Holiday

Yellow House in the North Country: Thanksgiving

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My time off from work has all been used due to the neighbor abuse we experienced at the old house plus the move to escape that dangerous situation. There were many days that the neighbors prevented me from working. Not only did I have to use all my vacation time, but I had to take unpaid time off from work too. The harassment at work from the bad neighbors at the old house was so severe, it put my job in jeopardy. 

Thankfully, that is behind us now. We were able to leave the house where we were harassed daily and the neighbor’s attempted arson. However, there is still fallout from those events. Part of that fallout is that I had to work Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the Saturday after Thanksgiving trying to make up time. 

Surprisingly, I did have a few invitations to Thanksgiving in our new location. I had to turn them down due to working and due to covid. N95 respirators only work to prevent covid if they are worn on your face properly. 

The neighbor right next to me – the first one to come over and introduce herself when we moved in – brought me a plate of food. I was so grateful that she was kind enough to think of me.

To be honest, I was feeling a little down about Thanksgiving. Even though we are safe in a new home, it just doesn’t feel like the holidays this year. It’s hard learning a new area after being forced out of an area I lived in and knew for 25 years. That is the reality of what happened – we were bullied and harassed out of an area we knew. Our lives were threatened. We are starting over somewhere new.

My favorite Thanksgiving movie is Pieces of April with Katie Holmes. There is a scene in the movie where she explains the meaning of Thanksgiving to her neighbors who do not speak English. To paraphrase, she explained that there was this one time when people just realized that they needed each other, and they came together due to that need. 

It was the plate of food that neighbor brought me and the kindness of another neighbor in the days after Thanksgiving that finally helped me to feel the true meaning of the holiday this year. 

When we lived 3 hours south in the old house, I used to say we would get nickel and dimed with snow – half an inch here, half an inch there. It was just enough snow to be annoying, but not enough to really plow or shovel or cause problems.

Here in the North Country, you get your money’s worth of snow and then some. To be honest, I am having culture shock with the snow up here and it is only December. I wonder if I am hardy enough to live in the North Country with the winters here. 

Yes, I’ve always said I wanted to live up here when I retired. Honestly, I had a very romanticized idea of what that would look like. I did not factor in the reality of three senior cats and being completely alone because we fled an abuse situation. 

We have been getting about 7-8 inches of snow every other day since Thanksgiving. There are constant winter weather warnings and travel advisories. The roads have been closed once already. It’s snowing right now, and when I went out to shovel, there is at least 3 feet of snow out front. I’m not exaggerating.

My weight is still low due to health issues I have been having the past year due to the neighbor abuse at the old house. I’m under 90 pounds, unintentionally. There is no way I can handle a snowblower.

For weeks, I have been calling every single ad I see for snowplowing. I have asked all the neighbors and everyone I see, from the librarian to the postmaster, for recommendations for snowplowing.

I call and leave messages. I name drop, saying “this person told me to call you.” No one calls me back. 

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, someone answered their phone. I told them I saw their ad in our local flier for snowplowing and would like an estimate. He told me, “I don’t go to that town.” You have an ad in our local flier advertising snowplowing for this town, and you don’t come here? Well, thank you for answering the phone at least. I have left dozens of messages, and no one calls me back.

Knowing I cannot handle a snowblower, I did get an electric shovel. It weighs 20 pounds. I know I can handle it. My thought was that it is like a mini show blower. If I keep up on the snow it will be fine.

How very wrong I was.

That first big snowfall on Thanksgiving, I went outside after work. I can only shovel twice a day – before work and after work. By the time I got outside after work, there was already way too much snow for the electric shovel to handle. 

The neighbor across the street saw me struggling with the electric snow shovel. He came over and used his snowblower and cleared my driveway for me. He explained that he is retired, but his wife still works, so he keeps their drive clean. He used to help the woman who lived in this house before me (she passed away). 

Now he is helping me too.

I offered to pay him. He refused. At least let me give you gas money, that machine costs money in gas. He refused. 

His kindness has helped me feel Thanksgiving in a way I haven’t felt in a very long time. As it was said in Pieces of April, there was a time when people needed each other. 

I still need to figure out something kind to do for him for helping me. Even though he is helping me with the snowblower, I am still going out twice a day to shovel (unless he beats me to it with the snowblower.)

Having his help with the snow in the driveway and front has freed me up to be sure that my back deck is shoveled. I know to keep the snow off that due to the weight of snow. So I am shoveling the back deck when the neighbor helps me with the driveway.

Words cannot express how grateful I am for the help.

Even though I had to work on the actual holiday, our first Thanksgiving in the North Country is one for the records books. I am so thankful for kind neighbors. Even if they did not help me with snow and remember me on the holiday, just the fact that we are safe here and our lives are not in danger is the greatest gift. 

We are getting more snow now. It’s only December. We have 3 feet of snow. I’m sick of it. It’s going to be a long winter. I’m struggling to get the car out. I’m struggling to get my mail. I’m struggling to get to the grocery store, the vet office, and anywhere else we need. 

Even though I am struggling with winter, I am grateful that we are safe. We are together. We have neighbors who are not actively trying to murder us (truly, that is what the old neighbors did – they tried to murder us with the arson and other physical injuries they caused). 

We are forced to learn a brand-new area because we had to escape an abuse situation. This is the hardest thing I have ever done. Yet I’m grateful we are together and safe. 

Last year I had to deal with the 20-year-old child across the street having some sort of drug induced psychosis and driving his truck into the bushes and front porch of my house. 

This year, we are in a place where neighbors bring me a plate of food and help me with snow. 

Happy Thanksgiving from the Yellow House in the North Country. 

We are hoping the Yellow House in the North Country will be a new series on the blog.

Happy First Gotcha Day, Flower!

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One year ago today, Flower finally went into the live humane trap. One of my friends called Flower my white whale. Flower lived in the house next door and was kicked out when the dog was taken for neglect and abuse. She was outside for six years (at least) before I was finally able to trap her.

We lived across the street from people who were involved in a dog fighting ring using cats as bait and doing boom cars to advertise drug sales. I kept finding injured, spray painted cats. I had trapped four and got them to safety. Flower was the fifth and final cat I trapped. The neighborhood had really declined due to two houses across the street. When gunfire started, I knew it was time to leave.

I said I would not leave that house until I trapped Flower and got her to safety. I never thought that I would be her forever home.

The animal shelter that had helped me with the other injured cats I trapped and provided evidence for the dog fighting ring was full when I trapped Flower. They couldn’t take her. I said I would foster her. To be honest, it’s a good thing they were full. I am pretty sure that given Flower’s age and medical condition, she would have been euthanized. (At least one of the other cats I got to them had to be euthanized due to the injuries from the dog fighting ring.)

A few years ago, I saw Flower with a broken front arm. It was obvious it was broken. It was hanging at an unnatural angle. Even when she was hobbling on three legs, I could not catch her. Last October, she was limping along. I tried to trap again. Flower is extremely intelligent. She avoided the trap for years. 

On November 3, 2024, she went into the trap. To this day, I wonder if she is happy, she went into the trap? I hope she is. 

I had tried to find a home for Flower. The longer Flower was with me, the more I realized that she had chosen me as her human. Not only that, but I honestly don’t think anyone else wants to handle her. People are afraid of Flower because she hisses and hides. She only does that because she was tortured by humans. She’s traumatized by what happened to her.

When I trapped her and got her to medical care, the vt confirmed she did have extensive injuries. All four legs and her pelvis had all been broken at some point, along with other issues as well. 

Flower was with me as a foster child for about four months when I thought I had found her a forever home. It didn’t work out. People were interested in Flower, but when they met her or learned about her medical needs, decided they could not handle her. That’s honest. Flower is a senior special needs cat who has been through a lot of trauma. She has “issues.” I lovingly call her “spicy.”

Flower has captured the hearts of many people on the internet and has fans all over the world. She used to get her own update on our social media sites daily, then twice a week. Now, she is in regular rotation as a permanent family member. 

I am Flower’s forever home. She chose me as her person. After 6 years, she finally trusted me enough to go into the trap. I do believe she chose me.

Flower follows me around the house. Now that she has a ramp, she sleeps in my bed. She purrs. It took months before she started to purr. At first, it was barely audible. Now, her purr is quite loud. She loves sun puddles and looking out the window. She has never tried to escape the house or go back outside. 

Flower is extremely intelligent. She is carrier trained and knows baby sign language. I read a bedtime story to Flower every night. Sometimes Jolene and Simon listen too. Flower’s favorites are Goodnight Moon and Toad and Frog. Those are the ones she seems most interested in looking at the pictures. She moves her head around to look at them. 

I’ve known that Flower is a hospice situation due to her numerous health issues. I didn’t expect her to do this well or live this long. I never expected her to outlive Jude. Jude’s passing came out of left field. Jude was the one that Flower tolerated the most. Jude won her over. He was the only one of my three that Flower did not hiss at. 

Given her medical condition, bones, and eyes, it is estimated that Flower is 15 years old. She has a birthday in April. She will be 16 in April 2026. November is adopt a senior pet month. I wasn’t planning on adopting another cat, but this time last year, Flower picked me out and went in the trap.

I fully intended when she went into the trap that I would get her medical care and get her into the shelter. I never anticipated that they would not take her and I would need to try to home her on my own. I also didn’t anticipate that that home would be me. She lets me pet her. She licks me.

Every day I wonder, “are you happy you went in the trap?” I don’t know. I hope she is. The hardest part of all of it is that I know she would do best as an only child. At the same time, I feel like she chose me as her person. Unfortunately for her, I had three cats when she picked me out. 

Flower has been a trooper through the move. She is the one who did the best when we were in temporary housing. She did not seem as happy in our new house as she was in temporary housing until the ramp arrived. Now that she can use the ramp and get into the bed, I think she is ok. 

I hope Flower is happy. I really do. She’s so spicy, it’s hard to tell. 

Flower is a natural bobtail. She looks like a skunk from the back but a cow from the side. She is a beautiful cat. My heart breaks when I think of what she has lived through. I try not to think about it. I want to give her as much love as I can in the time she has left. I hope she knows she is loved. 

I hope Flower is happy she went in the trap.

Happy Gotcha Day, Flower! We love you! 

Happy Gotcha Day, Simon!

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Simon was adopted on November 1, 2017. He was a year and a half old when I adopted him. While Simon is the youngest cat in this home, he is the one that has been with me the longest. Simon has also been through two moves with me now. Simon moved from the apartment to our first house. Then, Simon moved from the hell house to our current home. 

Simon is 9.5 years old. He may be turning 10 in the spring and approaching senior status, but Simon will always be the baby. He is pure innocence. I had Kip and Kitty from the time they were kittens. I called them the Dynamic Duo. I remember kitten phase and can’t handle kittens. Since then, I’ve said I would adopt adults. Simon is the youngest adult cat I have adopted. 

Simon is the sweetest cat. He sleeps with me in the bed every single night. We were so fortunate that we were able to all stay together through this vert rough move we just went through. I was worried we would have to be separated for 3-4 days. Turns out, we had to be in temporary housing for 3-4 weeks. I am so grateful we were all together. The cars came through the ordeal better because we were all together. They are not unscathed, but better than if we had been separated.

Of the three cats, Simon is the one who has been handling the move in stride. It may be because this was the second move for him. The hardest part for Simon is that he is grieving Jude. Simon was with Jude from the day I brought him home. Simon and Jude were very closely bonded. 

While Simon is also closely bonded to Jolene, bis strongest tie was with Jude. Simon is our Chief Cuddler. He just loves everyone and wants to snuggle everyone in the house. Simon gets as close to Flower as he dares to get once she is asleep. Flower hisses at Simon when she is awake. 

Simon loves playing with small toy mice. He can often be seen on cat cam throwing them around in the air, batting them, and carrying them from room to room. If there are cat toys under appliances and furniture, it’s because Simon put them there. When we were in the apartment, I used to take a yard stick to fish out all the cat toys from under the refrigerator every week. I was regularly pulling out 20-30 toys a week. There are not as many toys under appliances in the house. This is a bigger space than the apartment. 

Even the vet office says that Simon is the sweetest cat. He fully cooperates for his exam and vaccines. Simon is very loving. 

His only downside is that Simon is afraid of everything. He is so sweet and innocent. He is easily scared. This made it extremely difficult to get him to safety in the old house both for tornado warnings and for neighbor attacks when we were being harassed and assaulted. 

The other challenge with Simon is that he chews cords. I’m not sure if that is something from his kittenhood, but when Simon is being naughty, he tries to chew a cord or string. I must hide all cords as much as possible. 

Everyone loves Simon. Sweet and innocent are the words that describe him best. “Simon is a good baby” is a phrase heard frequently in our home. Simon is a very good baby. He is such a precious soul.

When I adopted Simon, I had been approved to adopt him in October. I asked the shelter to keep him until November 1 before I picked him up. I did not want a new cat near Halloween and have him scared on Halloween on top of being in a new house. I thought it would be too much. I’m glad I made that decision, now knowing how scared he is of everything. It was the best choice for Simon. 

This marks 8 years that Simon has been with me. He is the perfect baby. Simon’s name comes from three places. First, from The Saint so that Simon has a link with Kip and Kitty. Second, from Paul Simon so that he has a link with Jude (and now Jolene). Third, from the Chipmunks. 

Simon knows his name, and it fits him. When I sing Paul Simon songs to him, it’s typically either “Everything about it is a love song” or “Loves me like a Rock.” 

Simon is the only boy in this house now. It’s Simon with Jolene and Flower. It’s so strange. I’ve always had boys. Jolene was my first girl. Now, Simon is the only boy. There is a lot on his little shoulders. He is the youngest cat in the house but has the most “seniority” since he has been with me the longest. 

Happy Gotcha Day, Simon! We love you! I am so honored to be your mom. Simon is a good baby. He is the most gentle and innocent soul. 

Happy 11th Birthday, Jolene!

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August 24 is Jolene’s birthday and this year the Queen turns 11! Jolene brings so much life and love to our household. Jolene has my girl baby name. She is the first female cat I have ever had. 

While she is small, Jolene made it apparent from when she first arrived that she oversaw Jude and Simon. Jude liked to cuddle Jolene and was cautious in playing with her. He was truly gentle with Jolene and played rougher with Simon. 

Jolene and Simon play almost like kittens! Jolene is typically the one who starts the play session, and she likes to win. Often, Jolene and Simon will chase each other up and down the stairs. They also cuddle each other and are truly bonded. 

Flower lives in her own little world and hisses at the house cats. Jolene is afraid of Flower and gives her plenty of space. Jolene does not go near Flower. Sometimes Jolene appears on cat cam at night checking on Flower when she is asleep, but it is more of a general “let’s check the entire house” than a specific check on Flower.

Jolene’s favorite toys are carrot and ghost bear. Her stuffies are moved around the house daily. Jolene enjoys transporting them to different places. Sometimes she even puts one of them in a carrier. You know that Jolene is feeling well and in good spirits if she is moving her stuffies around.

Jolene loves attention and will often arch up like a little horse for pets. She loves to be picked up. She is quite the work driver, as she likes to sit in my lap and knows what work times are when I should be sitting. She follows me everywhere. Jolene goes to the basement every morning to check the live traps for mice. She follows me down to supervise laundry and the emptying of the dehumidifier. 

Whether at the vet office or at home, Jolene knows just how she likes things and has the nickname Miss Sassy Pants. She is adept at wiggling her way out of things and looking cute when she does not want something to be done to her – like her nails trimmed or her ears cleaned. 

Jolene had been found dumped at the animal shelter in a box with her kittens when she was 5 years old. All her kittens were adopted first. Jolene was in a cage at the back in the corner on the bottom. She pawed to be let out, and the orange caught my eye. When I took her out of the cage, she hugged me and would not let go. She picked me out. 

Each August, we try to use Jolene’s birthday month to bring awareness to adopt the moms. Adopt the shy cats, the seniors, the differently abled.

In addition to being a mom, Jolene is differently abled. She has a genetic condition that resulted in needing almost all her teeth removed. She has four teeth. She also gets motion sickness when traveling in the car. The motion sickness is unfortunate, as she loves traveling in the car. Thankfully, she does have vet prescribed motion sickness medication so she can enjoy car rides when needed without vomiting. 

Jolene brings so much love and life to this house. We love you, Jolene! Happy Birthday to the Queen! 

Happy 9th Birthday, Simon!

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Happy Birthday, Simon! Today the baby turns 9 years old. Simon is the youngest cat of the three. Simon is our Chief Cuddler. He is very loving and enjoys cuddling and grooming both Jude and Jolene. 

Simon will often look at Flower like he wants to cuddle her when she is sleeping, but Simon is afraid of her. Flower hisses at the house cats because she is afraid of them. Simon is so sweet and so gentle. He is afraid of Flower because she hisses at him when she is awake. 

Simon loves to play with Jude and Jolene. Simon and Jolene often chase each other up and down the stairs. At night, Simon will cuddle on the bed with either Jude or Jolene to sleep. He can often be found grooming his siblings also.

As the baby, Simon rarely performs coworker duty. Typically, when Simon appears in the office, it’s because it is getting close to a break/snack time or mealtime. He also knows when the workday is ending, and it will soon be family time. When Simon does do coworker duty, it is typically in the last hour of the shift, as he knows family time is fast approaching. 

Simon is so sweet and innocent. He is afraid of everything. He hides during thunderstorms and when the lawn is being mowed. He is also afraid of the basement and has been challenging to train for tornado preparedness. Simon takes a long time to learn that something is safe. 

He loves the banana toys and the silvervine sticks. He also plays with small felt mice. He is the one who takes toys into the kitchen and loses them under appliances. I must use a yard stick almost weekly to fish toys out from under kitchen appliances. 

Simon loves sleeping on the square cat bed in front of the window. He can often be seen cuddling with Jude or Jolene there. He also enjoys watching the birds out the window. 

Simon is very sweet and loving. He absolutely adores his siblings and just wants to love everyone. He gets confused that Foster Flower fears him and won’t let him cuddle. He is afraid of her because she hisses at him! Poor Simon has so much love to give. He just wants to love Flower also for the time she is here.

Simon loves all his family members. He sleeps with me every night. If he is not cuddling Jude or Jolene by my side, then he is laying right next to my pillow in the bed. Simon also loves to be under the blankets. It makes him feel safe. Sometimes he hides under the comforter when there is a thunderstorm.

If Jolene brings life to this house, Simon is the one who brings the love. 

Happy 9th Birthday, Simon! We love you! 

Happy Quinceanera, Flower!

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April 9 is Flower Day. While we do not know her birthdate or age for certain, I am going based on information I know of her history and information from the veterinarian regarding her physical condition. Today, we are celebrating Flower’s 15th Birthday.

If you would like to participate in Flower Day, the ask is that you do an Act of Kindness in Honor of Flower to counteract the extreme abuse she has suffered in her life. I’m sure you have read the prior three installments of Flower’s specific story. In addition to the blog posts specifically about her, Flower has appeared and been mentioned on this website on and off for the past 6+ years. 

Flower had another medical appointment back in March to look more into her physical injuries and to see if there are any other issues. The vet office was sure that they found Flower’s unicorn – a forever home with a person who would be perfect. It was an older woman in her 80s, whose cat just died from kidney disease and her home is not a home without a cat. 

However, when the vet did a more thorough examination of Flower including extensive bloodwork, combined with her behavior at the vet office and the behavior I report that she does in my home, it has been determined that Flower is a hospice situation. 

Flower will be staying with me until a decision needs to be made regarding her quality of life, pain levels, and euthanasia. 

It is not fair for this other person who just lost their beloved cat to take on another cat who is at the end of their life. At the same time, it would not be fair to Flower for her to leave me now.  She is terrified of other people. Flower growled at the vet office. She has failed every meet and greet with anyone interested in adopting her. Flower hides. If she goes to another home now, she will hide for weeks or even months. 

How would that person know she is in pain unless they have a camera on her all the time like I do? How would they be able to give her the medication she needs daily if she hides from you. 

If Flower only has a few months to live, it is not fair to her to have to spend her last few months learning to trust a stranger. 

Flower is afraid of my house cats. Yes, it would probably be best for her to be an only pet. However, she is very attached to me. She rubs on me, licks me, and allows me to administer her medication every day. She does not hide from me. I have been working with this cat every single day when she was outside for the past 6 years before she finally went into the trap. How long would it take for her to get used to a new person?

Part of the reason why Flower is so scared of the house cats – Flower is going blind. This is one of her MANY medical issues. She is not blind yet, but her vision is very poor and getting worse. She can see them, hear them, and smell them. But I think sometimes they get close to her before she can register they are there, and her default is to hiss because she does not have enough time to decide if they are friend or foe.

The house cats have been nothing but patient and kind to Flower. No one has hissed or growled back at her. When Flower hisses at them, they run away or give her more space. 

Is this a perfect situation? No, it is not. But this is the best situation for Flower knowing that she is at the end of her life.

The vet office has given Flower a medication for her arthritis to try to improve her quality of life. It can take 4-6 weeks to work – IF it works. At this point, I am trying to keep her comfortable and let her know she is loved. When it gets to a point where she is in pain from the arthritis and the pain cannot be managed or her quality of live decreases, it will be time to say goodbye.

I am still calling Flower a Foster. I never planned on having a fourth cat. I was completely shocked the shelter here would not respond to an injured cat. I truly thought she would only be with me for a few months and then would be adopted into a forever home. I didn’t realize this is a geriatric, medically complex cat. She would have died outside this past winter if she hadn’t gone into the trap last fall. 

 She is with me as a hospice until she passes. There are people who foster pets who are hospice. It is called fospice when that situation happens. 

Flower is no longer available for adoption. 

If Flower had been taken in by the shelter last fall, she would have been euthanized. She is truly a hospice situation. She is too medically complex for rehoming. 

She will be staying with her foster family permanently until it is time for her to be euthanized from her injuries. 

Yes, she would do better being with someone where she could be the only pet in a home. However, it is going to be more stressful for her to leave me and learn to trust a stranger at the end of her life. She is comfortable with me. I know her habits now, I’m home a lot, and she has a camera on her all the time. (Sometimes I wake up to 50+ 10-30 second videos of her just stretching or rolling over in her cat bed.)

I’m trying to show Flower all the love she never had. I’m treating every day like it may be her last. Now that I know she is hospice, I’m glad I took extra time to show Flower Santa on NORAD at Christmas and included her in our family activities. Will Flower see another Christmas? I don’t know. But at least I know she had one Christmas with me inside, warm, fed and loved.

I’m not sure if Flower will have other birthdays. I hope that she does. I want to show her all the love she didn’t have for so long. We will see. These things are beyond our control. It all depends on her ongoing medical status. 

Today we say, Happy 15th Birthday, Flower! Please do an Act of Kindness for Flower Day on April 9 to push back on all the evil Flower has experienced in life. 

Ride Around the Sun

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Today is my birthday. It looks like I’ll be getting another ride around the sun. 

Birthdays are my favorite holiday. I love being alive. Every time I get a birthday, it’s like a giant middle finger to the world that I was able to survive another year of what life threw at me. 

This year, it’s going to be two giant middle fingers.

The past year has been especially hard. I love being alive. It’s hard living in a time of active eugenics when health professionals no longer take any infection precautions and actively promote euthanasia. I have lost count of the number of times this year I have said “no” to the suggestion of the euthanasia clinic.

I remember a time when it was frowned upon to tell people they should die. Now certain people (those with disabilities and certain medical conditions) are actively encouraged. People seem to think I am a burden on society. 

I am very happy to be alive. I love being here. I work full time and help the abused cats in my area that have been used as bait for the dog fighting ring. Yet, for some reason, I am one of the ones that is supposed to “fall by the wayside.” People frequently say things to my face like, “why aren’t you dead already?” 

The physical injuries and abuse from the neighbors escalated in 2024. I reported their behavior in 2023. Several other houses on neighboring streets made reports also. We were all retaliated against. Since anyone complaining about the boom cars has experienced retaliation, the people who are operating the boom cars got the green light that their behavior is not only acceptable, but welcomed, by the village. Their behavior in 2024 was worse than 2023.

I would like the behavior to stop. I have this expectation that I should be able to live in my home free from physical injury. This is a unreasonably high expectation for this village. The boom cars advertise drugs for sale, and we need to support local business, after all.

Some people have suggested that the way to deal with the neighbor abuse is euthanasia. If you don’t like being abused, you should die.

This does not make any sense to me. Again, I am happy to be alive. I feel like I give back to the community. I ran the book club at the library and served on multiple non-profit boards in the area.

For some reason, the village says that people who live in this area deserve to be abused by the 3-4 houses who do the boom cars. If you don’t like the abuse, have you considered euthanasia?

I would like the abuse to stop. 

In the past year, I have been prevented from sleeping for at least 5 straight months. I was purposefully kept awake and only allowed to sleep 2-3 hours a day. We slept in the car on the side of the road. I own a home, but we had to sleep in the car on the side of the road to get some sleep due to the boom cars.

Even then, the car smells like urine. They built an outhouse directly against my garage using my garage as the fourth wall to their outhouse. I smell human waste every single time I have to drive the car to go anyplace. 

That is if I am lucky enough to even be able to leave. The people across the street have started the practice again of actively blocking my driveway. They park cars 2-3 deep across the road. I can’t get out. They won’t move the vehicles. Some of the vehicles are not able to be moved, as they are torn apart in various states of dis/repair in the middle of the street. 

In addition to the lack of sleep and physical injuries, I missed over a month of work as a direct result of their actions. My employer is being understanding because they know I am experiencing harassment from the neighbors. There are recordings, photos, and witnesses. The sheriff department says videos and photos are not evidence. Witnesses have to be “approved village residents.”

My savings has been drained from all the work I’ve missed as a direct result of their behavior. On top of that, I have medical bills I have had to pay for injuries as a direct result of their actions. There goes money I had been saving for home improvements. 

I was planning to make improvements to this house to be a good homeowner and make the village a better place. The village doesn’t want people to upgrade their homes. If the neighbors harass you to the point you can’t work, they don’t care. 

All of this is legal, according to the village, We need to support local businesses. The boom cars advertise drugs for sale. If anyone does complain, they experience retaliation in the forms of more serious physical injuries and threats.

So yes, this has been a very hard year. Two very big middle fingers to the world.

I am happy to be alive. I love being here. I give back to my community and try to make the world around me a better place. I’m very glad to have another ride around the sun. 

My only wish for my birthday is for the physical injuries from the neighbors to stop. They need to stop with the boom cars. I can take people telling me to die to my face and asking me why I haven’t gone to the euthanasia clinic yet. Yes, that hurts my feelings. But they are only feelings.

Being hurt physically is worse. 

No, I can’t leave. The mortgage company will not allow a short sale. These people have tanked my property value due to the bad behavior. They are so bad, the real estate agent will only show houses here in pairs, and houses here are on the market twice as long as any other location in this entire county. 

People blame me for not being financially able to leave. They say it’s my fault. It’s my choice. If I do not want to be physically abused living in this house, I can choose to be homeless. I can choose to be euthanized. People have suggested that homelessness and euthanasia are both better options than living here being abused. I disagree. 

I love being alive. I do not want to be euthanized. I would not last long if I had to be homeless again. I should not have to be homeless to avoid being abused by people I don’t even know. With multiple homes on multiple surrounding streets complaining of the noise, you would think the village would make it stop. Instead, they encourage the behavior.

So here is to another ride around the sun. The only thing I want for my birthday is for the boom cars to stop. I want to be able to sleep, work, and live my life without having blood drip out of my ears and permanent hearing damage inflicted upon me by drug dealers. I don’t want my cats to be taken and used as bait for the dog fighting ring if I complain again. I’m pretty sure wanting this to stop is a pipe dream, as no one has been able to help. But it’s my birthday, I can dream. 

Jude, My Forever Valentine

/ rachelgoes262 / 5 Comments

Happy 13th Birthday, Jude! Today is also Jude’s 11th Gotcha Day. He was adopted on Valentine’s Day when he was two years old. Jude will always be my valentine. He truly took a sad song and made it better. 

Jude was with Kitty for the last few years of Kitty’s life. Kitty passed away from cancer shortly before age 19. I had told Jude that he was going to be an only child. But he acted like he was lonely, so almost a year after Kitty passed away, Jude did get a sibling when I adopted Simon.

Jude is Lead Coworker in our house. After seeing me through my master’s degree years ago, he knows how to be the perfect coworker. There is a cat bed in front of a window right next to my workstation. It is one of Jude’s favorite places to be. He typically spends at least half the workday, if not more, performing his Lead Coworker duties.

He is the first cat that I was able to carrier train, and It was completely on accident. Jude is VERY food motivated. Kitty was a slow eater in the last few years of his life. I started feeding Jude and Kitty both in their carriers so that Jude was not able to steal Kitty’s food and Kitty could take his time eating. Jude has been carrier trained ever since. It comes in handy when it is time to take him in for vet visits and for emergencies like last year’s tornado. 

While not a snuggle bug like Simon, Jude does get along well with both Simon and Jolene. You often see Jude grooming his siblings and being groomed in return. Jude also plays with Simon. He thinks about playing with Jolene but then thinks twice about it. Jude is more likely to cuddle Jolene than he is to play with her. Jolene is in charge.

Jude pretty much dictates meal times and often ropes in Simon and Jolene to beg for food with him. He makes sure everyone gets plenty of treats. 

When he is not working, Jude’s favorite place to sleep is on my bed. He sleeps in the bed with me every night. All the cats do. Jude also sleeps on the bed during the day. He has always liked to be on the bed. 

As Jude ages, he is having some mobility challenges and signs of dementia. He is still strong in both mind and spirit. You know when Jude wants something! He is starting to struggle with stairs and sometimes with jumping. We do have pet steps to help. 

The water bowls are all elevated for orthopedic reasons. Jude is the one of the three that does the best job of using the elevated bowls properly. He sits in front of the water station and has his drink of water. Simon and Jolene seem to be confused by elevated water bowls and climb up on the shelf to drink the water. The shelf helps Jude access water with his mobility. 

As Jude has gotten older, he has become more loving. Jude was always a cat that preferred to sit next to you, not directly on your lap. In the past year or two, Jude has started to sit on my lap. However, he is very specific about his lap sitting. If I move at all, he is gone! 

Jude does not like riding in the car and screams all the way to and from the vet office. Once at the vet office, he is fine. He just does not like to travel. I always tell any new vet techs that if they offer Jude food, he will be their new best friend. He is very highly food motivated.

Jude has been with me a long time through many ups and downs. He came into my life when I was having a very challenging time and made it better. He has always been here for me. I love Jude so much. He is such an inspiration and a great leader for our family. 

Happy 13th Birthday, Jude! You will always be my valentine. 

Happy 5th Gotcha Day, Jolene!

/ rachelgoes262 / 1 Comment
Jolene transporting her favorite stuffy, ghost bear. Ghost bear is moved daily.

It was 5 years ago today, on January 14, 2020 that Jolene came home from the shelter and joined our family. She has now officially been a member of our family longer than she was homeless. Jolene was 5 years old whe  I adopted her. She had been found dumped in a box with her kittens. Of course, all her kittens were adopted first. Then Jolene picked me out when I was at the shelter looking for a cat friendly DOG.

Jolene is the Queen of our house and livened things up when she arrived. I never though life was boring, but when you compare life from before Jolene to life with Jolene – life before Jolene was boring. 

Jolene gets both Jude and Simon to play in ways that they did not play prior to her arrival. Jude and Simon did play with each other. However, with Jolene around, they play much more. Simon loves playing with Jolene. They play quite frequently throughout the day. They love chasing each other up and down stairs and wrestling.

Jude prefers to play by himself. However, I have noticed that Jude plays more frequently since Jolene arrived. It’s almost like Jolene has given the boys” permission” to be playful. 

Jolene moves stuffies around. Her favorite stuffies, ghost bear and carrot, are moved daily. She has to be sure that her stuffies are where she wants them before bed. She loves the cacti scratching posts and can frequently be found climbing them as well. 

Jolene is our Lead Hedgewatch-er. She knows everything that is going on inside the house and outside. She keeps a diligent eye on all the birds, squirrels, outside cats and neighbors. She goes to the basement with me every morning to check the live traps for mice. If there is a mouse in the live trap, she bats the tube to bring it to my attention that a mouse needs to be released outside. 

I always had boys cats prior to Jolene. She is my first girl and has my girl baby name. I could not ask for a more perfect daughter. She brings so much life and love to our lives. 

She does coworker shifts with me during the day, sitting in my lap while I work. She sleeps with me every single night. She cuddles and cleans both Jude and Simon. 

Jude is the oldest of the three. He likes to think he is in charge. Jolene is the one in charge. Jude does not play with Jolene very often. He thinks about it, then thinks better of it. Jolene is a lot smaller than Jude, but she is in charge and does not put up with his crap. Jolene gives Jude a look and Jude backs down.

Simon is the youngest of the three. Sometimes Jolene does treat him like a kitten. I did see her once grab the back of his neck like a kitten and try to drag him. She did not get very far, as Simon is so much bigger than she is. But Jolene does treat Simon like a kitten sometimes. She cuddles him like a kitten when they sleep on bed with me at night.

Everyone who has met Jolene loves her. She comes out of the box at the vet office with confidence. She acts like she owns the place! Jolene is very particular on what she likes and doesn’t like. If you do something she doesn’t like, I call her Miss Sassy Pants. She makes it known when she doesn’t like something. 

Jolene is the life and the love of our lives. She makes this house a home. I am very fortunate in that I have a bonded trio. Both the boys love Jolene to pieces. We are so lucky she picked me out that day at the shelter. 

Happy Gotcha Day, Jolene! We are so happy to have you as part of our family! 

Happy 10th Birthday, Jolene!

/ rachelgoes262 / 3 Comments

Happy 10th Birthday, Jolene! The goddess and queen of our household brings so much joy and life to our home. While physically smaller than the boys, Jolene is in charge of everyone and everything. Even at the vet office, she comes out of the carrier and into the exam room like she owns the practice, and everyone adores her.

Jolene was unexpectedly sick earlier this month and had to have an emergency vet appointment. During her treatment and recovery, there was a noticeable difference in our home. Without Jolene at her best, it felt like the life had gone out of our home. We are so happy she has fully recovered from her illness and is back to her cheerful self. 

Jolene is extremely intelligent. She is one of the most intelligent cats I have ever met. Sometimes she behaves more like a dog. Jolene knows and responds to her name. She comes when called 99% of the time. The only times she does not come when called is when something is wrong – she is physically stuck somewhere, is guarding a mouse in the live trap tube, or is not physically well. 

Jolene gets along well with both of her brothers and with every person she meets. She is curious, loves to explore, and can be quite the diva when she wants attention. She is loving and kind. I really could not ask for anything more. We are so blessed Jolene chose me when I went to the shelter – for a dog, no less! 

It was estimated that Jolene was 5 years old when she was found outside the shelter in a box with her kittens. She watched all her kittens be adopted, then it was her turn. I had gone to the shelter looking for a cat-friendly dog. I wandered into the cat room to help socialize some kittens. I never would have noticed Jolene if she had not made herself known. Jolene was in a cube way at the back, on the bottom. She frantically pawed at the enclosure. The orange movement is what caught my eye. I saw her over in the corner on the bottom and took her out. She hugged me and would not let go. We went into a private “visiting room” at the shelter. 

I had not wanted a third cat, but Jolene picked me out. I am so glad that she did. She has livened up all our lives. In addition to being an older mom, Jolene has a disability. She only has 4 teeth. All her teeth were rotten when she had been dumped at the shelter, so they had to be removed. Despite this, she does not let it hold her back. I thought she would need to be soft food only, since she only had 4 teeth. However, she kept stealing kibble from Jude and Simon, pretty much insisting on eating the same food as the boys. They get soft food for breakfast for liquid and kibble for dinner for their teeth. Jolene eats the same as Jude and Simon. You would never guess she only has 4 teeth.

Spending most of her life prior to adoption outside, Jolene is our Lead Hedgewatch-er. She knows absolutely everything that goes on both inside and outside the house from bugs to mice to birds to squirrels to the outside stray cats. She often runs from room to room to look out various windows to follow someone’s (usually a stray cat’s) progress as they walk about outside. 

Jolene gives so much love to all of us. She has two favorite stuffies that she moves around every single day. She loves a beanie baby that looks like a ghost bear, carrying it around the house like a kitten. She also moves around a giant crinkle carrot toy quite a bit. I often find ghost bear in bed with me, and she also puts it in Jude and Simon’s carriers to show them she loves them too. 

Every year for Jolene’s birthday, I like to remind people to adopt the differently abled pets. Adopt the older ones, the moms, the ones who are shy. Jolene sat in that shelter for a long time. Her kittens were adopted first. She was a 5-year-old mom cat with a disability shoved in the bottom corner at the shelter way at the back of the room. If she hadn’t pawed so frantically for me to see the orange movement, I never would have noticed her. I walked into that room to help socialize kittens. 

Please take the time to visit the shy ones who hide, the older ones, the moms. They all have as much love to give as a cute little kitten. Just because a cat is older does not mean they are “set in their ways.” Jolene adapted to our routine. It just takes time. She brings so much love and joy and life to our home. It seems like things were so gloomy before Jolene entered our home. We were never unhappy, but she just brings that much happiness.

It’s like Jolene lights a fire under Jude and Simon and gets them to play. Jude would not play a lot until Jolene came along. Jolene truly brings out the best in everyone she meets. 

We watched a documentary recently about cats on Nova and learned that orange cats were not common in the wild. Orange was a recessive trait. Orange cats could not camouflage and hide in the wild. Orange cats did not last long in the wild – they could not hide and were prey.

 It was the ancient Egyptians who specifically bred orange cats, to honor their sun god. Mummified cats have even been found with orange fur. They were considered gods/goddesses. Jolene is definitely a goddess. She is queen of our home. 

Adopt don’t shop. Consider the shy, the elderly, and the moms.

Happy 10th Birthday, Jolene! We love you!