This morning was a very important day for LiddleKiddleKat. She went to the mobile vet clinic to be spayed. Another plug – in Connecticut we have a mobile neuter/spay clinic for kitties run by a group known as Team. They are funded in part by the fee paid by patrons. However, their primary source of funds comes from a trust. They do a most phenomenal job at what they do. You can read more about this very special organization here.

But, I digress…… It was a very drizzly, cold, miserable day. I stood in line outside the Team van with several other soggy, wet, and very nervous kitty parents waiting my turn to register my little beast for her surgery. As animal parents do, we all chatted about our loving little ones – most are “rescue” animals. In this manner, the time passed much more pleasantly than it might have otherwise. And of course, we praised each others “kids” and billed and coo'-ed over how precious and lovely each was!

Too soon, it was my turn. I left the poor, confused little girl and went about my day. I was to pick her up between 3:30 and 4 that afternoon. At 3:30, I hurried back and took my place in line. I ran a bit late so did not see any of my friends from the morning. When I got in this line, I was about 3 from the door. In front of the door was a trap waiting a feral feline with a can of food. Just before it came to be my turn, a woman got in line behind me. Again, as parents are wont to do, we began a discussion… and I found out that this woman had been feeding feral cats where she worked for about 30 years. She did this for 20+ years before she realized the population had grown monstrously and uncontrollably. And she began, at her own expense, to trap them one by one and have them neutered. Over the last few years, she has gotten almost all of them in the area. As they are neutered/spayed, the top of one ear is clipped so anyone coming behind will know that that animal has already been cared for. She has done this alone and with no help from any organization or people. She has done this out of her own love for cats. She has also taken many of these animals in. Currently, there are 7 in residence with her.  How wonderful a thing for someone to think to do!

On a slightly different note……  I have noticed recently that when I have gone to fast food places, the staff seems to be cheerful. This is strange.

I have seen OVERLY cheerful… which is usually the result of some corporate idiot trying to make pleasant robots out of people – the end result of which is, at least for me, abject disgust. I much prefer to have a person speak to me as they would as opposed to reading from or having memorized some polite script.

This is different….. this is HONESTLY cheerful.

Has anyone else noticed this? Or is it perhaps just me?