The Universal Cat Distribution System at Work

It was a day that began with a Very Bad Smell in the shed. Apparently, I am The Lady In Charge of That. My first morning adventure involved tracking down the smell, removing a box of stuff, and dumping it out in the weeds, only to discover four tiny dead mice. As I cleaned it all up, I thought how unfair it was that a summer morning should begin with death and truly horrible smells.

But then things had a turnaround. I looked out the deck door windows to discover motion at the edge of our property behind the neighbors' shed. Small creatures. Squirrels? Groundhogs? Nope! Kittens! Yes, KITTENS! We got out the binoculars, settled into chairs, and watched.

By our count, there are at least five of them: three orange, one orange and white, and one gray and white. The mama is the calico we've seen slinking about our yard. She is not approachable; she runs if we even look at her.

Of course, I had to try for some photos, and I got a few. Here is a shot of a cuddle puddle - one of the orange kittens, lying on top of the mama calico. Behind them is the stump of a fallen tree where they have made their home. We got to watch the kittens play, and romp, and be silly, and also nurse and nap with their mom. My husband put out water for them.

So it was that we got to experience the great Circle of Life on this summer morning. We had the departure of four and the arrival of five. So it appears we are making out pretty well on averages. We're ahead by one, so far! Here is a song for all of that: Elton John, with the Circle of Life.