Western Washington has gone from heavy snow to torrential rains and the result is flooding everywhere. I live in the foothills of Mt. Rainier, on high ground where flooding is not a problem. However, I am currently unable to get off the hill because the only road is flooded. There is a small (usually) creek at the bottom of my hill. I drive across a narrow bridge to get to Wilkeson and from there to the rest of the Puget Sound area. Now the creek has overflowed, the intersection is under water, and some homes are flooded. The Carbon River, which feeds my creek, crested last night so I hope the water will recede soon. It is an odd feeling to know that the only road connecting me to the rest of the world is closed. There are now notes about this in my Ideas Box.
Soggy ground is a concern for me because it gets so saturated with water that tree roots can’t hang on in high winds and the trees topple. Yes, I’ve also had high winds. It’s only Jan. 8 but already this year I’ve had record snowfall, high winds, and flooding. My son-in-law says locusts will be next. So far I’ve lost only one tree. It came down across my front fence.
On Tuesday afternoon as the rain pounded my skylights, I heard from someone who might be interested in adopting Gus, my foster cat. She saw a flyer about Gus that I had posted at my veterinarian’s office and when she asked about him, the staff told her what a fine cat he is. She emailed me, and I called her as soon as I got her message. After talking to her on the phone, I was certain she would give Gus a wonderful home and we arranged for her to come to meet him the next morning. That night the road flooded, so I had to tell her she couldn’t come. I was so disappointed. We are still waiting for the road to open.
It will be hard for me to let Gus go. He’s been here since September and I’ve grown very fond of him. But my purpose in doing animal rescue work is to find a loving, permanent home for each animal that I help. If I tried to keep them, I’d have to quit doing rescues.
My foster cat room is a large room that’s attached to my house. When my husband was living, it was his workshop where he restored player pianos and other antique musical instruments. After Carl died, I wanted to use that room in some special way. Doing foster care for rescued animals seemed perfect. So far I’ve fostered three cats there and each one has brought activity and happiness back into the space.
I still hear from the woman who adopted Edgar, my first foster cat who was here for six months. Charlie, the second one, was adopted by my friend, Mark, so I get regular reports on him. Charlie even came back to visit for two weeks last summer while Mark was on vacation. Gus is the third occupant and if his adoption happens as I hope it will, I think I’ll be able to keep in touch with his new family, too, because his adopter seems like someone I’d enjoy knowing better. She even has a granddaughter who is a fan of my books.
If the creek goes down and the road reopens, Gus might have a visitor tomorrow. I have my fingers crossed.