And the Snow Came....

  Foul weather was predicted to swing all the way down to the Coast and it came with a vengeance.  The brutal cold brought snow which is something we rarely ever see this far south.  Sure, we may have experienced a few flurries now and again but a full-blown "blizzard" is unheard of around here.  (And I am using the term blizzard very loosely here.)  Snow!  We got snow!  Not just flurries or a few flakes...not just sleet...SNOW!  In fact, Mark measured several places in the yard and the ruler measured between 6 and 7 inches and this was before the stuff stopped falling from the sky.

  While this is surely a momentous event for South Mississippi and most folks are elated, I am not feeling the pure bliss.  Yes, it is beautiful to see the snow-covered yard, the flake-decorated trees and the poofy white stuff drifting gently from the sky, I am more practical.  I see my garden covered to the tips of the plants.  Cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots are completely doused in an icy blanket.  I hope they make it.  Most planters say these are cold-hardy down to 18 degrees.  Currently, we are sitting at 12 degrees.  Hopefully, the plants will not realize this difference in temperature...hopefully. 

  Also, being bit more pragmatic than I should be, I went around hanging double curtains on windows and doorways and placing "draft-dodgers" at the door treads.  Days before the cold arrived, Mark cut, Son split and I stacked more firewood than we usually use all winter.  I am still cold.  My northern friends would be laughing at my efforts but, as I said, this an "exception to the rule" of "We do not get winter here."  We got winter....and the snow came.  So...northern friends....please take back your weather.  It is uncomfortable!

Seeking the Baby Otters

   Today warmed enough for me to work the gardens a bit.  This was a long time coming since the combination of rain and cold is not exactly to my liking when it comes to being outside.  I have a tendency to hole up inside the Little Bayou House and hover around the old cast-iron stove or head to the kitchen to bake.  Son is the recipient of all of those baked goods so he, too, was happy for me to be outside.  After everything in the greenhouse received a nice dousing of water from the rain barrel and the cabbages, spinach and broccoli were weeded, my thoughts turned to the pier...as usual.  

  Earlier, I had noticed some baby otters playing near the boat cut and a few hooded mergansers out by the end of the pier.  I would try to find the otters and, then, I would try to get a few photographs of the hoodies.  Perhaps SOMETHING of interest could be found.  Slipping silently down the pier planks, I could hear the tiny squeaks of baby otters but never got to see them.  Mama Otter had them well hidden under the marsh mats.  Their playtime in the cold water was over and it was time for them to snuggle down in the den again.  Neither did I find the mergansers.  They had skittered across to the other side of the Bayou far out of reach of the camera lens.  Well, now!  That was boring!

  I did find the remnants of the otters' meal.  Several mollusk shells were on the mudflats.  These had been pried loose from the clusters at the base of the marsh clumps and opened with the skillful "hands" of Mama Otter.  She had demonstrated the method to her little ones and let them have their first taste of the delightful shellfish.  This was a life lesson that would help the little otters survive.  

  As I was about to leave the pier, the winds shifted from the southeast.  My warm day had ended as the winds picked up the chill from the water and made it highly uncomfortable to be outside.  I am getting old.  This never used to bother me.  Now it does.  Time to head back and stoke the fires for the evening.  Brrr!

Basking in the Sun

   After another cold night, more firewood was needed.  The old wood-burning stoves can put out lots of heat but only if you constantly feed them their favorite food...wood.  I was happy that what I had hauled in last night did carry me through the cold morning.  While our "cold" may not seem like much to others, it does seem bitterly cold to us down here in the Deep South.  We are so accustomed to winter being more like a late fall than anything else that when the temperature does drop into the 20s, we are COLD!  Like I said, though, I had enough wood to see me through until almost 9am.  Then, it was out to cut more wood.  This is all working out well since it cleans the yard.  After the last few tropical systems blew through, there are enough stacks of logs needing cut to see us through the entire winter.  So...out to the stacks, I went.

  At one point, I stopped to stare at the Bay.  The sun was out beaming with brilliance making me want to be on the pier instead of cutting firewood.  Pier??  What is that on the pier??  Down toward the outer end of the pier was a dark blob.  From the distance, I could not make out any distinguishing marks to tell if this was a bird, an otter or just some debris that blew onto the planks.  There was only one thing to do.  Time to take a break, grab the camera and stroll down the hill.

  With the first step on the pier, my mystery blob came to life!  A long neck stretched up and wings flared out.  Ahh, Gus, the brown pelican was basking in the warm sunshine!  He had his head tucked beneath his wing when I first noticed him so there was no way of telling just who was there!  Ole Gus was probably just like me.  We want to be warm!  At least, I have the Little Bayou House and the cast iron stoves to keep me warm at night.  Gus sits on the pier with the north wind making things miserable.  Thinking of this, I eased back off the pier and let Ole Gus bask in the sunshine undisturbed.

Curiosity of the Hobgoblins!

   Although some folks would agree with "the weather went downhill quickly", I am one who loves a good rainy day.  The garden needed the water and I needed to stay out of the garden so it worked out well.  I was up before dawn trying to find what critter attacked the Little Bayou House last night.  Along about midnight, there came such a ruckus that I literally thought someone was breaking down the door.  Nope...had to be a critter or a very inept burglar.  Nothing showed evidence of the misdeed even though it sounded like something ripping the siding from the house or maybe the subfloor or even the roof.  I could not distinguish exactly where the loud noises were so the investigating had to wait for morning and I had to hope for the best.  

  After meandering around the house with a flashlight, I headed to the pier.  The weatherman called for rain so I felt perhaps that was the only time I would have to feel the breeze on my face.  The clouds were incredibly dark and very ominous.  Rain had fallen off and on during the night and, before I could get back up the hill, it started again.  Wow!  That was COLD!  

  As soon as it was light enough, I surveyed the house again and never found a single thing amiss.  Had Son not heard the ruckus, I would have thought perhaps I imagined it or had dreamt it.  Now, we sit back waiting to see (or hear) if our hobgoblin comes again.   I am curious.

Snug Little Home

  Today saw us preparing for the upcoming "winter".  So far, the worst we have had was a "near freeze" and a couple of "maybe freezes".  Supposedly, that is all to end with a "severe freeze".  My garden is not going to be happy.  The day started with rain so it was rather miserable work to split and stack the firewood that would see us through this next week.  The work had to be done, however, so Son and I set to it.  We managed to get enough for at least a week's burning in both wood-burning stoves so we turned our attention elsewhere.  Plants and pipes are covered but the in ground garden will have to wait.  Most likely, the 30 or so cabbages will have to be harvested and the rest will just have to suffer.  I am in hopes that the system will not swing down this far but it is a "wait and see" game, at this point.

  While doing chores, Son called my attention to yet another tiny tree frog.  This time, the little squirt decided to make its home in a hole in a brick.  Luckily for the frog, the brick is in the chimney which will provide some warmth for the critter.  Once the old stove is cranking out the heat, the bricks will warm and the froggy will be quite snug.  The metal stovepipe extends up inside the brick chimney so the smoke will not harm the froggy.

  It is probably sad by others' standards but I fret over my wild critter friends during times like this.  Extra food will be put out for any that need a bite to eat, the greenhouse will still have the eave vents left open so birds can seek shelter and the brush piles will not be cleared so other critters can be protected from the ice.  Most will snuggle down in their nests or dens but the steady rains will still cause a lot of problems.  Folks, be kind to the critters in inclement weather.  They deserve some sort of protection just as we do.

Clam Up About the Cold Weather!

  Ok, so this "ice age" has been lingering on just about long enough now.  It is time for it to move back to the Arctic where it belongs.  The Deep South has better things to do than slip and slide on thin sheets of ice and bundle up against these bone-chilling temperatures!  Four hundred years of this is overdoing it a bit.  Ok, ok....so it has only been four days but we Southerners are ill-equipped for any temperatures below 30 degrees.  Anything lower and we go into a state of shock.  I mean, come on now, our flipflops and t-shirts are gathering mold from lack of use here.  To tell the truth, most of us do not own an actual coat so a hoodie has to suffice.  Our shoe racks contain no boots other than an occasional pair of "shrimp" boots which are basically white rubber rain boots.  They are designed to keep the feet dry and cool but not protect against cold.  A lot of us do not even have central heating systems as they are not needed during most winters.  Right about now, I almost wish we did as it is a tad cold going out at daybreak to fetch another armload of firewood.  

 The good folks of the Deep South are not the only ones feeling the cold this year.  From our vantage point of the pier, Mark and I noticed that a good many clams were exposed by the low tides.  While this is not an unusual occurrence with the extreme low tides each winter, the position of the clams was troubling.  Most of the shells were opened.  During most low tides when there are mudflats for long stretches, the clams stay tightly closed to protect themselves.  Being exposed to predators is bad enough but throw in that frigid air and things get a mite iffy for the clams. Clams cannot really take to deeper, warmer water like fish and crustaceans.  They sit steadfast in the mud and hope for the best.  Tightly closed, the clams can survive a good 24 or more hours of being out of the water.  They seal themselves into their own little "tide pool" inside the shell and wait for the tide to roll in again.  But...no water and temperatures in the 20s for four days is enough to kill the clams in spite of their best efforts.

  While the death of the clams is saddening, their demise has been a blessing to other critters.  Opening a clam is a tough task for any critter other than the otters but with the cold weather killing the clams and making them spontaneously open, birds and smaller critters are feasting! This is helping them make it through this dire situation. I guess there is a reason for everything.

A Good Day to Cozy Up to the Woodstove!

  Its cold tonight.  Maybe not by other folks' standards but this is one of the chilliest nights that we have had on the Bayou in years.  I am feeling it in my bones.  We are snug in the Little Bayou House with the woodstoves chugging out the heat but when out and about the hillside, it is rattling cold.  Perhaps I am just getting old because I never remember being chilled as I am now.  I, also, never remember being as tired as I am now.   Since having temperatures in the teens is a rare occasion in the Deep South, we have to prepare for the cold just about like we do for a hurricane.  The tractors need tending, the garden covered, heat lamps put in the greenhouse, the water pump insulated, faucets wrapped and covered and "let drip" and firewood cut...lots of firewood.  More or less, until yesterday, these have been my jobs this winter.  Mark is off at work and Son had torn something in his knee.  With the two of them "out of commission", so to speak, the bulk of the chores fell to me.  Cutting, hauling and stacking firewood just about did me in.  Yep, I am getting old.  I am feeling a bit achy-breaky.  Top it off with that bone-chilling wind and I am just about ready to toss in the towel and crawl under the covers for the duration of this frigid weather!

  

  This morning while out with the old dog, I did brave the elements and made the trek to the pier.  The water calls to me...but when I got to the end of the pier...the water was gone!  All gone!  The same north wind that brought our icy air took our water!  Wintertime is notorious for low tides but this was a tad ridiculous!  Just about as far as I could see...mud.  Nothing but mud.  Instead of the twenty or so feet of mudflats, we had a span of several hundred feet of no water.  Boats were sitting high and dry in this blustery wind!  So, no fishing for me...even if I had wanted to cast a line.  Instead, I headed back to the Little Bayou House, made another mug of coffee and propped the feet up next to the old cast iron woodstove.  The old dog, Mr. PJ seemed to agree that this is exactly where we both should be on these cold morns.  Smart dog.

You Do What You Have To Do

  Early morn found me on the pier as usual.  Here lately, I have had to tread carefully when walking the planks as the heavy frost makes things quite perilous.  Slipping into the icy water would not be a happy thing so I tend to slip off the shoes and go in just the socks.  Although the feet get cold, at least the socks keep me from slipping.  Once the bench is reached, the shoes are donned once again and all is well until the return trip.  This morning, the old dog, Mr. PJ, did not make the trek with me.  I figured his paws would get a mite cold so I left him inside next to the wood stove.  While on the pier, I watched as a small rail hunted for her breakfast.  She waded in the ice-cold water in search of tiny shrimp or minnows.  Watching her made me realize that I had it pretty good.  I had my coffee and breakfast inside the Little Bayou House where it was nice and cozy.  The poor little rail (like all other wild animals) have to brave the elements.  Cold, drizzly days must be miserable for them but they carry on and do what it takes to survive.

  As I sat there pondering the little rail and her search for food, I marveled at the fact that she did not seem cold.  Here I was shivering and she waded about as if nothing was different than a few days ago when it was warm.  What keeps that little one's feet and legs from freezing?  Well, it seems that it has something to do with the placement of the veins and arteries in their extremities.  These lie next to each other so the veins carrying the chilled blood back to the body picks up heat from the arteries that are carrying warm blood from the heart.  It sort of evens things a bit.  Waterfowl also have the ability to constrict the veins in their legs and feet so that the blood flow is restricted.  This reduces the heat loss a good bit.  Weird but true.  My feet being dry were probably a lot colder than the rail's as she stood in the water.

  Cold feet?  Yep, off came the shoes and I ever so carefully made my way back up the frosty boards.  Then...shoes back on...mad dash to the house...feet propped up next to the old stove to warm.  Another cup of coffee and I had to head back outside to cut a load of firewood.  I guess I am a lot like that little bird...you do what you have to do.

I'm Cold!

  While I do love winter and while I do understand that most of the country is far icier that we are here on the Bayou, I am cold.  I stay cold.  Perhaps this is due to whatever ailment has an unrelenting grip on me but I feel the cold this year.  My feet, legs, shoulders all seem akin to ice cubes!  Most winters, I am good with the two cast iron cookstoves providing the only heat in the Little Bayou House.  Even though it rarely gets above 60 degrees inside (except when I bake), a t-shirt and jeans provided enough warmth.  I admit that I am not as cold-hardy as Son.  His winter-wear is the same as his summer togs.  Shorts and a t-shirt see him through all seasons.  Unless he is splitting firewood, he does not even wear shoes!  This year, I have tried donning a sweater thinking it should help to warm me but I still "shake in my boots"!  I have tried all sorts of warming tisanes...no help.  I am just cold...downright cold!

  However!  Someone recently came to my rescue.  The past few nights have seen the temperatures drop to near freezing causing the house to cool dramatically.  At night, the blankets on the bed have raised to mountainous extremes.  Three deep and I am still shivering!  But my guardian came to visit and all is well.  Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess cat, rarely comes inside but for the past few nights has insisted on entering and being near me.  She practically clings to me at all times.  Which is good.  She has been sleeping on the bed (actually on my feet) and is like a living bed-warmer.  With her help, I have managed to sleep soundly and warmly.  During the night after she thinks I am asleep, Ms. Nycto softly pads her way up to cuddle near my chest or against my back.  Ahhh!  Relief!

  Growing up on the farm, animals were not allowed in the house except when some plate of food or bottle of milk was accidentally spilled. Then either the dog or cat was allowed in to help clean up the mess.  (Waste not, want not...if we could not eat whatever was spilled, at least one of the critters would feast.)  Since I grew up thinking animals should stay outside, it almost surprises me that I am ok with one sleeping on the bed with me.  Maybe I should not look upon Ms. Nycto as a mere animal, maybe she is my doctor in this case. Her presence is helping to heal me.

  The only thing bad about having this cat in the house is that the other cat, Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, is a bit skeptical.  In her frail, later years, Ms. Put has been allowed to spend all of her time sleeping in front of the wood stove.  The old cat can hardly see, hear or smell anymore so being outside with the coyotes, fox or even the owls is out of the question.  Ms. Put and Ms. Nycto have never been buddy/buddy.  They do not like each other or even tolerate each other.  Having both in the house at the same time is like treading on thin ice.  I am waiting for a full on cat brawl to erupt in the middle of the night.  Hopefully, Ms. Put will stay in the dining room and Ms. Nycto will not venture off my bed.  A cat fight is not something that I feel up to refereeing.   I'm too cold for that!

Happy Halloween!

  Happy Halloween, Folks!  I do not get Trick-or-treaters this far down on the Bayou but still this probably my favorite time of the year.  The Little Bayou House gets decked out in its fall finest and folks come to try their hand at solving a mystery better known as Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  It is fun for all.

  This year it is a bit different as an early cold spell seems to be gripping the nation.  The bit of unusual weather has dipped far enough south to be felt even here.  It is chilly and I am worried since I have not covered the plants.  Bell peppers are still hanging on in the garden!  Those,  I should have picked prior the cold winds started.  I did not so now I worry that the peppers might meet their demise as the temperatures dip into the 30s.  We are not used to this!  October and November should still be relatively warm!

  I was actually quite surprised to see the peppers do so well.  Back in early spring, I planted seeds.  By midsummer, the plants were rather large but with nary a fruit.  The plants were transplanted into the large boxes that once held potatoes and seemed to grow overnight.  These are now covered with beautiful peppers but since the clue hunt occupied all of my time recently, they are still dangling on the plant.   Hopefully, the weather will not be scary and we can salvage a few of the fruit. Tomorrow will find me out picking whatever can be found in the garden and covering a few of the plants.  

  So...Happy Halloween, Folks!  Don't be tricked by this unseasonable weather!  

  

Winter Woes

Oh, the ravages of wintry weather!  Our recent cold spell spelled trouble for the citrus trees.  At first, I did not think things were so bad.  Sure the leaves were a bit "burned" but overall the trees still appeared to be fine.  After meandering through the orchard today, I am not so sure.  The lemons, limes and naval orange seem to have been the worst hit.  These trees are more in the open and do not have the coverage that larger trees would provide.  Plus, these trees are quite young which might make a difference.  Their ability to tolerate the cold might not be as strong as some of the older trees.  Michael is once again telling me to have patience.  He claims that plants are more durable that we think.  I do hope he is right.  Once before these very same trees froze nearly to the ground and if it had not been for his urging, I would have cut them all.

The cold also took a good toll on the grapefruit trees.  I am thinking that these will survive but might have a bit of a setback in producing fruit.   A thick carpet of leaves can be found beneath the two trees.  The trees look a mite bare compared to just a few weeks ago.  It surprised me to see that the Satsumas and kumquats were hardly bothered at all.  Do these trees know something that the others do not?

Now, it is to happen all over again.  For the next few nights the temperatures are to drop below freezing and the days will not warm much.  This does not bode well for the citrus trees.  There is just not a lot that I can do to protect the trees because of their size. Pop used to light a "burn barrel" in the midst of his trees when the temperatures dipped below freezing.  That smudge was to keep the area a bit above freezing.  I can remember that he and my oldest brother would go out several times during the night to stoke those barrels.  I am not sure it worked at all or whether it was to give him hope.  At least he was trying to save his trees.  I cannot make that claim other than the mulch that Michael and I laid on the roots.  I have no metal drums to use as burn barrels and even if I did, I do not relish getting out in the middle of the night to feed a fire!  I will just trust in my son's instinct and leave the trees be.  "Have patience, Mom, have patience."  Sometimes I think Michael knows a thing or two about plants!  (I sure hope my patience holds and that the citrus trees survive.)

Rather Nippy!

I awoke this morning long before daybreak.  The Little Bayou House suddenly felt a bit chilly so I knew that the wood stoves were out of wood.  Brrrr!  It was a tad cold!  The thermometer read 27 degrees!  Better get those fires ablazing!  After stoking the coals and adding a good bit of logs, it immediately began to feel warmer.  Now what?  I headed to the pier in the pitch black.  No use in waking up everyone else at such an hour.  This trip was made alone as the old dog found her bed too snug.  As she ages, it is getting harder and harder to convince her to make the treks in winter.  The first step out the door almost made me think she had the right idea!  It really was cold and that slight north wind was biting.  Needless to say, I did not linger on the wide open pier.  Perhaps a hike around the marsh edge would prove to be easier.  At one point, I came across a heron perched upon the remnants of an old pier.  Ha!  He looked as cold as me!  I had no intentions of bothering the bird but my walking startled a raccoon that scurried into the marsh.  In turn, the raccoon startled the heron.  The bird tried to make a hasty retreat but was thwarted in its attempt.  At first glance, I thought the poor bird had injured a wing but closer inspection proved otherwise.  During the night, the bird's feet had frozen to the wet board!  The bird sort of flopped a bit before its feet were released from their icy shackles and away through the Bayou he flew.  Ok, so that means it was too cold for me!

Watching the bird with his problems jogged a memory of being back on the farm.  There were a few times during my childhood that I remember the same thing happening to the poor chickens.  We had several large chicken houses with wooden pole roosts.  There was a few occasions where the temperatures dropped and the birds' feet froze to the roosts.  Early in the morning, Pop would find a couple of hapless birds hanging helplessly from the roosts.  Their wings would be flapping wildly as they hung beneath the roost.  He tried hanging heat lamps in the houses but if the chickens could reach them, they would peck at the bulbs and inevitably break the glass.  It took some doing to construct a chicken-proof heat system back in the day!  Those cold nights might also see a number of the baby pigs losing their tails.  If any sow had her litter before the last freeze, those cute little curly tails would not survive.  I guess pigs are not the snuggliest of critters.  The little ones would try hard to snuggle up to the warm mama but those little behinds would never be completely protected.  Life was not easy on the farm back in the day.  Barns, chicken houses and other out buildings were not heated.  My goodness!! Even the old farm house was not heated other than two fireplaces and one of those smoked incessantly!

Well, for that matter, the Little Bayou House depends on those wood stoves to warm it.  If I am negligent in stoking the fires, it gets quite chilly at times. And with that, I better gather another armload of wood!  It is going to be another cold night on the Bayou!

Seven days and counting....

There is an adage that states something on the order of "Treat a cold and you will be well in a week.  Do nothing and you will have it for seven days!"  Either way you are stuck with the clogged head, stuffy nose, hacking cough and general yucky feeling.  Yep..seven days and counting.  Now do not get me wrong, I have been treating it!  I started out doing the herbal things that I normally do..ginger root, honey and cayenne pepper throat wash...felt good.  Fennel, star anise and ginger tea decongestant...tasted delicious.  Homemade tomato soup with garlic and jalapenos...again delicious as far as I could tell.  Then...things started going downhill...fast!  My congestion worsened and my cough deepened.  My entire head hurt!  The eyes, ears, face and even my teeth were in pain!  I went from sweating to shivering in a matter of minutes and then back again!  Ok..so this was getting bad.

Last night, Mark had just about enough of me sounding like a foghorn or a barking seal!  I had already laid waste to one entire box of tissue and was constantly downing more water than I cared to track!  He headed to the store.  Now..armed with some medicine for nighttime and then some for daytime...I wage war against this monster!  My first dose of the medicine came late last night.  Since I have not taken any type pharmaceutical products for about eight years now, I read the directions.  I was to take two caplets every six hours not exceeding eight in a twenty-four hour period.  Hmmm..what if I wake up in two hours coughing my lungs out from my chest??  No medicine?  I am so used to herbal remedies that usually have no dosage limit.  But I took the two caplets and hoped for the best.  Nine hours later, I awoke!  What!  That is the longest I have ever slept in my life!  The sun would have been high in the sky had it not been raining cats and dogs!  Well, I supposed I needn't worry about overdosing!  I sat up in bed and took inventory of the old body..yep...everything still hurt. The magic pills did not heal me overnight.  I was a bit annoyed to say the least.

I admit that I did not take the daytime medicine but rather went back to herbs.  At least they are tasty..something I cannot say for the boxed medicine.  Perhaps I am doing wrong by not taking the pills around the clock but there is just something in me that says I should not.  That little voice is echoing among the phlegm that still fills the nasal passages and head!  DO NOT TAKE TOO MANY PILLS! Some of you might find argument with my tiny voices and even I have questioned their validity!  Heehee..but somehow they overrule any reasoning!  Tonight...the caplets will be downed with a full glass of water and followed with some hot, peach tea.  And do notice..the tea is made with a (gasp!) teabag not from scratch!  That, in itself, should be testimony as to how bad I feel! The pills, hopefully, will give me more rest and well, the tea..sure tastes good!

Cold days call for desperate measures!

The Bayou has already seen its share of cold days this winter. The north wind whips down the hill out to the end of the pier something fierce. Usually, I never think twice about letting our cat, Ms. Put our of the house anytime she wants to escape from being underfoot, but today it was just too cold for comfort. I tried my best to keep her inside but she was having no part of that! She won and out she went! As old as she is, she is a most hardy cat. She loves being inside by the fireplace but she will let out a bloodcurdling howl if you do not open the door when she decides! Ms. Put is a very feisty cat that does not think twice of attacking anything that invades her territory nor does she worry about a bit of weather. Hot or cold, rainy or clear..it matters not, she wants out when she wants out and not a minute later! So I opened the door, she sniffed the air and after a few minutes of deciding, she was on her way to explore the garden. Ahh, my brave Kitty! A few hours later as I was meandering around outside, I spied her sleeping in a sunny corner of the garden. So that is where she sneaks off to hide! Then I had to start laughing! She was sleeping in the sun alright, but it was the funniest object that she chose as a bed. There she was sound asleep in a wire hanging basket that had fallen to the ground. This would not have been so hilarious had the basket still had its liner, but it was empty. I cannot imagine that the wire was doing much to protect her from the wind. I tried to persuade her to reenter the house where at least it is some warmer. Nope..she just looked at me and yawned, then went back to sleep! I love this dear little cat and would not have her any different! Feisty, fickle, and finicky..I believe the words were created just to describe Ms. Put!