Yes, dads and moms have long said to their children, “Good things come to those who wait.”
Before winter, neighbors made short work of weeds and grass in my yard. Like everyone else lately, inflation, the high cost of utilities, rents, and groceries have forced many to take on second and third jobs to pay the rising costs of living. So, I knew neighbors just didn’t have time to help me this spring. So, I was waiting.
Sadly, I am no longer able to do these kinds of yard work.
I feed feral community cats in my back yard. I’m known as a community cat caretaker for Cats Alive, a cat rescue non-profit (catsaliveslv.wordpress.com). Right now, I am at my last scoops of cat food for the 8 to 20 Trapped- Neutered-spayed-release (TNR) cats that live and eat in my yard. I copied a blurb from the front page of the May 17, Valley Courier and posted it to three community groups on Facebook. This small volunteer organization still needs money for cat food and medical care. I know there are many community caretakers looking for food deliveries from the small rescue, Cats Alive. Please donate as soon as you can; no amount is too little, and it saves so many lives.
Speaking of my back yard, recent rains came down. Obviously, the grass and weeds then sprouted to better than three feet. About that time Katie and Mike from Christian Community Services Project (betheservant.org) followed up on an application for help that I had submitted. They thought they could help because some volunteers from a church near Bailey, Colorado, were arriving eager to help many who applied.
And that’s just what they did. The CCSP volunteers (Angela Cockran, Macie Absolom, Irelynn Alcoser, Madison Hyzer, Liberty Godwin, Abby Speelman, Claire Cochran, and Katie Bowlin) included two moms. All mowed, weed-eated, gathered last year's dried leaves, and left-behinds from feeding feral felines including a well-used wooden box that had shredded even as it stayed put. One Bailey youngster fixed the off kilter bricked bottom step of my small deck created by volunteers from CCSP three years ago, too.
On Thursday afternoon after my run to the vet office with my dog Schroeder, I parked my car in its regular place.
First, I spotted a bag of dirt emptied with only a small dustpan worth of dirt left on the concrete walkway. Then as I looked up at the door, my forever-and-day empty terra cotta pot was filled with the most beautiful perennials. As I got to the door, Angel appeared from the corner of the house. She let me know she filled my big ranch bucket in the backyard with more perennials. (I’m sorry in my excitement at so many blessings, I cannot remember the names of the plants.) With the hollyhocks that bloom in July and August, my yard will remind me of the love and generosity that came when I waited for all the good things. Angela and her crew are such angels and such a big help to me, they reminded me that love finds ways to cherish and help others. What a blessing of good things to wait for!
Nelda Curtiss is a retired college educator and long-time local columnist. Reach her at columnsbynellie.com or email her at columnsbynellie@gmail.com.
