summer yesterday..winter today

it got to 80 degrees yesterday..which was a major record breaker for temps in Utah, in March. Today..windy, rainy,snowing in mountains, cold....
The wind is literally blowing the blossoms off my apricot tree.
Spent most of last week trapping cats.

I got vouchers to get the ferals on my property spayed and neutered for next to nothing. I am donating $5.00 each. I managed to catch 4 the first day. This involved driving 20 miles to pick up 5 traps (humane ones) from the clinic, setting them that night with goodies, I then moved the captured cats to the tack shed and loaded them up the next morning early for their trip to the clinic. There they were spayed, one neuter and their one ear clipped,so no one will catch them up again for another trip!
I hated taking in the females as they were very pregnant..but I did. Had to go back before 3 in the afternoon to pick them up. I brought them home and rather than keep them caged for another 24 hours as suggested..I let them out as soon as they were not wobbly. Then I reset the traps and caught one pregnant kitty. I took her the next morning..same thing as before. Then the gal at the desk said "go home and try to trap the others because we are open on Saturday." I told her that at least 2 had had their babies in the shed.
She then said,"You can catch them up too and we will do the procedure."
I said,"really, I didn't think they could nurse their babies after the surgery."
She gave me a look and said,"They can't"
It took me a minute..but then I knew.."Oh, we let the kittens die,then!?!"
"It has been done before" she quips.

Right then and there I decided that the kittens who survive will live here too and get spayed and neutered earlier. It was hard enough to get pregnant cats spayed..but to let kittens die who are already here..well I simply can't do it.
Yes..we just contributed to the population, but it is the colony on my property and I guess I will just deal. The kittens can be tamed hopefully and find new homes..but what ever happens, they will be fed here.
This is why I will probably wear the badge of cat hoarder old woman proudly..sigh.

In the meantime my knee has gone bad in a hurry. I will go back to the Dr. on Thursday and hopefully set the time for surgery..hoping a new knee will end the pain I have tolerated for far too long. I never think about it much but the other day I was in so much pain that i was in tears and that is so not like me that I knew I had to do something.

I have dilemmas with the cost and the timing. I so wanted to go to see my Mom in Ohio but my job starts in mid May and I am hoping I can get this done and go to work with little hassle. I really don't want to miss out on my season at the cave.

The reason I have waited is because I have to pay 20% after the $4000.00 deductible and that is a lot!!!

Our flex-spend (cafeteria plan) will go into effect on May 1st..and this is the last time we can put up to $6000.00 in the plan. The max will be $2500.00 next year. So in doing the math..it is scary even if we choose to put $6000.00 in the plan. It is pre-tax, and will get lost if not used in the year. But the Feds haven't decided for UTA (Hubby's workplace) if the $6000.00 max will end for us on Jan. 1st,2013 or let us have it until April 2013. UTA's fiscal year now goes from May to May. Anyway I look at it..surgery will have to be done before Jan. and I cannot see me trying to stand at work with this knee as it is for a whole summer. So I will hope to get the surgery done in the first week of May and hope I can be cleared to work soon after!
Now that I have bored you with those details..here are pics of my new chicks!!!!
I got araucanas (they are the ones that lay colored eggs), barred rocks,rhode island reds,buff orpingtons,blue laced red wyandots. Cute!!!

there you have it..a mundane week ending with cute baby chicks