Friday, September 30, 2022
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Feral Cat Nightmare Over
A few times in the past, stray cats have found their way to my house and made nice pets. Eventually they either died of old age or an accident of some sort. So I found myself without a cat. At about that time I saw a mouse. Putting two and two together I decided I needed a new cat.
I pondered this problem and supposed that a kitty would one day come calling, I would feed it, and it would decide to move in. One day a kitty did come calling. I fed it. It turned out to be feral. It did want to be fed though, so it lurked around outside. Well, hmmm. This wasn't what I thought would happen.
Soon two male cats showed up also. And another female that I only noticed when her kittens came running out at me and started hissing at me and arching their backs. Kitty Number One then had four kittens. So now I had eleven feral cats.
I quit feeding the cats and managed to convince several of them to leave. And one of them wasn't feral anyway. He just joined the party.
I was bound and determined not to feed the kitties, but I weakened and fed them anyway. Apparently a couple of the kittens died, and the rest weren't friendly, but they weren't belligerent. So I relented.
Fast forward about a year. The adult kitties are as feral as ever. Four surviving kittens are half grown, and the original kitty is expecting a new litter. I considered shooting them, but really, I didn't want to. I considered poison. Well, only as a last resort. I decided to take them all to the vet and have the whole bunch put to sleep.
So I got out my kitty kennel and saw that it was broken. Then I got out my dog kennel. It was much sturdier with a metal grate for a door. OK. I called the vet and told the office of my plan. "Would you like an appointment?" "I have to trap them first. I'm not sure when that will happen." "OK, bring them in when you trap them." And so I became a trapper.
All the kittens were perfectly fine with being trapped and walked right in. So I hauled the cute little dears to the vet expecting a dire fate for them. But the vet liked the kitties and decided to adopt them. He said they could live in the barn on his farm. He would give them procedures first, free of charge. Yay!
That still left a large gray male and the female that was expecting. She absolutely had to go, one way or the other. I spent my days trying to trap her and my nights studying methods of euthanasia at home. Not that I liked the gray male. He was a big evil meanie.
CAT TRAPPING
I set my trap by never feeding the remaining kitties except inside the kennel. But they were too smart for me and always managed to zoom out when I tried to close the door. I persisted in doing this for about half an hour a day for more than a week. The cats weren't getting enough food, but whose fault was that?
The situation was becoming more desperate as the speckled kitty became bigger and bigger, and I knew I would soon have a lot more cats. So today was the day. Either I managed to trap this kitty or I would have to think of some other less happy end. I had it all figured out. I had settled on feeding her a hard boiled egg with about 3 grams of Xylitol. I dreaded that idea.
I put food in my kitty trap and waited. Speck eventually went in, but each time I tried to close the door she was too quick and got out. And yet she kept going in, probably because she was very hungry by now. And then....boom! I caught her!! My goodness the craziness of that moment. All kitty hell broke loose, and for a moment the door wasn't actually fastened. I pressed on my side of the door with my hand while I tried to latch it. Claws were flying. Hissing and howling. I thought I was going to take a drubbing. My adrenaline was pouring out for several minutes. But I prevailed and hauled her off to the vet. She was a little beast in the waiting room despite being locked in a kennel. I'm sure glad she was in the sturdy dog kennel. She's going to have a procedure courtesy of the vet, and go be a barn cat on his farm.
The mean gray cat will just have to starve I guess. As for the other feral kitties, they are living happily ever after, and so am I.
Day Is Done by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Written from memory
Day is Done
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Day is done and the darkness falls from the wings of night,
As a feather is wafted downward from an eagle in his flight.
I see the lights of the village gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness come o'er me that my soul cannot resist.
A feeling of sadness and longing that is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only as the mist resembles rain.
Come read to me some poem, some simple, heartfelt lay,
That will soothe this restless feeling, and banish the thoughts of day.
Not from the grand old masters, not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo through the corridors of time.
For like strains of martial music, their mighty thoughts suggest
Life's endless toil and endeavor, and tonight I long for rest.
Read from some humbler poet, whose songs gushed from his heart,
Like showers from the clouds of summer, or tears from the eyelids start.
Such songs have the power to quiet the restless pulse of care,
And come like the benediction that follows after prayer.
Then read from the treasured volume the poem of thy choice,
And lend to the rhyme of the poet the beauty of thy voice.
And the nights shall be filled with music, and the cares that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents like Arabs, and silently steal away.
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Thrilling Ice Cream Success
I've been watching Youtube videos on dairy free keto ice cream. The only way of getting this is to make it yourself. It looked difficult. Some recipes don't call for an ice cream maker, no, you just spent all afternoon tinkering with a jar in the freezer. This would probably end in disaster.
There was a list of ingredients. I bought them off Amazon. It was strongly recommended that one use either Xylitol or Allulose for sweetener, because other sweeteners wouldn't work well. OK. I don't think Allulose would work for me, but I had some Xylitol already that I've never tried.
So today it was all systems go. I had the ingredients and the ice cream maker. I had frozen the thingy in the middle for two days. I put all the ingredients in the blender. This will be coconut cream ice cream. I also received a dairy free plant milk today, but I'll try that later. The recipe called for six egg yolks. I cheated and just used three whole eggs. Then....I blended it up and put it in the ice cream maker. It's still going around and around.
I tried a spoonful. It's delicious. But still, it has to be in the freezer for about four hours after it comes out of the ice cream machine. I even bought a container for it with double sides to insulate it, hopefully to prevent ice crystals.
I can't believe this is happening.
Monday, September 26, 2022
Matthew 2
Matthew 2
Written from memory
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him.
3. When Herod the king had heard these things he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea, for thus it is written of the prophet,
6. And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda, for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule my people Israel.
7. Then Herod, when he had privily called for the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search diligently for the young child, and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9. When they had heard the king, they departed, and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him, and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt.
15. And was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son,
16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
17. Then was fulfilled which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18. In Rama, was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
19. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20. Saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
21, And he arose, and took the young child and his mother and came into the land of Israel.
22. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea, in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither, notwithstanding being warned of God in a dream, and turned aside into the parts of Galilee.
23. And he came and dwelt in a city that is called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
