Cold causes escapades with Mama Kitty

OK, enough already with the freezing temperatures. What a challenge it has been to stay warm and avoid freezing pipes. I understand a few have been unfortunate to have their pipes burst. We luckily escaped that one, but just by the hair of our chinny-chin-chin. We felt bad for our barn cat, Mama Kitty, and made her a bed in the garage when the mercury first plummeted to single digits. That was our first mistake. Then, we thought (really it was my husband, Richard's, idea but I went along with it - makes me just as guilty, right?) that if the garage door was left open a little bit so she could come and go as she pleased that would make her the happiest barn cat in the neighborhood - OK maybe just on our street. That was the second and biggest mistake of all. We discovered that it doesn't matter how much insulation is in your walls or on your garage door, when you leave the door open the room becomes the same temperature as the outdoors. Let's just say that the universe was watching out for us even though our common sense had definitely checked out in this situation. The only thing that froze was the part of the pipes (or more accurately the nipple on the regulating valve) coming off the holding tank in the garage. About 15 minutes with the hair dryer on high pointed at the important area and we had running water once again. Phew!

You know, Mama Kitty had already figured out that the RV was warmer than the primo bed we made for her because I could see her sitting on the dashboard basking in the sunlight - probably muttering under her breath about the dumb humans who left the garage door open and nearly froze her toes off. Sorry, Mama Kitty! She is perfectly happy spending the night in the garage with the door snugly shut ... imagine that. Be sure to take care of your outdoor pets but be sure to use your common sense when preparing a warm, safe spot for them.

In mid-December, there was a meeting at the fire station on Pinto Lane regarding the diversion of water from the underground source for our wells. There was a tremendous turnout - standing room only with probably several hundred people filling the main room where our annual barbecue is held during the summer. There have been several positive things that came out of that heated discussion and informative session.

The first one is that a group of about 20 people have gotten together to represent us as a whole. They will meet with Doug Johnson as well as other county officials to learn more on this topic and try to come up with a viable solution for this important issue. I understand that they have already had one meeting to solidify their motivations and intentions. The second thing is that one of our residents, Gary Swift, has set up a Web site to keep our residents informed on the issues, changes and progress of the group on this subject. He plans to post the minutes of future meetings of our representative group and any other pertinent information for the residents to be able to stay informed when it comes to vital issues concerning their property. He states that it is still under construction but would like you to invite you to check it out at www.geocities.com/ruhenstrothwater. He plans to utilize it to keep the residents informed as to upcoming changes in the water rights for our wells. Kudos to Gary. We really appreciate all your efforts.

Have a ramblin' good week.

n To reach Gail Davis, e-mail RuhenstrothRamblings@yahoo.com or call 265-1947.