Mark and I do not have any kids living with us. In the summers, spring breaks and various holidays we love our time with Jacob, but for the most part, Mark and I make up the only humans in our home.
However, it dawned on me the other morning, for a home with only two humans, a great many mouths are dependent on us each and every day.
For having no children at home, we feed eleven mouths a day; twelve with Jacob.
The chickens are easy. As long as we keep their coop clean, let them out in the mornings, shut them in at night (for their safety), give them fresh water and food ... they are content. They come running when we go out with little treats (watching a chicken 'run' is way too much fun!) and they even let us pet them, but more often than not, they are perfectly content to be left on their own.
The dogs .... not so easy.
Georgia O'Keeffe remains the best dog. I'd put her up there in the category of 'best dog ever', but I have had some other 'best dogs' in my life. She has to be at the top of the list though. She doesn't know she's a labrador. She does not like water. She does not retrieve. She doesn't even dig. What she does is love. She mothers. She listens. She sits (almost) anytime she is told. She waits (almost) anytime she is told. She almost never gets into any mischief or trouble. When Fritz' allergies would act up, she would lick and lick and lick his ears and nose and mouth and clean him all up. I realize this is gross by our standards, but to Georgia, it was love. Recently our 'new cat' was sick. She was sneezing and had watery eyes. Georgia would lick and lick and lick that tiny little kitten. Not sure how the kitten took it, but to Georgia, it was love.
Cecilia Beaux is becoming quite a good dog. How could she not? Her role model is Georgia O'Keeffe. She still seems a bit skittish with humans. Jacob was excited the other day when she finally allowed him to pet her. This is not something she allows with just anyone. She will come to Mark. She will come to me. She is still a bit uneasy with other humans. Because we rescued her, we don't know her history. We don't think she was beaten, she doesn't seem afraid of people or being hit. But we wonder if she was just neglected. She doesn't seem to trust humans. We've also been working on her 'potty training'. She had a few 'accidents' in the house when we initially got her, but since then she hasn't. At first I wondered if that meant she was catching on, or if Mark and I were simply being trained. She'd get up and sniff around, and we'd kick into action. I think (I hope!) it now seems as though she is the one learning.
Georgia and Cecilia have a nice routine. They go out to run and play in the big pasture during the day. When the weather's bad, or if we happen to be home relaxing, we do sometimes bring them in during the day. Sometimes when the weather is bad, I try to keep them inside, and they want out. Sometimes they have too much energy. In the evenings when we are pretty much in for the night (eating supper, watching television, etc.) they, too, come in for family time. They sleep in their kennels for now, but as Cecilia proves to truly be potty trained, they'll eventually sleep on their beds either in the living room or in our bedroom.
Dolce is our most rotten of the bunch. Thankfully she is only 10 or so pounds. It's not her fault. I have spoiled her from day one. She will run off in a heart beat outside if it means finding food. Thankfully, if either one of us yells at her, she will come back. She listens. Reluctantly. She will eat anything she can find. She only weighs 10 pounds, but if it were up to her, she would eat herself into oblivion. If I am sitting down, you can bet she is on me or next to me. Mark calls her my hot water bottle, because she gives me heat. Her doggie bed sits on the floor right next to me. She enjoys when Mark works nights, because that means she gets to sleep IN our bed!! (Don't tell Mark.) She is also the reason I have to be careful with both the cat food and the cat's litter box. (ew ew ew) Yes, Dolce is always getting into something. She is also our barker. The first to alert us when someone drives up or comes to the door .... or merely walks or bicycles down the street in front of our house.
The cats ... also not so easy.
Eartha Kitt is still missing. This breaks my heart, but I have not given up complete hope. I have heard stranger stories with kitties returning after long absences, and I would love nothing better than for her to be one of those stories. I pray, that if she is dead, she died quickly and didn't suffer. Although I also hold on to the hope that maybe someone else adopted her, and she is living the high life in a nice home where she gets to be a complete 'indoor' cat, and that is the reason she can't get back to us. We made her an 'indoor/outdoor' cat, but she always wanted to be strictly inside. Maybe she has finally got that wish with another family. That would be nice.
Ray Charles is a GREAT indoor/outdoor cat. He loves being outside, and gets antsy when he is in for too long. He shows up to eat and when the weather is bad. We get to enjoy his company much more in the winter than in the summer. Last night he wanted out, and I tried to keep him in, (I've become much more protective since Eartha went missing) but he wanted OUT. I finally let him out. Within about ten minutes, he wanted back in. Yes, Ray, it's cold out there. He is an easy cat.
Billie Holiday. When we went looking for Eartha Kitt, we found a cat who looked so much like our Eartha. Initially I even thought it was her, but on closer inspection, it wasn't. Billie has a touch of white on her nose that Eartha did not have, and Billie has white feet. But once we saw Billie, we could not let the shelter put her down. Mark is the one who wanted to save Billie. Billie was so affectionate even while in the shelter, even while in her cage. We saved her. The vet thinks she has been spayed, but because the hair has grown back on her tummy, he can't be sure. He thinks he feels a scar. She goes back in a month, and I'm supposed to keep an eye on her during that month to see if she goes into heat or not. She seems to have been an indoor/outdoor cat, because she is quite comfortable in the house .... and even likes to sleep under the covers of our bed, but she also sits by the storm doors and windows and seems to want to get outside. Because of the uncertainty of her being spayed, and because I want to make sure she knows this is her home now, she hasn't been allowed out yet .... when the time comes, I know I will worry. Billie is not an easy cat. She opens cabinets and plays with the objects inside. (Does she not know I'm OCD????) She is almost constantly underfoot wanting to be pet and given attention. She messes up the rugs and comforters. She finds mischief easily.
Dusty Springfied just got her name today. Up until then, she's been 'new kitty'. New kitty has been ill. Hopefully Dusty won't be. Dusty is not 100%, but she is on the mend. She hasn't been into any mischief, but we'll see if that changes once she feels herself. Hard to judge a cat's personality when all she's been is sick. She's been getting lots of sleep, attention and medicine. She has made her new home in Dolce's bed. This works wonderfully durning the day when Dolce is happy in the living room ... not so good at night, when Dolce is ready for bed. I enjoyed last night lying in bed watching the two of them. Dolce did not know what to do when she went to climb into her bed, and this thing was in it!! She tried nudging new kitty out of her bed, but new kitty wasn't budging. I watched for a few minutes of entertainment, but eventually I moved new kitty (she didn't have her name yet) so Dolce could reclaim her own bed.
See why it's hard for Mark and I to leave our home for any extended period of time? Hard to find someone to come and take care of and feed all these little creatures who are so dependent on us. But, I absolutely cannot imagine life without being surrounded by animals. Yes, at times they are a pain, but they give us too much love, joy and entertainment.
Well, I gotta go ...... a couple dogs need walking.