Butterball

I know it has been a little while since I wrote to you beautiful children. I did not have as many stories to tell. Now I have a little something to tell you.

Last week while Grandpa and I were getting ready to go to work we looked out on the front porch and saw our big yellow cat, Butterball sitting on the front step. He looked all swollen and sick so Grandpa went out on the porch to check him out. I still had to go to work so I left and before I knew it Grandpa called me to tell me Butterball was very sick and had to go to the hospital.

When Butterball went to the hospital they had to do surgery on his face. He was in a fight (this is a warning to never fight because nothing good comes from it!). Another cat bit his face really hard and hurt him. He had hidden under the deck in the back and we did not know he was hurt. The doctor had to remove part of his face because it was really infected. Then she had to stitch him all up again. He had to stay in the hospital for a week before we could bring him home. Now I have to feed him because he cannot eat on his own. I have to help him outside because he has a hard time walking. He gets a little stronger every day but he is still very weak.

Here are some pictures of him today. I think you can see that he has been through a lot but he will be well soon and we will have to chase him down.

We love you all!

gramachele

dearest grandbabies

Dearest ones,

I am home from Nashville as you all know. I had a wonderful time with you. I had fully intended to write a letter to you this week telling you of the fine adventure I had on my travels but alas I have not done so and am now trying this way of telling you my story. I hope you will enjoy reading this.
As you know I left Nashville very early in the morning on the 7th. So early in fact the only ones awake at your little home were Mommy, Isa and myself. I kissed each of you goodbye and hesitantly left to return to Idaho. Isa came with Mommy and me to the airport where I kissed both of my girls and went to my plane.

It was an uneventful trip to Atlanta Georgia with the exception of some circling flying fish over the airport that had to be shooed out of the way before we could land. It took a few minutes to do so and we circled the airport for about 30 minutes while the flying fish were sorted out. Once on the ground I hurried to my next gate.

My next stop was a gate on the far end of the airport. I hurried to the gate only to find the lobby very crowded with people waiting to go to Salt Lake City. I waited my turn to get on the airplane and once boarded I had to wait with everyone else for our pilot to arrive. He was delayed in Orlando. It seems Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck could not let their guests leave without a final goodbye and it took a little longer than was expected. At last he arrived and brought with him a large group of people who filled every vacant seat on our airplane.

The pilot started the plane and as it roared to life we taxied out onto the airstrip where we had to wait again. I looked out the window to see a large group of cats chasing their tails right on the airstrip! My mouth dropped open in surprise when a very large clown with an even larger broom came out and swept all the wayward cats and mice off the strip. You cannot imagine the hulabaloo!

Soon we were in the air and on our way to Salt Lake. The rest of the trip was very unexceptional. The travel was pleasant and we arrived in Boise just as Aunt Lisa pulled into the airport to pick me up. This is where the adventure really began.

After picking up my bag and putting it in the car we started out for Twin Falls. It is not a very long drive and we were laughing and talking as we went. We had driven about 30 miles when we came to a stop in a long line of cars.

Not a soul was moving and we waited for quite some time when curiosity overcame me and I got out of the car to ask what we were waiting for. Next to us was a very large truck with red and blue letters spelling out the words "Farquat Shipping" on the side. In the cab of the truck was an enormous Pakistani man in a red turban. I reached up as high as I could and knocked on his door. The man rolled down his window and I asked if he knew what was wrong.

"There is a race going on ahead." he answered.

"A race?" I questioned. "What kind of race? Why are they racing on the road to Twin Falls?"

"I don't know exactly what kind or why I just know there is a horse racing a giraffe up ahead." and with that he folled up his window.

I got back in the car and told Lisa what the man had told me. She turned on the radio to see if we could find any news, but there wasn't any. We sat and waited for another hour and a half before turning the car around to go back and find a way around this strange race.

We turned off at Mountain Home and found a policeman to ask about the race. He was a kind man with round cheeks and blue eyes that sparkled. He was riding a motorcycle. We pulled over and asked him what had happened and why there was a race on the road to Twin Falls. He laughed a little and told us that the giraffe had grown tired of living in the zoo in Boise and had taken off to go to Twin Falls where he was sure he would like it much more. As he passed Farmer Bennett's farm he told a horse that was grazing in the field where he was going. The horse challenged the giraffe to a race and they took off.

When the zoo keepers found the giraffe gone they called ahead to the police in Mountain Home to stop him. So the police blocked of the road and waited. The horse was in the lead as the two animals approached the barricade. He stopped and waited for the giraffe to catch up. The giraffe didn't want to go back so the two animals started a game a tag and that was the holdup. The police couldn't catch them so we waited. We went around through the town and were soon on our way again but as I looked back I could see ever so many police chasing the two animals while they laughed and frolicked on the road to Twin Falls.

I heard the next morning that it was long after midnight before the giraffe and the horse finally went home again.

I will write more later about some of my other adventures since coming back to Idaho. I miss you all very much. You are so precious to me!

love always,

gramachele