Being Thankful

It’s Thanksgiving Day this weekend and, though we should be thankful all the time for what we have, it’s on this holiday that we pay closer attention to what we have.

This will be my first Thanksgiving in eight years without Tungsten. I wish she were with me still, but I am grateful for the time I had with her, for the affection and joy she gave me. Not everyone has the experience of such a friend, and I was lucky.

Tucker was diagnosed with diabetes very recently. On the other hand, we are battling its effects and will manage it soon; there is a chance of eliminating it all together. In the meantime, except for some discomfort from needles, he is living a decent life and continues to purr, so we are fortunate in this respect.

And but for the odd hairball, upset stomach and cold, the other beasts have fared well over the past year. Noah’s presence is a bit disruptive, but he is a good boy and I think he may even appreciate the food, attention and security that he has in foster-care. Deep down, he appreciates it. I’m sure.

The biggest challenge (i.e. problem) facing us now is that we will probably be moving. Economic conditions here in Alberta have worsened considerably over the past couple of years. The province’s dependence on oil revenues means that when oil prices drop, which they have, so does prosperity. The recently ousted government neglected all other forms of revenue for forty years, and we are now paying the price. I still have a job, but my hours may not be as plentiful as previous.

As well, my wage never kept pace with the cost of living; on a graph, the latter would resemble an eager mountaineer, while my wage would be the contented wanderer ambling almost imperceptibly up foothills. And where that happy rambler is leading me is back to renting an apartment.

I have noticed for the first time how unwelcome pets are in rental properties. Very few apartments are willing to take in a tenant with pets, and most that declare themselves to be ‘pet-friendly’ charge a ‘pet-fee’, $250 to $350 per pet. This is not refundable, and so is not in the way of an extra damage deposit, but rather merely a means of a landlord claiming that he welcomes pets when in fact he is ensuring that he won’t get any. And, if he does, he pockets hundreds of dollars at no bother to himself.

Things will be cramped in an apartment with five cats, even an apartment with two bedrooms, but the beasts and I will have to adjust. Noah will be a bit of a problem, as he is sequestered at night to keep him and Cammie, and the others, from disturbing each other all night. This may not be possible in an apartment. We will see what the next few weeks will bring.

I am grateful as well for the people I know and have met. They have brightened and enriched my life. I sometimes forget how a small kindness can help as much as a big one.

I hope everyone’s weekend goes well, and that everyone has much about which to be thankful.