LAW #28 Cacophany Spring

This being the first spring we have spent on the river here, we were not prepared for the truly amazing variety of bird life here on the Upper Middle River.  Cacophony of course refers to the multitude of geese.  These flights of geese (the migrants, not the homeboys, but that's another story) seem to start about 3AM, rain or shine.  They've got great rhythm, but melody and lyrics?….huh!  Watching and listening to them calls to mind the stories of passenger pigeons filling the skies in earlier centuries.

Last week we saw the first Osprey, and early arrival (and a big one!)  Of course we have been watching the ubiquitous gulls all winter, along with a spectacular pair of Bald Eagles and two Blue Herons that insist that they own the river. 

The ducks are coming back as well.  A pair of them have taken up a quacking station on our finger pier and are apparently trying to nest on the roof membrane--thanks guys, but not interested.  Move along.

There's a also pair of starlings building a nest in the starboard stern piling of our slip--much fun to watch as we go up and down the stairs to the loft.

Other signs of spring are visible/audible hereabouts.  The first boat was splashed late last week.  People are everywhere on the hard, prepping their boats for another summer of fun on the water.  Oh yea! 

There was another melody of the springtime overture this weekend as well:  the ice cream truck was heard wandering through the neighborhood.

Now if we can just get them to stop at the marina. . . .

LAW #27, Rehabilitation

LAW 27, Rehabilitation. . .

. . . is a very long and arduous road to go down.  I'm not sure that i am up to the emotional and physical toll that will be demanded:  but after a roller coaster weekend with our dearly beloved feline companion Kallisti, i can see that may be where we are headed.  Kali (as she is known) is a 17 1/2 year old lilac point Siamese, who has shared our home and life since she was about 10 weeks old.  All cats are special, she more than most as she is the granddaughter of the dearly beloved Mungo Jerry through Loki, his son.  Mungo Jerry is another tale entirely, but suffice to say he was the prince of cats and the real owner of Mungo Jerry's Fat Cat Cafe which we ran for a number of years on his behalf.

But I digress, as usual.

After an emergency visit on Saturday, Kali was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.  After we were pummeled with treatment options, none of the promising, we elected to take her home, make her comfortable, and try to come to terms with the all too soon inevitable loss of our cat child.  She seemed fine Saturday, the drugs apparently working, but sometime Sunday morning she had a stroke which has left her partially paralyzed on her left side.  After a day filled with tears, and of course some internet research, we've decided, at least for right now, that she's not ready to end the game.  She is eating and drinking and trying very hard to make things work.  The cat may be Siamese, but she has a lot of Tortitude (if you're a cat owner, you KNOW what that means.  As an example of her attitude, here's a brief video of me trying to teach her to go up the stairs last year). 

So keep her and us in your thoughts as she undergoes PT.  Send Tuna Love!

More Later

Morgainne