Living with Hope

 It is a glorious time of year here at Lake Chapala, Mexico. The sky is clear blue; the lake is full of water for the next year; birds are singing, and wind chimes tinkle. Along the lake's edges are masses of yellow flowers and some white; even though they are weeds, they are beautiful. It is peaceful here, unlike my friends in Florida, huddling in closets as hurricane Ian batters them.

It has been a week of excellent and annoying events. My friend, Lissa, helped me catch my cat, who refused to get into the carrier and come to our new rental. That was so good. BooBoo kitty and both dogs welcomed Bobcat home, and soon he found his favorite chair, curling up for a long nap.

But in our little slice of paradise, too many people take in a stray, only to leave it in a box or locked in an empty rental. In the last few weeks, more than one person dumped three cats at the Lake Chapala Society, no doubt because it is well known that feral cats are fed there. But it isn't a refuge, and they are allowed to stay there despite a vocal group who wants them gone. Today Lissa and I trapped a Siamese mix kitten who had been dumped there a few weeks ago. Fortunately, someone was willing to take her if we could trap her. Mission accomplished, and soon, she was enjoying her new human's lap, despite the brief trauma of the capture.

Mexico is no different than any other country when it comes to the callous cruelty to animals. We have dog and cat rescue groups and individuals who work tirelessly to save these helpless creatures.

I volunteer in dog recovery for one such group, Tails of Mexico, which runs free sterilization clinics throughout the year. This group has been operating for just over four years and has sterilized and vaccinated over 4,000 dogs and cats from this area. And other groups are performing life-saving and changing services.

The sad-looking German Shepherd mix, pictured below,  was left in a rental, alone, with food and water when the so-called "owners" suddenly moved back to the US. So the dog ended up with my Mexican neighbors, and we are trying to find a forever home for him. We will make it happen.

So today, I will try and forget about the airline reservation I screwed up, the Trivia game I forgot about, and the endless battle to get the correct paperwork for my insurance. I will focus on the boundless giving of this community to animals, the singing of wind chimes, and the colorful weeds surrounding the lake.

San Antonio Tlayacapan, MX

Sept. 28, 2010

Inspired by https://www.garrisonkeillor.com/suddenly-its-clear-why-i-wanted-to-be-old/