Let’s Not Repeat That Month Again


I’m linking this post to Sunday Post, Mailbox Monday, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

So this month has not gone the way that I planned. I was really looking to sitting down and getting reading done, but that didn’t happen. In fact, I’ve been trying to read the same book all month. I sat down at the beginning of the month to read it, and I don’t think I made it halfway through. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone a month without completing at least one book.

 

 

Let’s start with the good.
Kimiko (the cat that I rescued who was dumped before Christmas) found her forever home and is currently being spoiled. I also rescued a 3 month old kitten, while out doing TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release), who was clearly sick. I got Sriracha back to full health and worked on socializing him. He’s now with a foster through the island’s local rescue group.

Speaking of which, I am now the TNR director for that very same rescue. I’m helping them start up their own TNR program so that more cats can be helped. I’m really excited about this new chapter. My role will be more of an admin thing by organizing vet appointments and making sure things run smoothly. However, I’m hoping that word spreads and we are able to get more people involved with wanting to TNR the local cat population. With that being said, I do still plan to go out and do TNR myself. It’s great to help organize a department, but I also want to be out there actively helping as well.

It wasn’t all about cats this month, though. At the beginning of the month, we went to our first shrine and a temple. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I was able to start my goshuincho and get by first two stamps/seals in it. If you’re not familiar with a goshuincho is, it’s kind of like a passport book. When you visit a shrine or temple, you take your goshuincho to the office and they will stamp it with their seal and write the date you were there. Since we had gone during the new year celebration period, I was able to purchase a Hamaya which is considered a good luck charm for the new year. It has a lot of history and lore behind it, but today it is used as a good luck charm.

 

Now for the bad.
I tried to rescue a cat that my husband found near his work. The cat was in rough shape and I spent the entire day running her between two vets. The first vet said that she needed a blood transfusion but that I would need to produce the cat who would donate blood. They then gave me a bunch of medicine, sent me home, and told me to bring her back within a couple of days for a follow up. So, I brought Sakura home, only to literally sit there and watch this poor thing fade and struggle in pain an hour after getting back to the house. So, a friend and I rushed her an hour south to another vet where they had blood donors available for her. However, it was too late for Sakura. The poor thing died on the table while they were trying to help her. It was a huge blow for me and kind of set the stage for the month.

I had also teamed up with a couple of other ladies who go out to do TNR. We created a Facebook page to share our journey, opened up donation links for people to help us, as a group, with the cost of TNR, and everything was going great… until it wasn’t. This weekend the other two members got into a fight. One member kicked the other from the FB group, the person who was kicked then went into the Paypal/Venmo and yanked all the donation money. I was completely horrified by the lack of maturity and rashness I saw. Needless to say that I removed myself from that, and I will be going back to doing my own stuff when it comes to TNR and rescue work. I will assist when needed, but I think for now I will just stay in my own lane, work on building the TNR department with the rescue and doing my own TNR work alone.

If that wasn’t chaotic enough, I also found out that my family back home in the states has Covid. Thankfully, as I type this, my mother and father do not have it. However, my sister and niece do, and they live with my parents. I’m really nervous about that since my father is high risk. I’m just hoping that he doesn’t catch it.

So yeah… this month has been… well, I truly don’t have words if I’m being honest. It stated off SO GREAT. I felt like I was making a difference. I felt like I found my people on the island, and then it just imploded.

 

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6 Thoughts on “Let’s Not Repeat That Month Again

  1. I’m sorry about the setbacks (and the poor kitty) but it sounds like good things are happening as well. I’m glad you’re sharing the ups and downs.

    Sorry to hear too about the family members with Covid. I hope they stay mild and recover quickly- I had a close family member just get it too.

  2. Sorry about the bad news. Hope better news will come soon!

  3. I’m sorry that the month ended badly, but congratulations on what you did achieve.
    I hope your family recover quickly.

    Wishing you a great reading week

  4. Wow, that’s a heck of a month.
    I’m sorry you weren’t able to help the one cat but at least you can say you tried. That’s more than a lot of others are doing.
    I hope your family recovers quickly. My daughter and grandson and I all had Covid last month but even though it lasted almost a month, we recovered fully.

  5. Sorry about the loss of the cat, and for immature people who made your efforts at team TNR a bummer.
    I hope your family is recovering. My husband was at high risk (only 33% lung capacity) and spent six days in hospital a week ago. He is having a slow recovery.
    I hope February is a better month for you and I hope you get some good reading in.
    Take care!

  6. I’m sorry to hear about the struggles at TNR and that poor kitty. I hope everyone is recovering well from COVID. Stay well and chin up, here’s to a better month.

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