What's missing

    If you have come to Pine Knot before you may remember we are particularly fond of our dogs and cats. We are sad to say we lost four members of our furry family. Three were 18 year old cats, two were born here and the third found us when he was a starving stray. A pitiful orange and white tom cat came one day in August when the Eupatorium purpureum was blooming along our roadsides. Although we already had four cats we could not turn this fellow down, so Mr. Joe Pye Weed joined our family. Joe designated himself nursery greet cat and he took his duties seriously, frequently accompanying customers around the whole nursery. He would go out with the potting crew and settle into a flat to supervise or help with the transplanting by walking down each flat of seedlings watching for mice. Joe had the kindest, most friendly nature we have met in a cat, he liked everyone. From the first this stray wasn't afraid of our dogs, of small children or strangers as is the case with many cats. His purr rumbled in his chest from the day he came until he died im my arms. Joe Pye Weed

    White Socks and Baby Shirt were born at the farm. Our daughter Helen and her house mates adopted two kittens while they were at N.C.S.U. When Helen brought the two sisters home on Spring Break. As sometimes happens during Spring Break both girls met an intriguing country tom and the Girls Went Wild. When they came back to the farm for Summer Break both were heavily pregnant. Not too many days later they had kittens. The litters were combined and the new mothers shared their duties, each nursing all the kittens in her turn. After a few days it was impossible to tell which kitten went with which mother. Three of the young ones became our cats. Popsicle, and orange and white tom, White Socks a gray and white female and Baby Shirt a tabby male. White Socks enjoyed her kitten-hood outside and for a couple of years was known as a Butterfly Destroyer. She would leap four feet into the air to capture a butterfly innocently feeding on a Buddliea bloom. She would come in with wings sticking out of each side of her mouth. After several years Socks decided she preferred indoor living and usually stayed inside unless we were late coming in from work. Then she would come out to the end of the walk in her White Socks and howl at us. If no one responded in the proper amount of time she would come out to the shipping house and most indignantly, remind us it was way past time to come inside and give the kitties their after work snack.(Ckick on image at left to see a larger photo of Dick and our 6 cats at snack time.) Socks spent the last few years of her life in a basket on our kitchen counter where she could supervise the preparation of any food stuff that might be acceptable to cats. Socks died peacefully in her sleep, a gentle old lady. White Socks in a Tree

     Baby Shirt chose me (Judith) to be his person when he was just a few days old. He would stumble out of the kitten nest at the sound of my voice even before his eyes were open. His name, Baby Shirt and Pants, was derived from the fact that when he was a kitten his fur was darker on his hind end than on the front end. This gave his the appearance of wearing a shirt and a pair of pants. He was a small cat, never more than 5 or 6 pounds, but in his heart he was a lion. For 18 years he would greet me each morning, and accompany me through my day. He would ride on my shoulder, with his front paws hanging on to my back and his hind end cupped in my hand. sit on my computer, in my chair, help me with whatever I was doing and sleep beside me each night. Baby sat with me patiently every hour as I wrote and came running when I called his name at bedtime. His fur smelled of sunshine and moss and his purr warmed my soul. I loved him unreservedly and I see his shadow everywhere I go. Baby Shirt in my chair

Hellebores

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Pine Knot Farms