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      Monday, June 02, 2014


otherstuff
06:33 AM - 06/02/2014

The topic: I’m sick. Meh.
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Since my twenties I've had flare ups in my bowel. It's not fun, but it only happens every few years. To the right of my left pelvic bone gets really, really tender. And sometimes it's so bad I can't walk upright, I walk hunched over. 

When we first got married I had such a bad flare-up I had Brian take me to Urgent Care. They couldn't find anything wrong. Ran some tests, took X-rays and nothing looked really bad. I told the doctor what usually helped was laxatives and OTC pain killers, like Excedrin. He said just keep using that combination if that's what worked. I asked my gynecologist about it at my next appointment with him and he said if it wasn't constant, then it wasn't something life threatening. Which was a load off of my mind.

I could feel the pain starting Saturday morning. It wasn't bad and we made it to the theater to see How To Train Your Dragon II. It wasn't really bad all day, but when I woke up yesterday morning, boy howdy, did it hurt. I ended up on the sofa all day. It was in the nineties outside and I was shivering under a blanket. I was so cold. Then during the evening, it was finally getting a little better. I spent the night on the sofa with about a thousand trips to the bathroom because I'd been drinking so much water. And it's amazing how much you can sleep when you don't feel good. I slept a bunch yesterday, then slept during the night. No tossing and turning, I was asleep. The body had to repair itself, I guess.

I'm feeling better this morning, but am still sore.

A shower will probably help a lot. Showers have a way of doing that.

      Tuesday, June 03, 2014


otherstuff
06:50 AM - 06/03/2014

The topic: We vote by mail
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This year, we never got around to filling in the ballots so we did that this morning and they'll be dropped off at a polling place sometime today.

And finally being fed up enough with the status quo, we voted for NO incumbents, we voted for NO Democrats or Republicans.  We really liked the idea of the few people on the ballot who had NONE as party affiliation.

We're just sick of the two party circus, how partisan it's become. Time to do away with this archaic but well-funded system.

Corporations are NOT people and people should be limited to how much they can donate. Letting anyone give as much as they want to anyone will skew the balance of ads. We have one guy on the ballot, a newcomer, a Republican, running for governor. Last week, when I went out to get the mail, his flyer was twice the size of all the others. It seems that every hour on television that I see an ad for him.

I knew immediately I wouldn't vote for him. "He's got too much money" I told Brian. Too much money for ads, well funded campaign coffers. And don't tell me there's not some sort of prid pro quo that goes along with that. 

And it's both parties. Neither one seems to have a conscience. (Come on, Obama helping out Monsanto? The manufacturers of GMO? That really bothers me and I voted for the man. Twice! I still consider him the lesser evil, but still...)

It's time to vote the bums out. Let them know we mean business. We're the citizens, they work for us, the ninety-eighty percenters, not big business and not the two percenters. Give us back our government. 

      Wednesday, June 04, 2014


catstuff
11:55 AM - 06/04/2014

The topic: It would appear the Rutin is working!
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I took Captain in this morning for a recheck. Knowing the procedure, the tech took him out of the carrier and took him into the back where he'd get an X-ray and the fluids drained from his chest.

While they were doing that, I chatted with our petsitter for a while and the owner of the clinic. 

The doctor came into the front and said "come back with me, I want you to see something". My heart dropped.

She said the X-ray looks good! And she showed me the side by side with the one taken last week. His lungs are clearing up! There was more dark space in this picture than the one last week. She said she was really happy to see this, she even double checked to make sure she had the right dates on them and sure enough, he's getting better. She drew a little less fluid off this time and she showed me the syringes with the fluid and it was really watery. She said this was good, this would make it easier for the body to reabsorb. 

And she said that even though he's breathing hard, he hadn't lost any weight! This was his third visit and between the first and second visit, he'd lost two pounds. 

This was all good news.

She said "so, we can try for two weeks until his next checkup, unless something happens". 

mail


catstuff
01:27 PM - 06/04/2014

The topic: Rocky news
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I had this all done yesterday then didn't see it. I guess I never finished it and when I didn't finish it, I didn't submit it and therefore, it wasn't there.

So.

Rocky has taken up residence in the garage. Not a problem, it's quiet out there, only two other kitties stay out there on a regular basis. Gracie Anne (Georgie's sister) and Autumn (or Belle or Honey or whatever she seems to respond to at the moment). He knows the cat door, how to go out, how to come in. And he also knows how to pull the flap toward him when it's set to "in" only. When he does this, he can get out. Uh, yeah. No. 

Instead of putting the baby gate an an angle in front of the door, which worked for keeping the resident cats from pulling this stunt, I placed the gate flat against the door at night. Rocky pulled the gate away from the door. And was able to pull the cat door in and get out. Fine. I'll show him. I put a thirty-two pound container of cat litter in front of the baby gate. Ball's in your court, Rocky.

House is quiet, watching television late, sound down, I hear noises in the garage. I go out to check. I'll be damned. I look at him. I look at the container of cat litter that's been pulled out over an inch from the gate. Yeah, he's workin' on it. He wants out.

I do something that really makes him unhappy. I get one of my Scaaats, one of those battery operated things that shoots a blast of air when the sensor is crossed, by cat or shadow. I aim it across the litter container.

I hear nothing for the rest of the night from the garage. The next day, I can't find Rocky. Doing a small search, I find him hiding behind a storage container. Scaat 1, Rocky 0. 

I coax him out of his hiding place. I show him he can still go outside, the air monster is gone. He went out when the door was propped open and even then was very, very cautious when he came back in. Air blast is not a fun thing for a kitty. Harmless, but not pleasant. I put the air in place for about a week and then didn't put it there any more. He realized this and tried to get out. Air turned back on. 

So, earlier this week I see him out an about during the day inside the house. He actually went out one of the sliding doors when it was held open for him. Okay, this is good. He was hanging out on the cement pad outside of the garage with the other cats on Monday, on the patio yesterday. This is good, the other cats aren't scared of him and no one is challenging him. This is very good.

Last night, I went to bed around eleven. Brian was watching Sin City on cable and I was just really tired (still recuperating from the weekend flareup). I woke up around 12:30 and just couldn't get back to sleep. I started thinking about the Disney shirts I've made that I'm going to try selling in my online store later this summer. After an hour of just laying there, thinking, I got up and went into the family room. Laid down on the loveseat since the sofa was covered in cats. Played Candy Crush until I ran out of lives. Turned off the tablet and tried getting back to sleep.

I think I'd just nodded off when I heard scratching. You know what that's like. You hear a noise that wakes you up and you just lay there, listening, trying to figure out what it is. Was it a cat in the litterbox? Didn't sound like that, it went on too long. It almost sounded like Lorelei when she used to scratch at the screen doors. It went on long enough that I got up to check it out. So did Brian, who had been sleeping in the bedroom. 

Rocky! Rocky was at the screen door in the living room, scratching at it trying to get out. I told him "nice try, buddy, but cats do not go out at night, best you learn that" and I shut the patio door. Rocky went back into the garage and I went to bed.

I'm really tired.


entertainmentstuff
01:56 PM - 06/04/2014

The topic: Advance screening: How to Train Your Dragon II
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Go see it! 

Okay, I guess I should elaborate.

We saw this past Saturday morning at a theater in Clairemont Square, our first time at this movie house. Nice place. Surprisingly, the line wasn't really long when we got there and it wasn't really all that long when we got in. 

I loved this movie. It had been a while since I'd seen the first one, but I quickly became reacquainted with the players. And I quickly became caught up in the story. 

It's not a spoiler to say that Hiccup meets his mother. He finds out why she left. And it becomes obvious which side of the parental unit Hiccup takes after. And it's really hard to say much more than that without giving away the movie.

Suffice it to say that it took two days for my eyes to stop burning from all of the emotional crying I did. No kidding. Sad tears, happy tears. 

There were some dark parts and some of the dragons were scary, but it wasn't their fault, it was a very, very bad man who was trying to control all of the dragons through fear and intimidation. 

I found this sequel to be better than the original.

We give it a bunch of paws up.

And see it in 3D. And I'd say bring tissues, but it's hard to wipe your eyes when you've got two sets of glasses on.

      Thursday, June 05, 2014


dreamstuff
07:25 AM - 06/05/2014

The topic: When I woke up this morning
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I'd been dreaming that we were in a hotel. I don't know what hotel, but it was one we'd been in before (in my dream). 

I was getting into the shower and I was annoyed that the maid service never got the shower curtains right. You know, the double curtains, one hangs outside and one hangs inside so the water stays in the tub. 

The inner curtain was an opaque white, the outer curtain was clear with black geometric designs, something like out of the fifties. And before I could shower, I always had to fix the shower curtain and I was planning on mentioning the problems with the curtains to management.

When I woke up, one of the first things I said to Brian was to ask if he recognized this shower curtain pattern.

Great. Now I'm neurotic in my dreams.

throwup

And can you believe that I just realized I'm over on Google looking for that shower curtain? I have better things to do with my time. 

      Friday, June 06, 2014


catstuff
10:23 AM - 06/06/2014

The topic: So, yay, I don’t need to go anywhere today!
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After the movies and shopping and the vet, the rest of the week is clear.

Or so I thought yesterday.

Wednesday, Mario threw up a furball. Common at this time of the year, they'll go out into the backyard, nom on some grass and bring up some fur that's been ingested during grooming. Happens all the time. 

Yesterday, Mario starts to hack. I figure maybe his throat is sore from the hairball removal process. Another common event. He did it all through the day. Then I did something I shouldn't have done.

I googled his symptom. Just the one. The hacking. I shouldn't have done this.

This morning, he seemed bright and cheerful. I heard no hacking, no coughing. Cool, he's getting better. He slept for an hour or so and when he woke up, the hacking ensued. And it got (to my ears, anyway) progressively worse. Remembering my foray into finding an answer as to why my cat is hacking, I called the vet and made an appointment for this afternoon. No problem, I'm sure he'll be alright.

"After all", I said to myself  "it doesn't bother him when he's sleeping, so I'm sure he'll be okay". 

He laid in his box to take a nap. It took him forever (it seemed) to lay down. And he was only down for five minutes when he stood back up and started hacking again.

I called the vet. "Can you get me in sooner?"

Yeah, at 9:40.  Ten minutes! I said "I'll get dressed".

Which meant get into jeans and sandals and slip a bra on. Forget combing the hair, it's in a bun, it will be okay.

Then I made the second mistake of the day. I brought the carrier to the cat. He ran.

This cat is not in imminent danger of passing away. Not if you go by the evasive actions he took. I finally got him, got him into the carrier and into the car. And off we went.

The vet couldn't get him to cough. She took an X-ray and he looked "beautiful".  There's nothing wrong with him. 

She did send home something soothing for his throat. She said he might like it, he might not. If he doesn't, don't make him take it.

It cost me $160.00 to find out I didn't need to leave the house today. But I know that Mario is okay.

      Sunday, June 08, 2014


entertainmentstuff
08:28 AM - 06/08/2014

The topic: And once again….
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We're shaking our heads about a movie. This time it's the "Wolf of Wall Street". 

I told Brian when it got here that it was three hours long. Well, no, two hours and fifty-eight minutes long. We had to find the right time to watch it, starting it at eight or after wouldn't work, since one of us (me! me!) would be snoring inside an hour and a half. That's just how I roll!

We had dinner (salad with a shredded chicken breast I'd cooked up with barbeque sauce) and then we started to watch the movie.

Okay. I get it. He was a dirtbag. He liked drugs. He liked sex. He did illegal stuff. I get it. Quit beating me over the head with it, I've got it, okay?

Two hours in to the movie Brian left the theater. ("I can't watch this anymore, I'm going to bed.") I tell him I'll just stop it and watch it later because I want to see this jackass get his comeuppance. Bored with watching the movie, I'd been playing on my tablet and checked the Wiki where he did finally get nailed. So I know this will happen, which gives me hope. *lol*

To the point where we'd watched it, there were no sympathetic characters any longer (I felt bad for his first wife, but she was long gone two hours in). It's hard to watch a movie when you have nothing (but time) invested in it. 

And once again, this is a movie that was nominated for Oscars.

I just don't get it. 

Like Brian said if he made a movie, at the end, he'd want people to want more, not be glad it was over.

      Monday, June 09, 2014


catstuff
10:23 AM - 06/09/2014

The topic: Mario is back to normal
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I haven't heard him hack at all today and last night he was with us in the living room and he slept with me last night.

I did give him the meds a couple times over the weekend and they seemed to help him swallow.

As I said, back to normal. 

Yay!

      Tuesday, June 10, 2014


otherstuff
11:28 AM - 06/10/2014

The topic: After the crappy way I felt last week
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I started feeling better towards the end of the week and the cramps have gone away.

But Friday and Saturday I felt like I had caught a cold. Tired, achy, headache, upset stomach. I wouldn't be surprised since I hardly ever leave the house except to go to CostCo. Last week we went to two movies, Words and Pictures and The Edge of Tomorrow (both of which I need to review).

And something else, I had a bump on my neck. A little bump, I thought it was a pimple, although I've never in all of my life had a pimple on my neck. Of course I picked at it. Isn't that what you do with the odd zit? But it didn't go away like a zit, it stayed. For days. I started wiping it down with rubbing alcohol and put my glasses on and took a closer look.

There were two bumps, not just the one. Right next to one another.

Frack. Bug bites. Which is probably why I hadn't been feeling well. 

So, I started putting this stuff on that Brian got years ago at the chiropractor's for bug bites and stings. Stinks something awful, but since I've been using it, the bumps are going away.

I mentioned these to Brian and wouldn't you know it? He has two of the same on his arm. 

Stupid bugs.


entertainmentstuff
03:05 PM - 06/10/2014

The topic: Advance screening ruh row…
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A couple of weeks ago I got a message that there were passes for the movie Jersey Boys via the Red Hat Society. I followed the links, signed up for the passes, but when it came to the page that had them to be printed, there was only one pass per person. I never printed it since I'm not going alone. And I'm not going to fudge and sign up with a different email account, it wasn't that important.

Today I get an email from gofobo.com letting me know that the pass I didn't print out ) which they have no way of knowing) was no good since this offer was only for members of the Red Hat Society. All passes that non-members had were voided and would not get the holder into the theater.

That's okay wit' me.

      Wednesday, June 11, 2014


catstuff
08:46 AM - 06/11/2014

The topic: Just heard a cat fight
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At the back of the yard, behind Brian's shop. Brian goes to the left, I go to the right to see who's fighting. 

No one. I see Pancho at the top of the fence, hanging from the top, looking over.  Brian saw Spot on top of the stuff that's stacked against the fence at the side of the shop, looking over the fence. (Remember, our fence has been modified so it's really hard for a cat inside to go outside, unless there's something the cat can climb and jump over, like a tree or a tractor.)

The cat fight wasn't in our yard. But we had a couple of interested observers. I asked Pancho what was going on and he told me. I didn't understand a meow he said, but I pretended I was interested. I learned how to do that when Brian started explaining things to me about the hydraulics he works on.

These guys are so funny.


catstuff
11:40 AM - 06/11/2014

The topic: A day of firsts
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Two of them.

When I woke up, I was facing the outside of the bed. Mario was next to my face, which isn't new. But there was a cat snugged up against my back. I asked Brian who it was. I couldn't tell from feeling the fur. 

It was Charlie. This was the first time he's slept at the top of the bed, even against one of us.

Then just a few minutes ago, I heard scratching at one of the screen doors. This is usually Lorelei. I got up to check and it was Rocky in the living room. He wanted to go outside. I got up, went out the office door the patio and opened the door for him. He jetted out, to the left in front of the office. Then he rushed to under the tractor. Then it was down by the pool, where he took residence in the wooden thing we used to have out front to protect the food from the weather.  It has a floor, a roof and a back, that's it. A little shelter. 

I have to go look up into the sky to see if there are any flying pigs.


catstuff
07:01 PM - 06/11/2014

The topic: Breakthrough with Rocky
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There was the entry this morning about Rocky cruising the yard well after the household was up and running for the day. After I posted about him down by the pool, I came inside to grab the camera. Alas, he'd moved on by the time I got back outside. And he wasn't in the house. He'd gone (Twilight Zone music here) invisible. As cats are known to do.

Anyway, an hour or so later I went out to look for him and saw him coming out of the cathouse on the bank. He sat in the ferns below and looked so adorable I had to run in the house to grab the camera. And by the time I was back outside, you guessed it. He was (cue TZ music) invisible again. Or was he?

click for bigger photo

 

AHA! The mystery is solved! He's not invisible, he's in a fernhole!

 

 
Well, that video doesn't show a lot, but if you go full screen and look really close, you can see his whiskers. But here's a better look at his highness....
 
click for a bigger photo

If you click on the photos, you'll be taken to my photo album. And when you click on the photo there, you'll get the full sized image.  Check out the bottom photo in full sized. Awesome looking cat. Absolutely beautiful blue eyes.


catstuff
07:33 PM - 06/11/2014

The topic: When I had Mario at the vet’s last week
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I was putting him back in the carrier and talking to him. The vet tech started laughing and told me she'd never heard a cat called by that name.

I'd called him "Martian". Which is long for "Mars".  Which is short for "Mario".  And Martian is easier to say than Mario.  Two syllables versus three. 

And he is my little Martian.

      Saturday, June 14, 2014


dreamstuff
07:03 AM - 06/14/2014

The topic: You know how sometimes you only remember pieces of dreams?
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From last night, I remember my bestie Jolene singing all the words to the opening song from Orange is the New Black  (Netflix). 

I was amazed because I had no idea she watched the show. 

I was highly annoyed because I really don't like that song. It got old really quick and I now  mute the opening credits of the show.

As I looked at her singing, both of these emotions were visible. 

The irritated look stayed.

Dreams are funny things.


catstuff
07:08 AM - 06/14/2014

The topic: I haven’t mentioned Captain in a while
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So here's a little update.

He's still on the Rutin (probably will be for a long, long time, if he ever gets off of it). He's been on it for three weeks now.

Last night I timed his breaths per minute.

Thirty-one.

THIRTY-ONE!

It's dropping! The last time I wrote about it it was between thirty-five and forty-three. 


catstuff
08:51 AM - 06/14/2014

The topic: Opie update
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Remember Opie's dental being the start of my weekly visits to the vet's office?  And all of Opie's teeth were pulled because of stomatitis (his immune system was attacking his teeth)? And how he had such a hard time recuperating and how he wouldn't let me medicate him to help him out?

Well, he's doing great. He's back in bed with us, he's putting on weight and he's playing again! Something he hadn't done in a long, long time, because of the chronic pain in his mouth. He mostly slept. 

Yesterday I watched fly across the lawn and up onto the top of the swing and he's running through the house this morning like a kitten.

Yeah, he's doing a lot better.


craftstuff
09:03 AM - 06/14/2014

The topic: For this weekend….
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I'm going to make this  for my vet's office. Isn't it sweet?

I love how all of the various kits used to make this are listed. I printed out the list and compared it to the kits I had, checked off the materials needed and ordered the stuff I didn't have from Amazon (really? they have acrylic sheets I can cut with my Silhouette? cool!).

I was a little confused in the kit listing for the BASIC SHAPES LIBRARY. I searched all of my files and didn't see where I had this. Then I searched the SVGCuts website and didn't find them. I was getting kind of frustrated. Then it dawned on me.

It's a setting on the Silhouette, all I have to do is choose the shape and make it the size needed. There's nothing special about cutting out a rectangle or circle. Der.

I've got everything I need, now all I need to do is choose the paper I need. For some reason, that takes me forever. Comparing this against that....

I'm excited!

      Tuesday, June 17, 2014


catstuff
11:46 AM - 06/17/2014

The topic: Captain update
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Back from the vet with Cappy. He's certainly feeling more perky, he decided he didn't want to go for a car ride today and we played hide and seek for about ten minutes. Although he hid, I could see his tail so it was more like playing tag.

So far, so good. His lungs are opening up more and today the doctor wasn't able to get anything out of them! Yay! So the Rutin is working.

He'd lost a little weight, but she said that could be bowel movement weight, so he's holding steady there. 

His next recheck will be in three weeks.

Yay!

      Thursday, June 19, 2014


otherstuff
08:44 PM - 06/19/2014

The topic: My boring life
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So far this month one of my friends bought a new house, one bought a new car and another couple are in Europe following the Rolling Stones.

And here I sit, painting on fabric with a toothpick.

*sigh*

      Friday, June 20, 2014


craftstuff
03:53 PM - 06/20/2014

The topic: My boring life cont’d
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This is what I was painting with a toothpick. Remember, clicking on a picture will take you to a bigger photo and when you click on the bigger photo you'll see an even BIGGER photo!

 

The glitter around the trees was painted using a toothpick.

 

More toothpick painting in the lettering:

I made shirts before from this photo. I made one for Brian and one for me. On mine, I added highlights to the shirt. We always get comments about how nice they are and were did we get them. So, I also made a tiny little logo that I pressed with my hat press onto the left sleeve hem. Which I'll probably start doing with my shirts from here on out.

And this time I put the print on the front on the women's shirt.

They turned out nicely, I think.

 

 

      Wednesday, June 25, 2014


disneystuff
09:40 AM - 06/25/2014

The topic: Hey, there! Hi, there! Ho, there!
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Yeah, remember that from the Mickey Mouse Club? In black and white, after school, sitting in front of the tv? Yeah, me, neither. (I lie, I remember, I had the hugest crush on Moochie from Spin and Marty.)

We went up to the resort on Sunday, got out of here by 8:30 that morning, home by 6:00 that night. We had Del Taco for breakfast (the one by Flakey Jakes) - eating at Del Taco is cheap and helps not spend so much money over at Disneyland on food, met up with our friends there, then headed over to the parking lot on Harbor. Brian said he prefers that to the structure now because there's not as much walking to the bus stops as there is to the tram area at the structure. Plus the buses are fun to ride.

There were just three of us and it was pretty laid back. We went on five attractions. First was the Monorail, then Innoventions. From there we went over to California Adventure where we rode the Trolley for the very first time, checked out It's Tough to be a Bug and  then went on Soarin' Over California. The lines weren't really long and it didn't seem overly crowded.

We aren't invited for the next month and a half (cheap passes). We've actually been doing pretty good with these passes. When we had the Premium (when we could afford the Premium), it would be months that we didn't go. What a waste that was. But with Brian being so busy, unless we leave town, he doesn't get a break from work. 

It's up in the air as to if we'll renew these passes. They aren't available to the public any longer, you can only get them (renew) if you've already got them. One of the reasons the parks are so crowded now is because of annual passholders. Obviously raising the prices hasn't helped much, so now they're doing away with the less expensive passes that allow Sunday entry. Well, if they really want to cut back on the amount of annual passes, quit providing monthly payment options. That's when it got crazy. 

Oh, well.

 At least it's not adversely affecting our Disney stock (one of the few smart things we got during the grasshopper days). And it makes me ill to see how well it's doing now, after I had to sell half of what we had just to survive these past few years. You know, before it was doing so well. 

First world problems, right?


catstuff
09:57 AM - 06/25/2014

The topic: Okay, Spot, you win.
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Tired of trying to get him in at night, or getting him in and he jets out when a door is opened, last night, for the very first time in years and years, all of the cats weren't in when we went to bed.

And I didn't even care. 

All of the cats except DaNiece were in, I chased her in the garage cat door, then went in the laundry room door, where Spot was waiting. He dashed out. 

Fine. Stay out. Which was pretty easy for me to say because he's a heavy cat and I know he wouldn't be able to do the necessary acrobatics to somehow find his way out of the yard. If it was another cat, say Charlie, I wouldn't sleep until he was in.

And because of Rocky, that cat door in the garage is completely blocked when all of the cats are in. And last night was no exception. Well, except Spot was still out.

Guess who came flying in this morning when I opened the sliding door at four? Yep, Spot. He proceded to the bedroom, got a long drink of water and got into bed next to Brian.

And I had a great night's sleep.

I'll be curious if he pulls the same thing tonight.

      Thursday, June 26, 2014


craftstuff
08:23 AM - 06/26/2014

The topic: Well, I didn’t make that aquarium
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For the vet's office. I will. I really will. I'd probably have done it if picking out the paper wasn't so overwhelming. You know, so many crafters know exactly what they're going to use when they create a project. Not me. I see the project, drool, purchase, then hit a wall when I have to go through all of the paper pads I've purchased through the years, or the paper stacks, and find the right stuff. So much easier to just buy and add to my stash. 

And then I got sidetracked making those shirts. That took a half of a week to do.

The aquarium is still on the to do list, for sure. 

And then, SVGCuts has to go put out a preview of their next kit. It isn't out yet, but soon. I'm absolutely drooling over it. Here's their preview - well, darn it, it's on FaceBook, not YouTube and I can't share. Boo! If you're on FaceBook, check out their wall for the video.

But it's a replica of the houses you see in the opening credits of the television series "Full House". And Mary has made it so that you can put flameless tea lights in it and turn them on when it's dark. And that's just one of the five 3D projects in the new kit. Which isn't out yet. Hopefully by the end of the week.

I can hardly wait. 

I have another couple of projects I really need to get done, so the aquarium will have to wait. 

But I'll share when I'm finished, I promise.


catstuff
08:43 AM - 06/26/2014

The topic: You can always tell
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That we have a cat that's not doing well by the various foods in the refrigerator. Georgie has kidney problems, he's twenty years old and he's winding down. And I hate it. He's been getting twice weekly fluids for a while now, but I don't think that's helping him as much as it did. So, I'm stepping it up to daily. Half in the morning, half in the evening, just to make sure he stays hydrated. I know it won't stop the inevitable, but it might put it off a little longer. Thinking back to Mickey, how he crashed and badly, the vet didn't give us much hope but frequent administration of subQ fluids did wonders for him. It was the cancer growing in his mouth that ended his stay.

He's not eating a lot, which is why there is a bowl full of pureed Hill's kidney diet (to which I added water), a bowl of meat baby food, and a bowl of some new tasty kitty treat food. Anything to keep him eating. And he does eat. About three bites at a time, then he walks away, thinks about it and turns around and eats about three more bites. Repeat. Over and over. We can't just leave him with the food and walk away because in no time at all, one of the other guys will be up there finishing what Georgie didn't. I can't say as I blame them, the fare around here probably does get boring. 

Aw, the joys of an aging population.

This is one of the hard parts. But we do the best we can and when we can't do any longer, we do what has to be done. The hardest choice, but we take comfort knowing we did our best. 


entertainmentstuff
09:05 AM - 06/26/2014

The topic: Movies! We see movies!
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Well, we were seeing movies. For some reason, the notifications stopped. So, I started adding them myself. I think whoever added them from the San Diego area was on vacation. (I'm pretty sure this stuff is all done by volunteers.) The links were checked out and added to the advancescreenings website.

But the movie invite drought is over!

We have passes to see "Begin Again" and "The Purge: Anarchy". I was kind of surprised that Brian showed interest in The Purge, but he's seen the previews. And I think getting away for a couple of hours is good for him. Otherwise, he's physically working or helping people on the internet (he has an awesome reputation) or watching re-runs of The Big Bang Theory on TBS. A precursor to the shutting of the eyes and dozing off, then to bed.

Here are the previews, first one is "Begin Again":

 

 
 
 
And here is the preview for The Purge: Anarchy:
 
 
 
First one looks really good, the second might be a little intense. shade_smile

otherstuff
09:17 AM - 06/26/2014

The topic: I’m behind in paperwork again
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Just damn. I try so hard to keep up, then I slack off for one day. Then it's two days. And here I am, a week and a half behind. It will probably take a couple of hours to catch up, so why don't I do it?

Meh.

I guess I should. Finish printing one of the instruction sheets Brian sends with his shipments, then take a shower, get my butt back in here and catch up with my paperwork. 

*sigh* 

And I was doing such a good job....


otherstuff
09:19 AM - 06/26/2014

The topic: Did you ever go to the old Woot! website?
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Before it was sold to Amazon? It was so much more fun then. Okay, I got my Kindle when Amazon bought it, I think it was the first offering as an Amazon company.  A Kindle 2 (I don't think they have them with the little keyboard anymore and I know the new eReaders don't use the Whisper technology, which doesn't use Wi-Fi, but 3G). They'd dropped the price twenty bucks for this sale. 

And they did have a lot of stuff that wasn't available previously. But.

The Woot! offs sucked. The Bags of Crap took a dump. They weren't fun, they were generic and when compared, everybody pretty much got the same thing. I quit watching the Woot! offs. I actually quit going to the website to see what they had. I didn't care. I have liked their page on FaceBook and that's when I got my last BoC. I was the first one in line and I have to say, someone did some research, because I got some things I'd posted about wanting in past Woot offs, like the battery operated fly swatter (and mosquito swatter). I find it very relaxing to grab the swatter in the morning and go through the house and end the miserable existence of mosquitoes and flies, the ones that are hanging out against the screens. 

Anyway, I guess there's a Woot! off going on now and there was an entry on FB about the BoC. And I was checking out some of the comments and one of them mentioned that the previous owner, the man who started the original Woot! website, is doing it again. This time the website is http://www.meh.com. It hasn't gone live yet, but there was a kickstarter page, you know, where you help fund startups and ideas? And there were various options for donations. Five of them were sold out, but no problem, I didn't need a personal or commercial day on Woot! I just wanted that BoC (now known as a Fukubukuru). So, I joined Kickstarter, donated ten bucks and I'm getting one! They're all gone now, but I'm pretty jazzed about the idea of a new deal of the day website. 

And I wonder why I'm not getting my paperwork done...oh, look, something shiny!


otherstuff
09:47 AM - 06/26/2014

The topic: I just have to share….
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Last Saturday I did eight loads of laundry (unheard of with the old machines). Two of those were a redo of the first one. Six throw rugs (four of them runner style) was too much, so I rewashed them, three each load. It surprises me that the dryer is so important in this since it gets a lot of fluff and debris out that doesn't come out in the wash - lots of dust in the lint catcher.

Anyway, within the last few months, there have been a few posts on FaceBook about do it yourself (DIY) laundry detergent. And curious, I finally made one of them. This one has no grating at all.

The laundry came out much softer than with my previous detergent. And this is pretty easy to make and extremely cost effective. 

Homemade laundry soap with Dawn

I give this a bunch of paws up. 


catstuff
03:23 PM - 06/26/2014

The topic: We’ll probably be saying goodbye to Captain tomorrow
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Concerned about his breathing, I called this morning and made an appointment for this afternoon. I just got back from the vet's office. 

Xrays were taken and she couldn't see anything. She drew fluid out of his lungs, which she showed me. Pink. Very, very pink. It looked like strawberry Quik.  And there was a lot. She had weighed him before the fluid draw and again after. She pulled off over a half of a pound. She told me she'd never gotten this much fluid from a cat who wasn't blue (no oxygen, I guess).

We made an appointment for tomorrow morning and if he's gotten really bad overnight, we'll be saying goodbye. 

She said what may have happened is with the lungs opening up with the fluid being reabsorbed after the Rutin, that it's quite possible the suspected cancer or tumor said "wow, look at all of this room I have to grow".  And it grew.

I really wish I was optimistic about his chances, but I'm not. Stuff just doesn't work that way.

I'm going to go take his picture now. I'll take a bunch. And I think I'm going to cry.

      Friday, June 27, 2014


catstuff
07:51 AM - 06/27/2014

The topic: Cappy
----------------------------------------------

I don't know what to think. He's doing SO much better this morning. 

When I brought him home yesterday, he hid from me. He didn't want me touching him. He just looked horrible. But as the evening wore on, he quit hiding and didn't mind being petted. And he ate. 

This morning, he was sleeping in the window and even played with my fingers a little. He purred. He got up and ate kibble. A while later I saw him on the patio, eating the kibble I toss out in the morning (I fail to understand why the cats seem to prefer the exact same kibble that fills the feeders when it's tossed out onto the patio). 

Then? He was loving on his blankie. I' m sure many of you have known a kitty who grabs up a piece of cloth in his mouth, starts to knead and purr and do some sort of nasty dance with it. Well, Captain is doing that this morning. He's done it twice that I know of. He hasn't done that in weeks. I'm taking videos of him. I've had to change the camera batteries twice since yesterday afternoon.

So, he's feeling much better. Will today be the day? Watching him right now, I can't see it happening. 

Like Brian said, his time won't be long with us, but maybe it won't be today. 

I sure hope not.


entertainmentstuff
07:59 AM - 06/27/2014

The topic: Advance screening movie venues
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I wonder who chooses these. The one last night for Begin Again was a bad bad idea and I'll be interested to see if they use it again. The reason?

Downtown San Diego with no street parking. Well, wait, there's street parking,  but there's a two hour limit on that. With these advanced screenings, you're supposed to be there an hour early. So, we show up at six, movie starts at seven, takes two hours, we're out of there in a little over three hours. At a parking lot you'd pay for four hours. Because they round up.

So, we're talking four hours of parking. The lot where Brian pulled into charged ten bucks an hour. 

Forty dollars to park? For a free movie? Pay for parking when we don't even pay for food at the theater and we bring our own water? Now I understood why there were only ten or fifteen people in the line next to the theater. At the other places we've gone, there's always at least fifty or so already there an hour before the movie starts, usually many more.

We'll pass, thank you, very much.

We came home. Which was okay because I got to spend time watching Captain.


catstuff
09:42 AM - 06/27/2014

The topic: We’re back from the vet.
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And so is Captain.

He'd gained a couple of ounces from yesterday, because he ate or because of fluid, we're not sure. But his lungs are looking better than they did ten days ago.

The thing is that there is something growing in his lungs, so it's just a matter of time, maybe not much. It's no life to have so much pressure in your lungs that you can't breathe, then you get put in a box, taken for a ride and have a needle shoved into your chest. It takes its toll.

So, at least we have the weekend.

We'll take it.


catstuff
12:30 PM - 06/27/2014

The topic: When taking videos last night
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I had a little pleasant surprise. Sammy, who is a sibling of Richie, Opie, Autumn and DaNiece, spends most of his time on the futon in the living room. He doesn't mix too often with the other cats. And I've never seen Joey show any kind of interest in the other cats. Sometimes he'll be sleeping in the living room with his sister, Phoebe and sometimes Monica, but other than that, he keeps to himself.

This was last night. It made me smile on a sad day.

 

      Saturday, June 28, 2014


catstuff
11:32 AM - 06/28/2014

The topic: I know it’s going to happen
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It starts from the minute we're born. The end of life.

I just wish the knowing brought with it the acceptance and the pain wasn't so intense.

We're losing George. He's had kidney disease for years now and it seems the past few months, his body is just let go. This past week was bad, the past couple of days it's become obvious it won't be long. He's been getting weaker and weaker, eating less and less. 

He crashed last night. He's the same today.

He's twenty years old, we've had him since he was a wee baby, bottle feeding and all. He's had a good life. 

But right now, that doesn't make me feel any better.

And Captain's breathing is more labored again. It won't be long for him, either.

I hate this part. The knowing the end is near.

      Sunday, June 29, 2014


catstuff
09:52 AM - 06/29/2014

The topic: Georgie is doing a little better this morning
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I think I've figured out why he crashed so badly. He's not eating. He got picky last week (remember my entry about the food in the fridge?) From what I've read online (and remembering back to the day we said goodbye to Benny, when the vet mentioned the ulcers in his mouth, one of the things that happens to cats in kidney failure) I believe Georgie has these ulcers in his mouth (and probably elsewhere in his system). When I was watching him try to swallow, I thought back to Mario earlier this month when I took him to the vet. Mario was fine in a couple of days, but I still have the medicine the doctor prescribed. I wondered if this med might help George. So, I did the Google search to see if it would hurt him.

The news was it was actually beneficial for a cat in kidney failure. The drug is Sulfacrate. I started giving what's left to George yesterday morning. And I started to syringe some A/D into him. I know he doesn't have long with us, I'm under no illusion that he's going to beat this disease. But if I can help him feel a little better as he declines, I'll do it. 

Yesterday morning, he was barely responding to me. He just laid on the throw rug in the family room, staring ahead. He wouldn't set his head down, and he wouldn't sleep. The only interest he showed in any of the multitudes of food I placed before him was the tuna. And he wanted the liquid, not the fish. He lapped it up quite eagerly. And finally, yesterday afternoon, he took a couple of very short naps.  Last evening, I gave him more fluids.

This morning he's more alert. I boiled up a chicken breast and he was very interested in the little teeny tiny pieces I gave him, but they were getting caught in the back of his mouth (I've noticed that in the past that when cats have mouth problems, when they chew it sounds like chewing on a rubber band, that squishy, smooshy sound). A while later I syringed some watered down, warmed up A/D into his mouth. He wasn't appreciative of this and I hated doing it, but he needs nourishment.  His eyes look better and he's not just laying in one spot, but cruising the house a little. He's even more hydrated than he's been for the past few days.

 About an hour ago he went out through the door in the garage and made his way to the backyard. He was under the swing for a while (I'm just letting him be, not bothering him). I watched him stand up and walk down by the pool. Uh....no. I watched as he walked to the far side and I could tell he wanted to get a drink. Uh....definitely no. I walked down there and told him I'd prefer if he came over to the steps to drink. And he actually responded, coming over to me. Then he started to go to the other side of the pool and I just picked him up and brought him back to the patio.

Right now, he's by the tractor, laying in the cool grass. When I walk by him, he turns his head to watch my progress. 

I know the end is near. I'm not kidding myself about his progress. 

Tomorrow I'll ask the vet about more sulfracrate. I don't want to bring him in, I don't want a bunch of tests run on him. There's really no reason. I just want him to be more comfortable until it's his time.

I've got some video I took of him last week. I've got video of him yesterday. And I know when he's no longer around, I'll watch the video when I start to second guess myself. Because it always happens that way. And I know it will help the guilt that comes with making that final, permanent decision.


catstuff
10:48 AM - 06/29/2014

The topic: And we’ve made a decision on Captain
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He's breathing hard again today. He needs another chest tap. 

We'll have that done tomorrow and then, barring a miracle, that's the last one.  His chest is just filling up too quickly now. His last tap was Thursday afternoon. The cancer is winning.

We'll probably be saying goodbye to him by the end of the week. We're not okay with that, but it's in the best interest of Cappy.


catstuff
11:13 AM - 06/29/2014

The topic: Talking about the past
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Out of all of the pets, both dogs and cats, that we've had since we lived here, only one has died here at home.

Maggie Xuxa. A purebred Maine Coon. 


catstuff
02:49 PM - 06/29/2014

The topic: Just got back from the vet
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Georgie is gone. He just wasn't showing any improvement. 

He spent the morning in the yard, I would guess saying goodbye. We've had other cats do this, spend their last days outside. But his poor old body was just shutting down. Twenty years old is a great age for a cat. He's been in kidney failure for quite a while now and his body just couldn't fight it any longer.

He hadn't purred in days, but Brian got him to purr while waiting in the examining room. They had wrapped him in a towel with the catheter in his arm so we could say goodbye. 

He went quietly. He's at the Rainbow Bridge now.

I has a very deep sad.

Godspeed, Georgie Porgie Puddin' Pie, mommy's special little guy. You beat the odds when we got you and you've had a good long life.

We'll miss you terribly.

My heart hurts.

      Monday, June 30, 2014


otherstuff
07:09 AM - 06/30/2014

The topic: It was scary and I can’t make sense of it
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Yesterday, after we left the vet clinic and got back into the car, my mind slid. I have no other word for it, but it started going crazy.

You know how when you sleep you dream all kinds of things that make perfect sense when you're dreaming them, but when you wake up and if you remember any of what you dreamed, you're like "what the hell was that all about?"

That happened to me yesterday afternoon. It started on the drive home and lasted about an hour. I couldn't concentrate on anything, this garbage just kept bubbling up to the surface. Stuff that felt familiar, but not (which is why the dream analogy is the closest I can come to describing it).

I kept trying to push the weird stuff out of the way. None of it was a full thought, just bits and pieces of strangeness. Things just bubbling up and my waking mind was "where did that come from? What's going on? That makes no sense!" It was like I'd left reality. I've never had anything like this happen and I gotta tell ya, it was very frightening to me. I came back to the office and tried typing and my mind just kept slipping. I knew what I wanted to do, but it wasn't working.

I don't know if it was because I hadn't eaten much (one sweet potato pancake for breakfast and a couple of graham crackers),  probably a little dehydrated and of course, under a lot of stress over the past month (Captain), which hit a peak this weekend. I'd like that to be the reason because that's easily taken care of. I did have some more graham crackers and drank a good amount of water. 

I don't ever, ever, ever want it to happen again.


catstuff
09:59 AM - 06/30/2014

The topic: Back from the vet with Captain
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And it's not looking good. The vet wasn't able to get as much fluid out of his chest as she thinks is in there. The X-ray showed less of the lungs than before. Looks like the tumor is moving quickly.

Barring a miracle, it won't be long now. 

I really hate this part of pet guardianship. 

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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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