Miss Daisy on the Wheel!

Fun With the Past

I got a call from a friend who lives about 30 miles away.  She's a cat lady and wanted to do something.  She suggested we go visit an Oregon Preservation Site called Thompsons Mill, which is not far from either of us.

She picked me up and off we went.

Projected weather for today and tomorrow is cloudy with possibility of rain.  Normal for Oregon. Seems like every Memorial Day people pack up and go camping.  News crews will later show legendary Oregon "blue tarp" campers, dripping wet, and ask if they're having fun, as the rain pours down on them.  They always say "yes".   Which makes me smile.  We camped in the rain constantly when we were kids.  In fact, I remember people saying, "Don't camp with that family.  It always rains when they go."  Twas true.

But that's Oregon.   We might could use a little global warming around here.

Today's weather was perfect, slightly overcast, but in the 70's.

The old mill was awesome and the quirky ways in which they'd created their grain gutters, out of wood, nothing fancy, and jury rigged things to work was right down my alley.  I loved the counter weight elevator.  It was a small wooden platform, with a foot latch that kept it anchored.  You step onto it, add weights, that in combo with your weight, equaled or was slightly less than the counter weight, released the latch which left you neutral on the platform or slightly lighter and then easily pulled yourself up with ropes.  I want one of those here, at least for the cats maybe.

A fisherman hopes to catch a trout where Walters Slough meets up again with the Calapooia River.

Millrace water gates opened.  The water drops about 6' and the force can run two turbines.

There was a piece of board on the floor, that could be swiveled to reveal a hole and that used to be the mill's bathroom with the waste dropping right into the slough.  Later, when they got a female secretary, they added a toilet, with door, but waste from that also dropped into the slough and Calapooia, as seen in photo below the sign.

The friend who took me had donated several things to the mill, including this old sewing machine.  Also, she had donated printing plates for bag labels.  She used to run a bag making plant down in Harrisburg, making the large bags that held seed, grain and flour.  She's holding a letter, of thanks for her donations, attached to the sewing machine exhibit.

An old millstone used to grind grain into flour.  They also made animal feed mixes and pellet feed at this mill.

Viv at the hand miller.

Close up of the hand miller.

Would you like to cut your lumber this way?  By cutting part through then breaking out the pieces, between the cuts?  Glad we have sawmills that do this now.

That's a wood grain gutter on the left, but that slanted thinner board to its right?  That's a simple cut off lever to stop grain flow.  You can see at the top its attached to a piece of metal that slides into the grain gutter to cut off flow. 

Here the grain gutter wraps around a beam.

We then had a picnic along Walters' Slough, diverted by dam and canal from the Calapooia River to run turbines in the mill.  We were quickly surrounded by six ducks who had the mooch cute look down. They would even cock their heads and roll their eyes!

It was an interesting and fun outing.  The guide there was so enthusiastic about the old mill it was catching!

They even opened the millrace gate, allowing water to gush through in a flood, cascade over the drop, down to the heavy gear at the bottom, that had blades that caught the water and turned the turbine up where we were.  I was excited.

Here's the official Oregon state parks website.  Click here!

I am having foot problems again after two long walks, the first rather over done, about six miles.  I found out the cause just by googling where it hurts, which is right at the juncture of my second toe with my foot on the bottom.  Hurts into my second toe but also feels like I'm walking on some big lump.  Turns out that is called Predislocation syndrome.  I also have claw toes, which sound cool but its not a good thing.  My toes are curled from tightening ligaments, but not frozen that way yet, which is good. 

I found exercises I can do to help some, like picking up marbles with my toes.  But for the second toe issue, the predislocation syndrome, my foot needs ice, NSAIDS and rest, mostly.  I also learned (youtube is wonderful) a taping technique that might help by holding the second toe down, so it doesn't curl.

Response

I got a call this evening from the vet who did Rogue's dental.  The call was very relieving to receive.  I feel at ease inside myself now whereas I wasn't sure before what went on, for Rogue to still have teeth, and not have been told.

She described Rogue's mouth as really rotten and inflamed, from his allergy.  However, she felt the four canines were solid without pockets.  Sometimes she says if she leaves the canines it works out, in a cat with the allergy and sometimes not.  She apologized that someone told me he had only two teeth left and the reason they weren't pulled was the dental machine broke.  That was not the case.  I had called back, after seeing Rogue still had teeth, when he'd gone in for full mouth extractions, and I'd not been told otherwise.

After I'd called back, after seeing he still had teeth, I had been upset, wondering what happened and how many teeth he really might have left in there.  I was mad at myself, too, worried I had alienated those who donated for his extractions and felt ashamed.

I crafted a letter, several times rewriting, showed it to others, not knowing what I should really do, and finally sent it.

The call tonight was a response to my letter.  It made me happy and I feel safe about taking cats there again.  She seemed to speak honestly without fluff, which is the type of explanations I like.

I thought I'd let everyone know, on this blog, because some of you, who read this, contributed to Rogue's dental.   It's all good and he is, too.

It's been nine days now, since Rogue had all but four of his teeth pulled from an incredibly painful mouth.  He has recuperated brilliantly, although still a bit sore, and already has begun to come out to play, something he has not done in over a year.

Dancing Deal!

I am excited, dancing, jumping up and down excited and happy.  I found a great deal and I jumped on it!

I was at Home Depot and I always check the remnants bin.  I love the remnants bin.  It had a large sheet of vinyl in it, rolled up of course, and the same pattern as the piece I put in the dining room a couple years back.   Said it was 12'x11' feet.  I bought it, and got it home somehow in a car that isn't 12' long.

I installed it today, using double sided tape and metal edge strips, you nail in with spiraly screws.

It took me awhile. There was cursing.  My fingers got bloodied, scratched, smashed, squished, on several occasions, as I struggled to remove a board beneath a cat stand and support for a cat run, so the vinyl sheet could slide under the legs of that cat tree, cat run support.

The screws were rusted and heads stripped, but I persevered.  I laid out the two sided tape and pulled off its backing and rolled out the vinyl sheet over it.  Then I nailed down the gold metal strips along the edges.

The sheet was not 12'x11'.  It was 12'x14'!!!!!!!!!!  OMG!  I love to fall into great deals.  And I fell into an awesome one with this.   I am still mind gloating over it even though I'm all bruised and bloodied and worn out, from the afternoon of labor laying it.

My floor looks awesome!  Terrific!  Beautiful!  The cats are mad from all the noise and moving stuff, their stuff, and upset.  Too bad, kitties.  So sad.

Not.

NICE!

And also, a friend in Portland may have found someone interested in Slinko.   Would that not be great, for him to get a home of his own?  He would love that.  Initially it would be rough on him, but with patient people, he'd be fine in short order and have a better life in a home with fewer cats.  I am excited.

Nice Days Indeed

After a weekend of thunder storms and periodic heavy rain, the sun has returned to Oregon.  Predictions are out for a hot summer.

I will renew my invasive species license for my raft, which costs about $5 or $7.   What does that money do?  No clue here.   In Oregon, ways are found to tax pretty much everything.  Most poor people don't follow the rules and pay these things yet I feel compelled to be legal.  Do I think in any way shape or fashion that tax, on my little raft, does anything to prevent the spread, via boat and waterway, of invasive species.  Nah!

I hope to get my raft out and blown up, holes patched, and on water somewhere very soon.  I love water. 

It does gather water inside the raft while rowing, whether from slow leaks or running down the paddles, and so the weather needs to be warm enough so that getting wet for a prolonged time is not a hypothermia issue or the water needs be warm enough.  The water won't warm up here for at least another month. 

I took a Lebanon mom cat with her five kittens to a rescue yesterday.   I met the foster mom in a Wilsonville parking lot, outside her work end of day.  Guess I still can't stay out of the whole thing.  Got my cute kitten fix in the process.

Such a happy mom cat with five three week old kittens.  They're with Animal Rescue and Care Fund, in Portland, now.

I saw a great piece of sheet vinyl in the remnants bin at Home Depot yesterday.  The piece was bigger than the piece I bought before, for the dining area, and installed.   Bigger and half the price!  I could not resist.  I bought it.  I could not pass it up.  It was also the same design as the piece I already installed a couple years back.  Man alive!

However, getting it home would be a problem.  The rolled up remnant was 12 feet long.  That's a lot longer than my car.  However, by leaving the back hatch open and angling the roll up over the passenger seat, out the open window over the passenger side mirror---I could transport it.  Secured it with bungees and the seat belt shoulder strap on the passenger side.  Today I install.

This is the easy install type.  No glue necessary.  Double sided tape and tack strips for the edges is all you need.  I will install it right over the vinyl squares, which are falling apart, on the floor now.  But where, is what I'm trying to decide.  I'm thinking from the front door down to the hall, in a four foot wide strip, then down the three foot wide hall.  More work that just laying it out as is, in size, however.  The aforementioned are the areas in most need of recovering.

Maple is quite leafed out, which makes the crow couple happy.

Exciting glamorous event today:  It's litter box soak day, since I missed it last Friday.

Gracie is quite beautiful, but can be hard to distinguish from Bluebell.

Gracie is shyer than Bluebell and has a nose that looks almost like Di Vinci's nose.  Di Vinci and Hawkeye are the two gray long hairs from the colony without white chest spots.  Bluebell and Gracie both have white chest spots.

This is Bluebell, who always looks like she is smiling.  Amongst the Lebanon colony cats here, there are four with gray long hair and four with gray short hair.  Of the gray long hairs Di Vinci is the only boy.  Of the short hairs, Mopsy is the only girl.  I'm still trying to find homes for these guys.  They'd love an outdoor indoor home, if it was in a safe area.

The Encounter

As usual, in spring, I get male cats roaming through, unfixed, which causes my cats to spray mark.  Earlier this year, an unknown young gray male was in my front yard rolling in catnip when I drove up.  I rolled down my window, but white girl Zeva was nearby and chased him down the block towards the end of the cul de sac.

Later, just weeks ago, two kids came by, said they were looking for their missing gray cat, wanted to see my cats, were impressed by the cat wheel, and left. Their cat went missing just a couple of blocks from here over two months before.  It was likely that gray cat.  The kids have come by three more times, once with their parents behind them in their car.  Kind of cute.  The last time it was two boys, who wanted again to see the cat wheel, then ran around trying to pet cats, although I tried to stop them, as the cats panicked.  One cat flew, scared, over the boys head, and hit the ground hard, from the cat run, and I think it was Honey, because the next day, she was laid out and sore.  I sent them off, told them to go look for their cat at the apartments beyond the cul de sac.

I won't let them in again.  They're nice kids, but too young too understand they are scaring the cats and need to act calmly around them.

Yesterday, when driving up with my friend, who took me to Costco, she says, who was that tabby?  It was the young darkly striped tabby who sometimes sneaks in from the dead neighbors yard.  I don't know where he comes from.

The buff and and white male hasn't been around for a few days.  Here is one early morning visit of his I caught on camera, but through the window.

Eating on the stray feeder

Notices me.  He has an old blue tinged flea collar on.

Spray marks dead neighbors house

Heads off

Out of nowhere, Simba appears, and chases him.  Simba is one of the barely noticed cats I got fixed who lives a street over.

The Boys Recover

Look at Rogue, still recovering from whatever teeth were pulled last Tuesday.   I believe he has just the four canines left.  His face has completely changed in appearance with most teeth gone, creating prominence in those dangling upper canines that never before existed.  Eventually he will also have those removed.

I was at first very upset with that clinic for charging me for full mouth extractions and not telling me they'd left some teeth in.  That's kind of nutty!  Now I'm over it, but still want formal recognition, in their records, which now state "full mouth extractions" that they did not do that.

Will I go back there?  I hope I don't have to.  Long, long drive.  But, if they reply to my letter, with a reasonable explanation, sure I would.  The guy there said over the phone Rogue could get the  canines pulled at no charge, at a later date, but I want to get that in writing.  Staff turnover happens, and people forget.

He seems happier.  The first night he was out of the bathroom, he wanted back in the bathroom.  Brambles did too.  They felt special in the bathroom, doted over, more loved.   Then, as I lay in bed, Rogue came to the bedroom door and began to cry.  He has a high pitched kitten like meow.

I was not sure what was wrong.  Soon, I knew.  He was crying for his new found friend, Brambles.  Brambles came running and they butted heads, and went off side by side.  It brought tears to my eyes.  Rogue had been so alone in his pain before, isolated in misery.  The road trip bonded him closely with Brambles.  In turn, the trip bonded Brambles to me.

He's a lover, that boy, a hugger, and wonderful.

Brambles, dozing today.  Rogue is in the next cat bed over from him.  Since the road trip, they're never far apart.

Lebanon colony cat Huckleberry is gorgeous!

Yesterday I took my car in to the mechanic to get the plugs changed out.  He took it for a spin and says he sure likes it.  Who wouldn't?  He checked the gas smell too.  Guess its' bad gas, old gas a better term for it.  He said the refineries put something in gas now, so it starts to "decay" after 30 days.  He said "just drive it more".  I rarely drive.  Some weeks, it does not leave the garage.  I suppose gas would kind of scum up, whatever gas does, although he claims its something done to make that happen, so you buy more gas.

The railroads redid tracks that now run a few feet behind their trailer.  they live in an airstream at their business.  I like them, but damn, how could you sleep a few feet off the tracks in Albany?  He says the council passed something to allow trains to run through town at even higher speeds.  Some engineers like to blow the damn horn every few feet, all through town too.  Blasts people awake.  Maybe that's because seems like lots of people get killed by trains here.  Two people have used trains to kill themselves here in the last months.

We got enough troubles here.  In the last ten days there's been two murders in the county, a rape and lots of burglaries.  The burglaries, rape and one murder are all connected, I guess. Or so they say on TV news out of Eugene.  A person or group of people are entering residences at night, when people are obviously home, to steal.  Well, one of those turned into a rape, and another, into a struggle then a murder.    It's got people all over town bringing out the guns and other means of protection and practicing sleep deprivation and also there's anger, over the crime levels in town.  I suppose vigilante justice may start up here, if the cops don't get this solved quickly and stopped.  Too many damn thieves in this town.

To top it off, a body got found in the Albany Santiam canal today.  The canal is Albany's water source.  I haven't heard anything more than that about this latest.  You can only read a certain number of articles online before your isp gets blocked by the local papers and mine is blocked.  I guess we are the new Gotham city.  This is a small town.  Why so much crime?

Rogue and Brambles Excellent Adventure

Off we went, off on an adventure to the unknown, my friend and I, in her car, better hers than mine,  now that mine includes, with driving, a strong smell of gas.  We went with two boys.

Road trips with cats are nothing new to me.  I remember taking a carload of feral kittens with me south and staying the night with them in a sleazy coastal motel, that reeked of all bad habits and then some.  I laid out in a sleeping bag rather than touch those stained bedsheets.  The kittens played the night away in the bathroom and discovered how fun it is to unroll toilet paper.

So the thought of taking Rogue and Brambles on the road to a vet clinic on Oregon's north coast caused me no anxiety.  Rogue badly needed all his teeth pulled.  I could not afford vets around here.  The clinic where both boys would get teeth pulled was affordable.  Do you know how hard it is to find an affordable vet now?

I was going to drive them up the morning of, drive back that night, like I used to do with cats going to be fixed at S/nipped, down in Coos Bay.   No big deal.  But I mentioned about going to my friend and she wanted to go.  She can't stand my driving.  I have a spastic right leg nerve problem, that wobbles my foot slightly on the gas, producing variations in speed.  Sure, they're slight, but for anyone that is prone to car sickness at all, that can become an issue.  She would drive us in her car and pay for the motel if she went.  I went for it.

She doesn't get to go many places.  Her husband is an alcoholic.  So it was a nice outing for her, too.

I booked a room online.  Click pay and the price jumped over $20.  Expedia.  Expedite your poverty I call it now.  There was no warning about their fees, no inclusion of those fees in the prices listed on rooms.   At least I wasn't paying.  Next time, if I ever book a motel room again (this was my first time), I will call the motels directly.  Save a lot of money.

The motel was really nice I thought.  It allowed the cats, no problem.  Nice courteous staff.  Nice room.  Comfy beds.  BUT.  It was hot at the coast.  Yeah, I know, Oregon coast, hot?  Try 88 degrees.  That never happens.  There was no air conditioning in the room, no way to open a window, only a fan.  Scorching!  Air was so dry in there, felt like there was no air in the room.  Uncomfortable night, but I slept anyway.  My friend, not so much.

Cat out back of the motel.

I got up early, got the boys ready.  They'd stayed in a nice cage in the room, and been very good, even used the litter box.   I wonder what they thought.

"We're in Seaside, Rogue!  What the hell." Brambles complains.  "Yesterday we were in Albany, now the air smells like salt and what the hell is she doing, dragging us over here."    Rogue, ever the human apologist, pipes up, "She wants us educated and well traveled cats, Brambie, just shut up. Quit complaining.  It will be OK."

I transferred the boys into live traps I'd brought along and drove them up to the clinic in Astoria, from Seaside, which takes less than half hour.  We would pick them up just before the clinic closed that night.  I said my goodbyes to them, and off I went.  We were going to play the day away on the coast.  Born and raised in Oregon and I'd never before been to Seaside or Astoria.

The boys set up in the cage in the motel room.

Beach at Seaside

Old pipe out in the beach at Seaside

Draw bridge right before entering Astoria

Approaching Astoria

Bridge across the Columbia River from Astoria into Washington state

People rented multi person bikes, fat tire bikes and ATV bikes for the beach there in Seaside which is quite a tourist town.

Multi person bikes for rent.

Breakfast, from the motel lobby, in the room.

Kite captain

Our kite in the air.  Becky bought the kite and will later fly it with grand kids.  We were shocked we got it up so easily!

Seaside beach resort hotels, the turn around at the end of Broadway and promenade, which runs a mile along the beach.

My big splurge of the day--chocolate dipped twinkie!  Besides this twinkie, I was very frugal on the trip.

Off to see the wreck of the Peter Iredale

And there it is, all that's left of this English sailing ship that ran aground in 1906 after attempting the Port of Portland.

Whale back, about a quarter down from top and a quarter of the way in.

Thar she blows.

 We had to check out of the motel by 11:00 a.m..   That was after I'd already been up to Astoria to deliver the cats to the clinic.  My friend is not an early riser and was asleep when I returned.   The motel was in Seaside.  After that we walked on the beach in Seaside, flew a kite, ate lunch, drove north to see the wreck of the Peter Iredale, in the sands, beyond Warrenton, then over to Astoria, to pick up the cats, then back to Albany. 

Cargo ship on the Columbia River

We were sitting along the Columbia by the Maritime Museum in Astoria killing time when I took this, looking back at the bridge across the Columbia into Washington state.

There were several cargo ships in the river, making their way upriver towards the Port of Portland.

Old Pilot tug at the Maritime museum.

There were flowers and a note on one bench along the Astoria river walk.

When we looked down, we could see why.  The bench was dedicated to Daphne, the same person the note and flowers were for.

Mt. Hood was visible on the drive home as we neared Portland.  When I got home, I saw on the news another climber, a priest from New Jersey, died on the mountain.

Also seen from the drive home, many fields of red.  I don't know what they're growing, but I'll look it up and will guess they're probably growing it for the seed.

Quick trip but it was fun and the boys got their teeth fixed.  Rogue now has none and Brambles had five pulled.  The rest of his were cleaned.  They won't be feeling 100% for awhile, but they are on the road to recovery!

I am happy Rogue finally got those teeth out.  He's such a sweet little boy and deserves a pain free life at last.  Thank you so much to all those who contributed to help with the boys vet visits.

This was Rogue, in the car, on the way home.

Brambles, last night, groggy but glad to be home.

Rogue last night, looking rough around the edges.