A coworker pointed out yesterday morning that one of my headlights was out. Damn! Since I don’t (yet!) have a personal secretary, this meant that I had to put on my Big Girl Pants and call repair shops myself. I hate, hate, hate making phone calls. Aieee!
That nasty little job is done now, though. If I did have a personal secretary, I could tell him to cross it off the list. Since I don’t, I’m going to have to do it myself. Right after I make myself a tasty adult beverage.
The cats have discovered the Amazing Cat TeeVee (AKA the patio windows). They spent most of the weekend out there, either napping or watching the birds and chipmunks.
(And, my photos are any indication, I never put my shoes away.)
Oh, and Harriet’s ear? Totally F-I-N-E. She made a big, fat liar out of me! Dr. Koch said he scoped and prodded and even tugged on the (supposedly) sore ear, but he couldn’t find anything wrong, and Harriet didn’t complain. And he’s right. She’s back to normal now. That ear sure was sore this morning, though. Weird!
All the flower seeds I planted, at least the ones that sprouted, were eaten one night by either bunnies or Mr. Groundhog. I’m going to have to replace them with mature plants or maybe with containers. So far, they’ve left the stuff in containers alone. The tomatoes are getting big, and so are the peppers I got from a coworker. The peppers I planted from seed are still really small, though, so I’m about to give up on them. Since the tomatoes still need to be thinned a bit, I may sacrifice the baby peppers to make more tomato space.
In other news, Harriet spent Friday at the vet. She was chewing her feet again and suddenly developed a sneeze and runny nose. I was afraid it was something contagious, but after spending the day observing her, the vet thinks it’s just allergies. He recommended putting her back on Benadryl, and if that doesn’t help, then Chlor-trimeton. If those don’t work, then we’ll try prescription antihistamines.
The Benadryl seems to be helping. She’s not chewing her feet and her sneezy, snotty nose has improved. But, now she’s developed what I think is a bad ear infection. One ear is super painful, and I can feel where it’s swollen, along her neck. Poor dog! She’s feeling too rotten to police the cats, so I know she has to be miserable. There’s not much to be done for it until I can call the vet tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we has sadcakes.
Speaking of the cats, they have finally decided that they’re in charge. They spent last night doing Indy 500 laps around the living room, chasing each other, while I was trying to watch TV. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they hadn’t kept cornering off the couch. Also, Henry has discovered the kitchen counter, and it doesn’t matter how many times I push her off, she bounces right back up. Ditto Polly with my computer desk. She jumps up, I push her off, and she bounces right back up again. They are nothing if not persistent. Alsoplustoo, cute. Very, very cute.
I know you are illiterate, because you were clearly unable to read the memo sent out on Thursday about noise in the department. Just because it’s Saturday, and just because there are only a few people here, does not mean that the noise from your contraband radio isn’t just as annoying as it would be on a regular workday.
Or maybe you’re just a selfish asshole?
In the past week, there have been the following posts:
1. Offer: Older black GSD x Chow who’s NOT good with other animals, and who is getting crankier with age. Why do people think it’s okay to pass off a potentially dangerous animal?
2. Offer: 7 year old male tuxedo cat, being rehomed because it keeps “getting on the new baby,” and the owner “doesn’t like it.” I can’t even imagine how that’s allowed to be a problem. Have they not considered restricting the cat’s range until the kid is a little older?
3. Offer: 2.5 year old timid male Beagle mix, being rehomed because the family doesn’t have enough time for him. I hope he does find a better home, but I just don’t understand why people get pets when they clearly don’t understand how much work they are.
4. Offer: MinPin x Beagle x Pug, good with kids and other animals. Owner does not have time for him.
5. Offer: Rainbow kittens! (Seriously. One is pink? I have no idea what that means.)
6. Offer: Female St. Bernard, very aggressive toward other animals. Again, why on earth does the owner think that it’s okay to pass off a (huge!) and potentially dangerous animal? (The woman getting rid of the St. Bernard is now looking for a smaller bed.)
7. Offer: Two Basset x Pomeranian x Dachshunds (male and female). They were Christmas presents that “got too big.” They were supposed to be 15 lbs, but are more like 50 lbs. Yes, that’s a huge difference, but what do people expect when they give mixed breed puppies as gifts? They should expect to be surprised.
The female has been spayed, but the male is intact. They are “too big to handle.” I expect the more accurate assessment would be that they are untrained and therefore hard to handle. Size has bupkis to do with it, if the dog has even a little bit of training.
8. Offer: 8 year old MinPin. She’s shy and apparently not good with kids.
I realize that crap happens, and I realize that people’s circumstances can change drastically. In those cases, people might have to rehome their pets. But if you’re getting rid of an animal because you underestimated how much of your time it would need, or if you “don’t like” its behavior (training and management, folks!), then you screwed up.
On the other hand, if you’re responsible and moderately clueful about evaluating temperament, this is one way to get a potentially awesome pet. God only knows what the true reasons are for these folks getting rid of their animals, and their loss could be your gain. I got Harriet from similar circumstances, and though she’s not anything like perfect, she’s been a wonderful dog.
And, lastly,
7. Wanted: “I’m looking for a good horse and a pony thanks…” And that was the entirety of the post. Good luck with that!
In my travels around the Interwebs yesterday, I came across an article about Shane MacGowan’s new teeth. The poor guy’s teeth were notorious for being crooked, rotten, and later on, largely missing.
Having recently broken a molar, and knowing just how painful that is, I cannot imagine what sort of agony he’s been in for most of his adult life. Thankfully, he’s finally gone and gotten new teeth. I don’t know if they’re implants or dentures, but whatever they are, they look (and probably feel) a million percent better.
And now, because I dearly loves me some Pogues, the video for Dirty Old Town. (Also, check out those teeth!)
I can’t believe how quickly the kittens have learned not to bite and scratch while playing. It only took a couple of days for them to get the idea, and a couple more for them to figure out that they can play with claws and teeth, as long as they are gentle. Even with all her claws out, Polly didn’t leave a single scratch on me. Good kitties!
To me, that stands for Terms of Service, but in this case, it’s Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. I had another appointment with a vascular surgeon today, to be evaluated for TOS. He said it’s not always easy to tell for sure whether or not you have it, as there’s no single, definitive test for it. He thinks I may have it, though, so he’s sending me to physical therapy. It won’t hurt, and it might help.
My first PT appointment is this Friday. Good times!
(And this is why I haven’t been doing much painting or doodling. I can’t, because after just a few minutes of writing/drawing/painting, my hand goes numb.)
I love the orange tabby patches on Henry’s back legs. The one on the other side is even bigger.
They like to sleep, curled up together, under an old wooden stool, under my desk. The stool has been used as a cat scratching post for years, a tradition started by Ms. Lea’s Isis and later carried on by Pandora and the rest of my cats. I think it’s funny that the kittens have adopted it as their own.
red paper boat 