35 posts tagged “elvis”
Elvis earned another point toward his Scorpion Badge tonight.
In Elvis'/guest bathroom, with a litter box scoop
Team Elvis: 5
Scorpion Invaders: 0
Jay wanted a picture, so here you go. Enjoy!
For the easily freaked - don't worry. This particular scorpion looks like this, but is now flatter and floating somewhere in the Tempe Sanitary Sewer System. He knew something was up so it took awhile to get a good shot as he ran in and out of view. He didn't have any place to go so I knew I wasn't losing any good chances for a clean shot. Scorpion Sniper Assassin, that's me.
I am getting a little disturbed by the recent frequency. I've never kept track before, but this seems like a lot all of a sudden. Time to ramp up defensive manuevers.
Team Elvis: 4
Scorpion Invaders: 0
#3 - In the kitchen, with a vegetable peeler (Friday night)
#4 - In the study, with a hockey puck. (Saturday night)
Yeah, I wasn't creative for #4, which was a repeat of #2. I went in the den and noticed a strange spot on the carpet and when I turned on the light, yep, a scorpion.
When you live with the threat of scorpions, you have every stain or discoloration of your carpet memorized. This is important when your carpet color isn't too unlike the color of your avowed foe. You also learn to visually assess your floors whenever you are walking about. Awareness is key to extreme pain avoidance.
In both weekend kills, Elvis' scorpion warning system wasn't a factor. But for next time - teh most awesome Mariser(tm) made this fantastic banner.
THANKS! You're the best!!!
I needed to put something up today. Okay, 'need' is a strong word.
Because you haven't seen him in a while, here's Mr. Wuv Wuv.
Not the most artistic photo I've shot, but I needed to get this quick before I disturbed him. Poor cat, has to put up with me all the time. And I just love when he does the paw over the head thing. Sooo CUTE!
And I just found a home for this little dewd!
A friend's recently adopted stray kitty was - surprise! - preggers. This pic is a day or two after they were born. She had three of the four called for, and this was the last available.
Here he is with his brother. Squee!
I've been practicing my Deutsch to get ready for my upcoming Eastern European trip. MomH was going to ask my SIL's Polish stepfather for some practical words - hello, thank you and all that. Then I realized I can ask for 'one beer, please' and toast to your health in Czech, but not hello or thank you. Priorities, my friends, priorities.
So much to do around here. I'm almost done with my Leadership Institute application. I spent most of the weekend on it but I need to tweak it a bit before turning it in on Friday. Writing about how great I am is harder than you would think. Ha. :-P
I also need to get on my road bike to prep for the triathlon relay I talked my friends into doing with me in July. I'm hanging up the running shoes (my hip joints are thanking me already) and getting back up on two wheels. I rode my mountain bike to the library and around the 'hood this weekend to get reacquainted with my cycling muscles - and with the feeling of being attached to the machinery. I tend to crash a lot on my road bike because of the wicked clips. When I'm underway, it's fine (except shifting gears - they are old-style on the frame) but stopping is a bitch. The last triathlon I did saw me skidding, bike and all, into the transition area. Luckily (or not?) I was fine enough to do the run. I just need to make friends with the equipment again and figure out how not to get myself killed.
The race is also at 9,000 feet elevation, so those 26 (24?) miles are going to suck. Suck wind. Gah. Why do I keep signing up for these things? Because otherwise I would be a lazy slug. I need the motivation.
DadH goes in for cardiac catheterization tomorrow. Fun stuff. He was pretty upset about it last week ("I was sputtering all the way home from the doctor") to being depressed and resigned to it as of yesterday. He comes from a family with bad tickers and isn't known for a preventative health lifestyle. But as MomH told him, it's better to get everything checked out before it's an emergency at midnight. They live out in the sticks so emergency medical care isn't exactly close by. FamilyH heart/health problems are another motivation to stay in shape.
Other than that, all is well in H-ville. Elvis is doing better than he has in a long time. Feely spunky and being silly like the good kitty he is. The concert outside at the Tempe Town Lake was fantastic. Other than airplanes overhead and trains rolling by, it was a perfect setting. One of the city council members asked our director if we should have a band shell for next year. Um, yeah! So hopefully that will be in the works. Even a temporary shell would be fantastic.
As for the resolution challenge, it's all about the application and getting ready for my trip. It seemed so far away and here we are, two weeks out. Yipes.
Have a good one, peeps!
Elvis is home and is eating and drinking. Yay! He was still super clingy when we came home from the vet, but if I sat real still and didn't move to a different location, he would eat whatever food was nearby.
The vet called about an hour ago with his blood test results (she's pulling night duty to look after bad-off kitty in the hospital). All clear on all counts! Hip hip, hooray! Kidneys good, liver good, glucose good. We may be taking him down on his doses even more in the near future. Operation Remission Watch is underway!
It's been a tough few days. In that time I have become ever more thankful that:
- I have distant friends and family who understand and truly care. Sometimes it's easy to feel alone all the way out here when loved ones are far away.
- I have wonderful local friends who will be here for me as soon as I call and ask for help. I need to remember I have a loving network close by and I'm not alone at all.
- I can take off a little time to look after my sick kitty and not worry about getting fired. What if I was a low-wage working single mother with an actual child? My heart goes out to all of those who are living on the edge of poverty and trying hard to make it by.
- I can afford to take care of Elvis without dipping into my savings. Yet. I keep telling him I'm spending his inheritance. Or his college tuition. Makes all the vet bills seem like a bargain now. :-)
- My vet and the staff are compassionate, highly capable people. They didn't charge me for kitty-sitting him today and they adore him. It's a comfort to know he is always in good hands.
- I can count all of my Vox peeps as those distant friends who understand and truly care. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Elvis and I are a bit worn out, so we're off to bed. After all, BrownAmazon is arriving tomorrow in all her swanky Canadian glory. We need to get our beauty sleep and prepare for a swirl of activity! I'm also thankful Elvis is recovering in time for her visit!
Thanks again to each and every one of you. Your sincere support and care mean a great deal to me.
((((hugs))))
First - thanks to each and every one of your for all of your support and good thoughts. This is the best pet support group I could ever hope for. I'm extremely grateful for your concern.
Now to today. Mr. Elv is spending the day at the Kitty Spa, or in his view, the Cat Jail & Torture Center.
Why? Because he just won't eat. Last night and this morning, he heartily snubbed everything offered.
Wet cat food? Nope.
Dry cat food? Forget it.
A different dry food? Um, no.
Temptation Treats? Blank stare.
Tuna? I'm offended you even offered.
Milk? Hmmm...I shall slurp twice and walk away.
Cheese? Intriguing, but no thanks.
BUTTER???? WTF??
Water? Fine. I'll take THREE slurps. You happy now???
No. Mom was not happy.
He woke me up this morning around 6:00 a.m., so I give him props for waiting for my usual rising time. He was in good spirits so I gave him his insulin and his antibiotic. Then tried the food. Nope. Nothing. Fine.
But he was soooo clingy. He couldn't be more than a foot or two away from me at any time. He was underfoot in the kitchen - a room he doesn't like to enter. He usually sits at the edge of the carpet and waits for me to come out. Underfoot in my bathroom when I was trying to get ready. Never did that before. Followed me around like a shadow, begging for something. Lovin' yes. Food, no.
I even sat down near his food since he was so determined to be where I was. He would have none of that nonsense. It was the only time he wouldn't come near. I was starting to lose patience.
Then he yakked up his meds. I called the vet. "Bring him in and we'll do a blood test".
Off we went. His blood sugar was 42 (yesterday was 262) and he yakked up the meds they gave him. Since he wasn't eating and I had to go to work, they wanted to keep him in case he went hypoglycemic. Or whatever he was at risk for. They'll send his bloodwork in and see if there is something else going on.
Damn cat. Making me all worried. Grrr.
Just kidding, Elvis. I love you more than anything so get better. And eat your %^$#*% FOOD!!!
Thanks to all of you for your support and hugs. As hoped, I can now come back and apologize for being so dreadfully emotionally in my last post. But I was dreadfully emotional at the time.
Elvis has a fever of 102.9 which is really high for him. Ms. Vet thinks he has a respiratory infection of some kind.
Whew.
Can I just say again that I love my vet and the staff? We came in and I was close to tears but held it together. I told myself I had to be calm for Elvis.
They were really good at calming me down and making me realize it wasn't anything drastic. And Elvis is such a champ. He stayed perfectly still for his IV.
Ms. Vet told me he probably picked up a bug. Oh, dear. I let him hang outside on the patio. I saw another cat out there once in the last week. Great. Guilt.
MV: "Does he like hanging out on the patio?"
Me: "Oh yes. He loves to be outside when he can."
MV: "Then he likes to be out there. He'll get over being sick."
Me: "Now I feel kind of embarrassed for overreacting so much."
MV: "You really love him. And there was something wrong. You weren't imagining anything."
Yeah, but the fear I had of losing him made me come all undone. Maybe if all the other things in the family hadn't happened, I wouldn't have been so paranoid. Plus, his diabetes has me really on edge. Poor kitty. His mom is hypersensitive to his every move. He would be the kid who makes his mom park a block away so the other kids don't see her picking him up from school.
So thanks. I'll try really hard not to cry wolf again. Now I need to see if I can finally put on some mascara and high-tail it to work!
((((((HUGS)))))))
How are you celebrating St. Patrick's Day?
I'm taking Elvis to the vet in a little while. Yeah, that's green-beer worthy because I could really use one right about now.
He stopped eating and drinking around Friday night. Being the paranoid cat-mom that I am, I took him to kitty urgent care yesterday. They gave him some fluids and tried to get me to keep him there overnight. It wasn't even the exorbitant amount they wanted to charge, it was my belief that if he's near his end, he's going to be near it at home.
Of course, it could just be a cold. Or something. But when a diabetic cat stops taking in fluids, it's a reason to be concerned. The urgent care people took some blood to check his glucose and that was fine. I haven't been giving him insulin the last two days because I know he's close to remission and I didn't want to add to whatever his body is doing.
The Luck of the H's hasn't been all the great these past few days. On the way to urgent care, I called home to get some Mom Love. Instead, I got DadH, who is always good for some sympathy where animals are concerned.
Okay, not always. I started by asking him how things were there. Usually a safe question. Brother Ray went in for some fancy new vision/eye surgery on Thursday at the eye clinic at University of Michigan. One of the top places to go. Thursday night, he was in so much pain he collapsed, had a seizure and paramedics were called to the house. Mom, SIL and Ray went to the hospital where he was pumped with fluids (dehydration played a part) and was given even stronger pain meds. He seems to be okay - except he can still only barely see. When I had Lasik, I could see the next day. And I was pain-free. We'll see how that goes.
Then Dad goes on to say that next morning Spencer, the mini Australian Shepherd, was found dead in the road. Spency was Amber's dog, my youngest niece. Dad dug a hole down by the pond and they had a little service for him. Saturday, Amber (8 years old), came walking up the driveway alone, went to the tiny grave and sat there for a long while. "It was enough to break a hard man's heart," said Dad.
Just for good measure, he added that one the orphaned lambs the girls were caring for died.
"It hasn't been good around here. So what are you up to today?" he asked.
I could barely speak. Bawling. Just bawling. I finally choked out that I was taking Elvis to urgent care. He let out the trademark H Family "doesn't that just take the cake" laugh that we use when life gives us more trouble than we think we should have at once.
I walked into the clinic blubbering and barely able to speak. The people there were sooo nice. "What's your baby's name?" They called all the humans as "Cooper's Daddy" or "Elvis' Mom". How sweet. I thought I had myself pulled back together when an older couple came in with their old dog for euthanasia. Gah.
After getting Elvis some fluids, we went home. I called Mom and was ready to get my Mom Love but niece Dani answered. Can't be a crying idiot in front of the children, after all. I called when the family was gathering for Brother Steve's birthday party (Happy BDay today, Steve!). It's always fun to talk to everyone gathered for a family event when I'm the only one not there. Gah again.
Anyway, there's life as it is today. Feeling like crap, not able to keep it together for more than a few minutes at a time and not ready to face any bad news about my buddy. I know I made the right choice about bringing him home yesterday. We went to bed curled up together and woke up the same way.
I hope that in a few hours I can come back and tell you that I got all worked up for nothing. I'm rooting for having the chance to apologize for my melodramatics and for shameless pandering to your emotions.
And I hope to have a beer later today in celebration of a good prognosis.
Birthday greetings go out to the most lovely, BrownAmazon.
And what has the Birthday Girl won, just for being swanktastic? You, yes you, will leave the snow and the cold Canadian winter behind when you visit -
SUNNY ARIZONA!!
Your stay will include lodging at the quaint and charming Casa de Amy, where you will be greeted by the host kitty, Mr. Elvis.
Activities include:
Horseback Riding, Arizona Style!
Some of the best Mexican cuisine you may have ever tried!
New Age Wonders in Spectacular Settings!
World-renowned vistas!
A day at one of the Southwest's premier spas!
It's all yours and it's less than a week away. Pack your bags and get ready to soak up the sun!
The Good: Elvis spent all day at the vet Friday for his latest glucose curve. Funny kitty, he hides under the bed every morning in fear of going to the Bad Place. But he camps out on top of a garment bag with a handle, so when I need to get him, it's like pulling out a tray.
To make a long story short (when does THAT happen around here?) - he didn't pee in the car on the way home (yay) and *drumroll* he's down to only one shot a day of his insulin (DOUBLE YAY!). There's a very good chance he's going into remission. Fingers crossed!
The Bad: Yesterday afternoon I was finally finished with all four performances with the jazz band. I could have used the rest of the day to finish my Resolution Challenge list, but I camped out on the couch with Elvis and finished watching Indochine. What a fantastic movie. It had been on my list for years and I'm glad I watched it after I visited Vietnam. It meant more and I had a better understanding of what was going on. Plus, it was great to see some of the scenery again. I'm feeling a little remorse for not being productive, but I can't keep subsidizing Cranky's Netflix addiction by not using my own subscription. Ha. The Ugly:
I haven't been around the 'hood much at all lately. I hope to catch up with you all soon!
