Escape

 I took off to Waldo Lake this morning.   I think it was about 10:30.  

It was a last minute thing.   I'd been getting so many requests for cat help and there's nothing I can do right now about large colonies with the FCCO appointment request form closed.

My nonprofit has approved funding for 20 plus cats but some of the people approved haven't even made appointments weeks after they were approved.  So now there will be a two week time limit.  Prove you have appointments by end of two weeks, or funding is terminated.  That's because the funds, once approved, get frozen, so we don't go in the red.  But if people aren't going to get appointments once approved, I can't twist their arm and we need those funds for other cats.

Anyhow, the last straw came from a Sweet Home woman using bully tactics.   It got my brain in whirl.

I knew i had to get out of cell coverage and away.  So that's what I did.

I had a grand time even though I thought I'd fixed my hand pump to blow up the inflatible kayak board  but it wouldn't work and then the back up battery powered one kept quitting.  I think it was overheating or something.  It's crap too, what can I say.  I did feel like a loser with other people there at day use and me struggling to find fittings to make one of the two work, oh my.  Finally I had enough air in the board.  The seat back was really under inflated but there was nothing I could do to get air in it, since even the battery powered one had quit by then.

But the important thing was I got out on Waldo Lake and you know how that affects me.   I love it.  I stayed til I knew there wasn't much sun left.   I didn't swim this time but I went a long way on the board.  That board is light and fast.   Makes Waldo Lake seem small almost, its so fast to paddle clear across.   Ah, I'm being a braggart about that board.  If I only I could find the right fittings and pump to blow it up without a big time hassle.

There were a few other kayakers out and some sailboats.  There were some folks heading out in convoys of canoes, to overnight out there along the lake at remote campsites.

The most interesting thing I saw was what appeared to be a pair of river otters.  Yeah, they are not normal at Waldo Lake.  Neither are beavers.  Too inhospitable, as AI puts it.  I've never in my life and trips to Waldo seen otters or beaver.  And yet there were two bobbing heads staring it me, from near shore on the last point, on the west side, heading north, before I'd come around it and see the old sealed tunnel entrance, off in the distance.

Their heads looked from a distance like seals, only furry then they'd dive and come back up.  By this time I was about 20 feet away and scrambling for my phone so I could take photos.  But then one reared its body vertically out of the water, for a better look at me.  Then both headed towards my board.  I thought "nope".  My board can be punctured!   I looked way across the lake towards the boat ramp area and thought 'that would be a very long cold swim'.   That's when I took off paddling out from shore fast.   Sorry kiddos, you are not going to climb aboard and puncture my kayak.  I had my life jacket already on just in case and also I carry the age old boogie board as life raft.    They were not far from my board when I took out paddling and they quickly then lost interest.

I looked for someone who might be a Waldo regular.  By that I mean someone who loves nature and appreciates Waldo greatly and has a biological interest.  In other words, isn't just a self involved thrill seeker type.  I didn't see anyone I would immediately think fit that bill but its not unusual for such people to be present at Waldo.  I asked kayakers and others once at the boat ramp if they'd seen otters/whatevers over on the other side of the lake.  No one had.  One guy said they must be beavers.  I never saw anything but their heads to make an accurate ID, but I witnessed their otter like behavior.

I know what I saw.

Anyway, back home now and had a happy day at Waldo.  I looked up what rivers are close to Waldo and its the North Fork of the Middle fork of the Willamette originates in the north of Waldo Lake. They probably came over from there.  Just adventuring around, testing the waters.  Waldo Lake has no incoming streams or rivers.

I need to resolve the pump situation.

The photo dump:

So long Waldo.   Maybe I'll see you again before winter hits too hard.  

Unexpectedly Home

 I was going to go to Waldo lake today.

Last night, after I returned from Marys Peak, weather report said 80 up there today.  But this morning I checked again before leaving and it said cloudy with thunderstorms.  I don't go to lakes when there are thunderstorm threats.  Gas is expensive to drive two hours up there and to have lightning flashing off, when I'm out on a lake--nope! 

So I'm home and mindlessly scrolling funny videos.  My brain is slow and not even awake today.  The load of cat tragedies and huge numbers of calls about cats needing spay neuter has weighted me down.  Funny videos and some isolation from it all help quite a lot.  Dead brain days, I call days like these.  

Here's my drive home last night.  The coast highway to Waldport has a stretch of extreme curves.  I had my phone up in dashcam position for the curvy section when I came back from Marys Peak cat hunt.  I added soundtrack from imovie.

Cat Hunt on Marys Peak

 A lady contacted me this morning about a mom cat with six kittens up on Mary's Peak.

Mary's Peak is the highest peak in the coast range of Oregon.   It's out a very crooked road past Philomath then up another 10 miles of curvy narrow winding forest road that sometimes breaks out to give tremendous breathtaking views of valleys and hills below.

There's a small campground near the peak and a day use area at the top with wide open space and a fantastic view.

The lady who contacted me and her friend had caught two of the six kittens and took them home.  That was just over a week ago.  She had since struggled to find anyone willing to go up and find the rest.   She contacted me this morning.   I loaded up traps and left for Mary's Peak.  A mom cat out in that area with kittens is emergency.  And doubtful survival chances for even a week.

I'd not been up there since in college.  Yeah, long long time ago.   I couldn't remember a thing about it.

I found the exact spot though, from the photos she posted, where they caught the two kittens.  It was just beyond the bathroom at the campground, about 30 feet up the trail.

I had hoped I'd see them immediately.  Or hear them.  Or see evidence of them.  But I knew 8 days is a very long time to go without food, for kittens about six weeks old and a mother losing her nutrition nursing them.  And there are big time predators up there.  Along with the smaller ones like foxes, etc.

I found no evidence of them at all.

I searched and searched after setting traps around the area.  There are two loops to the tiny campground.  Each had a mud puddle, the only water sources in the area, so I searched near those.  I searched in culverts.  I played kitten and mom cat sounds from video on my phone, then listened.   Birds galore.  Chipmunks.  Squirrels.  But no cats could I find.

It made me sad.  

I talked to both rangers who I ran into.  Both said they'd watch for them.   One said last Monday he saw a woman walking the campground with two cats beside her, which is strange enough.  When he stopped she said she was just walking her cats.   Ok, like that's normal, way up top Mary's Peak.   He thought the cats were black but wasn't sure.   The mom cat in the brush with the kittens is tri color, the lady who contacted me said.  

Despite the unsuccessful search, I enjoyed the day, walking the trails, enjoying the view up at the day use area too.

This is the campground bathroom, and start of a trail and just up that trail a couple dozen feet is where they saw the mom and kittens and caught two.

I parked the car in this campsite, just above the bathroom.   This is forest service managed and camping there costs only $10 per night!!!!  Yay for the forest service!

One of the mud puddles, that would supply thirsty mom cat with water.   I couldn't find any cat tracks in the damp ground by the edge of it.

I looked in the culvert nearby.

Here's the other mud puddle, down on the other loop of the campground.

I drove up to the top, to the day use area there.  It's beautiful!

 

Some spectacular views on Marys Peak road.

And lastly, one of the missing kittens......taken by the lady who contacted me and saw them.

Mom Cats Still in Bloom and Seeding Kittens

 The little kitten was picked up by friend on Sunday.   He immediately adapted to his new home and people. Instantaneously in fact.

This is him napping at his new home.

The Halsey seed warehouse kittens are doing great, but their mom had enough and broke out through the screened window.  By evening she came back to their house and they took her inside.  Good thing we got her fixed.   The kittens are supposed to be going to the local large shelter but I don't know when.  He caught all six of them.   I don't blame, Annie, their mom, for wanting to get away.  2 classic tortis, 1 torbi, 3 orange tabbies.

He's going to try to catch two or so more he feeds at the warehouse for appointments end of month I have in Salem.  

It's really really tough to get affordable appointments.   FCCO's appointment request form has been closed for quite some time.   The Salem clinic only does community cats on Mondays.  There's just nowhere unless a group is cash loaded and HCC, my teensy endeavor, is not.

We try to get as many done at the private clinic as possible but there its $100 per cat and no flea treatment, 3-way vaccine or worming included, only Rabies vaccine.   That's the cost for the wild ones.  And getting donations is so tough.   I've taken to can hunting.

New request for help with kittens living along the river path.   But where can they go if caught, since they're wild.  I don't know.   And how will we get them fixed and also pay for those.  I think the request lady will help on this one with expenses if the local large shelter will not help which it probably will not.  

The strange thing is a lot of people expect help but don't donate and think the money to help comes from thin air.  Materializes out of nowhere.  Just driving seems like costs a small fortune these days.   

I wish someone would neuter world leaders so they'd stop picking fights and waging wars.  Pretty soon people get really tired of the spray marking and night yowling and drag out fights and fight wounds.   Just an observation.  Give peace a chance.

I need to win the lottery to fund spay neuters.   I think mega millions jackpot is way up there again.  

River Kittens.  Photo sent to me by lady who requested help catching them.

Rain Comes

 It's very wet here this evening.   More rain. 

 I think its just supposed to rain today and tomorrow.  I think people have mostly given up that summer is over early.  I haven't.  I'm the eternal in denial optimist.  

So today with the shift in weather I felt lazy, like lounging in my pj's half the day, which I accomplished thank you very much.

Finally I got dressed and finished mostly cleaning the traps from last week.

The kitten who is in my bathroom from the colony, as yet unnamed, is a fun and loving little guy.   Oh my.

I couldn't take him back to the colony, him being so tame, and the cats caretaker said ok, find him somewhere. She's near 80 and does so much work, like she takes care of two grown men, babysits grandkids, does cooking for a homeless dinner in the park once a week, the list is long.   I'm trying to find him somewhere.  In fact tomorrow a friends step son is coming to possibly take him home.  I hope so.  Little guy is so fun and so loving.

It's pouring here.   I drove over to Lebanon with my windshield wipers popping on the windshield.  The rubber had seperated and was about to go flying.  So I did a stop in at O Reilly's and got two new ones and they even installed them for me, which was very nice.

I went to a supporters house and picked up cans she had for me to turn in for Happy Cat Club.  Happened she had a friend there I know, and happened she had just made a pot of soup and biscuits and asked me to join them for dinner.  That was enjoyable, something unexpecteed that made me happy.

My friend who is coming tomorrow with her step son to see the kitten and maybe take him home is bringing apples and pears from her trees.   I can't wait.  I really love pears.   And I want to dry some apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.  

She is bringing cherry tomatoes too, from their garden, and I also mostly dry those, until crunchy edges, but chewy inside, flavored variously.  They're like candy afterwards, although the seasonings I use are savory.  They're just so good that way.

The rain brings the cat yard cats inside and there is jostling for favorite perches and sleep spots.   

Turn the sound off on this video of Gigi getting petted on my lap.  I'd just turned on the TV after doing the antenna channel refresh, since the weather has changed, and the first channel popping on after the scan for antenna channels, came on loud.

The birds seem unbothered by the rain.  Hummingbirds, mourning doves, sparrows, chicadees, finches, lots of different birds are coming by and the brilliant purple flowers of the Butterfly Bush seem so vibrant in the rain.

You can turn the sound on for this video.  I added a track.

I ordered a door lock, window control master switch for the cat carrier car off amazon.  It's a crap shoot whether my windows will go back up if I have one or two down, or which door might lock or unlock with the buttons.  Time to fix all that.   I fiddled with the old switch after removing it from the driver door but the main button for the windows is broken, plastic pieces missing.   For one thing.  I propped it back together and reinstalled it, until the new switch gets here.  I had to take it off to make sure the pin number matched the part online.   14 pins or 18.  Mine is 14 like the one being sold so it should work.   

Last Day at the Lake

This tree had recently fallen into the lake.  Maybe after all the rain loosened the soil.

 I trapped 14 cats in all, at the Albany colony.  Caring for them all, and going back to trap more, wore me out.

Fortunately a Lebanon lady arrived at 6:00 a.m. yesterday morning to load them and take off to the FCCO clinic.  It was a big blessing.  I went back to bed after helping load for a couple hours.  Then, after dealing with lots of cat messages and texts, I headed to the lake.  It's supposed to rain Saturday again.

The garage was a smelly mess, from the cats I'd held.  And I was still very tired out.  But I went anyway and had a good time.

There was algae in places and lake weed.  Its common for this time of year.  The level was already dropped by a few feet.

A sea plane landed, then took off twice.   That looked like fun.   Mostly it was motor boaters out fishing or playing.

When it was time to leave, since I had to be back to clean up the garage and take the cats back in for the night, when the lady got back from the FCCO with them, I went back to the boat ramp.  I waited a long time, as boats both launched and pulled out.  I waited for a lull.  I get nervous getting my kayak out into my car after backing down the ramp because I've been yelled at by motor boaters a few times for being a kayaker using a boat ramp.  

While I waited I took video of little fish in the shallow area beside the ramp, while sitting sideways with my feet in the water on the kayak.   

Later I saw one fish in the video I didn't recognize.

I think its a lamprey.  It undulated like a snake.

Finally there was a lull and I went to get my car and backed it down the ramp.  It only takes me about five minutes to load my kayak.   Suddenly however, here came a truck pulling an empty boat trailer.   A boat had come to the dock while I was getting my car.   And the guy wanted to load the boat I guess.  He didn't stop at the stop sign to wait.  He pulled up ahead of the ramp I was on and began to back down, towards my car, the passenger side of it.  

I was scared immediately.  What was he doing and why.  Was he going to try to shove my little car into the lake or what?   Literally it takes me five minutes.  I rushed, trying to get everything loaded in, got in my car, didn't even tie the kayak in.  Still he backed another two feet til he was so close to the passenger side front.  I honked to stop him.  And took off cursing.   I was afraid.  I thought he must be one of those boaters who hate kayaks and think they have no business using a boat ramp.  But I don't have any idea why he was doing that.  I didn't know the man.  

I still see yesterday as a good time at the lake.  I'd rather go to Waldo though where there are no motor boaters and that would never happen.  It never happens when there are a lot of kayakers and paddle boarders near the ramp either and it may have had nothing to do with any of that.

No harm, no foul, is my thought on it.

This was the 14th cat caught and fixed yesterday.

I got home in time to clean the garage and put out new pee pads on the cat shelves.  She arrived just after 6:00 with the 14 cats and we carried them into the garage.   After she left, I got them all food and water.   I was very very tired.

This morning I returned them.  Well, all but one.  That one is a kitten that I'd picked up there in the field beside their trailer and their parking area, fed him a plate of wet food, and then he followed me everywhere.   I knew he wouldn't survive long.  Too tame.  Too many cars coming and going there.  So he's in my bathroom and I hope I can find a rescue or shelter to take him.  He's super sweet.

I was too tired to do anything but go to bed after I returned the cats.  The traps and cage covers are still dirty.  The garage cat shelves need cleaned again.   Oh my, a lot of work.  I'd forgotten how much work just trapping and holding a large colony can create.

Maybe I'm Not Ready

 The trapping job, catching up to 15, at a place where I've trapped before, wore me out.   

I had intended to leave the trapping location by 10:00 a.m. and go to the lake, but I didn't leave until 11:00 and was by then exhausted, too exhausted to load the car with my hardshell kayak and head to the lake.  I still do not have a pump with correct valve connection to fill my inflatible board.

I was there at the trapping location til about 10:30 last night and back by 7:00 this morning.   And in the meantime, after I came home last night, I had to bring the 11 cats I caught into my garage, set them up on the cat shelves and give them food and water.  I also mixed in capstar because they're all crawling in fleas.

It was the usual at this location, people coming and going, in and out of the house, completely disregarding the trap attempts going on.  There was even more junk than before around the property.

But, I did catch 11 cats anyway.  This made me feel young, that I still could do it.  And they're fun to talk to.

But once home, I couldn't get to sleep.  People were texting and messaging me, like I have all the time in the world.  Strangers.  Not people I know.   All wanting something from me.    It wouldn't leave my mind to let me sleep.

Until I turned off the phone, and basically did deep breathing, counting, until I was out.

This morning, after four more hours out there, swatting off aggressive yellow jackets, I was done, worm out, came home, left two traps set, had intended to head to the lake but knew I am far too tired.    

I'd caught two more and also discovered, contrary to what they had said, there were indeed still cats there, sporting eartips, whom I got fixed 7 years ago.  At least four of them.  I caught two, let them go.  

I had finally set up the drop trap, which was difficult because there is so much junk everywhere.  It was very tough to find a spot it would fit, and where I could even see it from a distance to yank the string.

I caught one of the two keepers under it and one in set live trap.

I might not be ready to full force trap people's cats, but at least this time, all I have to do is trap them.  They got their own appointments and someone else volunteered to drive them to the clinic.  Otherwise, I could not have worn myself out as I have, and also muster up to drive them to Portland tomorrow and spend the day up there waiting on them to be fixed.  The trip is a killer, killing time in Portland when already exhausted.  Yuck.

I don't think I'll ever do that to myself again---both trap a large number of cats, holding them, and also drive them to Portland.   Too much.  I can do one or the other but not both.

I may have missed the lake today, and that makes me sad, but I've caught 13 cats at a very difficult location.  I might get the full load yet.  They do have 15 spots and there are at least 3 more cats I saw without  eartips.   And I don't have to drive them to Portland in the morning.