"Gloria" wrote in message
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Last week my DH and I had the opportunity to visit Madgardener and see her
fairy gardens. We were totally enchanted by her. We could have stayed a week
just listening to her talk. She is amazing and it was so wonderful to see
all the things she has written about on here. I felt like I had been there
before, many times. She has taken me on this tour of her gardens many, many
times through her writings on here, and those tours have been wonderful. But
to see all of that with her right there, was nothing short of enchantment.

It was a day that will always and forever be remembered and each time I
recall it, I will be filled with peace, warmth and happiness.

Everything was exactly as she has described only better...including
Rose....what a sweet dog...and Sugar is so full of puppiness, what a
delight. We met all five of her cats and even the one who went to live with
the neighbor who needed a cat more than Maddie.

She loaded us up with all kinds of plants and we have been busy planting and
trying to remember what each one is...one that is unforgettable is the Glory
Bower, the leaves smell just like peanut butter and the flowers smell so
sweet.

Just wanted to thank her on here for the extremely enjoyable visit and to
let you guys know that Madgardener is real, (her name fits perfectly , the
fairy gardens and the not so secret garden are real. She is the Enchantress
that stands guard over it all, and also to attest that she *has* been
published, I saw it myself.

Maddie, thank you for a wonderful day, and for your generous hospitality. We
can't wait for the next time.



Gloria

Toe dragging in the mud.........awwww geeze Gloria, I enjoyed every crammed
packed moment of it. I was just glad I had the frelling day OFF so I could
enjoy you. When Zhan came up in February, I had just started the job at
Lowes............You are as sweet as I figured you to be, and honey, Bobby
is one heckuva guy. I love him to death. The door is open any time you
wanna come up here to hang around and just get under foot! Next time I will
cook something for us. (ask Zhan if I can cook............). I hafta tell
you though............the cat family has increased two fold..........we now
have added two rambunctious kittens to the matriarchal society. Here's the
story..........Went back to work, hours are cut, so I get off at glorious
time to where I have time left to DO things outside, but due to my getting
too physical after ya'll left at work the following Saturday, I tore my
lower back muscles............so I was worthless, aggrivated and determined
to go to work anyway to get thru it before the next days off. Tuesday was
the last day, I stopped by the school where Squire works again to bring him
some "rat burgers" for lunch from Micky D's and noticed as I walked across
the back dock into the break room (Squire teaches people to drive trucks and
is doing the field and classroom again at the school he started 11 years ago
and the reason I live here in Eastern Tennessee) there was a georgous silky
long haired orange tabby kitten lying in the doorway. I stepped over it and
asked the guys around the table where Squire was, (well I actually asked
where the large hairy faced old Marine was, and they all grinned and pointed
towards the door to the other break room) and I casually remarked that they
needed to move the orange pussy gato outa the way or it would be a frisbee.

Someone remarked that I should take one home, that there were three others
from the mama that had moved into the school grounds two years ago, upon
which I said "not likely, Catron would have my hind end" and kept walking
towards the door across the bay area where the naked truck and engine sit as
demonstration to parts etc. I popped a "heads up" to Squire, tossing
carefully his sack of rat's and two milks and remarked the same to him. That
there was an endangered pussy gato in the doorway and it might get trampled.
And he looked at me and said "NO, not only NO, but HEEEELLLLL NO!!!!! We
already have Sugar who hasn't quite figured out the codes yet for
housebreaking and chewing, that's ALL we need is a kitten. I'm sure the old
broad, Sweetie would be just pleased as hell to encounter a kitten.
No......"

A few words later I was on my way out the door and I slowed down to see
where the orange one had gone to and saw movement in the weeds beside the
door. I looked down and saw this light orange teeny playing in the three
foot weeds that had come up thru the gravel and stopped and looked closer.
There was something wrong with the picture. So I bent the weed down and
started enticing the little shit and as soon as I got within range of it,
picked it up and it was the runt, and it had no tail. I cuddled it in my
hand (it was the size of my hand and I ain't a large woman) and I turned
around and walked past the men who started laughing at me, and opened up the
door, and stepped into the open doorway and announced "Papa, it has no
TAILLLLLL" and Squire looks at me and gets this constipated look of pain on
his face and I remarked that we once had a cat with no tail, and he starts
grinning as I proceeded to shorted the story about Stubby Albert Mooch and
he sits there agreeing with me, but unseen to me until that precise moment
is his boss and friend, Mr. Stockton.

Ricky Stockton has the most incredible slow drawl North Cackalacky accent
you ever heard. He does Andy Griffith proud......it's a pleasure to the ears
to listen to this man talk. And when he's done, he'll finish it off with
"Gude enuff" and that's it. It's as if you hear Forrest Gump in the
background agreeing and saying "that's all I hafta say about that".

And I hear "Naugh Jaugh, yew know that Mariland has spotted those kittens
and there ain't nuthin' yew can do but just accept the fact that yew now
have a new cat in the family. I KNEW when she saw them Mama Catron would
give 'em a gud hoome. And Squire shoots me this look that I can't quite
read, and I repeat, "it has no tail papa...........in this little voice, and
I turn around and walk out, get in the car, and instead of going to town, I
drive home. To keep the kitten from causing me death on the back road home,
I shoved her in my shirt, and as little as it was, it just snuggled down
around the waistband of my shorts and went promptly asleep.

once at the house, I let Rose and Sugar out for a pee, notice that son
hasn't paid attention to Sugar, there is a pile in the den..............HUGE
SIGH............and go into the livingroom looking for him on the futon.
Not there. I look in the side room where the partial pantry is and the bed
we'd set up when he first came home was, no son, I looked down in the cave
but the pull out bed was vacant......hmmmmm. Turn around and glance in our
room and there is this 6 foot four inch body snoring on it's stomach and I
walked into my bedroom, and remark, "ummmm, son??? You taken to sleeping in
our bed when we're gone? and I get this sleepy muffled voice, "but it's so
nice to be in a bed that is longer than you are and in a real one to boot,
Ma............" (the California King el mondo grosso waterbed is six foot
wide and seven foot long) and I tell him "SIT UP" and he says
"WHHHHHAAAAA?????" and I tell him "Miguelle, sit up!!" and as he sits up,
the runt pokes his head outa the top of my shirt and he focases on what he's
seeing and I get this total mushy "AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW??" and he
holds out his large hand and I place the kitten in it, who proceeds to purr
and son just melts on the bed and tells me "but he's so CUTE!!!!!" and I
tell him how I defied Pa and brought it home.

So never the less, when Squire came home, he informs me there is a rest of
the story, apparently Mr. Stockton had been bagering him all day to let me
see the kittens and take one or two home and he'd kept at his guns saying
no, no no. That "Marilyn won't SEE the kittens so I won't hafta worry about
her trying to bring one home" and then I stop by and bring him rats for
lunch....GBSEG

Now the kitten is all spit the first day because there are HUGE black dogs
here. And the puppy thinks this is something to play with but because she's
so tiny, I have to watch out for her and get after Sugar is she plays too
rough. The spinster cats, Jenners and Pye are outraged and proceed to give
me sheer hell. Pesters hadn't met her, he was too busy with his dust baths
and bad skin at the moment, and Polluxx who is still a kitten himself starts
to greet the kitten, but winds up hissing and spitting at it too despite
son's insistance that "Polluxx LOVES little kitties Ma" yeah right. But
it's smart, and I pour the last two inches of litter into the box, slide it
under the shelf in my nook where I will keep it cleaned until I can afford
litter, place a smaller bowl next to it and a box with a towel to sleep in
and we're all set.

but this kitten is smart and has been used to three siblings all larger than
it is. The first meal wiped it out and I had passed out baby in my hand
after she ate and crunched and then climbed into the box and showed me she
was a good kitty. The little stubby tail was so cute and sad. It looked
like it was a birthmark, instead of a "oops broke off" like Stubby Albert
Mooche's was. Now that was Tuesday, and here it is Saturday. Well Friday
was my last day off, I had three days to break in the baby and I was
reminded how easy kittens are to housebreak than puppies........it was
payday for me and Squire and I went to pick up his check to take it to town
and deposit.

When I had first started looking at the kittens the previous day, I had only
seen three. I never saw the fourth one, but the first one I had picked up
was this incredibly silky soft gray/orange/buff one that was really mellow.
I had put it down and when Squire realized I was taking the stubby tailed
one had warned me "you are NOT taking two home with you" (I tend to take a
brother and sister, or two brothers or two sisters to keep each other
company as the other members of the animal family are usually older and no
fun to be around).

As I walked into the break room off the dock, I noticed that the silky
orange one and the buff colored one were climbing the leg of one of the
students, and I picked it up and remarked that this was the one I had
originally meant to get. And Squire tells me one had already gone home with
me, another had gotten a home and all that was left were those two and
no.............no way. He then hands me his check, gets up to go get a cup
of coffee, and with kitten in my hands, I slip out and get into the car
where Rose and Sugar are waiting for me. Now this kitten is twice the size
of it's stubby tailed sibling, and had much more spit and vinegar than it's
sister/brother (sex is undetermined as of yet on BOTH) and I put the mama
hold on it's neck and decide to go home first and bank later.

I drive up, blow the horn, and shove the cat into my shirt and son pops his
head outa the door and I holler at him "com'ere, you gotta get this for me
so I can go to the bank" and he gives me a look (he'd just woke up and was
flopping about in his shorts and wasn't ready to walk barefooty thru my
flowers to the driveway.) but he obliged and walked out to the car to where
I reach into my shirt and tell him "yer dad is gonna kill me when he figures
out one of the other kittens is gone.................introduce her/him back
to it's sibling and I'll wash it when I get back.

When I got back, I washed it, I was informed they greeted each other like
long lost family, the stubby one had shown the fluffy one where the box was,
and they had proceeded to pick up a wrestle and roll that they must have
left off at when I broke up the team. I showed him the food, and he
promptly showed me he preferred the dog's IAM's..........

Well it's one day later, they're all happy that they're reunited, they sleep
and play and tear the house up, and little runt stubbs has his sibling back
and today I could swear that I saw little male appendages........on both of
them.......oh lordy. Brothers...................

So! There are now SEVEN cats in the household. In order of position it goes
like this:

Sweetie patriarch and oldest one in the house, at 19 1/2 with no teeth who
gets preferential treatment because of lack of teeth. Then falling right
behind her on a part time basis is Whacka Dew the kavetching huge calico who
now lives with Miz Mary up the driveway and comes home only when she's off
and has locked her out or wants to eat at home because she's tired of what
Miz Mary buys her and doesn't feel like hunting today. Jenners and Pye, the
two spinsters who grew up together but still bitch slap each other like true
sisters who both want top Queen spot, adn I'm the top Queen here thank you.
Pester's or Pest, the teeny little black short haired male who terrorized
everyone else in the feline family after I took him as a playmate to Rose.
Who was 2 1/2 at the time and didn't know WHAT to do with a kitten at her
older age.........(she loves her little kitty, but there's only so much
she'll tolerate from him, although he adores her, he waits for her to come
home with me out in the pasture and when we drive past where he waits, I can
always look in the rear view mirror and see him popping outa the high grass
and booking towards the vehicle.) And oldest son's desperately in need of
saving snuggle apartment kittie, Polluxx who thrilled and amazed Pester's to
the point that he no longer picks on the others as he has someone to PLAY
with!!! (Jenners and Pye are 11, Pesters is 5) Polluxx was the baby at just
under a year with Rose coming in at 7 1/2, Sugar is turning 4 months and
will join the ranks of the spayed here in this household (we're all fixed in
this house with exception to Squire G) but now I have two fluffy, cuter'n
hell 5 week old kittens who are better than t.v. provides Sugar with some
careful play, (Sugar mauls Polluxx who handles it quite well, so Sugar has
slipped into place in the animal family). All we gotta do now is let the
two newbies name themselves. I fear that they might both have stems on their
apples, and the runt might actually be a Stubbs, but the silky one will have
to name himself if he is indeed a male too. Names will come later when they
get them.

Well now that yer eyes are bleeding. I will close this and thank you again
for coming up and reminding me that ya'll are part of the reason I really am
here on the newsgroup and that I ain't kidding anyone when I say I write
just to write. I write for ya'll and to share my world and gardens and
fairies and such with you because I love ya. I will write more later.
There's plenty to write about out in the fairy beds. Gloria, I can tell you
what all I dug up (you forgot the Bog Sage and the two pots of
dahlia's......) Perennial begonia's, Helianthus Lemon Queen, Harlequin
Glory Bower tree, "stainless steel fern from Nashville" toe, you gathered a
few hand grenades of magenta 4o'clocks, (I shoulda dug you some tubers
instead, the rains woulda allowed it) Amsonia montanaii (blue dogbane, likes
shade)hmmmmmmm I forget, was there someone else?? Oh yeah, I gave you the
remains of the poor sad pussy willow that never got planted this spring and
was crying to be taken home by you. Let me know how it does............later
on I guarantee you there will be a fig daughter to give you, and there's the
trumpet vine pods to send you..........anything else I'm having
CRS..........or maybe it's worse and it's CRAFT........EG

((((((((((((((huge hug))))))))))))))))))))

madgardener up on the cool and unseasonable pleasant ridge, back in fairy
holler overlooking a perfect blue English Mountain in all her layers with a
full to overflowing Douglas Lake reflecting sunset skies in Eastern
Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36

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