The times they are a changing... in New Immigrant

THE KITTENS are now one year old plus one month! Who knew Una would end up like a plump baby sausage. Still a small cat, but needs
dieting. Orange Tuco grows more beautiful daily and is still much larger than Una, as when she was born.

Una with her expressive face, always interested and ready for
action.

Sweet Tuco remains more skitterish as when she was wee, but
she’s a sweetheart and a lover, they both are. A continual
joy and having been part of their lives since their birth does
makes them special.

THE DAILY CHANGE here in town is our street being torn up and
replaced. This is the third week of work. My favorite part was
watching the hand-like movements on the back hoe functioning
from delicate, precise removal of concrete edges to a hearty “shake of
the wrist” to empty the bucket.

Apologies men, I know there are exceptions to our stereotypes,
but today with a large male crew working, a smaller Bobcat was
whizzing about moving asphalt. The shovelers and scrapers stood
close to his work, forcing the Bobcat driver to narrow its circle and
be watchful. Finally he backed up, with Bobcat beeping, and
a worker leapt from his path! Observing that, I feel
I’ve gained insight into a male’s handling of other males!

VIOLET IS IN COLLEGE and I’m going through the angst her family
feels. I remember the risks I took, the dumb things I did and can’t
help but be uneasy. This is her first week of classes and my mind is
buzzing with memories of my own hectic first week in 1963! In a
picture she sent she’s standing alongside one of her three roommates (they’re in a suite with separate bedrooms and common living area),
both wearing “Shoulder to Shoulder” t-shirts given them upon
their arrival. Visiting the UC-Boulder website was reassuring because
there was an emphasis on campus safety in several different sites.

JACK will enter Windsor Manor this Thursday. Fingers crossed. His daughter Jen is back from Colorado for three weeks and her Sister will be coming too.

LIVING IN THE CITY since May still feels different. A first since I
quit working in 1998. The time had come to work on this place and to
be with Tom and all the cats. The three non-traveling cats were
scared of me in May and it’s been a week-by-week pleasure to
renew their trust and have their affection once again. When I return
to the river, it feels right and good to be there, something I never feel in
town. We talk about closing the river place completely for the winter but time will tell.

THE FLOODING lasted well into the summer and made is easier to
stay in the city for I couldn’t visit “my marsh,” which was inundated,
as you see below.

On my few, brief visits the sunrises seemed exceptional.

THE QUANTITY OF MICE was also exceptional. Despite
visits with two of the best mousers (and many traps) the
problem continues. Apparently the cats operate on a “catch and release” model. Several mice were caught
and swiftly lost. Nisa came closest to victory, carrying
one catch all the way to my pillow (I was awake and knew
she was coming). That is a “waker-upper” though!!

Now that the heat wave is over we will be heading up, hopefully to spend the majority of the Fall alongside the Mississippi.

I know it’s like a broken record to hear me say this
again, but there are some extraordinary writers and
big-hearted friends here. I feel gratitude for you all
and wish you well. I say this as someone who has been
in a nearly fifty year relationship and knows how wonder
never ends.

Carpe diem!

Last updated August 26, 2014