It is our first full day in Havre.

Steve (the cat) ate well for the first time since we left Wisconsin. He also slept a lot, proving stress really does take a lot out of a guy. He hasn’t purred though, which concerns me. Tomorrow I hope to fix that.

I haven’t moved in everything yet. Moving in proved to be much more cumbersome than moving out. The residential streets in Havre consist of only compacted gravel, which explains why every automobile in Havre looks like it hasn’t been washed all winter. Every street, it seems, is littered with potholes and large chunks of ice. Coupled with a flood of melting snow, moving in has been a real challenge. I will move the rest tomorrow and I will get everything situated by Saturday evening.

Our new pad is very humble. It is nothing like the dream home I left behind. None of the doors are equipped with deadbolts; I will remedy that next week.

The landlord installed new carpeting, linoleum, and is providing a new kitchen stove; which is good. But I was disappointed to learn that little house on the prairie I rented does not have a shower. I never thought of asking if it had a shower before renting it sight unseen. How foolish of me. For the past two days I have had to learn all over again how to take a bath. I will address this issue with the landlord before the weekend. If he doesn’t fix it, I will rig up something on my own.

The good news is Steve will have his own room. The upstairs has windows that overlook the neighborhood and peer right into the tree tops in the front yard. This room has become a favorite place for Steve to hangout. I have nothing to put upstairs, so I will probably park his kitty litter box and a sleeping pad there so he can have the room all to himself.

Everyone in Havre is very nice; most go out of their way to say “hello” to you…unprompted. There is a little old lady who lives next door who greeted Steve and I before we could close the door to the truck when we pulled up the first time. She wanted our complete history before she let us go.

The neighbor lady also revealed she has six cats of her own. Steve did not like hearing that bit of news. He does care for cats and wouldn’t mind if he never saw another cat again. You see, Steve doesn’t see himself as a cat. He thinks he is a human. Lucky for Steve the backyard is fully enclosed with a tall wooden fence. I will repair it next weekend and hope to make it cat proof. I will still tie Steve up, but the wooden fence should help keep the neighbors out. As my father used to say, “Strong fences make good neighbors.”