Onward

Prissy from Quartzville road is very happy here.  After the three I had in my bathroom escaped it she instantly made herself at home.  Tickle and Thistle quickly found the cat yard and while Thistle mostly remains in the cat yard, Tickle would come in and out.  

When Tickle ran into Prissy, who had remained inside, she was ecstatic and now pals around with her again.

 The fires in the LA area are horrific.  I can't even stand to see the devastation on the news.   It hits me in the manner of what if that happened to me.   Where do you go, to live, to somehow start from scratch?  I know this was largely a wealthy area hit, and many of the people have good insurance and the means to live elsewhere and to buy themselves replacement clothes, but still.  Where do you even begin and to lose your security, your home port, your everyday routines....I can't imagine.  It has happened to me, on several occasions, but not through natural disaster or in such sudden fashion.

I don't have much, so there isn't much to lose.  Except the sense of home and peace of routine familiarity and knowing ones' neighbors and community and where to get what you need.   

I heard there are flights packed with displaced LA folk arriving at PDX.    

If a lot of wealthy Californians move here it only makes our housing issues worse, more expensive.  I have empathy for those who have lost everything.  On the other hand, I hope thousands upon thousands don't end up here.    We don't have the infrastructure or housing I don't think to handle it.  But maybe they do in Portland, I don't know.  But they are fellow human beings and if need be, we will squeeze them in.

We have no sun to offer the sun loving Californians.

People are politicizing this like rabid dogs on social media.   Of course they are.  It's easier to blame someone.  People do so without thought down to the human beings who have lost so much.   You don't see the blame gaming in the huge Oklahoma and Texas fires or tornados or the hurricanes frequenting Florida.   Because the truth is these are extreme events of nature, resulting in massive human loss of life and property because there are now so many humans and these weather events are far more extreme.

You really can't fight a fire hurricane, which is what these fires are.  No amount of water can fight that.  The Santiam canyon fire was that way.   A river ran where the fire tore through and a reservoir.  There was plenty of water, just no way to fight it until the winds went down.

I had a dental appointment Wednesday, my first checkup in about five years.   Thankfully, no new cavities and the fix of the fallen out filling has held wonderfully.  The inspection yesterday also went just fine.   I worked myself to exhaustion getting all projects done.  I felt accomplished.   Before my dental appointment Wednesday, I went to Lebanon and quickly trapped five cats, left a trap set that caught a sixth.  A friend had FCCO appointments and I wanted to help catch those cats.   We did not catch the mom cat.   

I went yesterday after inspection out to a new colony on 7 Mile and delivered a drop trap and live trap for prefeeding.   It may be difficult there.  The cats are in two barns.  For the first trip to FCCO with these cats, we are concentrating on one barn.  Its out in a field, no vehicle access, no way to monitor traps without walking out there.   That can make it tough, if the others see their comrades in a trap very long.  They have an electric golf cart we may or may not be able to use, depending on how wet the ground is.   Next week is supposed to be dry, but will the ground dry out enough to use the golf cart.  Otherwise I'll take my wagon, but it too might bog in wet ground.

I also have five spots Monday up at OHSS, for different cats.  I was going to take the last three in of the Albany trailer man but he informs me he is busy all weekend.   Ok.   

I'm happy I contacted him yesterday, because he'd agreed to the Monday date when I got three others fixed a couple weeks ago.  I won't waste my time.

Here are some of those five kittens who were fixed yesterday.  I won't post a photo of the young adult girl who died.  Its just so sad and makes me feel bad for trapping her.

I don't have a photo of the 5th kitten.  He or she was caught in my trap after I left to come home for my dental appointment.   Julie drove the six to FCCO plus five others.   I am thrilled that 11 more cats from Lebanon went up.  With any luck 16 from Albany will go next week from the other colony.  And five others I have yet to catch on Monday.   I had such high hopes of finishing that darn Albany trailer, but no.

I hope the winds die down running through the California canyons.   The inspector told me he lived down there briefly and even a piece of broken glass in the brush could start a fire when everything  is dried out and those winds come through.

When I think of the fire size comparisons, like "the size of Miami" or twice that of Manhattan where over a million people live, I think about just how many people live in these huge cities, each with their lives, hopes, fears, possessions, families.    When I expand to contemplate the entire earth and its massive population centers, I can't even fathom the numbers of individuals out there.