charlatan psychic

No matter how much you “prepare,” no matter how much you’ve “been there, done that,” it’s still hard to lose someone. I’m no stranger to death. First death was when I was too young to remember it, buried my mom’s biological father. Since then, I’ve buried 3 grandparents (yes 3, and 2 more to go), numerous great aunts and uncles, some family friends, and some friends. I’ve had 2 people in my life commit suicide. I was able to attend one of those funerals. I’ve been to viewings, rosaries, and funerals for people I barely knew, for people I looked up to, and for people I loved dearly. All of that doesn’t make it any easier to lose someone. When I met J’s Grandpa Weigel, I immediately fell in love with him. He was all smiles and jokes until it was time for business. You could still hear the slight accent in his voice from growing up in a community of German immigrants. And he gave great hugs. Then you learn that he only had an eighth grade education and taught hi...

Duke has done very well this weekend. Well, he's peeing on his own. And in his box, which is a good sign. We take him in to the vet this afternoon to have the IV port and the catheter needle removed. I think he'll be even better after that. They put a wrap around his IV port so he wouldn't mess with it too much. It's hot pink with purple hearts. I think he hates it. He won't stop licking at it, like he's trying to wash it off, so I keep having to put the cone of shame on him. He hasn't gotten anywhere near the port itself, but he started to irritate the skin at the top of the wrap. Might need to keep the cone for a while to make sure he doesn't lick that spot raw. He hates the cone, and gets mad at me for putting it on him, but it's the only way to stop him from licking. I can't leave the cone on all the time, because he has a hard time eating and drinking with it on. I hope that after today he'll be able to relax more and just let it he...

Y'all know about Duke already. Well he's home now. The Vet's office kept him there from Wednesday morning to this afternoon. They had to put in a catheter and IV, flush him with fluids and antibiotics. They did clear the blockages (there were 2 different ones) and sent some of the crystals away for testing. It seems to be a build up of minerals or something in his food. So he's on prescription food now. I still have him on hard food, but I'm thinking of getting the prescription soft food and doing soft for dinners. Poor guy has a pink (yes, pink) wrap around the IV port, and the catheter stays in for the weekend. If he does OK this weekend, they get taken out on Monday. I also have a cone of shame, because he's not happy about that wrap on his leg. He's also on antibiotics for quite a while. The same stuff he was on last time. I'm getting good at giving it to him. And he's getting used to taking it. I also bought a water filter that hooks to our...

Kitty is sick again. He is trying to pee anywhere comfortable - the bathmats, my PJs, even towels still wet from drying off Remy. He only does this when he's having trouble going. And the only sign is when I see him doing it. Let me translate: NO PEE IS COMING OUT. Nothing, not even a drop. I even patted one of the spots he tried on with some TP and got nothing. That means blockage, which is bad for a cat. And male cats get blockages more easily than female cats. I broke down a bit this morning. I'm just scared. He's my baby kitty, even though he's 8ish years old. He's been with me for 6 1/2 years. I talked to mom and Misty, and it helped some. I'm drinking a big huge mug of kava tea to help me relax, and I'm taking Duke in at 10. I called the vet's, of course, and told them what is going on. They called back and said one of the vet's that helps his usual vet can see him at 10. Mornings are usually reserved for surgeries and other heavy duty s...

Of all the things I inherited from my mom, why couldn't I get her strong, lovely nails? I'm talking about fingernails. Mine suck. Always have. They are weak, thin, brittle, and have vertical ridges (the kind you don't need to see a doctor about). My index finger nails are even curved funny, just like the fingers themselves. I have tried all kinds of "strengthening" nail polishes. The best one so far was from OPI (they of the greatest color names in the world), but it only worked when I kept it on my nails. If I slacked off, they went back to craptastic status. I've even tried vitamins that are supposed to be just for hair and nail growth, with no luck. I've been changing my eating habits anyway, to eat healthier, but still no change in the nails. They drive me crazy! I was just reading the latest post on my friends' mom's blog, The Best Moments . She recommends Mane 'N Tail Hoofmaker to strengthen nails. Apparently, this stuff was orig...

(This is my first post using Windows Live Writer. Let’s see how it goes.) I picked up my first harvest box yesterday. It really was a box, not a cooler as I had thought. That means no cooler deposit, so I’m OK with that. It’s a nice sturdy cardboard box with handles. It included a packing slip and, of course, loverly produce. I was feeling a little camera happy, so proceeded to photograph the contents individually: El Spinach El Chard El Broccoli Los Potatoes Los Mini Roma Tomatoes (notice the little green one?) Los Fruits – Pears, Avocados, and Oranges. Don’t ask about the sudden spanglish, because I don’t know either. I used the chard and tomatoes last night in a tasty gnocchi dish. Tomorrow I will use the potatoes to make a nice shepherd’s pie. Oh, and I need to whip up some guacamole with my 2 avocados. I think that can wait till Friday. It would go well with our brats and spinach salad. Or on the leftover burgers from this weekend. I think ...

Duke had the broken root removed, and his other upper canine. The vet was worried that he would start a pattern of breaking teeth, and the upper canines are the most likely to break. Poor guy doesn't have many teeth left! He also had a low red blood cell count which is an indicator of anemia. Now, this could be from all the vet visits he's had since the year started a month ago. So we're doing to try some liquid vitamins for a month, then get his blood checked again. If it hasn't gone up in a month, we can try another medicine that's often used in cats (and people) with immune system issues. Now I just have to remember to give Duke his vitamins twice a day.  He came home and wanted to eat right away, which is how this usually works. But today the food didn't stay down. I'm going to make him wait till his dinner time before trying to eat more and give the anesthesia more time to wear off. We'll see how he does at dinner time. At least he's sti...