Monday, May 31, 2010

Another downward turn…

In the days immediately following Cutter’s death, the mother’s of the students in Alan’s class gathered food and things to take to the family.  I went with Kim to deliver the items and had a chance to speak to the family and offer sympathies.  Upon returning home to quick pick up the children and head to the church for family pictures, the kids showed me an injured kitten in the yard that the dogs found.  Our hymalean cat, White Paw,  had kittens so we found her and left her in the shed with the kitten and rushed to the church. 

When we returned home the children found White Paw dead in the front yard and her injured kitten by her still alive.  Ugh!  The dogs must have intercepted her trying to return the kitten to the nest.  More tears and sadness and wonder…where are the rest of the kittens?

White Paw’s last photos, she was hugely pregnant and trying to scratch her ear!  Five kittens in there!  I love how her legs won’t even lay on the deck!

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Two days later, after the balloon launch, I heard mewing in the front yard.  Abby was under the tree in the side yard and had not moved for hours.  We discovered why…4 kittens in the “v” of a tree.  We gave them some goat’s milk and put them in a box overnight.  The kids promised to help feed and care for the kittens because I was very willing to let Chris “take care” of them.  However, they looked pretty strong, so we decided to give it a try.

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At the moment the kittens are still growing and experimenting with solid food!

Where to start???

I do  not know where to start!  Do I really try to recap May?  I was a flurry of activity and a roller coaster of emotions!  Where to start?  At the beginning I guess.  I love spring, the weather had been warming up in April, so I was kind of excited for May.   We were also finally making progress on some projects: like Erin’s plan for goats!  Back in the winter she said she wanted to raise some milk goats and started saving her money.  Over spring break they cleaned out the barn up at the farm and researched some different breeds.

We stalled in March as we had trouble finding goats.  We had not looked local.  Once we got hooked up with Cheryl Carey the wheels turned quickly.  First weekend of May saw us the owners of 4 nubian goats.  Meet Dolly, 3 months old; Darla 5 months old and Emily 1 year.

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Sadly soon after enjoying our first walk together we learned that a first grader in Alan’s class was killed in an ATV accident.  We were friendly, although not close, with the family.  Alan however, was friends with the little guy and it really rocked his world.  What a tragedy!   The whole community really gathered around this family and the evening of the funeral we launched balloons in memory of Cutter.

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