Rain, Rain, Went Away

First week off of classes, but still plenty to do. Bubbles went out to her new home on Monday. She went to a good home in Kobe and can be seen here, immediately bonding with her new mom! The rest of the kitties have been dealing with the warming temperatures. I went out and picked some tall stalks of grass for them to play with, and also thought up a new game. I turned a garden tray over and put some snacks in the slots for the kitties to get out. I used small slices of a kind of fish sausage, called chikuwa, that is popular in food for humans here. The cats love this rare treat, and were really excited to hunt for the little hidden pieces. See pictures of their playtime…

On Saturday, I went out to ARK to spend the evening with Liz and Susan Mercer, before Sunday’s Barbecue on ARK’S new Sasayama site. We had a nice dinner, and caught up on all of each other’s news. The barbecue on Sunday was great fun, and worries about the rain turned out to be unnecessary. It did pour when we arrived to set up, but slowed and then stopped altogether by the time most guests arrived. The new site is in such a beautiful location, with the river, mountains, and clean fresh air. I think everyone who came out, found themselves dreaming at one point or another of the amazing new facility that will be there in the future. Watching the dogs run around the fenced in area, with their adoptive families obviously happy to be there too, was very encouraging, and a happy sight for those of us in animal welfare. I stayed out at ARK through Monday, which gave me a chance to see their new cat house. Built and designed by Okuda san, it looks lovely, comfortable, and well thought-out. See pictures from the barbecue, as well as the new cat house here.