Another spin

 Sunday was my birthday and I have a hard time believing I am now 66 and yet, my mind thinks it is in my mid 30s. My body, on the other hand, has days where it is 103! But whatever, right? Onward we go, as time relentlessly marches on, whether we try to keep up or not.

My sister and brother-in-law took me out for supper to a local restaurant. I knew it was SuperBowl Sunday but not being a football fan (of either the CFL or NFL), I had pretty much forgotten that fact. The restaurant, however, was determined that no one would forget it and every single tv in the bar and the dining room was tuned to the game. With the sound turned up, and the bass blasting!! It was annoying as hell. But we ate, talked loudly and enjoyed the food. The game was in the latter part of the 2nd quarter when we finished up and left. Am I disappointed I didn't get to see Usher perform? Oh hell no! Not my kind of music and I am sure it would have been way too loud.

But all the same, it was a nice day for my birthday. My sister and I visited an antiques store in the afternoon. I was looking for something to use as a door stop for my balcony door (it is a regular hinged swing-out type) because when it is open and the windows are open, it often slams shut from the breeze. And I don't want a cat getting caught in that action because... no. Too risky for injuries. Ideally the door stop would be one of those cast iron statue thingies (like the little Scottie dogs) but they had nothing like that. They did, however, have numerous old cast iron clothes irons. You know, the kind you had a little stand for that nestled over the coals in the fire, or on top of the wood stove. It's got a coating of rust and the handle is missing so when it gets nicer out (it is below freezing here in the Great White (although not so white this year as there has been much less snow than usual) North, I will take it outside and clean it off with my Dremel and wire brush attachment. I have a friend who welds, so I might talk to him about making it a handle. The little sucker is heavy (which is required for a door stop) so being able to pick it up via a handle would be advantageous. It looks like this one (the base part).

After that we went to a little cafe for some lunch. They had these breakfast buns that were excellent! The bun was made with yams and had fresh rosemary in the dough. There was cheese, a fried egg, thick cut bacon and tomato on it. Very yummy! We got cinnamon buns and little blueberry carrot cakes to take home, which I ate the next day. The cinnamon bun was sticky goodness but the carrot cake really didn't have much flavour. I was disappointed. Even the cream cheese icing on it was meh.

On the kitty front, Lila has "inflammatory allergic airway disease" (similar to asthma in humans) and is now on steroids for 2 weeks and a steroid puffer twice a day. I have been training her with treats when using the puffer. She is keen to eat the treats but not so keen to have a mask over her face for 20 - 30 seconds or so. But she will get used to it given time. She is almost 15 (birthday is late April) and she's had an occasional cough for a long time. I'm talking years. But it was just that... occasional... so I attributed it to hairballs, seeing as she is a long haired cat (although in recent years she sports a lion cut most of the time). but over the past couple of months, the cough has increased drastically. So it was a trip to the vet, chest xrays (sent to a vet radiologist to be thorough) and blood pressures. The chest xrays confirmed the diagnosis. Her blood pressure was normal. I also changed cat litters, as the clay stuff is quite dusty and that is what I had been using. Now I am using stuff made from grass seed. It is almost dust-free but I will have to see how Andi does with it, because he is Mr. Itchmeister.

Andi is going for an ultrasound of his thyroid and kidneys at the end of the month. See if he has nodules on his thyroid, and see what his kidneys are doing because his last urinalysis showed changes outside of normal. He will have repeat bloodwork and urine tests done then also. You'd never know there was anything wrong with the boy, as he is playful, runs around like a maniac (as young cats are wont to do... he will be 5 in April), eats well and is very affectionate. (He truly is a "slobber puss" as he drools like crazy when happy and purring.) He might need a thyroidectomy but the kidney issue is the one that is concerning. He is on medication to bring his thyroid levels down, and he could stay on that for years if need be as it is effective, inexpensive, and has no side effects. The kidneys are something you can't live without (unless you are a human and go on dialysis... and no, I would not do that to my cat!). So time will tell. Given his issues, I try to make his life as comfortable as possible. Because that is my job as a pet guardian... to safeguard my cats in all aspects of their lives.

Thankfully, Aska has no issues, other than a propensity for eating dust bunnies (ew) and bolting at every unusual sound or movement. (I have scars on my legs from her launching herself to safety from my lap when something startles her. *sigh*)

I continue to work one or two days a week, which is definitely helping to pay for those ongoing vet bills, plus put a little extra in the bank. I'd rather not work but since I have yet to win the lottery, my career continues.