In town overnight...

Hi there! Came into town to do a million things and to teach lessons tomorrow. Then I go to Canada to record for two days, and back to Buffalo for the closing weekend of A Chorus Line which is going well for the cast, and sucky for the orchestra. What can ya do? Aside from me, the percussionist, and a couple of horn players, he got hacks to play for free. Ya get whatcha pay fer.

So Maria was in town on Wednesday, but we went so late with dress rehearsal that I didn't get to Roxy's until almost midnight, and she and her buddies already left. So I just headed home, but realized that I didn't remember what I did with my score! It wasn't in my car and I truly couldn't remember, and had the feeling that I'd put it on the roof of my car to unlock the door, and drove off leaving it there. I didn't know! So I drove AAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL the way back to the theater to see if they were open still, and they weren't. I looked all over the parking lot and retraced my route home, but didn't find it. So I headed back home praying to the goodlordjesus.

At 2:00 a.m. on the way home I was just about to turn onto my street when I saw this thing in the road. It was dark and it looked like roadkill, so I avoided it, but as I passed it, it moved! Flapping a wing up at me saying "Leah! You'll take pity on me! You're famous for all your animal rescues! Here I am!" It was a pigeon, all discombobulated because he couldn't fly. He'd just flap a wing and fall backwards and twirl in a circle. Poor thing. So I got out of my car and put him on the floor and drove around the corner home. I took him in the basement and set him up in a box with a rag on the bottom and gave him water and bread. Maria called while I was doing this to say "YO, sorry we had to leave early". So poor scared birdie finally calmed down a little and I gave him a little blessing that basically said "I hope you live through the night". I didn't know if he had internal injuries, but what could I do at that point? Leave it up to god and nature, that's what. I turned off the light and went to bed.

The next morning I went down to check on him and he was sleeping. I didn't know that pigeons sleep standing up, and they curl their head down. So he woke up and got all scared again, and I took him to the SPCA wildlife rehab center. They said it was a good sign that he lived through the night, and that his injuries were probably not internal.

While I was there, there were three people surrendering cats. One found a cat left on his porch in a crate that morning. The other was this young dude surrendering...oh hell, why don't I use the proper word? ...abandoning his two adult cats, a male and female. The female was beyond pissed. She was growling and hissing and spitting. He told the SPCA clerk that she's kind of always like that, not too friendly. And he says to the cat "Yeah I know I did this to you", and I wanted to throttle this idiot! It took all my strength not to say to him "You do realize that they are going to kill this cat, as she is unadoptable with this attitude? Do you REALIZE THAT? And why are you dumping them? Your girlfriend doesn't like them? You're moving to a place that doesn't take animals? Will YOU DO THIS TO YOUR CHILDREN SOMEDAY???"

And then some old man was dumping his beautiful tortoise-shell kitten, about 7 months old. The kitty had a collar and name tag on her, and definitely belonged to the old man. I don't get it. I just don't get how people can take responsibility for a life and then just dump that responsibility when it becomes difficult for whatever reason.

So I left there all happy and sad at the same time. Happy that I save a smelly, common, overpopulated bird, and sad that these kitties were getting their hearts broken. The tortoise-shell kitty stands a chance of adoption, since she's still little and very sweet. But I don't know about the other three. I know I'll be a cat lady someday, a house with 137 abandoned cats, and it'll be my life mission to get them over their abandonment issues.

Well, I left the SPCA and headed to the theater since I was nearby. And sure enough, I'd left my music on my chair. WHEW! It was opening night that evening, and if I lost that music I was fucked. It's not the kind of score you memorize very easily. It's one of the trickier shows I've done.

So that's my story. Maybe I'll get a chance to write another one next week, before I go for good. Oh, and that day, I found a feather in my car, left behind as a thank you from the pigeon. Pray for the birdy and the kitties.