I want to give a shout-out to
The Squirrel Nutwork blog in Reston, Virgina (USA) for introducing me to an
amazing fungus. I have never seen this aptly named coral fungus before in my
life.
Photo Credit to Nutmeg and Co. of The Squirrel Nutwork
Isn’t it the stuff of
fantasy? I wouldn’t want to leave if I found it sprouted somewhere in hopes
fairies, a unicorn, or perhaps some fanciful flying fish might appear.
Early this morning a veterinarian
got a blood sample from Tilly but, bladder
infection being one concern, could not retrieve any urine. Now we need to either get a sample sometime Sunday
night to bring in early Monday or drop her off for however many hours it takes
for them to get a sample.
I foresee her taking another
trip. Poor kitty.
Tilly's Big Paws Absorb an Amazing Amount of Water
We were given a product meant
to simulate litter without absorbing the liquid. But they gave us so little
that I doubt Tilly would use a box with a scattering of this stuff.
Having two cats makes it that
much more difficult. And I’m not about to stress Jezebel over the matter. She isn’t
much younger and I don’t want to disrupt her good litter box behavior.
Meanwhile I had to clean and
refill both water bowls this morning. It’s amazing how fast the water gets
filthy. My socks got wet, too, and the linoleum is starting to look like the road next to a construction sight with wet clay tracked everywhere.
I don’t know what has gotten
into our ‘Silly’ Tilly lately. She’s acting sillier than usual splashing water
all around. Having hyperthyroidism and taking twice daily pills for the condition,
she may need a trip to the vet. It wouldn’t hurt to check her thyroid levels
and kidney condition.
In the meantime, I am trying
to solve the issue of filthy water bowls and wet flooring as she continues
dunking paws in the drinking water put out for her and Jezebel. Thinking the
taller bowls we’ve used for years might be irritating her whiskers I found the
shallowest thing possible.
I put out a serving tray
centered on a storage bin lid to prevent spills leaking into the basement. As you
can see, the results are underwhelming.
This is a Foot Bath, Right?
She really got into paddling
away a moment later, too. At least the lid contained the water.
Do any of you fellow cat
caregivers have any suggestions as to why this behavior would appear overnight?
In the meantime, I guess I’ll call my local veterinarian’s office.
I opened correspondence from
our health insurer yesterday and decided to
share something fascinating. On the back of the last page was a set of
instructions in eighteen different languages.
Eighteen! Sure there are almost seven thousand living languages known worldwide. But still...
They're Listed in English Alphabetical Order;
How Thoughtful
For That Matter, Why Even List the Languages in English?
How did someone choose which
dialects to include? And why isn’t 'French (France)' represented?
I’ve been waiting for
tonight’s Avenged Sevenfold concert for several months and can hardly believe
the time approaches. I’m blessed to have attended many good shows over the
years but it’s been a while. This should be fun.
Seeing as it’s such a special
occasion I did some shopping. I bought new cosmetics, for one thing. The
products look, feel, and hold up great. It’s been ages since I’ve bothered
wearing any because my cheap stuff couldn’t withstand a minor sweat. So that proved
a good investment for day-to-day use.
I also bought a new purse
because my daily use one is super small. The last thing I want is to have
belongings fall out while I’m buying a concert shirt. ~grin~ And the animal
print matches the grey and black outfit I intend to wear.
On that note a new bolero
style sweater should be comfortable over my tank top, and preferable to
exposing lots of skin to the sun. I am taking sunscreen, however. I learned
that lesson after an Anarchy ‘A’ pendant reverse branded my chest with sunburn.
~shakes head~ That made for interesting office conversation back in the day.
Last but not least is an
older investment. Tired of feeling frumpy, I heard about a company called
Orchard Corsets thanks to Josh Clark on the podcast Stuff You Should Know.
Here’s the cool galaxy print one and tank top I intend to wear tonight.
That's an Oregami Crane Print Top
Oh, and I’m taking ear plugs
in case the sound threatens to blow out my ear drums. Now, I’m off to get my hair
styled. In the meantime, you can enjoy a song I expect to hear live, 'The Stage'.
I have liked long hair on
guys for as long as I can remember. Blame the eighties rock and roll scene if
you want. I still like the look if pulled off properly.
Australian Artist Gotye
How Adorable is This Guy?
Lately I keep hearing haters
disparage the ‘man bun’. Personally, it doesn’t bother me. People should be
able to wear their hair however they want. Would you begrudge a samurai from the Edo Period his chonmage?
Topknots Helped Keep a Helmet in Place
Jared Leto Rocking a Chonmage
And for these styles in
particular I approve for two simple reasons. For one, alternatives on how to
wear long hair means more men might do so.
No Complaints Here
Also, you know the old saying, ‘let
your hair down’? Yeah. I want to be there when some
of these guys do that. And I’m talking to you hot dudes at my gym.
To Quote Joe Cocker, You Can Leave Your Hat On
Just don't do comb-overs, fellows, please. At that point let. It. Go. Or if you can't, and I understand, just don't expect to be taken as seriously as this guy:
Captain's Uniform Optional
What’s your opinion? Long? Short? Up? Down? Do you care?
A common mistake many people
make with modern technology is instilling too much trust. Every day someone learns
once it’s too late that a computer crash can take all your data along for the
ride. Knowing some dear folks who have suffered this, I’d like to share a
simple idea.
While I own a solid state
external hard drive I don’t use it on a frequent basis. For one thing, that
hardware is as susceptible to failure as any other. But safeguarding my
fiction, especially in the process of intensive rewrites, is important to me.
So I discovered an
alternative. Rather than trust disks, hard drives, or Internet 'cloud' storage, I email documents to myself.
Having two separate email
addresses using different platforms provides an added layer of protection. One
email saves a copy in the ‘sent’ folder while the other's ‘in’ box (I hope) preserves the
same information. The process is quick, easy, and the document can even remain open.
Do you back up your data? If so,
what’s your method of preference?
Last week my partner and I went
on a whirlwind tour of the southern United States to visit parents, my
mother in hospital. After five straight days of travel and a different motel
every night, I am very happy to be home and can happily say my parents are
doing well as can be expected.
My favorite stay was at Monroe’s On
the Lake. In fact, due to the busy nature of our trip I took more pictures there
than anywhere. It’s an older facility but nicely appointed with cool furniture.
Love the Dresser
Continuing the Spanish Feel
Super Cool Chair
Lake Monroe and the Pool I Never Got to Use
The best part of travel is
coming home. Don’t you agree?
