A Horrible Thing

Last night, my daughter-in-law had invited me to a home party for spices. I should actually say we as she invited my dear husband too because she thought he would enjoy it more. She had asked me weeks ago and even though youngest had a series of basketball games, my DH and I decided I would be the one to go since I am usually pickier about those type of things. Basically, I decide a budget then stick to it and I don’t care who the party is for either. I go there with a number in mind for spending and that’s it.

My youngest son’s first game was at 5:10, so they left at about 4:00 as it takes nearly an hour to get into Vegas and the courts where they are held. I worked a little more then took my shower at 5 to leave at about 5:30. My oldest called and asked me if I was coming. I told him yes and I would even get there early. I hopped into the shower and mentally went through the order of how I would need to do things.

Promptly at 5:30 pm, I started gathering my things to leave when all hell broke out as the dog chased the cats. It was obvious they needed separate areas, so I went about the task of catching cats and closing them in various rooms around the house. It took me an extra ten or fifteen minutes to get out the door. Once I was in the car, I realized how hot it was today and zipped along my merry way sweaty and hot.

Along this route, I have to go through a place called Railroad Pass, affectionately known as the Pass to all us locals. The traffic was really bad and I got stuck behind a car pulling a trailer. It was very slow going and I was about to pull around him as the traffic had cleared when one of the most horrific things I have ever seen in my life happened.

The trailer door opened, and believe me it was finally going a speed of about 60 mph, and something was tossed out. It took me a few seconds to realize what had been tossed out was what looked to be a chocolate seal-point Siamese baby. I tried to stop and knew I had gone too far so I had to go to the first exit and back around. I was so stunned by this action I did not even get the license plate on the trailer...after all...who could do something this horrible?

At this point, my oldest calls me and wants to know where I am. I tell him I’ve forgotten something and have to go back to get it. I didn’t want to tell him about the kitten because there was always a chance that I wouldn’t get back to it in time. The whole way back around, I’m praying that the little guy has gone toward the desert and not the road. As I drive past on the other side of the road, I don’t see him and my heart sinks as I dread I’m too late.

At the Pass, I do an illegal u-turn and start driving really slow to get the kitten. Low and behold, I see him staggering toward the desert. I pull off the road quickly, put on my blinkers and try to pick him up. When I got near him, he ran for the desert and got stuck in a small bush. He appeared to be only four to six weeks old but he moved fast when he got scared. It took me a few minutes to part the piece of brush he was in and finally I have him in my hands.

I look at him and see he is definitely a male plus he’s banged up pretty good. It looks as if his eye is swollen and leaking a little with a few more bumps or scrapes on his body but otherwise he was just scared. I get into my car and know I can’t hook up the seatbelt with him still in my hand. I set him down in the seat next to me and in an instant know I’ve made a mistake as he finds a way into a space under my dash. At this point I am a little panicked because I’m not sure exactly where he went so I call my oldest and asked if there were anything which would hurt a kitten under my dash.

He’s confused so I have to explain the whole thing to him. He doesn’t think there is anything there that might hurt him but every car is different. Not knowing what to do, I decide to go on to his house where we’ll pull the dash and retrieve the kitten. I was afraid the poor little thing had crawled away to die as cats often do. So I take it nice and slow to his house where after removing screws and getting in a position I haven’t been in in years, I manage to grab the kitten and pull him out.

We immediately see his injuries but better this time and decide to take him to my son’s vet about five to ten minutes away. Again, we were lucky, or rather this kitten, that someone was there as they had closed at five. As the vet opened the door, I tell her the tale of the kitten and that neither my son nor I can keep it. She states she is actually there for an emergency case but to bring the kitten up anyway. My lumberjack of a son, who has held this little guy and calmed his fears, brings him up. He explains that all his animals come here and it was the closest place. We talk for a while with the vet who states the kitten looks good for all the trauma and they will look after the minor wounds as well as give him a dose of antibiotics.

After that, she then states they will put him up for adoption as long as my son signs him over. We all agree this is the best course of action since he has two cats and I have three already. The last words we heard her say was actually to the kitten as she pulls him up to eye level. “Well, little guy, you only have eight left.” That touch of humor did a lot to calm my soul, which was hurting with the trauma of the whole thing.

When I finally talked to the DH, I admitted it was probably more traumatic to see the even than it was to the kitten who didn’t know what was going on. It was horrible in every way and I wonder about people any more. You don’t do those things to animals. You don’t do that to anything except maybe a bug or spider.

Then I also realize what a miraculous set of events happened, so I could be at the right place at the right time. If I hadn’t let the dog know I was leaving, he wouldn’t have gone on a rampage to harass the cats because he wanted me to stay. If I hadn’t of been in such a hurry, I wouldn’t have picked the wrong lane to get in going out of the Pass. If I hadn’t been paying attention to the road in front of me, I would never have seen the kitten bounce on the pavement. In addition, if I hadn’t been willing to turn around, taking my time to go back, this little kitten would have surely been coyote food.

As it is, he will go home with some lucky family who knows the value of having a pet. Nevertheless, the best moment came when my oldest turned to me and said, ‘Mom, you did the right thing. You can always come to one of these parties but you can’t always rescue a kitten.’ That made my day!

What thing have you seen that you couldn’t understand? Did it traumatize you or make you wonder about humanity? Let me know and I’ll give you an extra entry into the monthly contest.

See you all tomorrow!

Lynn

Writing and Me

This week hasn’t been the best for writing. First, there was the trip and that took up a lot of my time. I did manage to write in my notebook every day of the four which was wonderful. But since I’ve been back, it’s been hard for me to sit still for long periods of time due to my back and shoulder screaming they’ve had enough inactivity.

So I’ve been trying to provide that activity by walking with my husband every night, browsing at the mall and even do some light weights to keep me moving. The trouble is that here in the desert no one wants to move during the summer. It’s too darn hot.

And with the heat comes the lack of motivation or even brain power. There are days where my brain decides to take a hike because all I can think about is the heat. This year has been blessedly cool compared to others. We’ve only had a few days over one hundred degrees and even those are ones where the humidity is low. Those days haven’t burned me out. Yet.

It’s because of this physical burn out that I’ve chosen today’s quote:

The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible. ~Vladimir Nabakov

I know my pages are for the large part written in invisible ink because I’ve let summer get to me. It’s one of the reasons I’ve joined the 1000 words a day club as evident by the little banner on this blog. This is my minimum and most days I get five times that amount. But on the days where the heat is high and my shoulder is screaming, it reminds me I have to try anyway.

Today is especially hard because it’s my Mother’s birthday. She would have been seventy-one today. She died seven years ago and for some reason it is affecting me more this year. Maybe it’s because I became a grandmother but no matter what the specific reason, it has me reflecting on life. Yet, I need to write no matter what.

Some days it is hard to get into the flow of the words coming on the page. I do feel they are invisible and wish I could just make them all jump out at once. But I can’t and must type each precious one. And words are precious, just like life and those around you.

Have a great day! See you all tomorrow!

Lynn

Trips and Backaches

Sorry this is so late today but I went on a whirlwind trip this past weekend to Montana with a friend. We were delivered her oldest son’s things as he had decided he wanted to move there permanently.

The trip itself was beautiful as we went from the desert to high desert to mountain landscapes. The only problem was we did 2300 miles in about three and a half days. This meant very little out of the car time for either of us. Needless to say, we both came home with huge backaches and needed to go to the chiropractor right away. LOL! But we did get wonderful scenary and even saw a moose or two. Yes, that is a picture of a moose taken from a distance.

It’s amazing just how much a human body can take but cooped up in a car even with seats with a lot of padding, it takes a toll on one. By the last day when we stayed in Idaho Falls with my Dad, we both felt like we’d been beat and couldn’t wait to get home. There’s something to be said about one’s own bed.

The most valuable item I received on this trip was the rejuvenation of spirit. It’s hard to fill one’s cup up every day with a new take on writing. I hope you agree that today’s quote goes right along with this thought:

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov

Isn’t this what we’re supposed to do as writers? We need to make sure our readers can participate in the very story we give them. This is why we show all that happens within our pages.

What was your longest trip? How did you survive it?

See you all tomorrow!

Lynn