JT's full of herself

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Fire and Ice

his weather changed like mercury.
his clouds form and darken, then
sun breaks through.
the heat of his ore
the cold of his ice
smelted and sculpted
me down
until
a splinter
of myself
is left.

My old man kitty Jake, (14+ years) fell off my fifth floor balcony last week. It is true that cats are not as sure-footed as most think. They can be downright clumsy. Yet, that is not the slant I want to take with this post.

From what I heard, the manager heard a loud thump. She went out to see what it was and found an injured cat. White with grey on his head. Not knowing what else to do she called animal control. When they arrived 45 minutes later and picked him up, his bowels emptied. (No shit!)

The opinion was he was going off to be put down. That is what I was told when calling after not being able to find him in my apartment. I thought he might have been lost in the building.

It was one of those rough nights of the soul with little sleep to escape with. Next morning with a call to the Humane Society, I found Jake was still alive and ready for pick-up. WOW!

He was in bad shape. Falling five flights is like being hit at 25 mph. His back legs swayed back and forth as he walked. He whimpered for two days. I got him to the vet on Friday and was told if he's not better by Monday I should put him down. He got pain meds.

A cat on pain meds is a sloppy thing. They become very wobbly and their eyes are drunken. On Sunday he was visibly better. He didn't need meds that day. He started eating again and talking to me. I sat with him and held him (when he was ready) for five days.

I remember the doctor telling me Jake has a bigger problem, which is probably why he fell.
But today he is much better. It's been eight days now. I am so reminded time heals all wounds. And yet it seems so long when one is entangled in the minutes.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Jake's Got 8 Left

Jake on Monday

My senior cat Jake (14 plus years old) has eight lives left after he fell off my fifth floor balcony Tuesday night.

I spent all Tuesday night thinking he was dead. When I called the animal control people I found out he was not. I went Wednesday to get him out of jail.

He is not doing well. He is breathing funny, real short breaths with a noise like it's hard to breathe. I think he is in pain and not in shock (his gums are pink and his paws warm).

I'm not sure what to do today, I am just leaving him alone to relax and heal for now. Usually I tell him to quiet down because he wails at me. This is one time I wish he'd complain. Then I'd know he was all right.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Back From The Brink!

Jake Domino likes the smell of my Crocs

Message of Gratitude

Friday, September 23, 2011

Bikestation Grand Opening, Long Beach, CA

My Trikke, black Birdie

For almost four months I have been a client of the Bikestation in downtown Long Beach. I love the convenience and helpfulness of its employees. When I recently needed some minor wrenching done on my Trikke, it was done for free.

And so I went to the grand opening, September 15, with the politicians and citizens of Long Beach. Door prizes were given out including two free one-year memberships and a basket of bike goodies as well.


Mayor Foster at Ribbon Cutting

The Bikestation in Long Beach was the first in a chain across the USA. It is centrally located next to the blue line, the metro and the LB Transit systems. The organization was founded to make it easier to bike not only in Long Beach, but to also help those who commute using bikes.

Their mission is to make biking an integral part of the transportation mix, because with more bike usage we get cleaner air, safer streets and healthier living.

The Bikestation offers repairs, accessories, rental bikes, lockers, restrooms, changing rooms, showers, bike tours, free air and water if needed. For members they offer convenient 24/7 access to bikes stored away from home.

The Ramp

The Bikestation is Trikke friendly and is willing to work with all kinds of vehicles that are human or electric powered (no detailed repairs on Trikkes or Pon-es. For those repairs see SouthBay Trikke). Some locations have charging stations for electrics.

I guess you could say I'm a fan. While there is only one elevator working in my building of many motorized wheel-chairs, it's the only convenient option for me. Plus, I get an extra workout walking to and from the Bikestation. Thank you Long Beach for being so bike and Trikke friendly!