Kathy's Journey, vol 2

[ChrissyRyan]

Cool!

[KathyLauren]

We have recently increased our family by one: we now have four cats.  The three existing members were all feral cats. 

We adopted Liesl when she was just a few months old.  She is 19 years old now, and is finally getting used to us.  I can pick her up now to give her her medicine.

We have had Clifford and Winkle for four years now.  We adopted them from a feral colony that was scheduled for forced depopulation (you don't want to know).  A couple of rescue groups trapped all the kitties and we adopted two of them.  They are the sweetest bonded pair.

The latest is Dibley.  He was a stray, and, according to neighbours, was been on his own for two years at least.  He was hanging around our house when we moved here last year, so we started feeding him.  He got sufficiently used to us that we were eventually able to push him into a crate.  A local rescue group helped us with logistics and a vet discount, and he was neutered last week.  He has now recovered from his surgery, and is quickly fitting onto our household.

Here he is chillaxing with the other two boys in the catio.  L-R: Winkle, Clifford, Dibley.

[Northern Star Girl]

@KathyLauren
Dear Kathy:
A heartwarming posting regarding your new nicely built "catio" ....
.... and your adopted cats look so very comfortable and safe in there.
Lots of room for them to raise havoc.

I love the names....  Liesl, Winkle, Clifford, Dibley
I am certain that there is a story behind how you named them.

Thank you for sharing and posting.
HUGS, Danielle

[KathyLauren]

I love the names....  Liesl, Winkle, Clifford, Dibley
I am certain that there is a story behind how you named them.

Less than you might think.  My wife keep a list of potential cat names.  She has done for years, and most of the cat names in her past come from the list.  I don't think Liesl's name had a history - just a name that she liked.  Winkle is so-named because he only has one eye.  When he was trapped, he had a badly infected eye that had to be removed.  It doesn't seem to slow him down much.  Clifford got his name because he looked and behaved like an accountant.  Dibley has had several names: the neighbours up the road called him George.  We called him Larry.  Then Eddie.  Finally, my wife decided that he was Dibley, another name from the list.

[D'Amalie]

Kathy, we continue to follow your tales.  Thank you for sharing trials, tribulations and successes.

Not to steal any of your thunder, yet I too am a cat person!  My kids said I needed a kitty intervention with the last rescue.  How can one not love moggies?

[KathyLauren]

This week, I finally got a decent picture from my observatory, with nothing breaking or getting messed up.  Well, except for clouds, but that is par for the course.  So, here is this year's picture of Sh2-101, the Tulip Nebula.



In other news, our town's Pride march was held yesterday.  It was the second-annual, last year's event being a hastily-organized counter demonstration opposing an anti-trans protest.  The success of 300 exuberant, colourful queer people demonstrating in the rain across the road from five grumpy-looking humbugs last year made for a successful event this year.

Several hundred people gathered for a rally in the park (speeches were informative, but too long), followed by a five-block march through downtown streets to the town hall, where vendors of Pride merchandise were set up.  There were a few spectators along the way, although it was a march, not a parade.  All of them were smiling and waving.  There were no signs of hostility at all.

My wife and I marched along with two trans friends of ours.  One of them is a major in the RCAF.  She is non-binary (leaning towards trans-feminine) and has official permission to wear either male or female uniform as she chooses.  She is the coordinator for diversity at her base, so being trans in uniform in public is her actual job!  She was there in uniform, of course.

This is me at the vendor area:

[KathyLauren]

Scrolling back in this thread, I see several references to a sense of impending doom.  Well, after Nov 5th, that sense has only increased.  The new administration in the US has made it clear that their highest priority is the eradication of trans people.

What happens in a foreign country should, by rights, have no bearing on other countries.  But, as the saying goes, Canada is a mouse sleeping with an elephant.  When the elephant rolls over, we have to pay attention.  The Conservative Party, currently in second place in our parliament, is paying a great deal of attention to what happens down there.  Since they have no original policies, they are copying Republican policies.

Since there is not a heck of a lot we can do about it except to vote against the bastards at every opportunity, it is time to plan for escape routes.  Hopefully they never have to be used, but it would be stupid to have no plans.

I downloaded an application for a Canadian passport this afternoon and spent some "light reading" time studying the application requirements.  Then, since escape routes need backups, I reviewed the application requirements for an Irish passport.  I applied for one a couple of years ago, but it was turned down because of some (unspecified) deficiency in my paperwork.  But I know I qualify, so I'll try again.

In lighter news, our feline family has grown by two (up to six, now).  The newcomers are not ours: we are fostering them for a local rescue group.  They are siblings, a boy and a girl, about 4 or 5 months old.  They were found in a barn, with no mother.  The rescue group took them in, had them spayed and neutered, and planned to release them into a feral colony.  But they showed promise as pets, so we are fostering them to help socialize them for living with humans.  No pics yet, as we don't want to scare them with a flash.  Their names are Anna and Ray.  They are grey tabby, and cute as the dickens.

[ChrissyRyan]

Kathy,

Happy Thanksgiving to you Kathy!  Although you may not celebrate this holiday where you live, do have a nice day! 

Chrissy

[KathyLauren]

Kathy,

Happy Thanksgiving to you Kathy!  Although you may not celebrate this holiday where you live, do have a nice day! 

Chrissy

Thanks, Chrissy! 

We do celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada, but with some differences from your American version.  For one thing, it is in October.  For another, it has no historical significance.  It is just about giving thanks for a bountiful harvest, and for anything else thanks-worthy in one's life.

I was once a member of a club that had a major potluck dinner every year for Thanksgiving.  One member who was a lay reader in his church traditionally used to say a very religious grace before we ate.  Another member, an atheist, eventually objected.  The next year, there was no grace.  That didn't sit well with me, seeing as the occasion was Thanksgiving, so for the following year, I wrote a non-religious grace.  I think they still use it, more than 20 years later.

Thanksgiving Grace

Friends, we are gathered here to enjoy some excellent food.
As we do so, let us remember that not everyone will eat tonight.
We are enjoying being with our friends and family.
Not everyone will have company tonight.
When we go home, we will sleep in a warm bed, under a dry roof.
Not everyone will have shelter tonight.
So, as we enjoy this fine meal, let us be thankful,
And let us give a thought for those less fortunate.

Happy thanksgiving to you and to all the members here.

[KathyLauren]

I have commented in the past about the possibility of "escaping" from Canada if the government goes full-on trumpist in the next election and starts a purge on trans folks.  I still intend to go through with the passport applications I was contemplating, because it is prudent to have options, but I don't think fleeing will be Plan A.

In my research, I discovered that Canadian pensions are taxable if the recipient is non-resident.  That is over and above the ordinary income tax, which would be payable to the country of residence; it is a specific non-resident tax, payable to Canada.  So not only is the cost of living higher in desirable places like Ireland, but our incomes would take a significant hit.  That makes emigration a last resort.

So, Plan A has to be to Stay And Fight.  That means civil disobedience if necessary.  I do not intend to obey any bathroom bills.  I live semi-stealth anyway: I don't tell people I am trans.  Some know already, others might guess.  Most don't know or care.  I will carry on like that, with instructions to friends that my being trans is very much on a need-to-know basis. 

I will carry on doing what I am doing for as long as I can.  I will also be on the lookout for resistance groups.

For folks in the US looking for a bail-out option, Canada is still an improvement over what you have.  You are welcome here, and we'd love to have you.  But don't be under any illusions that it is a paradise.  We have a trumpist Opposition Leader who is certain to be elected next year.  If anything, he is more dangerous than Trump.  At least, everyone knew that Trump was a -censored- before the election.  Our guy, Pierre Poilievre, looks all clean-cut and wholesome, and he says nothing that would detract from that image.  But his policies are written in his party's policy manual.  So if you come here, be prepared to join the fight.

[Lori Dee]

I think you pointed out a very good reason to stay. I will be filing my passport application this month too. My intent is not to flee, but in case I can miraculously afford "medical tourism" to have surgery done in Mexico or Thailand.

I investigated moving to California or New Mexico for easy access to the border. Canada is an option, but I cannot claim asylum there. Canada and the US have a treaty called the Safe Third Country Agreement where anyone in the US trying to enter Canada as a refugee will be returned to the US. Canada is closer to me, but I want the option to request asylum and receive "protected person" status if possible.

California and New Mexico have a higher cost of living and are too far to move to with my current budget. For me, the smart move will be to skip across the state border into Minnesota. They have protective state laws there. I can hide out there and further assess the situation as it develops.

[D'Amalie]

I live semi-stealth anyway: I don't tell people I am trans.  Some know already, others might guess.  Most don't know or care.  ... I will carry on doing what I am doing for as long as I can.  I will also be on the lookout for resistance groups.

Well said, and a good plan.  Be armed, quietly.  Be ready, steadfastly.

[KathyLauren]

Be armed, quietly.

I suppose that will become an easier option under the next government.

[ChrissyRyan]

Kathy,


Merry Christmas!


Chrissy

[KathyLauren]

(Taking my mind of politics for a while...)

We often see queries on the forum about timelines for the effects of HRT.  Over the last year, I have noticed some long-term effects that I haven't seen discussed much.  Most people concentrate on short-term effects.

I started HRT in January of 2017, so it has been eight years. I had all the normal short-term effects: elimination of "mental static" almost immediately, boobs by six months, facial changes, slowing of body hair growth by 12 months, etc.

In the past year, I have noticed some fat transfer to my hips.  I have been careful not to put on weight (in fact, I have gone down about 5 lbs), so this is definitely fat transfer.  When I look in a mirror, I have curves!!  I am still a bit thick in the middle, due to my male rib cage and my "third boob" (belly), but the overall effect is very nice.

The other long-term effect was more subtle.  Here, women aged 40-75 get a mammogram every two years, and trans women are eligible five years after starting HRT.  On my first two mammograms, they found that my breasts had "heterogeneous density", meaning that they were naturally lumpy.  I had noticed the same on self-examination.  Because the varying density makes it hard to detect cancerous lumps, I was scheduled for another mammogram one year later instead of two years.  Same the second time around.

But the third time, last year, I didn't get the same followup letter telling my about the density.  So I called the screening program to check, in case the letter had gotten lost.  No, they said, the density was normal enough that I was back on the standard two-year cycle.  And, thinking about it, on self-exam, they are not as lumpy as they used to be.

While my breasts are not significantly bigger - I might be up to an honest A-cup now, but no more - they are softer and more breast-like.

So, for anyone frustrated by lack of progress on the boob front, be patient.  They can still be developing as much as seven years after you begin HRT.

[KathyLauren]

I have moved forward with my bail-out plan: both passport applications are in the mail.  Now I wait.  The Canadian one should be pretty straightforward, and I expect to receive it in a few weeks.  The Irish one may take longer, but as far as I could tell, I had all the right paperwork and all the boxes checked, so I don't expect any problems.

It has been interesting seeing how my fellow Canadians have reacted to the threats from the US President.  I just saw a poll that said 92% of Canadians are boycotting US products.  Florida orange juice isn't selling, whereas Brazilian orange juice is sold out and Canadian apple juice is hard to find, due to demand. 

The government is talking about cancelling the remainder of our contract for F-35 fighter jets for the RCAF.  The Swedes and French have very nice fighter jets at more reasonable prices.  The F-35 made sense if we were going to fight alongside the Americans, but not if we will have to fight against them.  Donny is turning a friend into an enemy.

My point is that the response of my fellow Canadians is heartening.  It feels like they have my back.  The cultural catastrophe that is MAGA is likely to be stopped at the border.  Our pre-election polls show a dramatic turnaround, and it is no longer a sure thing that our trumpist Conservative leader will become Prime Minister.  He could lose spectacularly. 

That makes life a bit safer for me as a trans woman.

[Lori Dee]

I saw this article yesterday:

Canada 'will never be part of the US', says new PM Mark Carney amid trade war
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/14/mark-carney-sworn-in-as-canadian-prime-minister-amid-us-trade-war

When you are the leader of a country, you must stand up and defend its sovereignty.

[Northern Star Girl]

@KathyLauren

Dear Kathy:
It is your "special day" on Sunday, March 30th
          Another day older and another day wiser !!!

All of us on the Forum are wishing you a very, very H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y
                                                                                                                 

                                             
HUGS and my well wishes for you !    Happy Birthday
Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

                                             

[KathyLauren]

It is your "special day" on Sunday, March 30th
          Another day older and another day wiser !!!

Thanks, Danielle!  My actual birthday is classified information, but I do appreciate the thought on my "internet birthday".  I will reluctantly accept "older", but I have serious doubts about "wiser".   

[ChrissyRyan]

Happy special day!

Chrissy