Hot Diggity Dog

  The cat that has been here consistently for the longest time is Lucy. She showed up with her black mama cat and two other kittens. Her brother, Lucifer, scratched me with wild abandon when he came onto the porch and then tried to get away from my dogs. I was only trying to help him! He left and never came back. The other female I tentatively named Ethyl disappeared one day, never to be seen again. That left Lucy and her mama cat, Mousey Tongue. A pretty sleek black cat. MT was the wildest of all the cats we have encountered thus far. She would be with the other cats who all ran to greet me when I went outside, but always hanging back and ready to flee.  She didn't show up one day, leaving Lucy here. Lucy was still a kitten. I thought she might warm up to us when her mama left. This is about the time that Gray Lady was first to the dinner tray and her belly was growing. Lucy never left our yard but was still not going to get too close to us. Gray Lady birthed her babies, ate ...

  Another beautiful day and I was anxious to get outside and do some planting. I was heading around the house to turn the water on and begin the endless watering and suddenly Lucy was right beside me meowing loudly. She is not usually vocal when she follows me. I looked down and saw her big belly was gone! I stopped and looked around, wondering where she had put her babies. The back side of the house does not get a lot of sun. She chose wisely. She was under the pressure washer that was behind a roll of fencing. I had not raked all the leaves from last fall out and could barely make out an orange baby and then a black baby and another baby that looked like Marco, Polo's (now Kevin) lost brother. No, I did not touch them, wanting to gain her trust so that she will let me touch them. I still have some replacement formula from my adventure with the kittens I could not save. I stirred the powder in the warm water and tore some bread in to give it substance. I fed it to Kevin's cat ...

  I actually saw the hand surgeon!! We did arrive an hour early, as I had predicted. I saw the surgeon for a good 5 minutes of the appointment. The surgery is scheduled for May 5th. The hospital will call with my time the night before. But here is the crazy part. I have to see the surgeon for my pre-op visit April 29. That was a little annoying since I live so far away .... and no, 8am will not work for me. But the hospital has to see me for a pre-op and plan to do a full cardiac work-up before the surgery. I have a cardiologist and just had an extensive work-up and do not see the necessity of this. When I had my oral surgery, my cardiologist approved it and that was fine with that surgeon. Can't be because it is in a different state, all my doctors are in Georgia. My oral surgeon is in Tennessee .... I am quite certain that Medicare will be charged for each visit. With the oral surgeon he included all the office visits in the cost of the surgery. I had to pay for that one myself. ...

  The big day is here. I will be seeing the hand surgeon today. As great as that is, it is only a consultation. The internet keeps playing with my emotions and when I finally get a chance to read posts or write one, it will go in and out and I lose part and keep part and then just close my laptop in frustration. We went to Chattanooga last Friday to meet up with some favorite people. We went to a restaurant and had brunch. Oh, my goodness, this place, Milk and Honey, was so good! The Man ordered his favorite sausage and biscuits. No adventure with him! I had chicken and waffles and could not eat it all. There is a bakery in house, and we left with a box of goodies and my leftovers. Pistachio White Chocolate scones and some cruffins. The pasties melted in my mouth. I toyed with thoughts of hiding them from The Man and telling him he had eaten his share. That would be mean, though. A nice fantasy. It was in the downtown part of Chattanooga and parking was an issue, but the drive over...

  A sleek black cat showed up this afternoon. I am pretty sure it is a female, having no dangling parts showing as she walked away. I have learned to look for such evidence. At first, I thought she was Mousy Tongue, mama cat of Lucy. I asked her where she had been and why she left her offspring for me to care for. No answer, so maybe not the mama cat after all. Kevin confronted her right away. Kevin is not easily intimidated. The big white male cat from the neighbor down the way also came up today and Kevin marched right up to him. I think he told him to leave, because he did. This white cat is afraid of Garfield since Garfield chased him up a tree. The Man had an appointment with the vascular surgeon today. Just for an ultrasound and some other tests on his legs to make sure the arterial graft is still patent and working as it should. I begged off. I wanted to move some things in my shed to make ready for the second phase of putting up insulation and wall board. The shed looks tot...

  First came the rain, then came the pain. Yesterday was pretty awful. It rained all night and I woke with every joint screaming. Not much you can do with arthritic pain unless you want to ingest a lot of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Okay occasionally, but the drugs are not really good for you. With that in mind I have been experimenting with various natural remedies. Magnesium seems to be the current favorite. I dutifully educated myself and found that ingesting magnesium is not as effective as using it on your skin. Also found that the magnesium in Epsom salts is not the correct kind to alleviate pain. I ordered the magnesium flakes and made the solution to add to cream or lotion. I used cream since I have dry skin. Not sure how much to slaver myself with, I used up what was left after I filled my small container with the mix. You can also put it in a spray bottle and spray yourself. I smeared it on my leg and knee and on my hand and shoulders. I still had more and I demanded tha...