The fog has settled in and the river across the road, pulls the fog like a magnet over our yard. Yesterday, I visited the local feed store and they were kind enough to give me half a bale of straw for the barn cats. I miss my horses so much, the sound of them nickering at the gate, or Racer pounding across the pasture in the morning on frozen ground when he heard the grain bucket rattling. As I packed straw about the barn into comfy nests, the memories of the two horse came flooding back to me. Knowing they both went together to the same place, to a woman who loves them as much as I do eased the sorrow of them leaving us.

Brandi and I walk back to the creek and look at the beaver dam. The beavers leave in the winter. I am not sure where they go? Probably hibernate deep underground like the bears. They will be back next year when the weather gets warmer. Brandi is a brave soul and she wades into the water to pull at a stick protruding from the bottom of the creekbed. I call her back and tell her she was a crazy dog for even wanting to get into that cold water. But German Shepherds love water and she is no exception.

We walk back to the shop to scoop up cat food and pop cat food lids. The barn cats come running- like me, they love this time of day when the world is still quiet and fresh. McGee the kitty with the endless tapeworm (that’s what I call her anyway) follows me as I scoop out the food. She is intent on eating all of the canned food she can locate. I think at times, this cow kitty would eat a whole case of it if I gave it to her. She has been checked and re-checked by the vet, dewormed, de-flead and his theory is she is just a food hog! LOL She was found 5 years ago by my other german shepherd Kenai in a tree in the front of our property. To tiny of a kitten to even climb a tree, so either the queen left her there, or a kid did. I had to climb up to rescue her- not an easy feat when the limbs were so brittle. But I managed to grab the kitten finally and she has never left us. I took her a few times to adoptions, but she failed to come out of the carrier without a fight and I finally figured it out that she just must like it here. She only will come inside when it starts snowing.

It got to 32 degrees last night and I see where the straw beds have been disturbed and used to insulate the barn cats as they slept. The three cats rescued from the hoarders home months ago, are now healthy, flea and parasite free- and able to breathe again without the aid of a vaporizer or humidifier. They also showed me they preferred to live outside, so they joined the barn cats about two months ago. I am sure after being in the cramped, crowded house with all those cats and being forced to breathe the acrid air inside, the outside must seem like paradise to them. They are still shy around me but the gray and white kitty and the black and white cat are getting better and no longer scatter when I come to feed. The orange boy with the scars from burns on his fur is less trusting and who can blame him? For no one really knows what that crazy man did to him while he was cooped up inside that home.

And so my day starts. Inside the house now, Bentley is let out of his cage for the day, Jedi is purring up a storm on Mike’s chest and all the cats are waiting to be fed. I am sitting here with my first cup of coffee at my side looking at the fog still creeping across the road. For the first time, in such a long time, all is right with my world and winter awaits.