Moses, Sam, and Butternut

After leaving my cousin's home in north Florida, I drove to north Georgia to stay for a few days with my friend Eunice. Eunice is a friend from Bradenton who five years ago built a home in north Georgia where she spends her summers. I've visited there several times before, but I looked forward to these few days before leaving for Virginia. The sourwood trees had already changed color when I arrived there so I got my first glimpse of fall.I know that Friday is Ark Day for cat bloggers, so I'll add a cat here. Meet Moses. Moses is fourteen years old and came to live with Eunice on Christmas Eve many years ago. She rescued him from being euthanized. He was living his last day on earth unless he was adopted that day. The people at the shelter called him Groucho because of his black "moustache", but Eunice changed his name to Moses since she had rescued him, just as Moses in the Old Testament was rescued from the bullrushes.
Over the past few years Moses has been ill, and it was thought a couple of times that he would need to be put down, but he lives on. He loves the summer home in north Georgia. There is a wonderful screen porch that he can spend his carefree days on, or he has a wonderful comfy spot on Eunice's bed where he spends a lot of his time.
This is Sam. Sam came to live in the neighborhood a couple of years ago. Evidently abused, he would not let anyone touch him. Kathy and Norm, Eunice's neighbors, began feeding him. When they were away, Eunice would take care of him. Her food was better than Kathy and Norm's. She really spoiled him. Last year Kathy and Norm decided to get a dog, and they tried their best to get Sam to come into their house, but nothing doing. They ended up adopting a dog who is their companion inside. Sam moved to Eunice's and there he stays. She spoils him rotten. The closest she can get to touching him is when Sam nuzzles her hand whenever she's giving him a treat.
Just down the road lives Butternut. At least he eats there in the morning and night. He lives with a young man and his daughter. The young man's wife died in an accident some time ago, and the dad is trying his best to work and raise his daughter. The dog doesn't receive much attention there, so guess where he has ended up. You guessed it...on Eunice's front porch. Sam and Butternut spend their time there, waiting for the magic hour when Eunice walks out the front door to give them a treat. She feeds Sam regularly too. When Eunice comes back to Bradenton later in October, the rest of the neighborhood will take care of the dogs. They're good that way.
Moses will make another trip to Florida where he will spend the winter and spring with Eunice, waiting for the next trip to Georgia where he'll be able to enjoy that wonderful screen porch with his wonderful mom.