Mistletoe makes herself at home with our horses.

One Christmas Eve, a flitting shadow hid in our barn.  Knowing that many a lost and hungry critter has found our way into our barn, I put out a bowl of food, water, and a curled up blanket.  On Christmas Day, I went out to feed the horses, and a wide-eyed white and orange spotted kitty warily looked up at me.  Filling up the food bowl again, and grabbing hay for the horses, she watched me intently.

After a day, she decided I was okay and allowed me to pet her as long as I moved slowly and gently.  Skinny, half-starved, with scabs all over her face and neck, she looked like she had been in a serious fight and lost.  Our dogs barked from behind their fenced yard, which was a good fifty feet away from the barn.  It didn’t matter.  This little feline was still terrified, just the same.

As quick as lightning, she dashed up one of the 2×4’s that ran up the side of our hay shed.  Amazed, I watched her dangle from the beam on the inside of our roof with her two front paws hanging on for dear life.  Dangling….and dangling some more… yes, that’s it! I will name you Mistletoe.  On the eve of loosing my beloved mare, Kisper, someone has sent me a precious new life to love and care for.  What an awesome and unexpected gift for this time of year!