The weather often seems to change overnight in Bellingham and sure enough, the switch has been flipped to fall. Yesterday was gorgeous; a mostly clear, cloudless sky, a slight breeze and changing colors. a perfect day for a bike ride. after work i raced home, grabbed the ol' saddlebags and hit the road. i love my bike. her name is Vera and she's a beautiful Bianchi Volpe.
so i took back roads to Ferndale, a town just north of here. it felt great--i desparately needed to clear my head, neutralize frustrations from work, think positive thoughts. as i rode, i took mental notes of things that i might want to take photos of on the way back (the light would be better then). these things included:
a weird america mural at "Jack's Bomb Shack". i wouldve taken more, but it was a creepy place and a guy that i couldnt see started yelling at me.
an abandoned car. youve seen a million photos like this one before im sure. it's a classic!
beautiful corrugated siding. deteriorating objects are definitely a weakness of mine.
i had also passed what appeared to be a dead kitten on the side of the road. it caught me off guard. i couldnt stop thinking about it and i made a mental note to stop on my way back---what if it wasnt dead, but sick? were there more kitties somewhere close by? if the kitten isnt dead, what the heck am i gonna do with it--stick it in my saddlebag?
so i kept my eyes peeled and sure enough, the poor thing is still there, dead as a doornail. and within 8 feet of the dead kitty, emerging out of a gnarled mess of blackberries what do i see? 2 sweet and very scared kittens, one white and gray with striking silver eyes and the other black with blue eyes.
though a fairly low traffic country road, the cars that do travel in this area tend to gun it. and there isnt a home or farm of any kind for miles. the kittens have obviously been abandoned--they had either lost their mother or had been dumped by careless local assholes. so i stop and the kittens race back into the dense blackberry jungle.
now, im not a cat person. im allergic and find their aloofness to be off putting most of the time, but i was determined to save these terrified little fur balls from the murder box death that probably awaits them. and i dont have kitty calling skills--how the heck do i draw them out of these bushes? so i hang out, talking to the bushes like a moron (the rest of the property is marked off by barbed wire fence), "here kitty kitty ....meow, MEOW!". i wait. i have a seat in a gravel driveway. and i hear little mews. there's a load of disgusting rotten crab meat to my left which leads into the blackberry cover and the kitties appear. they look at me quizzically and they start munching on the crab rot. gross.
so i call a friend who brings a truck (to the rescue!!). i managed to snatch one of the kitties after positioning myself close to the crab and channeling my ninja creeping skills. it was the black one, who freaked out and put up a good kitty fight, but then settled down and eventually took a little snooze in the warmth of my armpit.
i wasnt able to coax the gray one out. my friend called the humane society and a cop and humane animal control person showed up. they were both very nice and most helpful---the black kitty is safe and the humane society will be setting a live trap for the gray one. but im still worried. i want to call and see if the gray one is ok. its hard to keep myself from going back. "HERE, KITTY KITTY!"
So if any on you are looking for a sweet kitty to take in, please call the whatcom humane society @ 360.733.2080. the little black one (and hopefully the gray one) will be available for adoption in 2 wks. when you call, tell them it was kitty found on ferndale rd in between marine dr and slater.
thanks again for all of your help, S.H.!
