Cuddles is a two-year-old barn cat that's just had her third litter of kittens.
Peeking in from the tiny doorway, you can see her snuggled up with the three little fellows at the back of the cathouse, purring, with her eyes half closed. It seems like she is in heaven.
***
As of yesterday I'm feeling human again, if not able to exert myself for more than an hour. Should be back at full speed by the weekend, if not sooner. After school every day my son has been digging up manure by the barn and wheelbarrowing it to the garden, while I prune deadstalks from last fall and dig fresh dandelions up by the roots with a slim, long-handled tool. I've tossed flower seeds saved last year into flower pots and chosen spots, and slowly and lazily mixed shovelfuls of manure with worn-out soil. I'm not pushing myself, but after one hour I still come home and collapse onto the couch to rest.
