Well, I've been thinking and the one that comes most to mind, was when we lived out on the Oregon Trail, yup ruts and all, on Poison Spider Road (lotsa black widows!). anyhow, we lived a 25 acre "ranch" with an infinished, but liveable house, one horse, a bunch of cats, and a dawg. The cats were free range, being afforded the opportunity ramble in and out at will through our bedroom window. This was the same window the horse would stick his head through early in the morning to let us know it was time for oats!

Because of their catting about at will, we frequently had half-eaten bunnies and mice deposited along the floor in the midle of the night. I took to slipping on sandals as soon s my feet hit the floor, because I couldn't stand the thoguht of stepping on any poor critters guts! at this time our favourite tune was off of a Kliban ct kitchen towel: "Love to eat them mousies, Mousies what I love to eat, Bite they little heads off, Nibble on they tiny feet!"

We rescued as many lives ones as we could, esp. the baby bunnies. Anyway, in 1983, Rog had already gone on ahead ot his new job in MA. The kids and I were finsihing up packing and my day job. One summer morning, I got up beforethe sun to go potty. Now, I never turn on lights when I am up at night. I wandered down the hallway, turned into the bathroom and sat down. we had the cat food dish up on the basin-less counter so that teh dawg wouldn't eat ll of their food, so it was not unusual to see a cat or two up there. What was unusual thoguh was to see them just sitting there, staring at the floor with huge eyes, instead os stuffing their guts. With the sun just beginning to shine some rays my way, I followed their line of sight to the floor about a foot from my feet and saw a poor little snake doing a fair imitation of a miniature cobra dance trying to mesmerise those cats and thus save its skin. Well, I say poor, little NOW! THEN,I yelled at my 13 yr. old son to rescue me, stopped "midstream", picked my feet up, watched the cats scatter in a zillion directions, when my son came in wielding the broom, clobbered the snake and removed it from my vicinity! I have ever since suffered from the guilt of it all, as the snake must have been terrified and was not a poisnonous one.

It wasn't too long after that that we packed up the seven cats, one dawg, two birds, and flew off to MA, saying good-bye to the ranch forever, after selling the horse (hard to do) the ewe, the geese, the ducks, and finding homes for a few other cats!

katlaughing, almost getting maudlin, it was idyllic out there, at times!