It takes a while to learn what everyone likes. First it’s your mate, then the children and finally it comes down to the pets. Through observation and diligence it is possible to give everyone what they want.

Of course, I am an empty nested widow, so pets are important to me. I like everything about them except for the three times Mandy wandered down to the highway and I had to fetch her from the Animal Clinic. One time she stopped traffic in both lanes with a circle of motorists trying to coax her off the road. Becky retrieved her that time and was pretty unhappy about the commotion.

It got so bad that a lady who works in the clinic across the road from ours puts her in the car and brings her to me. Actually, she doesn’t “put her”…..Mandy willingly jumps in her car and would with anyone else.

However, that is another story. I intend to write an update on Napoleon. He has been with us now for three full years. At first, he came strolling across Becky’s yard like he’d lived there all his life. He came from the back woods and we assumed he would disappear as he came. But that wasn’t the case.

Becky, Rocky and I tried everyway we could think of to feed him. Rocky bought wild game-bird feed which looked like chicken mash. He had nothing to do with it so the expensive food sat in the garage. Becky thought to offer bread and would break it up in bite sized pieces which he relished……so for months that was his feed along with what he could graze from our yards. In south Missouri that isn’t hard. We have every kind of bug, insect or worm you can think of.

In his first winter Becky noticed he would eat the left-over canned cat food that she put out for her cats. It soon became his habit to appear at feeding time, chase the cats away and eat their food. As time went by he began following me around the yard with the cats in parade. They were a nosey bunch who inspected everything I did outside. They love to be talked to and I can do that because I’m alone all day…..everyone in the neighborhood tolerates him though he can be messy at times on porches or cars.

He has become so tame he will hop up on the front porch, look in the door and call me. He is an excellent trainer. I come to the door and ask what he wants, then disappear to the kitchen to find something to feed him. He has a sweet tooth and loves chocolate. He will eat a can of cat food in one visit and finish with a drink from one of the bird baths.

He can be heard through the night, calling for a female but none ever come. I know he is lonely for his own kind but with his habits none of the neighbors would ever tolerate another peacock. They know he is a rarity and enjoy his visits in the evening when they are home…..but he always comes to my house for his last meal before flying up to his tree of choice.

This morning he dined on some fruit cake I dug out of the freezer. With all the nuts, candied cherries and pineapple…..dates and raisins, he ate with gusto. Please don’t send me any fruit cake jokes, I’ve heard them all. I like the recipe very much that Barbara’s mother gave me years ago. It is actually called Nut Cake as there are two quarts of pecans and other nuts besides all the candied fruit.

Mary was a lovely Southern Belle that I met through Barbara when she married John. Much to our sorrow we lost her too early in life but she left her mark on all of us who loved her.

Her recipes still feed us........and Napoleon as well.....

Essentially Esther