Another War

 I wake up too early and discover we're in another war.   Yet another regime change sort of war.  And here I thought this admin was against international meddling and yet we've meddled like never before.

I don't know how this war is being paid for.   I still haven't opened my electric bill.  Last month's was scary high.  I don't want a heart attack just opening it to see the balance I owe.   All I'm saying is electric bills have skyrocketed since the current P took office.  Is there a connection?  I just don't know.  

Gas prices have shot up. Food is still high.   Where's affordability?   Gone to the shits.

Affordable life is gone for so many now.  Why?  

Gone to the war dogs spending every cent on troop deployments, propaganda kings gathered to gaggle and giggle and plot, and to the most elaborate and expensive weapons possible.  The golden sheen of power is too much for people, when there's no one to say no, and only feet licking neutered yes men all around.  Gone to the ICE machine, to the FBI head boozing it up at the Olympics, gone to the........just gone.

I can rant but nothing changes about human nature and hormones combined with entitled positions of power.    

Back to cats it is for me.  

Last week has been tough.  Caring for the three Berlin road cats, as they wait for homes, barn home in the case of Roadie and Mowgli.   Eleven, well she is a special loving wonderful kitty.

The tech at Rad came up with a home willing to take all three.  She vouched for the home, having adopted two cats to them already, who were supposed to be barn cats but ended up fat happy house cats.

I took the three up yesterday, with six others I took to FCCO.  I checked in the six cats, then handed over Eleven, Mowgli and Roadie to their new people.   After I did, I sat in my car and balled.

The long hours and days and effort that went in to getting all those cats safe along Berlin road when the feeder quit feeding and had not gotten any fixed, coupled with my desire to better their lives, not make them even worse, all that effort, physical, time, financial--broke free of my soul in tears.

The Seven Mile couple had ten more spots yesterday and a Halsey woman had six.   The Seven Mile couple really don't have any idea how many if any cats are still not fixed in their colony.  We'd already taken 20 in to be fixed a month or more ago.   I knew of two needing fixed at the hay barn, but the goat barn is a mystery since they live in the loft and come and go to yet another building too, but in the night.  

They set traps at the goat barn and the hay barn but caught nothing but a  couple already fixed cats.  Finally Thursday I went out and sat hours upon hours in a lawn chair forty feet from the hay barn with the drop trap set up.   Finally I caught one of the two unfixed ones out there.  It was near dark by then and my toes felt frozen.   

I left the trapping to them then, and headed to Halsey.  That caregiver had caught five of her six.   I went home with the six and later the Seven Mile couple texted to say they'd caught no more.   

I spent the day yesterday, while the cats were being fixed, at my friends place.  I got there about 9:15, laid down on her couch and was asleep by 9:30.  I only know this because I turned on a movie, on her TV, and remember only a few minutes of it.  I woke up just after noon.   She works during the day.  Being able to have a warm place, with bathroom, and comfortable couch have reduced the difficulty level of taking cats to Portland to be fixed in a big way.

Five of the six cats, when I picked them up, were still out cold, laid out.  I was worried.  What if they didn't come out of it ok.   It took over an hour to get to the rest area in the congestion traffic of Friday.  I stopped there and was horrified to find them still unresponsive.  I rubbed wet food liquid on their gums by flashlight, rubbed them and finally got three of the five to lift their heads.  I moved the other two in their traps to right behind the opening between the two front car seats so the heater could blow directly on them.

Once home, with them still not awake, I put them in the bathroom with heat frisbees and soon both were waking up.

That was a relief.  They were probably done last.

Now I am up for the day and find out we are at war.   Again.  

I can understand how tempting it must be to try to make things better for common folk in far off countries.    I get that urge everytime I hear of a cat situation that needs "fixed".   But.....they're hardly comparable endeavors, I know.

I took these photos stopped in the road down outside Halsey after I picked up the five cats there, on Thursday evening.

I'll add photos of the cats fixed later on.