Mr. C's Surprise......

 Now:
On to the Strangest Story Ever Told
(Well, maybe.)

You remember Audrey? The sweet, pregnant cat who showed up at our farm about a month ago? Remember that last week we took her to the vet and the vet figured there'd be kittens within a few weeks? Remember that she was healthy, no ear mites, no fleas, and that we then brought her indoors to live with us? Remember that we were awaiting the birth of those kittens? Huh??

Well, I was upstairs yesterday morning when Mr. C. suddenly appeared, looking like THIS:

 What?

What??

What???

And there were two more,

that had somehow made their way to the house

from wherever they had been,

(maybe the barn?)

and were sitting on the opposite side of the patio door.

Actually, the first two appeared at the same time.

We heard a third, but had to let Audrey out

to find that one.

Now mother and babies (teenagers??)

are doing fine.

 The first two, eating cat food, for Pete's sake!

Audrey, doing the catly thing

Audrey, licking her kittens and

letting them nurse.

This was just the most bizarre thing. We've had Audrey in the house since a week ago today. She had shown up at our place about September 27, and because we fed her, she would always come to the porch for food, water, and attention. Some people thought she looked pregnant, but she must already have delivered her kittens. When we took her to the vet on October 20,  we were told that it certainly looked like she was going to have kittens. After worming her that day, the next day we brought her into the house to live.

She never howled like she wanted to go out, although about 5 o'clock each morning she would meow loudly a few times, and only once did she sit and stare at the door.

How did the kittens survive during the past week?  Had she left them a squirrel or something? We know she was a good hunter.

Why hadn't her milk dried up?

How did the kittens make their way to the house?

After a week without their mother, the kittens all look roly poly and healthy.

The earth is the Lord's, and all that is in it.

From Psalm 24

Praise God for so many miracles in our lives each day, most of which we don't even notice.

***

 Why did we let our James Herriot vet retire??

Wouldn't you love to see this little guy

 in your Christmas stocking??

You know you would.

Your eyelids are getting heavy.

You want a kitten.

Linking to Eileen's Saturday's Critters 

*** 

 

Be sure to enter the Giveaway
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Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE

 
Olde Thyme Christmas
Natural Vegan Soap


...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
 
HomemadeSoapNSuch


and at


Our ETSY Shop

With The Three Little Kittens,

HomemadeSoapnSuch Giveaway! (It's About Time)

 

Hi Bloggers and Instagrammers:

I'm hosting a Giveaway of my handcrafted, vegan soaps, from now through Friday night at 10:00 PM CDT. 

There will be three winners, each of whom will be able to choose TWO soaps.

This is open to all who follow me either on @cranberrymorning (Instagram) or on this CranberryMorning blog.

Please visit either my HomemadeSoapnSuch Etsy shop or my HomemadeSoapnSuch website and let me know (in a comment on this post) which TWO you choose, should you be one of the winners. You're all winners in my book, but you know what I mean.

Also, in the comment, let me know how you follow CranberryMorning. If you're an Instagrammer, please include your Instagram name.

So:  Must be a follower of this blog or @cranberrymorning on Instagram

        Leave a comment with your two choices and how you follow me.

        Leave an email where I can reach you, should you be one of the winners

Giveaway closes 10 PM Friday, CDT. Winners will be announced next Monday, October 31, here on CranberryMorning.blogspot.com.

Thanks! And Good Luck.

P.S. On Friday night, Mr. C. will put his little paw into the magical Giveaway hat with all the entrants' names in it , and with eyes closed, will draw out three names. This is as scientific as we get. But we don't cheat. Hey! No peeking, Mr. C.

On the Thanksgiving Hayride

See last week's Hodgepodge post.

Christmas Soaps are Ready!

 
Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap!
Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE


 Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
 
HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop

GOOD FENCES and GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED

We visited our daughter and family in Wausau on Saturday, where I took these photos of the bridge at the park. Unfortunately, it was during the [unavoidable] brightest light of the day, so they're not my favorites. Still, it's a pretty park, and I love the beautiful Wisconsin River.

 On the way home,

sunset over Highway 29

THIS POST IS LINKED TO

THERESA'S GOOD FENCES

***

AND NOW, what you've all been waiting for...

***GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED***

Thanks to everyone who participated in our HomemadeSoapnSuch Christmas Soaps Giveaway!

Yesterday evening at 8:30 CDT, our young grandson (with us for the week) reached into the hat to select four winners, each of whom will receive one bar of their choice of HomemadeSoapnSuch soaps.

And the winners are:

MRS. T

DONNA

KATIE CLOONEY

DEBBY@JUST BREATHE

Please email me with your choice of soap and your postal address.  Thanks! 

Judy (at) soapnsuch (dot) com

P.S.  I hope to be catching up on blogs beginning next week!

Natural, handcrafted vegan soaps!

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop 

 

Hodgepodging The Comfort Zone

Some of the plants brought in for the winter

Join Joyce and the Gang

for

She writes the questions;

we write the answers.

Plug them into your own blog

and join in!

THANKS, JOYCE!

1. October 21, 2015 is Back to the Future Day. Did you see the movie? The sequels? In the second film, Doc takes Marty into the future to prevent Marty's future son from making a mistake. They leave 1985 and land on a 'skyway' on October 21st, 2015. So tell us, what were you doing in the fall of 1985?

No, didn't see any of the movies, but that theme reminds me of a book I loved, 'A Swiftly Tilting Planet' by Madeline L'Engle. What was I doing in the fall of 1985? Beginning our fifth year of homeschooling. And celebrating the first birthday of our second daughter. And celebrating an early Thanksgiving in the middle of October, because it makes so much more sense to do it then. Who feels all that thankful when the skies are cloudy all day and the temperature has dropped precipitously. Yes, I do feel thankful for many things all the time, but it's easier to be cheerful in mid-October than the end of November.

Can't we all just get along?

2.  If time travel were possible, would you want to go to the future? The past?

Definitely want to go to the PAST.  I know more of what's there and what to expect. And there are a lot of times in the past that would be interesting to see, if I could choose. The building of the great cathedrals of Europe, the founding of our country, the Lewis & Clark expedition, etc. etc. Of course, I'd pack penicillin. And I'd want guarantee of a quick escape if necessary.

3. We're not flying cars, but some of the technology imagined in the 80's film has indeed come to pass in real life 2015-flat screen TVs on the wall, tablets, fingerprint recognition, video conferencing, online banking, 3-D movies, motion controlled video games, drone cameras, and smart glasses (Google glass).  Do you worry technology is growing at a rate so fast we'll soon be unable to keep up with it's demands? Do you think the Internet does more harm than good?

The internet is an object that can be used for good or ill. The internet doesn't determine how it is used. Humankind has a profound ability to selfishly abuse any good thing, so it's up to us to use it wisely, for good. All bad ideas start in the heart/mind of the human, not the internet. I don't worry about technology advancing. If I were to worry about anything, it would be that it would no longer be there for us to use.

4. Your favorite dish prepared in a slow-cooker? Your favorite fast food?

Rosemary Chicken - not to be confused with Lavender Chicken (which I've accidentally made).
My favorite fast food, because I dislike most of it, would have to be Chipotle. I don't get it often, but it is good!

 Even Tuppence Can Get Them Confused

5. No time like the present, down time, face time, pressed for time, in the nick of time, make time, mark time, or just in time...which timely saying most relates to your life right now?

No time like the present - spending time with our grandson, who is here for the week.

 Proof that he's actually doing his schoolwork

6. Tell us about a place you went as a child or younger person that's no longer there or is now something else. How does that make you feel?

The Ye Olde Country Schoolhouse that I attended in grades 1 and 2.  It is no longer there, having been sold and moved off the school property to a nearby farm. I think it's even been torn down from there in the past couple years. It always makes me a bit sad that old schoolhouses or barns or other buildings I liked have disappeared from the landscape. 

Part of the problem is the American compulsion to always build newer and 'better.' Part, in Wisconsin, is also our climate, where unheated buildings will eventually fall on their own because the foundations are destroyed by our deep frost and spring heaving of the ground. 

 Woodside School

Good times were had here.

None of them was connected to schoolwork.

7. Describe your comfort zone.

My daughter sent me this cartoon. I got a chuckle out of it.  I hope you can zoom in to read it.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm doing school with our grandson this week (he's homeschooled) and I like the choice of materials his mom has compiled for him. When school is out, we do stuff outdoors, like clean some of the algae from the garden pond (a problem that didn't exist before the DNR's new regulations, but that's another story), fill the pond with water for the winter (needs to be filled with water so it can freeze and not allow the soil under the liner to cave in, which would otherwise happen in the spring when the ground thaws), and remove the pump to store for the winter.  He's a fun and clever kid. 

A messy time of year at the little garden pond

 LAST DAY TO ENTER

CHRISTMAS SOAPS GIVEAWAY! 

 EASY PEASY. CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY

Giveaway closes tonight at 8 PM CDT

THE FOUR WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED TOMORROW

on Cranberry Morning

 Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

 

GIVEAWAY WINNERS Announced

April 2015

THANK YOU

to everyone who entered the Giveaway!

As promised, at 10 PM last night, 

Mr. C. drew 3 names from a hat...

 
...CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Debby@JustBreathe
Ginny
Carla from The River


Note:
Names were chosen at random.
Carla did not get extra points for saying
that I could deliver hers and bring along
my 2000 England photos!  LOL

Please email me with your postal address, ladies, so I can get your packages mailed out.

THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

 

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop 

  Have a great Saturday, everyone!

 

Good Fences, Amish Farms

Because we were in the Westby area in September, I wanted to get these photos posted before the snow flies and the scenery changes drastically. I especially loved getting the pic of that young boy mowing the field. It was taken from a distance, and apparently the rule of thumb is, at least among this group of Amish, that photos are permissible among friends, as long as you don't photograph faces. I didn't think I had even gotten the boy in the frame, so was surprised (and delighted) when I uploaded the photo to the computer.

I did work at getting a few fences into the post (no pun intended), for Teresa's Good Fences meme, and I think I have enough to qualify, but you kinda have to hunt for them.

I wanted to get these two photos in because they represent the typical Amish barn and typical Amish house. Did I tell you that the silos must have pointed tops? If an Amish man buys a farm that already has a silo and it has a dome top, that's acceptable. But if they are building a silo, it must have a pointed top. Not sure why. And maybe it's just a rule of this particular group.

Walking home from church

Or riding home from church

Oops! Nope, not on an Amish farm.

I doubt they have much to do with Snow White or Rose Red

or anything frivolous, like that big blue ball.

View across the valleys 

How I'd love to be there in about 2 weeks when their trees should be at the peak of color. The field in the foreground is the one the young boy was mowing.

I'm trying to use up my September Amish pictures, but I won't make any guarantees that you won't see a stray one here and there in the future. :-)

Question:

So thinking about that kid in the first photo, think back to your own childhood. Did you have chores at home? Do you remember what they were? Did you get an allowance?  

***

DON'T MISS MY GIVEAWAY

HomemadeSoapnSuch

Natural Vegan Soaps

GIVEAWAY!

Fall & Christmas Soaps are Ready

3 winners

Giveaway Ends Saturday Night

Easy Entry:

Enter at the Link Below

CranberryMorning

This post is linked to the following Linky Parties:

Good Fences  and  Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Saturday's Critters

Fall and Christmas GIVEAWAY - Natural Vegan Soaps

A small sampling of the many soaps available.

Four-Day Giveaway, ends Saturday night at 10 PM, CDT.

There will be THREE winners.

Each winner will receive 2 bars, their choice.

I'm keeping this simple.  No Rafflecopter.  Entry names will be printed out, cut apart, put into a hat, and Mr. Cranberry will reach into the magic hat and pull out 3 names at random.

RULES:

#1.  Must be a follower of this (CranberryMorning) blog.
Please let me know how you follow.

.

#2.  Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

HomemadeSoapnSuch.Etsy.com

or

HomemadeSoapnSuch.com 

Then come back here (to this post) and leave a comment, letting me know which 2 soaps you'd like if you're one of the winners.

I will announce the winners on Monday, October 6, here on Cranberry Morning. 

U.S. Entries Only