Friday, October 05, 2007

Rain, Jonathan & neighbors

Today I woke up to the sounds of light rain hitting our tin roof, and what a wonderful sound it was. The two indoor cats woke me up around 8:00 a.m....it was time for them to go out. And out they went into the wet air. The rain stopped for that moment and I could see that it hadn't rained very much as there were still dry spots here and there.
As the rain began again the cats just lay out in it not caring that they were getting wet. I think they were enjoying the gentle rain beading down on their furry coats. It was just a slow steady rain, not hard, just slow and steady. It rained on & off until about 2:00 p.m. when the sun came out brightly.

The day is now very warm and there is no breeze to speak of. It's not what I would consider a hot day like yesterday and it's quite comfortable with the a/c turned off and the windows wide open. There is nothing like open windows to air out the old stale air and odors from your house. I love the fresh air and the open windows.

Little Bear, the visiting kitty did belong to the neighbors after all. Just as soon as they came home they stopped by and I gave them the picture collage of their kitty. At first the mom from next door didn't recognize their kitty and complimented me on my gray kitten, but then her #1 son blurted out, "Mom...that's Jonathan, our cat!" I told them that their house & dogs were fine, but that when they left the kitten came to our house and as they could see by the pictures that she, Jonathan, had made herself at home here...and if they couldn't find her, I told them that they could come and look in our yard. The mom from next door was quite surprised to find out that they had a cat, but later remembered that the kitten belonged to their #1 daughter. That explains the reason we were never asked to care for their kitten...they forgot they had one.

Today Jonathan came for a visit between showers, ate and went back home, so I guess she knows where she can find food now. The neighbors are a little on the slow side when it comes to caring for their pets and sometimes for themselves as well. When they first tied their dogs they would forget to put water near them and when we mentioned it we were told that their water was in the front yard. Now tell me how are dogs that are tied up in the hot sun in the back yard supposed to get to their water in the front yard??? After a couple of days of watching the poor thirsty dogs in the hot sun, we filled up two 5 gallon buckets of water and fastened them over the fence within reach of the four dogs. The neighbors were very grateful and thought we were genius's. They asked me what else they could do and I told them to either move them where they could get some shade or build them each a lean-to or something. To my surprise #1 son built each dog their very own doghouse. That was then and in my book #1 son, who is barely 16 now scored a big fat star in my book.

Don't get me wrong...these people are good neighbors, but like I said a little on the slow side or so it seems. Everything to them is an emergency and life threatening. There is no in-between...someone is either dieing or dieing and rushed away in an ambulance only be seen an hour later out driving around in their car going after take-out. They always make swift speedy recoveries and I guess that's something to be thankful for. And the other thing to be thankful for is that now the local ambulance service knows exactly where we live and it shouldn't take them long to get here if we ever need them.

Today we waited for our #1 son who said he'd be by in the morning sometime to pick up our old heating stove to take to the metal scrap yard. I tried calling him and I spoke to my first born grandson this afternoon who said they had just left. I assumed they were on their way here, but it's now early evening and they haven't showed up. Oh where, Oh where has my #1 son gone, Oh where, Oh where can he be????? Got side-tracked I guess.

7 comments:

Rachel said...

Side tracked big time!! I hope he made it in safely.

We got some sprinkles today.

I feel sorry for pets that belong to people like your neighbors. How sad. I'm sure that all of them don't live by people like you and Jimmy, and that's even worse. Poor animals.

JunieRose2005 said...

AHHH- MY GOODNESS! That would really bother me- about the animal neglect of those neighbors!


Junie

Tammy said...

The fella that took Clarence is a trucker and he said he is known to take his cats with him on a run...there is just no tellin' where ol' Clarence will get to visit.

He was so sheltered here, never even went outdoors, it would scare him or so I thought...I sheltered my kids too, or so I'm told...

Back in the spring I had the chance to observe a cat enjoying a spring shower in our neighborhood...silly cat just stood out in the rain instead of seeking shelter.

I think you are a fine neighbor...I just hope if you ever have an emergency that they don't automatically go to your neighbors...lol!

Have a great day!
:)

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

Junie & Rachel...It does bother me so much that at times I've even considered calling in the animal rescue people, but then if we go over to our fence and have a friendly chat with them about their pets, they take suggestions very easily and make the necessary changes.
They love their pets...they just don't have a clue sometimes and need someone to guide them.

Tammy...Oh my, I surely hope Clarence likes riding in trucks. Jybow always either got sick to her stomach or pooped when going to the vet. She has done better as an older cat, but still doesn't like getting into the cars.
Clarence may love it and have the time of his life traveling around with his new owners.

Susie Q said...

You really ARE a good neighbor Sandy!
You CARE! : )

Some people do not have a clue do they? It is good they have you!

You live in a lovely part of the world..all my husband's family is from KY and most of mine are in TN. My parents lived in TN for 27 years after retirement. : )

I am so tickled you visited me. I had seen your name on Tammy's blog earlier. Now we can get to know one another! : ) I will return often.

Have a sweet weekend...I have so enjoyed reading and looking through your blog.

Hugs,
Sue

Diane@Diane's Place said...

Isn't it strange how some people have no concept of time? My daughter tends to be the same way. ;D

Jonathan or Little Bear is gorgeous! We used to have a gray tomcat that looked like her. We called him Grayson.

I'm always amazed at how uneducated people can be when it comes to caring for animals. I have 2 indoor kitties of my own who are like family. I'd no more let them go with food and water than I would my grandbaby!

At least the people are willing to learn to care for their pets.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, Sandy. ;-)

Love and hugs,

Diane

Carole Burant said...

I do hope your son made it to your house safely!! I swear our kids love to worry us, no matter how old they are! lol Now how can anyone forget they have a kitten?? After your explanation of your neighbours, though, I guess I can understand!! Sheesh!! I'm sure they'll never get ulcers, nothing seems to bother them! lol xox