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      Thursday, March 02, 2006


otherstuff
09:00 AM - 03/02/2006
We found a penny, a dollar bill and a dime yesterday and a penny today on our walk this morning

The topic: Indigestion
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The past couple of weeks I’ve had some bad indigestion that just wouldn’t stop.  I took acid reducers, I took Pepcid, I took antacids, I even did the baking soda in water. 

It would go away for a couple of hours, then come back.  It didn’t matter what I’d eaten or not eaten.  Empty tummy or full. 

When we went to CostCo last weekend, I picked up some Prilosec OTC.  The stuff that doesn’t “work right away”. Well, let me tell you, the stuff that “worked right away” wasn’t, so I figured this wouldn’t hurt.

It worked!  I’ve been taking it for four days now and my stomach hasn’t been upset in three.  I am burping more than I had been, so I’m thinking my suspicion that I swallow a lot of air might be right.

Last week, I had heartburn so bad off and on, that I had fleeting thoughts of heart problems.  

The Prilosec is only supposed to be taken for fourteen days.  Maybe that will be sufficient to fix whatever has been going on in there


otherstuff
09:13 AM - 03/02/2006

The topic: Hard to type
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I’ve spoken in the past of how one little thing throws my universe out of whack. Well, right now it’s the fact that the lightbulb in my desk lamp is burnt out.  It’s a special fluorescent bulb and I ordered four of them from Office Depot back on Tuesday. They were supposed to have been delivered yesterday. They weren’t. So, I’m still in the dark.

Yeah, I could get another lamp and use it, but I’m too lazy.  I want my desk lamp to work.  It’s so dark in here!

I called this morning to find out about delivery.  They show everything as having shipped (the only thing I got that I ordered was a laptop table).  So, he reordered the other stuff and it should be here tomorrow.

141031019

Now! I want it now!


catstuff
09:21 AM - 03/02/2006

The topic: Annie
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I caught her nibbling on the Felidae dry this morning. This is good.  I’ve been wondering if she hits the Felidae bowl at night, since it seems to be going down so quickly.  I told Brian last night that I think she has put on some weight.  Not much, but her spine doesn’t seem so prominant when I massage it (she loves having her back rubbed).  Same thing for her ribs.

I’m supposed to be taking her in for a retest sometime soon.  Maybe next week.

      Friday, March 03, 2006


catstuff
02:18 PM - 03/03/2006
I'm listening to the soundtrack to the movie "Dave"

The topic: Bad morning
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Annie had a very restless morning.  She spent the majority of the morning outside, which didn’t excite me.  I kept worrying about her getting too close to the pool and losing her footing. 

She did end up down by the pool.  I brought her in the first time, but she went back out and didn’t do anything but watch.  She drank some water from one of the drains down there and then just sat there, facing the sun, eyes closed.  She looked peaceful, so I just let her be.

She finally came inside a little before noon. She’d been outside almost four hours.

I think her bladder infection is back.  This is what happened before she was diagnosed and although amoxicillan helped her while she was taking it, when she was off of it for a few days, her problems started back up again. And that’s why she had been on amitriptyline.  But the doc said amoxi, so that’s what I’m giving her.  I started her back on it last night after she exhibited some of the symptoms I’ve come to connect with her bladder problems.

I gave her fluids mid morning and I guess they’re helping, because when she came in, she ate a little bit, then she finally laid down and she’s sleeping right now.

Poor little thing.


catstuff
03:24 PM - 03/03/2006
The current weather is raining

The topic: Memories
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This weather brings back memories of DeeJay. 

DeeJay hated the rain.  And he would bitch about it.  When he wanted to go outside, he made it clear that he wasn’t happy with the precipitation.

He’d go to one door (there are three leading to the backyard), usually the door in the laundry room.  This door used to have a catdoor in it.  He’d open it part way, see that it was wet outside, then start grumping about it.  You know that cat growly, whiny noise they make, the one that lets you know without a doubt that the turn of events isn’t a pleasing one.

He’d come back inside, then go to one of the sliding doors, where he’d yowl until someone opened the door.  He’d look out and see that same damned precipitation.  Once again, he’d let us know he wasn’t happy.  Then he’d go to door number three.  Same thing.  Sometimes he’d venture out the garage catdoor with the same resulting grouching at us, as if it was our fault.

As smart as the cats sometimes are, sometimes they aren’t very.  DeeJay and the rain and the doors was one of those times when it was so obvious that kitty cats don’t process data the way we humans do.  DeeJay just never understood it, why every door led to rain.

I sure miss him.

      Saturday, March 04, 2006


catstuff
06:24 AM - 03/04/2006

The topic: WOOHOO!
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When I got up this morning to let the cats out, the digital clock read 4:23, I happened to look through the glass leading to the front entry way.

There was something out there and I opened the window to say “good morning” to KittyMeeze. I’d feed him later.

It wasn’t KittyMeeze, it was Carla!

I ran to the bedroom to throw something on, told Brian “Carla’s here!”, then went into the garage to open up a couple of cans of Fancy Feast for her.

When I opened the front door, she kind of walked to the gate, turned around, walked back towards the mat we put the food on (the cement can get cold).  I set both bowls down, then came back in.  I opened up the window to see how she was doing and she had dived right into the food.

When I got up for real, KittyMeezer was out there, and the food was gone. So was Carla, but she’s alive and well.  She wasn’t limping or anything like that.  She looked a little thinner, but not two weeks without food thinner.

I wonder what was up with her, where she’s been.  But I’m just thrilled she’s okay.

      Sunday, March 05, 2006


catstuff
02:36 PM - 03/05/2006

The topic: Progress
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When Little Bit moved in to our house (much against her will), with the exception of her kittens, she didn’t have anything to do with any of the other cats.  She’d hiss if they even looked her way.  And as soon as she recovered from the spay operation and the mothering hormones had left her body, she didn’t have much to do with her litter, treating them the same as the other members of the cathouse clowder. 

It’s been over a year and a half now and I see that she’s finally acclimating.  Little steps for a little cat, yes.  But it’s wonderful to see these baby steps.  Like knowing when it’s time to come inside at night.  When I call for “kitties in”,  she rarely hesitates to run for the door.  And when she’s not right in, all it takes is for me to call her by her name.  Sure, sometimes it takes a few “Little Bit!“s from the doorway, but when she realizes I’m talking to her (as she peaks her head out of the cathouse under the plum tree and I say “yeah, you”), she comes bouncing in, taking her treat position next to the door on the kitty center in the living room.  Where she patiently waits for the treats to be place in front of her.  And when I put them in front of her, she doesn’t flinch or move away, she waits until my hand is gone and she eats.

And she’s started sleeping on one of the cat trees at night, not under the bed or hiding under anything, but right there in plain view of all.  She doesn’t care if you walk by her, she doesn’t care if you stop and speak to her.  She’ll lays there and watches you, cautiously.  If she feels at all uncomfortable with your closeness, she’ll jump down. 

She’s also not the first one out the door in the morning.  We open the patio door between four and five in the morning so the cats can go outside in search of the early bird looking for the early worm.  Then whoever got up and opened the door, goes back to bed.   Well, I’ve been surprised to see her still on the cat tree when I get up for the day, still in the house.  Where it’s warm and dry, not cool/cold and damp.

Baby steps.  She’s finally settling in.

Last week, I was amazed to see Sagwa walk up to her and sniff her nose.  At first, I wasn’t even sure it was her, because I’ve never seen one of the other cats that close.   You know, close enough to get a paw across the nose for being inside of her bounderies.  And this morning, I saw her on the cathouse, with Richie in front of her.  Close.  It obviously wasn’t just a Sagwa thing.


Little Bit, top left, Sagwa next to her, her boy Joey in the front

Little Bit by herself on the cathouse

Tired of the attention, she moves to a different house, the one by the pool, but still in the sun

The other kitty we have, the one who Brian said last year that he'd never seen, little Autumn White, is also finally making some progress in the socialization area.  Brian actually petted her the other night while she was on the cat center in the living room.  She loves to be petted, she’s just not too sure of humans.  I’m glad to hear that she let him do this. She’s been here for years, caught as a kitten before the neighborhood jerks started trapping cats and the coyotes realized this area was a smorgasborg of yummy fat not so careful cats.

It’s nice to see the cats who’ve never seemed comfortable here, finally relaxing.  We like happy cats.  Happy cats are nice.

 

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For other kitty cat adventures, be sure to catch this week's Carnival of the Cats hosted at Catcall.


catstuff
03:21 PM - 03/05/2006
I'm watching Stripes, the extended version

The topic: Scary stuff
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This morning, Handsome threw up.  He was on the catcam chair and I turned around to see if he was okay.

He seemed to be, but he threw up blood.  This is scary.  If it had been any other cat, it would have been scarier.  I got him off of the chair and tested him with some food (to which I added some l-Lysine).  He did fine. 

He’s been fine, so what I’m thinking is he’s got some sort of sore in his mouth that’s been bleeding and he’s been swallowing this bloody saliva ladened crud.  His stomach sent it back.  It didn’t have bright red blood or the dried blood that looks like coffee grounds, it was more the pinky saliva stuff, so while I was alarmed, I wasn’t extremely alarmed.

He hasn’t puked since this morning and his appetite is good.  I did check his drool on the catcam chair (I changed the blanket this morning) and it’s a little pink, so I’m guessing it was from his mouth.  I’ll keep an eye on him, though, and if it happens again, I’ll take him into the vet.

Hard to believe he’s been here a month this year year this month (duh).

      Monday, March 06, 2006


catstuff
10:43 AM - 03/06/2006

The topic: Stuff Handsome eats
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We went shopping yesterday afternoon and had a fairly late lunch at the new Roadhouse Grill in Santee.  I had a grilled chicken Caesar salad and Brian had a cheeseburger, fries and a side salad.  They also serve peanuts in the shell and you’re supposed to just toss the shells on the floor.  Yeah, right. 

Anyway, we weren’t all that hungry at dinnertime, so I made some of the TGIF appetizers I had in the freezer.  The chicken quesadillas and the potato skins.  While the oven was pre-heating, I got out a cookie sheet, one of those Airbake ones, the kind with no lips on the side.  And, as I found out, also easy for snatching.

I set the sheet on the stove and left the room.  I heard a noise and came back to see this:

Handsome chowing down on one of the frozen potato skins.  Maybe it felt good on his teeth and was yummy to boot.

This morning, we also found out that Handsome likes orange juice. 

*lol*  Crazy cat.

 


otherstuff
10:52 AM - 03/06/2006

The topic: Warranties
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Okay, last year I found out one of the speakers in our television wasn’t working.   When we bought the television, we also got the extended five year warranty to go with it.  The TV got fixed and it didn’t cost us anything.

Well, last month, the remote sensor went out.  The guy came out, looked at the television “we’ll order the part, let you know when it comes in and make an appointment to fix it”.  Okay.

Since the majority of our television watching is done via the satellite receiver, the only times this is a bother is when we have to turn the television on or off.  Oh, and set the volume if we’re watching a DVD or local television (which also gives us another opportunity to get off of our couch potato butts and change the channel).

I got the call last week, the part was in, they could come out this morning and fix it.  We didn’t go walking because we had to get the set ready.  I had to pull down all of the DVDs off of it and Brian had to get it away from the wall.  He vacuumed all of the dust from behind the entertainment center and wiped down the back of the tv set.

Brian leaves for work, I wait. The guy shows up, unhooks everything from the back, takes the back off the television off and finds where the new sensor goes.  It won’t go.  The old sensor was a two pronged part.  The new sensor is a three pronged part.  The television only takes two prongs.  He calls the office, tells them the problem.  Yes, the set is the one on the sheet.  He’s told that the old part had been “upgraded” to a new part.  But that “upgraded” part will not work in our set.

“So, if they can’t replace the sensor, does that mean we get a new television?” I ask the repairman.  He looks at me.  He didn’t know.   I figure it’s a valid question.  I call Brian to let him know the guy is almost finished.  He said he’d come home after changing the oil in the worktruck.  I told him the problem.  He asked me “So, if they can’t replace the sensor, does that mean we get a new television?”  

I laughed.  Great minds, you know.

      Wednesday, March 08, 2006


otherstuff
10:27 AM - 03/08/2006

The topic: Yesterday
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The phone rings yesterday morning, the part came in for the television, they’ll be out today.  Okay.  Because of the bad time Brian has getting the entertainment center out from the wall (it’s very, very heavy), I decided to go to WalMart and see if they had some of those things that you slide under the legs of heavy furniture to help moving it.  I’d gotten some before, but they were too small.

I found the reusable kind that are pretty big, seven and a half inches each. And they can move “up to 3200” pounds.  They should work.  I got some other stuff and came home.

When I opened the front door, it was like walking outside of an air conditioned building and it’s a hundred degrees outside with zero humidity.  Except it wasn’t heat that hit me, it was the smell of old cat urine.  Well, we can’t have that, now, can we?

I pull the Floormate and get to work, pulling the sofa and loveseat away from the wall and cleaning up what Autumn leaves behind.  I did the floors in the dining room, family room and living room.  I started up the washer, figuring to wash all of the furniture covers in the family room, getting out any pee that might be on them.  I didn’t get started with all of this until about three o’clock, so I was pretty busy.

Brian got us Mexican food, we ate dinner and I took up cleaning where I’d left off.  He went back to the office and went onto the internet.  The phone rang.  He answered it, it was Dell.   Fraud division.  I picked up the line and was asked if we’d just purchased some sort of handheld device.  I said no.  Well, someone had used my Dell account and my Citibank credit card and ordered a handheld device.  I told him it wasn’t us and it won’t be authorized by anyone here.  He advised that I call the credit card company and cancel the card and he’d take care of cancelling the order for the Dell product.

I went into my Dell account and lo and behold, the order had been cancelled.  And even nicer, the name of the person who would be receiving it was there, as well as the shipping address.  Somewhere in St Louis, MO.   All the times my cards have been fraudulently used, this was the first time there was an address.  I’ll be sending this to the fraud department at Citibank and I’m also considering contacting law enforcement in the city and state the device was to be shipped.  I’m sure I’m not the only one these subhumans have done this to.

While I was on the phone with Citibank, I was told about the virtual credit card.  It’s software that makes a new credit card number every time you place an order online.  This number is good for one use only.  If someone were to get a hold of the records of the store and attempt to use that number, it wouldn’t work.  Because it’s a one time only number.   When my new account is set up, I’m going to take advantage of this.  I’m getting tired of having my information used.

Of course, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night.  I kept wondering how they’d get my Dell account number along with a credit card number.  (Both accounts have been cancelled.)   You know, is someone hacking into my computer?  And thinking about it, my computer does not have my Dell account number.  So, it’s coming from somewhere else.  Right now, I’m running a new spyware program.  I ran Spyware Doctor last night.  It found fifty seven instances of stuff on my computer that shouldn’t be there.  The software currently running is SpyBot.  Because I read that not all programs catch everything. 

Gah.  What a pain in the ass this is.


catstuff
10:44 AM - 03/08/2006

The topic: Kitty health issues
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I think Annie is constipated.  She threw up this morning, outside of the litter box.  I think to myself “I wonder if she’s constipated and pushing so hard made her puke”.  I watch her and she eventually went back into the box and tried to poop.  Nothing.   She got a dose of kitty laxative.  Three days is supposed to do it. 

At least she still wants to eat. 

And this morning when the tv guys were here Handsome kept getting into the way.  To keep him busy, I took him into the garage and gave him some canned Fancy Feast.  I don’t know how much he ate, but I do know it didn’t stay down.  At least he gets off of the furniture when he pukes.  And there was no blood in the vomit, for that I’m thankful.

*sigh*

I cleaned the floor again.

      Thursday, March 09, 2006


catstuff
06:46 AM - 03/09/2006
We found two nickels, three dimes and ten pennies on our walk this morning

The topic: Poppin’ them out
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One of the first things I did this morning was check the litterbox in the office.  I have to use a flashlight to see it, because of where it is, but sure enough, there was a little Annie turd in it.

Yay!

I don’t know if it was the laxative or the milk, but something helped moved that thing along.


otherstuff
06:49 AM - 03/09/2006

The topic: Taking the little things for granted
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Yanno, I didn’t realize how nice it is to have a remote that works.  And now that the television is fixed, the remotes work nicely. Of course, I had to reprogram both of them (Brian’s and mine) because I messed them up when I didn’t realize it was the television that was the source of the problem.

When I was programming Brian’s, I noticed how nasty it was, so I spent over an hour detailing his remote control.  Q-tips, rubbing alcohol, a nail file to scrape the crud from the sides of the rubber buttons and damp paper towels did the trick.  Then I buffed it out with a soft cloth.

It looks so purrty.

      Friday, March 10, 2006


catstuff
09:01 AM - 03/10/2006

The topic: Stuff Handsome eats
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Tomatoes.

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Be sure to check The Modulator's Friday Ark for more pet related pictures.

      Monday, March 13, 2006


otherstuff
01:18 PM - 03/13/2006

The topic: Commercials that make me laugh
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Sprint locker room.

      Tuesday, March 14, 2006


catstuff
09:04 AM - 03/14/2006
We found a penny on our walk this morning

The topic: Annie
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I have a confession to make.

At times, I get really frustrated with her progress.  Well, her lack of progress would be more like it.  Her fur looks much better than it did at the end of December.  But in reality, that’s about it.

Some days it looks like she might be getting better, but other days, it doesn’t.  And my frustration comes from the part of me that can’t understand why all of my working with her isn’t making a difference. 

She ate A/D yesterday.  She liked it.  She ate Felidae that I’d soaked in water.  She liked it.  But she just loses interest.  Sometimes I wonder if maybe she had a stroke and she’s slowly recovering from it.  But maybe it’s something else.  She still has a hard time dropping her head to eat.  She does better when I raise the food up for her. 

Brian and I discussed her yesterday.  Comparing her to DeeJay.  DeeJay, until his last few days, had a very healthy appetite.  He was as skinny as a rail, but he had a healthy appetite.  He begged in the kitchen, he begged by the table.  He wanted to eat.  He liked to eat.  And when he quit eating, well, I knew that was it. 

But Annie…. 

Annie hasn’t eaten well since December.  She’ll nibble, but she really doesn’t have much of an appetite.

I told Brian I’m going to give her fluids every day and see if that makes a difference.   I’ll try it for a week or two, to see if it helps.  If she shows a marked improvement.  If she doesn’t, I’m not going to keep her on pills and fluids for God knows how long.  Because it’s not helping. 

And I’m getting tired.  So tired of feeling like I’m wasting my time.  I just start to thinking that I don’t want to do this anymore. That I want my life back.  I want my desk back.  I don’t want a cupboard full of syringes and needles and fluids.  I just get so tired of it all.

      Thursday, March 16, 2006


catstuff
12:11 PM - 03/16/2006

The topic: Annie’s crashing
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It’s become obvious the fluids aren’t helping. She’s been wandering around this morning, inside and out, just crying.  She can hardly stand up.  If another kitty comes by her and headbutts her, even gently, Annie is having a hard time keeping her balance.

I called the vet.  Her appointment is at 3 this afternoon.  Unless there’s some sort of miracle between now and then, I’ll be saying goodbye to her.

Her life has no quality anymore.  None. 

*sob*


catstuff
03:33 PM - 03/16/2006
I'm sad

The topic: And then there were thirty three
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She’s gone.   She was gone by 3:15.  There was no question about her health at the vet’s office.  No exam at all. 

You see, Annie was down to two pounds.   The vet was amazed at this.  That she was still standing and alert.  That she was still….alive. 

I told him that I’d felt that there was something beyond the kidney and thyroid problem that was affecting her.  I think there was some sort of brain damage or disfunction.  He said that was entirely possible.  His mother’s cat died of a brain tumor at the age of nineteen.  He said the cat started doing all sorts of weird stuff.  Like Annie. The walking around in the yard?  She hasn’t wanted outside in years.  The constant crying?  That wasn’t right. 

He also stated that it can be hard to treat what she had successfully.  He said when you treat one of the diseases, it can make the other one worse (remember, she was hyperthyroid and in renal failure).

As usual, he sedated her first, he let her get relaxed.  It took a while because she was fighting it, but when she finally laid down, she was on her side and stretched out.  Like relaxed cats do.  I haven’t seen her do that in months.  It was nice to see her sleeping, even though I knew it was induced.  Then he shaved a spot on one of her front legs and gave her the final injection.  She was gone within seconds.  Finally at peace.

He said I’d made the right decision.  No question, no doubt, I did the right thing by her. 

That hasn’t sunk in yet, there’s that “did I do it too soon?” reverberating in my head, but that won’t last forever.   I do know that she’s better off now than she was this morning. 

I’m thankful I took the video of her in the yard this morning and the pictures of her in the office. 

I’ll miss my little Annie Nanner.  I already do.

Here are some of the pictures I took of her during the day:


Annie wants to drink, but can't keep her balance

Resting her head on the water bowl

She tries to sleep, but won't let her head drop

Sadly, Annie is the first cat that Handsome will cuddle with. He just started this last week.
This is the last picture I took of Annie.

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For more Friday pet blogging, check out The Modulator's Friday Ark

      Friday, March 17, 2006


otherstuff
11:29 AM - 03/17/2006

The topic: Odd thoughts
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I was just looking through a magazine I get because I have an annual passport to Disneyland.  It’s geared towards parents and the name of it is “Family Fun”.  So, I’m flipping through the pages and I see this little project on creating a little chick in a bed of grass.  The chick is made of donut holes and the grass is shredded coconut colored with green food coloring.

And as I’m looking at this, from nowhere I hear my father saying “it can’t be from Dianne, there are hard boiled eggs”.

A long time ago, when I was single, I made up this Easter basket for my parents.  I bought a little plastic shopping cart (with wheels) and lots of green plastic Easter grass and candy and cans of nuts and treats for the dog, the cat and the birds and little funky presents for my parents.   And I hard boiled some eggs and decorated them, using that clear waxy crayon to write stuff on the eggs such as “guess who?”  and “from the Easter Bunny”....  I covered the entire thing in colorful cellophane paper.  Around four thirty Easter morning, I drove over to their house (I’d smoked a little pot before I left the house…boy, I miss pot, I could have used some pot last night…over twenty years since I’ve had any and boy, howdy, do I miss it at times) and parked across the street from their house.  I took the Easter “basket” over to their front door and just left it there.  I quietly went back to my truck and drove home.

I didn’t get the call until mid morning.  It was my father.  “The Easter bunny was here.  He left a basket.”

“How do you know the Easter bunny isn’t a she?”

Anyway, they’d finally figured out it was from me.  It took them long enough.  First off, mom didn’t want dad to take the cellophane paper off because it might have been delivered to their door by mistake.  Then, when no one claimed it, dad found a way to get to the stuff inside without ruining the paper.  And the more stuff he pulled out, the clearer it became it was meant for them.

One of the reasons he didn’t think it could be from me was because it had hard boiled eggs in it.

I like memories like this one, they always make me smile.

      Saturday, March 18, 2006


otherstuff
08:03 AM - 03/18/2006

The topic: Commercials
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I don't know if I've mentioned this recently, but ants give me the willies. The only good ant is an ant that's eating the carcass of a dead coyote as far as I'm concerned (don't like coyotes, either).

I think my loathing of ants comes from the movie "Them", which I saw when I was a wee girl.

Anyway, when I first saw this, I about wet my pants.

Shudder.

      Sunday, March 19, 2006


otherstuff
10:29 AM - 03/19/2006

The topic: I’m not well
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The past three months have taken their toll on me.  Stress.  And it’s hit me in my intestines.

I’ve mentioned the bad, bad heartburn I had about a month ago. The Prilosec worked well.  I took it for the two weeks and things got better.  I was also being more careful about what I ate, staying away from things I knew would bother me (like the diet macaroni and beef dinner; it’s really good, but it’s killer on my system).  I was doing better until Thursday night. 

I knew better.  Brian went to get dinner because I wasn’t in the mood to cook.  I should have.  He went to Subway, but the line was too long, so he got Mexican.  Just a large tostada with beans, lettuce, cheese, guacamole and sour cream.  If I could have stopped there, I’d have been fine.  But no, I also had to eat the comfort food, the Ben & Jerry’s New York super fudge chunk ice cream.  I was tired of eating it a quarter of the way through.  I should have stopped.  But I didn’t.  It was, after all, “comfort food”.  I ate the entire thing. 

I’ve been paying for it ever since.  I had hardly anything yesterday.  My stomach was so upset last night, that I stayed on the sofa.  Adding to the indigestion, I’ve also had pretty bad gas.  I’m tired and I’m not sleeping well. 

Brian went to the property this morning and he advised me to not do anything today.  Like not get on the computer.  But stuff needs to be done, the dishes need to be put away, cats need to be fed. litterboxes need to be cleaned and so far, I’ve never seent them take care of themselves. 

I’ve got a sore leg, something that comes and goes.  It starts at my hip and just aches. I’m icing down my back right now, hopefully that will do the trick.

I just want to feel better.  I’m tired of being tired.  And I know it’s because I’ve been so stressed out.  My emotions are messing with my physical wellbeing.


catstuff
11:01 AM - 03/19/2006

The topic: On a lighter note
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I got this picture of Richie Friday night, sharing the recliner with Brian. He was pretty relaxed.

 

Silly kitty-cat.

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Be sure to check out today’s Carnival of the Cats, being hosted by Music and cats.


otherstuff
11:10 AM - 03/19/2006

The topic: Memory
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How’s your memory? 

I’m 52.  Brian is 48.  I never knew two of my grandparents.  One of the two I met, I didn’t know well.  The only grandparent that I remember well is my paternal grandfather.  I was sitting here one night thinking about it and realized I don’t know/remember the given names of my other three grandparents. 

I asked Brian “what were your grandparents’ names?”  He only knew one.  His mother’s mother. 

Do you know your grandparents’ names?

      Monday, March 20, 2006


otherstuff
09:13 AM - 03/20/2006

The topic: Host server problems
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It looks like my website host is having a little trouble this morning.  According to my stats, the sites went down this morning around four pacific time.  Three are on the same server,  the others are not.  The catcam is on a different server and it wasn’t loading.

Now it looks like the sites are up, but the ftp isn’t working, so the images aren’t updated.

*sigh*  It’s always something.


catstuff
09:17 AM - 03/20/2006

The topic: Ciara’s leg
----------------------------------------------

Thursday I was preoccupied with Annie, so I didn’t pay that much attention to Ciara.

Ciara wasn’t walking well at all.  It wasn’t just her back leg, it was the front one, too.  I think she may have injured her front paw because her back paw is so weak.  As the weekend progressed, she was walking better, but if this goes on much longer, I’ll be taking her in.

      Tuesday, March 21, 2006


otherstuff
12:26 PM - 03/21/2006

The topic: Taxes
----------------------------------------------

I’m very frustrated right now.  I installed TurboTax and imported the information from QuickBooks.  Things were going fine until I hit the vehicle section.  I guess we can no longer take depreciation, okay, that’s fine, no problem.  But it’s not taking the cost of fuel and insurance and registration and oil and maintenance, either.  That’s crap!  Just because we can’t take depreciation is no reason that we can’t deduct fuel, especially now with all of those f***ingly greedy bastards that run the oil companies who raise prices when their mothers/wives/daughters have their periods.

So, I figure it’s something I’ve input incorrectly, but this frigging new version of TurboTax ain’t helping me at all.  It’s like “we’ve got the info and you can’t change it….neener neener neener!”

Argh.

Then Mystie decides she wants to bug the hell out of me.  Cry…cry…

I chase her off, then close out TurboTax and figure I’ll reimport the information.  It won’t come back up.  I hit the icon again.  Still doesn’t start.  Check the task manager and it says I’ve got something like eight instances of TT running.  *sigh*  I hit “restart the computer” and it won’t shut down.  I do what I always do when I’m backed against the wall.

I hit the power button.  So, now it’s rebooting and I’ll try to start from scratch.

You know, this wouldn’t be so gawdawful, but we didn’t make any estimated payments last year.  Brian didn’t want to, I guess he didn’t want the gummint to have our money to play with.

*sigh*

I hate this. 

Well, I guess there is an upside.  I do have more room to spread out this year.

*Deeper sigh*


catstuff
05:28 PM - 03/21/2006

The topic: Catching a break
----------------------------------------------

That’s something I just can’t seem to do.

I took Ciara’s temperature this afternoon.  She has a fever.  Not a big one, but she’s up a couple of degrees.  She’s eating and drinking and I saw her push out a very nice poop (note to self: make an appointment to see if she can go off of pred, not that I’m all that diligent about giving it to her on schedule).  So, I started her on amoxicillan.  If her temp doesn’t drop by Thursday morning, I’ll call the vet.

Then I notice Chandler licking his butt.  A lot.  I try to get a closer look to see what he’s licking.  You know, if it was his butt or his penis (penis would indicate blockage).  It’s his butt and he’s licked it sore.  I thought maybe it was because of fleas (I haven’t treated since December), so I dosed with Advantage (note to self: when you buy the six pack of dog Advantage, it would be a good idea to always leave it in the same place so you can find it and don’t have to go buy more)  (second note to self:  pick up another package of large dog Advantage at the vet’s).  I know he’s got fleas because he’s been chewing on his back…the little scabs are a dead giveaway. 

I tried to look at his butt and he’s very tender.  His butt and his tail.  He did not like me touching it, I’m hoping because it’s so raw.  I call the vet and ask what could make a cat’s butt sore.  I described what he’s been doing.  Liz suggested tapeworms.  Yeah, it could be tapes, since he’s got fleas.  I said I’d give him some Droncit (it’s generic) and watch him.  She said I could also put a little Neosporin on it, but if he doesn’t get better, to bring him in.

Poor kitty cats.

      Wednesday, March 22, 2006


otherstuff
08:06 AM - 03/22/2006
We found nothing on our walk this morning

The topic: Catcam
----------------------------------------------

Well, there currently aren’t any archives.  For whatever reason, the problems my host had the past week, the automatic archives are interfering with the uploading of the images.  So, they be gone.

But I am doing local saves on all five cameras and I’ll try to go through all of the images once a day and upload them to the family albumand I’ll put the archive link to that.  On the upside, instead of uploading every two minutes, it’s now uploading every thirty seconds.

Update: May 2, 2006

No more archives. If I don't do it every day, it gets out of control. There are thousands and thousands of pictures building up on the hard drives and I don't have the time to go through them all. So, at least for now, there are no more archives.

      Thursday, March 23, 2006


otherstuff
07:56 AM - 03/23/2006
We found a penny on our walk this morning
I'm listening to Paul Brown

The topic: Ahhh….
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It is so nice to not feel like crap. (No offense, Lair.)

Yesterday was a wonderful day. The first good day I’ve had in months.  The intestinal problems are gone.  I just have to not fall back into the old habit of mindless eating, which shouldn’t be too hard if I make myself recall how terrible I was feeling.  From the bloating and indigestion to the horrible heartburn I was having. 

The sun was out, we had a great walk and life just felt good if you know what I mean.  There was a load off of my shoulders and out of my gut and things were how they should be.

We had another good walk this morning.  I kept yapping the entire time and at times I was pretty breathless (long hill), but I kept up the pace and didn’t pass out.  *lol*  It was a great refreshing walk.  Worked up a sweat.

So, right now, life is good.

Again.


catstuff
08:02 AM - 03/23/2006

The topic: Kitty cat updates
----------------------------------------------

Well, Chandler is doing fine.  The Advantage and the worm pill obviously did the trick.  He’s not licking his butt and he’s back to playing and being lovable.  I’m glad that was an easy fix.

Ciara, on the other hand, has some issues best addressed by the vet.  There’s something doing with her ears.  They’re very itchy and when I put a Q-tip in one the other day, some cheesy looking crud was on it.  So, it’s not mites (which would be black crud), but maybe some sort of infection.  Thinking back to her early days here, that worries me a little.

I started giving her amoxi on Tuesday night and when I gave her the pill last night, I noticed how horrible her teeth are.  There’s no question that this little girl needs some dental work.

Then there’s the matter of the rapid moving eyes.  I kind of think she’s done this all along, just not as pronounced as it is now.  Whatever, I’d like the vet to look at this. 

And I’d like him to check out her legs, the ones that had been weak, to see if there’s anything ongoing.

Then we come to her IBD.  I don’t know if IBD ever goes away completely or if she just had the symptoms, but I’ve cut way back on the prednisone she was getting (gradually, though) and she’s pooping nicely and without the interference of the steroid, her cold symptoms have finally gone away.  She’ll most likely need to have a blood test or something to make sure that she can go off of meds.

I’ll call to make an appointment this morning.  I don’t really want to take her today, though, I was gone shopping all day yesterday and I like to have a day to regroup.  *lol*


otherstuff
09:37 AM - 03/23/2006

The topic: Springtime
----------------------------------------------

It’s 9:40 and the temp outside is a comfortable 67°. 

I think this year I’ll spend more time outside than in.  I went outside and sat on the wood by the doghouse on the bank and ate a Clementime orange and just listened, looked and breathed in the scent of spring.

I’m ready.  I’m so ready to be outdoors.  Once upon a time I spent every minute I could outside, but somewhere along the line, I moved in. 

I like it better out.  It’s nice out there.

      Friday, March 24, 2006


catstuff
08:18 AM - 03/24/2006
We found a dime on our walk this morning

The topic: Stuff Handsome eats
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I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I got a picture yesterday of Handsome lapping up some orange juice.  Brian started giving Handsome his own because he would prefer Handsome not drink out of his glass.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Be sure to check out today’s Friday Ark and Sunday's Carnival of the Cats.


catstuff
08:41 AM - 03/24/2006

The topic: Vet today
----------------------------------------------

Ciara’s appointment is at ten this morning.  I could have taken her in at 4:45 yesterday, but I didn’t want to deal with the traffic of folks driving home from work. 

I sure hope whatever her problem is, it’s easily rectified.  She’s such a cute little girl and I miss seeing her running around the house.  The past week, she’s spent most of her time in the catcam chair.

Thinks some good thoughts for her, please?  Thanks.

UPDATE: 11:09

Well, there was nothing really obviously wrong with her. She does have an ear infection in her right ear, he said on a scale of five, he'd put her's at at two. Panalog for that, once a day for a week. She does have a nasty molar, but he showed me how it didn't bother her when he pushed on it, so whatever the problem, it's not her teeth.

Her rapid eye movement is most likely genetic. He said “hasn’t she always done this?”  I said I kind of thought she did, but now it seems much more pronounced.  She was not dehydrated at all.

I told him about the poop and prednisone and he said I could quit giving it to her.

He took blood and urine for testing.  He doesn’t like the fact that she’s lost a pound since last year.  He’ll call me later with test results.  He didn’t charge for the urine test and according to my invoice, he’s having it sent out for testing instead of doing it in house.  He mentioned that the prednisone can sometimes affect the liver and that can lead to diabetes, but he really doesn’t think that’s the case, he just wants to be 100% sure.

I got home, got the panalog in her ear without any problem and she came over to my desk and started pushing stuff around.  Something she always enjoyed doing is pushing stuff off of my desk onto the floor.  She’ll go from one thing to the next until it’s cleared.  And she looks at me as if to say “aren’t I just the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen in you life?”

She is.

So, I’m kind of wondering, if the tests show nothing concrete, that maybe she’s just been depressed this last week. After all, she spent a great deal of time with Annie the month before she died.  It honestly wouldn’t surprise me.

UPDATE: 3:43

Well, I had a check I had to get out in the mail and wouldn’t you know, the doctor called while I was outside.  But he did leave a message and Ciara’s bloodwork is all within normal range!  Yay!  Her urine does have white blood cells in it, so I’m to keep her on the amoxicillan for ten days.

The thing is, I’ve never had a cat get depressed like this because of a bladder infection.  She just doesn’t want to do anything.  So, at this point, I do think she’s depressed.  We’ll start giving her extra attention and maybe that will bring her out of it.

      Saturday, March 25, 2006


otherstuff
08:55 AM - 03/25/2006

The topic: Computers off
----------------------------------------------

At some point today, all of the computers (and cams) will be down for an undetermined amount of time. 

I’ve got the spring cleaning bug and now that I have my desk back, it’s time to do a little rearranging and in doing so, open up the room.  What I once considered cozy, has become close and cluttered.  There are an unknown number of cables behind the power strip that are no longer in use.  What once held my printers is now storing paper, which could just as easily be stored in the closet.  The two oak file cabinets that I’ve not used in years, can be divested of their contents, to be stored in the attic in the shop and the two free standing files can be cleaned out and moved to the dumpster in front of the house.

Brian will be gone a good amount of this weekend, so I can concentrate on getting this done.

Last Thursday we went to Home Depot and looked at new blinds for the window in here.  The old ones had a cord on them, the cord had frayed so much that I couldn’t open or close them, so they stayed closed, although the slats could be rotated to block or allow light.  I picked out some nice blinds, Brian bought them yesterday and he put them up this morning. 

I’ve done some measuring, ordered some more RCA cables on eBay (so that I can connect the television, dvd player and vcr to the stereo in the back corner) and now I’m off to Wal-Mart to get a longer coax cable so that I can run that under the desk to the television.

I’m going to move Brian’s computer from the middle of the desk (since Brian is in the glass business, when he set up the office, our desks are actually thick plates of tempered glass on three sides of the room, half of two walls and all of the third) to the corner, and I’d like to move the FAX machine back to the middle.  Since there’s no reason to have the kitty’s water fountain up here any longer, I’m going to move that and see how much extra room I can get there.

And I’m going to tear my computers down and set them back up, peripheral by peripheral.  That’s going to take some time. 

So, if you’re wondering what’s going on, there you have it.

      Wednesday, March 29, 2006


otherstuff
08:31 AM - 03/29/2006

The topic: What a mess
----------------------------------------------

I can’t believe how horrible the office was.  And I certainly didn’t make matters easier by just dumping all of the cords and cables in one big pile, huh uh.

I started at one end, then worked my way to the other side.  Well, kinda sorta.  I started with the old cat pee rotted file cabinets.  I emptied those out and put some of the paperwork in the oak cabinets, where they should have been all along and the rest in storage boxes.  But I ran out of storage boxes.  I moved on to the file cabinet and got rid of the shelf I had the stereo on and moved the thing Brian made for me years ago that used to house a printer, but had become a half assed storage space for paper for the notecards I make and rarely sell over at lisaviolet designs.  It works nicely and as a bonus, the bottom, where the printer used to be, is now where the officecam is aimed.  The lighting should be more stable now, since it’s not in front of the window.

After I got that area neatened up, I moved Brian’s monitor and computer to the other side of his desk after I got rid of a bunch of old pricing books.  It’s uncommon for him to do pricing here at home because the cats won’t give him a moment’s peace, so he does it at his shop.  The fax machine is back between our desks, the cat’s water fountain that was on the desk is now on the floor.  No more feeding kitty-cats on the desks, so no more left over crunched up kibble.  Nice.   The computer and monitor made it too crowded, so I moved the computer to where the monitor had been with plenty of room to spare. 

Then I moved the copy machine to the empty area under the window and took the folding table that also had the paper storage outside, hosed it, scrubbed it, hosed it again and left it out there to dry.  I wouldn’t be setting it back up on a permanent basis, but I didn’t want to throw it out, either.  I moved the printers back and boy, did it open up the room. 

I still had stacks and stacks of filing to do, piles and piles of tangled up cables and two computers completely down.  Saturday night, I got the Gateway up and running.  I finally quit working back here around 11:15 Saturday night.  I covered the pile of cables and cords that was on the floor with a blanket, to keep them dry from cat pee. 

I got little sleep, got up around 5:30 Sunday morning, came back here and turned on the Gateway (which runs the backyard cam, the office cam and the patiocam).  It wouldn’t boot up all the way.  It would boot so far, then freeze.  I kept shutting it down, then restarting it.  Finally, frustrated, I took a shower, got dressed and headed off for Wal-Mart (again).  I got storage boxed, although they weren’t the kind I wanted, these were more like shipping boxes.  I didn’t realize they were much too big until I got them home.  *sigh*  I did use one and the others are still in the extra room.  I’m sure we’ll have a use for them eventually. 

When I left, I let the Gateway sit in reboot mode.  It still hadn’t loaded up, so I turned it off, the rebooted.  Again.  And this time it finished coming up.  I had to fix the monitor settings and get the patiocam to run, but it’s still working.  It’s back to that thing of not fully loading, which lessens over time.  In a couple of weeks it should be back to normal. At which time I’ll most likely get another hair up my butt and reformat the hard drive, then have to reinstall everything.  I’m a glutton for punishment.

Anyway, I finally got the computers up and running by Monday night.  Then I had to do something with all of the extra cords, cables and switchboxes that never quite seemed to do what I wanted them to do.  I had straightened the closet somewhat, finding all sorts of goodies.  Like the extra desklamp bulb I knew I had (but couldn’t find, so I sat here in the dark for days) and golly gee whiz, look at this, a box full of printer cartridges for my new printer that I never put on the shelf where they belonged.  (Coulda saved some money there, now, couldn’t I have?  See what lazy does?  Lazy costs you money.)

I found an empty plastic container and put them in there.  One day I shall go through them all and use twist ties and label them all.  Maybe some late some night, as I watch television.  Yesterday, I finally shredded the papers that needed shredding that I have been putting in a box for at least six months.  Why I don’t take five minutes and shred them as they come in is beyond me.  And that big stack waiting to be taken care of always annoys the hell out of me.

The office is much nicer now.  A lot more room, not such close quarters.  The computers don’t block the light from the window, the new blinds work nicely and it’s a friendly place to be now.  The cats aren’t thrilled with the changes, but they’ll get used to it.  I still have the files to take care of.  There are a lot of old things in the drawers that need to be taken out and either thrown out or put into storage.  And I really need to wash the cabinets themselves.  Years of minimal cleaning of the cat pee will take a while to overcome, but the Orange Glo is a start.

Looking back at it, it almost seems as if it was a thing of “let’s see how much I can stuff into this room”.  Let me tell you, I think it had almost reached capacity.  I don’t know why I don’t stay on top of things like this.  A clean organized work area is so much more pleasant than a messy, unorganized area. 

Oh, well, baby steps.  It’s working in the pantry and in the linen closet.  No reason why it can’t work in here, too. 

Now, I have a stack of mail about eight inches high that needs to be opened and input, bills need to be paid.  This should have been done last week, but I guess I had something else on my mind.  Maybe I was planning the big clean…..


catstuff
09:25 AM - 03/29/2006

The topic: Annie’s home
----------------------------------------------

I had banking to do yesterday (mortgage payment was due) and I had to get to Wal-Mart. Before I'd taken the shower, the phone rang. It was my vet's office, Annie's ashes were in.

After the shower, I put on my Annie teeshirt in her memory (you can see it over at lvdesigns, it has her little nose almost on the camera lens) and picked her up on the way to the bank.  I was okay until I walked out to the car, then I started crying.  She was so little, the box so light. 

I do hope I see her again.

When I got home, the first thing I did was take the box in to Ciara.  I told her what it was.  She sniffed it, then looked at me and gave me a little “meow”, then went back to sleep.

This morning, Ciara came into bed with us where she got about twenty minutes solid of attention from both of us.  She purred and rolled over for belly rubs, then took a nap.  When I was in the kitchen getting Brian’s lunch ready and he was in the family room eating his breakfast of toast and fried eggs, she came in and sat on the counter.  I told her that daddy had eggs, which she’s always enjoyed.  I took out a little plate to him and he cut up a good portion of the yolk and gave it to her.  It took her a little while, but she polished it off.  Then she went into the bathroom for some water, I cleaned out the crock and filled it with fresh water, she drank, then came back and climbed up into the catcam chair, where she’s sleeping soundly right now.

All the kitties are back with us.  The circle is once again complete.

      Friday, March 31, 2006


catstuff
10:32 AM - 03/31/2006

The topic: Ciara
----------------------------------------------

She’s still not right.  Yesterday, she had a really hard time walking, was putting almost no weight at all on her front right paw.  I gently squeezed the leg all the way to the hip and the only time she showed any discomfort was on the paw itself.   None of the joints seemed to affect her.  And her back right leg is still not strong, either.

I’m expecting a potential new gardener today and I don’t know when he’ll be here, otherwise I’d have made a doctor’s appointment for her.  I did call and was told I could just drop her off, but I can’t do that until the potential gardener leaves.

On the positive side, she’s got a great appetite.  She ate a jar of babyfood last night and another this morning.  A couple of hours later I gave her some Fancy Feast and she ate some of that, then jumped down from her chair and went pee in one litterbox, then climbed into the other and pooped.  And it looked normal.

Her walking was better, but she’s still in pain.  I’m thinking I’ll just give her some heavy duty supportive care this weekend and if she’s not doing better Monday, take her to the vet.  If anything was broken, she’d be putting no weight on it.   Whatever it is, comes and goes.  I’m thinking about a sprain or pulled muscle more than anything really serious, because rest is helping her.

Oh, I will be so happy when there are no unwell cats in this house.

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lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities.

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