The Sixth Day of Christmas

Today is the Sixth Day of Christmas.  I made cheese fondue this afternoon - such a treat in this cold and snowy afternoon.  Tonight I went out to feed animals, and lo and behold, there were eight eggs in the duckhouse!  It's like "Six Geese a-Laying" but without the geese.  And more eggs.  Our ducks moulted late this fall.  When they moult, they usually quit laying eggs, too.  I do not know the whys and the wherefors of this, but that's apparently how it's done.  I am so happy to be back in eggville - once one enjoys free-range duck eggs, it's difficult to enjoy the storebought, papershell, teeny-tiny, pale yellow chicken eggs in the grocery store.

Here is a cute photo; see the boy holding the calico kitten?  That's Puzzle.  Jasper, other kitten, and Bear, big dog, are dearly departed. 

And another cute photo: Claire and Puzzle, some seventeen years later...

And yet another: College Boy Graham titled his photo "Two Puzzles".
He took this when he came home from uni two weeks ago.  She is sitting on the game table, on the jigsaw puzzle. 

And finally:
When we put up the Christmas tree in mid-December, Puzzle opted for that special place to sleep in her elder days, by the heat register, under the tree, among the packages.

I took this photo two weeks ago, and emailed the kids as to how cute she was, snoozing under the tree!

 Last week, the night before Christmas Eve, Puzzle died under the Christmas tree. 

Twenty years ago, I got a call from a university Vet Med resident, who also helped us as housesitter on many occasions. 

"There was a litter of kittens dumped at Vet Med this morning.  You really need to come see them."

"No, we really do not need a new kitten."

"No.  You REALLY need to come see them."

So we went, and brought home a gift which has lasted twenty years, and whose memory will make us smile much longer.