Monday, November 27, 2006

Scattered thoughts today. One holiday down, two to go.

The weather has been extremely nice for the past several days. Highs in the 60s, lows in the 40s.

Maybe that is why I saw so many dead creatures on my drive to town and back. Raccoons, possums, red squirrels, gray squirrels, cats, rabbits, deer. Maybe they are disoriented by the warmer than usual temps, I don't know, but it made me sad to see them all. At least today, they were dead dead and not suffering, not just injured - that hurts to see. Death is one thing; suffering is another thing altogether.

I guess that Percival isn't shooting all blanks as Bambi, the brown short hair, had kits this morning. I didn't even know she was pregnant. (Backstory - Bambi is one of the two ground pounders. Short hair rescues. I have let both of them roam freely in the loft until last week when everybody got caged for the winter.) Bambi has been nest building for months and months and has had no babies. So I was surprised this morning to see three dead babies on the wire cage floor. She seems to forgotten all about nest building. The fourth one was cold but still breathing so I did my best to warm him up. Gave him a drop or two of orphan kitten liquid. I placed some of Bambi's old nest material into the cage and put the baby back. I can't raise it - not that young, anyway. He is still alive 8 hours later.

My immediate reaction was to blame myself. If only I had gone to the barn earlier I might have been able to save them all. If only I this and if only I that. Guys don't do that, do they? - most guys anyway. So I said to myself that if Bambi had been a better mother, all of her kits might have lived. I cannot take on guilt anymore for things I cannot control.

But still, that and the road kill made me very sad today.

Since I don't want to depress you all totally, I will end with a shot of Murgatroyd waiting at the door to be let out. It seems like every time I open the door, either a cat or a dog goes in or out. He figured out the door thing on his own, most likely after seeing said cats and dog coming and going.