Journal of a Sabbatical

May 16, 2001

guess that dry spell is over

Adopt these cats at Merrimack River Feline Rescue Socitety

Today's Bird Sightings:
Plum Island:
gadwall (4)
common grackle (9)
least sandpiper (200)
dunlin (1)
herring gull (2)
barn swallow (4)
bank swallow (1)
greater yellowlegs (6)
lesser yellowlegs (6)
mallard (2)
American crow (1)
killdeer (1)
gray catbird (2)
Canada goose (3)
redwinged blackbird(16)
snowy egret (2)
northern mockingbird (2)
mute swan (1)

Today's Reading: Fresh Air Fiend by Paul Theroux

Today's Starting Pitcher: Tim Wakefield

What was that I said about the dry dome of the sky? Guess that dry spell is over. I got to drive in the rain to the cat shelter this morning after sleeping late because I always sleep late when it's raining and Wilbur didn't want me to get up anyway. I can tell this because he refuses to get off my leg when I try to sit up in the bed. Yes, my life is run by a cat.

Just as I walked in the door, Savannah was leaping upon Sandy. Sandy did not seem to be enjoying it. Somebody said something about it's being spring as if to explain Savannah. I asked: "Does Savannah want to marry Sandy or kill him?"

For some reason today Savannah decided to be nice to Roy. Did she miss him last week? Does she smell the donut crumbs in his shirt pocket? She's rubbing up against him like crazy. Sandy on the other hand is indifferent for the longest time. Usually he's all about watching the Roy show and Savannah is all about mayhem at Roy's expense. Role reversal today I guess.

New cats this week are Annie and Mabel. Annie is a sweet girl between 1 and 2 years old who came to us as a stray. She's an affectionate and friendly lap cat who likes being patted. Mabel is a one year old short-haired female who came to us as a stray. She's affectionate and friendly and enjoys being patted. How many ways can I say that? Oh, and Mabel came from a project in Lawrence. I tried speaking sweet nothings to her in Spanish but it didn't seem to make any difference.

That cute Gizmo whom I met last week, already got adopted. And Mamma Mia got adopted ---- by Cindy! Chris pointed out that Cindy has been here a long time before taking one home. It happens to all of us, there's one shelter cat who just tugs and tugs at your heart until you give in. In my case, Wilbur claimed me as his and wouldn't let any other cats near me, so I'm safe from succumbing to another one -- and besides that it looks like one of the vets from downstairs is going to adopt Miss Newburyport ...

Despite my lingering fatigue -- I was absolutely felled all weekend -- it was 11:10 AM and Roy was just filling the last community litter box when I had that ohmigod I'll never be done by 11:00 feeling. I got enough of a second wind to copy down the adoptees from the whiteboard and take pictures of Annie and Mabel before attempting to refill the printer cartridge.

Remind me in the future that anything labeled Easy Refill Kit is likely not to be. I went through the treasure trove of long expired cartridges for a different printer (must be one we had about 3 years ago), current cartridges for yet another different printer, a refill kit for a kind of cartridge we don't have, and finally two, count them two, refill kits for the cartridge we do have. Yeah, right. I dare anyone over the age of 12 to use this so-called Easy Refill Kit. I've washed my hands eight times and still have ink on my fingers and the cartridge remains empty. I told Barb and Kendra I'd pick up a new cartridge, the right kind, at Staples tomorrow or Friday and drop it off at the shelter. If some other idiot wants to try using the refill kit, my hat is off to them.

I was so hungry I ate a donut. Not good. I had donut stomach for the rest of the afternoon. Even after my veggie sub. Hot peppers on top of donut stomach. I must be nuts.

The rain let up so I took a cup of Fowle's coffee and my binoculars to the refuge for Wednesday afternoon drive-by birding. The hordes of leasties at the salt pannes were flying around almost as madly as the swallows and purple martins so if there were any rarities among them, I wasn't going to find 'em. I did find a dunlin though, my first of the year, in breeding plumage with that cool looking black belly patch. Weed-wise, the strawberries are now in bloom along with the sorrel and mustard and dandelions. Otherwise, the place was pretty quiet.

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