I swear, I didn’t plan on disappearing for this long. It was only when I saw that my last blog was published two months ago, on August 3rd, that I realized how time had flown by. However, I couldn’t not share a little gem I came across today as I was buying food for our new cat.
Oh yes, we now have a new cat, following Perro’s and Basta’s demise. He’s almost all black, with the exception of a white patch on his throat and one on his tummy. Since he has an uncanny ability to hide in the shadows and jump out startling us, his name, appropriately enough is Boo. Or Crazy Boo as he’s, well, nuts.
Mary Nathalie and Boo
So, what prompted us to get a new cat? It was the devastating wildfires that reached almost 100 yards from our home. Which were fed by the broken branches that were the result of the heavy winter snowfalls. Yes, the ones that had us stay snowed in without any power, water, or communication for the best part of a week. Anyway, Boo had started to adopt us and Electra made a promise that, if he survived the wildfire, we’d keep him.
As for why we didn’t take him with us to safety when we evacuated, the answer is that we were nowhere near the fires at the time. When my father passed a year ago (to the day), he left us a summer house in Evia. The place was practically derelict and we spent most of the spring and summer fixing it up. We had our first guests, some American friends, already stay there and spent as much time as we could in September to relax after what’s been a rather hectic year.
But I digress.
Cause what I really wanted to share, as I said at the beginning, is this little gem I saw today as I was buying cat food:
Yep. A dog food called BARF. Or, if I understand correctly, a kind of raw food diet for dogs that this company specializes in. I swear you can’t make up this stuff.
Anyway, I’m now back and I have a ton of stuff I want to share that I’ve been bookmarking all this time, so I hope I’ll be better at sharing my news!
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Great to see you back and safe, Nicholas. What a harrowing year. And welcome to the new family member. Mary Nathalie and Boo look like they get along great. 🙂
It’s sure been one to remember! Thank you, Diana 🙂
Welcome back Nicholas. I was thinking of you with those fires. Glad to hear you escaped them, and now have a scary cat. We all need a time out to enjoy life. Glad you took some. I plan on doing that later in the year. 🙂
Thank you so much, Debby! I hope you enjoy your own upcoming hiatus. Having said that, it’s good to be back 🙂
Welcome back. Boo looks like a big fellow.
Thank you, Craig! Yes, he’s surprisingly long lol
Hello Nicholas, Just found your blog,you have a nice set of followers and I gather you live on the Island of Evia so pleased you are safe regarding the fires which were devastating. I live on the Island of Crete where last week we had an earth quake tremor and that was quite scary. Loved reading this post about your cat.
Thank you, Rita, and welcome to my blog. I actually live in Agios Stefanos, on the outskirts of Athens, but have a summer home in Evia. Thankfully, it’s south of Kimi, so nowhere near the devastating wildfires.
I’m so glad you’re fine from the earthquakes. They’re quite common in Greece but the Crete ones were pretty scary.
Welcome back, Nicholas. Welcome too, Boo. 😁
Many thanks, John! It’s good to be back 🙂
Nice to hear from you and that the fires stopped short of both cat and house. I think this past year has been a year of suspense and suspended animation for all of us. Your daughter is both beautiful and grown up beyond the time that for most of us stood still- but not for her.
Happy returns of this day.
Thank you so much, Philippa! Yes, time sure does fly for Natalie, even though it stands still for the rest of us 🙂
I was getting concerned, Nicholas, but glad to see you once more. I’m pleased you are well, and have gained a new member of your family.
The fires must have been scary.
Many thanks, Vivienne! The fires were a bit scary, although wildfires have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. In 2009 they reached our very fence, where they mercifully stopped.
Nice to see you Nick. From Other Greek friends it has sounded pretty hellish for some. Love the name of the dog food though I don’t think I’ll be encouraging Dog with this product.
Hey, Geoff. I don’t know what happened, but I stopped receiving messages about your posts. Have you had a hiatus, too, or is WordPress having a hissy fit with me for some reason? It’s happened with one or two blogs I follow.
Ha ha – yes, BARF doesn’t really do it for me either 😀
Welcome back. Good to know you are all safe and sound, and no doubt feeling refreshed after such a long break from blogging!
Best wishes, Pete.
Many thanks, Pete! More like exhausted, but it’s good to be back 🙂
Thanks for the chuckle. Cute cat! Glad to have you back in the blog-o-sphere.
welcome back.
Yes, we’ve use that dog food, although I also thought it was an unfortunate acronym. We’ve since given it up for a cheaper brand made over here in the UK. I think they do raw food for cats too.
I thought it was just Greek thing! You’re telling me someone named it while knowing full well what it stands for???
Nicholas, you were missed. Glad you are back and all is well. Love the Boo & Mary Natalie photo. She has grown up so much. In school now, right? Good to hear detailed news, and you have a peaceful summer hide-away in Evia. BARF brand dog food? What were they thinking? I’d
pass that up.
So, now would Boo be chasing Perro’s mouse on his blanket if we made a comment? Perro might like Boo taking over for you. 📚🎶 Christine
Thank you so much, Christine! I missed you too 🙂
Natalie is still in preschool, as we felt an extra year there would do wonders for her social skills, which still need some work thanks to COVID lockdowns.
It’s so weird with Boo, since we all keep calling him Perro! It may take a while for him to to chase any blanket mice but I’m sure we’ll get there in the end 🙂
Thanks for added family news. Good idea for Natalie to stay in preschool. My talks with teachers confirm that kids are needing a longer time to learn social skills because of Covid & isolation from interacting with classmates.
All cats seem to make it in the end. It’s a matter of acclimation & Natalie seems to be in control of Boo. 📚🎶 Christine
Lol – yeah, Natalie is pretty much in control of everything around here 😀