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may 3, 1999 Geez, I sure hope this day gets better. I started working on the diary at 6:30, it's now two hours later. Access1 is upgrading their system and my connection kept getting disconnected. I tried faxing something to a company that keeps misapplying our payments (we have two accounts, I send one check and all the money gets applied to just one account, leaving the other past due) and the fax isn't working properly, there are big black streaks on the page. So, I had to clean that, then I talked to my mom.
Saturday, I felt human again. It was so nice. I really felt bad Friday, from the lack of sleep Thursday night. I took it easy and slept off and on throughout the day. And my tooth did ache, as I was warned it might, but nowhere near as badly as it did the week before. I fell asleep early Friday night and woke up rested Saturday morning. I started to clean. I washed the last couch cover, washed the hallways, the walls and the hall closet door, then started on the bedroom. Boy, the bedroom was awful. It had been so long since I had done a thorough cleaning of it. I dusted the top of the dresser (had to use a stepstool) and cleaned all of the dust catchers on top of it. I vacuumed and sprayed enzyme cleaner, I threw stuff out (the big Simba stuffed lion I had went out...the cats had peed on it so much there was no way I could ever make it right again :-(). I had "Titanic" on the tv, the east feed of HBO and I watched it off and on, as I dusted and cleaned the knick knacks in the bedroom. Then when it was over, I went to HBO west and watched again. I missed so much of it, even though I had it on twice. I'll have to watch it again. But people were right about the ending. The ship sank. I cleaned my bathroom, climbing into the tub and scrubbing with a sponge and SoftScrub. It was kind of hard to do because a couple of the cats go nuts for the smell of chlorine. I cleaned off the shower doors, had them spotless. I went into the kitchen and started on the extremely stained sink, cleaning it. I did the walls and the counters, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Once finished, I decided to treat myself to Taco Bell, went down, got the meal combo with the three taco supremes and a Dr. Pepper, came home and kicked up my feet. I couldn't yet take a shower, because I was still doing laundry. I waited until the last load was in the dryer before I got into the shower.
Brian got home at three yesterday afternoon. He was tired and had done all of the driving. He went through the house, saying hello to all of the kitties, picking them up and holding them. He really missed them. He unloaded the truck and I started doing laundry again. I still have more to do, but haven't gotten to it, yet. I guess I should, though. Back in a minute.
Well, it's been more than a minute, but I put my hair back, found different earrings, got a cup of coffee, now I have to put on my shoes and socks. I want to be ready for my dental appointment. Puke.
Blackie's training seems to be coming along. He now goes out to the garage to eat without any problems. I haven't found any poop in the house in three days (knock on wood). He still pees inside, but that might have something to do with his infection. At least I can tell which pee is his by the color and it also helps to know that there is alot of it. I'm really worried about cats blocking. When he gets up and starts to walk around the house, if I see him, I put him in the garage for about a half hour with the door shut. I figure that should be time enough for him to do what he has to do. Last night, Brian got a little upset because the other cats wanted in the garage. Then Bart sprayed on the wall next to the door. Bart sprays all over anyway, but Brian blamed it on the shut door. *sigh* I just got out the enzyme sprayer and started squirting the mark. I noticed yesterday that Blackie is a fast breather. I thought that maybe he was in pain, but then he stretched out and rolled over, showing his belly, completely relaxed. So, I don't think pain is a problem. The sore on his mouth looks better this morning. I can't help but worry about him. I told Brian that I feel that since he's been so through so much already, he should just be able to live out his life comfortably. Now, the mouth sore and the bloody urine. I know it hasn't even been a month and I know that we've made alot of progress. I just get so impatient for things to be better.
The other kitties are doing fine. Maggie's eyes looked a little off yesterday, but she looked okay this morning. Ciara is a little brat, she's into everything, makes me crazy. She won't eat her kitten food, but she loves to get into Georgie's prescription diet. And eating cat food other than what she's supposed to eat gives her bad gas and you pick her up and she farts. And it's a bad, foul smelling cat fart. I trimmed Rusty, Bart and Pepper's claws this weekend, those little points were starting to hurt when the kitties where kneading. Bobby is putting on weight, which is good. I fastened a small rectangular plastic bowl to his condo and now he can't kick it over. He nibbles during the day. He gets down when he's thirsty. We never had a problem with him drinking, just with eating. I also brushed him Saturday, got a lot of the loose winter fur off of him. He's not really a good self groomer anymore. I found Bart sleeping on the aluminum foil that I placed on the sofas in the living room to keep the cats off. Well, at least Blackie's not up there peeing and pooping. He knows that cats don't like aluminum foil. Bart's always been a little different anyway. Kirby has been super affectionate while I've been recuperating. He keeps me company and snuggles with me on the couch. Mickey is still hissing at Blackie. I think Blackie could take Mickey with both paws behind his back, but Mickey was never very bright.
Oh, I heard yesterday that one of our neighbors saw the man that I ranted about regarding Blackie throw a two by four at Blackie once. Grrrrrrr...........
may 4, 1999 Yawn....I'm tired.
I was only at the dentist for ten minutes yesterday. Sure didn't take long. Cost $132, though. Easy come, easy go. One of the technicians started in on "when are you sending Brian in" then went into the "preventive medicine" speil. I said "preventive medicine wouldn't have helped me" and the doc concurred. Well, I'm back to normal now. Yay.
We're out of catsip. And Ciara is unhappy. I have to go to the grocery store this morning to get more. Guess I'll just take a list and get lots of stuff. (*yawn again* I am *so* tired)
Well, another day of no Blackie poop in the house. Good. He has gas, though. I brought him in a handful of grass yesterday and he liked it. I played with him last night for a while, he's so cute when he plays. I'd sure like to know what his history with humans is. Brian picked him up and held him awhile. I noticed that the stiffness in his legs seems to be where the knees would be. And, he's getting so that he doesn't finish his Fancy Feast, the stuff with the pill in it. This isn't good. I don't like the idea of shoving a pill down his throat.
This morning, before it was time to get up, the cats woke us up. Bobby, crying in the tv room, some cat hurking on the floor, a red cat, because the furball was light colored, Ciara, snuffling (she still doesn't breathe properly), and a cat growling.
In yesterday's newspaper, there was an article about a new thing out, called RealJukebox. It's a system, similar to MP3, I guess, that's in Beta right now. And it's free. If you have a large harddrive, you can record CDs onto the harddrive (at a compressed rate). And then play them as you want. I've put about ten CDs on so far. Cool.
Well, I guess I had better go brush my teeth, put on a bra and get to the store before it gets any later. The nice thing about early is that there aren't so many people there.
may 6, 1999 Geez, here it is, almost 11 in the morning and I'm still in my jammies. LOL!! I just can't seem to buy a break. My cold is gone, my tooth is much, much better and what happens? Aunt Flow comes to visit. Sheesh. My poor body. I had a monster headache earlier and took exedrin, then took a nap. Then I came back to the office to check the newsgroups and Ciara crawled up into my arms, wanting to be held. What can ya do? It's not a common thing for her, so I went back out to the other room, holding her and laid down with her on me. We smurgled for quite a while. Yesterday, I let her out, watching her. I had to pee, so I came in, couldn't have taken any longer than three minutes. Went back out, couldn't find her. She was on the fence on the other side of the barrier. *sigh* The neighbor dog, Munchkin, barked at her. She just stretched out. Ciara, you are a naughty raccoon girl.
I noticed the deal with the sore on Blackie's lip. As I mentioned earlier, there seems to be a problem with the right side of his face. I don't know if it's nerve damage or a little paralysis. The sore is from his bottom tooth, rubbing the upper lip. I called the vet's this morning, they have a new person at the reception desk. I just love this. Now, I have to break someone new in. *grins* (Oh, by the way, Gwen no longer works there, the one that irritated me so when she first started.) Anyway, I explained the situation to her and she said "maybe the tooth will have to come out". WHAT!!!! Nononononononononono, not an option. There must be something else that can be done. Anyway, she's supposed to talk to the vet. Poor Blackie, just what he doesn't need. He has gorgeous, beautiful white teeth. Here's some good Blackie news. I don't have to shut him in the garage any longer. He's pooping in the litterbox. Yay!! And I don't know where he's peeing, but it isn't on the throw rugs in the living room any longer. I check them for wetness and, nothing. I still have him on the amoxicillan, though. I probably will through the end of the month. Well, the vet's office just called, the doc wants to see him before he can give me any advice. The appointment is for next Tuesday at ten. If it starts to get better by then, I'll call and cancel.
Spring finally arrived. This is the second day in a row that it's nice outside. Sunny and warm. It's about time. I'm ready. I guess this means the cats have to readjust. Nobody has been in the chair for a couple of days now. Maybe if I changed the blanket.
I talked to the wife of the guy that was so mean to Blackie last weekend. She's pretty nice, asked how Blackie was doing. She knew that we got him fixed. Brian didn't say anything to them about it and neither did the other neighbor who knows. Maybe she found out from the vet's office. Her daughter (really, really sweet girl, another catlover) recently took in cat number four and she uses the same vet. And those people at the vet's office just love to talk about our little community. *grins* Who needs the corner bar? Hey, we have the corner vet's office, where you can find out the latest dish.
may 7, 1999 Well, it's Friday. I think I might do my hair today. Maybe. I found a program yesterday that puts an invisible watermark on pictures. That way, I'll be able to safeguard my photos. I'm sure not everybody asks permission to use them and I had one person email me for permission and since it was for a church function, she went ahead and took them. I asked her which ones she was taking and never heard back. I didn't like that at all. So, I'm trying to download the program, didn't even get the trial, just went ahead and paid for it and I wasn't able to. Now, they are trying to find out why I couldn't. *sigh* For those of you interested, the price is $99 and you can find it at Signafy. Once I have it running, I have lots of work to do.
I had a little excitement yesterday afternoon. Dogs vs. cats. As we all know, Ciara can't be outside without supervision. Being the nice day it was, I went out with her. We had been out for about a half hour, when she went to the side of the house. I followed and sat on the wood that Brian has stacked. Not a very tall pile of long boards. Junior was sniffing around and Ciara, Pepper and Maggie were by me. I stood up and the wood shifted, making noise. This spooked the cats. Pepper went after Junior. Junior snarled back. I mean, snarled. Like I've never seen him do before. Pepper didn't give up. I was yelling and laughing at Pepper to stop. But she didn't. Unfortunately, I had watered the plants on the patio earlier and the hose was hooked up to the patio line, so I couldn't hose them. Well, Buddy comes over to investigate what was going on, making matters worse. I told him to "GIT!!" and he just stood there. *sigh* He's not the brightest dog on earth. I got up and grabbed Junior by his collar, trying to pull him out of the area, not a good spot to be cornered. And I didn't want any double-teaming by the dogs or the cats. So, here I am, dragging Junior and Bart gets involved. I think he thought I was in trouble and he started attacking Junior. Bart hates Junior, for the most part. I had Junior to an area where I could let him go and Bart kept after him. I had to go after Bart to get him to back off. He was ready to rumble. I finally got everybody calmed down and opened the office door. In came the cats, Ciara included. I shut the door. I went out and detached the hose from the plant line and put the nozzle back on. Just in case.
I have to thin out the lettuce. There's tons of it. If I don't thin it out, it won't grow right. And I have to thin out the corn, too. The row closest to the shop grew weird. So, I will just replant some of the stalks I pull while thinning.
Well, I found out why I wasn't able to download the watermarking program. I was. It's just that it saved as a htm file, not an exe. So, I had to rename it. Problem is, it wasn't the licensed version. So, now, I'm waiting for the *key code*.
may 9, 1999 Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there. My cats didn't get me a darned thing. I got my mom some diamonique from QVC. I thought she might like to have something that wouldn't be too awful if she lost it on her trip to Ireland (she's leaving tomorrow for two weeks). I got her this really nice sterling silver cross with diamonique in it and I also got her some diamonique sterling silver earrings. I also got some nice earrings for my mom's neighbor who's also going to Ireland. Brian's going to work on the bay windows, hopefully get them done, then we'll go mother visiting. We didn't get Brian's mom anything. Earlier this week he said that he and Mark had talked about going in on something for her. I just looked at him and said "what?" He said "a new garage door." At around $600.00. I said "no way". If she wants a new garage door, she can afford a new garage door. We've paid her back over seventy five thousand dollars in less than a year. She wants a new garage door, she can get one. We're not buying her one. No. But he said that Mark hadn't mentioned it lately, probably because he spent so much money on his vacation. Well, good, because then you won't have to tell him that I don't want to.
We went to CostCo yesterday and bought a new fax machine. I thought I had the other one working, but Brian got a call that a page he had faxed came out black. So, we had to buy another one. And the only ones they had were plain paper. Which needs a special imaging source. Which will cost more money. It only came with one that does about thirty sheets of paper and they didn't have any of the product there. I came home and went to the CostCo website and found it there, ordered two boxes (which will do four hundred faxes). I got it plugged in last night, but I still have to program the phone numbers into it.
We also bought the movie "A Bug's Life" and we watched it last night. I permed my hair. I guess it turned out all right. I used larger rollers and it didn't get really curly, but it does have more body. And since the hair didn't get stuck on the rollers, I didn't have to cut any off. It unrolled nicely.
Well, I'm glad I made the appointment for Blackie. He sprayed in the bathroom and there is still blood in his urine. Also, Kirby has something going on in his ears. I gave him mite killer, but it didn't affect the head shaking. He probably has that fungus back. I'll ask the vet if I should bring him in or if he can just prescribe something.
Yesterday, we went out for breakfast and I had an omelette. Looks like I can eat eggs again without problems. Good. I asked Brian what he thought about going back on the low carbohydrate diet. The last time we were on it, I lost about twenty pounds and he lost weight, too. He said it sounded okay to him. We both seem to get so tired after eating carbohydrates. And we're going to start exercising again tomorrow. I quit when I had the cold, I slept instead. Now, I'm ready to do it.
may 10, 1999 Okay, this weekend it seems I rattled someone's cage on a cat newsgroup. He was using the word *lesbian* as an insult, even though he says he didn't mean it that way. Well, there's no other way he could have meant it. In the context he used, it was meant to be derogatory. I called him on it. I called him a homophobe and told him that homophobia was hate. Which I truly believe. I don't judge people on their sexual orientation, religious affiliation, the color of their skin, or their weight. I judge them by what they say and how they say it. And for those that call me fat, so what? It's true. I know I have a weight problem, I don't pretend to be something other than what I am. I do have a weight problem and calling me fat certainly isn't an insult, it's a fact of life. I know what I am and pointing it out to me certainly can't hurt me. And if you're someone who has a tendency to be a little too sensitive about posts on the internet, here's a great link...Diane's Patented Magic Flame-Retardant, I'm sure it will make your surfing more enjoyable. Oh, additionally, if you're here today, Patrick, some people like reading my diary. There's nothing weird about it, many people have online journals. As for my pathetic life, I'm living my childhood dream. Can you say the same? 'Nuff said.
Blackie still has bloody urine. I found a puddle last night and put one of the hemacombo stix in it and the glucose is fine (no diabetes), the pH is fine (urine acidity is right on), the protein levels are high (an infection) and there is definitely blood in the urine. The sore on his lip is getting better. Tomorrow, I will have the vet do a urinalysis and he will most likely prescribe something else. I've had Blackie on amoxi for almost a month now. Usually, for bladder infections, the vet prescribes Baytril. I'm also going to see about getting more Otomax for their ears.
Brian let Ciara out yesterday and he watched her. Less than a half hour later, he brought her back in, disgusted. Seems she was trying her darnedest to get out of the yard down by the pool. Jumping up, trying to grab the barrier. He wasn't laughing and he wasn't saying how cute she is. *grins* She's not my favorite cat this morning. I couldn't get past the first page of the newspaper because she kept attacking it. Then she walked on the keyboard and lost all of the unread posts in the newsgroup I was loading up.
My mom loved her Mother's Day presents. She's really nervous right now. They are leaving this afternoon. And, as usual, there's a small problem. Her kitchen sink is backing up. She said if she can't get it fixed today, to just not use the sink. Not to worry about it until she gets back. Unless something happens while she's gone, then I have to call a plumber. Well, my feet are almost back to normal from last October. Let's hope Missy doesn't get out.
This weather we're having sucks. I mean it, it sucks. I want to start laying out in the sun, getting golden brown. I want to work in my garden, but the plants aren't growing enough to start thinning out. THIS IS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!!! WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH THIS WEATHER!!!
I read the latest Stephen King novel yesterday. Geez, I don't remember ever reading one of his books in one day. It was okay.
Well, I guess I'll clean today. Already have the first load of laundry in. I think I'll wash the little rugs again and run the Hoover Steam-Vac over those bad spots again. Saturday I cleaned the hallway and my bathroom floors.
may 11, 1999 Well, back from my mom's and the vet. Misse was in her regular spot, under the bed. Patch and Mamma were outside waiting for breakfast. Mamma even let me pet her. Patch has to remember me. And Misse? She's a little snot. But she's beautiful and funny.
Blackie was pretty easy to get into the carrier. Everything is easier with him now that I'm not scared of him. Anyway, I get out to the truck and when I reached up to put him inside, I pulled something in my back. Ouch. It still hurts. He took the ride well and didn't try to get out of the carrier at all. No crying either. He's gained over a pound since we got him and I discussed the problems we were having with him. The doc looked at his mouth, then his fang. Then he said "you know why his lip is curling under the tooth like that?" "No." "He's missing his top fang." Oh. He didn't say what we could do about it, just watch it and make sure it doesn't get any worse. Then he stroked Blackie and mentioned how much better he looks. Made a wiseass comment about Blackie's haircut (did you do this at home?) and I reminded him that Jennifer did it and he remembered...."Yeah, to get rid of all of those mats that he had." He tried to squeeze some pee out and Elena pointed Blackie at the doc. He said "don't point that thing at me". Blackie wasn't co-operating and the vet ended up having to get urine via a needle and syringe. I told him that I had Blackie on amoxi for about three weeks ("Three weeks!?!?!") and that although the urine didn't look as bad as it had (meat juice, he liked that description) it still didn't look good. Trying to pin the original color down a little more, he said "it looked like wine?" and that was what it looked like, a much better description than meat juice. He took it in the back and started the testing. He came back in, looked in Blackie's ears and said how much better they were looking. As a matter of fact, he was pleased with how much better Blackie is doing overall, that Blackie is responding well to a permanent home with good food and lots of love and care. And Blackie was the perfect gentleman. And he responded nicely to all of the scratching he was getting, lifting his butt in the air and dropping his head to receive tophead scritches. The doc said that once Blackie's fur has grown back, he's going to be one beautiful cat. (Ouch, my back hurts, I can't turn this way, work Exedrin, work!! Ow ow ow ow ow ow!!!) Then he got the results of the test back and asked again (with incredulity) how long Blackie had gotten amoxicillan. Blackie had a few struvite crystals, the pH was good, moderate white blood cells (infection) and lots of red blood cells (protein). So, Blackie is now on Baytril for two weeks. I also got more amoxicillan and I got the Otomax for Kirb's ears. yay. Where I was giving him amoxi twice a day, he only gets the Baytril once. That's okay. When we got into the truck, I opened all of the windows and here he was, this big black cat, with the funny haircut, on a beige satin pillow, sniffing the air. He didn't mind the ride at all. Once home, I opened the carrier and let him out. He kept going back to the carrier, but not in and it dawned on me that he wanted the chicken I had put in there for the ride to the vet's. I took it out and he gobbled it up. Then I gave him his Baytril (chewable, but he wasn't gonna chew it) in Fancy Feast. He was glad to be home.
Early this morning, we heard a crash in the kitchen. Ciara pushed the CatSip bowl onto the floor. Guess she wanted more. It shattered. *sigh* And she just looks up, so cute, big blue eyes in that dark mask and says "meow".
My tooth is bothering me again. I don't know what's going on with it, but I don't want to let something go that could get worse. So, yesterday, I called the dentist's office. It was close to closing time and nobody called me back. I called again this morning, after I got back from the vet's office to find out what the dentist had said. I have a four o'clock appointment. I hope I just need antibiotics. I don't want them messing around in my mouth anymore. Besides, my back hurts.
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