Sunday, June 7, 2009

Mr. Yellow Tom Is A Helper Too






I am the sole Annie's Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps business person. I manage the goats (my husband helps with purchasing the hay and occasional goat treatments) and I operate the business end of everything. My hats include management, shipping, producing of product, accounting, finance, marketing and customer service. I love my hats...love, love, love them!


My closest friends ask me, "What are you going to do when you can no longer handle this on your own?" They see the growth, so do I. I do not know what the answer is. They are aware that I am aware. But, for now, it will be left to prayer. Leaving something to prayer does not mean that I do not think about it. My best thinking times are not done while sitting down and staring at blank space. I could be on the lawn mower, in the shower, or even feeding the goats in the barn. I do not worry about these questions, I just ponder from time to time. Making life's decisions, those that are not needing immediate attention, means (to me) to sit back and allow the random thoughts to roll through. It is like putting everything in a mixing tumbler. Let it roll gently, not violently, let everything big and little sift out. The answers will come.


I am way off track from my original topic here, but that is okay, and it all fits together! I like for people to know me for who I am, that is important.




As I was thinking about things in the barn this morning, preparing the milk machine for the girls, I saw yellow ears pop up out of the bucket that I toss used baling string into. Mr. Tom, the yellow cat from the last litter on the farm, had been napping in the bucket. The crazy fellow!



Mr. Yellow Tom was pretty much abused by his older brother, whom is fondly called My Boy on the farm. My Boy is a gentle cat that drank a lot of goat's milk as he was up and coming. I can rub his belly, play with him like a house cat. And when I find the teeth and nails getting over zealous, he listens to me when I say "that is enough." I find him following me around like a lost puppy. And I tell him, "Stay out of the road, I need you around for a while."


My Boy beat up on Mr. Yellow Tom when he was about 2 weeks ol. Mr. Yellow Tom would screech, the claws would fly, and I always said, "He (yellow) isn't going to make it." Well, those two are buddies, they were playing after all. And Mr. Yellow Tom ended up being pretty mean. You could not pick him up without a lot of human arm and leg damage.


Two weeks ago something changed. I found Mr. Yellow Tom rubbing against my legs in the milk room, "Meow, meow, meow." I decided to pick him up. Hmmm...what was that, purring? He now lives in the milk room 90% of the day. He is a fantastic mouser. He has a purpose, and he works for me, even though he does know it! He can sleep with the baling string any time that he likes. He earns it. And I do not need to pay a penny to the state for worker's comp...hmmm...he is quite the deal!



We have 6 brand new kittens now. Two yellow striped, two black and grey, and two black. The black kittens are mean. I am trying to make a Mr. Yellow Tom out of them, not sure I will be successful. But...each day they get a bowl of warm goat's milk. They could be well on their way towards earning their own Mr. Yellow Tom Awards!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL, I'm glad all of our cats are fixed though but we do have a stray that comes around though and we think she's pregnant too.

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox said...

I have a real fondness for orange/yellow tabby cats. I appreciate it when we have animals that actually have jobs.

Jeannelle said...

Great post, Mary! Yes, you do wear many hats and sounds like you thrive that way. Good insights you have about letting thoughts roam free which can help with problem-solving. I notice that happening to me when sit on the lawnmower for several hours at a stretch.

KathyB. said...

Well, looks like you have 2 working employees who only desire some milk and occasional petting!

I very much appreciate your sidetracking into prayer and waiting for the answers.....you wrote that for me now, didn't you? ( ha ha )

I think cats are wonderful to have around, there is one sitting here with me as I type!

rhymeswithplague said...

What a coincidence! This is the second post about a yellow cat I have read today (the other being this one written by Daphne in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom.

I had three yellow cats in a row when I was a boy, each one called simply "Kitty"....

And I milked a goat once at our neighbor's farm....

Mary Humphrey said...

All of my "employees" thrive on goat's milk. They work cheaply. :)

Robert, the debate was...do I write about a yellow striped cat? Well, of course, he is part of this farm.

Somehow all of our critters get names around here. We even get attached to the wild ones, the goslings on the pond. Let one get injured and we are like doting parents (if we can get close enough).