Just Breathe

It was a BIG week.

First, an injured cat, one that had been struck by a car, literally drug himself from a nearby road to the front of our barn where he laid, waiting for us to find him.

Good Sams to the core, we sped the kitty to an urgent care veterinary clinic and spent the rest of the week trying to identify an owner: lots of door to door visits and fliers, as well as postings at Bonnie Hays Small Animal Shelter and Craig's List's lost and found. As of this writing, our search hasn't identified an owner.

So last Friday, "Pumpkin" came back to Sweetgrass, where he's recovering from a broken pelvis and some major league bruising. He's not yet able to walk, but he is sitting up -- a BIG improvement.

If ever there was a critter that embodied the face of grateful, it's Pumpkin. Everytime I pass the large dog crate where this guy is resting, he fires up his big motor of a purr.

For now, Pumpkin is ours and in all likelihood, that's how it will stay. His prognosis for a complete recovery is good as long as he stays on cage rest for six to eight weeks.

The week got a little wilder when we added chickens, three Barnevelder hens. City gals, the Barnevelders just about had a group coronary when their welcome wagon neighbors, Charolais cattle and gregarious Indian Runner ducks dropped by for a "how do."

Thankfully, the hens have settled in nicely and our daily egg count -- beautiful terra cotta colored eggs -- ranges between one and three. YUM!

Best news of the week: My son, Nick, landed his dream job working as a forest ranger. HUBBA, HUBBA, number one son!

Sometimes, when weeks are this big, it's easy to let go of the important things, what I like to call the necessaries of good health. Things like breathing.

A couple of years ago, the band Pearl Jam released a beautiful song titled "Just Breathe." The melody and lyrics speak to me and I hope you have a chance to click on the following link and watch Pearl Jam perform "Just Breathe" for Austin City Limits:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0mhrqfeFjQ