Late Monday Afternoon and into Evening

 This is the tenth cat that's come to the back porch, been fed and eventually placed. Of course, that sentence implies that this one has been placed, found a home, that someone has answered the ad on Craig's list and taken the cat into a good home. That doesn't happen to be true.

K. has done all of this with remarkable skill and good luck until this cat wandered by and she fed her, took her in, made a place in the basement, provided food and rest in so she could bulk up and clean herself up, before the usual process of listing her.

But she noticed that it seems to have a discharge, looked it up on google and found -- infection of the uterus. Damn. A big snag in an otherwise somewhat difficult, but not impossible venture. So, I drove her to the vet I used, having myself just spent $300 to get Bogie's teeth cleaned and 2 pulled so he can return to being a therapy dog, a job he's lagged on for the last few years...

Money has been racing out of my pockets so when the vet said that this foundling cat, maybe a year old, needed an immediate, as in immediate, the next morning, operation that would cost between 3-500 $ minimum...not counting whatever else, I was extremely unhappy and K. was beside herself. This is much, much, much too much money for a rescued cat that would be going to another home.

The vet said she'll die, that we might as well have her put to sleep, no, euthanized, for $130.

And we took her away, quarreling about money, in general, on the way back. The cat was remarkably passive during all of this, undoubtedly because she's really sick...maybe because she has a particularly nice nature.

Fortunately, K. put up a request on Craig's list for advice about less expensive ways of having a cat with this particular and difficult problem spayed...  And fortunately, another client had been in the vet's office at the same time, a woman fostering a ragdoll cat which weighs only 7 pounds, but looks like a small dog with all that fur...and she had offered advice about the organization she's connected with. And three or four people from Craig's list with suggestions, names of vets and numbers. Can you imagine that anyone would be looking on Craig's list at 6 on a Monday evening, just waiting to give out helpful information?

So, with all that help, and endless phone calls and e-mails, this cat has an appointment with THE SAME VET on Friday morning, tomorrow, at 7 am, but now with a voucher and K's cash, only $120, and will have the operation and be thoroughly checked out, given antibiotics, put on a website by the organization sponsoring this and on Craig's list by K. and should find a home in 2 weeks...

I'm very taken with this cat who has a black, or dark gray, chin...and wouldn't mind keeping it, but that would be the route to further insanity.

Right after that, with the quarrel still on my lips, I took the two cakes I'd made during the day, the weakness of using mixes ... four boxes... (but i backed bread that day, so I guess that redeems me, somewhat..a whole day of cooking...quite unusual) to be decorated by Isa and Sofia and Elaine... Maureen came along and helped prevent me from taking over because I dearly, dearly love icing cakes in this way. "Why don't we let the girl's do this?" That was the plan and basically that worked, though the mom did help a bit...   Oh, nothing better than butter cream icing globbed on in festive patches. They were to be a surprise for our marvelous Chelsea Community Garden coordinator whose two terms are over.            I washed bowls to keep my hands off the decorating.    And was quite pleased with having thought of this project and having introduced Elaine, who teaches young children, to this new game....and her girls  made wonderful designs...  


 But my sciatic nerve didn't like something or other. it's taken to protesting recently, especially if i take a walk and then sit in the car to drive home. Whooie... the pain. My body was unhappy when I got home.

So, Sherlock has taking to lolling in the doorway of my workroom, trapping Bogie in it when it's time to go to bed. He was a perfectly excellent kitten, one that K. rescued when the mother dropped three off on the porch next door and those folks didn't want them. But, Tulip took to playing with him and so he's gotten a fierce delight in attacking, especially surprise attacks.    Bogie just hates that and quivers with insult and distress. He just can't muster the will to protest effectively and I often chase Sherlock with a spray bottle, which seems to have done no good...since he gets such pleasure out of his strategies.

So, anyway, I've turned off the light, gotten Bogie safely out of that room and onto the bed, when I go back into the dark room and fall over Sherlock....

End of day. End of story. Except that I took a tylenol and went uncomfortably to bed.

Run to the Roundhouse, Nellie should be up by December 19th.....         I am NOT to be trusted with any details, truly, since I can't remember numbers, never check whether anythings correct, don't seem to have the space in my mind to pay attention and am notorious for slippages, but I will try to put the correct address up as soon as it's gone into space!!!!!!!!! very exciting.