Mi Casa Es Su Casa

The magnet on the fridge says, "Su Casa Es Mi Casa." In 1991 Cowboy brought that magnet home from his visit to his sister's in Santa Fe. You may not know, but cats are multi-lingual. I know that magnet is not correct. It's another sad attempt on his part at humor.

Cowboy's upset over the looting in the hurricane-stricken areas, especially New Orleans. He says the city is being evacuated, but there's still people there running around stealing. I'm generally the conservative cat between us, but I had to remind his liberal tail that even Jean Valjean stole bread to feed Cosette. "Fine, but grabbing guns from Wal-Mart and making sure you get your shoe size? It's not like they have electricity to power those new CD players," he says. I replied, "You try being uprooted and stay calm through it all." When in a panic there's bound to be some hysteria. I let him win the debate, though.

Cowboy plans to give to the relief effort. He also believes giving to his United Way and including a little extra during a crisis are important. He tells me his past donations helped train volunteers so that they are ready to roll up their sleeves when a disaster hits. His giving has aided agencies to be prepared. They are skilled to combine efforts, to identify issues, and to take care of needs when there's a catastrophe - and even when there's not. He says his continued donations will ensure that future needs are met.

Hoping for breaking news that things are getting better. The integrity, compassion and true colors of many are being defined.