The past couple of
months have zipped by in a whirl of activity and I can’t believe it’s already
the middle of June – or 6 months until Christmas! (sorry – just had to throw
that in) The first of May was our usual rounds of dinners and meetings with
friends and then, the whole of the past month has been taken up with the growth
of our little family by four feet – that’s four white paws!
Steve returned from
the UK to a full week of meeting up with people and a “sort of” surprise. “Sort
of” because I’d been talking about “fostering” a cat for some time but we both
knew that I’d never be able to give one up because I get too attached.
The day before he
returned, I went to a “book club” meeting. That’s an expression loosely used
for a group of us ladies to get together, have brunch, drinks, and gossip. We
meet in a restaurant where the PURR Project hosts a Saturday stall just outside
the front doors. They set up a table with info and usually have at least a
couple of cats in carriers and try and get adoptions going. A lady who rescued
a mother cat and five kittens brought the mom and 2 of the kittens to the stall
to ask for PURR’s help because she already had four cats of her own. Well, one
of the leading PURR volunteer organizers came into the restaurant and got me
and took me out to show me one of the kittens. Of course, I had to hold him and
then I was hooked.
I told Debbie, the
rescue lady, that my husband was in the UK so I’d have to discuss it with him.
We told her too that there would be a free spay/neuter clinic the next weekend
and asked her to bring the mom and remaining kittens. (mother had 5 and Debbie
had found homes for 2) The following Sunday, at the clinic, Debbie showed up
with the rescues, and I was able to show Steve my little “wish cat” but he was
really busy so I couldn’t be sure that he’d paid attention.
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| Weighed in at 1.2 kilos |
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| Mostly ears and long legs! |
On the following
Friday morning; after much discussion and a few kitty-proofing steps, Steve and
I went to pick up the kitten and take him to the vet for a thorough check, and
then we were home. We made our office his safe sanctuary, and we let him settle
in for the next week.
I was due to leave
for the US for a couple of weeks so Steve and I talked about all of the other
kitty-proofing that needed doing before we could let the little guy out in the
condo and also let him meet the other two cats. Steve managed to do all of the
kitty-proofing such as putting up netting on the balcony because Kato shows no
fear of anything. He also put some protective covering over the sofas in the
living room and the day-bed in the 2nd bedroom. By the time I got home, the
kitty-proofing had been done; Kato had been introduced to Sadie and Ali and he
had free-run of the condo. Steve did a great job – I think he’s a natural! But
he and Kato had a chance to bond so I’ve lost yet another cat to “daddy”.
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| Rosa showing us how it's done |
During the new
kitty chaos the week before I left, I had another Mexican cooking class. Again,
this is a name loosely used for Rosa showing us how she cooks but doing most of
the work; we eat a delicious meal have some wine and get to catch up for 2-3
hours. But it’s definitely fun and everyone enjoys it so more will be
organized.
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| Monitoring vitals |
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| Keeping an eye on post-surgery cats |
First Sunday after
Steve returned in May, we volunteered at the free spay/neuter clinic. This has
now become one of our monthly volunteer times. We get a chance to meet people,
look after the cats/kittens when they come out of surgery, and we know that we
are providing a much-needed service. But it’s not all just show up and cuddle
the cats. There’s a lot of organization that goes into the whole process so
that the animals are treated correctly and given back to the right owners or
rescuers. I’ve helped with the intake, which is a nightmare for me because the
forms are in Spanish, and it’s mostly Mexican people who bring the animals. But
the forms are crucial to surgery procedures. I also make sure that the forms
stay with the right animals during prep and surgery and then recovery. Then as
they come around, I make sure they end up in the right carriers while they
fully recover and wait for their owners. Fortunately, my memory for what the
animal looks like, names and numbers serves well for helping to get the right animal
back to the right owner. It’s such a rewarding service. In addition to the
actual hands on, we raise the money to pay for the vet’s service. Steve even
stepped in to help in June while I was away. His height and his willingness to
help is invaluable because the surgeries are held outdoors under tents so he
helps in putting up and taking down the structures.
I arrived in the US
a few days early to do some shopping. We can get quite a lot of things here in
Mexico, but some things we just can’t get, so I went with a long list. I would
have ordered everything from Amazon, but my items weren't able to ship at the
same time, and I was staying in 3 different hotels while there. It was
impossible logistically to get things that I wanted, when I wanted. I had a
good time shopping and tried to walk to as many shops as possible to get in my
exercise. My biggest purchase? Cat toys, calming collars and cat dishes. Next
biggest purchase – jewelry-making supplies. The combination of these two made
up almost half of a large suitcase and checking into my flight from Atlanta to Detroit;
I was one of those people who are frantically taking items out of their
suitcase to get the weight down. Coming home from Detroit, I loaded a carry-on
with the heaviest articles and lugged it through Atlanta airport during my
connection. I’m sure customs would have shaken their heads and definitely
called me a crazy cat lady if they’d opened my bag, but I wasn’t stopped.
Coming back through
passport control and customs was a breeze. I had to complete a passport form
before leaving, and it was stamped temporal, so I had to keep this with my
passport the whole time I was in the US. I guarded this with my life because if
you lose it, it’s a nightmare getting back in! So when I arrived back, most of
the people on the plane hadn’t listened to the directions for filling out their
immigration entry forms and hadn’t completed the bottom portion of their form.
This meant they were held up before getting through to passport control. I had
the temporal form so went straight to the front of the line. I also got through
customs very quickly because I had nothing to declare.
I feel sorry for
those of you in the US because the few times I tried to watch TV while in the
US; it was horrendous. There was nothing on but the elections – and really, it
was mostly about Trump and his most recent awful gaffe. If it’s publicity that
he wants, he’s certainly gotten his wish. We’ve become accustomed to watching
mostly BBC programs and do get the news but almost entirely BBC news so it’s
less biased and we are spared the tirades and ranting from Trump. Thank
goodness, we get more of the “world news” as in rest of the world and not US
focused.
The two conferences
that I worked were complete opposites. The first one -- the programs, badge
holders, and lanyards didn’t arrive so the client was out shopping at all of
the office supplies stores in Atlanta. There wasn’t much we could do about the
programs, so I downloaded the conference-at-a-glance and printed off hundreds
of copies. And the client forgot to order an on-site counter so on-site
registrations were done where-ever. Those of you who’ve worked registration
before know this doesn’t work! The client didn’t seem at all concerned, nor did
they offer any help. Since they were the ones who orders the supplies that didn’t
arrive, all we could do was try to compensate as best we could. Attendees were
all very nice and friendly. It was the clients who were rude, self-centered and
arrogant – oh, and thankless for everything that we did to cover for
non-delivery of supplies.
The second
conference in Detroit was held in seven different venues – not ideal for a
group of people who can’t find a toilet less than 2 feet in front of them. I
was in the main venue where the registration area was about the size of a
normal bedroom. Beautiful old, historic building but not one designed for
checking in 1300 attendees. Since there wasn’t space to form lines, everyone
mobbed the registration desks at the same time, all 1300+ of them. They all
wanted something at the same time and tried talking over the person whom I was
trying to help. I had three very long days (6.30am – 8pm) of this and by Friday
night, I’d had enough. This conference -- the attendees were rude,
self-centered and arrogant and the clients, whom I didn’t get to see enough of,
are the nice ones. So on Saturday morning, I was up at 2am to shower and get
ready to leave for a very early flight. Flights were easy and on time and I’m
soooo glad to be back home!
This week it's back
to reality, trying to catch up with friends who make it seem as if I’ve been
away for years; taking care of the gatito and making sure the other gatos have
lots of love and attention and catching up with other stuff that piles up while
away. PV is quiet now with most of the gringos back home and we get to enjoy quieter
times in town, quieter dinners in restaurants and sunsets like the one below.
We are heading into rainy season so sunsets might be a bit hit and miss but
it’s nice to have the much-needed rain. It’s been ages since we’ve seen rain so
everyone is excited.
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| Who wouldn't be glad to come home to this!! |
