Acres of Ability

Honey is a cat, one of our (currently 11) barn cats. Life on our acreage has taught us a lot about cats. Cats are fiercely loyal to feline family members. Cats develop complex social networks, and genuinely feel superior to dogs. Cats can be born with disabilities, just like children. Over the past 16 years, we have had a deaf cat, a mute cat,and a male calico cat.  We had a cat with seasonal allergies so severe that she would shed ALL of her fur each spring.  And we have Honey. Honey was born last summer with severe neurological deficits. Her third eyelids cannot retract, so she is functionally blind. Her claws also cannot retract, so she cannot climb. Her jaw is underdeveloped, so she has difficulty eating. At 10 months old,she weighs less than three pounds, and her collar wraps around her tiny neck twice. Her vestibular issues prevent her from cuddling.  I have never heard her meow. But you should see her in person. Like many people with severe disabilities, ...

When you take the time to cook for your family, you want your efforts to be rewarded with a fresh, tasty, and healthy meal.  An easy way to brighten up any dish is to snip an herb or two into the skillet. Herbs added to your meal add up to more than a great-smelling kitchen and great-tasting food:  Great nutrition also bursts from every leaf.  Common herbs such as basil , oregano , and thyme contain a bunch of vitamins (such as A, C, E, K, and B-Complex), minerals (such as potassium, manganese, and iron), antioxidants, essential oils, and fiber.  And they add practically no calories. We grow basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, mint, and lemon balm in big pots on our back deck. Besides providing a cool, aromatic playground for our cats, they are just an arm’s reach from our kitchen door.  Snip! Snip! Toss a few basil and oregano leaves into the salad.  Snip!  Snip!  Rub rosemary and thyme onto a roast.  Snip! Snip!  Brew refreshin...

Each spring, a hummingbird trio returns to our yard.  At the first sighting of these tube-fed buddies, Kyra and I are quick to clean up our feeder and whip up a batch of hummingbird food.  Then we sit on the deck.  And wait. If we’re still enough, and patient enough, the hummingbirds will greet us with a quick fly-by.  First we hear a warm buzzing.  Then, if we’re lucky, we catch sight of a shimmer as the tiny birds dart around us and toward the feeder. As I watch a hummingbird’s tube-like beak slurping nectar, it occurs to me that the general attitude toward feeding hummingbirds is remarkably similar to the general attitude toward feeding through a g-tube.  During the spring and summer, grocery and garden stores stock special “Hummingbird Nectar” in ready-to-feed bottles or instant-mix packets.  Seriously?  Do they really expect me to purchase a tiny packet of sugar for twice the price of an entire bag of sugar?  We know from ex...