Free Cats

 Tomorrow is the 4th so I thought I'd label my post with a "free".   

My cats are free to be themselves here, whatever that might be.

That's freedom, not saying who has to behave how or believe what.

My cats believe I'm here to serve them, for instance.   Let them think that.   I don't see it that way.

They can be assholes, or sweeties, or a combo of both.  They can lick their butts, sit on my face, vomit a hairball---that's freedom for you.

They can eat flies or they can eat a piece of zucchini that falls from my salad plate.

They can be loving and sleep next to me or on my lap or they can be feral and scarcely be seen by me.  I don't care.  That's freedom.

Let me be me and you be you and judge not.

Anyhow, that was a lame attempt at a freedom post but here's my real post, some photos of my cats.

First off, my old old deaf girl Shady.   She likes chicken and yowls loudly for it mornings.  Right now I have no chicken.

Dear old girl.   

How about Jack?  I also call him Jackaroo.  Jack can be a jerk.   He can also be incredibly sweet.  He has it in for Gigi.

Gigi was my only cat happy to see me when I got home from camping.  She's not even technically my cat.

How about Muffy, who had 20 teeth pulled end of May?  She's been doing great ever since!

Muffy comes from same place Jack came from.  I thought she was only in late teens when she came here but when I got her fixed, I was told she was much older than I thought she was.  So I have no idea about her real age.  She came from a place where she rarely if ever got enough to eat.  Starvation flats.  

How about old Haley?   Only three of the original nine cats of her family/colony are still living, she being one of them.  Vertigo Rogue is another.   Also teensy Alexi.

And confident Smudge, from the Blue Ox colony.....trapped on Christmas Day a couple years ago.  Youngest cat here, by a long shot.   My little buddy, although she doesn't cuddle or sleep on the bed.  She does like to sit on my lap while I watch TV.   She has no trouble with the bully cats. She just smacks them back.

And last but not least......the guard dog of all guard cats---Slinko.   He's showing his age, but still Slinko!

Yesterday was hot but not hot like it will be the next few days.  On the 4th, the temp is supposed to get near 100.   Yikes.   Despite the heat yesterday, I cut up old rotted boards, unpainted, so they could go in the yard debris.   And did some other yardwork before the heat set in.  This was after my neighbor and I went over and had breakfast at the Lions outdoor 4th charity breakfast at the park.    It was fun and the food was great.  Pancakes perfect, eggs done anyway you wanted.   Two cute kids doling out coffee.  We got a plate for Eddie too, before we left.  He didn't come because he wanted to walk the dogs before he headed off on another trucker run.

I love their dogs.  If they still bark, I don't notice it.  I don't think they do.   

I ran into my other neighbor too, mowing her lawn and asked her about the tabbies and orange cats I've seen and she feeds them but doesn't know where they come from.  When I get spots, I told her we'd get them fixed.  I think there are four now, all boys, need done.  The black boy who was inside my cat yard somehow, she also sees sometimes, she said.  I already got him fixed.

Almost all my traps are out on loan, plus one of my holding cages.   I hope I can even remember where they all are, ha!   

My camp trip set me back financially.    By most standards, it was a cheap four days, with the campsite costing only $13.50 per night, because it was Forest Service and because I have a Golden Access Passport, which cuts the price for us senior citizens.   But the campsite cost, combined with paying a petsitter and gas, along with getting some things, like the canopy with mosquito netting, some batteries, I'm set back now and have to cut way back for awhile.  When you start out on my low income level, any tiny adventure is a financial big deal.  But I'm glad I went and I'll recover eventually.  

The Burned Side of Waldo

 I didn't know what to expect at Waldo Lake after last year's Cedar Creek wildfire.   The fire burned to the west and north of Waldo, almost to Oakridge.   I didn't go up to Waldo Lake as I usually do in late August because of the fire burning, although at first the campgrounds on the east side of the lake remained open.

The north end of Waldo Lake burned a long time ago but has never recovered and remained a stick forest.  I don't know if the fire last year went through it again or not.  I didn't paddle up that far.  

I did paddle to the west side of the lake to look at what had happened near the shore as a result of last summers wildfire.   Here are some photos.  I was fascinated by what I referred to in my mind as "the brave trees".

Some of the trees died in what seemed artistic twisted beauty.

Some burned, some places were spared.

These were charred submerged pine cones.

I thought this scene was sad.  One tree charred and standing, one leaning and one down.

There was still a charred smell to the air, almost a year later.

Today I need to drive all the way to Portland and return a transfer cage.   The female cat from the Shedd colony, who had two kittens in the caregiver's daughter's car, in a live trap, on the way to be fixed, stayed in Portland until her kittens weaned.   She was sent home, with the caregivers daughter, in a transfer cage, instead of in a carrier she took up to bring her home in.  This created a hassle, as she brought the transfer cage here after returning the cat to her mom's colony.  I'd have to get it back to Portland.   Today's the day it has to be done.   

Some trip pictures

 First off, Crescent Lake.  It is beautiful there, sandy beaches, gorgeous scenery.  If not for the noise at the campground, I would have enjoyed it.  Wasn't just the noise, I was exposed, no privacy.  

From my campsite at Crescent Lake, before the arrival of the neighbors with the noise makers.  It's a long way to the water.  It was beautiful there and I might return as a day tripper.

From the beach out from my camp.

The mosquitos were fairly hungry here, so having the netted canopy was pleasant.

This is the day use area Tranquil Cove which is beautiful.

These are the lovely purple flowers that dot the sand

I escaped the campground to Tranquil Cove day use area.  I only saw a couple people usiing it all day.  I loved it.

One problem is I took only one book camping and finished it by the second morning.   Should have taken more books.

Next, on to Waldo Lake.

Once I arrived at Waldo Lake, it was as if I was alone in the universe.  I saw only a few other souls from a distance the entire time there.  I loved it.

Here is why I go to Waldo---in this short video I took early this morning--the sheer serenity.

Waldo Lake is at an altitude of over 5400 feet.    I was up higher than Denver, the mile high city.   There were still snow patches around the campground.  A little nip in the hot chocolate can help with the cold nights, I find.

Want to know what Waldo is known for?   These swarming things.  They didn't bother me much.  I had my canopy up, had my face netting and I had my Deet.  Maybe I got bitten once, not sure.

Frog looks out on his domain

Why I go

North End of Waldo.  It burned long long ago.  Last summer the west side of the lake burned in another wildfire.

This point, with a bench is just down from my campsite and the perfect place to watch sunrises and sunsets, if you can stand the mosquitos.

The fire of last summer that burned down to the edge of the west side of Waldo Lake did a lot of damage.  I paddled over to that side to witness the damage and beauty of fire ravaged trees.  Next post---fire side photos.

Camp Trip

 I took off camping last Sunday and just got back today.

Wasn't great, wasn't awful.  A mixed bag.

First two nights I spent at a campground on Crescent Lake.  I thought, it has under 20 sites, it'll be quiet.

How wrong I was.

It was quiet when I first arrived, I'll say that.  And so beautiful.  HOwever, it was nowhere close to the lake.   A very long stretch of delicately hued purple flower studded pumice sand stood between me and the lake and no boat ramp.   Could I really pull my kayak a quarter mile to water?  No.  

I set up my mosquito netted canopy, my changing room, got situated, walked out to the water.

Shortly thereafter the first huge rig arrived, a monster trailer, kids, every toy you could imagine, including electric toy cars kids can ride on---then came the generator noise.  This was 30 feet from me.  And the yelling they did at one another over the noise of the generator, to hear one another.  Soon more generator clad trailers arrived.  Sounded like a construction site.  I was fed up and also fed up the neighbors free roaming dog, who chased chipmunks birds, anything. Few seemed to pickup their dog's crap.  

The second day I went to a very beautiful day use area on the lake called Tranquil Cove.   Hardly anyone there either.  Unfortunately, dog poop was everywhere along that beautiful beach.  I picked enough up so I could have a crap free place in the pumice sand to lay out a blanket.  Thunder was sounding in the distance and at times, the sky looked menacing.  I went on a long kayak paddle and faced strong wind coming back to the day use area.   I enjoyed it though and did not want to return to the unpleasant campsite.   You have to take the bad with the good, I know.

I could not wait to get out of that campground.   I flew out of there Tuesday morning.   

I know there are people who camp differently.  They bring everything along, and don't go camping to enjoy nature, rather to enjoy drinking, toys, friends, family, whatever.   Tent campers are dinosaurs now.   I am a dinosaur in this age.

I should know better than to camp by a lake that allows motor boats.   Motor boat people have trailers and a lot of loud toys, I've obvserved over the years and are not interested generally in quiet camping or enjoying nature.  When you are tent camping there's no escaping generator noise from the trailer people.  While they can go inside their trailer to escape their own noise, their neighbors in a tent can't.

I decided to just drive up to Waldo Lake on a whim.   It's on the way home.  Shadow Bay campground was pretty much empty.  Just the way I like it.  So that's where I spent the next two nights.   Only one other TENT camper in the entire campground and nobody else.   I was virtually alone.  I don't think I spoke a word in the days I was there.    I battled mosquitos but they were not that bad, I didn't think, enjoyed the extreme black night stars, took walks, laid back in my chair just relaxing and paddled the lake.

I just got home.  Two bust days and two great days.   Even steven.

Beautiful Moon

 Our weather is warming back up after some unseasonably cold and wet weather.

Tonight a beautiful crescent moon is out and low in the western sky.

My brother, his wife and daughter are on a long road trip.  Right now they're in Whitehorse, in the Yukon, or somewhere near there and saw this Grizzley on the highway as they were travelling south from Tok.  My brother sent me this photo.  They were only 30 feet from him, but in their truck, at least.

I don't know where they'll be tomorrow.

I've been experimenting with carrying my kayak on top of the car instead of inside it, to the lake.  The reason I quit carrying it on top was I couldn't defeat the resonation noise of straps with wind.   Like guitar strings, vibrating.   Horrifying noise.   But, after turning to youtube, one turn of the strap, so it faces the wind differently, could make a difference.  Ok, I thought.  And it worked!  Also it looks very festive atop my car.  In my opinion, the car's looks are vastly improved with up top kayak.

Yes, those are pool noodles its sitting on, with straps run through the middle.

I met a possum in the yard the other night, who was extremely thirsty. He or she drank and drank from the water I have out for the birds.  I haven't seen the possum since though.  Also, the baby heron vanished from that corner.  I don't know what happened.  Hopefully this possum didn't eat that poor baby.

Yes, I need to mow what's left of the backyard again.  And there's not much not dried out already.

That's about it for excitement around here.  Except I did clean out one of my giant litter box hider storage containers, that holds three litter boxes.  I have to clean them every couple months, soak the litter boxes themselves in clorox, clean the litter box hider liners, and sweep out their insides.  The nice clean look of the inside won't last.  

Scewed Any Which Way

  Summer!   Tomorrow we may end up with record setting lows here.   But that should be over with by Wednesday.  Today its just clouded over, with a bit of wind and now and then some spurts of rain.

Thanks to some donated food from two people I have been eating like a queen for a few days.  Just a glow out to those who share food they are not going to use!  

Seems sometimes like the big companies always win, always protect themselves by screwing the little people over.

Case in point.  The power company.  

Our local power company, which is the only game in town, and a huge corporation, has been found liable for many of the massive wildfires and people's losses in the fires, of 2020.   The homeowners who lost everything will get settlements, at least some of them.  There may be more lawsuits.

However, Pacificorp has already made moves to possibly raise rates to us consumers of their power, to cover the settlement cost incurred by their negligance, in failure to maintain tree free lines and shut off the power to prevent the lines from falling in the windstorm and causing fires.

Great.   I think their management and upper echelon people make HUGE salaries.   Can't forfeit those profits, better to lay it on us littles.  They got lifestyles to maintain!  I'm being sarcastic because its frustrating when rates just went up like 14%.

Also, a Russian hacker gang got into a file moving app used by our state's DMV, and nearly every Oregonian's personal info was stolen in this breach.  Seriously?   The state should pay, you'd think, for using a flunkee 3rd party that can't keep its data safe, our data, by providing Oregonians a few years ID theft monitoring and clean up.  But if the state pays that's really us paying again.   Losers, we are.   

The Russian hacker gang claims they won't demand ransoms of government agencies in exchange for not dumping all the data on the internet to be sold and resold on the dark web.   And won't sell government agency data or release it to be sold. But can you believe a criminal gang?   Ummm, I'm not inclined to do so.  But I have to since I can't afford ID theft monitoring and clean up.

I have to just hope for the best along with 80% of the rest of Oregonians.  I'm being sarcastic here because the state didn't make sure they put our money in a bank that locks its doors at night, so to speak.  And now we are the ones supposed to take the measures, that cost money, to not become an ID theft victim as a result.  

Well how about a video of garage girl Gigi?  I gave her a hair trim and now she acts like a teenager.  Must feel good even though it may not look so perfect.   

Rattled

 The Green Heron chick on the corner has me upset.    It's now been resting atop a landscaping bush on the corner just a couple feet off the sidewalk.

I read that only 37% of fledglings survive.  But watching nature take its course is not easy on me.

I read that Heron fledglings will be fed by their moms, on the ground,  but only if they are in a location free of people and that corner is extremely busy during the day.

I finally emailed the local wildlife rehab center and asked if I should do something.  The fledgling is fast, too fast to catch and most do not survive in rehab either.  Humans are not comforting to wild animals and its best to stay away, to give them the best chance.  I only see the bird when I drive that way, which is every day.   I did see an adult Green Heron fly over my place, as I have for months, in the direction of that corner but it flew far beyond that corner disappearing in the much taller trees farther toward the small block size park a block farther than the corner.

That was last night.   I had a tough time sleeping last night over several things including back pain from weed eating yesterday.  I gave up when I woke again at 4:30 a.m.   The car lot people had a bunch of people over yesterday evening most with huge pickups, one partly blocked my driveway and I had to ask them to move it so I could go get some shrimp, in case I want to throw some on that corner where the heron chick is fighting for life.  I felt like doing it, but then didn't, thinking, I need to stay out of it.

The car lot people's trucks out front woke me as they left, roaring their frickng loud engines to life and belching off a few feet from my bedroom.

All lies, when they told me they wouldn't do that anymore.  I felt like an idiot ever believing them in the first place.  They don't give a fuck.  

Why in the world does a person purchase a house that does have up to six places to park, if one hasn't stuffed their two car garage full of junk, then have more cars than parking places and also decide its ok to have routine parties and jam up the street in loud pickups.  Sure is a lot of entitlement going on with some folks.  

Anyhow, so sleep problems last night, for various reasons including the belching roaring pickup neighbors.

Sam is dying.  Kidney failure.  Been going on for months as he slowly wastes away.  I give him sub cu, but it won't save him, not at 18 years of age.  Or more.  I'm not sure his age, as he was an adult when he came here so many many years ago.   

I'm sad though, to lose him.   Buffy and he had been friends all their lives and she's gone now.   Old age--no cure for that.  Spending lots of time with him, is all I can do.