Day 93; Footnotes of, Where Did YOU Come From?

   The plan for today was, that I had no plan. I know better.

My son works for the dealership where I purchased my Jeep. He knew that my Star (pretty name for a Jeep Compass, right?) was due for something or other. He called this morning and said that it appeared that it might be going to be a slow day, go ahead and bring her in. I hadn’t even bothered to change out of my retirement uniform yet. I told him I’d get ready and be there soon.

After three phone calls from mom.

After feeding the feral cats.

After feeding me.

After another call from mom.

After a long shower to escape calls from mom.

I did finally call him to ask if it was still slow and if so I was on my way. It was, so I was. I knew too, that the way I usually go into the dealership, at that back where he works, was not the way I needed to go in today. So I had to go an entirely different route. In a way its easier and less congested, but I have a terrible habit of missing the first entrance, this time I didn’t.I pulled in and around to the service bay.

Going inside I waited my turn and then let the service writer know what I needed and that I wanted my son to take care of it. I had left the key in the Jeep so after the technical stuff was done, I moved to the nearest seat to wait.I almost wished I had taken a friend up on her offer to wait on my arrival and to wait with me. Instead I spent the time fighting with a so called smart phone that wanted to torment me by moving so sloooooooooooooooowly.

 Finally I saw him come in. He was finished with not only my Jeep, but the vehicle that had been before me. I waited as that paperwork was finished and then she called me up to pay. Once that was done, I headed out.

I had a half tank of gas, but decided that since I was so close, I’d go fill up. Me and half the county from the looks of things. One of the many things that I love about Star, the gas cap? door? Is on the passenger side. That means most of the time I can just pull right on up to a pump, as long as someone hasn’t pulled in the wrong way.  The place where I go has attendants who are doing a good job at preventing that from happening.

It appeared that they had either gotten new pumps or had upgraded the ones there, as the pumps kept posting an odd statement or two. Still, I managed to fill the tank and head home. 

I kept watch out the window, between catnaps, trying to make sure to keep the cats away from the birds. Its frustrating that I not only frighten the cats, which is making it more difficult to get them to trust me, but it scares the birds as well. I don’t have to do anything but open the door and critters go in all different directions.

At one point though after my son had come in from work, I noticed two of the cats out on the steps searching through the bowls for any crumbs that may have been left. I knew I had some left over meat in the fridge so I sliced that up into pieces and carried it outside. The cats scattered but I refilled the bowl for the dry food and divided the meat up into the three dishes on the steps.

I then watched Fuzzy Butt and Itty Bitty appear. I’m relatively sure now that Loud Mouth is a male and is out Tom Catting. If that is true, I fear that he may not last long as most don’t. Then, I got a surprise. Another cat stuck its head out of the hole in the foundation of the house. It is another grey and white. It has similar markings to Loud Mouth but not as much grey on its back and a lot smaller. It is similar in size to Itty Bitty and just as nervous. Has it been here all along and I just didn’t notice? Its facial markings are very close to Itty Bitty. The main difference in Itty Bitty and Loud Mouth is that Loud Mouth has grey that nearly covers one eye and Itty Bitty’s marking doesn’t reach its eyes.

So, another cat. And of course the Black Cat that usually hangs around Mom and Dad’s was up here. She is obviously a she and she is obviously expecting.

Just because I’m retired, and a widow, does not mean I wish to become that crazy cat lady. I can’t afford to feed that many cats. And I really don’t want to take a part time job just to feed cats. I’m still trying to figure out where I’m going to get the money to pay the taxes on Star, because if and when the stimulus money comes, that is going right back to them to pay state tax on that unemployment I drew. Even with the amount that is now not taxed, I still owe a good bit.

But, I’ll figure it out, and hopefully in the mean time not look out to see yet another cat that has me asking, where did YOU come from?