Ever just don’t know where the weekend went? There’s days where I get so much done, I even amaze myself. The past two days were not those kind of days, not at all.
Friday night I worked late. I know that. I got immersed in a project and time got away from me. I didn’t leave work until 10:00, which meant dinner with my boyfriend became late night breakfast at a 24/7 pancake joint.
Going to bed on a really full stomach meant I didn’t sleep well, and I decided to get up around 5:00 and do some work from home. After an hour of jamming on the same project, I went back to bed for an hour or so. I was still up at a reasonable hour – but I just don’t know where Saturday morning went. I know I didn’t accomplish anything worth bragging about. Saturday afternoon was supposed to be spent getting loads done – and I did get loads done, of laundry. I also reorganized my yarn stash. (Yes, I just reorganized my stash last month, but those little balls and skeins have a way of multiplying somehow. Besides, they needed fondling and cuddling and drooling over once again.) I had a little down time late afternoon, and ignored the two crochet works-in-progress I have going to start a new pattern that I wanted to check out. Not much to show for an entire day.
Saturday night I went to the hockey game. (Go Wolves!) It was an awesome game. The gentleman sitting next to me was an “enthusiastic cheerer” like me, so we bonded quickly. It was fun to sit next to someone who’d throw me high fives and tell me I’m awesome, rather than asking me to “please be quiet”. I went with two coworkers. One was a hockey newbie, who seemed to really enjoy the game. The other was a hockey veteran and skilled player himself. However, he hadn’t been to many Wolves games, and he became a fan. Despite getting home after 11:00, I stayed up to make cat food.
Sunday started out with a “hockey hangover” (sore throat from screaming, bloated queasy stomach from junk food, headache from loud fireworks, etc.) I got a few drawers reorganized in my office, and gathered information on treatment of feline stomatitis requested by a fellow cat lover. I had brunch with a friend and my boyfriend. I watched the hockey game on TV. (Go Blackhawks!) Then I took a short nap.
So, it’s Sunday evening, and here I am with little to show for my weekend – and not even an idea for my biweekly column.
Submitted for publication in The Greeley Citizen.
Life of the Lintee Bean 
Do people really ask you to be quiet at a *hockey game*?!? That’s just bonkers.
Lynette,
I am a crazy cat lady myself. I have been rescuing for over 10 years and I now am the proud caregiver of 28 cats and one 87lb dog. They are my second full time job. Talk about how fast a weekend goes…I spend my whole Saturday cleaning (over 12 hours) and then crash on Sundays basking in the cleanliness. There are only two humans in the household but I do over 40 loads of Laundry a month and vacuuming is a daily occurrence. I not only have 4000 square feet of house to clean I have a 10 x 60 outdoor cat enclosure to clean as well. Exhausting…but I love clean. I have pretty much given up my life for them. Oh, I mean, they are my life. Having a dog and a diabetic cat means I can’t be away from home for any longer than 12 hours (awesome bladder my dog has) so vacationing is not an option. In order to not go crazy wondering what is going on at my house, while at work, I installed four network cameras so I can watch everything on my second monitor while working. Every spare dime I have goes into quality food, medical care and toys for them. In the past I was affiliated with a couple of organizations but I just couldn’t take it anymore. The constant sadness and the despair of not being in a position to help any longer because I am getting to the age where they could start to outlive me. My oldest is 15 and my youngest is almost 3. They would perish without me. When you rescue five at a time, it adds up fast. In the last 10 years I have spayed and neutered over 80 animals at my own personal expense, with my own Vet and not through clinics with reduced fees. I live in the country where “barn mentality” exists. But where else could a crazy cat lady with 29 animals live and not get in trouble? I have spreadsheets to keep track of each animal and their needs. We have bi-weekly grooming sessions and weekly catnip parties to keep track of as well. I get up at 5am and work in the house like if I ran a dairy farm before showering and making the hour drive into the city for work. Then, I work nine hour days so that I can have every other Monday off for that extra basking in the clean day or a day where I can organize that extra closet or paint the ceiling if I want too. Mostly I use it for my Vet visits. I am lucky that she offers a home service which cuts down on everyone’s stress level.
What is my reward? Maybe if I get to Heaven I will find out. For now, it is the cold noses, the paws kneading on my chest, the morning head butts, the big eyed stares and wagging tails. For now, the reward is in knowing that they are safe, happy and healthy and that they know that they are loved. Something every living creature should have the benefit of. How sad it is that there are not thousands more “crazy cat ladies” out in the world like us.
Michele