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I've lost half of my family over a few years and in a way I fear I will finally snap when the day comes and I lose my pets that live with my mum...
Hopefully that will be years from now... and I enjoy the time I get to have with them!
My good news of the day... Today was a day from hell, I started out 'playing nurse' as I call it when I assist a doctor on the ward with patients; usually I'm cool but I messed up so many things after yesterdays scare and stuff...
Then I had a meeting about my sick days and actually ended up breaking down and despite what I promised myself I lied about the bullying from my co-worker to protect her. Apparently the policy is that you get fired for it... I did mention that I had some issues with 'someone' but they figured out who quickly.
Okay, the good news is, I finally unwrapped my Extended version of The Desolation of Smaug. I've had it for a while but I promised my friend not to watch it before we could watch it together... She is coming over tomorrow, actually she is meeting me on my way home from work...
I actually cried when I opened it, gosh the box is gorgeous! And it reminded me of my teen young years so much. I would save for ages to get the extended versions of the LOTR DVD's... and gosh I have watched them a million times.
When I was 12 I would run home from school and put on the extended version of Fellowship on VHS, every day... at school when the other kids were bullying me I would memorize the lines and just live in that amazing world...
The Tolkien films have always been my safe place...
Is it tomorrow yet??
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I had a much better day today. I think I only cried a couple of times, and no outright sobbing (I ask you, is this progress or what?) Had a nice talk with my husband when he got home. I think a new cat is in our not-so-distant future, not because we have any idea of replacing the one we lost, but we have loads of love to give, a safe, warm home with very little stress, and we'd be honored to share it with another kitty. Plus I need to laugh again, real soon, and I always laugh with and about my cats. We got two very sweet sympathy cards in the mail today, one of them was from my cat's vet, and the note she included was so nice, I did shed a few tears over it. People are great at times like this.
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Hallo ag, I just read about the loss of your beloved cat. I am so very sorry! As a new-born cat-mommy I fully understand how you feel, I am dreading the day our little fur balls will have to go although that will hopefully be in a far far away future. I wish you a lot of strength, take your time. I am sure you'll find a wonderful little kitten to be part of your family.
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Can you give a rescue cat a home AG? Maybe a black one, as I gather they are difficult to find new homes for in the US. I would love, just love t have a cat again but my old man doesn't like them (and t be fair our dogs might eat a kitten!) I have promised myself that, one day, shall have a wee cat again.
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stoertebeker wrote:
Hallo ag, I just read about the loss of your beloved cat. I am so very sorry! As a new-born cat-mommy I fully understand how you feel, I am dreading the day our little fur balls will have to go although that will hopefully be in a far far away future. I wish you a lot of strength, take your time. I am sure you'll find a wonderful little kitten to be part of your family.
Thanks so much for your kind words. I hope you'll find good homes for you little ones when it's time. Here in the US, we are suffering from a huge population explostion of both cats and dogs. So many wonderful animals have to be euthanized, just because there aren't enough homes. Veterinary care is very expensive, plus some are still very reluctant to spay and neuter for some reason-- especially men, who think removing their male dog or cat's testicles is the same as doing that to a human being (idiots!) We try to support our local shelter and do what we can, but it breaks my heart to see so many languishing in the shelter because there's no one to adopt them, and so many others being put down for various reasons. And since this is the good news thread, I'll just add that having humane shelters in our area is really, really good news! At least it gives the wee ones a chance to find homes and a warm, dry, comfortable place to live until then.
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Davina wrote:
Can you give a rescue cat a home AG? Maybe a black one, as I gather they are difficult to find new homes for in the US. I would love, just love t have a cat again but my old man doesn't like them (and t be fair our dogs might eat a kitten!) I have promised myself that, one day, shall have a wee cat again.
Yes, we plan to go to our local humane shelter and pick out our new friend probably in 2 or 3 weeks. First we need time to heal and grieve, and then my husband is scheduled to retire from work on Dec. 17, so he'll be home full time after that. With Christmas and everything, the plan at the moment is to start looking the week before the holiday or the week after. I'm actually getting excited about the prospect!
Your husband doesn't like cats because he's never met a good one. The good ones are fabulous little beasts and can win over the hardest hearts. The chore is to FIND a good one, lol! I am very fortunate that my husband is a cat person just like me.
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My little cat was lovely. She used to let my daughter dress her up and put her in a pram but he just never liked her. He got toxoplasmosis when he had to clean the litter tray (reluctantly) when I was pregnant and said that was why, but actually he never liked her much before that. She was a real lap cat too. Her name was OXO (which represented her two eyes and her little nose). He's a dog kinda guy but also had issues about having our male springer spaniel being castrated. Men can be very weird sometimes. I got a little terrier girl. He didn't used to like small, yappy dogs! Mwahahah!
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Davina wrote:
My little cat was lovely. She used to let my daughter dress her up and put her in a pram but he just never liked her. He got toxoplasmosis when he had to clean the litter tray (reluctantly) when I was pregnant and said that was why, but actually he never liked her much before that. She was a real lap cat too. Her name was OXO (which represented her two eyes and her little nose). He's a dog kinda guy but also had issues about having our male springer spaniel being castrated. Men can be very weird sometimes. I got a little terrier girl. He didn't used to like small, yappy dogs! Mwahahah!
We had cats we used to dress up and put in doll carriages when my older sisters were kids-- I've seen pictures, but I don't actually remember that. Those were the days, my friend.
Do you pronounce OXO as OX-OH? Or do you just spell it out? We had a neighbor once whose little bengal female cat was named Yertha, as in "you're the" one that I love. Too cute. And my recently deceased cat was actually named Mazda Miata, given that name in the shelter she came from 16 years ago by a teenaged volunteer who said she was "just a shiny little black sports car of a kitten." She was, and the name stuck.
Fortunately, companion pets come in all shapes and sizes and several species, so whatever floats someone's boat (baby alligator anyone?), they can probably find one to come live at home with them.
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Oxo is pronounced OX-OH. It's a brand of gravy granules and also comes in a small cube with silver foil wrapping (a bit like Knorr).
A friend's daughter keeps snakes and such like. My friend cannot stand them but her daughter has her own apartment with a whole room set up for them and their vivariums.
Another friend's son is like animal boy and keeps loads of different poultry. He breeds them and they always seem to have some chicks, ducklings or turkey chicks or eggs at some stage in their house. When the quail chicks escaped in her lounge she was not very happy.
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Davina wrote:
Oxo is pronounced OX-OH. It's a brand of gravy granules and also comes in a small cube with silver foil wrapping (a bit like Knorr).
A friend's daughter keeps snakes and such like. My friend cannot stand them but her daughter has her own apartment with a whole room set up for them and their vivariums.
Another friend's son is like animal boy and keeps loads of different poultry. He breeds them and they always seem to have some chicks, ducklings or turkey chicks or eggs at some stage in their house. When the quail chicks escaped in her lounge she was not very happy.
I would have called OXO My Cute Little Gravy Granule of a Kittens.... because I talk stupid to cats, but they don't seem to mind, lol.
Yeah, snakes, you can keep 'em. Ugh. It really does take all kinds, though, doesn't it.
My oldest son and his wife have 6 chickens in a huge coop in their backyard, but no rooster, so no little chicks, just eggs in the better weather. Poor things suffer this time of year with the cold, the boredom of not getting out in the yard much, and the ever-constant winter molting, which I guess is uncomfortable for them. They have an enclosure with light bulbs for warmth and a big perch to get up off the ground and roost together to keep warm out in the cold, and I know they just have bird brains, but I feel for the poor things. No way would I want to be out in that yard in the dark, cold winter in New England. Brrrrrr.
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Don't they have a shed?
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besleybean wrote:
Don't they have a shed?
A coop, yes. As I said, they have a pretty big outdoor enclosure that's attached to a smaller little house that shields them from the wind, where they have their roosting boxes, a big perch up off the ground, and a couple of lightbulbs for warmth, but brrrrr, it's still gotta be wicked cold out there in the winter. They get lots of food and fresh water with a heater in it to keep it from turning to ice, and they get checked on twice a day, so as chickens go, they're pretty well off. I just get going with my anthropomorphic musings, and I'd be better off not going there, lol.
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I baked Christmas cookies in my mums kitchen today... For the first time that was a truly pleasant experience! Yay!
I felt so much Christmas spirit!
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This Is The Phantom Lady wrote:
I baked Christmas cookies in my mums kitchen today... For the first time that was a truly pleasant experience! Yay! I felt so much Christmas spirit!
That sounds like fun. We watched Miracle on 34th Street, with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, from 1947 or so. A classic, always a feel-good story.
Tomorrow we're going to lunch with friends and then to a Christmas themed brass band concert. We go every year, and it's a wonderful time. They have the concert in a small New England white church (yes, with a steeple and everything!) that's decorated for Christmas inside with green wreaths, garlands and electric candles in the tall windows. Very cool.
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My cold is getting better, Christmas shopping is nearly finished and even the grumpy neighbours seem to be friendlier this season.. I had a great breakfast with my friend this morning, go again on Friday and another dear friend I haven't seen for months comes for a visit next week.. I made christmas cookies with the kids and this time didn't burn them.. (unlike last week..) Slowly getting into holiday spirit!
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I've retired from full-time crime work for the Crown (still taking the odd case from private clients) to focus on my blog and travel and my little cottage. A little scary (the money's much better in crime work), but I feel the way I did when I ended my medical career, tired of blood and suffering and death and ready to focus on life and my adventures. It's nervewracking, but I think I made the right decision.
(If one more person asks me if I'm taking up beekeeping -- I've received FOUR copies of Beekeeping For Dummies since I bought the cottage in 2012, I am going unleash a beehive full of murderous bees on them. At least, I get the joke now... )
Mary
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I'm doing well with my efforts to ignore the gloomy, rainy weather, my Christmas shopping is almost done (but much wrapping left to do of course!), my husband retires next Wednesday after nearly 50 years of working full time (and is he psyched!), and we're both feeling better about losing our precious kitty about 10 days ago. Although I feel a bit overwhelmed, I'm managing to stay cheerful, so that's all good.
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I have a sudden burst of energy tonight... I don't know what happened really.
I was half asleep on the train coming back from my weekend with my mother; culminating in a Family dinner... Something that just hearing about it would exhaust me.
When I came home I changed my mind about going to bed and ended up cleaning the kitchen and made the dough for the gingerbread I am baking tomorrow... and just now I started working on a new novel.
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My Christmas Holiday officially starts now!!
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Lucky you.
3.20 on Tuesday, for me.