Another One? Really?

I went out to get the paper this morning, and when I turned to go back to the house, Gracie was standing on the front porch. I scooped her up and tossed her inside. Wait, Gracie was inside. This is another cat, obviously from the same litter. A little bigger, perhaps because he’s a male, but just as friendly as Gracie. Is someone throwing  them out one at a time? Annie is disgusted.

We are absolutely not keeping 2 new cats. The no-kill shelters aren’t taking new cats, so I guess he’s going to the Orange County Animal Shelter. Why won’t people take care of their pets?

In the meantime, all three cats are roaming the house having trouble getting settled. First it was the lawn guys with their mowers and leaf blowers. Now it’s Terry replacing the 5, yes, 5 panels of screens that blew in during a windstorm a couple of weeks ago. He also reattached a piece of frame that had come unscrewed which he hopes will keep the whole huge screen house from being so wobbly. Dang, I hope so. I shudder to think how much that would be to be replaced. Last year, I had windstorm included on our house insurance. We are debating whether to keep it. 

Last weekend, another rainy, windy day was predicted for Saturday, the first day of my garden club’s fundraiser, Spring Fever in the Garden, where the entire downtown of Winter Garden is turned into a plant shopping area. The club raises thousands of dollars for scholarships, and residents have one easy location to do all their landscape shopping. Sadly, I saw no native plants except for a few tropical sage (Salvia coccigea). I hope to remedy that next year.

Stephanie and Clara participated in the sidewalk chalk contest, learning some techniques they plan to use in future events. Happily, the rain held off until mid afternoon, so the chalk pictures could be judged before the rain washed them away.

The first day, I was assigned to a information booth, which was pitiful since I knew nothing about Spring Fever, and my partner didn’t show for the first hour and a half. I’d hobbled around in the morning, trying to get a feel for the layout, but I was overwhelmed. I did learn where the porta potties were. The second day, I worked a shift at the Ask the Experts tent, not as an expert, but as a Bloom and Grow Garden Society member. I actually was able to answer a bunch of questions because while I was there, the experts were houseplant growers. Not very knowledgeable about natives, trees, etc, but amazing on anything grown inside. Even more specialized was the second pair, who were sod and irrigation guys. We all agreed the tent should have a large sign stating what the experts sitting there were experts in.