Another Throwaway Cat

   It appears that hateful people are still being hateful.  Yet another "throwaway" cat has arrived at the Little Bayou House.  Why?  Just why?  I can fully understand the occasional need to rehome a pet but to just throw them out as if they were trash is beyond comprehension.  It truly makes my blood boil!  People!  People!  Find a home for your unwanted pet! Do not assume that they can survive on their own. 

  I have been putting out food for several feral cats that have come to call the Bayou their home after being abandoned by their owners.  It does not bother me to feed them but it does irk me to no end that the animals are having to struggle so.  Early this evening, I found that I had a good bit of chicken soup leftover and, well, Son had changed his mind about wanting leftovers three days in a row.  I do not blame him as I was tiring of it, as well.  I, at the same time, found that I was out of the dry cat food that I use for my "outdoor" cats.  So...the cats would eat soup.  I filled the pan with the soup then slipped it near the shed so the cats could eat.  It has been raining all day so the eaves of the shed would shelter the cats as they ate.  I was surprised to see the first one to the pan was a newcomer.  Oh, sweet fella.  I am sorry you were not wanted by your family.

  I watched as the cat ate his fill then crawled back under the shed.  At least, he will have his belly full and will have a dry place to sleep.  It is to be cold and rainy for most of the night so I am sure he appreciates the help given.  So far, not one of the feral cats wished to come inside.  I have tried but they are skittish and untrusting of humans now.  All I can offer is a meal and shelter.  (They have the option of the shed or greenhouse.)

  My hope for humanity has gone down yet another notch.  Critters...I can handle.  People...not so much.

Good for what ails you...

  It seems that Grandmother knew what she was talking about when she said a pot of chicken soup was "good for what ails you".  For that matter, most grandmothers and moms knew this.  Somehow, the idea was pushed to the wayside with the era of modern medicine and "miracle" pills.  The chicken soup remedy soon became a mockery and most folks depended on other methods.  The staple of soup soon became nothing more than a can on the shelf that could be used during an emergency or when a mom was too tired to cook.  THAT stuff (canned chicken soup) probably is not what our grandmothers had in mind anyway.  It, most likely, is not too good for you in the first place. Grandmother had the right idea when she made a big pot of homemade chicken soup for all the sick folks she knew. 

  Each recipe varied with each cook but the idea was the same.  In a large stockpot, boil down a chicken and reserve that wonderful broth.  Once the chicken was done, pull it out and start tossing veggies into the pot.  Usually, these were whatever was in the garden or on the pantry shelf filled with home-canned goodies.  Carrots, onions, beans, peas...take your choice!  Rarely was pasta or rice added...potatoes maybe but not the others.  That came with later cooks.  Herbs were tossed in at the last minute and the soup was served steaming hot.  That steam had a lot to do with the remedy. Now, the medical society has decided that there might be some validity to Grandma's idea.  Chicken soup can help you heal faster!  Way to go, Grandma!

  Since I am still feeling poorly, I decided that a pot of soup might at least make me feel some better.  It is not called "comfort food" without reason.  If nothing else, just being in the kitchen doing something would get my mind off of my ailments.  There is only one problem with this whole scheme.  Here lately, I am having difficulty eating meat so perhaps the soup shall be eaten without partaking of the chicken.  We shall see. At least, the kitchen smells divine!