Hello all. I trust you are doing well? It has been a while again, so I thought I had better give you an update. I haven’t given up on Harold yet, but as it gets closer and closer to hibernation time my optimism that he’ll show up at the door, or I’ll see him sitting on the patio waiting for bread and meal worms, is fading day by day. I just ran banana and wheat bread out to one of his kin who was sitting on one of the red turtle plates finishing off a tiny bit of tomato left over from yesterday’s fare. He was a little taken aback and started to run for the underbrush, but once I presented half of a banana to him as an open-face sandwich on wheat bread he stopped before he had gone six inches from the plate and watched me set it down. I assured him I was not going to pick him up or mess with him in any way, and that I was putting the other banana sandwich on the other red plate, going back in, and would feed the squirrels and fill the bird feeders later when he was done. He settled right down, watched me come back in, close the door, and back up on the plate he went. I am watching him munch his banana now. He is one happy boy. I love all my wild turtles, who are not quite so “wild” anymore, but I sure do miss my little buddy.
Regarding the feral cats, five of the kittens are scheduled for neutering and inoculations next Monday on National Feral Cat Day. The Humane Society is offering a steep discount that day. Unfortunately five cats are the most they would do under that program, so Jackson is going in the next morning at the regular male feral cat price when I pick up the first five. He is the most agreeable when it comes to handling and being by himself, so he gets to be the lone wolf. Sometimes it doesn’t work out so well for you when you’re the best of the bunch. Jackson is a honey badger, though, so he’ll be fine, and I’ll pick him up next Wednesday morning, and then treat him like the king he is all day.
I am sorry, people. In the midst of writing this a tragedy occurred. I, and all of the people who cared for him deeply because of his wit, intellect, compassion, the information he gave us, we have all been in mourning for the unexpected loss of Alan Smithee, aka @actualflatticus, on Twitter. It was a colossal blow. He battled the evil giants of lies, greed and deceit in our country and throughout the world. He remained anonymous to protect himself and his family, because the enemies he made are powerful indeed. He showed us how and why the platitudes they feed us are without merit, all empty promises, never kept, but what we wanted to hear, just so they could get our votes on election day, after which they pandered to their donors exclusively. He showed us how they cheated us all. He disclosed where the money came from, and where the money went. He put it there in black and white on Twitter, the government reporting forms for all the world to see. He called them out by name and demanded answers, which they refused to give. They called him names and ran. They blocked him so he could not see their lies. They feared him for the truth he told. Through it all I marveled at his facility for research, citation, irrefutable proof, and his ability to argue his points ’til he brought the foul dogs to heel, or sent them running with their tails between their legs to hide from him. He was, is, and will remain a hero to all of us who value the truth. Smithee, wherever you are, we love you, we miss you, we honor you. I have gone about my daily business. The cats are fixed, my music still plays, the Earth still spins, but my life is not nor will it ever be the same, because of you. May Ruby look out for you and those you left behind always.