January 6, 2005

January 6, 2005

C.A.R.E. Centre

DAY 202

 

Today was cool and cloudy. I spent all day working on Rudy's entrance way. The pave stone walkway leading from the sidewalk to the bottom of the inclined wooden ramp leading to his motorhome door, had to be torn up and redone. It had to be widened and levelled. It was brutal, back breaking labour for 6 hours for me and my next door neighbour Ron Hopf. It's ironic that not too long ago I would pay people $60 an hour to do this kind of landscaping work for me, because I didn't want to do it myself, and now I'm doing it for strangers, for free ! I realized that Ron's reluctance towards this job a few days ago may not have been so much apathy as it may have been frustration with, and contempt for, some of the administrators here. I'm feeling that way myself already. I'm gaining a better understanding of my sister-in-law's observations and comments over the years about the trials and tribulations of working for non-profit agencies, particularly in the health care field, and particularly with a well intentioned, but sometimes misguided volunteer board of directors.

We went to the regular weekly Thursday evening communal dinner at Rainbow's End. We were surprised to see Sandy and Peachy there. After saying goodbye to us yesterday morning, a series of circumstances conspired to keep them here awhile longer. They'll probably be here until Tuesday.

As we were walking back to C.A.R.E. from the Activity Centre at Rainbow's End, in light rain, we heard a cat meowing loudly under a motor home. It was the meow of a hungry cat. We called, and it came over. I talked to it, and petted it for a minute. It was quite affectionate. My theory was that when its owners called it in for supper, it wasn't there, so they went out, and now poor kitty was stuck outside in the rain, hungry, and feeling sorry for itself. Joanne thought it might be a stray. It followed us all the way back to our trailer, crying all the way, so we fed it a bowl of cat food outside under the trailer, out of the rain. It ate a large bowl of cat food, so we gave it another. It ate the second bowl. Now Joanne was convinced it was stray. I didn't think so. An hour later I went out to walk Ginger. The cat was still nearby. An hour after that, I took Bo out for a walk. The rain had stopped, and now the cat was gone. I still think it was just a free roaming cat who was late getting home, and ended up being locked outside, in the rain, without supper. I guess we'll see tomorrow morning if it's still hanging around here at C.A.R.E., or has it gone back to Rainbow's End.

I named it Rain. We could have Bo, adopted at Rainbow Plantation, and Rain, from Rainbow's End. HA HA HA HA HA ! ! !

DSK