Memorial Day

 The long holiday weekend is almost over.

I hate to admit that I have not so much as left the house.

I did go outside at least.  I mowed the front yard and I mowed the backyard.  I did not cut the grass in the cat yard yet.

Today is a memorial for those who died defending the country.

We have many veterans in the family but this is a day to celebrate those who died in wars.

Not the living.  Not the dead of natural cause.  Many use it as a day to remember any deceased loved ones.  I still talk to some of my dead friends as if they are here, since really, who else am I going to talk to, except my cats of course.  

What we as humans do to one another in conflicts is barbarian.    What we do to one another prior to conflict to cause conflict is also usually barbaric.

The end of cul de sac folk had a get together was it Friday night or Saturday?  I don't recall which day.   Lots of cars along the street, is all I notice, and young kids playing with balls down at the end.  Young people voices are welcome to my ears.   Sounds like life.

Yesterday, it was cars at the house next door.  Then people.  I was out to do the back yard finally.  I said hello and asked if they were the new neighbors and they said yes and came over and introduced themselves.  I thought it was a large extended family at first but realized it was a dad helping his young adult daughter move.   There will be three young women there, one of them said.  All seem very nice and I am relieved.    Its' a crapshoot to get new neeighbors.   I think my big fear was to have some psychopath control freak cat hater, or general hater of everything, move in.  I like our neighborhood.  I want to keep liking it.

One of my friends told me she had worried my luck would run out.  I've had good neighbors every time so far.   But I lucked out again!    I should have trusted the owners of the house next door and their prop manager who found more excellent folk to rent it to.   I will curb my enthusiasm, lol.   I can be a little like that overly friendly golden retriever eager to meet everyone.  Young people bring life and generate newness to a neighbhorhood.

Meanwhile, while mowing my own back yard yesterday, I saw that the neighbors behind me have grass growing in their backyard closing in on five feet in height.   Hope they cut that soon.  That's a fire hazard.

Neighbors backyard grass, nearly as high as their five foot leaning falling apart fence.

First Day on Lake

 The reservoir is almost full.  This was only accomplished by filling Foster with water drained out of Green Peter reservoir, farther up one side.   

Lots of logs and debris in the water, which only affects motor boats going too fast to see the debris in time.

It was supposed to be over 80 today, but only achieved 74 in the time I was there.  We will get three more days in the 70's, according to my weather app, then Monday, the temp high is alleged to be 60 with rain.  That's quite a change.

When I looked at the days of good weather and considered by tomorrow, the lake may get very very crowded, today would be the day.   I spent two days fixing the kayak.  Several of the fasteners the seat attaches to had pulled out.  Last year, I ended up just not using a seat and really that's the easy solution. Or I can just sit on a piece of yoga mat.  I don't really lean back against the seat much.  Nonetheless I reinstalled the fasteners.   

I drifted up the S. Santiam.  It's strange to say I drifted upriver but that's how it goes there.  Then I fight the wind paddling back to Foster.

The wind was really strong in my face on the way back by the time I was coming back under that bridge in the picture to go to the boat ramp.   

I exhausted myself today, being not used to all that paddling exercise but it was worth it.

Thimble Berry Blossoms

I'll be sore tomorrow.   I got back home and discovered my yard debris hadn't been picked up today.  Its annoying, they charge so much and now there's nowhere to put grass clippings should I mow my lawn, which really needs done.  And yet I put it off.  Again.  To head to the lake.  Ha!  

I got to the lake about 1:30 and was home by 6:00.  Nice day, not too warm, not many people out on the lake since it just got filled.   

Memorial Day Weekend

 The holiday weekend is coming up.  I have no plans.  

I can't even get anyone to text me back, let alone call or do anything.

I got a whole lot of cleaning done yesterday and yardwork.  

I took Sierra back.   I didn't want to, but there was nowhere for her and I can't handle anymore here.  Tugs is failing.  She's so old, 19, going on 20.   Tweetie, Juno, Mopsy and Clover will follow, sadly.  All my dear old ladies.

Anyway, no new neighbors yet but I think the house is off market now, indicating it must be rented out.  Enter the moving van, probably over the weekend.

I got a food box.   In it, there is usually  big thing of quick oats.   I have a tough time using those  up but I began making overnight oats with them.  With quick oats, it only takes an hour or two, for it to soak up the liquid and be ready.   I had some last night.  1/2 cup oatmeal.  1 cup milk.  Chia seeds, a sprinkle, honey and strawberries.   Delicious.

Cooking shows I watch inspire me to be more creative.

Last night I started a crockpot of rice that included a can of soup, vegetable broth, canned chicken, garlic clove.   I rinse any canned food, since canned foods are generally high in sodium.     These were all items from the food box, except the garlic clove.

This concoction will likely last through the weekend and I'll put it over something like roasted potatoes.

It's not that expensive for one person, a not picky at all person, to eat.   

I'm fixing clothes too, for the summer.   I got some off Amazon Haul before tariffs increased prices there.  Way too big.  You don't return and exchange them there. I tried and they said just keep those and sent me smaller sizes but they turned out to be the same too big size.  Go figure.  So I'm altering them to fit.  I do no sew altering since my fingers are arthritic and I don't have a sewing machine, nor do I want one.   Fabric hem tape and glue can do wonders, if I plot it out carefully.

I found out why my left foot is chronically off and on sore on the pad behind my big toe.  I thought it was seismoiditis, inflammation of those little tiny foot bones and cartilege there.   That was until I went to wash those shoes.  I got two pair when on drastic sale, lightweight slip on tennies, bright colors, and I love color.  I went to wash the burgandy colored pair, turned them over this time, to inspect how much tread is left, since they're old and highly used, and saw a screw head in the bottom, right where inside, my foot pad would be.  I couldn't get it out by prying.  It was literally screwed in.  I was shocked to see it was a one inch deck screw.  Omg, I thought, so this has been poking at the bottom of my foot how long?   I couldn't find a hole inside my shoe, through the inner sole, so its just been prodding and sharply poking at my foot for I don't know how long.  Well, foot pain problem solved.  I was happy.

I got so much done yesterday, today I most likely won't.  Seems like I have one good day, then slouch it for a couple days after, and lack motivation.   Here's something great though---I do my back exercises every morning and my back is so much better.  I'm happy about that too.  And very grateful.

Zeus

 The tech at Rad sent me photos of a bottle babe she'd taken in.  Her daughter had named him Zeus.

Zeus is only two to three weeks old.  He was found in the wheel well of a work truck.  Since he's way too little to have gotten up in there himself, he had to have fallen from the engine compartment.

The truck had just arrived at work which does not bode well for any littermates or mom.  A mom cat could also have been moving them out of the engine well, before the truck was driven to work, and forgot him.  Or didn't have time to get him.

I went and got him Friday night.   That's because we thought maybe Sierra, the emaciated mom whose five kittens are now with a different Radpets employee, would mother him.  She still has plenty of milk.  She's been in my bathroom recuperating.

Bri sent me this photo of Zeus, as introduction

But Sierra would have nothing to do with Zeus.   

I left them together in the bathroom but put a baby cam on them, to see what would happen.  Sierra attacked Zeus.  I ran in and got him out of there.   

He was an easy keeper at least.   I would only have him for the night since Sierra had rejected him.  I fed him well and put him in a carrier in my exclusion room nestled in with handwarmers.  He was so warm and comfy he slept through the night.  

Sierra did not however and yowled the night \away.  Also I could hear her jumping up and back down from the counter too.  I got almost no sleep.  She's going back as soon as the weather breaks.  It's been so cold, windy and rainy.

When I drug myself out of bed this morning, I fed Zeus again, then later on, after feeding him once again, with a nippled large syringe, played with him on my lap, before Brianna arrived to take him back.

Shortly after that, Brianna picked him up.   I finally went outside to put the cans Brianna had at her place into blue bags, so I can deposit them at Bottle Drop under the nonprofit's account there.   There was activity at the empty neighbor's place.  The realtor who also does property management was showing it to potential renters.   Two or three came by while I was sorting out the cans.   

I should have drug my lawn chair out front to have a better view of the candidates coming and going.  Great entertainment!

I would hope to have a friendly neighbor again but I know that's quite rare to get these days.  What I don't want is neighbors with barking dogs.  I'm in my yard a lot in the summer especially and if there are barking dogs in the yard, life turns miserable.

I've felt very lonely lately, with the neighbors gone and the usual lack of human contact.   I can't even stop by the Lebanon woman's house anymore because she's gone too.   The friends I have left who haven't died or moved are facebook friends, whom I don't actually see in real life.  

I had the company of a tiny new life today for awhile and that was nice.  I decided to take a nap later on, since I was sleep deprived from the night before.   But then I didn't wake up until 3:00 a.m.   Uh oh.  Now I'm really off kilter with sleep.

I'm looking at the weather app, and it says by Monday it should be 70 degrees again.   So I'll take dear bored Sierra back Monday.  The young women are getting her an outside cat house.

Gray Icky Days

 It's been gray and cold with off and on drizzle or outright rain.   

Very depressing.  The cats hate it.   

I think the forecast might be for at least mid or high 60's next week, or even 70,   I can't remember.  I rarely watch the news long enough to see the forecast.  The forecasts change so fast now anyway.

How about a slo mo bird video.....

Life Goes On

 My tooth has to be pulled.   I can't pay for a crown and root canal.  Costs thousands.   But I have insurance that will cover its extraction.   That's life.   Not til June 1.  Meanwhile, I have a temp filling in the hole left when part of the tooth split off.

I'm grateful to have the extraction coverage.   Many people do not and those cost a lot too.

Everything does these days.  

 I put gas in the cat carrier car and it cost over $40 for 8 gallons. That will let me drive to pick up or trap and take cats to clinic for 250 miles.  It's about 30 miles one way to the Salem clinic, for reference.  That's 120 miles in one day if I just went to and from the clinic and not off into the boondocks of our county to first catch them.  

People with trucks and gas guzzling cars or who commute daily must be really having a hard time along with all the other high prices, like with food.  There was news showing people lined up for miles to get food box help down in CA somewhere.

The way it is here now.

I went to the store for food and left with almost nothing, the prices were so astounding.   Eggs are still affordable and bananas, some other things.   I'll just watch better for sales.

It's not like I"m starving.  Lucky I guess.

I got my Lebanon moving friends last stray boy, at her place, fixed yesterday.  She had never petted him before she got him trapped.   He's  a handsome fellow.  

She calls him Hero.  To me, he seems mild natured

I told her how sorry I am that things turned out the way they did with the place they bought.   They're still thinking maybe they could sue them.   I don't know if they will.   The two unfixed cats the former owners left behind are both Siamese, she said.  She's going to try to get their son to take them, then he can get them to them.   They'd probably be way better off with her, however.

She has to be out of her residence by end of tomorrow so will sleep there for the first time tomorrow night, she said.   She said it looks a lot better since the junk haulers got as much stuff as they could out of the house itself.  Not from around it or on the property or in the barn though.   It may take years to haul away all the trash and junk they left.

My knee acted up so badly yesterday, just all of a sudden, I knew it wasn't from my back.  I could barely walk and had to put my knee brace on.  Then last night it kept me awake off and on.  Oh the joys of getting old.

This morning I saw the dentist at the same office that I went to after I had the other filling fall out a couple years ago, while engaged in helping the Quartzville road abandoned cats.   I really appreciate them getting me in so fast once again, despite operating only two and a half days per week.

By early afternoon, they'd already filed a request with insurance for referral to an oral surgeon and had it approved.  By days end I had an appointment with the oral surgeon for June 1.

I don't think I've ever had something happen that fast before and its why I like this office a whole lot. 

The vet clinic informed me Sierra, the mom of those five kittens, is incredibly emaciated.   I couldn't take her back there then, so for now, until she recovers from the constant kitten production and parasites, she will remain in my bathroom.  She's all cuddled up in my cozy bathroom cat shelf, with some really soft blankees.   Something very new for her to experience.  She so deserves it.  

My old rhododendron is spectacular this spring.

Rascal the yard stray I got fixed a few months ago still comes by daily and often wants to play.

If you want to see a good movie, I love this one. Remarkably Bright Creatures.

Beautiful Kittens

 All five kittens from under the apartment building are caught now.

Look how cute they are!!!  Three orange, two black and white.  Only one a girl.  

The two young women caught the last one last night.  It was the only girl.

Four of them are being fostered by a radpets employee.

This morning, I went over early, with the drop trap and set it up.  Mom had been sleeping in the dirt by the shed.   It was freezing, with a harsh wind blowing through between the apartments.   Strange, I thought, since its supposed to be almost 80 today.  

I set up a chair and sat there shivering in the cold wrapped in the sheet I'd use to cover the drop trap, once mom came back out again and was under it eating.

I caught mom at 8:00 a.m.   Thank goodness.

Isn't she beautiful!

Last kitten caught--the girl!

I transferred the mom to a live trap.  I'd already left a message with my dental office.  Then I got a call, just as I was back out to watch the drop trap, hoping to catch one of the two big unfixed boys.   It was Crystal, who has been trapping at her workplace.   She is sick, had not left a trap at her workplace, but someone else had on Friday and now this morning, workers found a cat in the trap.  The poor cat could have been in it all weekend.

I told her I'd go pick up the cat.   I went then to take up the drop trap.  I'd have no spay neuter spots now open tomorrow for either of the boys at this location. I only have three spots tomorrow.  I now would have two adults already, and this evening, my Lebanon friend is bringing me her last unfixed male to take to be fixed.  She wants him done before she moves them all to her new place, be it what it may.

When I got back to the car, my phone had a message, from the dental office.   I have an appointment Wednesday.  I'm happy about that!

I headed out to pick up the workplace kitty.  Several workers were out beside the trap when I stopped to pick it up.  Very pretty scared little tabby.   Whew, I thought, too young to be lactating.  (I hope, haven't checked).   She can go directly after being fixed to Crystal's aunt, who has taken in the rest from the workplace.

I'm going to warm some wet food, with water, for her (or him, haven't checked).

It's not yet 10:00 and I'm done with work for the day!!!  Yay!!

We were forecast to be in low 80's today and tomorrow high 80's, then back to rain.   But  sure was cold out this morning, so I don't know about getting to 80.