May! Joyous, beauteous May! The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and ALL of my pupils are most anxious to forsake their classrooms and schoolwork. They have another 7 weeks until their summer vacation starts, but May is peppered with holidays, starting with the very first day. No one works on May 1st, and all of the stores, schools, restaurants, etc. are closed. At the animal shelter, where I volunteer, this is a mite problematic, since the animals within need to be cared for everyday. This is also why volunteers are needed on Sundays. I was one of several who agreed to work Wednesday morning. Arriving at 8:00, I showed two new volunteers around, and then the three of us swept the rooms, changed the litter boxes, and refreshed the water and food bowls in record time, giving us a moment to sneak into the private room and greet the kittens.
WE HAVE KITTENS!
One mama cat with four tiny babies, who are so young that their eyes are still closed. She hates it when people come into their room, and hisses at the intruders. I suppose it is good for the kittens that she has strong mother-defensive instincts. We also have a kindle of kittens who are older, a few months, at least. They are bright, playful little creatures, and everyone wants to take them home.
Ahem. May 1st, animal shelter. Right! I worked at the shelter for 3 hours, and then returned home, did important but inane tasks, and then returned to the shelter for the Maifest. I don’t know what you picture, when you think of a “Maifest”, but I was imagining a folksy celebration, lots of flowers, singing and dancing, particularly around a tall wooden pole with ribbons. Perhaps that happened elsewhere in Germany, but it did not here. Actually, the spring festival Mackenzie, Kayla and I saw in Krakow, Poland, 5 1/2 weeks ago, more closely resembled the festivities I had imagined. Here, at the Tierschutzbund, people came to look at the cats, browse the secondhand store, and eat! A grill was set up, outside, and inside the building, Annika and I stood behind tables laden with coffee and various sweets, which we bestowed upon out guests for a mere 50 Euro cents per piece. None of it was vegan, which was fine by me, because the vegan/vegetarian group had a table outside, and I spent some time hanging out with them. Lovely people, yummy food! As Annika and left, 3 hours later, a band had started to play. Everyone was well-fed, enjoying the weather and the music, and in good spirits. It was a lovely way to spend my holiday.
