Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Only four days into NaBloPoMo and I’m scrambling to get a post up in the next 51 minutes.

Democrats won every single election. I’m sure the analysis will feed news stories for days to come. While it is much needed good news, it still is like the bare minimum to navigate the terror in the White House. And his minions.

I’ve been focused on sourcing winter shelters for our pet food pantry caretakers. I got six that are being distributed. I’m hoping to get six to eight additional kits plus straw from Animal Friends on Thursday. One of our caretakers assembles them. Today, Marie and I went to find more duct tape for the assembler. A neighbor, Lauren, is doing a lot of the hauling back and forth.

Our approach this year is to source these vital resources from other groups who assemble and make them available for a donation. That’s a win/win. Only possible because of your donations.

For my own colony, I have three heated airline crates (for XL dogs) covered with blankets and heated by an electric bed. I have two old dog igloos stuffed with straw, one inside the gate at the far end of the years and one in the parking pad for critters who don’t feel safe getting close to the colony residents. And I have two traditional shelters in case the heated ones don’t work for some reason.

At Fort Faulsey, Pretty Girl still lives in her dilapidated human house. But she’s spending time near the old wooden cat shelters so we brought up a sturdy plastic shelter stuffed with straw, added her familiar straw and put it between the dilapidated so her territory isn’t totally changed. We have three traditional shelters that serve as both a windbreak to protect the feeding stations and again shelter for passers by. Finally, we have a very large two story shelter someone donated several years ago. It is on the far side of the garage again to give privacy if desired.

We’d like to get enough shelters to give them out to other caretakers in our neighborhood.

If you need a winter shelter, please reach out. I can’t make any promises, but we’ll sure try.

When you donate to our project, you are definitely helping the cats, dogs, and other critters. But it is critical that you remember you are helping the humans, your neighbors, who have taken on this important role. It is a service to your neighborhood. Knowing you support them is encouraging them to continue on even when times are tough.

Believe me, it is so hard to walk away from a colony when the snow is swirling and the wind is howling. Even leaving a decent meal and a warm place to sleep feels so inadequate. I return to my home and immediately notice the difference – our cats scrap with each other, some are unsocial, others jumpy. But they are warm, fed, have clean water, toys, comfy furniture and beds, and full run of the house. Comparing their lives to the outside kitties lives feels cruel. But it is a good reminder.

I also see the analogy to my situation. Right now, I have a warm room, comfy bed, amenities, my cats. I am safe and secure even if the living situation is less than ideal. But the truth is, I have nowhere to go – no program, no safety net, no family. If the courts don’t see fit to rule in favor of domestic partner assets, I do not know what I will do.

Yes, someone will probably put out a shelter for me. But that’s not a home. And it isn’t their responsibility to do so. I had several talks recently with friends about this very issue – assuring them that I do not expect to be rescued, I expect to be treated fairly by the system. It is untrue that there is some guesthouse or cottage waiting in the wings like a prop from a Hallmark movie.

So I’ll stay focused on helping my neighbors and their cats and dogs. The rest will sort itself out.

Just be mindful – the next time you think a negative thought about a homeless person, that could be me. I am not an outlier.

It could happen to me. And maybe to you.