September 2020
Gabrielle is the Home-Cat now, in the new house called Larkhaven. After her release from 10 days of spacious garage-captivity, she gingerly wandered to the area in the front of the Larkhaven house. And then she slowly walked straight to the Annabella marking stone by a potted azalea.
I’ve no doubt there was some secret message imparted by the celestial Black-Cat Sister to Gabby about staying in-bounds, even though, as yet, there are no fences to keep her in-bounds!
The Snowshoe has maintained a proper roaming distance from her new home. The other morning, I found her at the edge of the dirt road, across from Larkhaven, and called her back home. She gradually, slowly loped her way to me. “That’s the outer boundary,” I informed her, eyeing the vast expanse of pine trees up a slope where AB would have already found a hiding place. After the long, hot move out of the Rental House, we filled the new garage with boxes and furniture to phase-move them into the House. That organized arrangement of stuff created a Cat Maze for Gabrielle. During the early days of settling in, she’d look at me, so astonished and thankful for making her New Home so big and clean and comfortable and intriguing! To her delight, there were windows wherever she looked, and sunny views to love! Not a single meow or moan from The Gabrielle.
She did patrol the outside perimeter of the entire house late one afternoon. I joined her along the back stretch of the concrete patio, and we walked along the side, slowly, as she surveyed the tree-filled slope and paused to go on cat-point, warily watching all around us. When Sgt. Tibbs sensed the time was right, she led me to the front of the house. All in all, she looked pleased at her new and quiet surroundings. She performs her patrol duty around the exterior of the domicile every evening, toward sunset. Chance keeps a vigilant eye on this feline whom, he realizes, was not left back at the Rental House. This morning, Dog and Cat met, eye-to-eye and nose-to-nose, at the glass of the door by the kitchen. I have to say that the Gabrielle resolutely stood her ground, something that made Mr. Chance whimper with frustration. The set-up here will be the same as in the Peach House: Dog in the Back Yard; Cat in the Front. If, and when, they meet along the sides, expect 2 species to collide!
The Hound has experienced a bit of a letdown, being confined to only 1 residence. During 2018, the year of the sale-of-the-Peach House, Chance enjoyed the landscaping upkeep at the former Primary Home, and returning to rest at the Rental Home. Construction of the Dream House began in August 2019, and he then got a break from the confining confines of the Rental to go explore that work-in-progress, Larkhaven. That structure became a Third Residence in his young beagle mind. By the age of 4, Chance Beaumont has known more homes than the lovely Bridget, his predecessor who lived at the Peach House all during her entire, exciting life! He can still remember being a Jet-a-Pet, flying as a wee pup from Missouri to California on 14 October 2016.
There are times when he sighs, puts his snout on a pillow and gives me the look that says:
“I came a long way.” Yes, Chancey Boy, we all have! This beagle has now been reduced to living in only 1 house, although it has 2 floors, so he can think of each horizontal space as 1 domicile, with the Garage, the Cat House, forming that much maligned tertiary house.
As for their Owner, I’m just happy to be Home!
And, yes, Chancey Boy, the cat has more pix in this post than you do - because she leads a much more varied life! Sleeping on the couch, baying in the dead of night at a varmint outside, and running off with my boat shoe in your mouth is old-hat for you. Snouting into the storage box of boxes of shoes to locate the leather shoe is a new adventure! In time, Chance will have his own fenced-in area. In that Doggie Corral he will keep an eye on all kinds of outdoor creatures, including the humans, planting trees and gardens. It’s a dog’s life at times for the people!