Tales from the Bark Side

By Keith Ross | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, September 1, 2007

Welcome back to the bark side of life here in Ottertail where the wicked winds whip through the trees with the hot breath of a fading summer.

Migratory birds seem to look southward with longing, feeding on our bird seed with reckless abandon. It takes a lot of fuel to fly hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to a safe sanctuary.

All animals have the instinctive need to be safe and protected against all enemies, the live ones and the forces of nature as well.

It’s this instinct that this week’s tale touches upon. Ella Grunewald has a story about a stray cat and her encounter with a four-legged waif who would not be denied the simple creature comforts of life. Here’s her tale.

I grew up on a farm. We always had a dog and cats, but they were never allowed inside the house.

Later in life, we had a stray cat come and it was a nuisance as it would have a way of sneaking inside our entry without us seeing it come in.

This entry wasn’t heated so during the cold months, I was used to cooling hot leftovers before putting it in the refrigerator later on by sitting it on the cabinet located in our entry way.

One day I had set a casserole of roast on that cabinet to cool. Later, I went to retrieve it and soon discovered the cat had been indoors again.

The casserole was found to be broken lying on the floor and its contents, the roast, was a total loss.

Later on, I baked a pie and decided to set it on top of the cabinet, approximately six feet high. When I went to take the pie down, I discovered the cat had also been there, for there was only a little crust left.

I would always catch the cat and toss it outside. I think my two youngsters enjoyed seeing what the cat would do next and how I would react to it.

When spring came, we always removed the storm door and replaced it with a screen door. This door was light weight and we saw the cat open it by the clever use of its paws. I told my husband to outsmart the cat by putting the hinges on the opposite side. We, the family, had a hard time getting used to this but the cat had no problem.

After some time, the cat disappeared and that was a relief. One day my husband and son were in town and my son saw this cat on the sidewalk. He took it back home and proudly came to show me and said, “Guess who is back for dinner?”

This was way back in time during the early “space program” years and my daughter said, “This cat has spent a lot of time in space!” She was referring to my tossing the cat out. Eventually, the cat moved on and it was peaceful again.

—Ella Grunewald, Fergus Falls

Thanks, Ella, for a glimpse into the past where life was sweet and simple and the cats and dogs provided us with lot of tales we remember for the rest of our lives.

It’s remarkable how resilient animals are when they have to fend for themselves, although eating roast and pie may not qualify as the sustenance to quench the primal need.

They make do with what is available.

Speaking of that which quenches the thirst and abates the palate of hunger, we have a couple of sponsors in our “best critter tales” contest that foot the bill quite nicely.

The City Bakery and Don Pablo’s come to mind immediately and the Country Store does as well for our four-legged critters.

Wal-Mart will have a gift certificate and Dave Peters Jewelry will as well. Coopers Technology Group has pledged a gift for another winner. Dan’s Vacuum and Sewing promised a nice gift also.

These merchants are where I shop as well and they are very generous in their participation of our little contest. Thank you folks for your support.

There is still time to get your entry in but don’t wait too long. E-mail me at info@rosswoodkennels.com or just write to me at Keith Ross Richville, MN or if you so choose to do, call me at 218-495-2195.

Keith Alan Ross writes from his home in New York Mills.