I'll start off with the animal stories. My four cats which I have been taking care of off and on for several years are now all gone. Gale got her new house so she came and got all the cats.
It was sad seeing them go but they were her cats.
I put out food and have several that come and go during the morning hours. One has a tag and love to sit in my lap and kept trying to come inside. So I finally let him in and called the vet on the tag to see about the owner. They gave me a name and an address so I walked over to the house and it was a young couple that had just moved in so it looks like the cat was mine.
So in he came for two days. I called him Boots.
Back to him in a minute.
And there was a lost cat picture on our community mail box that had a picture that matched one of the ones that I have seen on my back porch. This one though was mostly feral and never let me get near. I called the owner, only a block away, and it turns out she takes photo's for our ladies roller derby team. Now we are good friends. Funny how life is at times.
So she brought over a cage and I baited it with the kitteh's bed and favorite food.
The trap didn't work but she spotted him out on the street one night and he is back at home.
Back to Boots, my adopted kitteh. I decided to check out the people's names and see if I could find a phone number. Maybe they just moved in town and had lost the cat when moving. Called the vet again and they gave me the wrong house address. The address was across the street at Ema's. I called her and she was so glad to get Boots, well actually Big Boy, back. She let's him out during the day so he still comes and visits but no more inside the house trips.
So now I am without a kitteh again.
And the only animal now on the loose is Max. He is a shelter sheppard that Lisa saved but that during a lightning storm had jump her fence and escaped. We would check the pound daily as well as making rounds where he had been spotted. On morning a cat grabbed her as she walked by and seemed to say take me home. She took a picture of him and sent it to me on facebook. I was already out though and stopped at the shelter to check the DOA database. Max did have a collar and they keep detailed records on even dead animals they pick up. No Max on the list and I went back to look at the kitteh cages. All had papers on their cages but one little yellow one. I asked Rose, the shelter manager and friend from the city, why this one didn't have papers. She said "He's stayed here the limit.He is getting put to sleep in the morning". And that means a trip to the land fill. 🙁
So 80 dollars later I now have my own kitteh.
Turns out this was the kitteh that Lisa had sent me a photo of and I sent her one back saying "He's safe now".
He is a loving little 3 or so month old cat and just as frisky as can be.
He has already learned how to turn on the lights above any counter by stretching and pushing up the switch. Little rascal.
And I had to change the direction of the rolls of toilet paper because of this one day.
His favorite spot is on my shoulder and giving me head rubs. 
Rest my fingers a bit then on to last weeks volunteer projects.
And in the next to the last picture then the answer is yes. A bushy tail will set off the automatic soap dispenser. Little Derby Squirts got a bath after he did that yesterday.
You're a good man Deral
Our dog is a pound rescue, and I couldn't have asked for a better one. She doesn't know how good she has it, but she still spends a lot of time training me. Now just be sure you spay/neuter your new master.
Andy
You're a good man Deral
The pound already fixed him for me and gave him all his shots. But he's not declawed and I don't think I'm going to have that done. Although he was sitting on the my back this morning and I clicked on a link to some Metallica and forgot how loud the speakers were turned up. OUCH!
I named him Derby Squirt. Derby for his attitude like our ladies derby team and Squirt because he can go 0-60 in the blink of an eye.
The Lawton Blog-Save the Mural(life after surveying)
Had a volunteer project this week. It's one of the things I love to do with my free time. We have a group on facebook that is devoted to volunteer work and projects all over our town.
This one involved a building that was erected in 1910 and then turned into our first coca-cola bottling plant around 1940 when the rail line was built through Lawton.It ceased being a plant sometime around the late 90's when the new plant was built.
It's now owned by the City of Lawton by way of condemnation for our fiasco of what they call 2nd street redevelopment. It's soon to be demo'ed and they will put up a parking lot. Yes, there is a song about that. And a big box store, like we really need another one.
View from the outside on the first morning. This is the local radio station that came by for some interviews and also offered up some help.
We cannot save the building but we were wanting to save a large mural inside the building. 
There are large windows on the front of the building and so many people have seen this as they come into town over the years. You used to be able to go in, take a tour and get a free coke when the plant was in full swing.
And this is my friend, Annette, from the Magic 95 radio station. We are involved in a lot of projects together.
There is also a really neat marble seal as you come in the front door that we wanted to save. 
The mural was over 14' tall and had been built on a frame with sheetrock on the back side. The first order was to tear the back off and then decide how best to saw up and remove the mural.
The building had no electricity but we had a generator for power but no air and no open doors in our work area. The day reached over 110 and and I have no idea how hot is was in that place but it was HOT,HOT,HOT.
No coca-cola for me and with apoligies to TDD, I drank a LOT of water.
The inside had been pretty much stripped out so not much to see but they did leave this coke can inside. Check out the second picture for the volume. 
Lot's of cola.
Got most of the pre removal stuff done and everyone was beat. Then day two . Annette showed up again and in more appropriate apparel for working. 
So we poked some holes and used my plumb bob and string to lay out our cut lines. Oh my, maybe this should have been in strictly surveying. We didn't have a lot of help so I was even given a hammer. Dangerzone folks giving Deral a hammer.
The mural is so old and fragile but the time came to say "Let's just do this". Jeff was in charge and he said if stuff breaks then we did our best but we will just walk away. Everyone stay safe. 
Oops, that is another picture of Annette. Well, that's okay. I don't think anyone will mind. LOL
First two panel cut and down. 10' by 4' panel that will be put back together at our new city hall.
And now the wall is all gone but we lost much of the ceiling. No one got hurt though thankfully.
And here is the ring leader Jeff with me discussing what we needed to do. 
The next project for me will be the painting of our local red cross building. Mostly trim but it's a tall building. I get to be the director on this one and have already gotten food and drinks donated for our crew. I think the city is also going to lend us their cherry picker for the tall parts. That's a blessing, I hate ladders.
I found out the Red Cross had budgeted for the painting this year but all the fires have forced them to use their building funds for emergency workers this year. Okie and Texas have nearly burnt to the ground and certainly taxed all the resources for our first responders this year.
Time to rest the finger again and then the Roller Derby pictures.
I was going to offer up one of my little buddies but I see you got that covered already. No way I could ever let my little friends go to the pound. Just the thought of it absolutely tears my heart apart.
E.
Bless your heart for being an animal lover.
I have followed your animal stories in the past.
As the owner of (provider of habitat for) 5 dogs, 8 cats, 8 pea fowl, 20-odd chickens and roosters, 5' rat snake and a hedgehog (got rid of our rabbits, mule and longhorn cow-before the drought here in Texas), I commend you on your care and concern for animals. I have only purchased 2 pets in my life (AKC dogs), both for my daughter. The rest are gifts(?) which we have acquired from friends and neighbors. When I pay the feed bill, I often wonder if my bubble isn't plumb, but most of the animals do come to greet me when I get home.
🙂
Thanks Bryan. We all do what we can.
Deral,
My Daughter has an orange tabby named “Rusty”. SWMBO and I “kittysit” occasionally at our house and that cat is a riot and loves to play! Love him! He is very verbal, which I love, because I talk back to him. Thusly he looks at me and probably thinks, “What in hell is this idiot talking about, I just want some catnip or a treat, preferably both”.
Have a great week!
