Tag: cat

My Steadfast Timekeepers

Thursday, September 04, 2025

Pimmy, my donkey, doesn’t need a clock. Her inner alarm is astonishingly precise at mealtimes—and she makes sure I don’t forget. She’s been getting only weight-loss rations for months, and her appetite feels supercharged.

Morning or evening, I hear her braying because I’m moving too slowly. She sidles up to the gate, ears tilted forward, her whole body spelling out one word: Now. My horses might prance or pace when impatient, but Pimmy? She gives me a look that suggests authority.

She’s not my only steadfast timekeeper. Maxwell, my cat, knows exactly when his food should appear. Max is even pushier than Pimmy; he winds around my ankles, practically tangling me in fur and whiskers. I’ve learned to step carefully, always on alert not to trip.

There’s comfort in the constancy of these two critters. My larger world is always shifting—whether it’s a fence that needs repair, the weather’s unpredictability, or the endless churn of local and global politics. Yet Pimmy and Max bring me back to a simple rhythm of existence: “feed me, water me, keep me safe.”

In return, I relish their companionship and the simple lessons they bring: no excuses and no delays. Their routines remind me that being on time and doing what’s expected really matters.

Dear friends, Pimmy and Max remind me that routines offer a special kind of comfort.
—Diana

Hunter!

Thursday, October 10, 2024

My “Little Mitzvah” is fifteen pounds that finally grasped a skill that increases her value to my property. Her cuteness is always a given, but in the barn earlier this week, she used innate skills and caught a tiny mouse.

My barn hasn’t had a resident mouse hunter since my kitty Maxwell began preferring to be an inside cat. I’ve not introduced a new cat to the barn. There are roosters and often dogs around, and I have lacked free time for hanging out with a new cat and ensuring its safety.

Mitzvah is a Jack Russell Terrier mix. She discovered her skill set on catching that mouse and loving every moment. To more of Mitzvah’s credit, she has recognized a distinctive trail that mice use for entering and leaving the chicken coop. She’s been watching that trail intently.

For me, seeing her terrier spirit in action was pleasing enough. Yesterday afternoon, more of her terrier instincts became apparent.

We were in the shop/barn. My part-time job keeps me too busy to be in the shop playing with woodworking. After discovering that pack rats were in the shop, I entered it yesterday to work on clearing rat debris. Mitzvah, sniffing around, suddenly became very excited at a cluttered spot. I removed some of the clutter and out ran a large rat.

Mitzvah was ready, she chased it to another cluttered spot. Her constant sniffing and circling there communicated the rat’s hiding area. I peeked and saw it squeezed between panel boards. I pulled on one panel and the rat ran with Mitzvah hot on its trail.

She caught it, the rat got loose and hid again. We repeated our process. Mitzvah identified the hiding spot and I pulled away protective items. Before long, I saw that my little dog was exiting the shop with a large rat hanging from her mouth. What followed was au natural.

Mitzvah made sure that the rat was dead.

She rolled repeatedly on the lifeless body.

Mitzvah just needed to be in the right spots. She’s now a working dog, knows her job, and it’s a welcome one. Now, she’s even more pleasing company while we’re out and about on the property.

Dear Friends: A once-ornamental pooch’s true, transforming nature. Diana