Now They See

Of course, the conversation these days seems to hinge on the economy-many people use to boast about how much they spent to buy whatever, wife 1.0 use to do that ALL THE TIME. I kept telling her how rude that was and nobody really cared how much she spent on whatever. But these days, more and more people seem to take pride in how much they got for how little.

Of course, there have been a lot of folks who have lost their jobs, the local Ford plant and now the paper mill in Franklin is fixing to close. Some of the people I know who worked at the Ford plant use to be so proud of the fact that they were able to get a job there because they "knew the right people" and would brag incessantly about what a great job they had, the outstanding pay and the very generous benefits. I couldn't figure out with all the pay and benefits Ford workers had, why on earth they'd ever go on strike-but they were out there every so often holding signs claiming Ford was "unfair" to it's employees.

I often thought of holding a sign across the street that read: FORD EMPLOYEES UNGRATEFUL-IT THEY DON'T WANT THEIR JOB, I'LL TAKE IT! Of course, this would earn you the label of a "Scab" by those who are now-unemployed Ford workers. One thing life has taught me is, you DON'T kill the goose that lays the golden egg and around here, working at Ford was about as good as you could get without a college degree. Of course, now Ford which is the company that told the Obama administration "Thanks, but no thanks" to the government bailout is now posing profits while the other two of the "big three" are still taking on water.

Then there are the state and municipal employees-once thought of as "lifetime" employment with a great benefits package, paid holidays, plenty of time off and that taxpayer funded retirement plan to look forward to, now those perks are starting to disappear because the taxpayers just can't foot the bill anymore while municipal governments struggle to keep up with rising costs and political leaders struggle to provide services without raising taxes. No easy trick in these tight times.

I've never worked for a Union company or a municipal government, so I don't know the feeling of such so-called "job security". I'm a private sector worker who has to live each and every day at the whim of corporate America who can eliminate my job with no notice or reason whatsoever with the stroke of a pen-if my job is deemed "unnecessary" or they just don't like my look or attitude that day, I'm gone and there is nothing I can do about it.

This is why I can't help but shake my head at those in the union trades or the municipal service who were operating under the assumption that their job was somehow guaranteed and they would never be in such straits-looking at the possibility of actually being required to take less (as many in the private sector have had to do) or losing benefits deemed too costly or, being handed a pink slip is now becoming a reality.

I'm sorry that the job they had didn't provide them the security they thought they not only had, but were entitled to but all I can say is, in this life, there are no guarantees and no gravy-train runs forever. Sooner or later they all run out.

I think the days of lifetime employment and being able to rest on your laurels after getting "seniority" are gone, probably for good. It's a tough job market and a lot more people are going to find themselves in the hunt for some kind of job. It's sad that many employers don't demonstrate the same loyalty to their employees that they demand from them, but that's what I call a modern, economic reality, others might call it "hope and change".

Nothing to do but deal with it.

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Now, I know She Went Around the Bend

I have a friend of mine who is a rabid Democrat, she is "down for the cause" about on an equal par with being my being comitted to the animals and can be even more uncompromising than I can.

She's like the Taliban of the animal rescue scene-that's just who she is.

She's pals with an old school teacher of mine who is another committed leftist-both of them real nice ladies but they're way past being committed democrats-mention the idea of school vouchers and that's when the fangs really come out. So it goes without saying I really get a kick out of twisting their tails by speaking such heresy as "If you earned more money, why should you pay more taxes?" or my favorite, "Well, if you should pay more taxes because you're wealthy, you should have TWO votes on election day!"

I once referred to Ronald Regan as "Ronaldus Magnus" and these ladies just about blew a fuse. It might not be a productive conversation, but it certainly is lively and both argue their point from pure, unbridled emotion. Pesky things like "facts" and "history" mean very little although my former teacher should be proud of the fact that I can carry on a debate about political matters and more importantly she compliments me on my writing ability quite often. She has stated, jokingly, that I am using what she taught me for "evil".

"Come over to the dark side, Luke!"

Last week when BHO was in town supporting Creigh Deeds, making our local traffic woes even worse than ever it came as no shock that both of these ladies were at the Führer-rally for Creigh Deeds over at ODU and my raging democrat friend told me that my former teacher not only got to shake hands with BHO, she actually kissed his hand. That's going a little too far, but again, this is how the committed left views BHO, like he's some kind of savior and he's going to save them from whatever they fear the most. A politican can't do all that-never have, never will.

Although I will hand it to my leftie-friends, when I called one of them to help me by picking up 11 cats from the Portsmouth Humane Society on a Friday afternoon becuse I just couldn't get there before they closed, by God she went and did it for me-no questions asked. When they need anything from me, I'm right there for them. Making them crazy by speaking the Republican party line or better yet, preface anything by saying, "You know, I was listening to Rush Limbaugh the other day..." and you can actually watch as their blood pressure increases, a vein pops up from their forehead and their eyes roll over in their heads.

Now THAT'S entertainment!

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Meet the Mouse

Last Friday night as we left the Petsmart at Hilltop, my Copernicus heard a cat meowing across the parking lot. I heard it, too but we had nothing to catch it with. Saturday we returned with a small Have-a-Heart trap I have used to catch a squrill and release it and not needed it since. I had Copernicus set the trap and couldn't figure out why we hadn't caught it-until I learned that Copernicus had not really understood how the trap worked and simply fed the kitten in the trap all week-at least he got use to eating dinner in the cage but this morning, I set the trap and when I arrived around 6pm, we caught him and named him "Mouse". No reason, just "Mouse".

He's a feral, so he will take a while to socialize with people-poor little guy (or girl) is scared to death for good reason-but he's off the street and safe. I don't think it's going to take too long to get him socialized because he's already let us pet him, but we have to be careful because he's awfully dirty and can deliver a pretty nasty bite in spite of his small size.

The process is, get him de-wormed, check and treat him for ear mites, the usual rounds of FVRCP and Distemper shots, fix him (or her) at three to four pounds, get him a rabies vaccination and we're on our way to the pet center to find him a home.

It really is sad when an animal doesn't understand that you're intentions are not to harm it, but to help it-many kittens this small never make it to a year old, they either get smushed by a car, trapped in something and can't get out or, just die from malnutrition. I don't know where he came from because his home was the small thicket between the Petsmart parking lot, the DMV, the paint store and the Greek Church. We saw him last night under a stack of pallets behind the paint store and as my flashlight caught those luminescent eyes looking back at us, I knew it wouldn't be long before we'd have him. He would whine and cry but when you looked his way, he would go quiet and run away when you approached. He is so small, it was funny to watch him run but he always managed to get away-he would hide in the bushes and cry some more-just to taunt you or tell you he wanted something to eat.

But this one is safe and will get everything he needs-including a new home in the near future. We just have some work to do with him.

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Somewhere Around 50

I have lost count-I cannot recall the exact number of animals we have adopted in the past four weeks at the new Pet Center located in the Petsmart store at Hilltop and now at the Petsmart store located at South Plaza Trail and Virginia Beach Boulevard-but it's a bunch, somewhere in the range of 50 animals.

Now, that might not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but for a group of volunteers to accomplish this, it's quite something and let me tell you what else I know I know, results deliver rewards. I like being able to call up the VBAC shelter or the Portsmouth Shelter and get the support I need or get the okay for things I need to buy for the pet centers without any trouble. Of course, there is accountability to be considered here but simply turning in the cash register ticket and having a good reason for needing it eliminates the headaches. In the recent week, I have gone into the South Plaza Trail Petsmart store and all but re-organized the place so it looks like a well-maintained, top-flight organization actually runs it. I would like to find something better for soiled linen, trash and waste water when we dump water bowls-what I am looking for is something that gives a more uniform look than a large hamper and two different-sized trash cans, but I'll keep looking for the right one.

I pulled a small cabinet away from the wall to clean behind it and found enough cat-hair for a whole 'nuther cat! I est Copernicus to work sweeping and he only swept about 6-8 inches under the cages-I pointed out that the floor goes all the way to the back wall and it needed to be swept that far. Kitties go under there from time to time so it was swept, disinfected and mopped. A new cabinet was obtained after the old metal cabinet that was falling apart was sent to the trash. A lot of old junk was thrown out along with all of the cat toys that had been there for God-knows how long. The small cat-tower that was taking up too much valuable space was also trashed the same night. Now I know what you're thinking-that will leave the kitties nothing to play with.

The truth of the matter is, we do not allow "hand-me-down" cat toys-when a cat is adopted, the toys they had either go with them or, go in the trash. New kitty = new toys. The cat tower had carpet on it, so there was no way to sanitize it and prevent illness or disease from being spread, so it had to go, too. We also bought two air-tight storage bins for cat litter and cat food-same size, same brand, very uniform look, we also hung the three clipboards on the wall so they woldn't fall behind the smaller cabinet anymore. The new cabinet once installed was set up with everything you could need right there in easy reach where you can actually see it and a file-holder was hung on the wall where it looks a lot better and doesn't give the pet center a "cluttered" look.

Copernicus was also set to work cleaning the tops of the cages off-I failed to give him proper instruction on exactly how this needed to be accomplished so I found myself doing it again. I hate dust and I hate clutter, so I had the time of my life attacking this project. I have often been accused of serving our country as a member of the armed forces, so I take that as a compliment whenever a project like this one is finished. But you tell me, isn't this what you would expect from those of us who are responsible for providing proper care for the animals in our custody, especially when we ask others to provide proper care for their pets? And tell me, would you want to adopt an animal from a place where it doesn't look and smell clean?

I sure don't and I dare say that no one else does, either.

As some of you might remember, I once applied for the job of Executive Director of the Portsmouth Humane Society and the Board of Directors decided on another direction, but I still wanted to run a shelter of my own. I suppose since I'm the person in charge of this operation for the Portsmouth Humane Society as well as Virginia Beach Animal Control, I guess I do run my own "animal shelter" in one respect and get to make sure that everything is done "dress right, dress." We have only had one minor SNAFU over one animal's medical record not being where it needed to be, so out of all the animals that we have had as our guests, I'll take this as a win.

As an organization, both store managers seem to be very happy with our performance thus far, no real problems or complaints. We have however gotten several kind compliments from these store managers that have been offered towards our methods of operations, so again, as long as we keep doing what we're doing the way we're doing it, hopefully all will be well. I have some of the BEST PEOPLE you could ever ask for helping me, could always use a few more (especially morning cleaners) at both locations so if you live nearby and want to help us out, we'd love to hear from you. The pet center at any store is left up to the volunteers to run as they see fit as long as it meets Petsmart's requirements as well as state law. As I understand the law, we are meeting those requirements and hopefully, we are exceeding them.

So there it is, I now get to run not one, but TWO micro-shelters in my spare time (what little is left) and some deserving kitties are given a great chance of finding the new home they deserve. Folks back at the sheters seem pleased because now they have another option available to them and there are always more cats waiting in line-hopefully we'll get to as many as we can. I also think it pleases them because as long as I'm busy with this, I don't really have time to bother them much.

I'm sure this is what they are the happiest about but as kind enough not to tell me.

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Copernicus Is Here!

After a long journey, Copernicus has arrived and the bus was only four hours late! That's pretty good for a Greyhound. Upon arriving, he was brought to the meeting of the Friends of Virginia Beach Animal Control-nothing like sitting in a meeting of people you don't know talking about things you aren't up to speed on after a long bus ride and then, DINNER! We went to the Virginia Steak House (I love that place!) and we had a chance to chat. Copernicus listened to that which I had to say and said "Yes, sir" a lot, but it will be interesting to see how long this lasts and then, finally, home. We chatted some more when he excused himself to chat with his girlfriend. This annoyed me to no end. You see, I really dislike it when you are trying to have a conversation with someone and they "take a call" or worse, make a call when you are trying to address them-manners will have to be improved.

But you see, Copernicus isn't much different than I was about 25 years ago, young, ignorant of many things and without direction in his life-I did inform him that he was now in "my town" and an e-mail was send to all 725 contacts in my address book, many of whom have e-mail address's that end in .gov with his photograph, informing them that this is a picture of Copernicus and if he is seen anywhere doing anything wrong, I was to be notified at once. What I want to do is save this young man's life because without some kind of intervention, a jail cell of a graveyard is where he is heading-I know this because I was just like him 25 years ago, more like him than he probably will ever know. I can't help but like the boy and even introduced him as "my son" to others without even thinking about it. I explained that I in no way wanted to of felt I was taking his own father's place, but that I was by an accident of marriage placed in the role of "adult" in his life-another adult who was going to care about what becomes of and wants only what is best for him.

I urged Miss Scarlett to never say that "this is Jimmy's house", but instead to say this was "our house" and that Jimmy is the head of it-yes, I am old-fashion and stand at the head of my household but that in no way means that Miss Scarlett is not my equal in any way. Regardless of whatever mistakes he has made, Miss Scarlett is his mother and nothing will foster contempt in a young man faster than not treating his mother with kindness and respect. I realize that I will have to earn his respect in many ways since respect is something that is never given, but on the other hand I informed him that the rules were set, he was to support his child and learn what it was to be a father himself-on these points there was no room for negotiation. I don't want his son to grow up without a father.

Today, Copernicus will have some time to unwind after his trip (he is human after all) and watch a little TV, pull some weeds from the garden, edge a neighbors walkway and scoop all 13 litter boxes in the house. He is then to help his mother with grocery shopping when she comes home. I have other fish to fry.

Copernicus is in a bad place in his life, but despite his mistakes the mistakes he has made are not one's he can't recover from. He just has to want to get his life in order-the problem was that no one wanted to help him because he has made so many, so often. When his own grandmother wouldn't take him in, opting instead to tell him to stay at a homeless shelter, that's when you really have the mark of Cain on you-so this was indeed his last chance. We discussed his joining the military but with not even a G.E.D. and the required college credit hours with no chance of "CLEPing" those hours, I just don't see the military as a viable option at this time-he also has a few more pounds than the military would want, so this really isnt' an option for him.

I mean, how bad is it when your own Grandmother AND the Army doesn't want you?

Miss Scarlett and I have established rules that we feel are fair and these were given to him last night-which he had to run and read to his sweetie-when Miss Scarlett asked what I thought the girlfriend would think I responded with, "she has her own parents, they can raise that one, we'll raise this one". When I informed my "Brea", Jason that I had all but sold Copernicus into the service of the Portsmouth Huamane Society Jason asked, "Well, what did he think about that when you told him, I told Jason "I really didn't ask him what he thought about it" which caused Jason to laugh like a crazy man.

I am however worried about the project of helping Copernicus not for me, but for him. You see, I have and will still make my own mistakes, but those mistakes only hurt me and I'll take my beatings as I go. On the other hand, if I don't do the right thing by Copernicus, those mistakes will not only hurt him but could become his son's problems, too. This is real life we're talking about here and I want to show him by example-I haven't been a great success in my own life, but I haven't done too awfully bad, either. He has got to realize that it isn't going to be easy for either of us and no matter what, family is still family-we have to watch out for each other.

It all starts today...

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My Son? My God!

Yea, you read that right-my son, by marriage anyway.

You see, Miss Scarlett has a 20 year-old son who can't seem to find his way in life, has made some pretty stupid mistakes, has been thrown out into the street by his girlfriends parents while living in Wisconsin and now has nowhere to turn-except to his mother which by default and reasons of proximity will put him in my house.

One would think that if you're going to upset those you live with who have the power to throw you out of their house, you might want to look at a calendar and make the connection between your geographic location and the time of the year. It get's mighty cold in Wisconsin during the fall and winter-why not wait until spring to upset anyone?

I knew this day would come from the moment I met the man-child or who shall be referred to as "Copernicus."

With no High School Diploma, no job prospects and no real job skills of any kind, that certainly doesn't mean he will be bored-I will find him something to do and boy, do I have some projects. I also have friends in the animal welfare community who have use of a strong back, so until he can find gainful employment, I have virtually sold him into slavery to the Portsmouth Humane Society as a volunteer-a paid position might be in the future if he does well enough, but that's a maybe. I inquired with the United States Army about a possible future for Copernicus, but with no High School Diploma, no G.E.D. or college credits, they don't want him.

You see, Copernicus has a girlfriend who recently had his child and she too, has little in the way of job training. Why people like this are making babies they have no hope of supporting is beyond me and yet, a child has arrived, born to parents who are not even close to being responsible adults themselves-so here is yet another child, Scarlett's grandchild, who may one day become a ward of the state.

This to my mind is unacceptable. The good folks of Wisconsin who like those if us in Virginia that work hard every day and pay their taxes didn't ask that this burden be placed upon them simply because two kids decided that they wanted to have a good time and this new child is the result-Copernicus will be required to learn this and appreciate that others are under no obligation to make good his defaults. He is going to support this child.

Accordingly, when Copernicus finds gainful employment he will not be allowed to cash his paycheck, he will sign it over to his mother and we will dispurse 40% to the child's mother to support the baby, 40% to his mother (room and board) and the remaining 20% to Copernicus himself for whatever he wishes to buy. So at a full-time, minimum wage job, Copernicus should be able to send upwards of $300.00 per month to the childs mother to support the baby, that's pretty reasonable I think. Copernicus doesn't have a license, so he will soon be an expert on Hampton Roads Transit and be able to cite from memory local bus schedules-riding the Hampton Roads MAX will be a luxury-something to be looked forward to with great anticipation-Copernicus is as of this writing on a Greyhound bus in Maryland somewhere after traveling since yesterday morning-I could have gotten him a train ticket or a plane ticket for a few dollars more, but I certainly didn't want to get him here any faster nor did I want him to enjoy the trip-I wanted to give him time to think and a chance to review his mistakes with the impending feeling of dread as the bus drew it's way slowley to my beloved Virginia.

In talking to Copernicus, I hear a lot about the mistakes he has made and he prefaces his comments with the words "I want" or "I wanted to...", this will have to change at once. It seems to me that many of his problems start when he get's it in his mind that he wants to do something and pays virtually no attention at all to the results of his actions. I am also a little more than upset over the fact that he is "investing" his money in tatoos, especially when he had a new baby on the way-he attempts to have us believe that a friend of his did all of this complicated artwork for free but hey, I was born at night, it wasn't last night.

So what is coming is the prodigal son returning home and what will follow is the proverbial battle of wills-mine against his. Sure, he might by young and, well, young but I hold the advantage of experience, foresight, tenacity and maturity. What is more, I have been in a place that is not unlike his-young, foolish and entirely enamoured with the idea of self-fulfillment, putting myself above everything and everyone else. Copernicus is going to learn about honor, honesty and serving others.  I feel that I will have to be relentless in keeping after him and I will have to watch him like a hawk. I am personally upset that the mistakes he has made somehow end up into a situation where Miss Scarlett and I have to watch the comfortable and enjoyable life we have started to build together be put aside because this stubborn boy has painted himself into a corner and literally has nowhere else to turn-none of his other family members or so-called friends wanted to take him in at that says a lot to me. I hope for his sake he will be ameniable to what he needs to learn but will also remind him that it get's mighty cold here in Virginia, too. So if you happen to see a Greyhound bus heading east towards Virginia Beach today, please wish Copernicus well and know that the battle of his lifetime is about to begin.

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What happened to the Opinion page?

If you are a pilotonline junkie like me, perhaps you have noticed that the opinion letters that I like to read every day aren't always kept current-I've been looking at the same letters to the editor for days now-

Am I missing something here??

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Now, I can tell you!

For several weeks, I have been teasing about some really big news that I have been keeping a secret because all the details weren't in place yet-now those things are in place and I can tell you what is going on-

The Portsmouth Humane Society will start offering animal licenses-VIRGINIA BEACH animal licenses to be exact! As part of our adoption efforts in Virginia Beach Petsmart stores, we felt that it would be a good thing to also offer animal licenses to the owners of the pets we adopt as well as licenses to those pet owners who might not want to go to the city treasurers office and get one or more to the point, if you don't have time to visit the tax office because you're too busy working. Sure, we make exactly one dollar off of each license, but we thought it would be a great service to offer and something we could do to thank everyone in Virginia Beach who has given us such a warm reception and more importantly, given our adoptable cats a chance at a new home.

So, the next time you're at the petsmart store at Hilltop or, South Plaza Trail and need an animal license for your dog or cat, come see the Portsmouth Humane Society folks and we'll hook you up!

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Just How Far I'm Willing to Go

I promised one of my Humaniac friends I'll vote a straight Democratic ticket this election in exchange for the favor she did for me yesterday-I owe her that much.

You see, we are building on the success we are having at the Hilltop Pet Center and have now taken over the Petsmart pet center at South Plaza trail and Virginia Beach Blvd. and stocked it with cats from the Portsmouth Humane Society-yesterday we were able to take 11 cats out of the Portsmouth Shelter and give them a second chance at a better location to be adopted.

We're trying harder than ever.

My friend Cindy went above and beyond, driving all the way to Portsmouth, picking up the cats and then distributing them to the pet centers, filling our cages and exhausting herself. Of course since she's a Democrat, she was on the phone to me something like 5 times asking what she should do about this or that, but I teased her that "Hey, you need someone to tell you everything, you really are a Democrat, aren't you?" She gave me a wry look and put her fists on her hips, shaking her head. For the first time since I've known her, she was speechless.

But this is how things get done in the animal rescue business-friends use their time and their talent to accomplish a common goal-saving the animals from an uncertain fate and helping them find a new home. We don't get paid for this, the only reward we get is the satisfaction that we made a positive difference and saved an animals life, knowing that there will be another animal coming in to take the place of the one that just left-perhaps more!

Miss Scarlett has said that she knew I was big-into the animal rescue thing, but she never realized how it "consumes" me. I know it has to frustrate her to no end that I'm off and running, doing what I can wherever I can, but she is very patient with it-knowing that at some point, I will have to come home to at least shower, change clothes and sleep-sometimes in that order. I know that there are other things we could be doing, but I rationalize that at least I'm not at a bar, spending money on drink or wasting my time at a strip-club somewhere and the only other women I'm involved with are the ones helping me with the animals or, those who have four paws. So if Miss Scarlett can't get me on the phone, all she has to do is visit her local Petsmart store to pick up some cat food, cat litter and her husband.

Well, it's 06:30, time to start another busy weekend!

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Four Out the Door!

As you may remember, we took in a LOT of foster kittens this summer-at the WORST possible time. Neither Miss Scarlett or I had what could be called steady employment this summer, but we still manager to care for our own gaggle of cats as well as about 13 other animals in need.

Now I do tend to move slowly and with purpose, so even though we can get these guys fixed at 3lbs, we wait until they are 4lbs. We want them all to be highly socialized and friendly not only with other cats, but people as well. So we keep them a little longer than perhaps we should. But the new Petsmart opened up here at Hilltop and I was flat-out of excuses, it was time to start the bureaucratic and emotional task of letting them go.

Peppermint Patty, a marble-tabby went to a new home first, then June who was such a wonderful mother to all her kittens even mothering those who were not hers, then "Fractious" went-he was the first Feral Miss Scarlett and I had ever tamed (completly lost it when I said goodbye to him) and tonight another special one of our guys found a home-Tab left the pet center with a new family.

Beach Animal Control has three staged and ready to go to the pet center, Portsmouth Humane Society has 9 outbound from the shelter tomorrow heading to the pet center. So far, we have adopted out

4 Cats from Portsmouth Humane Society, 14 cats from Virginia Beach Animal Control and three dogs from Virginia Beach Animal Control.

Of the "first wave" of Portsmouth cats, the shelter policy was not to fix the animals until they had been adopted, but they couldn't be placed in the pet center until they had been fixed and vaccinated. So I turned to a good friend of mine to help-his organization paid for the cats in my care to be fixed, we adopted them out and pay him back. That's in the works right now.

Of the Beach Animal Control Cats, VBAC is trying to find the resources to get these animals spayed and neutered so they can come up to the pet center, but that's no easy trick in a budget that never considered the question of spaying or neutering. The Friends of Virgina Beach Animal Control is helping, but the number of cats that need a chance can deplete the resources of any non-profit. City code doesn't allow us to recover the cost of the spay/neuter, so VBAC cats are flying out the door at only $20.00 each for a vaccinated and fixed cat-that's almost unheard of.

I don't know where we're going to find the money for all this spaying and neutering, but as God is my witness I refuse to take part in any adoption program where we're sending unaltered cats into the community only to have thier offspring show up a couple of months later in a cardboard box full of little furballs meowing for attention. I have to think of something to provide more money to get these animals fixed, into the pet center and out the door with new owners.

Anyone got Donald Trumps phone number?

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