The day we had goats in the garden and the parade of gatas, (cats) at the door at our Stone House on the Hill in Greece’s Peloponnese, we knew we’d found the change for which we’d been looking.
Entry to The Stone House on the Hill |
It was a warm summer morning – the windows were open and I was at the computer when I heard the unmistakable hollow clank of goat bells in the distance. The sound intensified along with the percussion of dozens of un-synchronized hooves trotting on the pavement.
Greek goat herd - Peloponnese |
Only they didn’t pass . . . City Slicker lesson number one: the herd came to a halt when they saw us. There they stood, blocking the public road. . .well, until they noticed our garden area and all the tasty morsels growing in it.
Heading for my new rose bush - |
Luckily the shepherd and his dog were quickly making their way from the back of the herd to the front and went to work doing what they do best: herding them back to the road and getting them on their way.
Let’s just say the shepherd didn’t call out a happy greeting to the two of us as he passed.
And Those Gatos/Cats at the Door. . .
"Princess" in January at left; in June on the right |
She was sitting at the door again a few days after our return in the spring, but obviously was being well cared for and she didn’t stay long. She simply dropped in it seemed to eat a bit, sit on our laps and let us know she was doing well.
'Tom' in December at left; in June on the right |
Tom returned this spring – in fact, within hours of our arrival at the house. He’d not fared as well as his sister and sported open wounds to his ears and had lost weight as well as a lot of fur to mites and ticks. Feeding him wasn’t enough, we made a trip to the vet to get medicine for his wounds and to eliminate the bugs. We later took him in and had his ability to father children taken away.
"Mom" with "Tom" at The Stone House on the Hill |
"Mom" with the children |
Lazy summer days at The Stone House on the Hill |
Many of you followed our Facebook posts about the cats and have asked what happened when we left. Well, it was again a reminder of change in culture and routine. There, the cats, are just left behind because we were told, they move on to the next home when the humans depart. I couldn’t quite accept that so we had the gardener putting food and water out for them when he came to tend the plants and friends also came by with food. . .but apparently the cats did as we’d been told. They moved on and neighbors reported no signs of the cats return.
Tom and Princess - Oct. 2015 |
In future weeks I'll be intermixing Greek tales with continuing reports from our Middle East segment of the cruise. As always thanks for the time you spend with us and hope you'll return soon.
Linking this week with:
Travel Photo Thursday – Budget Traveler’s Sandbox
Our World Tuesday
Travel Inspiration – Reflections En Route
Mosaic Monday – Lavender Cottage Gardening
Mersad's Through My Lens
Photo Friday - Pierced Wonderings
Wordless Wednesday