Somewhere… Under the Rainbow

Hello and welcome to the blog.  Thank you for the kind words and warm thoughts in recent days.  Serena was quite a little kitty and hers was the most commented post to date.

The photo you see to the left was taken in Fayette County at Dutton’s Cave, a favorite place to go and remember Serena, my “baby girl”.

I had taken a picture after she had to be put down… and she did not look any different than when normally sleeping.  It can be viewed here… Due to the content, I didn’t want to share it unless someone wanted to see her in this peaceful state.  Seeing it was comforting… and Jesse and  I are feeling better these days.

Jesse was a mess the first couple of days after Serena died.  So was I.  But time marches on.  We’re building new habits and rituals.  I’ve been cooking some of our favorites and spending some bonding time and he’s been equally good in return.  Jesse has always been a “needy” cat, always clinging to Serena or I in the past.  He’s doing great though and accompanied me on a visit to this special place…

The camping trip on Wednesday was delayed a little due to a work team meeting.  On the way north, a small rain shower had missed us, passing just to the east of West Union.  Then I realized there was a rainbow directly over the trees for Dutton’s Cave park.  After pausing to find an appropriate location to place the cross and roses (one rose from Jesse and one from myself), I prayed for a bit, giving thanks for my little friend’s life, love, and friendship. By then the rainbow had moved to the south-east and slowly vanished.

Often we hear the story about a rainbow bridge and one day being reunited with pets.  I didn’t see a rainbow bridge but sure saw a rainbow… and it was comforting.

Daddy’s thigh is a perfect perch

Wednesday night was spent primitive camping with Jesse.  The weather was warm and no electricity was required.  The cool air felt great.  Jesse seems to be doing a lot better with riding in the van and camping as you can see to the left.  He just needs a “play break” now and then.  Jess seems to like sitting on my leg and watching things go by.

Thursday was to be a day of angling.  We tried two different streams but the weather was odd – the wind was very strong and the water was high.  The fishing was lousy this trip and my heart just wasn’t into it.  The trout were not biting, and there were a zillion people angling.  Nobody was having any luck.   No biggie… There will be other, quieter times to go.

The Thursday morning breakfast was exquisite.  I have access to a vegetable dicer at work and chopped my own peppers and onions into little cubes prior to the trip.  This all-in-one, flavorful skillet dish consisted of some Mexican  chorizo sausage cooked up and crumbled, some of the peppers and onions, and three scrambled eggs.  No seasoning was needed thanks to the chorizo.   When serving it up, I also added sour cream, cheese, and salsa.  Those are low carb, high fiber tortillas.  Unlike the restaurant dish, I did not have rice or beans,  This lower carb version of “Huevos con Chorizo” was one of the most simple but delicious camping breakfasts to date.  I’m surely going to do this – or  something like it – again.

Jesse says “Have a Hart”

Jesse and I are back home after the short but fun little outing.  There will be more times to fish this summer and hopefully, there will be better luck next time.  At least when you don’t catch any fish, there is nothing to clean.

As for how Jesse is fitting into the van thing…  well, the picture says it all.  Wednesday night we were watching an old episode of “Hart to Hart” on the laptop.

So what’s on the horizon?  Before long, my sister and brother-in-law are coming for a visit.  I’m  scrambling…  Because of the necessary pre-visit housework, there probably won’t be any longer trips for a while.   For having few possessions, why is there so much work?

In the meantime, there’s a mushroom hunting class coming up tomorrow.  If it is possible to go, this would be a great time to learn some more about an activity that many of us enjoy doing – gathering and eating tasty fungus.  Hopefully, there will be some photos on Saturday night.

RIP Princess

Take care and thanks for visiting!

Brad and Jesse James
Jones County, Iowa