Am I A Crazy Cat Lady?

A few years ago, I wrote a post about my family's relationship with Stray Cats. Our newest stray at that time blessed us with four additional kittens, and my son's friends who all wanted kittens... well, that didn't happen.  My stepdaughter took one of the kittens, and we kept the rest.  So now our cat count is up to eight.  Yes, I said eight.  But I have officially decreed that eight is enough.  (Bonus points to those of you who remember that TV show.)  And I have stuck by it... the last stray who showed up on our front porch - thanks to our neighbor who thought she had to be one of ours - was dutifully delivered to the local animal shelter. She was a very sweet cat, and she really wanted to be our cat, but I was determined that I would not become the crazy cat lady.

There are very few dull moments when you own eight cats.  Someone is always annoying someone else, clawing up furniture, knocking things off shelves, or barfing up a hairball.  The excitement never ends.  Recently, one of our little guys became very ill with a urinary blockage.  He spent four days shuttling between the vet and the emergency animal clinic, where he received IV fluids and was closely monitored. We learned a lot about cats' urinary health and spent way more money than you would ever expect to spend on one little cat. The good news is that he made it through and is now back to his old self again... mischevious as ever.



Dinner time!

On important lesson that we learned from this experience is that cats should not be fed a diet of only dry cat food... and if they've experienced urinary problems, they shouldn't have dry food at all. Our cats had always been self feeding, and our job was to fill the bowls whenever they got empty. Now, everyone gets canned food, delivered twice a day. The transition wasn't easy, and a few of our guys (including the sick one) turned up their noses at first, but hunger got the best of them and everyone seems to be happy with the new routine.

Now that the cats have decided they like canned food, we go through seven to eight cans a day.  That means my weekly grocery list includes 50+ cans of cat food. Last weekend, the girl bagging my groceries asked if there was a special on cat food. When I responded with, "No, we just have lots of cats," she gave me that look.  The look that says, "Oh, you're one of those crazy cat ladies."

Damn.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas... But Not At Our House

Celtic Christmas weekend at RenFest

Christmas is 16 days away.  That’s just over 2 weeks – and I haven’t even started getting ready. 

We usually put our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but that’s when Mike got sick, and then the cat got sick and, well… I haven’t really had the time to breathe, much less think about Christmas.

I bought a poinsettia for my husband’s hospital room, and we put it on the front porch when he came home. Does that count as decorating?  No, I didn’t think so.

The new tree that James and I bought back in November is still sitting in its box. We brought the decorations down from the attic so we could donate two older trees, and all the boxes are sitting in the middle of our living room.

I have Christmas cards and stamps, but I haven’t even started addressing the envelopes.  I wanted to take a new family portrait to include in our cards this year.  Yeah, that hasn’t happened either.

I haven’t bought a single gift.  I have no idea what I would buy anyway, even if I did have the time to go shopping.  I could shop online, if I knew what to buy.  Is it too late to have things delivered in time for Christmas?

The worst part about this is that I don’t really care.  It’s not that I’m anti-Christmas…it’s just that I’m not at all excited about the holidays this year.  

We’re planning to put up the tree tonight after dinner, and I have some eggnog in the fridge.  Maybe that, and a little bourbon, will put me in a more festive mood. 

Cheers!

Thankfulness: A Belated Thanksgiving Post

I am thankful that we were able to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal this year, and share it with my step-daughter, her boyfriend, and one of my son's best friends.

I am thankful that we were able to spend Black Friday at the Texas Renaissance Festival with my step-daughter and her boyfriend - even though my husband wasn't feeling well and had to stay home.  We also got to play a part in the big marriage proposal. It was a very special day.

I am thankful for all the wonderful people at the Conroe Regional Medical Center, who took such good care of my husband when we arrived early Saturday morning, and throughout his five day stay after his appendectomy. He came home on Thursday and is feeling much better.

I am thankful that my job provides medical insurance.

I am thankful for my son, who took care of things at home while I was spending time at the hospital, and took over hosting our house guests for the remainder of their visit.

I am thankful for my boss, who allowed me to work from home - on my own schedule - so I could spend time with my husband every day.  The free wi-fi at the hospital was helpful too.

I am thankful for the people at the West Davis Veterinary Clinic and Conroe Emergency Animal Clinic who cared for our cat. Puck became very ill with a blocked urinary tract on the same day that my husband came home from the hospital. He spent four days shuttling between these two clinics, and is still in the process of recovering - now at home.

I am thankful for my husband, who is taking care of the cats during his own recovery, so I can go back to work.

I am thankful that everyone is back home now.

I am thankful that I have Friday off.

Weighing In - September 2012

In June of 2011, I announced that I was tired of feeling "fat and frumpy" and I devised a plan to do something about it.

I started by keeping a food journal, and I faithfully recorded every bite of food that crossed my lips... for about 3 months. That was long enough to confirm that my biggest food problem (aside from overly large portions) was snacking. Specifically, snacking while watching TV.  So, I try to find other things to do with my time.  Obviously, I haven't been overly successful with this because my house is still a wreck and I have at least a dozen unfinished projects in my craft room.  And the M&M's... they will always be a temptation for me as long as they are in the house.  *sigh*

Exercise has become a regular thing for me.  Some weeks are more regular than others, but I try to get at least 4 workouts in every week. Sometimes I count weekend yard work as a workout, but I figure that if I'm sweating, it counts.  I've built up quite a collection of workout videos, and mix them up to keep it interesting.  The last week has been focused completely on yoga, since I rubbed blisters on my heels (new shoes) and needed something I could do barefoot.  See... no excuses!!!

I've been recording my weight and measurements every week... okay, most weeks... at least once a month, to see how I'm progressing.  Sometimes the numbers have gone up, but mostly they've gone down.  I set a goal to lose 69 pounds.  Yes, I know, that sounds like a lot of weight, and it is.  The fact is that I had gained a lot of weight, and 69 pounds would put me at a healthy weight for my height - not model thin, just healthy.  As of this week, I still have about 43 more pounds to lose.

For an entire year, I blogged about my progress every week.  Okay, I may have missed one or two weeks.  I shared my successes and failures with the world - okay, my five regular readers (LOVE you guys!!) - and I think that knowing that I would have to 'fess up kept me on track better than any paid weight loss program.  I plan to continue posting, but on a monthly-ish basis.  I am looking forward to one day writing that "I did it!" post.

My numbers:

Pounds (+/-) since last post:  -4.6
Total weight loss:  26.4

Inches (+/-) since last post:  3

Total inches lost:  36.5

Motivation:  We really can't expect to be successful when we attempt something without the proper motivation.  A lot of things have kept me motivated in the last year - my health, my family, being able to climb a flight of stairs without gasping for breath.  Vanity played a big part in it, too.  (Re-read the first sentence.)  This week, I will be attending my 30 year high school reunion.  Though I haven't yet reached my goal, I'm healthy, I'm happy, I feel really good about myself, and I look good! 

Here's to the Northbrook Raiders Class of '82.  Huzzah!