ARGH. It froze last night. This means easy pickings for certain cats. A poor little wren was huddled under the brush pile. They go into a bit of hibernation so they aren’t moving around and aren’t very mobile. Junior discovered just such an unfortunate while I was out there uncovering the plants. Dang cat got it in his mouth and was trotting to the back door. No doubt he was going to take it inside and turn it into a late buffet.

Not while I’m on guard!!! I picked that cat right up and made him drop that bird. He was less than pleased with me and as soon as I put him down, he chased that bird up a tree. Then the poor bird (still barely flying. It’s a very young bird.) went under the sheets in my garden. Oh good, Lord. You can imagine the havoc that caused. In Junior went, bouncing all over. The sheets looked haunted. A bulge here, a drag of claws there. “Junior, get out of those sheets and leave that bird alone!” The bird came hopping out right at my foot, took one look at me and dove back under. “Junior! Leave it!” Junior came plowing through a tomato plant to pounce, but these sheets are old. Lucky little bird headed for sunlight–a large hole in one sheet. Made it to a tree and Junior, who was still buried and rooting around under the sheets, never saw it leave.

Bother. I just left him and the sheets out there for now. If he’s under there and the bird isn’t, he won’t catch that bird. I don’t really want to think about how many limbs he broke on the tomato plants…that little cat.