Up North for the Fall Harvest...and Kittens!

I am quite certain that those who monitor weather statistics would agree with me that Minnesota was treated to an amazing summer and fall this year. The weather has been mild and the transition from one season to the next was gentle. I have been enjoying the unusual flexibility Mother Nature is allowing me when it comes to harvesting the last of my backyard garden and getting the chickens ready for the winter.

We also had time to go up to my dad's house to help (and benefit!) from his fall harvest. Our trip up to Wisconsin came with the very fun bonus of meeting his 2 new kittens!

I wasn't sure what to expect because these cats have a role that is quite different from our Fanny's life. These cuties are outdoor, farm cats who are expected to earn their keep by hunting mice and other pests. My dad named them Shakey and Fatty based on how they presented themselves when he first got them. I was super pleasantly surprised that they are as curious and affectionate as can be with outsized purr motors!

Uli got to meet them as well. Shakey was a lot more interested in playing with Uli than Fatty was.

It was an entertaining site, watching them try to figure out how to play together. Shakey's attempt at catching Uli were slapstick as she only jumped at him well after he had zoomed past her.

Fatty kept his distance likely wondering why his sibling wasn't more afraid of this newcomer.

They alternated play sessions with sniffing breaks and timeouts under the car where Uli couldn't get at Shakey.

The kittens slowed down our harvesting productivity quite a bit with their adorable antics.

Photo credit to Paul

I am glad my dad has some new buddies around and I certainly enjoyed having the opportunity to love them up. Powerful kitten purrs are good medicine.

We usually take a few walks when we visit and this time Fatty wanted to come with us!

He still didn't want Uli to get close to him, though.

Cat in the tree!

Uli had a grand time once again, running and playing on the acreage.

Unfortunately, we didn't bring any treats with us to reward his recall. As the weekend wore on, he got less and less responsive to us and more and more wide in his range around the woods. It got to the point where he wasn't coming back at all unless he wanted to. We let that happen to each of us once and then to the tie out he went. Thankfully, as soon as we got home and intermittently rewarded recall with treats, his consistent obedience returned. He didn't much enjoy his confinement, so hopefully he put together a little bit of cause and effect for future reference.

"I got up here but I don't know how to get down! Help!"

After the harvest, we loaded the car up to the brim with awesome veggies and cases of honeycrisp apples.

Since we got back, the dehydrator has been humming away drying apple chips, the oven has been busy roasting root veggies, potatoes and squash and our appetites have been satisfied.