September Photo Journal

September's waning. Fall was officially announced last week. My sunflowers are done and the  seeds gathered from the pods for planting next year. Fake pumpkins and scarecrows are popping up on porches. Real pumpkins are stacked in bins at the stores but Floridians know better than to buy them now. They quickly turn to mush in this heat. If you carve them, best to do it Halloween day and expect a wilted gourd the day after.

Despite our best efforts, we still haven't found homes for the feral kitties we found living in the yard behind us this summer. This week we captured them in a crate and carried them to the vet to be spayed and neutered. It was an emotional experience. The poor kits were terrified and obviously hurting when we picked them up. Even though I still hope to place them in loving homes,  I felt the time had come to honor them with names. Naturally, we turned to literature for inspiration. The mama was easy: Minerva (McGonagall), the Hogwarts' professor who transforms to a cat.

So her sons must be wizards. We named the silvery-gray one Albus (Dumbledore) . . .

. . . and the bushy, darker boy, Rubeus (Hagrid). They grow friendlier and more trusting by the day, seeking affection as much as food. When we brought them home from the vet, I expected them to tear off and want nothing to do with us. Not so. They stuck close as if they sought comfort and the next day, Rubeus was rolling on his back, purring and patting at my husband to play. I'm hoping their names will somehow help them find the path to someone's heart. Afterall, in fictional worlds, names are powerful things.