Feline refugee

Last week, we had an interesting day at work. We were just hanging out, doing our jobs like good employees, and watching the weather go completely nuts.

In just a matter of moments, a clear sky became a foreboding dark grey-blue and the wind began to howl. The back door of the office began opening and shutting from the wind's force, making the office alarm system ding continuously. We locked ourselves in and waited to see what would happen. It's the kind of sky you see before a major storm, something we haven't been strangers to this summer.

Suddenly, my co-worker exclaimed. "Hey, there's a kitten outside our door!" I looked out the front window, and sure enough, a tiny feline was perched on the steel railing, terrified and crying her head off. Co-worker picked her up and brought her in.

She was a bit freaked out at first.

She was so bony that it was obvious she hadn't eaten in a long time. And so lonely that her fear was quickly replaced with affection. After much fur-shedding, she settled into my co-worker's arms and began purring and bonking his chin with her head.

For my quirky co-workers, it didn't take long for the surprise of a cat in the office to wear off:

Co-worker: Hey - we should put her in a box and put some cardboard wings on it and fly her around the office! My cat always really liked that!

Savia: We could name her Amelia, after Amelia Earhart.

Co-worker: We could name her Amelia Hairhart!

And, so, she received a fitting moniker. After all, she could have easily been blown away by those gale winds, had she not found her way into our office.

I texted my contact at the animal rescue organization that I volunteer with, and she told me to take Amelia to the vet to see if she was old enough to be spayed. After learning that, yes, she was old enough (which shocked me, because she was so small that I would have pegged her for four months old), we booked her spay and I took her home to stay at my place for the weekend.

Amelia Hairhart chills in my bathroom sink. What's up with cats in sinks anyway?

She had to stay in the bathroom, because she had ear mites and I didn't want her to give my cats anything. She didn't mind, distracted by the canned cat food and attention. It breaks my heart to think of her roaming the streets, starving for food and love. I don't understand how people can be so cruel.

I spent as much time as I could cuddling her over the four days she lived with me. It was hard not to fall in love. Amelia is one of the sweetest, most affectionate, darling cats I've ever met.

Notice I said "cat" there instead of kitten? Well, when I picked her up from her spay, they told me that she was actually a year old, and had likely already had a litter of kittens. I was shocked again. I had accepted that she was likely six months old, but a year? And she kittens already? Wow.

I then took her to her new foster home with an awesome foster mom who had taken care of two of my previous rescued kittens. Amelia cased out the joint, then promptly curled up on the couch and fell asleep. I knew she would do well there, but I still couldn't leave her. It took me two hours before I could tear myself away from petting her soft fur.

The next morning, I messaged her new foster mom to find out how Amelia's first night went. I told her that I already missed the kitty so much.

The foster mom emailed me back with an update and this picture:

I have to admit, this picture made me laugh and also cry a little.

Lucky Amelia. I hope she finds an awesome forever home soon.

Sauced salsa

A friend of mine was hungry after the Folk Festival, so we went to Denny's, one of the few places still serving food at that hour. I was just looking for a snack, so I ordered a small nacho plate.

Denny's version of nachos is...interesting. The small is very small, and covered in some kind of cream sauce, with only a few shreds of unmelted cheddar cheese and a couple of cubes of tomatoes and onions on the chips, and that was it.

And you had to order salsa separately.

When I dipped the cream-covered tortilla chip into the salsa and took a bite, something wasn't right. The salsa tasted like it had beer in it. It had a bit of a kick and seemed like it might be carbonated. I wondered if Denny's was trying to compete with one of those upscale trendy restaurants that puts beer into everything. I decided I must be imagining things.

I tried another bite and then ditched the salsa. It scared me a bit.

A little later, my friend dipped one of his fries into the salsa. "That's really strange," he said. He tried it again. "It's not good, but I want to keep eating it just because it's so weird. You have to try this again."

I did. It still tasted like beer to me. Then, I looked closely at the bowl of salsa. It was moving!

"Is it..bubbling?" I asked. here were a few bubbles on the surface, and then a few more. My friend poked at the salsa with his fork, and the whole bowl started fizzing.

"Oh, my God - it's fermenting!" I exclaimed.

Yup, the salsa was converting itself into booze.

I wondered what a drink of that might be like - a carbonated Caesar or Bloody Mary with extra chunks? (I just Googled "fermented salsa" and found out that it's something people make, but I'm pretty sure Denny's version was unintentional.)

Long story short, I wouldn't recommend the nachos at Denny's...unless you're underage and can't get someone to pull alcohol for you.