February 13th - Its been one of THOSE weeks....

I know, I know - I really did intend to blog regularly, but I keep up to date with my friends on Facebook and there really hasn't been any pondering going on in my world beyond some mundane thoughts about needing to live more frugally because of my expensive Antarctica trip coming up next year.  As well as because there is a difference between needing and wanting.....and I really do have everything I need.

That wasn't the case at the start of this week.  My furnace went out on Saturday.....and it took three repair visits and a thousand dollars to get it running again on Wednesday afternoon.  Even now its not right - it seems to be disconnected from the thermostat so there's no way to turn it down - I just have to go turn it off periodically to keep it from getting too hot.  And we've had a snowstorm that left close to a foot of snow outside and brought life to a halt....so I don't expect they'll be able to get out to fix this problem for a few days.  But at least I have heat throughout the house which is vastly superior to how I spent the first couple of days - stuck in one room with a space heater.  Then a friend of mine offered me a couple of space heaters so I could warm more than one room at a time.  That was a lifesaver because the unheated parts of the house got down to the 40's. 

I can state to an absolute certainty that no matter how beautiful Alaska looks - there is no way I would survive there.....and it reinforces that I am making the right decision simply cruising by the seventh continent rather than taking an expedition ship and landing there - I am truly miserable when its really really cold.

That said, today's storm wasn't too awful......I went out to shovel twice and the above freezing temperatures and sun did a good job of helping to clear my driveway and walk.  That said, my road wasn't plowed and we are getting more snow now so I'm not sure what is going to be up in the morning....but I'll worry about that tomorrow...if nothing else, I can stay home in the warm house.

Besides my furnace - I had some furkid maintenance as well.  Both Jez and Batcat were scheduled for dental cleaning at the local vet.  Not something I'm really keen on but the vet that I trusted thought it was really important to do it as they are getting older...goodness, Batcat is almost 11 now. 

Anyhow - I decided to let them do some recommended bloodwork on Batcat and they call to tell me he has elevated levels that suggest early kidney disease.  I was totally shocked....he's the healthy one - the perfect weight, glossiest fur - his only flaw is the inability to realize that the tail he insists on chasing in circles is his own.  Kidney disease means a low phosphorus food, so I have to find something that will work for him while still being low in carbs for my diabetic Jez.

They came out of their procedures groggy but fine - turns out each had a tooth extracted and are on antibiotics for a week to make sure there's no infection.  The side benefit to this is that Jezebel's glucose readings have been so good that its now been two days without insulin.  It is true that infection can raise levels so maybe the extraction has made the difference...but in any case - although she really doesn't seem to care about getting her shot - it would save a lot of money and make life easier for both of us if she can be diet controlled.

So, even though it has been an ARGGGHHHHH sort of week - as always, there's at least a bit of a bright side to be found.  Not to mention that  in a bit less than 4 wks I'll be beginning my Asian adventure with Carol.

10/25 - There I go - intentions good - implementation bad

I really did intend to blog every week from now on - and I even sat down a couple of times to get started.....but life got in the way.

And when I say life, I can't even excuse myself with exciting or important things - it was just distraction by shiny objects - or the urge to eat ice cream - or something good on TV......the list of mundane interruptions goes on and on and on.

But I'm here now - so let me do my best to at least catch up a bit on my thoughts....

Last weekend I went to the Md Renfest with Steph and her son (who was visiting from southern Virginia).  It's funny - with Steph its entirely a social interaction/party event - you'd think she never got out of the house the way she soaks up as much human contact as she can.....and actually she doesn't get out of the house as much as she probably should).....we didn't watch a single performance, didn't listen to a single musical group, and only stopped in one shop - and that was for her to say hi to a vendor friend.

And yet I don't feel as if I missed anything.....it was still a wonderful experience.  She's one of those people who is everyone's friend - people gravitate towards her and she literally lights up - and with her, so does everyone else around.  I have some other friends with that ability.....its quite amazing.

Jezebel had me worried earlier this week   I noticed that she wasn't excited about eating and she wasn't as social as usual in terms of following me around and hanging out.  BI watch her more closely than I used to., since she's diabetic.   But she seemed better yesterday - her blood sugar was higher than usual, but it dropped like it should - she was back to her annoying self - and I brought home some Sheba which they both wolfed down - so  part of the eating issue was likely food boredom.  Maybe weather changes bother her sinuses the way they do mine....I just hope it was just one of those shortterm things because...

Its less than a week before I head off on vacation - I'll be cleaning house and packing and mowing the grass for possibly the last time this season.  My hot tub still leaks a bit, so I'm going to drain it rather than just turn it off....I've decided I'll attempt the repair myself (I'm hoping its just a seal).....worst that can happen is I gum it up and have to call in the professionals.  (that's assuming there are professionals out there somewhere, lol). I bought new curtains for my living room.....to go a bit better with the new rug I am so excited about....and who knows, perhaps my home improvement urges have returned.  I certainly hope they have as I've been spending way too much time sitting on my butt rather than doing useful things.

And then there's vacation - this one is all about relaxing and spending time with friends.....including some that I haven't seen in a couple of years.  There's a total of 12 of us in an informal "group"  I know eight of them and the rest are friends of friends so I'm sure it will work out just fine.  I'll spend a couple of days in Charleston visiting with my BFF and then we are off on the Carnival Fantasy for a week of mindless fun in (hopefully) the sun. This is not the ship or the cruise itinerary I would have chosen for myself - but it really is all about the friends and the relaxation...and speaking of relaxing

The high point of this adventure will probably be the villa we've rented on Half Moon Cay.

Awesome enough to have all this for our group (and it includes a bathroom)....but even better - check this out.

Yep - it comes with a hot tub....I think this is definitely going to be a splurge to remember.



And with that, my lunch has arrived - eggdrop soup and an eggroll - not the best choice but I didn't pack anything....and I'll settle for salad tonight to make up for it.

Hope everyone out there has a wonderful weekend......

10/8/13 - Tuesday Thoughts

 
As you can see, it was a lazy weekend at Chez Em - at least for some of the residents.  The unseasonably hot weather meant that I kept to indoor chores like laundry and cleaning....no vaccuuming because I didn't dare disturb their highnesses.

Speaking of which, we had a vet appointment last week and Batcat is in great health and at a perfect weight...the vet was impressed.  Jez might be better off losing a few ounces, thought she's much closer to her ideal than her owner, lol.   I let them run some bloodwork and the only issue is that she's diabetic - and we knew that already.  But the disease is well under control, so I can't complain.

Well, I mean - I could complain - work is really frustrating because of the impending debt ceiling problem.  Our company doesn't want to spend any more money than necessary to protect against cashflow problems if the government stops paying us on time.  But we don't want to antagonize anyone - so we can't just come out and say that - we have to try to just "not do things" without explaining why.

However, I have a job, I got paid last week, and I know I'll get paid again in two more weeks - which puts me in a better place than many folks around here - not just my government worker friends who are furloughed, but the businesses in this area who are dependent on consumer spending.  If you aren't working, you probably don't want to pay for child care or dog walking.  The leaves are starting to change, but a fall vacation to the local mountains isn't nearly as appealing if you can't visit Shenandoah or Catoctin National Parks.

Last week's heatwave was a lovely extension of summertime - but this morning there was a chill in the air again....and each day is a bit shorter than the one before....reminding me that soon I'll be needing to put away the tank tops and pull out the sweaters, sigh.

I tell myself that having seasons is good.....but as I look out into the cold darkness.....I'm thinking I could manage just fine with summer all year long.....