Last fall, my daughter went out for a run and came back with a litter of kittens. Smaller than my closed fist, I was surprised the tiny furballs were even weaned from their mother. It started with one kitten popping up in the soybean plants but ended with six in total being brought back to our house.
It’s not unusual for animals to be dumped on our quiet, country road. However, this time I couldn’t get a rescue organization to receive the kittens. I called all the shelters in the tri-county area before I settled into the idea that we would care for the kittens and find homes for them.
What I didn’t realize was that my entire family would turn into “crazy cat ladies.” We mourned the loss as each one left. When a lady took the smallest one, my kids were worried that she had a raspy voice and the kitten would grow up in secondhand smoke.
Another one went to a horse barn, and they lamented that it might get stomped on or freeze in the winter. With only one kitten left, I conceded to allowing it in our house. The final kitten dared to sleep on my bed, curl up in my lap, and stretch out on my couch.
Wanting the best of both worlds, this kitten also goes outside. He follows us on walks through the woods, sits under bird feeders in the dark waiting for rare night birds, and hunts for frogs near the pond. There is so much humor in the fact that I had sworn I would never have an indoor cat, yet this feline quickly became my favorite animal.
Embracing an indoor cat is not the only change occurring in our lives. Just like the leaves have transitioned to brilliant hues of red and orange, our kids have shifted into new seasons. Our older two are discovering the joys and trials of working part-time jobs. The paycheck is good but the time commitment can be difficult. This year has also brought a more intensive wave of schoolwork. Some nights middle school math has me perplexed on a level I haven’t faced since taking a Physics course in college.
This new season of parenting has also trimmed down our available free time. My husband and I celebrated our anniversary in June but didn’t have our date until the end of September. Our calendar filled faster than I could say “date night.”
We only had one open Saturday in September and seized our chance to take our camper to Geneva State Park. On the way, we stopped at Ferrante Winery for dinner on the patio. We served Ferrante wine at our wedding ages ago and went to the restaurant for our first anniversary. Even the dark clouds rolling over the grapevines didn’t stop us from enjoying a delicious meal with live music in the background.
After setting up our camper at the state park campground, we rode our bikes along the path leading to the beach. A few brave Ohians still sat on the beach, denying the onset of fall and impending cold weather. The waves were large and vicious for Lake Erie, rolling in quickly one after the other.
We timed our ride just right to see the sun slip down on the horizon behind the water. As darkness settled over the campground, we built a fire and stargazed. The wide open space above Lake Erie was cloudless and perfect for spotting constellations.
In the morning, we packed up quickly and were on the road early. On the previous day on our way to the state park, we passed the World’s Shortest covered bridge in Geneva, Ohio. The West Liberty Covered Bridge is shorter than our camper spanning only 18 feet across Cowles Creek. It seemed fitting that we should visit the longest-covered bridge in America on the way home.
Both the West Liberty Covered Bridge and the Smolen-Gulf Covered Bridge were designed by John Smolen, a former County Engineer. Covering a distance of 613 feet, the Smolen-Golf is a staggering 93 feet above the Ashtabula River.
The Pratt Truss design used in the bridge dates back to 1843. Although it uses a historical design, the bridge has a life expectancy of 100 years and supports legal load traffic. We discovered that it is beautiful in the fall with foliage changing earlier in the colder climate in Ashtabula County.
That evening at home, I had a black cat curled in my lap and a glass of Ferrante wine on the coffee table next to me. I told my husband we should repeat that trip once a month. He laughed at my optimism knowing it would probably be another year. Together we are embracing all the changes in this season of our family.
