SUSAN LOESCH

Summer vacation! Field trips, outdoor activities, heat!

Oh, yeah, heat. Well, how bad could it be at 5:30 in the evening. Surely the fun and excitement of Barney’s first summer field trip, an outdoor gig at Happy Hour in the Heights, would override any discomfort from the heat.

Maybe a little heat would have gone unnoticed but not the 95 degrees the thermometer registered at the time we hit the street to set up our display for Feline Rescue and Rehome and wait for the crowd to appear.

I’d noticed before that this event on the third Thursday of the month is like a big happy block party. People are having fun and stopping to talk, just the kind of event at which Barney shines. There are bands, refreshments and a casual excitement in the air.

Trying to ignore the heat, Barney and I and another Feline Rescue and Rehome volunteer set up our table right outside The Heights Gallery on Kavanaugh.

The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Mitch Jansonius, are big cat lovers and their gallery always has something that a cat lover can’t leave without.

Mr. Mitch graciously allowed us to set up right outside his door and welcomed us into the gallery so Barney wouldn’t get too hot outside.

Before the expected crowds showed up, we went inside and let Barney visit a bit. He sat up on the counter with as much ease as he sits on the counter in his library at School for the Blind!

Surrounded by wonderful artwork, he looked around a bit, and when he meowed I was sure he was telling me he had just spotted a big bright painting that would make a great background for a photo shoot; the colors in it were just perfect to show off his orange coat.

Almost on cue, he turned around and posed with the painting behind him. What a ham! He thanked Mr. Mitch for his hospitality – by allowing himself to be petted!

As we stood outside greeting people, Barney worked the crowd and was his usual personable self, which, no doubt, was the reason our donation box began to fill!

“Oh, he is so cuuuute!” we heard. A quick look at Barney’s expression made me think that he was trying to answer, “I AM cute, aren’t I.”

Between visitors, he returned to his carrier which contained several ice packs for his comfort. Lucky boy; we could have done with some human-size ice packs to stand or sit on!

As the evening progressed we took a walk down the street where a band was playing, and Barney and I danced to “Jambalaya” and then nabbed some cold bottled water. A little dancing in the heat goes a very long way.

The crowd seemed small compared with other months’ events, and it seemed that most folks wanted to get from one cool place to another rather than stand around outside in the heat and visit, even with such a handsome fella as the Barn.

I have to admit I was with them on that!

We packed up a little earlier than planned and headed into the cool ourselves.

“Hey, Barn,” I asked him on the way home, “what would you think about living in Alaska?”

I can just imagine Barney rolling his eyes and thinking, “Mom, then you’d just be complaining about the cold!”

He is probably right, but it sure seemed like a good idea at the time!

We decided to wait for cooler weather before we schedule any more outside gigs, but when it cools off, we will definitely be back for another Happy Hour in the Heights!