the kittens return

Our water went out again today. It did last Thursday too. So we called Tony, our well guy who leaves the top four buttons of his uniform shirt unbuttoned. Tony is great and told us what he told us a week ago. A mouse had fried itself in the circuit box in our well house, just like last week. But this time he added that it seemed we had a serious mouse problem in the well house, not near the water, just eating our wires in the circuit box.

So we called for backup. 

Farm Cats. Velma and Verna. The kittens we have been waiting to grow into cats.  

Since we last had Velma and Verna to our house, we have learned that Verna is in fact a boy. We now call him Vernon. Or as Ivar called him today, "no, it's Burnin' like a fire!" Which is handy because Vernon is orange like a Burnin' fire. (and now you'll never forget...) 

Velma and Vernon (or Burnin'...depending on who you talk to) came back this afternoon and they are sweet as ever. They are tame, affectionate, playful and I just love cats so much. It made me miss Toonces, and grateful I have cats in my life again.

They spent the afternoon working out a new pecking order with the chickens. I'm not sure how it all played out, but I do know Elsie is for sure on top and then it's hard to say if it's cats or chickens on the bottom. I might order it: Elsie, Vernon, Legos, Velma, Butterscotch Cookies, and then Zumbrota.

And then they got to work, manning their post at the well house, ready to catch mice.