four kids, two fishes

When you are in this "business" sometimes you "give til it hurts" if you know what I mean. Sometimes you might feel like the only thing that you have taught someone who doesn't have much is how to "take"; and that can get to where it hurts also.It isn't that you "expect" something in return. At least you shouldn't.

But sometimes...

I just will mention that the fishing boats hadn't gone out in about seven days. It happens every month. A few days before the full moon, they stop fishing for about five to seven days. I guess the bottom line is that it gives the fish population a break, as well as the fact that when the moon is full, apparently the fish "catch on" and avoid being caught. So it is not a very productive time to fish.

We have to plan ahead now, because our cats eat fresh fish. They didn't always. Stinkey and Miss Dufus "grew up" on canned food. But when two or three "street cats" infiltrate the ranks, things start to change. And since we lost Dinkey, and then Boomerang, these guys have just started to enjoy the finer things. And we can (usually) get fresh fish for about the same price as canned food.

Like I said, when the full moon is coming up, I have to plan ahead. I buy as much as is available that I can fit into my little refrigerator's freezer. This amounts to about five or six kilos, as long as it doesn't need to be defrosted. And that will often get us through long enough until the boats go out.

This time, though, there has been a bit of a problem. I guess the boats have been going out for two days already, but still no fish (pla lang) available that my cats like (and we can afford). There are many fishes that are expensive. And many that have such a lot of bones, or bones so tiny it is a waste of my time. My kitties have been without real fish for two days. I tried to get fish yesterday, and failed. Again today.

Miss Dufus and Stinkey can manage the first day. They will eat the canned for a day, no problem. And day number two, Miss Dufus will still eat it, but Stinkey goes into rebellion and refuses the canned stuff. She is a more fussy eater anyways. She will eat some of the dry stuff, and then after that goes outside, or goes back to bed. And gives me this look "why are you doing this to me?"

I didn't mention Little. Or Mr. Little as we call him. Mr. Little was trained by the great and powerful O.K. (whose picture still adorns the top of this blog). OK, my love, and my street kitty who could out scrap all who took him on, except the last one-- kidney disease. OK trained Little (by example) how to eat a raw fish (the whole thing) or a raw squid (with the evidence of a permanently stained black spot on his nose). I think they particularly enjoyed the thievery. The Burmese ladies lay the fish or squid out in the sun on frames strung with screen or string mesh in order to dry and then store it. And these guys were pretty adept at getting away with one before anybody could catch them or throw something. So Little likes fish. Real fish. For awhile, he tolerated the canned. But now, he just turns his nose up and walks away.

And don't get me wrong, Little LOVES to eat. Everybody tells me he is fat, but I say he is just well rounded. And has long fur. But he won't eat just anything. He wants fresh fish.

Little has not, therefore, eaten for two days. I confess, he does eat dry food. But it is really only a filler, and a time waster to tide him over for the fish. I did everything I could today to get some fish. One of the kids told me this afternoon that there have been a lot of sharks in the water yesterday and today, and so the smaller fish are scarce. So Little has had no fish.

The kids across the street were my last hope. I had already asked the "fish lady" (my Burmese neighbor who is my 'liaison') for fish. Yesterday, and twice today. But nothing. And when the last kids left today (from coloring,and my little Burmese English student) I asked Pipo if they had any fish at her house. She said "I don't know. I will ask." Everybody knows my kitties and knows why I want fish. Like I said, I had already asked the fish lady, who, like Pipo is Burmese, and is somehow connected to Pipo's mother(sister? aunt?). So there was little hope, in my mind.

I opened a can of food for the kitties' evening meal. Miss Dufus ate a little, Stinkey less, and Little...well you know.

We sat down to watch our Tuesday night Thai movie (another story, another day). And the show was noisy at parts, but all of a sudden I could hear someone yelling my Thai name "PaDeng! PaDeng!" When I finally realized this, we shut off the movie and I went into the room with the sliding glass door.

There stood four little Burmese kids, grinning, shouting my name. I said "What is it?" They said, "the fish came already!"

They were holding a bag with two small Pla Lang. Not too small. Just the right size that would make three kitties very happy this evening. I said, How much? And they said, "No, we give them to you." I could only smile and say thank you. I went and put the fish on to boil.

A little later I realize the kids were still playing on the porch (as is common at our house). So I went and took this picture, and asked about the fish. I guess some body's "elder" got some fish today. And they said, "He gave us one fish for every two kids. Hence, four kids, and two fish. They had two small fish. And they gave them to us.

And see their reaction.