Good morning👋!
It's already mid-August, and as is well known, summer can bring unexpected and stormy weather.
Yesterday, we suffered a devastating DANA that brought heavy rains and hail, which, as I told you in previous newsletters, can be terrible for crops.
It was so severe that in Ontinyent, a neighboring town just half an hour away, the roof of a supermarket collapsed due to this natural phenomenon.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries in this event, but we wanted to send our support and encouragement to everyone affected by this storm.
The topic is still very recent, so instead of talking about the consequences of this storm, I thought it would be a good opportunity to tell you about a happier subject.
And thinking of a story that could brighten your morning related to agriculture and country life, I thought of telling you about one of my favorite parts of village life.
This is how, hidden in our garage wall, we found this mother cat and her kittens, over 5 years ago.
The mother decided to give birth in the safety she found in the gaps between our wall and the ceiling, and when one day we heard the meows of the newborn kittens, we decided to leave food and water within reach so they could recover.
At first, we were quite worried, as this was a rather dangerous place for babies.
One day, one of the kittens playing with its siblings fell from the wall.
Luckily, my wife was nearby and saw it coming, so she was able to catch the kitten mid-air.
Of course, we immediately returned it to its mother so she wouldn't reject it, and luckily, the babies continued to grow as healthy and strong as they were playful.
And it seems that by taking care of them so much, we earned their trust, as they even let us pet them occasionally while they enjoyed the dinner we brought them.
And although at first we feared that they would dispute the territory with our cats, or that our dog would attack them, it turns out that solidarity is not exclusive to humans, because when they saw the babies, they let them stay, and even occasionally played together.
Since the "house owners" had given their approval, we decided to make their new home a more pleasant place, bringing cushions and old rags so they would have comfortable places to nap in their favorite spots.
Getting the bikes out had become difficult, but we couldn't say no to these little faces😻.
Finally, when they were grown up and raised, it was time to say goodbye.
They went off to explore the world in search of adventures, though they always came back from time to time for food and cuddles.
The story could have ended here, however, one of the kittens from the original litter decided to follow in her mother's footsteps, and when it was her time to start her own family, she came back home to do it.
And just like that, we are now raising the third generation, and many more to come.
Life in the countryside may be hard, but it's for moments like this that I wake up every morning facing the new day with a smile.
