Maxine Monday

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Won't you be my neighbor?

A week or 2 after moving into my house, I received a letter in the mail addressed to "My Neighbor".  It had been sent through the mail and even though the return address was from my own street, I didn't realize it was from my next door neighbor!  Not only did she mail it, she included a stamped, self addressed envelope inside.  There was an insert saying something about believing that eating right can help prevent cancer - and she had volunteered to spread the message and solicit donations to a cancer foundation of some sort, for research.  Ahem.

I remember thinking at the time - what a crappy way to welcome me to the neighborhood - by asking me for money!  When you're new to a town, you move in hoping your neighbors are at least friendly, you don't expect them to come to you for a cash donation to their favorite charity. And what a weird way to do it!  I felt kind of backed against the wall - like - I'm new here, I don't want to offend anyway, so maybe I should send some money.  NO!  It felt like blackmail.  It aggravated me and I threw it away.  So now - I suppose 10 months is long enough to wait to send out another request.  Again sent through the mail with a self addressed, stamped envelope and the same printed request for a donation.  From next door.  WTH???

What I really wanted to do was to write a snarky response and mail it back in the envelope she so kindly provided.  I've done that with companies who continually send me things in the mail I don't want after I have asked them to stop.  Spend their money by using the postage paid envelope they send you kind of annoys them when they realize you aren't sending the answer they want.  But no.  I threw the envelope away.  Again.  This woman lives right next door.  I have never met her, never even seen her.  I don't want to make an enemy, but I really hate what she is doing.  Not sure why it annoys me so much - because she is sending these letters to targeted people?  Her neighbors?  You feel more obligated that way and I don't like feeling like I'm being put on the spot.

What would you do?

Do I LOOK hard up? (does anyone say "hard up" anymore?)

It's amazing how many emails I get about dating - SENIOR dating (THANKS! THAT makes me feel good!), Jewish dating (I'm not), and apparently someone thinks I might like to meet a nice Chinese girl!  Um .. NO.  And then there are the emails from famous people (for me??  REALLY?) like Angelina Jolie wanting to share her diet secrets with me! Give the girl a sandwich for goodness sakes - doubt she has done any dieting in quite a while!

And no matter what I do, no matter how many times I block them they always come back.  I'd be glad to forward any of these emails if anyone is interested.  :)  Because I'm really not.

Maxine Monday

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Telling it like it is.

Leaving a work appointment the other day, I stepped out of an office into a hallway while buttoning my coat. There was an elderly woman with a walker slowly making her way toward me.  I stopped, thinking she might be entering the office I just left and I would hold the door for her.  She got closer to me, stopped, looked me in the face and said:

"PUT A HAT ON!  IT'S COLD OUT THERE!"

I laughed as she shuffled past me, only to hear:

"PEOPLE ARE SO VAIN THESE DAYS!"

Well she told me, didn't she??  The funny thing is, she is right.  That's exactly why I don't wear a hat, it will mess up my hair.  Me thinks she spoke from experience and now she just doesn't give a damn.  What freedom!

There IS evil in the world.

Ben & his friend Jerry are evil.  Look what they have created!

Nothing good can come of this.

**Edited - I ran across this picture while doing a Google search.  It is not in my freezer.  Not that it won't be tomorrow, I can't promise that.  :)

Maxine Monday

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..and fun was had by all.

Andy turned 29 years old today.

This is a burger sandwiched between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches.  He ate it.

The whole thing!

This is a beer sampler.

He drank it.

And then he looked as if he were in physical pain while my daughter, her husband, and I sang happy birthday to him - heh - loudly - in a restaurant where the servers don't do it.  Yay us!

There was cake, ice cream, yummy food and bad singing.  What more could anybody ask for?  Good times.  :)

Happy birthday Andy!  Love you Honey!

What do you suppose they do there?

I wonder if they serve tea?

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Maxine Monday

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All cats, all the time. NOT.

So practically every post lately has been about a cat.  Ahem.  So is this one.  But I intend to change that, okay?  Norah seems to be maintaining pretty well right now, some anemia creeping in but otherwise she isn't getting worse and the fluids every day seem to be helping.  Whew!

Riley and Norah have always been cuddle buddies but I think today Norah took that just a bit too far.  She crawled halfway across Riley, laid down on him and promptly went to sleep leaving Riley looking at me with his pirate eye like he was saying "WTH??"

I just had to share.

Too funny.  Going forward - unless something drastic happens, no cats for a while.

You're welcome.
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Mama makes it all better.

Just so dang cute!

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Hangin' in and hangin' out.

Taking all 3 cats to the vet at the same time is exhausting!  Norah needed some blood work and an exam, Jakie needed a glucose test and a quick exam, and Riley needed fluids (I don't do his because he's hard to hold and he bites when I brush him, much less stick him with needles!), some blood work, and an exam.  Dear God these cats are MORE than a car payment lately, and I actually have a car payment now.

So, give Jake her thyroid ointment in the hairless part of the ear twice a day, larger dose in the morning. Then give her Prednisone, 1/2 dose every other day as well as 1 1/2 units of insulin twice a day.  Riley gets his thyroid pills - 1/2 tab twice a day, and a syringe of liquid stool softener in the morning.  Norah gets her aluminum hydroxide capsules twice a day, half a tab of appetite stimulant when needed, Prednisone full dose every other day, and 200 ml of fluids every day. 

It's no wonder I forget my own meds!

At this point in time:
Norah is 10 years old and 13 lbs 6 oz.
Jake is 18 years old and 4 lbs 15 oz.
Riley is 19 years old and 8 lbs 11 oz.
Abby is a tortie. 'Nuff said.

I was speaking to Andy (my son) this evening and telling him I doubt that we will have any of the 3 very much longer.  Of course I've been saying that about the oldest 2 for a while and have been proven wrong.  But I reminded him that once they are gone - we will be left with ... ABBY.  She's the evil one who wants to eat my face.  Your face too.  Hard to imagine my house with only one - evil - cat.  Sounds kind of sad, doesn't it?  (Or would that be - scary?)

Dr. Bob, who has been the primary doc treating Norah - will be out of the office tomorrow so I will speak to him on Saturday about Norah's blood work.  Bottom line is - she has kidney failure.  Kidney failure does not get better.  So after Dr. Bob reviews the blood work results we will discuss if it looks like Norah can be sustained at this level of care and at this quality of life.  More care and I might fall over, but any less quality of life and I won't allow it.  So we will see.  If you had asked me Sunday night I would have said it was over.  But she's been pretty perky and eating well for the last couple of days.

So I guess the real bottom line is - WHO THE HECK KNOWS!?!?!?!?

I need a nap.

REALLY crazy cat lady.

Seems my days have been a blur of opening cans of cat food, pouches, and sometimes unscrewing baby food jars.  Popping pills in the kitty's mouth, offering water and food and constantly monitoring.  Norah seems to be doing well sometimes, but now she isn't eating much again, to the point I had to force feed her with a syringe yesterday.  She hides when she thinks I am going to give her fluids, and tries to get away while I'm doing it.  She's wearing me down.  But then she comes and climbs into my lap, she's never been a lap cat, and she doesn't seem in pain or on the verge of death.  But her kidneys aren't functioning properly and if the only way to keep her going is with constant IV fluids - well - that's not going to happen.  Last night I was tired and had just finished forcing some food into Norah's mouth while she looked at me with that look only a cat can give as if to say -  "what the f*&k are you doing to me???"

Staying out of reach so she doesn't have to
have her sub-cue fluids.

As tears started to sting my eyes and I sat down to give in to despair I thought "HOLY CRAP!  I'M OFF MY MEDS!!!"

With everything that's been happening lately I have gotten lax about my own medication and must have gone a few days too many without my meds.  Not that the idea of possibly losing a cat shouldn't make one cry, but being properly medicated allows me to cope better.  YIKES.  I can't take care of my cats at the expense of my own health.  No matter how much I love them.

Norah goes back to the vet Thursday morning, we will see what the prognosis is then.
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