Squashaphone, anyone?

I have two of these goodies fattening on the vine, and I am waiting for some of the stalks to be big enough to make a squashaphone. What is THAT, you ask? Well, in my new book called Log Cabin Cooking, there is a photo of two girls playing this "instrument" called a squashaphone that they made from squash stalks. I believe it to be similar to a pennywhistle (except, not made of tin). Instructions are included in the book and can be found by following the Log Cabin Cooking link in this paragraph.I have about 20 of these ripening on the vine, and I cannot wait until they are a succulent, juicy, perfect red so I can pluck them for salsa, sandwiches, sauces, and simply eating fresh in the garden. There are also cucumbers flowering, okra flowering, zucchini ripening, and watermelon almost flowering. I just put the 4 week old butternut squash and pumpkin seedlings out today, and, though they were seeded late, I hope they were in time to fruit before the first frost! The lingering cold of spring caused my lateness...Baby bird is poking itself further and further out of the house to get a look at the wide wide world. It is so cute, and I WISH I had a better camera with which to capture it in more close-up fashion! I almost caught it with its mouth gaping open and calling for mom, but the delay made me miss. Mom, however, was only circling above and looking nervous because I was too close. She wouldn't come in until I stepped away. The part I am nervous about is that last year, this was the age at which we lost the baby birds from this house to a large bird of prey. They stick themselves out there too far, and then SWOOOOOOP, SWOOOOSH, they are lunch.
Also, if the sweet birdy happened to lean out too far and fall out of his safe and cozy house, Striper Striper the Wondercat (who is learning his lesson and staying very low key these days) is hanging out in the wildflowersturnedweedpatch just under the apple tree - - - waiting for some excitement.

He loves succulent young birds.
Here's rootin' for baby bird to make it to maturity,
and all the veggies to ripen quicklike...

Making...Nature With Me

Talk about self-sustainability! This guy has accomplished upcycling to the 'nth' degree:



Amazing! If I were the tropical climate, island sort of girl, I might get ideas...

(Almost) Silent Sunday

Happy Birthday to my dear Nature Boy! 15 years already???New flowers for the vase from around the homestead:Fun little Saturday project: flip-flop embellishment!

Wishing you all serenity on this lovely Sunday...

Revel in Local Living

I am taking my eat local challenge seriously this week, and Mr. Nature has gotten involved as well. Remember that Evening Farmer's Market we attended last week? Mr. Nature took us there again this week, and this time we spent the whole evening. I can't think of a better way to promote local eating and local living than getting involved in local events. I got to do a lot of wandering around and socializing. We got a lesson on why we cure our garlic, I met a local Dutch Oven cookery person, and we met some more of the people who grow the food we eat. The garlic seller next to us gave us 4 large heads of garlic.

From the garlic seller, we got 4 large heads of garlic. Also, there was raw strawberry pie. (here is a similar recipe) Or, more precisely, raw strawberry rhubarb pie. The ladies selling this enchanting pie were also selling a veggie wrap: a blanched kale leaf wrapped around brown rice, celery, mint, and several other green things I did not identify. With a side of minty dipping sauce and spicy dipping sauce. And blanched beets and rhubarb. They purchase their vegetables and fruits weekly from the farmer's markets, and then they make up what they will sell based on the ingredients. Creative AND local!

There was music of the reggae variety, with a sprinkling of Sublime feel, by a local band. And as we were leaving, we saw A PIRATE SHIP! er, a pirate house...
Aaaarrrr, Matey! Vegetables thar be ahead...

Log Cabin Recipe

(buy the book)

While I enjoyed my trip to the mill, and am enjoying my journey toward self sufficient homesteading, I am glad that it is right now a choice rather than a complete necessity. I do enjoy many "modern" conveniences and resources that my ancestors could not have even dreamed of, and I do appreciate them. If we all could appreciate them, but still tread lightly and not over-indulge and harbor feelings of self-entitlement, we could make a difference and preserve resources for future generations.

According to the pioneer cookbook, Log Cabin Cooking: "imagine yourself in 1835...saying goodbye to friends and family...loading up the wagon for adventure into parts unknown; hoping to outrun Cholera, food shortages...your survival will depend on hard work and resourcefulnes."

It does not sound as lovely as admiring my lettuce from my fluffy porch swing cushions or making lavender sachets to freshen my laundry in the electric dryer. But there are some recipes in this little book that I can make use of today, with the added flair of modern lovely.

Dandelion Salad

Young dandelion greens (picked before the plant flowers) , rinsed and chilled. Be sure they're herbicide and pesticide free. Lettuce, washed and torn Bacon, cooked and crumbled (I would omit this ingredient, as I do not eat pork)
(I would add nuts and raisins instead)
Egg, boiled and sliced Grated Swiss cheese Edible flowers in season sprinkled on top (violets, pansies, nasturtiums, calendula)

Toss salad with salt, pepper, and vinaigrette dressing. Try raspberry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Now, how is that for using those pesky dandelions? Eaten out of doors on a sunny day in patio shade with a nice, cold glass of sun tea would be just right.

The Local Grist Mill

On Wednesday, we took a drive to the neighboring Butte Creek Mill to see about some local flour. What I learned from owner Bob Russell is that their wheat comes mostly from Montana to be ground locally, because nobody around here is growing any grains to be milled. He mentioned that there is a small family farm growing five acres of wheat that will eventually be milled at Butte Creek Mill, but knew of no other growers.I looked online to see if I could find the source of any local grains, and I did find the Oregon Wheat Growers League and the Oregon Grains Commission, but I did not find the names of any farms local to me growing grains.

Regardless, this is the only working gristmill in Oregon, and it happens to be within 100 miles of my homestead, so I am purchasing local and supporting a local livelihood by taking home my finds today. I purchased 5 pounds of bread flower, a zucchini bread mix, a scone mix, a jar of local wild plum jam, and a book called Log Cabin Cooking. Tomorrow I will share a recipe with you.Next door, the owners of the mill also own the antique store and building. There is a very colorful Cigar Store Indian (is cigar store Native American any better?) standing guard over the wares. I picked up an 1865 leatherbound copy of Golden Leaves from Dramatic Poets from Hurst and Company publishers of New York for $3.00. There is some wear to the leather, but the binding and all pages are intact, and the pages still have their gold leafing on the edges. I hoard books like I hoard craft supplies, so I was pleased at this find.
Between the mill and the antique store building, there is a strip of well manicured lawn with benches and picnic tables, and a gravel path that leads down to the creek. Rags went with us on this trip, and he is modeling for you on a rough-hewn stone bench by the water's edge. It was a lovely, sunny 80 degrees with a light breeze off the water when we were there. A visiting family was eating lunch at one of the picnic tables.Miller and owner Bob Russell can be seen here on YouTube, explaining the working of the mill, the huge French buhr stones, and the name of the equipment used. Today, he gave Amilia and I our own private tour of the milling room. It was really a treat to see how the grain elevator worked and to receive our very own teeny baggy of wheat seed that we might choose to plant.

I am finding, on my quest to become a Locavore, that there may be (and may have always been) a need at times to trade with distant communities. The coffee roasted by my local roaster is grown by a small community somehwere (the coffee is all Fair Trade at my local shop), and the livelihood of that small (local to them) economy depends on my shop's purchase of coffee beans. My local mill depends on an influx of wheat and other grains in order to do the milling that provides the livelihood of the owners.

I believe it is best if we can obtain LOCAL LOCAL items, meaning grown or manufactured here from local resources and sold to the consumer at an independent local market or store. But next best is, if raw materials have to be imported, that the raw materials imported are (hopefully from an independently owned source) processed or manufactured locally and then sold at that independent local place. Then, we can still avoid the Big Box and the Megacorp. Next, I will have to ask the mill if they purchase from BIG AG, or if they purchase from artisanal growers...if from Big Ag, I will let them know (again) my preference for local, sustainable ag sources.

How are you doing on the Locavore challenge?
Do you have a local mill near you?

Change the World Wednesday

On my sister blog, Sharing Our Gifts, I have been engaging in Change The World Wednesday challenges from Reduce Footprints. This week, I will forgo Word Wednesday here to bring you this week's Change The World. My word for this week was going to be the newly-coined-by-the-economy-word "Staycation." Thankfully, Linda has already blogged that word, so here is the link.

So, are you ready to Change The World with me? This week's challenge (beginning today and ending next week on Tuesday evening) is to take at least ONE FULL DAY to ONLY eat local. This means:

"No tropical fruits from across the world ... no veggies that traveled hundreds of miles to get to your table ... only locally grown foods (this includes meats, dairy products, etc., if you eat them).

OR, if you're already eating only local foods full time ... and may I say congratulations to that ... post one of your favorite 'local food' recipes on your blog."

This actually does two things. It forces us (if only for one full day) to eat local, AND to eat seasonal. Because you will only be able to get what is available now from the harvest. For me, this means no bananas, no tomatoes (I have not been buying these anyway because they are only available right now from Mexico or Canada), no peanuts (and no peanut butter), etc...

Basically, this means only eating what I purchased from the Farmer's Market. If I get it from the Farmer's Market, I am certain that it is local, and I will not be making any mistakes or cheating on the challenge. So, let me share with you what I had yesterday before the challenge began. It really got me thinking about ALL the things I eat and use that are not local, even though I am trying to support as many local businesses and farmers as possible. For this challenge, I am using the 100-mile radius rule. If it is from within 100 miles of your home, it = local.

Breakfast:

1. coffee (NOT local). I cannot even GET local coffee - can you? But my local coffee shop does order raw beans and roast them on site. They sell their roasts to local consumers and at local markets. Does this count? Maybe. Depends on your definition of local, and whether you find it sufficient to support a local coffee shop in their efforts to offer locally roasted coffee, or whether you abstain from all coffee unless you live where it is grown.
2. Bagel. Same story as the coffee. My bagel was created and baked at that same local coffee shop, but I do not know if they used locally grown and milled ingredients. I doubt it. But I supported local business by eating their made-on-site bagels (the best bagels known to man, I might add. Too bad you don't live near them. Or maybe you do.)

Lunch:

1. Coffee (the rest of my morning pot, with ice added).
2. Salad: lettuce from my west deck garden, onion from local farmer's market - LOCAL
   
3. Drew's natural dressing* (NOT local).
4. Cottage cheese*. NOT local, but within 175 miles of my home. That exceeds my 100 mile rule.
5. Organic bread I baked myself. Bread = LOCAL? Flour* NOT locally grown or milled, but purchased from a local market (not a big chain market).
6. Sauerkraut*: Michigan, so NOT local for me.
7. Crackers*: organic Late July saltines. Massachusetts, so not local for me.
8. Goat cheese: Wisconsin, so NOT local for me. Purchased at a locally regional chain grocer.
   

Dinner: (simple British baked beans & toast)

1. Heinz baked beans. NOT local, and not really adhering to my rules. Processed, canned, not organic. But the ingredient list is almost ok: Navy Beans, Tomatoes, Water, Sugar, Glucose Syrup (not on my ok list), Salt, Modified Corn Starch (not on my ok list), Distilled Vinegar, Spices. Not even purchased locally.
   
2. Green peas*, organic: Sacramento, CA, so NOT local for me.
   
3. Alvarado Street Organic Bread* : CA, NOT local for me.
   
4. Organic, free range, veg fed eggs*: Washington, so NOT local for me.
5. Tillamook cheese: in my state, but NOT within my 100 mile local range.
   
6. Thompson organic raisins*: purchased at my local independently owned market from the bulk bins, so I don't know where these were grown. My guess is CA.

So, I will have to do better than this for the challenge! The only things in my day that were really local were the lettuce I grew and the onions I bought last Friday evening at the farmer's market.

* means purchased from my local, independently owned grocery market.

Will you fare better?
Visit my Blog Frog link on the right side bar if you want to engage in a discussion of
whether it is okay to eat/drink items like tea and coffee if they are peddled by a small
local market...
If you want to join in on the challenge, stop by Reduce Footprints and leave a comment.

Nature's Gifts

After yesterday's gruesome display, I thought we would visit some soothing sights. At the senior citizens' thrift shop the other day, I picked up this red checked tablecloth for $3.00. It was tied with the red/white/blue grosgrain ribbon that is now tied around my rustic ceramic jug. In the jug, I placed the flowering parts of my dukat dill from the garden. I thought these tied nicely with the colors of the red and yellow porch swing throw pillows.Today, the dill was all wilted and ready for the compost heap, so I clipped some new sprigs for the jug. I chose some peach tree limbs that had died out with unopened leaf buds on them, and some flowering parts of lamb's ear. In the smaller pot, I clipped some lavender for the kitchen counter. It is time to begin harvesting sprigs of lavender for drying anyway.I love the sweet little birds on this pot; they are a nice color match for lavender. And speaking of birds,this baby was calling for dinner this evening in one of our occupied bird houses. Unfortunately, due to limitations of my camera, you can only see the tip of his beak, and the color and clarity could be better.Then, mom came to the rescue! While this feeding was going on, we had two young bucks visiting the bottom acre for their dinner. Again, quality is not great, but I could not get any closer for fear of scaring them away. I was going to try to sneak closer to the fence so I could take it without fencing in the way,
but Striper and three chickens were following around my feet in a very noisily clucking meowing manner. I love when the deer visit, especially when I get a rare photo of a visiting buck. Today there were two, and they both had the beautiful velvet of new antlers.

Have a wonderful week!

Striper Striper the Wondercat

I like to share with you all what beauty and kind sentiment I find in the world. In addition, I share information, odd tidbits, memories, progress, and events. In that spirit, I apologize to the more squeamish of you for sharing with you what my adventurous cat has shared with me - more than once. If your children are looking at the screen, send them away before you scroll down to this photo.


There have been snakes, birds, gophers, and now:











The tailless lizard. Mr. Nature caught Wondercat at this little game while the lizard was playing dead...and before the lizard was ACTUALLY dead. To date, we have several tailless lizards hiding in trepidation among the lavenders and junipers.What will be his next escapade?

Happy Father's Day!

Dear Mr. Nature,
I am certain that I do not give you enough credit, in my blog or in life, for all that you do for our happy family and homestead. Your dedication, loyalty, and nurturing spirit have been tirelessly employed in the garden and around the grounds. Your daily watering and weeding have allowed our vegetables to thrive. Your encouragement and thoughtfulness have made it all enjoyable.

Who would have rescued Striper from his post way above my head when he was caught in the fence, if not for you? Who would turn our hard-earned garden bounty into scrumptious edibles, if not for you? Who would chase raccoons from the garage and foxes from the chicken coop at 4am? Who would open jars, knock down tippy-top wasp nests, mow the front acre, feed the cats, fix faucet leaks, clean out the tool shed, and dump the compost bin? With whom would I discuss theological questions? Who would make sure we learned historical facts?

You make us laugh with your pet names and your make believe. You make us sigh with your crooning. You make us feel safe with your hugs. You make us feel loved with all your selfless acts. You remind us to care for others before ourselves, and to always be kind. You inspire us. You display courtesy, chivalry and respect, and model for your family the meaning of the words 'loving father'. From the moment we met, and always, I am thankful for this blessing. You are appreciated more than we express.
Happy Father's Day, We love you!

Farmer's Markets let us Eat Local

I attended the Friday evening farmer's market yesterday. While there are a number of farms in the vicinity, my town does not hold its own farmer's market. There are three neighboring cities that do have these weekly events. The drive yesterday was about 15 miles (as the crow flies), but takes about 30 minutes due to winding two-lane roads and town stop signs.

As I have mentioned before, I think it is important to find local food sources and to support local growers. A thriving local economy is one of the first defenses against the excess and pollution of global corporate culture. When purchasing from local farmers at the market, I am not purchasing anything packaged or processed, so there is no trash to recycle, and the organically and sustainably grown goods have offset their own carbon footprint.

In addition, I saved money. I spent $18.00, and got 1.5 pounds of raw local honey, my week's supply of beets, lettuce, basil, and onions, and two heirloom plants for my garden. (A basil and a chocolate habanero - yum!) My money was given directly to a local farmer who will in turn most likely spend it locally. Perhaps at the Grange co-op. The same food at the grocery store would have cost me $27.00, and the money would have gone to a regional chain store where it would likely leave the community. Even though the market is two towns over, the farm is closer to my town, and the communities are very close-knit. In this neck of the woods, I was still buying local.

I used my woven market basket and the produce bags I make myself, so no plastic or paper bags were necessary. If you don't make your own, nifty produce bags can be purchased (here). There was no big diesel truck driven thousands of miles to get the food into my hands. And I was able to view arts and crafts of local artisans and listen to local musicians while I shopped. I chatted with the man who keeps the bees that made the honey I will soon eat. He offered to lend his beekeeping knowledge. I shared tips with the lady selling lavender about the best drying techniques. I discussed seed sharing with the heirloom seedling vendor.

I learned where and how my food was grown. I met the farmers who are feeding me. I know when and how my food was harvested. I have remembered to speak with my consumer dollars and to place them where they might best make a difference in greening our world. And I had fun in so doing. Check on your city's website or local news bulletin to find out where you can find a local farmer's market and join me. Even if you have to drive, bike, or walk a small distance.

Remembering

It was 10 years ago today that I was awakened by the 5:30 am phone call that said my father had given up his fight in this mortal realm. He had inched out his last year day by agonizing day, as cancer cells ruthlessly multiplied themselves to obliterate him. He almost made it to one last Father's Day. He was 52.

Of course, I think of him at other times, and sometimes he visits my dreams. But each year when Father's Day comes around, I remember that last card that I didn't give. And think it would be nice to have him to call and wish a Happy Father's Day. Growing up, I never thought I would lose a parent before I was 30 years old. Certainly not to illness. But illness does not always overlook the young.

He has missed much. Births, deaths, triumphs, defeats, and graduations. My son barely remembers him, and my daughter came along 5 years after his death. I went looking for a photo of him, and the only one I could find was this one that was taken while camping one year. His beard was scruffy, and we called him Grizzly Adams. He used to tell us about wrestling bears in the night while we slept - and we believed he could! People were sometimes fearful or put off by his look, but he was a goodhearted and jovial man. He had his faults, as we all do, but lack of love or shirking parental duty were not among them.

This Father's Day weekend, I am using my blog to wish him a Happy Father's Day. For those of you who still have fathers living, give them your appreciation and mend any rifts while you have time. For those of you remembering a father on this weekend, I wish you contentment in the memory.

Thursday Thoughts

My brother thinks I am a nut. A loon. A crazy person. Depending on one's definition of "crazy", that may not be completely objectionable to me. Where I see a need for a larger return to the land and pastoral pursuits, he places his bets on science, technology, and modern advance. I tell him that it is in part BECAUSE of this modern advance that there is this need to return to the land.

I believe we all should relearn what our ancestors knew. Simplicity. Humility. Homesteading. Relying on and helping our neighbors. If my neighbors were the barn-raising type, I would have a chicken coop already built, and so would they. They would have a king sized quilt and winter scarves, and I would have 2 cords of wood and a store of raw honey.

I like modern technology as well, since it does allow me to share this post with you, but I do not take for granted that such conveniences are without cost. I am ready to throw my cell phone into the abyss. We are too readily lapping up what we are fed by society and big business, and we have forgotten how to tie our own shoes.

I think I should attempt to feed myself (and as many others as possible) by growing and canning my own food. My brother thinks the supermarket and restaurant will do just fine. But what is often missed in this equation is that we are allowing our government and big business to know it for us, and in so doing, we are giving away our rights. If you have never heard of it, try reading Everything I want to do is illegal. Visit Food Renegade and read about Wendell Berry, who is willing to go to jail to defend our rights against the sweeping NAIS legislation that will change all of farming. Why was there a need for police presence at an agricultural meeting?

Have you ever sold lemons or other fruits from your trees? I have; in front of my house to make money when I was a child. Have your children ever run a lemonade stand with lemons from your tree? Mine has. Do you ever sell eggs from your chickens? Do you want to ever be able to do any of these things? These things may all soon be illegal. Legislators want to make sure every individual is regulated in the name of safety. But they remove my right (and yours) to choose in so doing.

I am not a nut. Or a loon. Or crazy. I am awake and aware, with my eyes wide open. I want my choice to eat and produce and obtain whole, real, healthy food. I want the food at the restaurant where my brother eats to have the right to serve whole, real, healthy food. It will take more than just me and Wendell Berry to ensure the preservation of that right. It will require you as well.

Word Wednesday: Abundance

As the official start of summer approaches and those of us who grow some or all of our own food begin to enjoy all that ripening, I thought it a good idea to visit the word Abundance. According to Dictionary.com, this is the definition of the word:

Abundance;
–noun

1.an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply: an abundance of grain.

2.overflowing fullness: abundance of the heart.

3.affluence; wealth: the enjoyment of abundance.

4.Physics, Chemistry. the number of atoms of one isotope of an element divided by the total number of atoms in a mixture of the isotopes.

---

Origin:
1300–50; ME < class="ital-inline">abundantia. See abundant, -ance

—Synonyms
1. copiousness, plenteousness. See plenty. 2. generosity.

With 15 tomato plants, I will hopefully soon have an extremely plentiful quantity of tomatoes. I have many other types of vegetable planted as well, and hope to have oversufficient numbers of each. Once I am overflowing with the fullness of my supply, I will be able to share with others because of the abundance of my heart. While I am not of particular affluence or wealth, I am happy to share with others the enjoyment of my abundance. Abundance is, after all, more enjoyable when shared. If we all practiced generosity with whatever we have in abundance, we would all be enjoying a better existence.

I know someone who recently went to the market for his regular groceries. While there, he purchased a pre-made sandwich, two apples, a banana, and a bottled water (too bad they don't come in glass containers!) and placed these items in a paper lunch sack. He then went outside the market and gave this lunch package to a person who routinely waits in the parking lot for long hours to take in unwanted bottles and cans. This person doing the shopping does not have particular affluence or abundance of wealth, but he very likely has a more abundant food supply than the man in the parking lot. It is not our place to judge whether the man in the parking lot is "legitimately needy" (as I hear people speculate), but to do what we can to help any person who might be in need. In any way that we are able to help. However small that help may be, or seem.

The term abundance is a relative term, because somebody is always going to have something in more abundant supply than another has, but we can make a difference every day if we just take stock of what we might have in abundance, and choose to share that with someone. I plan to can and dehydrate much of my vegetable crop to last us through the winter, but even so, I am certain to have more than enough abundance to pass some on as well.

Wishing you all hapy abundance...

It's a Jungle Out There!

On the Information Superhighway, I mean. Looting, rioting, debauchery and mayhem. All's free in Internet and Blogdom, right? Well, that is what some do seem to think. I, being optimistic and believing in the goodness of humans, have been aware of all this possibility for thievery and destruction since I began to have an internet presence. But I have remained optimistic. I have been only somewhat protective. Digital image safety?

It is (sadly) the reason that you do not see current photos of the Nature family. If the photo is current, it is either profile, from the back, or I alter it in photoshop with dry brush or other filters. If it does show faces and is not altered, it is an old photo that no longer bears the correct likeness. I WANT to post the photos of my lovely family and even my not as lovely self for my readers and followers. But, as Danielle found out, that might land me on a supermarket window in Prague. Or worse.

Now, I would love to travel to Prague, but I want my physical self to be there, not just my digital likeness. Truly, I never thought many of my photos worthy of theft or use by anybody else, but one never knows. So, caution is the most prudent course of action. But until now, I have not really undertaken to protect my photos of non-human subjects, even though I have used some of them in the past for commercial purposes, and have placed a Copyright warning on my site.

But the forums on Etsy, among other places, do tell of the need for this added precaution. And one of my favorite bloggers, CJane has entirely blocked right-clicks from her blog due to content theft. So today you will begin to notice, if you have not already, that I have reduced the resolution on my photos and added watermarks. I am experimenting with my watermark and its placement, so comments are welcome. Also, if you have a suggestion about what pixel size and resolution setting is best, send it my way! Optimum internet safety without sacrificing creative expression is key.

Do you have the same concerns? I like to keep my head in the sand and only look at the beautifuls things, but sometimes we have to march through the jungle with our eyes open, and carry a big stick...

There is good news...and bad news...

The good news? We have baby birds! We have had swallows take up residence in three of our bird houses this year. When we walk by the tidy aerial abodes, we can hear faint rustling and meager pre-chirps. The parents have been hard at work swooping in and out to bring food to each other and the babies. Extra unmated males are helping out as well, and sometimes there are three adults hovering around one house at a time.

The bad news? Striper Striper the Wonder cat tried to scale the pole to reach the babies in this houseand hung himself by the toes in the fence wire and had to be rescued. Not only was he hanging upside down by his feet, he was hanging so that a line of barbed wire was crossing his open mouth. The corners of his mouth were bloody on both sides. He had three bleeding claws, and one looked twisted. None of the three would retract. He was none too happy! We will know soon from the vet if we have to remove any claws, and whether toe bones are broken. I doubt he will be attempting to climb bird poles again...Quite the adventurer, this cat...

UPDATE: no broken bones! no lasting damage. no claw removal. However, the vet said he is now one life down, so that puts him at 8 or less. And he has to take antibiotics and stay indoors for a week. Even more miraculous (almost): vet visit, updated rabies shot, bottle of antibiotics - $24.00 total cost! Of course, I said a very humble thank you to the Heavenly Father for this blessing. Striper, Striper the Wonder Cat...