Wild Kingdom

  

Shrek

Last night I went out to feed some scraps to Shrek, who happened to be having a late night snack on the deck. Shrek, as some of you may recall, is the feral cat who reluctantly joined our family but has become so comfortable with the Kramer surroundings, that he now EXPECTS a daily ear scratching. (I even have had the pleasure of picking him up and carrying him out of our house on occasion...just your basic cat whisperer stuff.) Anyway, back to last night. As I bent forward to pet the little scruffster, he shot me a glance. Only he didn't shoot me a glance. It was a opossum.  (Sidenote: For you grammar gurus, would the correct article be an "a" or an "an" preceding opossum?) Cripes. Is there some sort of animal honor roll for those who frequent the Kramer Bed and Breakfast for Varmints? So far: skunk, fox, opossum, raccoon, praying mantis (just today!), bull snakes and garter snakes (at least the vile serpents don't make it to the deck - compliments of husband equipped with spade), and a few other rodents of which the cats wouldn't think of allowing to live. So feline.

It makes me think perhaps my former life was filled with an incredible amount of action - and fighting off wild animals was one facet of it. So, in designing my pro forma, I opted for a life a bit more on the banal side.  A Banker - who likes to dabble in writing. Perhaps live someplace quiet, with a pretty landscape, like, um, Iowa.  I was probably putting the finishing touches with the proverbial husband and two kids, getting ready to enter into this life when a thought occurred to me. "Stop! God? Maybe we shouldn't take all that adventure away. Perhaps, just, tone it down a bit." So here we are.

Praying Mantis - photographed on our deck. Looks much larger in real life. And grosser.

Oh, and guess what else happened last night? Cole and I ran across eight baby kittens in the middle of the lane back at the old farm last night.  (Mucho bueno than a pack of lions.) I found one today and had it purring for me. Just the type of adventure I need.

Here's the adorable kitten whom let me scratch it's chin. Moment captured with the magic of my Blackberry.