Back Stretch of Winter

 The weather has been nasty since the ice storm.  Too much pouring rain.

Today we are allegedly to get a reprieve from the downpour.  One day only.

Last Saturday, my neighbor invited me to go out to lunch with her dog park friends.

We went to Elmers with three other folk she knew from the dog park.   I only go over to the neighbors when her roommate is gone now.  He has taken to personal insults and I don't put up with that.   He only insults women.  I don't know why.   That's his issue, not mine.  But I won't subject myself to it.

When we left, I saw the ice piles in the parking lot, leftovers from the storm, scraped off the parking lots into piles, still melting.

The next day she asked if I wanted to go to the park with the dogs and her.  I hesitated.  They don't do any of the local dog owner rules.  They don't have their dogs on leashes and don't pick up their crap and their dogs will run up to strangers barking and those strangers don't know if they'll be bitten or not.

The two dogs are very sweet, one big and hers, one small and his.   They bark at every movement or sound.   I finally went along with her, she drove, and once there, threw a ball for both the dogs to chase.  My reasoning was that it was pouring rain and probably no one else would be out in that soggy puddled lawn area.   She can't do it due to her walking disability.  The dogs were soaked fast and I was too.  On the ride back, the small dog climbed on my lap and completely soaked me.

I like dogs, but 30 minutes with those two makes me realize how much I love the independent nature of cats.  Those two dogs are far more work than all my cats put together.   It's fun to frolic with dogs, and I enjoy doing so now and then.

I want to add a link that includes photos of Vista House, on the old Columbia River Gorge highway.  It's often in the news for the high winds you can experience there.   But this time, its in the news for being a block of ice! 

I have only six spay neuter spots at the OHSS clinic the entire month of January.   I have no idea if I'll get any at all in February.  The scarcity of affordable spay neuter, especially TNR spots, is heartbreaking.   I had such high hopes about OHSS clinic increasing capacity once they took it over, but the reverse is now reality.  It has caused so much sadness within the TNR and rescue community in Marion county and here, for me.

Four lucky Lebanon cats will go to be fixed.  They are cared for by a couple who are friends with the last colony I helped up almost to Sweet Home, where so far 11 cats have been fixed, with one teenager left to catch.  So those folks gave the Lebanon folks my number, as they too are desperate for some help.

A fifth cat will come from an Albany woman waiting for ages.  She's got her homeless son's cat confined til she can be fixed.  Says the cat has had countless litters.  So she's top of list, due to her prolific reproduction and the fact she's outside.   Poor kitties.   

The last spot hopefully will be filled by the park ranger.  The mom cat who escaped his trap mid month, when I was going to take her and her two teen offspring up to be fixed at OFOSA, is again eating in a tied open trap.  He is confident he will catch her.  I'm going to meet him Saturday at the mill heritage site to pick her up.  

That will be it for this month.  Five cats fixed up at OFOSA the 11th.  One fixed at a private vet in Corvallis.   Six fixed at the OHSS clinic Monday.   The male cat fixed at the private clinic a couple weeks back is in trouble.   HCC paid for that neuter.  I've not met the cat nor the woman who trapped him, but last night she sent me a photo of his butt end.  The ball sacs are red and inflamed.   She is taking him back to the vet today.

Here's to another gray dreary drizzling Oregon winter day!   I will plaster a smile onto my face and deal with it.  Jenny says hi!