The 4th

 Happy the 4th is over.   It's the fireworks.   They terrify some of my cats. 

Not the old deaf ones.   Gigi hid under the cat stairs in the garage.  There was no consoling her fears.

She finally came out when they died down around midnight.

There will be more going on for a couple of nights.  They were extremely close and loud, the illegal ones, shot off by apparently people with a lot of money because not even the legal ones are cheap.

The police here do no enforcement.  Never have.

The people end of block had a party and littered every space with cars.  The usual.

There's been a white camry parked right out front of my living room, well this is the fourth day now.  Neighbors either side of me don't know whose it could be or where it came from.   I'm about to consider it a gift from summer Santa and claim it as mine.  No good as cat hauler but probably runs a whole lot better than my old thing.

I can't do anything with water for another ten days.   Wearing a heart monitor, can't get it wet, can't even shower.   Had a couple incidents in the night, in the two weeks prior, possibly stress related or related to me injuring my neck, back, shoulder once again.   I keep forgetting I'm old, and took in 20 cats to three clinics in that last weekend of cat work prior to going on break.

Anyhow, been alone and depressed over a lot of things, including the possibility of housing loss.   And other losses, although most will be delayed for some time.

The state can't pick up all the federal funding losses.  I realize this, know its impossible.  I don't let this state off the hook for poor oversight, inefficiency and then they go ahead and try to pass a massive tax increase to fund the state transportation department, like 11 more fees (taxes) on all kinds of things including drastic increase in gas tax.  We already have one of the highest gas taxes in the country.   It failed to pass.  So what happens?   ODOT immediately says they have to lay off like 600 people.   Ok, but they would have not received any of that new fees money if that bill had passed for quite awhile.  Doesn't add up.  It adds up to blackmail and fear tactics by ODOT to get a special session called so they can get more money.  Cut it out!!  This state is already one of the most expensive places to live.  Do with what you have.

Trump admin wants to cut housing assistance funds by about half.   They would then block grant the smaller amount to states, who would be expected to create their own housing plans.  Section 8 is to end.   Housing authorities now get their money directly from the feds, so it would be a mess, to be honest, and counties able to be nimble would compete with all the other counties for the funds although counties don't typically administer housing assistance funds around here.  The state would have to create their own housing program and administer all really really fast too.  I know its impossible.  Here's Trump's requested housing budget, what went out in 2025 and what he is requesting for next year, which is pretty much almost nothing.

HUD funding request/change for 2026

Its enough to cause me a lot of stress, wondering, will I be cut, will I have housing next year.

What will become of me.

In the meantime, I will do more projects and hope for the best, which is all one can do.  There's no plan I can make.  

The Big Ugly

 The big ugly, that's what I call the budget bill just passed by our lovely regime.

It guts food assistance, housing and low income medical care.  Probably other stuff too.

But ICE budget is increased by a lot.   I don't know the percentage.   The cruelty has become unbelievable.

The news was full of rural medical hospital people predicting doom for Oregon's medical systems.

Most rural clinics and hospitals rely heavily on medicaid funds with medicaid patients sometimes making up a large percentage of patients.  Which right there tells a story about poverty in Oregon.  But probably everywhere.  The second punch comes because people will still break their arms, get infections, get cancer and they will try to get help at the ER even without insurance.

I think its a third of Oregonians are on medicaid in some form.

Now its getting gutted I guess, along with food stamps, which also are relied on by grocers and local farmers.  A lot of these cuts won't be immediate, so the rich people will try to deflect blame when they do take affect to other things.  They're trying to also shift costs of these programs partly to states.

Nobody mentions the cuts to HUD (Housing and urban development).  Money to states for that will be cut by about half, if what I hear and read is correct.  That may mean me too.   

I don't have any idea if I will lose medical insurance.  I'm not supposed to, being a disabled poor senior.  Doesn't mean I won't though.  I have medicaid as secondary but under a sharing program.  Medicaid pays my medicare premiums.   Ha, what a mess.  What a mess I could be in by spring.   I just don't know what will be the end result.  No one does.  Nothing good for the least of us.

Let the oligarchs celebrate they'll get richer.   On the backs of the likes of me and those like me.

The Last Seven

 Official appointments end today!!!  Summer off!

Today, seven Brownsville cats are being fixed two clinics.

Three are leftovers from the 11 trapped last Thursday, 8 of whom were fixed Friday at FCCO.

The two boys are being fixed at RAD in Corvallis, while Willow, the little girl is being done at OHSS clinic, along with four from the other Brownsville colony, the one where 26 have already been fixed.  30 fixed there as of today.

At Willows colony, 18 have now been fixed as of today.

Between those two colonies alone---48 cats fixed.  Can you believe that?  From two places.

More blooms on the Butterfly bushes.

Its hot today, be mid 90's or higher by late afternoon.  Someone else is picking up the five being fixed in Salem this afternoon since I have a doctor's appointment.

They will drop them off here.

Morris, being fixed today from the larger Brownsville colony

Also Roddy, a female from same place

And Roddy's two surviving kittens--Willie and Nillie

 When I went to get the four from the colony yesterday, I saw some of the already fixed ones, with those right ear tips.  Here are a couple of them, looking good.

Lastly Willow from the other Brownsville colony.

And the two boys, being fixed at RAD

48 cats fixed from just two places.   The number shocks even me.   That's just two places I've worked.

Happy 4th everybody.

Foliage

 Plants are growing like crazy and fruiting.  Right before everything dries out.

No matter how much rain we get and we got over the usual amount in June this year, you can be sure the weather people will put up drought maps.  Never fails.  No matter how much rain, no matter how soggy we've been.....it's a sure thing.

So they get ignored on it.   Maybe rightfully so.

After returning 8 of the cats to the Brownsville colony yesterday afternoon, I was in awe once again, at the sheer beauty of the valley.  There's nothing like seeing it from the heights afforded on Brownsville road.

I only stopped briefly this time, to take some quick photos because there are always cars travelling at high speeds along there.

Cutting of grass seed, other seed crops and hay has mostly already taken place.  The fields are cut with windrowers.  The season of death I call it sometimes.  I cringe to think of that Tangent colony I helped with.  They are surrounded in grass seed fields that the cats roam.  If caught out when the windrowers come through, their legs get chopped off.  I think they said they lost two or was it four last year to the windrowers.   It's a horrible death.  The windrowers chop up so many animals and birds in the fields.  The vultures then move in, by the score, along with eagles, hawks, owls, foxes, you name it, to clean up the pieces of the dead and the injured.  For those animals and birds, it is a season of plenty.

In the above video, vultures and eagles soar above the freshly cut fields.

I've still got three Brownsville colony kittens in my bathroom.   Bri, the tech at RAD, is taking the two boys there tomorrow, to be fixed.  She can't take the girl, they're too booked solid.  The boys are quick to get done.

I'm taking them to her late this afternoon, just before I go to the bigger Brownsville colony, where I've already taken 26 to be fixed.  He had a couple tame ones from the colony and she had kittens, only two of whom survived.  Now he claims the boy is trying to mount the kittens and thinks he's a pedophile so wants them all fixed.  Finally!!   My last spots for the summer are Monday, so I better get them done, I thought, and the fifth will be the other Brownsville colony girl kitten.

HCC is low on funds so its a good idea to take summer off.   For that reason too.

I didn't plant sunflowers out front this spring.   I didn't want to water them.  Water here is highly expensive, if you can believe it.  A wet state that charges high amounts in its cities for water.  Too much for many of us to water anything.  As uncertainty clouds my financial future, with medicaid and housing under threat from our admin, I am trying to save every penny.  I don't want to be homeless.  I don't want to have no medical access.  It's a fruitless endeavor.  Anxiety has plagued my nights lately.  Not only over those two things, but over the ancient failing car situation I find myself in.    The apple tree takes one inch of water a week, I read, so I do that.

Yesterday I fine sanded then polished the murky clouded plastic headlight covers on my car.   I try to do something every day to improve things around here.  A few days ago, I replaced a fallen rotted cat yard run shelf.   There are lots needing replaced by now.  The cat yard is 20 years old.

But I had sunflower volunteers out back, from birdseed.

Volunteer Sunflowers and butterfly bushes

Every other year, the apple tree produces fruit.  Too much fruit.   I've been breaking off many of the young apples so those left will have a better chance and be healthier.  But....its a big job.

The hydranga blooms are deep purple.   Just before the bloom, I add coffee grounds around the base.   It loves coffee and rewards with very deep colored blooms.

And my volunteer catnip comes up everywhere.  Good thing because my cats want it, need it, love it.  They're all addicts.

Happy Sunday!!

Came Shining Through!

 The Brownsville colony folk came shining through!

Not til late last night, but better late than never.

They caught all ten kittens and one of the adults.  Still two adults to catch there, but 8 more fixed today.  They only had 8 spots or 11 would have been done today.

I held out the smallest ones and Brianna thinks she can work the two boy kittens in to be done Wednesday at her clinic and the girl can possibly be done Monday at OHSS.  I couldn't weigh her last night, she freaked out and climbed the walls.

I didn't get home til near 11:00 p.m. then had to weigh the wild thing kittens, the ones I couldn't tell by looking that they were weight grade.  I held back the 3 smallest because FCCO could only do 8 anyhow.

I got only a bit over two hours of sleep, too, before having to get up and get ready to go to Portland.   Fortunately I'd slept some yesterday afternoon.

I took my blankets and pillow and headed straight to the rest area after checking in the cats and went to sleep in the back of my car.  I must have slept five or six hours.  The day went by so fast.  Works that  way when I'm asleep.

So I drove home with the cats well rested and wasn't annoyed by the severe congestion on I5.

The 8 are fed and watered for their night recuperating.  The three others are tearing up what was once my bathroom.  Now to do my cat chores and its a done deal.

This is the only cat of the 8 with a name---they call him Broken.

Tomorrow, these 8 can go home.  Bob went home last night to same place after being fixed at RAD.

Last Rites. Oops, Last Spots

 Last few spots for spay neuter before the official break.

I took in five today.  I was going to drive over six.  The sixth is a friendly male a friend has fed for a couple months now, even had inside her place, but he's not fixed and she wanted him fixed.  

But this morning, harried and late, she came to leave him here and decided to go herself. So she followed me over to the Corvallis RadPets clinic.

She also helped me take in the other five.

The other five are three kittens from Lacomb.   A lady trapped them in her barn and is trying to tame them for homes.  Cy, one of them, isn't taming fast.  Lumpy and Velvet are.  Lumpy she so named because she acquired a large squishy like a balloon lump on her jaw and  below one ear.  Hopefully its just an abscess.

The clinic will check it out today and treat it.

The kittens' mom was fixed a couple weeks ago.

Lumpy and Velvet

Cy

I was hoping the Brownsville folks would catch two, two nights ago, who could round out the five spots today.  Did they?  No.  Not a one.

But finally last night, with me there, they dropped the trap over Bob, one of the unfixed boys.  Wow.  One cat.

Bob from Brownsville

Tomorrow they have 8 FCCO appointments.  So far today--they have caught one adult and two kittens.   There are two more adults needing caught and 8 more kittens.  Lots to choose from.  Lets hope they can get five more of the crew caught at least.

So as a fifth cat, I took along a girl clear from Brooks, whose owner was desperate to get her fixed.   She has a bad flea allergy and is really skinny, proabably from worms.

Shelby from Brooks

I pick up the five at the clinic at 3:00.  In the meantime, I'm going to go down to the Brownsville colony and pick up the three caught and leave a couple more traps.  

At least they've now caught 4 of the 14 needing caught and fixed.   Better than zero.

Back to the Lake

 I went up to the lake for a few hours today and had a blast.  I paddled quite a distance but also relaxed a lot, just drifting nearly dozing.  Would have liked to have napped.

It was mostly kayakers and paddle boarders out on the lake, dozens of them.  Also, at Lewis Creek county park, the yearly water polo tournie was going down, lots of yelling encouragement, buzzers, whistles, and what looked to be a shark feeding frenzy between the nets.  That's what water polo looks like to me--chaos!   

The lake level was up again.  The water was clear and cool and beautiful.   Gorgeous day.

Late afternoon called for clouds return and right on time, as I drove home, there they were dulling up the sky, bringing down the temp.  Supposed to be this way two more days.

At the cliffs, aka high rocks, teens were jumping off.  I asked one if I could take a video of his plunge and he said sure, so I did.  Here it is.  He looks quite experienced at it.   Tossed a rock off first like cliff divers do (yes I watch Tik Toks of cliff diving).   

I once took that plunge on a dare, from the cliffs.   Kids were making fun of me.  Them up top, me swimming.   I had enough of it finally, got out of the water and climbed to the top of the high rocks, pushed in front of all of them, who were hemming and hawing not wanting to be the first to jump, and without hesitation leaped off.  Ha!    What an idiot.  I made my point.  I guess.

I jumped once from the 2nd bridge too.   The scariest part of that was climbing over that high round guard rail.  It may be illegal now to jump from the bridge.  It may have been then, when I jumped.

I no longer have any desire to climb up and jump off.  Mainly the climb up part of it.  Also I should mention, there's poison oak along those cliffs.

I found a runaway dock.  It was in a nice spot against the shore so I clambored onto it and laid out for awhile.   

I don't know where it got loose from.   I like it where its ended up.

After I got home, I unloaded the kayak and loaded some traps and went to the Rock Hill colony.  I only went there to wait on the Brownsville colony folk who were going to catch the only unfixed adult female left there this evening.  There's only tight parking up there so nowhere the cats won't see my car arrive and they know my car.  So I just waited up on Rock Hill. But, as I had suspected, they did not catch her.   Maybe tomorrow.

In the meantime I sat around with the colony caretaker up at the Rock Hill colony, watching her fixed cats race around and play, talking about this and that.   She has one, maybe two boys still needing fixed and I said I'd come try to get them Sunday.   My last appointments are Monday.   It was nice to see her and the cats playing wildly.   I took them to be fixed not that long ago.