by Stefanie Kramer

Created on: October 06, 2010   Last Updated: October 07, 2010

As for living in the country:

The other night I went out to feed some scraps to one of our cats, Shrek, who happened to be having a late night snack on the deck. Shrek is actually a feral cat who reluctantly joined the family but has become so comfortable with the Kramer surroundings, that he now EXPECTS a daily ear-massage. (I even have had the pleasure of reminding him of his “wildcat status” and carry him out of our house on occasion...just your basic cat whisperer stuff.) Anyway, back to my story. As I bent forward to pet the little scruffster, he shot me a glance. Only he didn't shoot me a glance. It was a opossum.  (Sidenote: For you grammar gurus, would the correct article be an "a" or an "an" preceding opossum?) Cripes. Opossum! I'm beginning to wonder if there's some sort of animal honor roll for varmints who frequent our acreage? Perhaps a Critter Bed and Breakfast? This summer's guest list: skunk, fox, raccoon, opossum, praying mantis (very eerie indeed, yet strangely intriguing), snakes of bull and garter varieties (at least the vile serpents don't make it to the deck - compliments of husband equipped with spade), and a few other rodents of which the cats wouldn't think of allowing to live. (So feline.)

It makes me think perhaps my former life was filled with an incredible amount of action. I either fought off dangerous wild animals in the bushes of Africa; or, perhaps I merely lived in the city. So, in designing my pro forma, I opted for an existence a bit more on the banal side.  A banker (who likes to dabble in writing). And of course, I chose to live someplace quiet - with a pretty landscape - in the country!  Most likely, I was probably putting the finishing touches with the proverbial husband and two kids, getting ready to come into my being when a thought occurred to me. "Stop! God? Maybe we shouldn't take all that adventure away. Perhaps, just, tone it down a bit." So here I am. Waiting for the next strange animal to visit the deck while I witness yet another completely brilliant sunset over the now flaxen fields and pasture lands.

Oh, by the way, did I tell you about the six baby kittens we found last night? No matter how gruff the exterior, nothing brightens your soul quite like a mewing baby animal in the middle of God’s country. Yes, I’d take the country any day.

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