Good Neighbors
One of the benefits of spending so much time outside with the stray cats that live in our cul-de-sac has been that I’ve gotten to meet several of my neighbors. One of them is a great lady named Deana who I met a few weeks ago when I found a terrier wandering lost. She and her husband Nathan were out checking their mailbox so I asked them if they knew the dog, they said no, and then I spent a couple of hours talking to Deana after her husband headed back home. (As for the dog, I had to keep her overnight till someone called in response to the flyers I put up. I was very relieved.)
I ran into Deana today, since I had a favor to ask of her, and ended up spending about four hours with her, talking about all sorts of things and playing with her cat. Like me, she’s an animal lover and has some great stories about growing up in a very small town here in Oklahoma, where she ended up with some unusual pets as well as many cats and dogs. The guy who lived next door to her just moved out and told her that she could take any of the plants in his backyard, but one of the pots was rather heavy and since she and her husband have back problems they weren’t sure how they were going to get it to their place. So I volunteered Tim, and he came down to help and met them for the first time. We ended up spending another couple of hours with them. Tim hit it off with them right away since they are so friendly and have a great sense of humor. And besides, Nathan is also a Texan and was also in the Navy, so they had a number of things in common.
Deana agreed to the favor I asked her, which is to feed one of the strays while I’m gone. The others I’m not so worried about because another one of my neighbors feeds them as well, so I know they will have enough food. But the cat I’m concerned about isn’t in great shape and he only likes to eat wet food. I don’t know if he’s sick or if he’s just old and scrawny, but he is always hungry when I feed him, and eats a whole can of wet food in one sitting. He sometimes growls a little while he eats – I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but I’m playing it by ear with him. He’s extremely affectionate and I’m going to miss him while I’m in New Mexico the next few days. Oh, and I’ll also miss Tim and my own cat, Lena!
Which brings me to my upcoming trip to New Mexico. My friend Kathy is going to be there for a conference and I haven’t seen her since I left Boston last year, so I’m making the drive to Albuquerque to spend a few days with her. She was one of my roommates in college and then moved to Boston for grad school, so I continued to see her there for another 3 years. Here in OKC I’m pretty isolated from my friends, who are mostly spread throughout the Northeast, so I’m really looking forward to this trip. We are going to see some stuff around Albuquerque and are hoping to make it down to White Sands, and then either head up to Durango or Taos. We haven’t decided yet – we’ll figure it out when I get there. The drive to Albuquerque will be pretty boring (you take I-40 out of OKC and keep going west for 8 hours) but I am bringing plenty of CDs. And even if the drive is boring, it will be well worth it!
I ran into Deana today, since I had a favor to ask of her, and ended up spending about four hours with her, talking about all sorts of things and playing with her cat. Like me, she’s an animal lover and has some great stories about growing up in a very small town here in Oklahoma, where she ended up with some unusual pets as well as many cats and dogs. The guy who lived next door to her just moved out and told her that she could take any of the plants in his backyard, but one of the pots was rather heavy and since she and her husband have back problems they weren’t sure how they were going to get it to their place. So I volunteered Tim, and he came down to help and met them for the first time. We ended up spending another couple of hours with them. Tim hit it off with them right away since they are so friendly and have a great sense of humor. And besides, Nathan is also a Texan and was also in the Navy, so they had a number of things in common.
Deana agreed to the favor I asked her, which is to feed one of the strays while I’m gone. The others I’m not so worried about because another one of my neighbors feeds them as well, so I know they will have enough food. But the cat I’m concerned about isn’t in great shape and he only likes to eat wet food. I don’t know if he’s sick or if he’s just old and scrawny, but he is always hungry when I feed him, and eats a whole can of wet food in one sitting. He sometimes growls a little while he eats – I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but I’m playing it by ear with him. He’s extremely affectionate and I’m going to miss him while I’m in New Mexico the next few days. Oh, and I’ll also miss Tim and my own cat, Lena!
Which brings me to my upcoming trip to New Mexico. My friend Kathy is going to be there for a conference and I haven’t seen her since I left Boston last year, so I’m making the drive to Albuquerque to spend a few days with her. She was one of my roommates in college and then moved to Boston for grad school, so I continued to see her there for another 3 years. Here in OKC I’m pretty isolated from my friends, who are mostly spread throughout the Northeast, so I’m really looking forward to this trip. We are going to see some stuff around Albuquerque and are hoping to make it down to White Sands, and then either head up to Durango or Taos. We haven’t decided yet – we’ll figure it out when I get there. The drive to Albuquerque will be pretty boring (you take I-40 out of OKC and keep going west for 8 hours) but I am bringing plenty of CDs. And even if the drive is boring, it will be well worth it!
posted by Ana at 23:06
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