tame babies that can be given away to loving homes of luxury. Did I mention the forced sterilization before the victims are allowed to go free? How low can I go? So I've been keeping tabs on some of the local watermelon-shaped ladies.

But when I walked in, I beheld a box full of beautiful, approx. 3-week old kittens. Their mother  (a kitty I had never met up to that point) had fled at my approach and I was left with a quick decision of leaving them and possibly having her move them, or taking them right then. I chose to kidnap them, but with the hope of capturing their mom and reuniting them at a later date.

Thus I descended a twilight haze of frenzied, futile activity for a day and a half. That crafty mother refused to cooperate with every single trap I set. Like a gambler caught in uncontrollable fever, I crept about town with my traps and bait, sure that I'd get her if I tried only one more time. I really did want to catch her because her babies missed her very much and I don't have the time to take on the feeding of a batch of kittens right at the moment. The clock was ticking, as her milk supply would run dry if she was away from her babies for too long.

At last I had to concede defeat.  

Right after I tried one last time.

I assembled a team of crack special ops (Motto: We Put the "Special" in Ops) consisting of Damon, Caleb, Tiggy, myself, and my mom. The idea was to creep up to the shed in the twilight and simultaneously cover all exits. Then I would GO INSIDE.

It worked great...except one of the exits didn't quite get covered and a torrent of skittish cats poured out of the shed. So much for that. There was no way she'd come back after now! I had to give up.

After I tried just once more.

 In an hour and a half.

At midnight.

The alley we spent a great deal of
time skulking around in last night.

Hungry kittens were locked in a kitty carrier and put in the shed, like a goat staked out in the jungle as a tiger trap. The special forces then played a few bleary-eyed games of rack rummy before we headed out again. I had plugged the hole in the floor before we left, so now all we had to do was cover the two windows and hold the door shut. Silently we parked the van and prepared to disembark. Quietly we started the van back up again and returned to mom's house for the flashlight an anonymous member of the team (let's call her "Wiggy") had thoughtlessly carried inside after the last attempt. Silently we parked down the street again, and walked up the hill in the dark. Using hand signals, we flawlessly executed our agreed-upon plan. I crept in next to the shed, being careful not to snap any twigs in the process---might as well have saved myself the effort because my knees popped loudly and unceasingly as I moved forward in a crouch.

A white, cat-shaped blur whizzed past me in the dark.

Oh, phooey.

"Tiggy, hold the door quickly!" I already had the window covered so I lowered the board a crack to check with my flashlight, sure we'd lost her again. Amazing miracle--there she was inside, right next to the "goat".

"Damon, move up quickly and cover your window." Poor Damon--all he had brought to use was a pillow. Somewhat of a tactical error, as events would prove. The cats shifted about nervously inside. I handed over holding the window to Mom and Caleb and prepared to GO INSIDE. I had on a poofy jacket and thick gloves as armor. My support gear was the flashlight. My weapon of choice was a towel. .

I'M GOING IN!!!!!

What happened next has been mercifully blurred in memory. Or maybe it was just blurred as it happened. Time after time I tossed the towel, several times grabbing a bit of her, but having to release her when her business end got pointed in the direction of parts I had every intention of keeping. She made several fierce assaults on the windows, hitting plywood on one side and a soft, yielding pillow on the other.

The shredded window where
Damon fought his noble battle.

Hmm, which window would she choose? Well, I already told you Mama Cat is smart, so it should be no surprise that she went with "soft" and "yielding"...and nearly made it out, too, but Damon bravely held the line and I was able to grab her by the hind legs and pull her back in. I used the hind legs, because that's all that was left inside as Damon faced down one biting mouth and two slashing paws with nothing but his bare hands and determination. Damon put the "Ops" in Special!

I finally got the towel solidly around her, Tiggy put the kitty carrier up to the door and I popped her inside. Then the babies, one terrified mother, and I hightailed it back to my house, while the special ops team was abandoned by the roadside and left to hoof it back to base camp. The poor mother was understandably traumatized by her ordeal and spent the night and part of the next morning crouched in the bathtub with her head shoved up inside a tupperware. (Motto: If I Can't See You, You Can't See Me) But at last she calmed down enough to get in the box with her babies, and mother and children are at this very moment purring away together.

Noni told us later that she'd had a special prayer that, if it was God's will, we'd be able to catch her that night and, since we'd failed at every attempt before, that it would be obvious that God was the one who gave us our success. I have to say, God certainly answered that prayer. We were more Keystone cops than warriors, but in spite of all that we were still able to succeed. I'm so grateful for His help and for the good-spirited cooperation of all those that I kept dragging out in my quest to capture the mama cat.

And if anyone saw a brown van, full of suspicious characters and creeping up dark alleys, at say, 11:00 last night, it was probably your imagination.

I have more cuteness than you!

Snapshots from the Edge

Once again, I have been mugged by spring. Not by allergies, but by the sudden influx of tasks that had sat safely and quietly on a shelf for the last 6 months. Suddenly there are lawns to be mowed, weeds to be pulled, plants to be coddled, dirt to be swept....and that's just my work for other people. Then I get to go home and do it all over again for me. Life has become one desperate race against an ever-shrinking 24 hours.

So to catch my faithful readers up quickly, I will synop-size the last month and a half into a short photo essay.....

In April I........

Made a heavenly mansion out of a refrigerator  box
for my Sabbath School.

Here is the finished mansion, sparkly, albeit rather....boxy.

I took a cleanse for my health and outrageously cheated during it,
but I've never eaten so many fruits and veggies in my life.
And I'm a vegetarian!

I adopted a new little stray kitten. What's one more
in the family, anyway?

In May I..............

Enjoyed the spring flowers.

Had a distemper outbreak that put 4 of my cats
in the "isolation" ward.

Got the coolest piece of furniture at the thrift
store and repainted it. (This IS the
repainted version, so don't be insulting!)

Went birthday camping at Lake Skjermo with Caleb.

Saw a mother fox and her two babies right next
to this very fox den. Just before I took the picture.
Isn't that exciting?

Planted a zillion seedlings and nurtured them.
Why do I over-plant EVERY year?
(This photo only shows a fraction of my green extravagance.)

Was reminded that there is some benefit to being awake to see the sun rise!

The Blustery Day

We had a "blizzard" here over the weekend. I didn't take any pictures either during or after...I guess because  was so crushed with disappointment that I forgot. I haven't gotten snowed in even once this winter and I'd so hoped that this storm would produce that blessed state of too dangerous to go anywhere, but still warm and cozy inside. Nope. We got some freezing rain followed by a respectable amount of snow, but it was all melted by the next day.

Since then, the weather has cooled somewhat and stayed quite windy, especially the first two days. "Quite windy" is somewhat of an understatement. Imagine a wind that starts in Alaska, makes good time across the mountains, and hits the plains with nothing to slow it down until the Atlantic Ocean. I have to wear a hat to make sure my hair doesn't blow right off my head. Makes me wish I hadn't taken down all my warmth-capturing blankets "because spring is here". But it has been great kite flying weather. Too bad we didn't have a kite!



Not to worry, this inventive gal wouldn't let something like that get in the way of frolic. Caleb and I scrounged some old ropes and tied them to a tarp so battered that I wouldn't mind if it blew away. Then all we had to do was walk outside the shelter of trees and let nature do the rest. If only we had on roller skates!

The "kite" had some design flaws. The ropes were different lengths and the corners kept collapsing in on themselves. We are planning to fix that with some light-weight nylon rope threaded through a couple of wooden cross-pieces to hold everything open. Then we just have to wait for the next available Prairie Hurricane Day. If any readers in Minnesota  happen to see something that looks oddly like a human clinging to a tarp, call 911.

The Prune Diaries, Vol. 3

In spite of the growing threats of physical violence soon to be perpetrated upon my person, I continue my quest to develop new and better recipes for the benefit of humanity. Can I help it if my taste-testing days happen to coincide with my days off? It's simply a matter of scheduling, that's all. To believe otherwise is to descend into the darkly shrouded mists of delusional conspiracy theorism. And no brilliant and intelligent and educated person would want to go there.....

At least some of my family supports my dreams. My dad has been very helpful in suggesting creative food dishes for me to try. Today's was one of his ideas, and it marks the first "treat" that I have actually tried myself. But this was good; I really enjoyed it.

The Ploppy Joe

Make sloppy joes as usual, but add in chopped prunes.
Couldn't be easier, and so good for you, too!

April Fools!

I am a slightly strange person---any of my personal acquaintances will tell you that, but, hey,  I've needed to be.  One of my cherished family traditions is the Sneak Attack Birthday Party, a way of approaching birthdays that I've been using with great success for quite a few years now. It goes like this: never let them see it coming. Have the party on a different day or in a different way, so that the celebration comes as a surprise.

This year was my personal best, as we celebrated Caleb's 15th birthday 1 1/2 months ahead of time. And as long as I was having it early, why not have it on April Fool's Day? Because nothing says April Fool's like a birthday party over a month early.

Caleb had told me that he wanted a San Francisco 49ers party, so I was planning to have a "tailgate party" in the car somewhere. But then it turned out to be Prairie Hurricane Day again, plus we had a church business meeting scheduled for the middle of the afternoon. So I decided to turn the party into a Surprise Tailgate April Fool's Church Business Meeting themed party. Never say I can't roll with the punches.

Devon and I went in early to set up the room. It didn't look too bad considering the high level of procrastination that went into its preparation. We got into Plentywood with only 1 hour to spare and had to take down the decorations from the Sabbath school room, put up the party stuff, and decorate his cake. Then out of the room and close the door so no one could see in. At least that was the theory!

In reality, it seemed like everyone was magnetically attracted to the room, and I had to strive for nonchalant unconcern while guarding the portals with lion-like fierceness. In the end, Caleb and Tiggy were the only ones who were surprised. But he was the most important one anyway.

After the board meeting let out, the kids went across to the park to frolic while I got the last few things in place. The pastor was kind enough to go get John so he could come, and my superior mom came bearing coleslaw and two kinds of potato salad. Plus a birthday border collie.  They got out of sight and we waited for the crew to trickle back from the park.

You'll notice how strategically Devon
"The Attention Seeker" Gibbs has positioned himself... 

I sent Caleb into the room ahead of me, and my mom was stationed inside to catch his first stunned expression. I think he was pretty surprised, and why wouldn't he be? It's April, not May. Next year, I'll have to have his birthday party 6 months early. 18 will be here before you know it, at this rate!

The kids pigged out on the tailgate junk food and soda (or pop, if you're from around here). In fact, I had to force them to eat a piece of cake when it was time. "No park until everyone has a piece of birthday cake." Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. There's no way I was gonna get stuck eating the whole thing because silly kids forgot to pace themselves!

This is me trying to take a picture of Caleb.
 Looks like Devon's not the only attention hog!

All the junior pyros of the family tried to elbow each other out of the way when it came time to light the candles. Next year I'll have to light it in the kitchen. It's just that I was afraid if I tried to move it, some of those poor innocent football players might catch on fire!

Then it was time to open presents. Caleb got a cat scratcher/hide-a-way for his room (OK, that's not strictly for him, but we needed one and a birthday is as good of a reason as any), a few shirts, some great books, and a pair of happenin' cammo overalls. The first picture I took of him with his loot, he looked like he was at a funeral. This picture was when I told him to smile. Nut! He deserves to have it posted. Of course, his festivities are not quite over. Some time in the next week, we'll be headed to Williston to pick up a couple more birthday gifts and, hopefully (for Caleb, anyway) his learner's permit. I think I'm too old for this!

Because My Life is Just THAT Interesting To You...

I have been blessed (I'd say "lucky", but luck had nothing to do with it) to have two wonderful church families. My first was in California, and they were absolutely super. Love you guys!!!!!! Which is why I feel so fortunate to have moved smack dab into another great, nurturing little group here in Plentywood, MT.

One challenge to socialization for the Plentywood congregation is how scattered we all are. Our pastor lives 1 1/2 hours to the south. Some of our members live 45 minutes to the west. Some members are right in Plentywood. We are 30 minutes to the east, and some members are almost 2 hours to the east. We don't do a lot of spur-of-the-moment gatherings! But last Sabbath, we were all planning to be at church, so an after-church outing to the local dam was planned.

I'd only been to the dam for the first time 2 weeks before, but it is a nice place with picnic shelters, little stove thingies, boat launches, and lots of up-an-down hills. It was a much nicer day this time around, too! Our first visit coincided with Prairie Hurricane Day, a holiday celebrated with great frequency in these here parts. But on this particular day the weather was gorgeous and warm, with enough of a light breeze that we wouldn't get confused and think we were in a completely different state.

We piled out of the cars, and Noni  almost immediately discovered she was low on camera battery. I felt for her, I really did, but couldn't share mine lest there not be enough for me also. My heart secretly glowed with virtue for having been wiser than she in my preparations. Until I pulled my camera out and saw that my battery was almost gone, too. So much for virtue.

The first flowers of spring were blooming---prairie crocuses. Everyone ooooed and aaaaaawed over them, including me; when I was little, I thought crocuses were stupid because they bloomed out of plain dirty ground instead of green grass. After a couple of years with real seasons, I'm as excited about those little harbingers of spring as anyone else.

I  had make close, personal acquaintance with the grass to get my shots, all the time hoping my battery wouldn't die. I'm still picking prickles from my skin, but at least I didn't inadvertently land on some of the cacti hidden in the grass. That would have made the church social memorable for ME, at least.

We all had such a nice time, it's a pity we don't take the time to fellowship with friends more often. Life is too short to spend slogging away all the time and never noticing all the beauty that God surrounds us with. Sometimes I think that a lot of our gloomy, stressed modern outlook is because we ignore the joy that God pours into our lives through the little things like flowers, a child's laughter, and the blissful feeling of lying in the grass with the sun shining on our faces.

At the beginning of March

On the last day of March

The Prune Diaries, Vol. 2

As a devoted elder-care professional, I continue my quest for culinary perfection where it comes to prunes. This recipe was a rousing success. So rousing that the end results had me an hour late to church this week.

I bring you.......The Pralt.

 Prune Juice/Ice Cream Malt