My resolution to recommence posting on a regular basis sadly fell along the wayside due to:
(a) An orange kitten who met with a mysterious injury to his leg (I’m guessing he either fell afoul of Tonya Harding, or got it stuck in the heat vent cover on the floor), requiring an emergency trip to the vet and a day spent in the waiting room and then later, watching him and worrying about him. (He’s fine now. Emergency vet visit, X-Rays, etc.: $113; peace of mind: priceless, more or less.)
(b) The quincentennial (if that is a word) family reunion, that brought in relatives from all over the western United States, plus some weird people who presumably just heard about the free food. Admittedly, my invovlement in this event was minimal UNTIL my mother was hospitalized with a gall bladder attack, and I was left to entertain some of the more “quaint” relations. (Mom is okay now too.)
(c) The cat population explosion. The woman who is in charge of cat adoptions at our rescue has some serious health problems, and had to scale back her efforts, so I’ve been filling in by meeting people at Petsmart who want to give a home to one (or more) of our cats. For the last week, I’ve been there almost every day (not to mention my four-hour shift on Saturday), because it’s kitten season, and many people are falling victim to the insidious cuteness of these little varmints. Which is good, because it’s kitten season, and every day or so our group gets a litter from the pound that would otherwise be put to sleep. Kittens: buy them where you work or bank.
Additionally, my walk-in closet in now an auxillary cat hospital (the bathroom still houses Beth, who is basically over her respiratory ailment, but who can’t compete with the cute kittens at Petsmart, so will need to stay here until the youngsters are adopted; while the spare bedroom is still home for Willow and her two SUPER adorable kittens, whom I renamed Fanta and Rusty because I couldn’t remember their other names when I was at the vet’s).
My new guests are Unnamed Black-And-White Long Hair Female, the most pitiful cat you’ve ever seen; and her 2-3 week old kitten, Leaky (once his persistant diarreah clears up he can have a new name). Leaky’s 2 littermates died yesterday, which was sad, but also a blessing, because they were the most pitiful-looking things anyone has ever seen. Seriously, it hurt me to look at them. I did try to offer supportive care to help them through whatever malady this family has contracted (a seperate and distinct, and apparently much more serious, ailment than the kitty bug which Cooper and Beth have been suffering from), but it wasn’t meant to be. Good night, sweet kittens — may feline angels sing thee to thy repose.
Anyway, I am hoping that at least the mother will survive (she is a very sweet, loving cat, but is just skin, bones, and matted hair — and fecal material). The baby is a scrappy little thing, but kittens are fragile, so I think he has at best a 50/50 chance. The kitten cries every two hours or so, and I offer him some kitten formula in a dropper, and clean up his behind — and then change my clothes, which invariable get some runny, yellow poop on them. I sure hope that my quarantine efforts are successful, because I don’t own enough clothes to keep going if any of the other cats get this.
Oh, and hey, if you wake up and discover that you’re one of the wealthiest people in the world (and just can’t decide what to do with your additional millions and/or your new portion of the quarter of the world’s wealth that you and your compadres own), then consider donating a bag of dog food to the Four Paws Animal Rescue. Iif you buy a bag for $9.99, Pedigree will match it, and your donation can thus feed one dog for two months, or 80 dogs for a day (which is about how many dogs are at our shelter right now). Go here:
DogsruleGear: Product: ’22LB BAG DOG FOOD – DONATION’, put in Logan, Utah in the location block, and select “Four Paws” as the rescue (which is the only one in Logan, Utah, which makes it convenient), and then Pedigree will send a coupon to our rescue good for two bags of food. (Or donate a bag to your local rescue or shelter — I’m sure they could use the help too).
But, hey, there have been good things happening this week too.
1. Cooper got to go to his new home today, and he and his people (and me) were all delighted about it. Middle-aged orange (neutered) tomcats with the sniffles who end in in the pound aren’t usually lucky enough to get adopted by adoring families.
2. A really cool, smart, nice, kind person who has just written the script for next year’s mega-hit summer movie (which will probably not star ex-jailbird Paris Hilton), and who had to hear all the details about how my old computer tries to kill me every time I attempt to download photos from my crappy digital camera, gave me a new digital camera! One made this century! Watch out, Friday Cat Blogging, I have the technology now to rock your world! Thanks, Scott — you are the best!
Oh, and this would probably be a good time to thank the nicest person in the world (I don’t want to embarras her by mentioning her name, but her initials are Anntichrist Coulter). This lovely person sent me the most thoughtful and wonderful care packages while I was sick, and is basically just a great person whom I will buy an important federal position for once I am one of the world’s richest people. (Additional note: I still love those origami cranes that D.Sidhe sent — they are so cool!).
Oh, and thanks to everyone else who sent emails and left nice and/or irrate comments while I was gone — your kindness has been noted, probably by both the NSA and the IRS.
So, that’s my life.
Well, maybe you need to learn about this item from my local paper today to really get the flavor of it. So, here goes:
WOMAN SAYS TRANSIT CENTER VIOLATED HER LIBERTIES
As she sat and waited for the 2:30 bus to pull into the Logan Transit Center last week, Laura Stevens said she noticed a mother struggling to rein in her six children.
“I felt sorry for he,” Stevens said. Maybe she doesn’t know that she could get a patch and not have a kid for five years. That was my thought.”
When she told her thoughts to the woman, transit officials removed Stevens from the premises and told her not to return.
Yes, just because she tried to help a harried mother, the 76-year-old Stevens was banned from using public transportation, her only way to get around. What a world, what a world!
Well, true, she’s been “making comments to some of the Hispanic passengers that they should be on the pill, that they’re taking over society,” claims the Transit District’s general manager, who believes that “the passengers have a right to ride and not be intimidated. (The story says that Stevens has been booted from the bus on multiple occasions over the last six months, presumably for harassing other passengers.) But Steven feels her Constitutional rights have been violated.
“If I can’t make one comment to someone, no one should. I think it’s wrong. It’s a violation of my First Amendment Rights.”
So, what say you? Should Hispanic passengers be allowed to enjoy public transportation without being confronted by a kook who tells them they should refrain from breeding? Or, does the bus system not have the right to ban an old lady from city-owned, tax-payer funded transportation because of her comments? YOU make the call.
As for me, I have some runny poop to clean up in the closet.
