New Blood

Kittens about one week old

It is spring. Spring is the time for animals to reproduce. So all our cats got pregnant - even the one of which we thought it is a male one. First 'Diavola' my crazy cat got four kittens. She tried to bear them on the sofa in our living which we fortunately spotted early enough to prepare her a basket. So she gave birth to the kittens in our room and we were watching the astonishing although a litlle disgusting event. An amazing thing to see a new life being born. Her kitties meanwhile have more than one month and are very funny, curious, clumsy and playful. Passing the terrace you really have to take care these days not to scrunch them because they seem to be everywhere at the same moment.

The two other cats got their kittens about two weeks later within only a few days. Interestingly while they seem to be irritated by Diavolas' kitties they bread their own in the same basket and made a kind of kindergarten over their, alternating in breastfeeding and caring for them. Sometimes they even did it at the same time which led to an unclear ball of cats. So right at the moment we have all together 13 cats around the house. When the kittens grow old enough we are going to give them away. Two of them are supposed to hunt mice in the restaurant where Inés is working. The grown up cats we are going to sterilize that we do not open a factory of kittens.

Apart from having young cats Inés one day came home from work with five chicks. Three females and two young cocks. A new try to bread our own chickens and making our hens more happy. Unfortunately these days have been quite cold and so three of them died in the second night of hypothermia. So we had to save the remaining ones, one of which was a young cock fortunately, by bringing them into the house where it was warm enough. I constructed them a small cage in the corner of our living under the oven where they lived the last month. It was quite funny to wake up everyday with their neverending beep-beep-beep. Last week I finally moved them into the cage together with the other hens where I installed them their own small, isolated hut that they will survive any cold snap to come. Let's hope they will grow up well and the cock soon is going to make the hens luckier.

Apart from taking care of lots of young animals Inés and I went to the '1st Pucón Chili Cook Off' two weeks ago. It was a competition of who cooks the best Chili in town. Organized by our favourite pub twelve pubs, restaurants and companies participated. Each of them with their own chili creation from classic ones, over vegetarian chili up to chocolate chili. You had to pay an entrance fee and that for could try as much as you could of all the chilies. They even served sweets and side dishes and offered cheap beer. Each participant had his own decorated stall, music played and in between recurrent rain showers everybody had a lot of fun and laughter and ate until he was totally feeling sated with chili. Visitors could elect their favourite chili and for sure when the winner was awarded party went on in its restaurant until late evening. Well, out of season when their are not that much tourists in town you have to be creative to make business and to amuse yourself. This time it worked quite well.