Busy Day

Thursday was a busy day.  First, I had to get an abdominal ultrasound at 9 AM.  But their first offer was 5:30 AM, so 9 seemed much better.  I don't deal with appointments and time-commitments very well, so I didn't sleep well the night before.  I use a kitchen timer as an alarm clock (much easier to set) but I'm always worried I will sleep through the beeps when it matters.  But I got up and arrived on time.

The ultrasound requires a gel.  The tech warned me it would feel cold.  It was.  But when she spread it around, it was colder!  It was my first ultrasound, so I expected a machine.  I thought she was pushing on my with her hands, but that was the small detector she was moving around.  

The ultrasound was required for some possible liver scarring issues.  Livers get scars?  Anyway, it my right hip that bothers me, but my Dr is eliminating everything else before he will authorize a CT of the hip.  I sort of understand, but I wish he would get to the hip sooner rather than later.  

If the hip problem is fixable, I would like to get on with that.  But if it isn't, I would like to know that soon too!  There are possible causes for the hip pain that could be serious.  Delay is disturbing me.  Every negative test is just putting off a confirmable diagnosis.  And after every unimportant test, it is 2 weeks before I can see the Dr again.

So anyway, after the ultrasound, I went grocery-shopping, I had done a pickup order, but left out a few things I wanted.  Fortunately, I had bought a clear plastic bin at Walmart that fit the seat of my roller.  It is large enough to most of the things I buy.  In this case, it was chocolate chip ice cream, whole black pepper, frozen baby green peas, milk, and snow peas.  

And went home to get some sleep...  And not much.  Because I also had an appointment for Marley to get a urinalysis a 2 PM.  So 2 hours of bad sleep again and off I went with him to the Vet.  When we got to the exam room, they weighed him.  He was 16 lbs in his prime, but is down to 13+ now.  Age and kidneys are getting to him.

When they put him back in the carrier, he really surprised me.  He growled!  I can't recall hearing him growl since the last time he faced down an intruder cat years ago.  But then the vet tech said he is often difficult and growly when they do stuff to him in the back room.  Well, that's because I'm not there with him!

But anyway, his urinalysis was good and they didn't suggest any further treatment or meds.  So we went home.  We were both happy to be there again.

I slept for 3 hours, finally free of appointments.  Got up at 6 PM, fed the cats, made dinner, watched TV political news.  I bet I sleep 12 hours tonight!  No appointments to worry about.

Marley And the Sub Q Teatment

A few readers here are not cat-people or at least not familiar with some specific cat-problems.  So I'll mention that Marley has some kidney issues and needs subcutaneous fluid injection 2x a week and a special diet.  The vet will do the injections at no cost (though I have to buy the bag of fluids, but bringing him to the vet place 2x a week is a pain.

They said it wasn't that hard to do it myself.  I doubted that, but after watching them do it several times, I decided I could.  But I wanted to do it a couple times under their supervision.  The first time, I spoke the steps out loud while mimicking the procedure with the equipment.  

They said I had it right.  So I did it myself in the clinic 2x while they watched.  I passed, and have been doing it myself since mid-September.  It helps that Marley is a calm tolerant cat.

It has been an odd experience.  I don't mind getting annual flu and covid shots at all myself.  But doing it to a pet feels different.  Thankfully, it is not a muscle shot.  You lift up the scruff of the neck and insert a needle under the skin but above the flesh.

A hanging bag drips fluid into the loose area.  I hold Marley and the needle with a folded washcloth and watch the bag drip through a tube to the needle.  The better-positioned the needle is, the faster it drips.  The faster it drips, the shorter Marley has to sit unmoving.  There are markings on the fluid bag for each dose and a clamp to open or pinch the dripline tube.

It isn't expensive.  A monthly bag costs only $40 and the tubing and needles are included.  At least cost is not an issue.

That's the theory.  The "fun" part is that the needle has to be changed every time.  The needle comes with a protective plastic cover.  It is easy to put a new one on the tube.  The needle fits on easily and there is a plastic screw at the base that tightens easily.  

It's getting the old one off that is a problem.  I've tried several ways.  First, I just pulled.  Then I pried with a screwdriver.  Finally I used needle-nose pliers.  I've "only" stabbed a finger 3 times out of 12 injections...  

OUCH!

OK, I've gotten better about that.  But I was really stupid at first.  I was throwing away the protective cap after I attached the new needle.  So it occurred to me to save the protective cap.  😂

That helped.  Though, to make it even safer, I got the idea of taking a 2" 90 degree metal support bracket.

I'll cut a slot through the top hole and screw it to the subQ station I've set up.

Then just set the needle base in the slot and pull it safely off.

I have plenty of things to do on my workbench and outside, but after getting stabbed a 3rd time on Thursday, it went way higher on my list!  LOL!  I mean, that is a used needle, and it doesn't take much pressure to get stabbed 1/4" deep.

I seem to be pretty immune to general infections and I heal quickly.  But I'd be a fool to tempt fate...  Anything I can think of doing to make the subQ injections easier and safer is high on my To Do list!

Marley will go back to the vet for a blood test in 3 months to see how much the injections are helping.  I have been told it can keep him relatively healthy and happy for several years. 

Marley

It gets difficult to recall which of The Mews is outside and which in with 4 of them sometimes.   And we have had some sudden brief downpours lately.  They hate getting rained on, so I check The Weather Channel a lot.

But sometimes there are surprises.  Being old and experienced, I can usually guess when it is about to rain.  A sudden darkness, a sudden stillness in the air outside (and oddly, inside) and you can expect a heavy shower to happen soon.

I call any of The Mews outside in.  And a funny thing about that.  I used to be able to whistle loudly and they understood that meant "come in now".  Lately, I can't.  So I bought a tonette and do it 3 times 2x.  They are getting used to that as a "come in" call.

So a surprise rain caught by by surprise yesterday afternoon.  The Mews naturally want to shelter from rain but a few tonette calls usually let them know the deck door is open and they can come in.  And Laz and Lori came running...

But I couldn't decide where Marley was.  Sometimes outside, he hides under the raised shed, or under the deck, unwilling to get wet running for the house.  So I searched the house.  I checked the garage.  Couldn't find him.  And I know most of his hiding places.  Couldn't find him...

I get really worried when I don't know where all The Mews are.  So I spent an hour searching around the house and calling to him outside.  No Marley...  I got worried enough to go out and look around the street!

So back inside, I fed The Mews.  The sound of a cat can being opened always makes him come running.  No Marley.  That got me calling outside again.  I went out to the shed and called.  He would at least stick his head out!

No Marley.  After 4 hours, I was getting distressed.  And then there was Marley indoors sitting at my feet and asking for dinner.  He had been inside the whole time.  Well, that's better than if he had been out all night and sitting at the deck door in the morning waiting to get back inside!

They drive me crazy sometimes, but I love them...

Laz

I have mentioned recently that Laz has been getting better in adapting to the house.   I may not have have mentioned HOW much better he is doing.

There is still an occasional hiss from Ayla (she is reluctant to trust him) and when you get attacked, you remember it.  And I don't blame her for remembering being attacked.  But I haven't heard a screech in a week (maybe 2) and only softer hisses.

Laz is reacting positively to being let outside.  He got over the fence once a couple/few weeks ago (I think from my compost bin) and observing him desperately trying to jump back up (down is easier than up), I don't think he will do it again soon.  And besides, I now have a board set on the likely jump point loose on edge.  If he tries to jump from that, he will have a very negative experience.  On the other hand, if he does do it, I have one fence board barely attached so that he has a way home.

I know I said I was going to build a small enclosure for him to sit outside in, but I realized what he needed was "running around space".  He is young, full of energy, and I think the outside (in limited and controlled conditions) are good for cats.  

Being outside and exploring the yard (usually with Marley and/or me outside with him) has calmed him.  At first, he did not respond to my calls to return to the house.  The outside was too strong an attraction.  But lately, he has been responding.  That is a major success.  

I am pleased to say he now routinely comes in when called.  It helps when he sees Marley coming back to the house, but he more often does it on his own.  Not always, of course, but what cat ALWAYS responds to calls immediately?

The point is that he usually does and is getting better at it.  That I give treats to all when they do helps.  Well, you can't give treats or food to one and not all.  They KNOW!  I swear, I could give treats to Laz out in the yard and Marley and Ayla would be waiting for theirs inside.  Ayla has several special places where she expects food and sometimes I think that if I even WROTE about food, she would go to one of her places expecting some.

Not to get off-topic entirely, but Ayla decides WHERE she will eat.   I sometimes have to follow her through 3 rooms until she decides where the RIGHT place to eat is.  LOL!

But back to Laz...

Laz is calmer around Ayla.  Ayla has been more willing to come out of the bedroom and Mews Room.  Laz is much more "touchable".  He used to stay just out of reach walking by, but now he comes close enough for a back stroke and sometimes attention.  He loves chin rubs and strokes when he is on the cat tree platform and he flops right over on the waterbed seeking attention a LOT more than he used to.

He talks constantly.  He has a voice like a rusty gate, but even then, not as loud and worried-sounding as a couple months ago...  He is getting better in bed.  He used to push and shove against me very hard.    That might have been desperation about contact with his "new safe Being".  Now he has learned he can stay there longer with softer contact.  Laz and Ayla have peacefully slept around me the past 2 weeks and that would have been impossible a month ago.

Thinks are looking a LOT better than just a few weeks ago.  I think Laz has made some adjustment in his mind (forgot some bad memories, learned new ones, reconsidered his position here, learned to calm down, discovered he could expend youthful energy running around the yard, learned to trust me, connected to Marley, accepting Ayla, etc).

So Laz is here.  And he won't be going anywhere.

 

Update

The main Mac Mini dessktop HD is erased.  I confirmed that.  It does keep the operating system (High Sierra, not Catalina).  That is a relief.  Apple will probably look back on Catalina some day the way Coca Cola looks back on "New Coke" and Microsoft looks back on the Paperclip  function.

Or maybe not.  Apple might be dedicated to forcing it's users into iCloud and new annual subscription apps forever.  Already, I can see that I am being forced to choose the subscription MS Word and Excek (which I love vs the Apple Pags and Numbers (which have few features).

Fortunately, I have fewer word and spreadsheet demands than I used to, so I might die before they make it a "pay for every use" world.

But that's neither here nor there right now.  Right now, I finally have my OLD Mac Mini (the one BEFORE the one I spilled the wine on - call it the grandparent of the new one and the parent is dead)  being backed up on a 4TB My Passport external HD (51 minutes and counting down).  That isn't over-writing my older backups, just saving what is on my OLD Mac.  The pre-Catalina backups are still there.  4 TB is a lot of storage.

My idea is to save what is on the OLD Mac, (just in case) and restoring the Oct 2019 backup Mac-to-Mac directly.  Since I can't seem to choose the backup to migrate from Time Machine, but CAN if it is the only version on the OLD actual Mac (there being no other choices), I am expecting Migration Assistant will work this time.

Backup 34 minutes and counting...

BTW, my previous migration created 69,000 photo files.  I confirmed that this OLD Mac only says 17,000.  I take that as a sign that there will not be duplicates.  Time and a few more steps over a couple days will tell.  If photos duplicate along the way, maybe this time I will see where it happens.

Backup 10 minutes to go (an hour later, LOL) but it is getting close to finished.  The computer makes a guess on time, and it changes by what files it finds.  It is like a marathon runner not knowing what hills of downslopes it will find.

I didn't waste the time just sitting here.  I cubed 5 pounds of pork shoulder I smoked a couple days ago.  And packed the cubes 4 oz each into ziplock bags and got them in the freezer.  I'm set for any pork meal for months.  Very versatile stuff, pork!

The usual is adding 1 potato, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, 1 small onion, a couple cloves garlic, and oregano, thickened with flour.  But smothered in bell peppers or carmelized onion is good.  Mixed with stir fried veggies and served over spaghetti with soy sauce is good.

Well,  the backup is going slowly.  For every GB it backs up, the computer offers more GB,  so I guess it is going to take hours.   It is up to 90GB and the total on the HD is 340,  so I might as well let it run overnight and see what I get this afternoon...

IF it backs the whole current drive up on the OLD Mac, then I Restore the OLD computer with the OCT 2019 backup and THEN Migrate that to the new computer (because thenit will be the only version Migration Assistant can find).  Abd THEN if that works, I might actually be back at Oct 2019.  and possibly be able to copy the photos since the without duplicates AND have my email settings back.

Aren't computers fun?  And then Thursday morning, I get to (try and) capture Marley to stuff him into the PTU and bring him to the vet for HIS teeth cleaning adventure.  Oh the thrill of the chase...!

Garden Enclosure

Well, with the decent weather, I am turning my attention to finishing the Garden Enclosure.  And I have to thank Marley for kick-starting me into that.  I had noticed some scratching around going on inside the enclosure, and finally noticed Marley INSIDE the enclosure.

Well, I knew I hadn't finished connecting all the strips of screening everywhere, but I thought it was pretty much complete.  So I went out last week and used a few nylon tie strips to finish it.
 
Usually for bundling wires, they are good for pulling chicken wire tightly together too. I will be using 100s of yards of thin wire like thread to REALLY attach all the chicken wire strips, but I thought it was all pretty good already.

Til Marley appeared inside.  So I called him to see where he came back out.  And tightened THAT spot.  And he got in again, so I tightened THAT spot!  After several days of that, I went out to get the job done right.

I was SHOCKED at how many openings I found Marley could get through.  I understand why he was attracted to it.  6 large boxes of deep soft soil... He must have thought he had found his Forever litter box!

Well, I'm glad he found the opening before I planted the seeds and the squirrels found the openings!  They would have nibbled off my seedlings as if there was no enclosure of all.

So I decided I better get the enclosure sealed against even the squirrels.  First, since there were vines around the edges of the enclosure, I sharpened my sickle of the grinding wheel.  Nothing fancy, just a shot around the curve.  But it cut a piece of paper in half cleanly.

So I used it to slice through the vines at the bottom edges of the enclosure, then got to work with the 8" nylon ties.  They are being used to hold the chicken wire tight around the top and bottom PVC pipes, around the upright PVC pipes, and to hold the 4' chicken wire strips together tightly.

And I spent time cutting the ground level excess chicken wire to extend 2' out from the bottom so that groundhogs can't go up to the enclosure and dig under it.  They are not clever enough to back up 2' and dig from there.  I hope!  If they are, there are other things I can to to stop them.

But the nylon ties are temporary.  They will deteriorate in sunlight after a few years and start popping loose.  Which is why my next step is to start threading long lengths of galvanized wire through the seams of the chicken wire like stitching a hem.

The nylon ties are 2' apart.  The wire will thread through every couple of inches.  If I can get the wire through all the seams (hoping I don't miss some), no varmint is going to eat my seedlings again!!!

If I seem obsessive about this, it is due to sad experience.  Varmints in suburban areas are generally desperate for food.  In their natural environs like open fields or oak-filled forests, they have plenty of food.  In my yard, the only good food they can see is MY GARDEN!  The ones in my yard are the losers who have been driven out of their natural habitat by other varmints.

I really do feel vaguely sorry for them, but not sorry enough to let them eat all my veggies...

So back to Marley.  When he can't get back into the enclosure, I know I will have stopped the groundhogs and hopefully the squirrels.

Marley got extra treats tonight for his efforts to get inside the garden enclosure...  LOL!

December

Why is December such a hard time on cats?  It seems so many leave for The Bridge in this month. 

Is it the short days that depress them? 

Less time outside for those who DO go outside?  Or just fewer sunpuddles for those who stay inside?

Do the longer nights just suggest going into "forever"?

It seems to me that we lose more cat-friends in December than any other month, and I don't know why...

The short days sadden ME.  I have to fight it; I get depressed at this time of year too.  But I know WHY.  Maybe its harder when you DON'T know why maybe they just get saddened and all.  Who knows the minds of our cats.  We try, but as close as we feel toward them, we cannot ever truly understand their thoughts.

I just know that December is a real hard time on cats. 

And so, for myself, and for the cats, I keep the house brightly lit, I keep them active, I stuff them with food, and I keep them on my lap as much as possible.  I don't know if that makes the slightest bit of difference. 

But it makes me feel good to try...  Special places to make them happy.

My lap.

Good places to sleep at night.

Interesting new spots.

Anything I can do...

I've Had Better Days

I don't mean anything serious went bad.  No family problems, no accidents, no injuries.  But you know how some days just go "off"...

Yesterday started well.  I slept well after getting up at dawn for the tree removal crew the day before, and got up early enough to make Dad and myself an actual breakfast omelet (with sauted red and green bell peppers, onion, mushroom, and cheese), toasted english muffins, bacon, and cottage-fried potatoes.  He usually eats cereal because I tend to sleep late.  So when I'm up early, I try to give him a change of pace.

I knew I had a vet appointment for Marley to get a 2nd of 3 shots for "something".  All the cats shots seem to have similiar initials.  But I had other shopping to do and enough time, so off I went.

A foot-pedal compost can for Dad (to make it easier) and a wooden toast tong so Dad can get those small english muffins out - after I saw him get at one with a fork), kitty litter at Petsmart, an ATM visit, and then a trip through WalMart!

I was looking for camo jeans (no luck), rechargeable batteries (got them), calendars (got them), candy/tea/V8 (got them), locktite screw-holder (no luck), and aquarium fish (thereby hangs the tale)...

I'm not sure how to say this.  I know some people are not as capable as others and have some difficulties in life.  I understand that, and I am patient.  I have had friends and relatives in my younger years like that.  I was the kid who told the other kids to calm down (or back off) around other kids who had problems.

The local Walmart has this one guy who works in the pet department.  He tries well, but he is slow to do things.  Walmart does not make it easier for him.  They put several kinds of fish in the same aquarium, they don't put pictures of the fish on the labels and its seems they don't provide any training at catching fish in aquariums.

I have dealt with the guy before.  I stay polite and patient.  I know he is doing the best he can.  I had an appointment to bring Marley to the Vet at 3 pm, but it was only 2 pm, and I had some other things to buy.  I got him to write down the 3 fish I wanted.  6 tiger barbs, 6 serpa tetra, and one small plecostomus.  I made sure he saw which fish they were.

 He got the tiger barbs just fine, so I went to finish my shopping.

10 minutes later, he was struggling to get the serpa tetra.  They are coralish-orangy-colored and were in a tank of several kinds of black fish.   He kept taking black fish out of the tank.  I suggested several easier ways of getting them, but he didn't understand what I suggested.  My brain was screaming "just take the net and get them", but I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  It took 35 minutes!!!  I felt sorry for him, but I didn't know what to do.  I could have netted all the fish in 3 minutes. 

Exactly when he was done, another guy in the pet dept called out to him "you need some help?" and "hope you didn't kill any this time".  I felt very bad.  So after I got my fish, I went over to the guy and asked him why he didn't volunteer to help the other guy when he first saw he was having trouble.  He said it was funny watching him.  I said it wasn't funny to ME!

I'm not pure on this.  I just wanted to get my cheap fish from Walmart and get the heck out of the store as fast as possible and put them in the quarantine tank to see if they are healthy after a week.

But the delay meant I was seriously behind schedule getting Marley to the vet.  When I got home, I had to toss the bag of new fish into the main aquarium to stay warm. get out the cat carrier, and get Marley into it.

Naturally, he had to see me take out the cat carrier and he hid.  I HATE sitting around the vet office.  If you are late, you have to sit around through 2 more appointments.  So I got after Marley aggressively.  By the time I got ahold of him and him into the carrier, we were BOTH seriously aggravated.  Marley clawed me good on the neck...

I gave Marley extra attention last night.  But I wonder if that guy at Walmart will be getting any attention.  He needs it.

*Sigh*

My new fish seem OK in the quarantine tank.  Marley has calmed down and is back looking for scritchies and chin rubs.  Dad is happily watching a replay of the golf tournament he watched this past weekend.  I am managing my odd household...