It's a brilliant morning. The sun is burning off the night's frosting rapidly and causing shadows long and dramatic. I'm listening to Chopin's piano music and enjoying my coffee and the beautiful light. Tabitha is again in and out this morning, and is full of purpose. We had an event last evening that has her a good deal stirred up. A strange cat appeared at the glass doors in the dark. When Tabitha saw it, there was a visceral reaction from her of deep growling outrage. The poor little creature looking in hung on for a bit, pathetically hopeful. He looked like a tom to me, with long hair and a gorgeous white tuxedo against luxurious black fur. I told Tabitha, I thought him quite attractive and she shouldn't just dismiss him out of hand! I didn't allow Tabitha to go out and chase him, as I wasn't sure who would get the better of the other. But I did put out a little dry cat food, in hopes he/she would find something to eat and maybe give my home another chance. If it is a male, I think Tabitha would be more likely to accept him. Another female would definitely not be accepted. He/she might belong to a neighbor, and even though neighbors are quite a ways away, a kitty cat is not beyond travelling some distances in the night to see what one can see. So this morning, Tabitha has NOT forgotten the stranger at the door and she is out there looking for him/her I'm sure. I think another cat would be good for Tabitha, but she is not so sure about this. It IS up to her. If the stranger endears himself to her, then he get to stay. Otherwise, all bets are off. This is Tabitha's home. First come first serve....

I have one more day of the antibiotics. They are not sitting well with me, giving me upset stomach and making me very tired. Most people do not have reactions to antibiotic, but if there's one to be had, I will have it. And sure enough, that was on the list of effects when I looked it up. So I didn't feel well enough to paint. I went up there, but realized it would not have been good for me or the paintings, so retreated to the sofa for the day. I took every kind of antibiotic imagineable when I was in the thick of treating Lyme and its accompanying tick diseases, so now any antibiotic is difficult for me. Oh well..just one more day!

The upper pastures are full of wildlife now that the Holsteins are in the barns for the winter. Deer, sometimes scampering after each other and flocks of wild turkey are common sights. They hang most often close to the woods edge, as they are mindful of hunters. But the grass is alluring, as it won't be long before it will not be so readily available and under a deep blanket of snow. I think about the wild life when the winds are blowing and it is 20 or 30 below zero as it sometimes gets here. I would think it would be miserable for them. Nature provides ways for them to survive it seems. Definitely, I would not survive, unless I found a decent cave somewhere and a good bit underground, getting me to the 55 degrees it stays down away from the frost lines.

Vermont basements are useful that way. They can make a house warmer or colder! Because the cellars are basically just holes in the ground lined with stone that hold up the timbers, the upstairs in the old days being separated from the basement with decking of a subfloor and some wide pine boards above that. And often there was no subfloor..depending on how crude the construction was. The 55 degrees in the basement at all times was useful to moderate temperatures in the house in the extremes of winter and summer. I have my decks insulated, in the brick house, and there is insulation stuffed under the oldest part by a former owner. I can't imagine how they managed to get it under there. They would have had to have a very skinny little person crawl under there. Consequently the ell is warm enough in the winter, and in the summer it remains almost frigid from being so close to the ground with no cellar under it. The last owners spent one winter in the place with no insulation and my understanding is by the next winter, they had new windows and extensive insulation put in, that now benefits me.

Tabitha is sitting on the edge of the sofa facing the sliding glass doors. I'm thinking she is expecting the reappearance of the stranger! I've never seen her do this before! I will keep you posted about the social life of kitties at 750 Brainstorm Rd. I will get another cup of coffee and try to get something useful done today, knowing I have one more day of upset stomach and fatigue, but since there is always something to do, filling my time, won't be hard. It's so good to have light today! The skies are absolutely clear! Let's hope that we get some good news today moving our country towards stability and health. These times are refining us, as David my FB friend pointed out. I think he is right. Fires are burning off the dross and leaving the gold. Be patient and hold fast to that which is good. Love one another. Without it, we have failure to thrive.