I just pulled up a ton of blackberry bushes. My arms look like I have suffered a feral cat attack! I remember a few years ago helping out at my friend’s greenhouse and answering the phones for people placing orders. People were ordering this berry bushes- heck, come to my house and dig up some for free is what I wanted to say. They were taking over the back pasture and were near the creek. It was nice and shady thankfully because it is in the 90’s at the moment- although a few days ago we had high winds and icy conditions! I just roll my eyes toward heaven anymore when the weather switches and say “OK God, really?” They were predicting 70 mph winds and hail the size of golf balls- that storm thankfully blew right by us!

We live at the base of the Cascades and the mountains will make their own weather. We can be sunny in the front yard, yet in the backyard it can be raining or even hailing. But I love the storms and just pray our 200 year old trees hold on tight in heavy winds.

As I pulled the blackberry bushes near the cat enclosures, the kitties thought this was a great game! They would hold on to the stem I was tugging on so I had to fight not only the hold the blackberry had on the ground, but also the hold the cats had on the stem. Great entertainment.

All the new cats: Secret, Smugggle, Vaughn and Sylvester are now fully integrated into the group. I need to get my facebook page for CATS Inc., started and get these beautiful cats new homes. I am reluctant to post on CL for several reasons- the main one being that it was announced on the news last night that people were getting kittens and cats off CL taking them to Scott Mountain and using them for target practice! Don’t even get me started about what I wish to do to this group of individuals! But there always seems to be yet one more litter box to scoop or clean, one more bowl of food to give out- and the day just flies by.

Yesterday, Mike had his first outing without his wheelchair! We went to a local business and he used his walker and walked into the business on his own power! I am so proud of him. Of course, he got so full of himself that he decided to when we got home to “walk” out to the shop. I followed him with the wheelchair in case he fell or had to sit down, but he made it all the way to the shop! I helped him clean up and discovered to my dismay that someone has been in the shop and helped themselves to the last custom knives he built. He had ten total, and they are all gone- the basket they were in was upended on the floor and the knives; bowies, skinners and hunters are nowhere in sight. I have to think that the recent vandals must have also gone out to the shop saw the knives and took off with them. He was really bummed but said he will make more soon.

He was so tired from the activity that I ended up towing him back to the house in his wheelchair- I roped his chair to the tractor and chugged slowly to the house watching him all the way- he seemed to enjoy the ride.