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Mouser and D.C.G., fall 2009. (Please click photo to enlarge...to "see" the chemistry.)
I remember when Clara, my oldest sister, called me on the morning of November 30th, 2004, to tell me that Mother (Marion Gunderson) had just passed away. I immediately drove from Perry, Iowa, to Mother and Daddy’s rural Rolfe farm home that we so fondly refer to as “Gunderland.” Several family members and I were at Gunderland with Daddy for the next several days.
“Right now” I so wanted Daddy (Deane Gunderson) to have a pet. I thought a pet would help comfort him with Mother being gone…maybe even help increase Daddy’s longevity. On one of those mornings while still at the farm I was SO EXCITED because I looked out Daddy’s (and Mother’s) kitchen window and saw a dark-colored cat roaming near the garage. I was just sure this specific cat was sent by God to be a companion for Daddy.
Later that morning, I realized that God had awhile back really sent the roaming cat to the farm home of Mick and Sue Reigelsberger (neighbors 1/8 mile down the gravel road). It turned out the cat was temporarily visiting Gunderland and would soon meander back to its Reigelsberger home.
In the following year or two, every couple of months I’d make a half-joking-half-serious comment to Daddy about how fun it would be for him to have a cat. He made it known that under no uncertain terms should any of us give him a cat. It’s funny how, when I was little in the ’60s, it was ok for us to give to Grandma DeElda a parakeet, but two years ago it wasn’t ok for us to give Daddy a cat. (Although it wasn’t so funny when Grandma died and the parakeet then came to live with us at Gunderland! No one competed for the honor of cleaning Pretty, Pretty’s cage.)
However, within the last year, Mouser showed up at Gunderland. As Sue Reigelsberger indicated in her comment regarding a previous post, Mouser is a transplant from the Reigelsberger farm (although, I didn’t know that until awhile after Daddy claimed Mouser as being his cat). Any cats showing up at Gunderland had been shooed away by my dad…until the day Mouser showed up. On that day it was like love at first sight for my dad. I’m sure the feeling is mutual.
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Marion Gunderson Art (and the Farmer's Daughter) 
February 6, 2010 at 3:24 pm |
I think this is one of my all-time favorite posts of yours, Louise. Both your writing and the photo convey so much. Priceless. Thank you for letting us in through this little window of both Daddy’s and your worlds. Much love! Peg
February 6, 2010 at 3:27 pm |
And oh my, yes! Pretty Pretty! 🙂
February 6, 2010 at 5:03 pm |
Fun to see the picture and hear the story! Thanks for taking the time to write about it.
February 6, 2010 at 9:04 pm |
Yes, I remember that day in 2004. Johnny had wondered from home, and the kids were VERY upset. So Mick and I came visiting, and found him in Deane’s garage. We took him back home. I think that was one of his first visits, but certainly not his last. He is our longest living cat, at this point. We had gotten him in July of that year, while we were re-building after the tornado.
We seem to always have plenty of cats, although we have done some surgery to try and correct that!! At one point, we had close to 15!! But then Sydney arrived! Our beautiful Siberian Husky girl. And the cats tended to leave……………….HMMMMMM
February 7, 2010 at 10:49 pm |
Sue, almost with the very first mention from my dad that he and Mouser had become friends, my dad also mentioned Mouser should have surgery. I’m glad he was following in your line of thought by being proactive!