A Soldier on the Fourth of July

We are staying home today, missing the parade and festivities in town because we have a soldier visiting. Or maybe I should say we have Soldier visiting.

Granddaughter Haley leaves for Army National Guard basic training in a few days, and Larry and I will be taking care of her new kitten while she's away. The kitten, a rough-and-tumble little fellow, is named Soldier. It suits him pretty, well, although from the way he's bossing the dogs and other cats around, I think he should be promoted to Sarge.

This little guy is a survivor. Haley found him dumped at the side of the road. She brought him over to show us a few days later. One of our cats had killed a mouse and we had not noticed dead thing was lying by the sidewalk. But that little kitten saw it, jumped from Haley's arms, dragged the mouse under a bush and ate it, growling the whole time as if defying anyone to take it away. Our other pets watched with interest from a safe distance. I think they were impressed.

Soldier arrived for his extended stay yesterday, and he's had a big time exploring here. I had forgotten how entertaining a kitten can be; we spent an hour last night just watching him play. He settled in quickly, and I can see we're going to have an interesting time watching his antics and the pecking-order process resolve. I'm betting Soldier will find his place pretty quickly, and it just might be at the top of the line.

Happy Fourth, everyone! I hope your holiday activities are as fun as ours have been so far. Tonight we'll be by the firepit, grilling hotdogs and watching the continuing adventures of Soldier. Stay tuned.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.