The Llano Ledger
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*************December 25, 2000*************
Snow gently falling during the night had already
covered the ground as dawn broke early Christmas
morning. Purr, having spent the night by the fire,
decided it was time to go on his morning jaunt. An
11-year-old Tabby, he was not to be denied his usual
routine, -- despite the inclement weather.
Stiffly rising from his comfy basket near the
woodstove, the tough old tomcat arched his back as
high as it would go, letting out a gentle grown. Time
to wake up Lahna, his kind mistress who had taken him
in as a stray so many years before.
Lahna and Purr had become quite inseparable as both
gracefully aged. Purr limited his excursions to no
more than an hour at a time, concerned about her
frailty and that she might need him.
He deeply loved his benefactor who had raised him from
the time he was no bigger than a coffee cup. Having
kicked the ass of every other cat, -- and dog in the
neighborhood, Purr had nothing left to prove. Life had
indeed been good. Lahna always made sure he had plenty
to eat, -- despite often going hungry herself.
Purr always did his best, in fact, to supplement the
family food supply, -- bringing home every bird,
squirrel, rabbit, and mouse he could get his paws on.
Couldn't understand, however, why Lahna never wanted
any. "Damned strange human tastes", he thought to
himself as his mistress always passed on the feline
delicacies.
Determined to get on with his morning jaunt, the
crusty old tomcat slowly sauntered to Lahna's bedroom,
deftly slipping through a door slightly ajar. While
most cats "own" their "owners" and "allow" them to
live in "their" homes, -- or at least grudgingly
tolerate them, not so with Purr. He truly loved his
mistress.
Both had the early morning routine down to an art.
Lahna waited for her devoted friend to "wake" her at
first light. Purr always quietly stood on his hind
legs and put his paws up on the mattress near her
pillow, letting out a soft but inquiring
"R-e-e-o-w-w?" until she opened an eye and gently
scratched his head. Impatient, he got a little louder
until she finally got up to let him out.
Lahna dearly loved that old puss, admonishing him to
be careful and come right back. As the back door
opened, Purr thought twice about the wisdom of the
excursion as he got hit in the face with an icy blast
of wind. A creature of habit, -- as most cats,
however, he walked out into the soft snow, swiping a
snowflake as it blew past his snout. For an old
tomcat, he had a lot of spunk and fight left as he
started to chase a bird looking for a drink on the
frozen birdbath.
As Lahna quickly closed the door, however, she
shivered and wondered what she and Purr would eat for
Christmas dinner. Living frugally on Social Security,
prescription expenses often forced a choice between
eating and medication. Worse yet, the yearly tax bill
for her place was due at the end of January. ... What
the hell to do? She and Purr would manage. Somehow.
They always did.
A distant rooster crowed as Purr quickly gave up on
the bird he was chasing, having been suddenly
distracted as the soft jingle of bells caught his
attention and a cheery red glow lit up the backyard.
... Could it be? Nah. No way. -- Even a cat knows the
difference between fantasy and reality. ... But this
was Christmas... A magical time... Anything's
possible, no?
As the glow grew brighter and jingling louder, Purr
quickly turned around and couldn't believe his eyes. A
big guy dressed in red sporting a long white beard and
a sack full of groceries placed it gently and quietly
down by the back door.
Looking at Purr, he gave him a pat on the head as he
jumped on a near-empty sleigh. The tough old cat let
out a loud delighted "Re-e-e-e-o-o-o-w-w-w!" as Lahna
quickly opened the door to see what the hell was going
on.
Purr indeed had a "smile" ear to ear as he gently
rubbed his head on his mistress' ankles, knowing damn
well they'd both get to eat that most unusual
Christmas Day.
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 997
Buchanan Dam Tx. 78609
llanoledger@mailcity.com
Page Updated Thu Dec 21, 2000 5:08pm EST