An Ode to Sugar

My sister Laura called me in tears this morning. She calls me often but never in tears. She's a pretty tough girl (or she likes to show she is but she really has a soft tender heart!). She told me she had just buried Sugar, the big old gray farm Tom Cat who has been around for more years than I can remember.

Sugar was a sweet cat. He was patient with the kids and loved to be petted (a rarity for farm cats). He would disappear every so often and usually came back with a bunch of new battle wounds from defending his territory. There were lots of baby Sugar's running around the farm but none of them were as good as the original Sugar. He was a great cat.

My sister sounded so sad. We always figured he'd wander off quietly one day but he was struck by a car on the busy highway that borders the farm. Laura said how he was getting older and his hearing must not have been so good. My sister and my mom buried him in the same area where our old dog Butch was buried. It was a tough day on the farm.

My mom called me this evening and asked if I had heard from Laura. I assumed she was just making sure that I knew about the tragedy. Mom was telling me about her day and how she and Dad were out in the office when they heard a cat meowing, a familiar meow. Unbelievably...it was Sugar!!!

They left him in the farm's office building and then sent Laura down there on some silly errand. And there she found Sugar. Apparently cats really do have 9 lives. Somehow both my sister AND my mom incorrectly identified the cat that died. We assume it's one of Sugar's many descendants who met his untimely death and is now residing in the family pet cemetery.

I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. Yes, it's still sad about the other cat but he is now resting peacefully in a place of honor. So all is well on the farm and hopefully Sugar will be around the next time we make a visit to the farm.

Laura, Grandma, Sam and Sugar in December!

So this week on Craig's List I found a new to us play climber for the yard. The kids have been getting a little bored and they were thrilled to have a new fun toy for the yard.

Also our shirts today are brought to you by the letter T and the number 3. For Thank You from our 3 to Uncle Tim and Aunt Amy for our cute birthday gifts!

Think the boys are having fun?

So Sam pretty much has claimed this little car as his. But every once in a while he gets distracted by some other toy and today Leona took advantage of that!