Marion Gunderson Art (and the Farmer's Daughter)

As I was lounging having my breakfast this morning thinking about the upcoming day of the open house, I remembered… I can do things such as this because of our veterans and current military who have and still do put their lives on the line (or work in offices, or whatever their military jobs) to preserve my/our freedoms. I cannot imagine for one second what life in the trenches of war must be like, and I cannot imagine what it is like for a veteran who has been permanently disabled as a result of service, or what it is like for families who lost a loved husband/wife/father/brother/etc. as a result of service. Or whose loved one is away from home for a year at a time. I take my freedoms for granted, but surely wouldn’t if one day I found that I no longer had those freedoms.

Last year when I was pumping gas on some random day, a man in military fatigues was at the adjacent gas pump. I thanked him for serving our country. (Yes, most or all of us serve our country in some way or another. But, my way is certainly a cushioned do-mostly-what-I-want-when-I-want way.) He so respectfully thanked me, and said that he had never had anyone say that to him before. If you express thanks to a veteran or current military personnel today or anytime throughout the year, I hope that you are not the first for that person. Whether you are the first or one of many, your expression of thanks will be priceless.

I’m speaking to the choir, right? But, in case I’m not, I’ll click on “publish.”

Me

Mouser during his first few days after leaving Gunderland to live with Bill and me ... and Sammy and Miss Kitty.

Mouser was my dad’s (Deane Gunderson) cat/companion for the last two or three years before my dad passed away on July 1st.

On September 27th, Mother’s (Marion Gunderson) birthday, Mouser left my dad’s farm in northwest Iowa to travel to Perry in central Iowa to live with Bill and me … and Sammy and Miss Kitty.

Following our veterinarian’s advice, I purchased a kennel in which Mouser lived for his first almost-week in our garage. The kennel was Mouser’s home until, as our vet put it, the cats stopped hissing at each other. Actually, Sammy still utters a hiss every once in awhile. Mouser never hissed. Miss Kitty still growls a little.

Update: In the above paragraph I should have also said that each day during that first week when our other two cats were outside (i.e., couldn’t hiss at Mouser), Mouser came out of the kennel for several hours. During those times he had free reign of the garage, and also, attended by me, went for a few explorations outside.

Also, in the second photo, you can see one of my dad’s undershirts in the kennel with Mouser … to help Mouser (or maybe it was more to help me?) with his transition.

Mouser used to live on a flat-terrain farm on a gravel road and had free reign. He occasionally was invited by my dad into the house. Jumping on the kitchen counter was frowned upon by my dad, but…oh, Mouser was so loved that he never really got in trouble for it. Instead, his redirecting “punishment” might have been an invitation into the living room.

Now Mouser lives in a rural setting once again, but in a hilly subdivision on a rural but busy (compared to a gravel road) highway. An invitation into the house likely won’t happen (shhhh…unless Bill is away and somehow Mouser gets invited in!).

Not big news…unless you are at our house being entertained with the dynamics of Mouser trying to win the acceptance of two established-territory cats. The verdict is still out as to whether or not that complete acceptance will take place. I’ll keep you posted.

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Tomorrow or Friday I’ll post information about the second annual November open house showcasing prints of Mother’s watercolors. It will be the same basic information as the “November Open House” at this blog’s home page. Profits from sales of watercolor prints will go to the Rolfe Public Library Trust. Those profits will help support the digitization/online availability of 101 years of Rolfe newspapers. If you’d like to contribute to this project, but aren’t really interested in the prints, you may do so. Information on how to do so is at this link. We are trying to have funds raised by the end of November.

(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

Who or what do you see in this creepy photo?

(Click here to go to Louise Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

Sammy in the paint tray, tonight. (Click on photo for a close-up.)

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Pardon my interrupting “The Mouser Transition” posts, but, Sammy in the paint tray is what I found when I got home tonight. Since Sammy is part of Mouser’s transition to our home, and since I’ve been writing about our painting our house, this photo fits right in…right?!

(Click here to go to Louise Shimon’s blog’s home page.)