Sasha, ants, and Bigfoot

As I sit here typing away, Sasha is curled up next to me and I'm taking a break from reading Strength of Soul by W. Phillip Keller. I'll stretch out on the sofa and continue reading soon, making the fur ball move to the end of the sofa so I can be a little more comfortable.

One can learn a lot from taking Sasha lessons. I've already written how Sasha is the world's best at taking naps. At age eighteen in human years, she has relaxing down to an art form. She is also quite skilled in putting herself in a position to be blessed... in this case, curled up so close to me she can receive a little itchy behind the ears once in awhile.

My husband asked her recently what she has done to provide for the family. My reply, on her behalf, is that Sasha does not have to do anything... she just has to be. With all the changes in our lives in the nearly two decades she has lived with us, Sasha has been our sweet, pleasingly plump (fluffy) constant. Sasha... just is.

We still miss her sister, Storm, dreadfully. I'm grateful we've had more time with her. So far she has had no more mini strokes and I must admit to spoiling her constantly but then again... when I'm that old (in kitty years), I hope someone is taking such good care of me. :)

Now, regarding a couple of comments...

I was asked about bringing peonies indoors... yes, I have to run them under cold water gently running from the kitchen faucet. Otherwise one could find an army of ants coming out of the flowers. As it is, I check again after giving them a small shower. I know ants love these flowers as much as I do... and I'm feeling itchy just thinking of them.

Jody, I do believe community composts are different for each town. They usually let you know if they are safe for vegetable gardens. Our compost was from our own compost pile we built up over a couple of years and the soil came from a former creek bed in the forest next to us. The owner of that land gave hubby permission to dig up some soil there. Stephanie and her family are trying out a new compost maker, we're curious to see how it works. :)

Speaking of forest... I'll have to take a picture of it soon. With all the rain we've had this spring, it has grown thick and wild. Having that Bigfoot phobia, I still get a tad startled walking down the gravel lane to the rural mailbox and passing all that... jungle... and hearing the rustle of leaves and grasses. So far I've only seen the occasional squirrel or bird but one never knows what lurks behind those trees...

Now, time for some tea and a book. Saturday we deep clean the kitchen.