Late to the Play Yard...

A few days ago, I was tagged to play with Susanna and Nancy of Rosemary's Sampler Blog... 6th Picture Meme! (hey, I'm new to this..what exactly does Meme mean?)

Here are the rules to the photo meme:
1.Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.
2.Go to the 6th Folder, then pick the 6th picture in that folder.
3.Post that picture on your blog and tell the story that goes along with the picture.
4.Tag 6 other people that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.

The Story: (Caution: Sniffle Alert Ahead) This is Mister. He was a stray that found the farm, like so many do. He was a different kind of stray though. Curious from afar, expressive and oh, so handsome. He was totally mesmerized by our Birch, who looks remarkably similar.There seemed to be some kind of recognition for him. She, of course, the older cougar, was totally disinterested. I spent months encouraging him to come closer, to trust me and adopt us. I felt a real connection with him and he with me. Trust was a big issue...he was a large male, all of his parts intact, including vicious looking teeth and claws, quite visible during a yawn or stretch. A part of me wanted to "own" him, to "tame" his wildness, "keep" him and yes, have him neutered so he'd stay...another part loved his proud swaggering maleness and battle scars, his wandering ways. Yet, he always knew where"home" was. He'd return to eat and get a few loving strokes everyday.Then, in a flash, he'd be gone again.I didn't know where he spent most of his time and learned to live with that. All I could do was look forward to our happy reunions...on his terms. Unexpectedly, one day, he cautiously crawled up on my lap during one of our visits on the porch. I was more than a little nervous about it and so was he...but he persisted and once we got over our jitters, it became a love-fest like never before. After months of learning to trust each other...we finally sealed the deal. Purrs and Praise. Later that same afternoon, the MAN and I went to get a Christmas tree. Mister stayed on the porch watching us leave. I was thrilled that he was still hanging out after our visit. When we returned, less than hour later, we found him lying on the road by the driveway, most likely hit by a car. The MAN brought him onto the porch while I wailed like a child. No visible damage, no blood, he was still warm...but my heart was broken. I held him close one last time, in that same place and was ever so grateful for the few months where we learned to trust each other. Whatta great, handsome wild boy he was.
This is the old cougar, Birch.

I tag:
Betty from Green Spiral Herbs
Tina from the Essential Herbal
Sarah from Herbs from the Labyrinth
Jenny from Aunt Jenny's World
FarmStyle by Clare
Ellen from Obeehave