There were many suggestions, with Alison making the final choice of “Scamp” over Rascal, Gadzoo, Lucky, and severa Longhorn quarterbacks.

Scamp snoozing on the couch.

Scamp appears to be part terrier and part something else – he looks kind of beagle-ish but more than a few people have said he has a Jack Russell personality. Here’s a picture of Scamp sacked out after an evening of chasing cats and toys.

Alison cuddles with Scamp

We weren’t planning to add another pet to our family, especially a dog. That’s what I keep telling the cats, but they aren’t buying it. But this puppy was too adorable to resist and the way we found him was just too fortuitous. Plus, he looks like a twin of a stray pup that my brother and I brought home when we were kids. Yazoo turned out to be a great dog.

Our vet says he’s about 8 weeks old. He’s got a lot to learn, yet (ask the cats). His favorite toy is a red rubber chicken, or any cat toy that’s closer to where he is.

New kitten Cookie and new Mom Tootsie pose for a picture on the day the kitten was born.

It’s been more than a long time since I’ve posted anything to Rancho Chase. Life has been hectic and time has been short.

I got a surprise call at work last Friday from my daughter who breathlessly shrieked “Daddy! Tootsie had a kitten!” about three times before I understood her. Even after I did I had to get confirmation from my wife that the news was real.

Sure enough our youngest black cat is now a Mother.

We adopted Tootsie (the new Mom) at 5 weeks of age from neighbors who rescued her from the side of the road after seeing her thrown from a car and crossing 2 lanes of traffic to safety.

The kitten is black, orange, and white, and our vet has advised that the chance of it being a female are about 99.9%. Alison has named the kitten “Cookie” and declared there’s no way anyone else can adopt it.

Tootsie first surprised us by being in the family way without our knowledge and now amazes us with her mothering skills and constant devotion to her baby. Prior to the kitten’s arrival Tootsie has always been aloof and wary, which we’ve been told may be due to not being with her Mother long enough to learn social skills.

Last weekend our weather was perfect and I noticed that our fruit trees in the back yard have awoken from their winter dormancy and are displaying flowery buds. Above is a picture of some buds on our pear tree and here’s what our peach tree is showing off:

It won’t be long before bluebonnets start appearing along the highways to signal the real arrival of spring in the Hill Country!