What I'm Up To...

I've been trying to make time for a few weeks to post something besides videos that make you smile, and somehow, writing keeps getting pushed to the "I'll-do-that-next" list.
In fact, I keep in touch with most of my friends by phone, on my 45 minute drive home from work, because that seems like the only free time I have, because once I get home, my other responsibilities take priority.

Not to say I don't waste (fritter, kill, procrastinate...) time. I do spend a lot of time blogging, emailing cat "clients" and sleeping half the day away on the weekend because I stay up too late during the week, so I end up only have 1 & 1/2 days off instead of 3!

So, what I've been up to since my last newsy post...

Helping care for 4 little kittens...well, my part entails weighing them twice a day, putting them through their paces with Early Neurological Stimulation and keeping the momcat well fed and happy.
Here's a link to their blog and also to info on ENS, which you might find interesting:
Furrydance Cattery Blog
Early Neurological Stimulation

Working 40 hours a week, not including 90 minutes of commute each day (which is when I get my phone calls done, lol). Sleeping about 5 hours a night during the week and about 10 hours a night and half the morning on the weekends (I need to change that routine, but it's always been an issue with me...if you could ask Mike, he'd agree, haha).

Taking time out to go to 2 "singer/songwriter" concerts at Jammin Java, a cozy little place that is a nice, small club about an hour from me. I saw Steve Forbert, and Pierce Pettis. I had a nice time both concerts, the first sitting with friends (parents of a girl I work with, lol) and the next time going alone but still enjoying the show as I had a nice little corner table and could people watch, too.

Gardening...yep, me who can't grow stuff that grows next to a freeway! The rain all week certainly helped the grass reseeding I did between the sidewalk and the curb in from of my house. While everyone else was complaining about it, I was happy :-) and watch the fuzzy new green stuff sprout up in the bare spots. Another week and I should be able to tell if it'll fill in or if I'll have to surreptitiously take plugs of grass from a "hidden embankment" and fill in the patches after all. Now if my neighbors can let their dogs piddle someplace else...I might have grass out front that doesn't look alopecic!

I also bought some red clover to plant in the backyard, in hopes of having a mowless lawn, but that just might be wishful thinking. I read about clover lawns and thought it would be at least worth once chance. I also purchased 3 hedge rosemary plants to replace two that died in my backyard. I have one variety that did great and is a bush now but the other two of a different kind, died. I love to use rosemary when I bbq and just lay the branches on the grill or put the twigs right on the coals after I have soaked them in water.



(no, that's not my hedge, but from this nice informative website
Mountain Valley Growers) 





Had the guy who did my drywall repairs after the cat-caused flood in August 08, come back and do some more work-minor repairs and painting and he is almost done (he does it in between his real job and family stuff, so he's not fast but he is good).
I splurged and bought some new light fixtures too, and am pleased with how nice they look.
Took my oldest kitty to the vet (just for his yearly exam) and then to the cardiologist because his grade I heart murmur had worsened to a grade IV and his BP was 244 over something. This new finding was a surprise as he was doing and looking great after being diagnosed with IBD and severe pancreatic abscesses a year ago.

  We started him on Norvasc, and it has helped, his BP is now normal and the murmur is down to a 2, and we have adjusted his meds for his IBD and I'll see how he does. He is sleeping more and has lost some weight this week, mostly because we stopped his Prednisolone til has heart exam and his arthritis and spondylosis was bothering him a lot. If he continues to not improve, I will be saddened to see him decline. Time will tell. 

Actually, Spot was Mike's cat, a Turkish Van--one of the kitties he and his ex raised, and you know how it is, love me--love my cat/dog/gecko etc, so Spot was part of the package when I let Mike into my life, just as my cats where to him. Somehow, when I nuzzle or smooch Spot, I'm telling Mike I am still taking care of his kitty... 

Was excited to find a home for Disco, my Sphnyx cat, with one of my co-workers, only to get him back 2 and 1/2 days later because they were both having anxiety issues and I couldn't see his new owner being able to handle letting the typical 2 weeks of adjusting to a new home it can take when an adult cat goes to a new home. Sigh.

But on the bright side, I have a woman from Connecticut who is coming down to visit another adult kitty I got back from a home because of behavior issues and he is doing well and ready to seek a new home.

On the down side, (yes, life is a rollercoaster) today I am getting a 4 year old cat back for the same reason (urinating outside the litter box) so I have another Rehab challenge on my hands, but I take on that responsibility when I bring cats into this world, to be there for them if anything goes wrong like this. I could talk on for hours about how I feel about irresponsible breeders, pets dumped in shelters and the satisfaction of success in rehoming a previously unhappy cat...but here's a link to my latest blog on Disco and Soze (I need to change his name! Bad voodoo there...how about Latte?)

Disco, Phone Home
Being Responsible

... and you know, the rest of the usual stuff-cleaning house, doing laundry (need to get to the ironing) and get the car washed, as it looks like I'm not going to find time to do it myself again this weekend! Oh, gotta watch a movie and some kind of favorite beverage or two...Hurricanes and Red Beans & Rice sound good!