January 15-17

            It has been cold here in the Texas hill country for most of past month to six weeks.  Not far from here in Burnet (not pronounced bur-net but burn-it and slurred together rather than drawled) they actually had a slight accumulation of snow one night. Where we are located at “Shady Oaks Riverside RV Retreat” (on the Colorado River just below Inks Lake Dam) we had a full day of rain.  Rain is a sparse commodity in these parts so everyone was glad to see it come and stay so long.  Because these hills are a huge granite uplift (search for Llano Uplift on Google), the rain either soaks quickly into the inch or so of sandy topsoil, runs down the face of the bare rock or collects into shallow pools that will last until they either evaporate or some critters drink ‘em dry.  One such pool sits just behind and below our RV.  Yesterday morning I realized that it had been cool long enough and then downright cold (about 21 degrees) over night and the pool had a little lattice work of skim ice sitting on the surface.  Real pretty (purdy in my new found drawl) to look at.

            The size of our household has decreased by thirty three percent.  Our nearly fourteen year old cat, Kramer, died in the night yesterday.  When I got up to start the coffee about five o’clock, she was lying on her side on the floor.  Since she always lay with her feet tucked under her, I suspected she had passed and called her name.  Now don’t misunderstand, she never ever came when you called her name, but she would at least look at you to see what you wanted.  When she didn’t stir, I was sure that she was gone.  When I touched her she was cold and rigor mortis had already set in.  I woke Elle to let her know that the cat was gone.  When I went to our Men’s Morning Coffee I asked where there was a veterinarian who could cremate her.  We didn’t want to leave her here in Texas but want to take her back to Iowa and place her with other family pets that have died.  I was given the name of a vet that is well respected by our little group of guys.  I called as was told that while they didn’t do cremation, there is a shelter near here that does.  After I returned home, Ella and I took Kramer to the shelter.  For a hundred dollars they will cremate her.  We turned down the offer to buy an urn for her ashes.  We don’t intend to ‘keep’ her, just return her home.