Up and Down, Back and Forth

My brother was still in the hospital two days ago, when last I spoke to him.  Since he's been there, we talk a lot more, and text back and forth.  Then yesterday---silence.  No response to texts.

What was going on?

He had told me, last conversation, his insurance denied a rehab facility.  He said the hospital was appealing the decision.  Last night, I got a text from his wife, with a photo of a really cool looking bed.  She said he had been moved to rehab.

I hope it goes ok there.  He still can't walk without two people because of balance issues, but he sure is better than right after the stroke at least.  He talks just fine. 

The ups and downs of life.

I've been trying to get the Tangent barn cats done.  This despite her sudden exit from use of cherished sought after spay neuter reservations two weeks back, throwing me into a scurry to find other cats last minute.

I hope it goes ok.  I took them six traps yesterday afternoon and then we found five orange kittens down in the barn wall.  She agreed to taking them out of the wall.  So I stood on a ladder and reached way down into that wall to pull them out one by one.  Their eyes were open so they were about ten days to two weeks old.

I put them in a closed trap and set another trap beside it, covering the kitten trap and half the set trap with towels, hoping the mom would go in when she heard them crying.

No luck with that.  I had come home and the woman had decided she would bottle feed them if the mom didn't go in to rescue them, which she didn't do.  I suggested she set the trap, with bait, right under where the kittens had been, but she didn't do that and in the end, hours later, put them back down in the wall.  She says the mom came back.

Oh gosh darn, I thought.  We're trapping them, if they actually do trap, that is, on Saturday and Sunday, and will likely catch the mom cat then.

Five orange kittens down inside a barn wall, nestled on seed.  Mom is orange also.

I helped a woman get one cat fixed, maybe it was two, I don't remember, some time ago.  She texts me again, said an RV was abandoned on her property and there were two adult females inside, one with kittens.  They have them now.  They're renters but can't keep the mom with kittens.  I'm trying to find the mom and kittens a rescue or shelter, but its super hard since everyone is still full.  They're tame.

The mom and kittens who need a place.  She says they're crawling in fleas but otherwise healthy.

Then there are the three teens behind an Albany apartment. They were being fed but the landlord called me and was going to evict the tenant if the teens were not removed (emotional blackmail, don't you love it).  I did go trap the three and I do think I have somewhere they can go once fixed.  But getting them fixed, now that's not easy since we have such limited options for getting lots of cats fixed here in the valley.   Everybody is waiting on spay neuter reservations, fighting over them, lol.  It's kind of pathetic the lack that if it wasn't a lack could change everything.

Dagwood and sister Cookie behind him.  Below, in the photo, is Blondie.

I'd put them in the bathroom but Charlie is still in there, awaiting his home, which he goes to second week in October. Poor guy has been waiting a long time. I let him roam the house now, when I'm here. He'll wander around awhile then go back to the bathroom to sleep off the effort.

Charlie is a nice old guy, sleeps mostly, going to the vet clear to the north coast with me next week.  Those are such hard trips on me.  I wish I could afford local vets but I can't so that's life.  Charlie at least gets to sleep the whole way.