Glitter Graphics
Friday, October 31, 2008
Flotsam and Jetsam
Has it been that long since I last posted? Wow. Between working, worrying and being obsessive about the upcoming election and enjoying this wonderful cool, windy weather, I’ve just kind of bowed out of the blogging world for a while. I guess that’s why I have my little “Blogging Without Obligation” (BWO) logo on my website.
Speaking of work, this time of year is when everyone goes crazy at my office in preparation for our large annual conference that we sponsor. It starts next week and will be in Dallas, Texas. Let me just say right from the start that I’ve always dreaded going to our conference. I’m a real reserved and introverted kind of gal and being around 20-25,000 people for a week stresses the heck out of me. Plus, since our association is the host, all us staffers have to be all smiles and “How can I help you” Bleh! So, this year I took a chance and asked my boss about a month ago if I could stay here and not travel to the conference. He actually said he had no problem with it, and it has been like a great weight has been taken off of me. I think I must have told him once a week how much this means to me to NOT have to go. Such a relief, you will never know.
So, what else has been happening in my little world. Well, about three weeks ago my sister and niece came over to go to my little town’s Takoma Street Festival. We had a good day and came back to my house to chat for a while. Sweet Pea was craving attention and my niece kept laughing at him because his tongue kept sticking out of his mouth. All you cat owners have seen it. A cat is cleaning himself and stops and the tongue is still sticking out a bit. Well, Sweet Pea’s tongue never went back in his mouth. As cute as it was it, it was out of the ordinary and it made me take note to watch him closely over the next week. He was still acting very normal, happily racing around the house, trilling and meowing. He was eating and drinking regularly. Then, on Columbus Day I was throwing treats to all the cats and when Sweet Pea looked up I noticed something dripping from his mouth. It was blood. It was so shocking but Sweet Pea, again, was not acting like anything was wrong. I tried to see my vet that day but he was all booked until the next morning. When I brought him in the vet found a decaying, rotten tooth that needed to come out. Luckily, I thought that might be the case and fasted him overnight so they could take him in that day. I got a call from the vet around 4:00 that afternoon to say that they actually had to take out FOUR teeth! Oh, poor Sweet Pea!! He had to stay overnight and I picked him up the following afternoon. He was on pain medication and antibiotics and needed to eat only soft foods for a few days. Boy, did I feel guilty. I talked to my vet and, I guess to make excuses for myself, stated over and over that he showed absolutely no symptoms of being in any pain. I also told him that since all my cats have been rescued as adults, I’ve never been able to look in their mouths, much less brush their teeth. The vet reassured me that some cats just won’t show the usual symptoms and the owners never find out until something catastrophic happens (like bleeding from the mouth).
Speaking of work, this time of year is when everyone goes crazy at my office in preparation for our large annual conference that we sponsor. It starts next week and will be in Dallas, Texas. Let me just say right from the start that I’ve always dreaded going to our conference. I’m a real reserved and introverted kind of gal and being around 20-25,000 people for a week stresses the heck out of me. Plus, since our association is the host, all us staffers have to be all smiles and “How can I help you” Bleh! So, this year I took a chance and asked my boss about a month ago if I could stay here and not travel to the conference. He actually said he had no problem with it, and it has been like a great weight has been taken off of me. I think I must have told him once a week how much this means to me to NOT have to go. Such a relief, you will never know.
So, what else has been happening in my little world. Well, about three weeks ago my sister and niece came over to go to my little town’s Takoma Street Festival. We had a good day and came back to my house to chat for a while. Sweet Pea was craving attention and my niece kept laughing at him because his tongue kept sticking out of his mouth. All you cat owners have seen it. A cat is cleaning himself and stops and the tongue is still sticking out a bit. Well, Sweet Pea’s tongue never went back in his mouth. As cute as it was it, it was out of the ordinary and it made me take note to watch him closely over the next week. He was still acting very normal, happily racing around the house, trilling and meowing. He was eating and drinking regularly. Then, on Columbus Day I was throwing treats to all the cats and when Sweet Pea looked up I noticed something dripping from his mouth. It was blood. It was so shocking but Sweet Pea, again, was not acting like anything was wrong. I tried to see my vet that day but he was all booked until the next morning. When I brought him in the vet found a decaying, rotten tooth that needed to come out. Luckily, I thought that might be the case and fasted him overnight so they could take him in that day. I got a call from the vet around 4:00 that afternoon to say that they actually had to take out FOUR teeth! Oh, poor Sweet Pea!! He had to stay overnight and I picked him up the following afternoon. He was on pain medication and antibiotics and needed to eat only soft foods for a few days. Boy, did I feel guilty. I talked to my vet and, I guess to make excuses for myself, stated over and over that he showed absolutely no symptoms of being in any pain. I also told him that since all my cats have been rescued as adults, I’ve never been able to look in their mouths, much less brush their teeth. The vet reassured me that some cats just won’t show the usual symptoms and the owners never find out until something catastrophic happens (like bleeding from the mouth).
Here is Sweet Pea just a few minutes after I let him out of his carrier when we returned from the vet. He ran straight for his catnip body pillow and rabbit-kicked the heck out of it! I think he needed to let off a little steam.Anyway, Sweet Pea is back to acting crazy silly again, maybe even a little more lively. I’m sure his mouth must feel a whole lot better. Poor guy must have been in pain for quite some time.
A few nights ago when we were getting a cold front moving through, it was incredibly windy and cold (my kind of weather). I opened the storm door at some point and Woody got out. For someone not that bright (I can’t even call him a pea brain—Woody is a lentil brain), he sure knows how to sneak his way behind me and scoot out the door. Since Woody was a stray, he certainly knows his way around my yard so I just sighed and let him run, chase leaves and climb trees for a while. After about a half hour I went out on the front porch to call him. C’mon Woody…..come, come, come, come….W O O D Y…. He came barreling up the front porch and into the house. At the same time, I heard this galloping across my roof. Now, who is that?
Oh, look, its Trouble the raccoon!
He heard me calling and was hoping for a handout. Sorry, buddy. I'm all out of grapes.
Then there is this election coming up. A friend of mine sent me the cutest button so I tried to show it off as best as I could
Hmm, a little blurred
Sweet Pea: "I do not like to be used for your political propaganda!"
And finally.....
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Here Comes Trouble
A very quick post with a very short video! I wrote about Trouble in the comment section of Nina's beautiful and sad post this week about a young raccoon that was killed by a car.
I usually have lots of raccoons and possums coming by nightly for food. Lately it seems like the raccoons have moved on...all except for Trouble. Trouble is a small, young raccoon that still comes by nightly for a snack and, I really believe, some companionship. When he hears my voice he comes running to the door where I will toss out a few grapes for him. He tries to engage the cats in play, but a quick hiss from them keeps Trouble at bay. About a month ago when the storm Hanna was threatening, I took down my glass windchimes and put them securely in a cat bed on the front porch. Later that evening, I was watching TV and heard the familiar tinkling of my windchimes. It took me a while to remember that I had indeed taken them down! I walked to the front door and sure enough, there was Trouble, sitting on the porch gleefully tangling up my windchimes while clinking them together.
Here is a quick 5 second video of Trouble who was at the front door wondering when his grapes would be forthcoming. Sorry it is so dark.
I usually have lots of raccoons and possums coming by nightly for food. Lately it seems like the raccoons have moved on...all except for Trouble. Trouble is a small, young raccoon that still comes by nightly for a snack and, I really believe, some companionship. When he hears my voice he comes running to the door where I will toss out a few grapes for him. He tries to engage the cats in play, but a quick hiss from them keeps Trouble at bay. About a month ago when the storm Hanna was threatening, I took down my glass windchimes and put them securely in a cat bed on the front porch. Later that evening, I was watching TV and heard the familiar tinkling of my windchimes. It took me a while to remember that I had indeed taken them down! I walked to the front door and sure enough, there was Trouble, sitting on the porch gleefully tangling up my windchimes while clinking them together.
Here is a quick 5 second video of Trouble who was at the front door wondering when his grapes would be forthcoming. Sorry it is so dark.
Just a few days ago I saw another raccoon on the front porch with Trouble. Same size but much more skittish around me, which is a good thing. I've since heard the two of them on my back porch roof wrestling. Trouble has a playmate!
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