Worn Out, But Happy

I am at the far end of worn out. I couln't sleep last night. It was likely due to late night caffeine. I don't drink pop, but when I was over trapping late, at the Corvallis colony, the man who feeds the cats offered me a soda, a generic coke and I accepted. Bad idea. I cannot handle caffeine after my first and only cup of coffee in the morning. I love my one cup of coffee a day. But anymore than that, does not sit well with good sleep. Especially pop. And for gosh sakes, what was I thinking to drink a coke with caffeine at 8:30 p.m.? I wasn't thinking.

There were consequences. I finally gave up, and took off very early to the vet clinic in Wilsonville with the six cats I'd caught, making ten caught this week, at the Corvallis colony.

One of the big males has a severe front leg injury. He would hiss and strike at me if I came near the trap. The vet today examined the leg while he was under anesthesia. I figured it would be a mating season fight wound that was absessing. I was wrong. It was a broken leg, that had by now healed by healed so he has no movement in the ankle. The vet said often a cat will not use the leg rather than use it awkwardly. He said he's lived with that healed in the way it has for some time, so no need to mess with it.

After dropping off the cats, I headed straight to the rest area, and sprawled out in the back of my car and slept for three hours, on the south bound side. I woke up, went and got gas and something to drink, drove back north and slept three more hours in the north bound side of the rest area.

I don't mind sleeping in the rest area. There are restrooms and that rest area is just beautiful, with huge trees and lots of areas to park. There's no phone to bother me and nobody asking anything of me. I don't mind sleeping in the rest area at all in fact.

Last summer, I started researching things to do in that area. I don't drive back, becaus it is a waste of gas and time. And, I don't get much time off. There is no reason to waste a trip to the metropolitan area with cats, while they are being fixed. One trip last summer, after dropping off the cats, I drove on to Oxbow park and went swimming then hiking. That's a great park. The water, however, was freezing cold early in the season. Another time, I went on a hike in a wetland area, that has miles of trails that is just on the edge of Tigard. It is soooo cool and beautiful there. The Portland area has wonderful parks! There is even a great hiking park right down from the Wilsonville clinic with a lot of wooded trails. They planned that park very well, even given a rather limited space. There is also an unbelievable water fountain park in Wilsonville, two of them actually.

The cats would have been done by noon. Except, the tech there today, was bitten badly by a dog this morning, who came in, and had to go to emergency, then home. So they were short handed and got behind. I hope she heals ok.

The cats ended up to be three more girls and three boys. However, Angel, the white cat, was already neutered. I get suspicious of previously fixed white cats, because I got five or six white cats fixed in late 2007 at the homeless camp, all of whom have disappeared, only to turn up elsewhere. I didn't get them eartipped, because someone had said they would take them in, but later it fell through.

I get back and there is a package on my front porch. The Neuterscooter vet had bought and sent me a pair of shoes. Keens. She knows how I struggle with shoes, because I wear my clothes hard, in rugged work and terrain. These are wonderful shoes and I love them!

This is on top of getting Jeanne's birthday present a couple days ago: a brand new tomahawk transfer trap---only THE best trap there is. Last night, that trap caught its first cat--a silver tabby tux male!!!!! I'll take a photo for you Jeanne! It is a fabulous trap!

So it's been a great week. I have shoes!!!!! And a shiney new tomahawk trap! Thank you, Dr. Peavy, and Baltimore Jeanne. You have made my week!!!!!

I'm going to bed now!

The third Adair black, the female, is leaving tomorrow to join her brothers.