CATS

Before I get too far along here, I need to introduce the subject of cats. The cats have been a big part of life here in the little house. After I had finally made the decision to try life in small space, I had to wait about six weeks for some fixing up and repairs to be made; gas leak fixed, new stove, paint. I had the key tho and would go by often and continue to get the feel of the place. I had lived in the area ever since moving to town and was aware my new address was in a long standing feral cat neighborhood. Every Spring, walking to work, I would see kittens about. I was excited.
It was Spring again and sure enough, there was a litter of kittens. If I looked out my back window and over the fence into the next yard, I could watch a litter of small kittens playing around a dry docked sailboat. They would climb up the support scaffolding and swing on the hanging lines. After doing this a hundred times, they would wear out and fall asleep in a pile in the shade of the hull. The neighbor is also a woodworker and has a small barn wood shop in his yard. The back end of the structure is raised just enough to make a great cat family home.
The kittens were either grey, black, orange or tortie. I tried over and over to count them on different days, but I couldn't tell if I was re-counting the black and smoke grey or if there was more than one of each. I spent hours just watching them and laughing over their antics.
As for the parents, there were two Queens in the neighborhood. I reasoned they came off the colony across the street from my house that had been maintained for years by an elderly woman. One Queen was a black and tan tortie and the other was a smaller diluted grey tortie. Torties are very common to this area. I would see both of them with the kittens so I couldn't tell if it was one or two litters.
By the time I moved in the kittens were big enough do more exploring. I was feeding the Queens out in my back yard where it was quiet and eventually they brought the kittens over.
This was the beginning of a two year relationship with this group that would be a huge learning experience for me. So as I go along, you will hear much more about Clara, clamcake, Olive, Mr Bill, Shamus, Foxy and more. Laughter and tears