Hi, Everyone!

Well, I think spring has finally sprung on Cinnamon Ridge. There are buds on the deciduous trees. My daffodils are blooming—imagine my delight when I happened upon their bright yellow faces, smiling up at me—and the deer are back from the desert in full force. Squirrels and chipmunks are emerging in greater numbers daily, eager to begin their summer hoarding season after a long winter sleep. The little snowbirds have also returned. I have a family of sparrows in the birdhouse that hangs outside my office bay window. I watch mom and dad busily flying back and forth. I’m guessing that they are building their nest, but perhaps little ones have already hatched.

As you can easily guess, it’s difficult for me to stay indoors some afternoons! On the other hand, David Paxton’s story is calling to me, and I’m very eager to get started on it, so when I feel the urge for sunshine and birdsong, I content myself with the sunlight coming through my window and the lovely serenade of my canary, Saffron, who sings so loudly he draws wild birds to the window to see what on earth is happening in my office. Saffron finds these visits very exciting.

Nicky, my little doe who disappeared for so long, is now a daily visitor. I enjoy her so much. Evidently she came to the ridge with her mother as a tiny fawn. She has absolutely no fear of me or the house. Each day, she walks directly up to my window glass to look in at me. It’s as if she is saying hello. She has almost fully recovered from whatever ailed her. She has put on weight and looks wonderful now. Her babies, who stayed here during her absence, look even more robust. They’ve been supplementing their forage diets with ridge treats for about three months now, and it has given them a healthful edge on the scrawny fawns that have recently come in from the desert.

Kibbles is still with us, but I fear we won’t have her much longer. She stopped eating her homemade food about a week ago. I told my husband that from here on out, Kibbles gets whatever she wants, so she is dining on roast beef, parmesan chicken, or whatever else I have left over from our evening meals. She is loving that! And she still loves her homemade dog biscuits and human jerky. I keep treat bags filled with a mixture, and she’s always front and center when she sees me reach for one. Still, the signs are there. Time is running out for her. I have had her for so many years and love her so much. It will be very sad for me when the end comes. The house will feel so empty without her. I’ll especially miss her while I work. She comes in and sleeps on the futon. Her snores are always droning near me, and it will seem so very quiet without them. Ah, well. She has had a good life with us, and I know from experience that I will survive the loss of another wonderful friend and someday remember her with a laugh and smile. Say prayers for me, and for her. I must watch her closely and decide when it is time to call the vet. He has promised to come here so Kibbles won’t feel nervous at the last. That will be good. She trembles when she must go to the clinic. For those of you who don’t know, Kibbles has aggressive mammary gland cancer. She has outlived the original prognosis by four years. I must watch for lack of appetite and lethargy, which are the signs that the cancer has run rampant inside of her and is probably causing her pain. She is such a sweet little lady. I don’t want her to suffer. So I’m watching and waiting. When the day comes that she no longer wants to go for her walk or refuses her treats, I’ll know. Even so, it will be a difficult phone call to make.

On a brighter note, Buddy and Talili are still rascals and fill up my life with love and laughter. They are enjoying their twice-daily runs, and so far as we can tell, they aren’t leaving the ridge to pester people in the subdivision far below our property. That is good. One would think there is plenty to interest them here, miles and miles of woodland filled with all manner of curious things to explore. Apparently they are taking advantage of that.

Speaking of curious things, my eleven-year-old grandson, Joshua, went walking with me and the dogs one evening a couple of weeks ago. We had just turned onto the log deck road, far below our house, when Joshua gasped and said, “Nana, that’s a big track!” I bent to examine it. Bear. And it was very fresh. In fact, it couldn’t have been fresher unless the bear had been standing in it. We have a sow somewhere on the ridge, and I’ve seen her tracks, accompanied by cub prints. I’m guessing the tracks we found that evening had been left by one of her teenage children. It wasn’t as large as that of a full-grown black bear, but it was close. Joshua has very large hands like his Pappy and Dad, and the print was larger than his hand with the fingers spread. Nothing to mess with. In case you do not know this, most black bear attacks on humans are instigated by domestic dogs. They catch the bear’s scent and give chase. This is extremely dangerous because oftentimes, the adult bear is a sow with cubs, and she will go into battle mode to protect her babies. When the dogs realize they have stirred up a very dangerous creature, they turn tail and run. Well, guess where they run? Directly back to their humans for protection. The unsuspecting human finds himself faced with a ticked-off mama bear that is out for blood.

Anyway, I knew a fresh bear track was bad news and quickly herded Joshua and my dogs toward home. Since then I make a lot of noise during our walks to warn creatures ahead of us that we are coming. Black bears are not confrontational by nature. If they hear you coming, they will clear the area. So I shout at the dogs, sing songs, and talk loudly to myself. If I had neighbors, they’d think me insane.

For Mother’s Day, I knocked Sid over with hints for a Kindle2. He didn’t seem to hear me, so last Saturday morning, I hopped online in the bar, using the laptop there, to look up Kindles. He caught me and said, “Don’t look at that. Close down.” Big grin. I am pretty sure I’m getting a Kindle for M Day! Just in case I do, my dear friend, Lynda VeArd, Lighthouse Lady on the Bulletin Board, asked a friend of hers to make me a Kindle reading pillow. It came in the mail yesterday, and ohmigosh, it is so awesome! Even better, Lynda asked what colors are in my house, so the pillow perfectly matches my décor. If I leave it lying about, it won’t look like clutter. I am now so excited for Mother’s Day to arrive. (If that husband of mine doesn’t present me with a Kindle, I’m going to burn his dinner for a week.

Well, my friends, it comes that time again to say farewell for another month. I hope all of you celebrate Mother’s Day in a very special way and that the days to come are filled with lots of great books to read.

Until June,

Sincerely,

Catherine Anderson