Cats have many different sides, unlike most dogs, who love consistency and familiarity. Every dog is different, but Zinnia is a great companion dog. I’ve never seen her in a bad or angry mood.

Every time I look at Zip, I see a different animal. Sometimes, he is ferocious; sometimes, mischievous; sometimes, murderous and cruel; sometimes, charming and agreeable, always curious. He is an explorer, always heading out to canvass a different space. At night, I see him as a mystic devil, scouring the earth for rodents in the barn.

Sometimes, he is playful and kittenish. He loves to chase and be chased by the dogs.

He sometimes does all of those things in the same few minutes. There are a dozen Zips, from flirting with people to ignoring them altogether. He makes up his mind and doesn’t take too many directions, if any, seriously.

Without question, he loves the freedom of the farm, the woods, and the gardens. I often see him in different moods on the same day. Sometimes, he hangs on the porch, and sometimes, I see him as a dot on the horizon, heading out for the marsh or the deep woods behind the farm. He’s intimidated by the Imperious hens, charmed by the donkeys and the dogs, and is intimidated himself only by loud trucks on the highway.

That is a good thing; he never goes near the highway.

I never see him coming, and I never see him going. But he knows where I am every minute of the day.

There is a risk to being an animal like that around here, and I accept it and worry about him when he vanishes for most of the day, but I wouldn’t take his freedom away from him for a bar of gold. He is not a boomer child; I can’t protect him from every danger and threat.

As I did today, I usually go outside to take pictures daily, either in and around the garden beds or out in the woods with Maria. He always shows up in seconds.

One thing he faithfully does every day, except for his exploratory excursions, is sit with me while I work. He understands the seriousness of my work and respects it, as Zinnia does, and leaves me alone. But he loves to be there and insists on it. I appreciate his company.

Sometimes, he jumps up on the table to be alongside me; sometimes, he lies right under my chair, keeping an eye on me. Today, I got this photo of Zip looking up at me when I looked down to see where he was.  I often see the soft side of Zip down there in the afternoons.

Today, I  saw love in his eyes.