Meanwhile Back At The Ranch

So back about a hundred years ago...on Tuesday...I texted a friend saying "Can I call you with a laundry list of complaints?".  Aren't you glad I don't have your phone number?  She's a good sport though and said "Sure."

"I've alphabetized them.  First up, Archie.  He's a maniac and won't let me work in the washroom without terrorizing me."  There's no telling how many people he emailed or what he might have ordered online by jumping on my keyboard.  Repeatedly.  If you've been waiting for a blog post or an email, it's all Archie's fault.

"Bea."  At this point I don't really remember which particular complaint I had or, more likely, how many complaints I had, but I'm sure she was making me angry by chasing Possum too much and I think maybe she was also chewing on her foot that day as well.  

You get the picture.  I think there were seven "major issues", but now I'm having trouble remembering them all and they are boring anyway.  

Down the list under P was Possum.  Possum is refusing to come in the wash room now that Archie is here.  They've finally met each other out in the barn a couple of times and even sniffed noses once.  She's hissed at him, but hasn't been really ugly like the way she and Betsy treat each other and I think she's actually a little interested in making friends.  

She's made it perfectly clear that she's the top cat and he's been very submissive and borderline afraid of her and shows it, but she still won't trust things enough to come inside on cold nights.  We had some really cold nights coming up and I was really stressed about her.  I felt bad that I'd created this situation for her by bringing in the new kitten.

That afternoon I received a box in the mail from a good friend in Colorado.  Linda loves animals maybe even more than I do and she had packed up this deluxe super puffy and padded cat cave and sent it as a baby gift for Archie.  I looked at the thick layers of insulation and the removable bottom pad that would let the cave sit right down on Possum's heating pad and not block the warmth and knew she wouldn't mind if I repurposed her gift to help another cat in need.

It is so deep and cushy that I had to sew down a "doorway" so Possum could still crawl into her plastic box house.  I was a little worried that by changing things up she might get funny about it, but I think she took one look at the now super well insulated (from the inside) house and said "Dis my new warmest bed!"

Yesterday was super cold and she spent much of the day in the main room of the Wool House.  The night time low was predicted to be 8 so I ended up setting up a litter box and food for her so she could stay in there all night.  She's a polite house guest, but prefers to come and go at her own leisure so I'm sure she's going to be happy to be back in her cozy box tonight.

I'm sure most of you already know Linda, but if not, she has a great farming blog and is a collector of rainbows and other magical gifts and is one of the kindest people I know :-).   Thanks, Linda, for your magical mail.