Day 10 After The Fall

First, thank you all for the MANY well-wishes.  It is good to have friends.

Second, it has not escaped my awareness that I could very well have died!  I was fortunate to have fallen relatively flat.  A slight change of angle and I could have landed on my head.  SNAP!

Third, it seems odd to realize that I fell 10 days ago.  It seems like both forever and yesterday.  "Forever", because I am used to being active and there sure isn't very much I can do lately.  It is amazing the things you take for granted.  "Yesterday" because undifferentiated boring days all melt together.  When nothing about one day is much different from another, you lose track of them.  

Fourth, I've lived (pretty happily) on my own for 50 years.  It creates a habit of self-relience.  Suddenly not being self-reliant is quite a shock!  So, I make it a point to do what I can.  Its not much but even small things help.

Fifth, I want to assure everyone I do not blame Laz in the least.  I have told him several times "It was NOT your fault".  

Sixth, some of the initial bruises are beginning to fade.  Oddly, some of the original lighter bruises are deeper purple now.  I have never bruised easily, so I don't have much experience with how they heal.

Seventh, I am learning to be very efficient when I move around.  When I'm in one spot, I keep everything together on a counter or table.  Food (for example) gets separated by to-be-microwaved, to-be-stovetop-cooked, and edible raw (fruits, salad material).  And I don't leave a spot without making sure I have my cordless phone, eyeglasses, TV remote, etc with me.  Nothing like "walkering" across the house and realizing my glasses were left in the bedroom to make you sigh DEEPLY!

Again, thanks for all the good wishes, thoughts and prayers, POTP, and useful advice.

Time Passes Slowly

I've never been actually INJURED before, so all this is a new experience.  I realize this is pretty minor as things go, but it is ME, not someone else.  I've never felt so RESTRICTED. 

Like, I don't leave the house often, but now I CAN'T!  I can't even get down to the basement.  I have the cat litter boxes down there and trays of veggies (4 kinds of lettuce, celery, radishes, carrots, and bok choy) to water (Deb is graciously taking care of that for me).

This recovery is going to take a good bit longer than I expected.  I AM getting better, but "better" is not "much better"!  The rib muscles still hurt, but not as much or often.  I have better use of my right arm (the left is fine).  The right shoulder joint doesn't actually hurt, but it is very awkward.

I have a bit of a dilemma with the shoulder.  The hosital gave me a sling to wear (day and night), but I can't wear it AND use the walker.  So, for now, I'm just trying to rest it as much as possible.

*SIGH*

Bruises

Some impressive bruises on the right shoulder.  Biggest I'VE ever had, anyway.  And well, I can't politely show the others...

 

Problems

I've been offline a week because I'm stupid. I fell 14' off a ladder Jan 2 saturday trying to get Laz out of a tree.  I know he probably could have gotten down eventually, but I saw him try 2x and not knowing how, and it was dark.

I am injured.  I hit the ground on my right shoulder and back.  I passed out briefly, then yelled for help.  No one heard me.  I felt like I had been hit by a car.  It took 15 minutes to crawl 50' into the basement.  I couln't manage the staiurs, so i slept on the basement floor.  In the morning, I was able to slowly drag myself up the stairs and into bed.  It was VERY painful to do that.

I didn't feel any broken bones, I figured it was all sprained muscles, and I heal fast.  Because of that, and covid19 fears (both danger and expecting no beds or nurses available) I didn't call 911.

Sunday and Monday were horrible!  Tuesday, the muscles hust "less" (a rather relative "less") but then I could feel rubbing on both side of my ribs.  Plus the ball of the right shoulder joint was sticking up.  I could not move my right foot to walk.  I called 911 and they sent a medical transport vehicle ( not a full-blown ambulance, thankfully).  They were wonderful!

I was given immediate attention.  After physical poking and prodding (oh the joy)  :( I got xrays, a catscan, and an MRI.  I have 3 broken ribs on the left, 1 on the right and a dislocated right shoulder. I have a massive bruise on the right shoulder. I got a morphine shot.  There wasn't actually much they could do for me there, so they sent me home whith a percoset prescription and the name of a local chiropractor.  I couldn't go get the prescription of visit the chiropractor.  

I had no one local to call for help.  Family dispersed and no telephone numbers for neighbors.  But here is where things got much better.  I saw the lady across the street (Deb) outside Thursday.  I manged to open the window (OUCH!) and called out for help.  She came right over.  

She saw I was in misery and offerred complete help.  She collected mail and newspapers (papers on the ground invite burglars).  She asked about food and medicine.  I had a shopping list and the Percoset prescription.  I gave her my food list, prescription, driver license, and insurance card and she took off at once.  

It took her 90 minutes to get everything.  What a kind person!  

She immediately asked what else she could do.  I hesitated to ask, but the litter boxes hadn't been cleaned since Saturday.  Turned out she had cads previously and said she would be happy to clean them (down in the basement).  And I asked her to bring up fruits and vewgies and meat from the basement refrigerater.  She even watered my basement plants.

She also called her husband (John, works at some public auction place) and told him to bring a walker home.  He did and they brought it right over.  What a relief!  I was barely scooting around in my computer chair.  With the walker, I could even drag my right foot along.

She teleworks, so she is home all day.  She gave me her phone number and assured me I could call day or night.  She came over this afternoon to check on me and did some more helpful things.

I didn't know Percoset was Oxycodone and something else I forget, so I was careful to take a 1/2 pill to see how it would affect me (warns of drowsiness and dizziness).  It didn't seem to cause a problem, so I'm taking a full tablet as prescribed now.

Everything still hurts like blazes, but I suppose it would be worse without the Percoset.  I can get around with the walker.  Today I could actually stand up on my own though I can't move around without the walker.  I can get in and out of bed with less pain.  I've been lying in bed 12-14 hours a day.  The waterbed is soft and warm.

I can cook simple meals, though I'm more thirsty than hungry.  I can use the computer (carefully).  Deb will come visit each day.  She even offerred to do laundry, but I have enough clean clothes for a week.

I'm healing slowly but steadily.  Everything still hurts.  Today, I am able to use my right leg some.

I'm leaving a brief note on the Mark's Mews blog.  I think I can be emailed directly at cavebear2118@verizon.net.  I MAY be absent a while.  Or not.  Typing is awkward, but doable (and it's not like I have much to do but watch TV otherwise).  I may be able to walk normally in 3-4 days, but I'm not going to risk the stairs.

I did get Laz out of the tree, but that's why I fell.  I got his claws loose from the branch, but as I lifted him towards me, he grabbed the branch again.  Not knowing that, when I pulled, he held and over I went...  I'm not blaming him at all.  But I'm not letting any of the cats out.  They are all acting weird because I'M acting weird!  Ayla is spooked and hiding, Laz will walk past me but out of reach, Marley at least stands next to my chair for scritchies sometimes.

Deb filled a large bowl with kibbles, and I can manage canned food once a day.

See ya around...

The New Computer

I'm sort of losing my mind here.  Everything seems to have migrated to the new computer fine, except for the email.  And I decided it was time to get a real security suite and a password manager.

ARGGHHH!!!

If I wasn't a DIY type, I would go nuts.  And I've generally been offline because I feel like I'm in a Twilight Zone episode.  Or one of those dreams with no monsters (I don't have "monster" problems) but nothing works at all.  I call those "frustration dreams", and those are my usual kinds.  Lately, those have been all too real.

EMAIL:

Several years ago, Verizon sold their email service to AOL.  AOL has plagued me ever since.  Rgey want me to use their system directly, and it SUCKS!  I have been redirecting my AOL emails to Apple Mail where I have 3 separate accounts.  One is "cavebear" for myself.  A second is "marksmews" for the cats.  A third is "yardenman" for home and yard stuff.

When I migrated everything to the new Mac Mini, the email wouldn't.  When I finally got most emails to import, the passwords for my Apple Mail accounts didn't.  Apple says it is an AOL problem; AOL says it "talk to Apple".  

I got an AOL tech on the phone after complaining enough.  She was very friendly and helpful.  After 30 minutes, I had a new password for the cavebear account.  Only it turned out all that was just a change in my AOL account password.  My Apple accounts still wanted passwords.  I had them all written down in a binder of course, but they no longer worked.  And then we got disconnected.

I called AOL techs again.  This time, I was told the 3 Apple accounts each needed a separate monthly tech help fee of $5 per month for them to help.  $180 per year just to have them do what Verizon promised I would get for free.

So, I can read my mail direct in AOL, all jumbled together.  I'm exploring other email apps, but it would require all new addresses.  I shudder at the idea of how to contact everyone I know about new email addresses!

An option is to leave the old Mac Mini online just for the email.  It works fine there.  The problem is that the working passwords there are hidden (all ***********).  I need to get a 2nd router cable to do that.  That's easy to solve, but awkward to keep 2 computers operating.

SECURITY SUITE:  

I've been coasting along on free Avira (which is well-regarded), but I decided to upgrade.  There are things Avira doesn't do.  Like protect from ransomeware, spyware, financial transaction, and keystroke protection.  I searched everywhere for "best apps".  No one agrees.  I finally settled on Kaspersky.  According to some sites, its weakest point was the password manager (see below) and it has a Russian origin but was otherwise the "best of the bunch".  

I downloaded it and am learning how to use it.  A "quick scan" showed no malware on the new computer.  I was concerned because I had copied old files and apps to this new one and I wanted "the best" to check on those before I started using it.  I'll do a complete scan after I leave here later and let it run overnight.

PASSWORD MANAGER:  

I started keeping passwords in Excel years go and keeping the printed pages in a binder, after which I deleted the Excel spreadsheet.  But who knows what remains behind even after a delete?  I got nervous. And that was after only saving the Excel to a thumbdrive and removing it.  But, you know how passwords go.  You repeat them many times and even if they re slightly different, there are patterns.  So I decided I needed a password manger app.  

One really bizarre and meaningless long (VERY STRONG) string and ll the esier ones re hidden (I think).  I went with the "1password" app.  It will take a whole day to enter all the other passwords into the app.  Maybe 2 days.  But I have so many, maybe I can eliminate half of them.  There are sites I haven't visited in years and have no interest in.  But just deleting bookmarks doesn't eliminate all records of them.  I'll need to dig further into the files to find them.

 ---------------

I'm getting through this one small step at a time.  And it will take more time.  I'm at the point where I COULD be back on line, but there is only so much computer time I can take.  I need to figure out the Kaspersky anti-malware and the password manager.  I need to figure out the damn email password problem.  I need to go through 5,000 emails and decide which to save (I'm a hoarder).   I probably have a few 100 pictures in the camera and they need to be viewed, deleted, saved, processed, etc.

I let it all sit ignored for 2 days while I puttered around the house and yard catching up on chores.  That was actually a pleasure.  But that's a subject for a new post...

Future Cat

Well, I've gone and done it now.  I sent a deposit check to a Tonkinese breeder yesterday.  The details are uncertain, but apparently, sometime in 2021, I will be able to drive 90 miles and pick up a kitten who will be "sort of like" Iza.  I don't expect a clone and don't want one.  But it would be a kitten similar in appearance and nature.  Discovering her personality will be a wonderful thing.

If she is like Iza, I will love and cherish her.  If not, I will love and cherish her.  I have never had a cat that wasn't friendly to me or that I didn't cherish in return.  That part is sort of automatic.

I emailed and phoned the breeder.  She agrees I would be a great person for one of her "girls".  I can't wait.  But I have to.  

Funny how this works.  If I had done this in May when I originally contacted the Tonkie breeder, I would have  the kitten now.  But not have Laz.  

I like how things are working out.  I get both.   Laz is amazing.

Laz is a flaming ball of energy.  I've never had a cat quite like him.  He runs full-tilt everywhere.  When I hear him running in the house, I have to stop because he runs into any of MY moving parts. 

But he has adjusted to Marley and Ayla, so finally I can consider a kitten.  I'm guessing late Summer...

Holiday Decorations

Well, I put some Holiday house lights up.  I don't always.  The front of the house hangs over the basement 2 feet, so I can reach the soffit with a stepladder.  I screwed in some cupholder hooks every 3 feet years ago, so it really isn't that hard.  Depends on the weather.  I'll add strings of lights in the front windows.  Maybe.  

Being more science-oriented than religious, I know that all the early Winter holidays are based on the Winter Solstice.   Traditionally/originally, they all celebrated the New Year.  Calendars have changed a few times through history, the dates stay the same.  

I like Solstice.  It's the shortest day and what better time to think a new year has started?  The das srart getting longer again.  The hope of renewal returns.

So I put up some lights most years.  Mine are all blue.  Nice calming color.  Sedate, unflashy, different.  And I don't overdo it.  

Some of my neighbors do a LOT more.  It's their right, but s crowded with decorations a cat couldn't walk through their yard.  But I've seen "more".  One street I drove by on my work commute years ago could probably be seen by from the Space Station.

I may set up a fake tree this year.  I have some strings of bubble lights and I miss seeing those.  When I was a child, my Dad's Parents had these big 8 inch ones and I would sit on the floor (we visited each Christmas) and just stare at them.  I always wondered where the bubbles went.  The ones I found are only 4" but I still wonder when the bubbles go.  Well, I like Lava Lamps too (though I understand THAT)!

The window lights are easy.  I bought some tension rods that fit inside the tops of the windows and I just used to feed the the strings of lights around them and let them drape.  Now I have hooks and that makes it a lot easier.   

I bought a great fake 6' tree years ago.  I seldom use it.  Unfolding the branches is hard; repacking it  takes an hour.  And that is with a trick I worked out pushing the 3 sections into trash bags in a trash can to compress the limbs.  

I like the 3 foot prelit tree these days.  On a TV tray at the front window, it looks like a full tree from outside.  LOL!  But the little tree doesn't hold fancy ornaments, and I have a LOT of them.  Maybe this is a good year to set up the big one.  It it supposed to rain hard and possibly snow later today, the new computer isn't going to arrive for a week, and I went grocery shopping today.  

So maybe I have nothing to do.  Yeah, right.  I haven't had "nothing to do" since I was 12.  But it would be a good opportunity for a serious "all-out" tree decorating event.  If I do, I'll post pictures.  If I don't, I didn't.

Strange thing:  I went out to look at my house lights at 9pm last night.   Stood out on the street until my motion detector lights went off.  Looked nice.  Then I looked down the street and realized that not a single house on my street had lights on.  

Pictures from past years and it will be much the same this year.

The prelit fake tree, unadorned.  From outside, it looks like a big one...

Cheap fake wreath.  The bells help...

Note the sock on the right.  It has my name on it.  Its from childhood   Each Christmas back then, we kids got fancy stuff in them.  A box of chocolate-covered cherries, a navel orange, a red delicious apple, a candy cane of THREE colors, and a couple of tiny games.  Doesn't seem like much NOW, does it?  But in the 50s that was "big stuff".

Looks a lot from the outside, LOL!

See?

Special decorations...  I love the robins' nests with the wood eggs. I love the clear glass ornaments.

Love the glass apples. 

The glass icicles don't show up well here, but I bet I have several hundred.  Mom knew I liked them and sent me a dozen each year.  Precious memories.  Moms know what you like.

Funny story:  Dad used to love adding "tinsel" to the tree.  They were originally actually tin, so he saved them each year.  Later, they were soft pastic, but old habits die hard.  He saved those too in spite of them being nearly free in the stores.  He used to get so aggravated when we kids just tossed them on the tree.  When he thought no one was looking, he would arrange them "properly".

The tree skirt/mat Mom sent me one year...

A tree deserves a cat...

I had forgotten how festive the house can look at times...

And there used to be "real" cards.  And of course, a cat was the puurfect add-on.

The full-size tree (partially-decorated)...

Computer Update

I have finally had to accept that  I can't stay on a 2011 Mac Mini with an old keyboard and High Sierra anymore.  But moving too far forward has problems too.  

I've spent the last whole day and night learning about options.  What I have is no longer supported.  The newest stuff has problems (both the newest Apple M1 chip and the Big Sur Operating System have difficulties according to Mac Forums).

I have settled on a middle ground.  I ordered a:

Maci Mini

3.0GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz) 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 Intel UHD Graphics 630 1TB SSD storage

3.0GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz) 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 Intel UHD Graphics 630 1TB SSD storage Mohave Operating System That will allow me to use some 3rd party apps like Word and Excel and maybe Firefox (because I'm on Safari and it fights me on edits and formatting). On the other hand, it will help me with standard apps like Photos (I was using iPhotos, and I miss it - much easier to use).  Switching from iPhotos was a real PITA.  The organization is harder.  But there isn't much choice.  I catch on a little bit better each time. To prepare for a new computer, I spent hours deleting old files, got on The Cloud and off it (doesn't do what *I* want).  I did a full backup.  The new computer is 2 weeks away, (it is non-standard, Built To Order) but I think I can manage until then... Firefox is failing for me, and that's where my Feedly is.  It won't load.  I have it on Safari too, and it doesn't like autofilling my email and URL, but I think I solved that.  One step at a time. Have to mention that I bought a color toner printer.  A  Canon Color imageCLASS MF644Cdw Wireless Color Laser All-In-One Printer.  I got tired of the inkjet color cartridges drying out every few months. Toner lasts 4 years.  Damn thing weighs a ton though.   But, after the pain, I think I'll be good for 5-6 years.  Hoping...

Computer Update

Well, I don't have much working better, but I have discovered and done a few things...

1.  I spent several hours going through old files and deleting them.  I had to accept that there were old headers I simply did not need anymore, non-cat pics and graphics I could easily regain if needed, copies of old documents that no longer matter, download files for programs long since upgraded etc.  I mean, I even had pics of houses I considered buying 5 years ago!  I only reclaimed a few GBs, but deleting clutter probably helps.

2.  I learned that my Mac Mini is a 2011 model.  The old chips, processors, and graphics can't keep up.  Essentially, I was struggling along in a 64-bit app world with a 32-bit processor.  I slightly understand that.  It's like trying to eat your dinner and dessert at the same time.    64 bit wants to read more at once than 32 bit and the 32 bit apps choke.

3.  I actually have a newer Mac Mini but apparently I managed to kill it struggling with Mac O/S Catalina trying to remove it.  It won't even start.  It's almost funny; my computer room is nearly litterred with old computers.  I need to get rid of them (after doing a "scribble" of the hard drive a few times so nothing can be read).

4.  I managed to export my old iPhotos app pics to the newer Photos app.  It wasn't easy.  And I don't like the new organization of pics.  But who ever DOES like a new app at first.  I'll get used to it.  The hardest thing was that my newest pictures just didn't want to go.  It took over an hour to get those out of the "import folder" into actual folders with names and dates.

5.  Some apps like Firefox seem to no longer be supported with new Mac O/S, or maybe it is that my they are no longer supported by my current O/S High Sierra.  I apologize to my Windows PC friends; Apple Mac speaks its own language.  The point is that Apple doesn't much like backwards compatibility very much.  They stop providing support and compatibility every few years.  

6.  In spite of that, I'm sticking with Macs.  I used to love Windows back in the days, and could organize files well.  I bought a Windows 10 computer a year or so ago, and I can't make it do anything.  I can't even find files on it.  One thing about Macs is that file manager (called "Finder") is superb!  You almost can't NOT find anything there.  

7.  My conclusion is that I need a newer Mac Mini.  But there are still questions I am trying to get answers to.  The new ones come with an O/S called "Big Sur" (Apple likes to name the operating systems after Big Cats years ago and geography features recently (they ran out of Big Cat Names, I suppose).  Anyway, some users are complaining about Big Sur.  Most say to wait a few months until Apple debugs it better.  I agree.  But every new Mac Mini comes with it.  I feel trapped.

8.  That probably means I have to buy some new apps that offer way more features than I need, a lot of learning how to use them.  And it probably means I can't use free Mac-protection software any more.  Scammers have started to pay more attention to Mac apps.  Though it is harder to infect a Mac than Windows, they are doing it.  I read of more and more Mac viruses these days.  

9.  My older Mac is more vulnerable to these viruses.  The new O/Ss come with serious built-in and updatable protection.  That includes ransomware protection, which is becoming a real problem.  And I'll have to get a really good separate protection program like MacAfee, Bitdefender, or Norton.  

10.  And this may make you smile...  I think a part of my problems was just an old keyboard!  I was writing a To Do list and was frustrated by my spelling.  So i pecked 1 key at a time to confirm the accuracy.  And there were still errors!  I may have a malware that messes with the keyboard.  Or it is just old.

Aren't computers wonderful?

Offline, Rebuild

We are going to be generally offline for a few days or a week.  The computer is falling apart, programs are failing.  I can't fix it within the current Mac/OS, and that means upgrading the Mac/OS version to the point where other programs will fail.

 

I went through hoops trying to keep familiar programs running a year ago.  I basically succeded, but it was temporary. 

 

I've been living with Mac High Sierra.  But too many apps are no longer supported with that.  Feedly is driving me nuts not sending comments, for example.  And it is important to me to visit my friends.

 

So it is time to rebuild.  I think I will have to migrate to The Cloud.  I think I will have to pay to upgrade programs.  I think I will have to learn changes in familiar programs. I may have been hacked.

 

I'm not looking forward to any of that.  I'm not even sure I can.  Everything seems stranger with each generation of OS.  Well, at least I know what that MEANS, LOL!

 

I'll get through this change, but it won't be fast or easy.

 

But maybe I'll be good for another few years.

 

I may try to hook up the Windows 10 computer.  The organization of it baffles me (I'm used to total control over file organization and Win 10 fights me).  But I did "grow up" with Windows.  It sure has changed.  Maybe I can make sense of it again.

 

But I want Mac back. 

 

But be assured I will be back.  I'm just going to have a hard week or 2...

Baby Fish

You may remember "baby fish" from months ago.  I had a pair of live-bearing Platys and the big fish would just eat all the babies.  But I also had live plants I added to the aquarium and Anachris grows fast and floats.  It made a hiding place for new-born fish.  Most get picked off anyway, but his time, one survived long enough for me to see it.  And over the course of a week, I kept seeing it.

It grew to young adulthood at least big enough that the other fish (including Mom and Dad) couldnt eat it.

A week ago, I was surprised to notice Baby Fish had no tail.  Mostly likely a fungal disease and I dosed the aquarium appropriately.  Sadly, it was to late for Baby Fish.  It was belly-up a couple days ago.  Bye!  Not like we had an emotional connection (well maybe I did a little)...

The other fish seem OK. 

But there is good news as well.  The guppies had 3 survivors.  I was quick to catch them with a small net and transferred then to an unused 1 quart Betta tank.   They were joined the next month by another guppy and a platy.  All are thriving and the older 3 are big enough to return to the aquarium.

And there is a new platy baby hiding in the Anachris.  It is too fast to net, which is probably why it survives.  I wish it well.  It is better to get a few new fish naturally than go out and buy them.  Store-bought fish are always a disease-threat.  I have to isolate them in a small tank for a week to make sure they aren't dying of something.

I know something about that.  My first non-Summer job was in the fish dept of a department store.   visited as a customer and left with a job.  The tanks were all dirty and had dead fish.  I complained to the guy at the cash register (turned out to be the Fish Department Manager).  He was a real lay-about.  But he asked if I wanted a job.

Being broke and still a college student, I said yes and proceeded to clean the tanks of dead fish, changed the water regularly, and made sure the fish were fed 2x a day.  When the store Manager saw what I was doing, he fired the dumb guy. promoted the lady who was Asst Manager to Manager (I've never understood the connection of that, but I suspect it was because she was senior and could balance the cash register report forms (which I knew nothing about).

She and I got along great.  She understood the store procedures (THE primary skill for a Manager) and I had all the ideas.  Which was fine with me for a first "real job".

For some reason, there was a tall lighted cabinet with shelves in the storage room.  I got 2 other guys to help drag it out

With her approval, I  set up a breeding tank in cabinet.  First, guppies because they were easiest and inexpensive and many babies found their way through a slotted divider.  So customers saw baby guppies.  We sold a lot of guppies.  Then swordtails and we sold lots of swordatils.  

Then I got ambitious.  I mean, I could do stuff I had always wanted to do FOR FREE! 

I found that the store had HUGE 1-gallon Brandy Snifters.  The store Depts had an arrangement where other Depts could take stuff by filling out a charge ticket.  I should explain that some Department Stores were actually just renters of space.  They owned a core of some depts like clothes and shoes and managed the cash register stations and rented space to specialty companies like hardware, auto, equipment, records, AND FISH.  

I quickly learned that the store never paid any attention to inter-dept "purchases".  If there WAS any bill, it went to the renting company HQ.  So I filled out the form for the huge Brandy Snifter.  

And I set up a no-food, no-cleaning self-contained 1 gallon Brandy Snifter with a sign explaining all that.  It worked, and it got attention.  After that, I set up several tanks of more complicated breeding fish like Dwarf Gouramis, Bettas (Siamese Fighting Fish), and Cherry Barbs.  All egg-layers.

Customers stopped to see the Bubble nests of the Gouramies and the bright red male Cherry Barbs (hence the name).  Our Dept went from one of the least profitable locations of the company that had Depts in many stores to at least the average.