Jane-Teacher and Travel Cat Go!

The above picture was drawn by Melissa, one of my students, and I've posted it in honor of the fact that the first part of up next trip has finally come together! In August, Charlie and I will travel to Kiev, Ukraine. I finalized apartment arrangements a few weeks ago, and today I finally got confirmation from the airlines that she is approved to fly with me :-)

(The cat in this absurd animation can be seen here, drawn by Emma, another of my students.)

Lotsa linkage

I have never had an abortion. I have, however, used Planned Parenthood services numerous times over the years, because despite what many people believe, PP is much more than an abortion provider: birth control, cervical exams, STD/HIV testing... At times when I had no job or health insurance, PP was the only place I could go that A) would take a person w/ no insurance and B) was affordable.

The U.S. House of Representatives has just voted to bar Planned Parenthood health centers from all federal funding for birth control, cancer screenings, HIV testing, and other lifesaving care. CLICK HERE to find out more and to learn how you can help.

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Something that everyone should read. Incredibly depressing, yet at the same time, inspirational. And highly informative. The shit that goes on against women in our modern world is just unconscionable. Read and learn, and find out how you can help. (And a big thanks to my Aunt Mary for sending this to me!)

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We've put up a lot of stuff over at Desolation Travel of late. On the blog, Derek wrote about his time in the Crimea, and Joe wrote about the madness of Turkmenbashi. Additionally, we've started uploading some of our own YouTube creations. Enjoy!

Meanwhile, if you're interested in seeing the photos from the Crimea and Turkmenistan, just click on the photographs below :-)

Crimea: Sevastopol, Khersones, Bakhchisaray, and Balaklava, Ukraine


Turkmenistan

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And lastly, here's Charlie, being cute :-)

Charlie: Then and Now

Nowadays, Charlie follows me around the house, purring... and she sleeps curled up next to my knees at night, purring. It's hard to imagine that this was the first glimpse I got of her:

And meanwhile... here she is today:

Charlie: Playful and Fat

[Ignore the weird audio in the background; I was watching CSI Miami.]

More desolation than you can handle!

During the past month, we've been pretty busy over at Desolation Travel.

· We expanded beyond the former Soviet Union just a bit with a post about Detroit and rural Pennsylvania.

· Nicola shared her tale and photographs from a December trip to Kazakhstan, complete with nicotine-craving mafia burglars.

· Ben R provided us with a travel guide to and photographs of the breakaway republic of Transdniester.

· Derek promptly went to Transdniester, and shared his story of bribery and extortion

· And lastly, in a fit of pique over the cancellation of my planned trip to the DMZ this weekend (cancelled, of course, due to the shelling of Yeonpyeong-do), I posted about North Koreans in Russia, and added my story and photographs from my trip to the DMZ in 2004.

If you'd like the direct links to our sites, here you go:

http://www.desolationtravel.com

http://desolationtravel.blogspot.com

And if, for some inexplicable reason, desolation isn't your thing,
check out Charlie being petted and purring!
(The purr becomes audible around the 15-20 second mark.)

Miss Charlie: The cute and snuggly bed cat

Charlie is short for Charlene

Everybody, meet Miss Charlie!

That's right ladies and gentlemen, my kitty is a girl - and you know what that means: yep, I have finally been able to pet her! She has finally decided that - as long as it's the wee hours of the morning and I'm still in bed - she wants nothing more than attention. She wakes me up, purring and kneading, and demanding to be petted. She also has a bit of the Brie in her, but Brie (who lives with my Aunt Mary) taught me well :-) Of course, as soon as I get out of bed Charlie goes back to acting like I'm some kind of scary monster, but still! A purring, snuggly cat is a long way from the terrified little feral I snagged, biting, kicking, and screaming off the street back in September!

Missions Accomplished

My goals and accomplishments for this morning:

1) Get the zipper in my super-awesome green sweater replaced. Koala (my adorable idiot child) ate the zipper before I left the US, but I brought the sweater anyway. Now that it's cooled off, having a sweater that actually zips shut would be rather useful. Luckily the incredibly friendly seamstress (who remembers me from 2006-2007) seems undaunted by the task. And amused by the fact that a puppy ate the zipper. She is probably the only person in my neighborhood who will now associate me with dogs instead of cats!

2) Get roundworm medicine for Charlie. I had actually been pleasantly surprised by the fact that Charlie's poop had always been firm, and (until this last week) worm-free. This week, however, he started passing roundworms in his faeces, and he vomited up a live one as well :-( I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to find a vet willing to give me roundworm meds without actually seeing the cat and doing a fecal exam, but as I still can't catch Charlie, I figured I should give it a try.

I got Gwen to translate "My cat has roundworms; I need roundworm medicine" and "I can't catch my cat because he is feral" - 우리고양이 회충있어요. 회충약이 필요하는데요. 고양이가 좀 야생하는데 못잡아요 - and I set off in search of the new 동물병원 (veterinarian) in my neighborhood. You know the ridiculous new shopping center that was built in Banyawol in my absence? Well, on the fourth floor, there is a vet. Last time I lived in Korea I trekked all the way downtown for a vet... and now there's one a ten minute walk from my house!

The clinic is called Cool Pet (this is actually a chain, with clinics located throughout the country), and the vet in the Cool Pet at Lotte Plaza by Yulha Subway Station is cute, nice, and speaks enough English to clarify things that weren't in my translated note. You know, like how am I planning to give this medicine to my cat if I can't catch it, am I sure that it actually has roundworms, and how much does it weigh? Anyway, he sold me roundworm medicine for $2 - I love how the Korean vet system, like their human healthcare system, is affordable. And, while I didn't get proposed to - which happened in a previous overseas vet visit - it was a pleasant experience... and there were adorable puppies that crawled all over me :-)

I just mixed Charlie's first dose of medicine in with his (or her...) food, which the little fatty promptly wolfed down.

The continuing process of winning over a feral cat

Looking at these pictures, it's almost impossible to believe that this is the same dirty and terrified kitten that I rescued, kicking, screaming, and biting, from the mean streets of Daegu back in early September. For starters, Charlie is getting FAT. He (or she; I still haven't been able to check) eats a lot, and I am perfectly happy to spend my hard earned cash of an endless supply of Whiskas. Unfortunately, after nearly two months, I still can't pet him. He has, however, gotten much braver. No longer does he spend all day hiding out of sight under the bed or inside the couch. Nowadays, he likes to be in the same room with me (even following me to the bathroom), and will sit on the couch (in the above pics) or on my bed... keeping me company from about two feet away. Any attempts to pet him result in him scurrying off. What he loves more than anything is his toy - we go through about one of these a week - which he plays with constantly. I'm definitely hopeful that eventually I will have a snuggly, purring friend, although right now I'm content to have a furry friend staring at me from across the room.

ALSO: Anyone near Seoul interested in adopting a super-cute and super-friendly, super-tiny kitten? If so, check out this blog for more info!!

A *much* better Charlie video!!

The process of winning over a feral kitty

The process of winning over a feral kitty can be a long and rather frustrating one. I would love to have a snuggly, purring kitten cuddling next to me, but for now I must content myself with one who watches me from across the room or from under the couch. I still don't even know if Charlie is a boy or a girl, as I haven't been able to catch him/her to check. Nonetheless, our relationship is definitely improving. S/he no longer immediately runs and hides upon seeing me, and we have even begun playing together. I have a mouse-on-a-string toy which s/he LOVES. If I sit on the bed a wield the toy over the edge, s/he will play for hours. I've yet to trick him/her into chasing the toy onto the bed while I'm sitting there, though! Anyway, below are two recent photos of Charlie, and one video of him/her and the toy. Enjoy!

(Sadly, he only appears twice in this video, but you'll get the idea)

There's a feral kitten on my bed :-)

Now if he would just stay there when I entered the room...

Bwahahahahaha!

Charlie Kitler's new spot is inside my couch. I was worried that s/he would use the interior of my couch as a bathroom, but it comes out not just to eat, but to use the litterbox! Hooray!

Some better Charlie Kitler pics

Charlie Kitler is still scared and in hiding, although I managed to get a couple decent photos of him/her hiding under my bed, Enjoy!

Introducing Charlie Kitler!

I remarked the other day how my repeated attempts to catch stray cats in this country were continually thwarted by their wariness and swiftness... Well, tonight with a little help from a nice fresh can of tuna, I snagged one! This was the one I'd gotten the closest to before, because it seems to be the smallest/hungriest. This time, I hung on for dear life. Even when it buried its teeth into my knuckle. Heh. Anyway, the little scamp is currently hiding behind my fridge. I got this picture of it while it was still hiding behind the couch. Obviously not the best photo, but I'll certainly post a better one when I get the opportunity to take one :-) Also, in case for some reason you don't get the name reference, he (or maybe she) looks like Charlie Chaplin... Or a kitler.

Critter Tales

It has been strange adjusting to life without any pets, considering that when I was in Waycross I had access to roughly 60 animals at all times. While I must admit that I don't miss cleaning litter boxes, I definitely miss coming home to a menagerie of fuzzy companions. After Diana left Korea for the US, taking her two kitties with her, her husband brought me her kitties' litterbox, food and water bowls, and half a container of kitty litter. I now have everything I need... except a cat!

Korea isn't a particularly cat friendly culture, so stray cats tend to be much warier than in the US. As such, even armed with numerous cans of tuna, I have yet to catch a single cat. I've fed a bunch, however. Not far from my house is a bar/restaurant known as the Loss Time Bar / BHC Chicken. The owners put out chicken scraps every day for the stray kitties, so there often several kitties in the vicinity of the bar. The other evening I (accompanied by LTB/BHC's owner and his wife and daughter as well as two drunken Korean men) attempted to lure several kitties to me... without any luck.

Often there are kittens where that copper colored car is.


These are the two I see most often. I took this picture on my way to work one day last week. They were hanging out in the street next to Loss Time.


And since of course I had tuna in my purse, I fed them.
Yes, I realize that is a little insane.


That evening, there were not two but three kittens next to Loss Time!
While I was feeding them - with the help of a bunch of Koreans - an adult tortishell showed up and ate, too. Didn't catch any, although I came close with the black and white and the tabby.

Meanwhile, I am pet-sitting Gwen's yorkie, Songi, which is going a little way to alleviate the loneliness of not having any pets. But surely she'd like a kitten to play with, right?

Low cost spay and neuter comes to Waycross, GA!!

Click here or on the above photo to read the article.

FINALLY!!! Low cost spaying and neutering is coming to Waycross, GA!
The River City Community Animal Hospital will be bringing its mobile vet unit
to Waycross on July 28 & 29, August 5 & 26!
Call 904-733-8123 to make your appointment to have your pets fixed today!!

Brierpatch Cats Adopt-A-Thon!!!

As you may know, Brierpatch Cats is a project run by me (Jane Keeler) and my mom (Sandy Keeler). We take care of all the cats ourselves, and we pay all of the vet and other animal related bills ourselves. We do not receive any outside funding. I have been going back to school since August 2009, and as such have been working ultra-part-time (less than ten hours a week at minimum wage). This means that my mom has been paying all of the vet and other animal related bills. We calculated that in 2009, my mom spent a full THIRD of her salary on our animals. Additionally, since I've been working ultra-part-time since August '09, my mom has spent a good portion of her salary buying me food and paying my bills.

The school year is almost over, and I have decided that what I really need is a job. (I already have my Bachelor's degree, BTW, for those of you who didn't know.) I really hate being 31 years old and relying on my mom for gas money, bills, groceries, etc. This is the first time since 2001 that I haven't been self-sufficient, and it is maddening. Unfortunately, while the economy may be on the rebound in other parts of the country, jobs are few and far between here in Waycross. I've applied for several, been interviewed for one, and been hired for none.

Meanwhile, I've received a really good job offer from the school in Daegu, South Korea (where I taught in 2006-2007)! I've decided to go overseas again to teach English (as I did from 2005-2008). The job in Korea pays enough that I will be able to send home a decent amount to help my mom cover veterinary and other animal related expenses. (I've also applied for a teaching position in Kazakhstan, although I've yet to hear back from them.) Additionally, I'm planning to put my house up for sale. (Of course, given the housing market in Waycross, I'm not sure what kind of luck I'll have!)

While having an additional source of income will help a LOT with the expenses of caring for so many animals, AND we'll be able to put money towards fixing the flooded part of the road to the land and improving our facility out there… having me out of the country will make things rather more difficult for my mom, considering how many critters we have at this time. As such, we need to downsize.

See, my mom works full time AND she will be turning 66 in August 2010… Caring for fifty cats, eleven dogs, and two horses is a lot of work. A friend of mine who lives here in Waycross has volunteered to help my mom out with the animals when he can (thanks, Mark!!), although the biggest thing that would be of help to us would be if we could lower the number of animals for which we care at this point in time.

Whether I move to Korea or Kazakhstan, I will be leaving at the beginning of August 2010. As such, we are starting a big push to adopt out as many cats and dogs as possible during the next three months. (Obviously, our permanent residents, feral cats, and horses are not up for adoption and are not included in this.)

Click here to see our adoptable cats
Click here to see our adoptable dogs

We DO NOT charge an adoption fee; however, we DO interview (either via phone or email) all potential adopters to ensure that our animals go to the best of homes. If you live within reasonable driving distance, we will drive the cat or dog to you. If you wish to have an animal shipped to you, we will cover all the local expenses (traveling crate, veterinary health certificate, transfer to airport), but you will be responsible for flight costs.

Please consider adopting one of our cats or dogs today! And spread the word to everyone you know! Thank you so much for your help!!

I can just watch this over and over....

Spring Break is not what it used to be!

My Spring Break officially started today at 10:30am. No, I'm not heading off to Florida, and sadly I'm not heading off to Nicaragua with my good friend Linda... No, instead I'm pulling the carpet out of my bedroom and laying down tile. Let's just say that with dogs at various stages of house-broken-ness and a cat who poops in the box but prefers to pee in the corner, that carpet had to go. Needless to say, I did not take any "before" pictures. Too embarrassing. I am currently about 1/3 of the way done, which I think is pretty impressive, considering I only just started. Forgive the quality of the pictures below; they were taken with my cell phone.

There's a rather interesting space between the baseboards and the floor, which I hadn't known existed until I pulled up the carpet. Should be able to hide that with quarter rounds once the floor tile is down. I had to go buy a crowbar (prybar?) to get that strip-o-nails out of there.


Unlike my spare bedroom, which had a nice solid wood floor hiding under its hideous carpet, the floor in my bedroom has been patched with plywood. Unfortunately, the plywood and the wood floor are not level, so I'm going to have to cover that seam with something to keep from constantly stubbing my toes!


Also, in one corner of the room, it seems that the wood floor was cut, then glued back together. I have no clue.

Sava checks out the newly tiled corner.

I thought about leaving it like this, but there's just too much unsightliness to the wood in this room. And having a half-tiled room would be rather odd.

Meanwhile, while I'm working on the floor, Tommy Rot is sacked out on *my* side of the bed, with his head on *my* pillow. And to think... his weak bladder is one of the main reasons for this floor-covering overhaul!