Bedlam Farm Journal: June 7, 2007

    Cloudy, chilly. For the first time in her three years on the farm, Mother the Barn Cat walked with me and the dogs all the way into the woods, perhaps two miles. And back. After two  years of brawling and stalking one another, Rose has finally accepted Mother and even though she positively glowers at her, she doesn’t chase her into the barn or run her off or chase her up posts and trees. Mother darts through the woods alongside me and the border collies, keeping up and meeowing every 10 yards or so. When we sat down for a breather, Mother hopped up into  my lap for a cuddle.
  Mother rules the barns with terror and absolute authority, and Rose never goes in there, and it has been a long time since I’ve seen a mouse or rat, and the woods are not her realm, so it is strange to see her so dutifully keeping us company. I hope she keeps it up. She still dares not enter the pasture – Rose’s realm – when the dogs are out with the sheep. Nor does Rose permit her in the front yard or on the porch.
   I could not have imagined even a few months ago that these two independent, powerful and territorial working creatures  would ever make peace with one another, and I can’t imagine why it suddenly happened. One of those many things about living with animals – they are humbling and remind us daily we don’t know much, smart as we think we are.