Well, my busy season is starting, and I was off taking care of
business and off line for a couple days. I started reading the many
messages, ended up skipping/deleting a couple hundred to catch up with
the group. So am sending happy purrs, health purrs, and sad comforting
purrs to any who need them and I might miss otherwise.

Just a couple cat related things to relate, some happy and one
sad/maddening. First, there's my new neighbor, just back from Iraq. He
moved in, and is now off on 30 days leave. I haven't really talked
with him, except to shake his hand and welcome him back. The thing
that makes his arrival cat related is that the UPS delivered a big box
for him, which I'm hanging on to until he gets back. Sammy was
delighted, and has claimed it for a new nap spot - but I can tell
she's more than a little miffed that I haven't opened it up so she can
get the proper new-box experience.

Then, there was the cute little kitten, maybe 8-10 weeks old, I met
yesterday. I run into a lot of animals while out doing landscaping,
but usually the best I can expect is for cats to accept a scritch and
then watch from afar as I get on with my work. This kitten that I met
yesterday was out playing in his yard next door to where I was
working. I watched him and his brother/sister, beautiful tail-less
kittens, one gray and one black, for a while before I started up my
weed eater to get to work. When I started the weed eater the little
black guy ran back to the house, but little gray stood his ground and
watched me. I trimmed the far side of the yard, and worked around to
the chain link fence separating his yard from where I was working S/he
bravely watched me without retreating. When I reached the closest
point to where he was watching from about 10 feet away on his side of
the fence, I was surprised to see him prance up to the fence for a
closer look. First time any cat has approached me while I was
holding/using running lawn equipment. Course, I shut it down and
reached through the chain links to give him a few scritches, and told
me what a brave and handsome guy he was.

Now the sad/maddening story. Last winter a friend introduced me to a
friend of hers. The lady was headed for a tour in Germany and needed a
yard man to do her yard.  When I had met the owner to give her an
estimate, I commented on her cats, one of whom looked a lot like my
Rocky. She told me she told me they were strictly indoor kitties, and
they would be staying there, because their shots weren't up to date
and it would be a major hazzle to take them with her. A sister in law
would be living there and taking care of the cats.

Anyway, the first time I went to do the yard, one of the cats, the
Rocky lookalike, was outside, which I knew was a no-no. I told the
SIL, but she was in a hurry to go to work and got in her car and left.
I mentioned it to my friend, who was sort of keeping an eye on things
and had been keeping the owner in Germany up to date, since the SIL is
something of a alcoholic flake. I went back this week to do the yard
again and collect for the first time I was there, and found that
flakey SIL had a new puppy. She was keeping it on the front porch, a
tragedy waiting to happen, no fence or leash, nothing to keep it from
wandering into the busy street.

The owner's un-neutered female had had a litter of kittens, a miracle
litter as flakey SIL swears it had never been let outside. Mom,
kittens, and neutered tom Rocky lookalike, had been turned over to the
local shelter. Only one of the owner's pets was left, banished from
the house, living on the screen back porch.

I told my friend, but don't know what the end of the story will be. I
imagine there'll be one highly p*ssed off lady in Germany who has some
rather choice things to say to her not so dear SIL.

BTW, my friend now tells me that SIL quit or got fired from her job,
is not working, nor meeting any of her agreed upon financial
commitements for living in the house. The owner over in Germany asked
my friend to have me keep doing the yard on a pay as you go basis. As
it is I'll probably never get paid for the work I've already done. So,
I dropped flake as a customer. Not solely because her treatment of the
pets, but it certainly contributed.