Musings on a Small Life

A couple of bloggers have done a year in review via photos, so, lacking creativity, I thought I'd cheat and steal the idea. This means you have to look at pics you've already seen, of course. January: From a dumping of snow at the beginning of the month, to very little by the end of it. Winter 2010 was a non-event for us. Would that it would be the same in 2011! February: Still barely any snow, and open house at our City's greenhouse! March: An early Spring and some funky roots at Lemoine Point. April: Spring in full glory! May: Cute bunnies and an abundance of trilliums. June: Roses and of course the summer Solstice. July: Budding hostas in my garden and walks downtown at lunch time, along the Lake. August: The Poker Run and Dad's week-long visit. September: Fort Henry Hill (looking toward part of the Royal Military College) and many more nature walks. October: Cute critters and changing colours. November: Mild temperatures and a time for reflection. December: Moody ...

I was out shopping till late morning, got home to find a message from the vet. Looks like Annie has a bladder infection, not kidney failure. He said he'd left antibiotics for her (pills -- she can't be pilled) and I could pick them up before they closed at noon. I called right away, about 11:20AM, said Annie can't be pilled -- how many times have I told the vets this? But gee, they didn't have any liquid Clavamox, for crying out loud. Wouldn't get any in until mid-week. What kind of clinic is this? The receptionist suggested I bring her in for a Convenia shot, but I balked at that because it can cause anemia and death in a small percentage of cats. So she asked the on-duty vet (not the one who looked at Annie's test results) if I could wait till mid-week, but the vet didn't feel I should. So off I rushed via taxi, with Annie in the carrier, for her Convenia shot. And I hope to high heaven I haven't killed her with it, though she was fine after the...

I took Annie in early, but they weren't busy, so while I went to a nearby coffee shop for a cup of Darjeeling tea, they got her urine sample, the blood for a full panel (including the T4), got her armpits and chest shaved and her claws clipped. I had a list of items/concerns, had said if she needed sub-qs to go ahead, but they either forgot or she didn't need the fluid. She has lost weight since her previous recorded weigh-in (last winter); she's down to 7.6 pounds, so she's lost about half a pound. Now comes the waiting. They vet clinic is open only until noon tomorrow, so I'm not sure if I'll hear anything before the new year. I'm scared to talk to the vet, frankly. Afraid it will be worse than I'm imagining...and my thoughts aren't happy happy joy joy right now. But c'est la vie, as the expression goes. I appreciate the comments very much, so appreciate the understanding and support. I think the best I can hope for is that it's early...

First, Annie. I had tried to take her in on the 23rd for the urine analysis and blood work, but they had only one tech on, and she needs 2+ to hold her/manage her. So I'm taking her tomorrow. Prior to Christmas I was told by one of their receptionists that the lab in the Toronto area that does the T4 testing was closed between Christmas and New Year's, but today I was told that's not the case. I'm kicking myself because if I had called earlier to double check, I could have had her in on Monday or Tuesday AM, or even today. I'm very worried about her; she's nothing but skin and bone in spite of the fact that her appetite seems the same. Kidney disease? Or cancer? I would have thought her November blood work would show something amiss, other than BUN and Creatinine, if it was cancer. But maybe not. She wants to go out as usual, she still plays, but I can tell you that she's not the same cat that she was prior to her hyper-thyroid diagnosis last year. She...

I had the tree and all the decorations taken down and packed away for another year, the vacuuming done, by 6:15AM. Originally I had intended to leave the tree up till later in the week, but it's -20 something Celcius today, with the windchill, and I really, really don't feel like going out. So I'm using the day to tidy and clean. The temps are supposed to be warmer for the rest of the week, so I'll venture out then. Derry, silly boy that he is, seems to love the icy weather and has been out several times so far this morning (it's only 7:45AM right now). I've had to call and call and call him to get his furry ass back in the house. Crazy cat. Mind you, he does have a thick layer of fat for insulation! Oh, did I go out yesterday for Boxing Day sales, you ask? Well, actually, I did! I left the house at 7AM and walked in the bitter windchill to RioCan Centre, which is a box store complex about 4 kms away. First stop: Starbucks for a short non-fat vanilla latté...

It's all over now but the Boxing Day frenzy. And as I'm typing this on Christmas Day afternoon, I haven't yet decided if I'll partake of the consumer shopping frenzy. I don't as a rule, but hey, you never know. A huge thank you to my mom, who spoiled me. Nothing extravagant, just a number of much-welcome presents: Two pairs of soft and cosy flannel lounge pants that she made, slippers, two pairs of earrings, a zip-up fleece sweater (it's actually teal, not blue), a cute wooden sign that says "Martha Stewart doesn't live here and that's a good thing," two very soft cream cotton tops (tee and turtleneck) to go with the lounge pants (wish I could wear those to work!), a fundraising calendar in support of the feral cats of the Halifax Dockyard--run by one man, who has trapped them all and cares for them (no kittens have been born since 2007 and the colony is about 45 strong now), warm black gloves, thick and toasty navy socks, a fabric book cov...

I had a lovely surprise in the mail yesterday, for which I'm very thankful--the package of cards and treats I had won from Pia on her blog ( The World According to Pia ) earlier this fall. For any of you who aren't familiar with her blog, she has wonderful posts that include her photography, recipes, Loaf Dog, occasionally her cats, and her travels. She can make even the ordinary seem exquisite and I really enjoy the glimpse into her life in Stockholm. The greeting card included in the package The photo cards she had made -- hard to see, but the upper left one is a picture of her footwear. Pia is known for shoe photos!   The book marks and business cards she included, again made from her own wonderful photos. The mitten garland and chocolate she included. She's a wonderful craftsperson too! And that chocolate was salted on the outside, so had a fabulous taste! Of course I ate it all right away. LOL. So a huge thank you, Pia, for the wonderful gift package! Normally I ...

I'm using an old modified stretch minima template for both my blogs, have looked at "upgrading" to the new designs. But. When I do this, I notice that Blogger switches all my gadgets from one column to the other. So all my left column gadgets end up on the right side, and vice versa. I've not been saving the "upgrade" because this pisses me off and I'd like to just do a seamless transition. I have a lot of gadgets, don't want to manually move them back to the correct columns. Anyone know a way around this? If so, please do leave a comment. I'm going to hunt around Blogger's "help" forum, but I don't expect much "help" at all from it. Only three days left...Take a deep breath, everyone! I'm seriously considering using up my last vacation day tomorrow, not sure I can stand to be in the office for one. more. day. I'll see. Right now I'm so not in work mode, and there's nothing that has to be don...

A very merry Yule to all! I've been counting down the days for quite some time, because of course the Winter Solstice means a slow return of daylight, at last. And while I'm not Wiccan, Nature resonates with my soul far more than any human construct, and that includes our religious constructs. “When one defines oneself as Pagan, it means she or he follows an earth or nature religion, one that sees the divine manifest in all creation. The cycles of nature are our holy days, the earth is our temple, its plants and creatures our partners and teachers. We worship a deity that is both male and female, a mother Goddess and a father God, who together created all that is, was, or will be.We respect life, cherish the free will of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of all creation.” -Edain McCoy- http://blessedbe.sugarbane.com/ Image from https://www.painters-online.co.uk/gallery/album.asp?id=9568 History of Yule http://www.twopagans.com/holiday/Yule.html "...This Sabba...