Laid Up

 I'm laid up and have to rest another week, at least.  I pulled or tore some ligament near my illiac crest is what I determined (Dr. Google).  But its not all self diagnoses rest assured.  I had this problem at least once in the past and was real doctor diagnosed.   

Not that easy for me to do nothing but if I don't, these things haunt you forever.

It's the perfect time to do nothing.  Its not stopped raining for a long time.

I ate the Dragon Fruit I got at Gleaners.   I'd never tried one before and I did like it.  Its not a strongly flavored fruit, which surprised me, since its color is strong.

I got tagged in a post from Kate, who adopted Tiny Tim from me 15 years ago on Halloween.   That was when I flew down with him to Huntington Beach, from Portland.  My brother the travel agent gave me his miles to make the trip.   Alaska Airlines treated Tim and I like a King and a Queen, moving us to first class and allowing Tim out of his carrier.

Kate took me on a whirlwind three hour tour of HB while I was there too, before I had to catch the flight back.   I didn't get home until like 2:00 in the morning so it was a very tiring trip but it was fun.

Tim is a very old man cat now but still alive and kicking.

There's Tim, with his best buddy.   Tim only has three legs.   He had come "flopping" up to a place where I was trapping.  I caught the poor boy, whose knee had been destroyed in a dog attack.  The vet amputated and he was jumping around the next day!  Kate has been the best for him, could never have found better.  Tim is sooo lucky.  Seems like yesterday but he joined Kate 15 years ago!!!

I've been playing with the cats a lot.   The 7-11 colony kittens--Chia, Machi and Pistachio, are so fun to play with.  They're hardly kittens anymore.  They love to play with Dougie and Cougie, from Waterloo.

I have to check myself when I see Pistachio, because I think omg its Comet, but Comet died years ago.

The big guy is coming through still.  This was early this morning, taken from my car.

Here's my dead pumpkin from years ago.  I usually at least carve one, for fun, but this year I didn't.

Blah Blah

 I don't know what happened with those two weeks of doing too much so that now I can't bring myself to do much of anything.

I haven't cleaned the traps yet from after returning all those cats early last Friday morning.   That's so unlike me.

I have no energy for drama right now whatsoever.   I leave my phone sound turned off.

It's been pouring too, so what can a person do when its so wet out but inside chores.

I'd like to finish a couple of colonies, using the funds we have left and the private clinic.   But the places to finish have disinterested unengaged caretakers which makes it so difficult.

Also, both locations the caretakers themselves have traps and could, if they applied themselves, catch the cats themselves.  But haven't and probably never will.

I'll get back to myself one of these days.  Maybe when the shock of winter hitting hard here and early wears off. The knowledge the next months will be hard, with the weather yucky and icky and if the sun comes out it still won't be warm, is depressing.

I'm toying with the idea of partial retirement---closing the spay neuter mission for now, since, let's face it, I can't really get cats fixed when there's no place to get it done affordably anymore.  

The decline of the most local option, the clinic in Salem, to pretty much insignificance in spay neuter help, along with the lying that went on, when the Portland shelter took over the Salem one, that nothing will change, when everything did, its been a blow.  Not just for cats in the mid valley but to those who help them, mentally and financially.   I have this gut feeling that Portland shelter wanted it this way, to rip the hearts out of mid valley cat helpers.  I don't know why I think that, just a feeling, a resentment towards them because they lied in the first place.   I had tried to be so optimistic.   They have so much money, I thought of course they'll see the extent of the overpopulation problem and jump in to set up even more clinics, expand them and help solve the problem.  Ha.  What a joke.  When any organization has a PR spin department, red flags!!!!!  

So I decided to look through old photos, poorly organized on my computer.   

This was the yard when I first moved in, before the ground began to sink in many spots from constant rain, before the two maples grew to massive girths and began  dropping branches on the house and car and had to be removed.  This was after fencing the yard, before I covered it to contain the cats.   Even then, the yard seemed incapable of growing grass, due to moisure content and clay soil.

I remember the episode from the next few photos.  On way to FCCO with a lot of cats, something flew off a vehicle ahead of me, just before Wilsonville on the freeway, slicing part of the sidewall of my tire.  No one slowed or gave way as I tried to get to the right hand side of the freeway.   When I made it off the freeway I realized there was a dead smelling deer very near me.  I had to remove all the cats, to get to the jack and donut, so carried them down a slope so they wouldn't be as afraid with the freeway noise.   No one offered help.   I got the donut on, and by the time I got to the FCCO, it was flat too.   The regular tire I'd taken off was ruined.   AAA came to the FCCO and fixed the flat donut and I then took off to find a tire shop to replace the tire.  Costly trip.

16 cats carried down a hill to be out of harms way from the freeway.

Tire with destroyed sidewall

Dead rotting deer near where I pulled off freeway.

Flat donut

That was way back in 2012.   Long time ago.  I just ran across the photos.

One of the many branches that fell off the maple before it was cut down.

Snow dusting the hills, taken over a decade ago

Who could forget the Guinea that showed up--very loud bird.  He or she vanished about the time I decided to drop trap the bird and send it off to a place who wanted it.  

And all the ducks who mysteriously showed up here now and then

Well I need to get busy, so much for memory lane.  I'll do it again, because I'm finally trying to organize my photos.  I like to look at them and some just need deleted.  

Election

 I am so tired of the constant election ads.   I've gotten dozens of election slicks--all from two opposing candidates for congress, one democrat, one republican.  I would love to punish both, by not voting for either of them.  I hate those election slicks.   They're just dumping excess campaign cash into them.  Nobody pays any attention to them, that I know.

I live in a world where every penny counts and these elections drive me batty because I see literally piles of money, that could be used for good things, going up in smoke.

I realize the tremendous importance of this election.   I will vote.   But I might be a disallusioned voter.  

We have tremendous problems in Oregon, problems neither side ever addresses.   

I despise the follower mentality, the godification of candidates, the blindness of following.   

If Trump is elected and he follows through with his threats to deport all illegal immigrants, for instance, I bet half our county would be gone and employers would be scrambling like crazy to find employees.  Seriously its so ironic in many ways that so many people living in an ultra conservative county are likely illegal and working for outwardly ultra conservatives who would be up a creek without them.  It will be interesting to say the least.

When people began calling me about how awful it was that haitians were eating cats and dogs somewhere in Ohio maybe, knowing that was fake news, I would just tell them worry more about all the animal abuse here, in our little county, by good old American citizens.  When we rid ourselves of animal abuse, neglect and abandonment here, then you can worry about somewhere else.

Anyhow, I hope there's no temper tantrum crap like the January 6 thing from before.   Sore losers are an embarrassment too.     Anyhow, that's life here now and has been for years.   

I have views, opinions, but they don't match up completely with either party.  I don't know a lot about everything on earth. I know very little about world economics, for instance.  It cracks me up to see online that a lot of people think they are experts at all kinds of things.   I like to comment things like, "I haven't recently studied the relations between oceanic temperature and Gulf Stream micro changes in loss of Greenland ice pack."   Lol.  Also I don't see how bombing children can ever bring about peace.  I cannot sleep nights if I hear news of more children being torn apart by bombs and I don't see how anyone can.  I want to cover them with my body.  I want to somehow protect them all.   I can't.

Why do grown ups want to kill each other in the name of this or that or anything really.

Is it all hormones?   I know I'm diverging, but I think about that kid, from a couple weeks ago, 15 years old, in that affluent suburb of Seattle, who recently shot his parents and three siblings, tried to place blame on one sibling, whom he had killed.   A sister, just 11, survived the horror.    WTH?

I think of the video I saw recently, of a gang of teens beating up a kid in the street and a woman, a teacher, weaves her way into the violence to throw her body over that child being beaten.  The attackers ran.

Courage. Decency.  Independent thinker.  There were plenty of others standing around doing nothing but watching.

I despise followers.  I'll vote.  But I might leave a few lines blank if I think they're just blind followers.

Rain

 We have had soo much rain the last few days.

Came down in buckets.   

I spent the weekend sleeping off last week.   Strange dreams too.

In one, I was walking my dog, Denali, who is long long long gone. Decades gone.

And when I stopped to help a lady whose dogs got loose, I realized Denali wasn't at the end of the very long leash anymore.

I searched and searched to no avail.   Finally I went to a shelter, where apparently I worked.  And one head honcho said "Did we get those dogs in yet from Springfield?  When they come in, take them out back and shoot them."   I stared at her in disbelief.  At that moment a large crate with four beautiful dogs inside was brought in.  One was a bright eyed beautiful young German shepherd.  I yelled at her to look in their eyes, you murderer.  You're a shelter for gosh sakes!   They planned to sell their bodies to research companies.  I threw down my work gear and stormed out.

I went to a different shelter who said they had found my dog, but I couldn't remember exactly what she looked like or if this was my dog they were showing me. I wondered why I couldn't remember.  They said this dog would be killed if I didn't take her.   Then I was suddenly with a family outside their house and begging them to tell me the way back to where I lost my dog, because I didn't know how to get there but they ignored me and were laughing and talking about other things like they couldn't hear me.   I woke up then.

I had another dream where I was in a dormitory for some reason.  The front part had no walls, and was open. The side of the room had huge holes where the floor met the wall.   The dean of the dorm came to say hello and I said I can't stay here, my cats will get out.  I had three cats with me, Slinko was one of them and he at that moment jumped through the open front out into the hallway.  The dean leaned down to pet him and said "what a nice cat" then to me "I can see why you can't stay here."

After sleeping almost all day yesterday, I finally am awake at 4:00 this morning.  I do work hard, then I recuperate for a few days of mostly sleeping.  It's always been that way.  Some of the work is physical, carrying heavy traps all over, loading and unloading them repeatedly, but its also a lot of stress and my method of removing the stress is to sleep it off.  Seems to work for me.

 I don't know if its still raining out this morning.  We've been close to freezing a few nights here but so far have not had a real freeze.  I suppose that will change.  We're supposed to get our usual wet winter with snow in the mountains, with a slight La Nina pattern.  

Saturday I made grape juice from the concord grapes gleaned Thursday.  I put them on the stove in a large pot with some water, brought to a boil, mashed them with potato masher, let simmer a few minutes, cooled, then strained through cheese cloth.   I got three pitchers from the two sacks of grapes I picked.  It's very good grape juice.

We have a gleaners potluck next week, at the monthly meeting.  I haven't decided yet what to make to take.  

I am taking a break from cat fixing since I have no appointments until the very end of next month.   My nonprofit has very little money currently, so if I get any cats fixed at the private clinic it will be one or two in unfinished colonies.   Maybe I can get up to Sweet Home to get the ones left at the 7-11 colony, for instance.  It cost the nonprofit about $1600 to get the 15 cats fixed from the Waterloo colony.  They were almost all girls and I paid extra to get them three-way vaccines.  At home, I wormed them with my own supplies and flea treated them too.   Nothing is easy or affordable anymore in regards to fixing cats.   It's become a nightmare of costs, driving and deciding who will get helped and who won't.  

Tabitha from 7-11 has fit in well here.

I took Buggyboo, the kitten from the Belinger road colony, up to Portland Friday evening.   It was a very long drive due to congestion on the way up and on the way back.   But it was worth it to leave him in the hands of a very capable adoption group.

I was so tired by Friday evening, I stopped at the rest area when I finally got there, after leaving off Buggyboo, and slept a bit before driving the rest of the way home.  I had another doctors appointment Friday afternoon, like the Friday before, for my ringing ear, the third attempt to get in there in as many weeks, but once again they cancelled it last minute.  Three times now.   I won't make another that they will just cancel last minute.  Its pointless.   Three times?   I think I have water in my ear.  When I bend over and turn my head there is a whoosh sound like water moving.  It will work out eventually I hope.

All Done Colony

 I took the other 9 cats from the colony to the clinic to be fixed yesterday morning.

It was very foggy and beautiful out.

I spent a couple hours cleaning then returned five of the cats who had been recuperating from surgery the day before.  But one of the five wasn't quite ready to go back, so I brought her back home and set up a cage for her for at least a night.   She's Joplin, the sweet little torti point Siamese girl.

I had a grape glean with gleaners but when I picked up the nine cats from the clinic, there was no time to come home before the glean, so they went with me.  I got a large bag of concord grapes and have to process them into grape juice.  That will be tomorrow.

I couldn't set up the cats for the night in the garage.   I got a call about 4:30 that the duct people are coming this morning.  Oh no, I thought, but did not say out loud on the phone.  I'm so exhausted from the last few days. Have ten cats to return this morning, nine fixed yesterday and the torti point who is now completely recovered.  I spent the next hours feeding the cats and trying to get ready for the duct people, moving things in the garage, cleaning, etc.  I couldn't get to sleep, worried about it all.   And from too much coffee yesterday.

I have a doctors appointment this afternoon, then am supposed to take Buggyboo up to a Portland rescue also.   Oh my.   Well, I'm happy they're coming though, supposed to rain this weekend heavily and that means water under the house.  So best it be done today.  One duct broke off from the rusted out register and is laying on the ground under the house, is the reason they're coming.   My brother graciously decided to replace all the aging ducts.  It's not a big house, so its not a big job and shouldn't take too long.    I can handle being a bit tired to get that done!   I'm really happy about it.   My brother is good to me.

Bigfoot

Chinook

Coho

Exotica

Santiam

Scio

Shimo (this is the kitten the lady hand grabbed two days ago)

Sleepy

Wisty

Of the 15 fixed, 10 were girls.   I'm so happy to get them all done in two days.   Also I caught the two dumped park kittens and found a rescue for two other kittens.  So...big week with also Buggyboo leaving today.

Cats and Drama

 I determined to get a Waterloo colony fixed fast, for the people involved--two ladies.  

Yesterday, I trapped six there, beneath the drop trap, quickly.  They were so hungry.  At the same time, a Portland rescue agreed to take Buggyboo.  He will leave Friday.   I'm so happy for him.

Hummer

Joplin

ZZ

Madam

Footsie

Foodie

He went back to the vet on Monday, got antibiotics, fluids and a fecal sent off, that turned out to be negative for all parasites.  He's doing better.    

I dropped the six cats off in Corvallis to be fixed this morning, then returned to Waterloo to trap the remaining 8. There are 9 left unfixed, but the folks feeding them had grabbed one by hand and had it in their place, so I just picked him up later.

This colony will be fixed completely by tomorrow night.

But....I also had to trap the two dumped kittens at Waterloo park.  It took only two minutes to catch them  because they came running out of the brush to my car and I set one trap by my car tire and caught both in like 30 seconds.

The two park dumped kittens, very small with URI

The feeder lady had said she'd take them and had a room set up for them in her house.  So I left them there after catching them.

I checked my messages after I trapped the kittens and was sitting there parked still.  Uh oh.  A series of messages from two or three different Waterloo folks.  Some lady was making claims like I stole her cat.  Um no.  I don't steal people's cats.   I have plenty. 

She claimed the cat had kittens and needed to come home now, was angry, accusatory.   Turns out one of the six was not hers, but her moms.  Her mom was actually helping the lady with the strays until her husband had a bad health issue and was in the hospital so she's been gone a week, the other colony caretaker says.  In the meantime a daughter was to care for the cat.    I guess the cat got out though and she said had been missing several days.   The woman who contacted me was a different daughter. Well, I said, she's only been with me one day, if its her.

Later she texted back to apologize for being so mean and said thank you and gave an address many blocks from where she was trapped. I knew the address.  I'd gotten cats fixed from there before.  I guess she had just moved in there.  I didn't know yet when she was first making such accusations that her sister and mom live behind the colony. Her accusations, most online in public of course, hurt, in part because I'm really really tired.  Anyhow, all worked out and I returned the cat to her because she had the cats kittens there, she said.   I don't know what happened in the first place, if the cat was there at the place I returned her to, so many blocks from where she was caught, so very hungry, in the first place, then got outside and booked it back home, to behind the colony, or what, but its all good in the end.

After I trapped the park kittens, I then went and trapped 8 more at the colony.  They had one kitten hand caught in the house by then, so I picked that one up later.  All will be done by tomorrow evening.

Fall Colors?

 I've laxed in taking fall color photos this year.   I don't know why.  

Last night, coming home, I thought I better get something and clicked to on, my phone, sitting up in the dash cam holder.   

It was too dark and the phone tried to compensate so not that terrific.

We're more an evergreen state, with tree type, than a decidious one, by and large.  Cities that plant trees along streets are often best bet for fall color photos.

Yesterday morning, I lounged in bed.  Four of my cats wanted to lounge with me.  Three of the four are very elderly.  Teddy only recently decided to be tame.  He's from a Corvallis homeless camp years upon years ago.  His sister, Starr, died last summer of age related kidney fail.   Fantasia too is very old and her sister, Echo, also died last summer.   Teddy is experiencing signs of IBS, as sometimes happens in old age with cats.   This is not a fun syndrome to deal with, as a pet carer, cleaning up and also watching the rapid decline.  Slinko is aging out too, my little shadow, now old, not so uppity to the other cats, and has softened to include cat friends in his life, laxing on his self appointed guard me at all times duties to cuddle with new best buddies Teddy and Fantasia, as they also decline.  By contrast, Otto, on far left, is only middle aged.

Otto, Fantasia, Slinko and Teddy, on a lazy Sunday morning

I was sent photos yesterday of two more kittens dumped at the park.   Sure, I'd like to get them out of there and fixed, but there is nobody going to take them on right now.  The system is overtaxed with unwanted kittens and cats, dogs and puppies, and those trying to fix them wait in lines, virtual or otherwise, fretting and counting dollars frantically.    Crises mode has settled over the animal welfare world.  The big rich shelters do almost nothing to help.  The little people scramble and scrabble to do the work instead.  The animals suffer.

Here are the two latest littles in the park.

Buggyboo is sick, the kitten from the drug property colony fixed last week.  Diarrhea.  I've got to get him in to see a vet.

I think this week I'll trap a 13 cat colony up in Waterloo, to turn off the faucet there fast.   It's important there, in that tiny cute little town.  I like Waterloo, been there trapping so much over the years, right by the Santiam, would like to live there to be honest.  Before the disease of gentrification ruins it too.  It's already begun.

The kid there is five, a talker, funny.  He followed me to see where the cats were hiding and when I sat down on a log to rest my knee he climbed up beside me.   He told me "I like to destroy things" and quickly jumped down to prove it.  He picked up a hammer and smashed an apple half rotted near my foot.  I moved my foot.  I envisioned my toe like that apple is why.   His mother shooed him back towards his father and the house.  I watched him go, thinking here at least a boy can smash apples.

Sometimes I like feeling dirty and badly dressed in this world where such things are so looked down upon.  I want to be a wild animal, lashing back.  I want to defacate on a glowing green weedless lawn.  Ah, the dreams of an old woman.

Buggyboo, in the video, this morning, before I packed him up and took him over to the vet.  Drop off appointment.  They'll figure out his diarrhea issue, I have no doubt.