Peg Kehret Blog

I’ve lived in the log cabin for eleven years, and last night I added a new animal to the list of critters who share my property. On Sunday evening, I was on the nature trail when I saw a mountain beaver! Anne was with me, and so was our friend, Cheryl. None of us knew what the animal was but we got a close, long look at him, and as soon as we got back to the house, I began searching on line.  Eventually I found a photo of a mountain beaver, and there is no doubt that this is what we saw on the trail. Here’s a link, in case you’d like to see what a mountain beaver looks like: http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/mtn_beavers.htm#status

It is exciting to discover yet another creature who has made my small sanctuary his home.

My neighbor called to say she had caught a cat in her humane trap, and she thought it might be Mr. Stray! I asked her to bring the trap over so that he could be released at my house. She did, but the cat in the trap was not Mr. Stray. It was a male tabby that neither of us had ever seen before. Since my foster cat room was temporarily unoccupied, I suggested we turn the cat loose there. If it belonged to someone, we could find the owner and, if not, I’d keep him until we could find him a home.

We opened the trap and that cat came out like Hurricane Katrina. He climbed straight up the wall, knocking down pictures and tools that were hung there. I have never seen a cat as scared as he was. He went up and down as if he were bungee jumping, and eventually found a hiding place in a drawer underneath the work bench. That was Wed. morning. I have not seen him since! This is Sat. afternoon. He came out during the night on Thursday and ate the food I’d left for him. He ate again last night (Friday) and FINALLY he used the litter box. After two and a half days, I think I was more relieved than he must have been.

I will try to get him to relax enough that he will be adoptable. All of my other foster cats have found loving permanent homes, but since this is obviously an adult feral cat, that may not be possible this time. If I can’t calm him after a few weeks, I’ll retrap him, and release him where he originally was. Either way, I’ll have him tested for disease, neutered, and vaccinated before he leaves my care.

I’ve named him Woody, and I’ll post periodic updates to let you know how he’s doing. Wish us luck! 

My next book, Ghost Dog Secrets, will be published on Sept. 2. I learned this week that it is a Fall selection of the Jr. Library Guild.

 Many years ago, Carl received a gift from some player piano customers who felt he’d given them exceptional service. They contacted our daughter to find out the names of our grandchildren and what the grandkids called us, and then they made a beautiful picture frame, with room for four 5X7 photos. Across the top it says, “Moonie and Papa’s treasures.” (Yes, the grandkids call me Moonie.) Under the photo spaces are the four names: Brett, Chelsea, Eric, Mark.

As soon as the frame arrived we put pictures of the grandkids in it and hung it in our home. Over the years, every time we got new school pictures, we updated the frame. What a wonderful gift this has been! It now holds three high school graduation photos and will get the fourth one next year. I plan to let those by the final four pictures.

The frame hangs where I see it many times each day, and it always makes me smile.

Today is the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. The newspapers and TV stations in my area are running feature stories to remember the eruption and to update us on the regrowth of the region around the mountain.

Although I lived in Washington State at the time, I missed the big event because Carl and I were in Hawaii, celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Volcanoes erupt there all the time, so few people got excited over the news.

Anne and Bob were in college, at two different schools, and both were in the path of the ash. We worried about them, and about our pets who were being cared for by a neighbor. We had no cell phones then, so communication was difficult. Bob was able to drive home; Anne was evacuated on a Red Cross train. The ash missed our home, so the dogs were able to go outside as usual, but for a few days we had great fear of the unknown.

Many years later, I vicariously lived through all the excitement - and remembered my fear - when I researched and wrote The Volcano Disaster.

It’s been a week of good news. First I learned that Runaway Twin is on the Children’s Choices list compiled by the International Reading Association and the Children’s Book Council. This is the only national list of books selected by kids.

The Bank Street College of Education released their Best Books of 2010 list and Runaway Twin is on that, too. Each year approximately 6000 books are reviewed, and then 100 are selected for the list.

This morning came the exciting news that Stolen Children has won the New York State Reading Association’s Charlotte Award. This is New York’s student-voted book award, and I have never won it before - a new charm for my necklace.

I stayed home today, but I certainly wasn’t bored. Here’s what I saw: one dog (Lucy), two cats (Molly and Mr. Stray), five deer, seven elk, two raccoons and one garter snake.  I love living in the woods! 

I learned yesterday that Runaway Twin is a nominee for the 2011-2012 Volunteer State Book Award in Tennessee. This is exciting news! The Ghost’s Grave won this award in 2008, and when I went to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, last year to receive it, I had a grand time and met many wonderful people.

When I turned on today’s news and saw the devastation from flooding in Tennessee, including Murfreesboro, my heart sank. Carl and I stayed at the Opreyland Hotel in Nashville once when I spoke at a conference there, so I was sad to see that beautiful lobby under water, and I am worried about the many new friends that I made last September.

My loving thoughts go out tonight to everyone in Tennessee.