"The One"

It's a miracle. Eight days after diappearing, Lisa looks to the window and there is Neo waiting for breakfast. She did a doubletake and then let out: "Neo is back!!" Even though he was very talkative he hasn't given us any idea of where he had been or what had happened. He was sporting a limp and on investigation I did find a sem-healed puncture wound on his left hind leg. Could be a bite. He didn't appear to have lost any weight, so perhaps he was nursed back to health and made the journey when he could? He just won't say, and we are thrilled to have him back.

Path of Neo (2006-2008)

Unfortunately Neo disappeared two days ago. I had been running into him hunting at night, farther and more boldly away from the house. However, both cats religiously arrive on the windowsill each morning for food. Neo missed the last two mornings. He will be missed.

What a day ...

We had our first snow of the season. It was just below freezing and a flurry of activity left a nice dusting everywhere. The temperature didn't last and neither did the snow, mostly all wiped away by a hard rain over the evening.

Gabe and I had traveled up to Enniskillen in Northern Ireland. I believe they got a few quick inches, which would have been nothing in the States, but here, everything ground to a halt. I was in Enniskillen to get my night guard repaired/replaced and many people cross the border to avail of cheaper dentistry. Now, I can't remember exactly what it cost to have a standard , molded night guard made in the States, but here it was £25 and they had it for me in two hours. The specialised one I had made before leaving was easily over $1500 including all the doctors visits, etc.

The dental technician had a shop front to the left of Hot Wok and to the right of a deli. It was a little disconcerting that when I walked into the "office", which was more like a lab, he plunged his fingers into my mouth without even washing. He even mixed up the mold goo in a bowl that was sitting on the counter. But I suppose you get what you pay for.

While getting into the car across the street in the Dunnes Store's parking lot, Gabe was creating snow footballs and turned to me and said "Watch this, Dad." With a swift kick the snowball disintegrated and his shoe shot a few meters into the air and over a wall into the next lot. Funniest moment of the day.

The day ended on a downer as we had to take Neo to the vet. He hasn't eaten and is very lethargic. He may have hit on the road and had a high fever. He spent the night in Sligo and we hope for good news from the doctor today.

Scratch that

The cats took the 'scratch coat' at face value and left their indelible mark in the concrete. Weather permitting, this will be covered tomorrow in a final rendering of the exterior of the building.

The end is in sight ...

Beware of the Cat

And then there were three

The cats downed their third hawk sometime this morning.

Number two was witnessed by Gabe and Lisa while gardening. The hawks were playing with a mouse high in the air, dropping it to each other and diving to catch it. This went on for some time before one of the hawks dropped the mouse into the woods and flew down to the ground to get it ... out came one cat with the mouse ... and the other with the hawk. I'll leave out the gory details of the cat finishing off the hawk. This isn't a Tarantino film, just a day in the life in Drumnacool.

Kittyhawk

When we originally got the cats from our friends in Clare, Ciaran said they were trained assassins and the carnage has been pretty regular this past week. The capper however, was this young hawk. The angle makes the cat look a bit bigger, but trust me, this was a big bird. Look at those claws!

#24. Davis's Pub @ Yeats Tavern, Drumclif, Co. Sligo. €3.80

I had to do it. Try at least one pint in a "tourist trap." The parking lot here is always filled with vehicles, yet from the crowd, not entirely tourists. Drumclif is famous as the burial place of William Butler Yeats and Sligo is often referred to as Yeats Country.

The pint held its own, though joins the myriad of pints in the big middle. Gabe came across a kitten playing behind the cigarette machine (you don't see many of those) in the lobby. Apparently the little rascal hitched a ride under the bonnet of a vehicle. The owner was suprised to see the kitten and placed it safely into the car for the trip home.

Copycats

Cat get no satisfaction

Poor Trinity. Mistaken sexual identity. Unnecessary incision made at vet. And now, a case of conjunctivitis.

Drag queen

Took the cats to the vet today. Turns out Trinity is a male. The family agreed to keep calling him Trinity and only the blog readers will ever know the truth.

Additonal info: I hadn't noticed until Gabe pointed it out to us, that the vet shaved a patch off Trinity and actually began making an incision. Poor dear. (I suppose I shouldn't have made that joke to Lisa about them removing his stomach at the vet.)

Know thy master

The cats are really great. Each evening, regardless of the time, they follow any of us down the drive to close the gate. In the morning, they jump up on the sill outside the kitchen and press their faces against the glass. They know where the magic happens.

Still waiting for a trophy on the doormat ... though a crock of gold will do.

Trinity and Neo

Any country house needs a mouse patrol and we have adopted some trained hunters. Trinity is the predominantly white female of the pair (if you hadn't already figured that out). They have set up home in the vacant hen house and seem to enjoy their perch atop two canvas lawn chairs. The hen door makes for a great entrance and exit.

These two cats made not a sound on a three hours journey back from Kilmaley, Co. Clare. They deserved every scrap leftover from tonight's salmon dinner. I am awaiting sign of the first trophy on the doorstep.

The rest of the family is insisting on getting a dog as well. I've always dug Pugs, but I think that would defeat the purpose of a watch dog for the property.