MY NAME IS RALPHE AND I AM SPECIAL

EACH LEAF REPRESENTS A MEMORY, JOURNEY, INSIGHT, MIRACLE OR REFLECTION:

I was not especially a cat lover per say, I love most animals and cats were my least favorite. I didn’t dislike them nor was I allergic to them. I grew up with cats and my sisters and I would dress them up in our doll clothes and put a doll bottle in their mouth and haul them around in a doll buggy. Thinking about this treatment now, I realized the cats must not have been especially thrilled with this kind of fun. Growing up with cats and dogs, our cats just came around and also went without much thought. At that time we were not required to have them spayed or neutered. Mom mostly kept them around to serve the purpose to rid mice from coming into the house.

After leaving home and receiving my MRS. Degree, we moved around a lot and then spent 4 years in the military; acquired a female dog while living in Hawaii, but not a cat.  Once we settled down and lived in a house, soon after that came a baby boy. My mom gave us a female toy poodle and we became a family of 2 dogs, 1 large horse with 1 small baby boy. Over the years I had 2 girls but no cats. Once in a while the girls would drag a cat home, begging to keep it; I soon learned you needed to have these stray cats spayed. But still I never learned to bond to these cats like I did to the other animals.

When I married the 2^nd time, my husband didn’t especially care for cats, so when we had a kitty it was mostly considered an outside cat.  This was my life for quite a few years until one faithful day our neighbor’s mother cat had a litter of babies.  The mother cat was just a run of the mill calico or multi colored. (first off, what is a calico cat? A calico cat is not breed of cat, it is a color pattern. To be called “calico”, three colors must be

present: black, white and orange (Carmel).  Now that a calico cat has been defined as a cat with three colors, the question is: why are they nearly always female? The answer is in genetics, coat color in cats is a sex-linked trait. The genetic coding for displaying black or orange is found on the X chromosome. This mother cat had 2 kittens left; one was a gray tabby and the other a gorgeous calico. Both females.  They were caught running around our yard and scampering up the trees.  One day we were outside saying goodbye to some family members, when both out of curiosity came to see what we were doing.  For some reason, I wanted to keep the calico. I then talked to my husband about keeping her, upon hearing me talking to my husband my grandchildren could not wait to talk to the lady who owned them about getting one.  I found out that they were also Manx cats, one with no tail. Manx breed originated on the Isle of Man, hence the name, where it is called stubbing or kayt Manninagh in the Manx language. They are an old breed. And taillessness arises from a genetic mutation that became common on the island as long as two or three hundred years ago. The hind legs of a Manx are longer than the front legs, creating a continuous arch from shoulders to rump giving the cat a rounded appearance. They have beautiful soft coats of fur due to many layers of hair.

“WHEN MOTHER NATURE SAW FIT TO REMOVE THE TAIL OF THE MANX, SHE LEFT, IN PLACE OF THE TAIL, MORE CAT.”  …Mary E. Stewart..

I named her ‘MISCHIEF” found out Manx kittens are very intelligent, sometimes being more dog like than a cat. She learned to get the dog out of her bed and would quickly slip into it, leaving the dog just wondering what the heck had just taken place.  Mischief would never show her claws or hiss at the dog, she was smart enough to get what she wanted. I soon bonded to Mischief and let her stay in the house if she wanted and she quickly became a part of the family.  I found a Vet and had her spayed and caught up on her shots. One day I seen her walking toward the field in the back yard where she liked to go and check on mice or gophers…..she never came back. I spent a lot of time looking and calling her name, but she just wasn’t around.  It took me a long time to get over losing her as she was a special kitty, very unique and I loved her.

In some ways I never completely got over Mischief and knew if I had another chance to get another Manx cat, I would. I browsed on the internet looking for a chance to find one, to no avail. Looking on Craig's list and every animal shelter with the possibility of finding one.  A couple of years later, my daughter-in-law was down in the field when she saw something moving, upon investigating, found it was a black Mother Manx cat about ready to give birth.  She had been alone for long time as she was so thin you could see her veins in her feet and her ribs sticking out…and her belly full of little ones. We took her to see a Vet to find out her exact condition, and it was not good.  She was very mal- nurtured and had ring worm to an extreme. The Vet indicated she was close to giving birth and may not make it because of her condition.  We immediately went and found cat food that had tons of protein and nutrients to try and build up her system, made a bed for her in the bath room and kept an eye on her. The mother cat had a very good disposition and let us takes care of her without getting too upset.  When it was time for her to deliver, she had 6 babies, 2 were Manx. Both were gray and had the 6 toes. It was difficult for her to keep up with the nursing as they grew because she was so thin. We began to help out with the feeding and supplemented where we could.  One of the little gray Manx kittens didn’t seem to be growing and I soon realized he wasn’t strong enough to fight the others for his share. I separated him and would put the mom in with him. He still didn’t seem to be growing, so I began to supplement him with kitty food soaked in water or milk.  When they were about 7 weeks old, he was so small he fit in the palm of my hand and the rest were running and playing all over the garage. I would go over to the garage and feed them before going to work and he would just cry and cry, following me over the entire garage. While at work one day, I could hear him crying in my mind and that sound would not leave. When I arrived home I checked on the kittens, fed them and left to go into the house. I told my husband about what had happened at work and said that I believed it was meant for us to keep him.  I named him Ralphe and put him in a play pen on the patio.  At night I kept him in my bathroom with food and water. He still did not seem to be doing well, crying all the time.  We once again found a Vet close to where we lived and took Raphe to her. When she picked him up and held him her comment was “Oh my”. It did not sound good and I felt a lump in my throat. I knew it wasn’t good. My husband asked her if we needed to have him put down and she looked at me with tears in my eyes and said we will see what we can do.  He was so thin at 8 weeks old that she needed to put him on a special scale to weigh him.  She did what they called a reverse feeding, feeding him a cat milk supplement every two hours. We left him there for 2 weeks and she only charged us only $50.00. I could not believe how generous she was, it was a miracle. When we went to pick him up and bring him home, she mentioned that if we got to the point where we couldn’t afford to keep him, she would love to take him and keep him there.  That was not even an option…he was coming home with us!! Ralphe started to grow in leaps and bounds and would often come when I was sitting on the couch and curl up in my arms with so much love. He had the run of the house and stayed in the bathroom at night without crying, it was so awesome to have him so content and happy. At first we kept him in a cage on the patio to catch the sun and warmth. He loved being outdoors, so I soon let him out while we out doing yard work or just enjoying the patio. He stayed and I would see him chasing butterflies or bees or anything that moved. He was fascinated by humming birds but just chose to watch them his mouth twitching, so funny to watch.

As the summer passed he grew into a beautiful handsome cat. He was so curious and would follow me around the house watching what I was doing. One day I was doing my laundry and he followed me into the laundry room, I was aware he was there and wasn’t concerned.  I have a front load washing machine and when I finished putting the clothes in, I turned on the machine and left the room.  I had gotten very far, where I heard this terrible thump, thump coming from the laundry room.  I immediately knew what had happened, couldn’t get to the machine fast enough to let him out. I quickly grabbed him and grabbed a towel and proceeded to dry him off.  I now had rescued him for the third time. I can smile about the washing machine incident now, but it was pretty scary at the time.

When it came time to have him neutered and his shots, back to the same Vet we went. All the personnel in the office were so glad to see how handsome he had become and friendly he was. I had the Vet put in a micro -chip besides the other services just In case what happened to Mischief would not happen to him. My love for him grew and grew as he got older, he was a big tease, watching me

whenever I would go into the room I have my computer and run like crazy to beat me to the chair, jump into the chair and dare me to sit down. We have an older outside cat with a tail and he was totally awed by her tail. When she was drinking water or just laying around sunning herself, he would go behind and play with her tail and run like crazy to the nearest bush. It brought us to laughter watching his antics; he was so fun to have around.  One day during the summer after church, I let him outside to go for a couple of hours, something I did all the time.  He never came back, I stayed up all night waiting from him, and he never, never ever did this. His routine was to go and get done what he needed and would come in and eat and stay for the night.  My heart was broken and I still feel tears when I think of him. We are pretty sure he was killed by somebody who didn’t like cats.  I don’t know if I will want another inside kitty, get too attached to them. It has taken me a long time to stop looking for him to come to the back door to want in.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM RALPHE:

WE ARE ALL UNIQUE AND HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL TO OFFER OTHERS:

WE NEED TO BOND TO OTHERS BEFORE WE CAN HAVE MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS:

LOVE IS THE GLUE THAT BINDS US AND WE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN BY THOSE WHO LOVED US OR WHO WE LOVED:

IT IS BETTER TO LOVE AND LOST THAN NEVER TO HAVE LOVED AT ALL:

TRUST IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT GIFTS THAT IS GIVEN TO US FROM OTHERS:

RALPHE WAS A MIRACLE IN SO MANY WAYS, WITH THE HELP FROM SO MANY:

WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE

AUTUMN LEAVES OF MY JOURNEY, EACH LEAF REPRESENTS A MEMORY, FRIENDSHIP, INSIGHT OR A MIRACLE

Green River Lakes is one of Wyoming's most scenic and popular fall scenic drives accessible by car. Located in the Bridger Wilderness of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the lakes are 52 miles north of Pinedale in the northern Wind River Range. The lakes are considered the source of the Green River, a major tributary of the great Colorado River system. Like many of the larger lakes on this side of the Winds, Green River Lakes were scoured out by glacial action, and then sealed off by an end-moraine dam.

As a young girl I would go and visit some cousins who lived along the Green River in Wyoming.  I would often go out early and walk down to a bridge where the green river flowed. It always fascinated me to watch the water floating by….ripples seemed almost hypnotic.  At times there would be logs, branches, or other debris as it floated under the bridge.   I would sometimes stand as long as an hour watching the river passing by, never feeling bored.  I never gave much thought as to where the river started or where it went and what happened to it after it left that bridge; I only lived in the moment and enjoyed it. On 4^th of July Holidays, we sometimes went as a family to visit my aunt and uncle to enjoy a picnic there on the recreational side of the Green River. It was fun to play along the river bank and walk among the trees and bushes that lined the river. Those days were relaxing, carefree and enjoyable.

Later I learned that the river ran through Utah and connected to the great Colorado River. It is this river that formed the Grand Canyon and continues to do so for eons of years. .  It is considered one of the 7 wonders of the natural world.

  The great Hoover dam was erected along the Colorado in Nevada. It is an awesome dam erected to supply water and electricity to farms, towns and cities throughout many states.   It is a source of life to millions.

Going forward to the late 80’s and 90’s my mom and step father owned an expedition business that rafted the Colorado and Green Rivers and many other rivers in the West.  They floated these rivers in a 12 man raft offering a spectacular view of the surrounding landscapes plus wonderful food and camping. The Colorado River offers a multitude of endless sights and wonders to those who are adventures and loves nature at it rawest and best.  

We too have the capability to be the best of our own creation, just as the little stream at the mouth of the Green River where it began its journey became something greater than itself, providing a multitude of spectacular beauty and a lifeline to many millions.  We also have a few challenges to become that awesome divine being that we were created for.  When I was in the 1^st grade, we brought our dimes to school and placed them in a card provided to us by the teacher for the 2^nd world war effort; at that moment we were making a contribution to something greater than ourselves, without realizing it we had started to become patriotic  and loving our country. To this day I feel chills when I see our flag or celebrate a memorial service. When our young men and women join the military and find themselves fighting for our country to keep us all free and safe, they are performing a service much greater than themselves, and it is awesome, we weep when we see them broken and bruised they become our heroes. Anytime we decide to volunteer or help with an organization without any thought of momentary pay, we become a step closer becoming something greater than ourselves.  Also true is helping a neighbor or a helpless family who needs a hand up. Any service we may perform to a religious organization, our reward is the peace and growth that comes to us performing something greater than ourselves.  With the sacrifice comes the blessing.

This is a song I learned at an early age and never forgot it. It goes as this:

1. "Give," said the little stream,

"Give, oh! give, give, oh! give."

"Give," said the little stream,

As it hurried down the hill;

"I'm small, I know, but wherever I go

The fields grow greener still."

1.           Singing, singing all the day,

"Give away, oh! give away."

Singing, singing all the day,

"Give, oh! give away."

2.           2. "Give," said the little rain,

"Give, oh! give, give, oh! give."

"Give," said the little rain,

As it fell upon the flow'rs;

"I'll raise their drooping heads again,"

As it fell upon the flow'rs.

3.           3. Give, then, as Jesus gives,

Give, oh! give, give, oh! give.

Give, then, as Jesus gives;

There is something all can give.

Do as the streams and blossoms do:

For God and others live.