Blowing Dust, Day Three

Today was the third day in a row the winds were so strong we had blowing dust for some part of the day.  The report on the local TV weather broadcasts i that we have had 29 days of blowing dust this year, which is a great increase from last year.   In 2010, the last time we had significant rain, we had 8 days of blowing dust. The definition is that visibility is reduced to a half mile at the airport, because of the blowing dust.

This is good news for Boeing, which is trying to test its new 787-9 Dreamliner http://www.kcbd.com/story/25372849/high-winds-bad-news-for-lubbock-good-news-for-boeing.  Earlier in this month, they conducted tests in Midland, Texas http://cbs7kosa.com/news/article_11e45ca6-bb84-11e3-9e26-0017a43b2370.html.

This is not good news for other airlines, some of which had to cancel or re-route flights in Lubbock over the last few days.

This is part of living in West Texas. I do not usually clean my front porch of the dust and debris until the wind event has ended. That could be one day or many days.

This would be a good time of year to sit outside and enjoy the temperate weather, but not with the blowing dust.  In the evenings, when the dust subsides, sometimes I open the windows, and enjoy the fresh air, and leave the windows open, locked, overnight.

But, the windows themselves are repositories for dust and need a good cleaning. My house needs a good cleaning. And updating.

Remodelling and Cats

I am having a bathroom remodelled by Gil Construction http://www.gillconfamily.com/.  Last week, when I called the owner to say I wanted to use their services, I told him I could not start the next day as he offered.  I got coverage for work, and called him and told him that.  He said he could start Monday, but was unsure about all of the timing, and asked if my being off work would cost me.  I assured him I had paid leave.  I thought that was a very considerate question.  

The remodelling started today.  I have arranged to take off from work this week to get this done.  The first step was to get the players together so I knew who they were, and so they knew what they needed today.  They started dissembling the bathroom, and conferring on the game plan.

The remodellers are so nice. I have 3 cats, and explained that we need to keep the doors closed as one is an escape artist. They have payed close attention to that.  They have given me good information about time frames.  The owner of the business noticed that my shower leaks, and said he would give me an estimate to fix that.  

They leave all doors as I have them: opened or closed. They clean up after themselves with no trace of presence.

Sake kept coming out and around, wanting to be held, checking me out, checking things out but not wanting to visit with the strangers.

Haiku visited briefly, and the workers took the time to visit her, then she vacated herself.

Taki hid. She would come out to the living room, hide under the futon, raced back to computer room or the spare bedroom, then slink back out again.

With fair warning, they ran the shop vac.  All three girls were in the computer room, so I closed the door.

This is a work in progress.

You will get updates as we go along.

Disasterous Weather

Yesterday, fatal tornadoes struck Arkansas and severe weather struck many other parts of the country.  Tonight, I am watching the Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/severe-weather-tornado-outbreak-late-april-impacts-20140427 and they are reporting multiple tornadoes in the band of weather that was responsible for the severe weather outbreak yesterday.

The forecast is that this storm will continue across to the east at least through Wednesday if not longer that that.

It is amazing to me that scientists can predict this severe weather so far in advance. It is amazing to me the "up to the minute" technology that lets them track this weather.

It is amazing to me that people rise up from the ashes and trash, rush in to help rescue, recover and rebuild, and do it over and over and over again.

In Lubbock, we had severe winds with dust yesterday and today. The National Weather Service predicted the dust would start about 10 today, and they were correct.  Yesterday, I saw limbs down, but not much else.  I have stayed in all day today, so I am not sure what damage there has been.

I hate consequences of the severe weather for people who are affected.

The Closet Cave

Sake has stayed in her closet cave a lot.  She has come out for meals, but sometimes does not wait to be fed.  At least, I know where to put her food dish so she can eat some. She has let me do some grooming.  And she races around some. She has lost some weight, but is not too thin.

Late this afternoon, I was reading in the living room. It was early for cat dinner, but I had just got home from running errands, about an hour earlier than I would get home from work, which is feeding time.   Taki and Haiku were sitting with me.  Sake came into the living room and sat with us for a while, but she was looking for dinner. So, I fed early. But because I did not get the food out quickly enough, Sake went back to her closet cave. I fed Sake in the cave. I hate to feed early, and set a precedent, because one precedent becomes a habit, but I am so wanting to cater to Sake for her well being, so if she says it is time to eat, I think it is time to feed.

Sake Watch, Day Three

For the third night in a row, Sake is in the cave in the closet. Last night, I check and there she was. She came out mid-evening, ate some, and lay in the living room.  It was obvious overnight that she did some grooming.

She was eager for breakfast this morning, and allowed me to do some grooming. Both of which are good signs.  If she does not feel well, she has little tolerance for grooming.  She did not eat as much as I would have liked, but she stayed at if for a while.

Tonight, again, she is in her closet cave. It is early and she has not come out to eat. I am concerned of course, but not so worried as to disturb her tonight.  And, it was obvious she did more grooming during the day.

I am not sure exactly what is going on.  She used to hide under the bed in the spare bedroom a lot.  And when I found her spot, she abandoned it for a long time.

I am not sure if she is not feeling well, or trying to get away from the other cats, or what.  Hmmmm.

Computer Update

My computer got updated at work this week.  I was using Windows EX, but since Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, has decided not to support it, the place where I work had to take some action. So, now I am using Windows 7. 

I talked to the IT guy, who told me I probably did the right thing by not spending the time, effort and money to upgrade to Windows 8.1. I would have had to start over, and re-install everything on my computer. And the IT guy told me Windows found so many security gaps in 8.1 that it is now off the market, and they are working on Windows 9 that will be more retro like Windows 7. 

This is not the first time that Microsoft has launched a lemon. Remember Vista?  We had that for a very brief time at work and it was awful.  When will this company learn. There are other operating systems, not well known. But if Microsoft continues to not support their products an screws around with unusable systems, maybe these other operating systems will become more popular. 

Remember New Coca Cola?  The went back to Coke Classic, and the New Coke quietly went away. 

I do not remember the Edsel, but it was Ford's black eye.

A major corporation can afford an occasional black eye. But this is not Microsoft's first black eye.

Changed or new does not necessarily mean better.  Microsoft needs to consider not the high class techie, but the common garden variety computer user.  If that user is not comfortable with their product, it probably should not be mass marketed.  Produce it for the elite computer user, but keep it simple for the masses.

Sometimes, I Get Frustrated

Sometimes, when I am working on a project, and I think I am doing it right but no matter what I do it seems to turn out wrong.  So, I get more and more frustrated, and all of a sudden, nothing is right.

That was happening tonight.  I was interrupted by a phone call.  I could not decide if I wanted to answer the phone or keep working.  But, I did answer the phone, when I realized it was a special friend who was calling.

I don't think I was good phone company tonight.  I did not have too much to say. And, I could not think of things to ask my friend about.  I did tell her about my frustrating project.

We had a nice visit though, and my frustration melted away as we talked.  I tried once more, and sure enough, what ever I was doing wrong, this time the project came out right.

That is such a relief. 

Lately, when I start a project, I am so afraid things will turn out wrong, I set up a tension of self-fulfilling prophesy. I need to chill out and have more confidence, or at least, less self-doubt.

Finding Sake

So, Sake did not eat well this morning. The chicken I cut up for her felt tough and dry, and she does not seem to have the patience to deal with tough food. I do not blame her. But she eats dry food, mashed liver, paté depending on the flavor, and Fancy Feast Chicken Florentine, all of which were available to her.  I also put out some deli sliced turkey. Do you think I put out too many choices?   I sometimes I think I do, and that makes my cats too picky.  I just want Sake to eat. 

Well, when I got home tonight, the Chicken Florentine was on a dining room chair, not on the table, with the chicken and the liver, which were untouched, with the exception of the deli sliced turkey.  But how do I know which cat ate that?   I do not.

Haiku and Taki made their presence known, ate dinner and wandered around. Haiku went into the garage for a while. Taki  has lost her garage privileges for now.

I fed the outside cats, cleaned the cat pans.

And, the estimator from Rebath came and gave me an estimate to remodel the bathroom. 

But still no Sake.  I became concerned and started looking for her in every nook and cranny I could think of.  She was not under the bed in the spare bedroom. She was not in my closet, and at first, I thought she was not in the spare bedroom closet.

As I moved from room to room, Haiku and Taki moved with me and sat, acting concerned also.

But after looking at all the nooks and crannies in the closet in the spare bedroom, (there are too many) I saw her sitting on the floor in a little cave created by boxes and crates in the closet. It is actually a safe cave, so I was not too worried about her safety. She looked at me. Her eyes were clear. But she did not move, and I did not even reach in to pet her.  I looked at her, told her I was worried about her, and was glad to see her. And left her be.

I have not seen her out and about since.  She may have been.  I have spent a lot of time on the computer tonight, and my back is to where she would be moving about, unless she came into the computer room. She did not.

In the past when Sake has not felt well, she has holed up like this, and maybe even spent two or three days holed up before I saw her around and about. That does not mean she was not out and about, but not when I saw her.

At least, I know where she is.  I will pay attention to how she is the next few days, including eating and movement.

I am just thankful I found her. 

Rain!

It rained Saturday, April 19, 2014.  Some in the afternoon, and later again in the evening.  I put out buckets and caught rain for the rain barrel.  When the afternoon shower was done, I went out and pulled weeds in the front yard:  I had debated all day about putting out fertilizer, and did not. It turns out, I should have.

Pulling weeds informed me the ground was not soaked very deeply.  My rain gauge indicated less than a quarter inch. I think the official totals were a little higher. We need much more rain, and may see some later today or this week.

I am not sure about fertilizing. I let the front yard go to vetch, and I do not need to fertilize vetch.  I think I will fertilize the back yard: I have lots of bare spots which will fill in with feed and rain. Besides, I did not buy weed and feed, so even the vines and trees will benefit from the fertilizer. If it rains. If not, I can always water it in.

Knitting with Taki

It has been weeks, if not months, since I have done any knitting.  I still enjoy it, but not with interference from Taki.  It seems that no matter what she is doing, when I pick up my knitting needles, she is right there.

I wanted to start a new project.  This coming Friday, I will be at a workshop and I can get a lot of knitting done at an all day workshop. But it takes more concentration to start a project than continue one. So, I wanted to start a project in preparation.  Taki figured this out and would not let me be.  So, to finish just the cast on row, I put her in time out. 

When I took her out of time out, I rigged a yarn and catnip mouse toy so we could play. It was interesting at first, then less so, then more so when Haiku came to explore, then less so when Haiku left.  Until I sat on the sofa. Then, it became very interesting again!  

This is the time of year I can sit outside and knit, and listen to music, or even sit on the front porch, roll the TV around and watch baseball or a car race. Or take the knitting to the summer concerts that start in a couple of months.

I have not minded not knitting. I have been doing a lot of reading. I do not know which I prefer: knitting or reading.  Sometimes, when Taki allows it, I do both: I watch a TV sporting event, knit during the sporting event and read during the commercial. I think I have written about that before: that is easier on my arthritic hands that just knitting.  And Taki gets bored when I am not knitting.

The Mall at Easter

I actually went shopping at the Mall this Easter. I do not like shopping at the Mall, but that is where Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ is located.  So, to the Mall it is.  I am a Barnes and Noble member, so get discounts on purchases, and lots of emails from them.  Especially emails with percents off coupons.  So if there is something I want at Barnes and Noble, and I can wait, I wait until there is a coupon available. This happens about once a month, but I am not exactly sure.  Sometimes, it happens the week of the mystery book club, I remember to check and have the coupon for that night. Which saves an additional trip to the Mall. More often than not, I forget.

If I am going to go to the Mall to go to Barnes and Noble, and it is not mystery book club night, I try to go on Sunday before 1 PM.  Which is what I did today.  Except for in front of Barnes and Noble, the Mall parking lot looked pretty empty.  Next door, the restaurant parking lots were full.  But not the Mall.

I suppose this is a good thing.  It is Easter, a religious holiday. So people should be celebrating appropriately.  As for me, I bought another CD of Gregorian Chants: The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos Ave Maria. 

Easter Eggs

I almost always color Easter Eggs. For years, I boiled the eggs on Good Friday. I frequently worked for places that had Good Friday off.  Most recently, my employer does not give Good Friday off. I could take the day, I have the leave. But why.

So, in the more recent past, I have boiled eggs on Saturday morning and colored them then. Tonight, I boiled eggs, and after they cool, I plan to color them.

When I was a child, we colored eggs on Good Friday, and my mother prepared our Easter meal in advance. We set it out Saturday morning, and the priest came by and blessed our meal.  I wonder how many hours he spent going from house to house, blessing Easter meals.  That was a wonderful, special tradition. I suspect it no longer happens. 

FEAR!

My cats like to go out into the garage and hang out. Why, I do not know.  But they do. Haiku really likes to lay on the hood of the car when it is warm, and that I understand. They all like to be in the garage when the dryer is running, even in the summer when it is mega hot.  I guess they like the moist heat. Sake likes to get on top of the Vue, and skis down the windshield.

When Taki was little, she followed Haiku to a top shelf, but fell off.  I could not catch or save her, but she seemed to be okay after she fell. For the longest time after that, I did not let her go into the garage. Now she can, but she does not climb in the garage.  Or, if she does, she gets down before I see her.

This morning, although I tried to prevent it, she went into the garage.  It took me several minutes of talking to her and chasing her around to get her back into the house. This has happened before, so I stop her "garage privileges" if I am quick enough to catch her before she goes into the garage.  When I do that for a while, then she seems to respond better when I call her back into the house.

I must have been distracted by Taki's escapade this morning, because I try to be sure the door between the kitchen and the garage is solidly closed before I leave the house. The latch does not always catch, and if that is the case, the cats can open the door to the garage.

So,when I got home from work tonight and drove into the garage, my heart was in my throat: the door was ajar.  I did not see a cat escape when the overhead garage door was opened, and I did not see a cat in the garage, but I was very worried.

I did not even close the overhead garage door. I raced into the house closing the adjoining kitchen to garage door behind me.   Whew!  All three cats were in the living room looking at me looking at them!

Wow!  Big sigh of relief!  I was grateful.  I do know that not one of the cats likes the noise of the overhead door, so if one was in the garage, I can guess she scampered back into the house instead of out of the garage. 

I will need to remind myself to be more careful with the door adjoining the kitchen and the garage. When I back out of the garage, I stop to do a mental checklist: doors locked, stove off, windows closed. I will have to add: door secured.  

Being compulsive sometimes is not so bad.

Bathroom Remodelling

Well this is embarrassing but I am going to share it anyway.

The house I live in was built in the 1950's.  Over the years, I have done some upgrades and remodels.  I replaced some kitchen appliances in 2003.  In 2005 I bought a new washing machine and clothes dryer.  I have had some plumbing work done on the little bathroom: a new drain, a new trap.  I have had the carpet replaced. I had the fence repaired.  The sewer line and gas line have been replaced. I had siding put on the house, and have had replacement windows installed.  Twice, I have had a new water heater installed.

Before I bought the house, the vanity and sink was updated in the big bathroom.

I have had a new motor installed for the heater/air conditioner. I have installed ceiling fans in the rooms that did not have them.

Both bathrooms are old, but serviceable.  The shower in the small bathroom is functional.

The gas heaters in both bathrooms had to be disabled because of city codes.

Last night, I got sick and went to the bathroom to deal with it. I was leaning on the wall mounted sink in the bathroom, and it gave way. I fell on top of it and have some bruises to show for it.

As I looked at it this morning, I realized that there was no way we could replace the sink and make it look right, without redoing the bathroom.  So, I called several places and have already received two bids for the remodelling of my bathroom.

I was fortunate. The sink was connected to the water sources by flexible hoses, which did not break when the sink fell.

So, for a long time, I thought I might try to buy a new house. But now I am not sure I will do that. So, I think I need to update my house. And this situation made up my mind for me.

Signing on and Rebooting

So, for some reason I could not sign onto my computer tonight.  It took multiple re-boots over an hour and a half before it finally started working correctly.  I am not sure why this is. It may be related to the fact that I have Windows XP and have not upgraded to Windows 8.1.  But it may be related to something else.

Tonight, this was frustrating but not really a problem for me because I was watching the New York Yankees play the Chicago Cubs. But if there was not something I wanted to watch on TV, or read, I may have been very upset.

At least, now, the computer seems to be working okay.  

Spelling

Well, evidently I do not know how to spell customer.  As I just did a blog, and labelled it customer service, I noticed that I had something in the labels as costumer service.  Hmmmm. I checked it out and I had 3 blogs with that label.  Well, I corrected the label.  I just was not paying attention.

Phone Service

So, my phone service was restored yesterday.  I am pleased about that.  I do want to upgrade to a smartphone. I just wonder about using the same service, or changing.  I am undecided. However, that decision will be put off for a while.

"Bye, Bye, Birdie"

Oh my, what a musical:  "Bye, Bye, Birdie" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056891/  a spoof on Elvis Presley entering the Army, with Ed Sullivan and so many wonderful characters and what I would consider classic songs:  "The Telephone Song, " "How Lovely to be a Woman," "Put on A Happy Face," "I've Got a Lot of Living to Do, " "Kids" to name a few.

The wonderful images: of kids at the record store in booths listening to songs, on telephones, rallying on the school grounds. 

So much fun.  Just pure fun.

If you have not seen it, or have not seen it in a while this is a good fun, corny schmaltzy movie to watch.

Sprint Lack of Service

Well, once again I am having problems with service from Sprint at my house.  It started Friday night and was intermittent until tonight, when I could not get service at all at my house.

I went down the street about 6 blocks and parked in the post office parking lot and called Sprint. The first person I talked to, Charlie kept feeding me the guff about the towers working and nothing is wrong.  He kept telling me, as did the pre-recorded Spring announcements, that I needed to call back on another device so he could walk me through the updates for my phone.  I told him if I could not get service from this phone call, there would not be another.  I explained I had been through this before, but I would not be making another phone call regarding service.  Well, Charlie convinced me he would help me, but needed to have me shut off the phone and he would call me back. I think he did, but I missed his call.

Because I felt responsible for missing Charlie's call, I tried multiple times again to access service from Sprint. Their mobile menus are not easy to figure out, but finally, I accessed Robert who was calm, had a good sense of humor that calmed me down, helped with what he could, and acknowledged that other techs may not have agreed to report tower problems. He helped me to get a PIN I could remember, told me how to update my phone, and said the tower closest to my house was red tagged, which meant that there was a problem.  He said he in putted that my problem was located around my house. He said that it would take at least until Wednesday to repair, but if by Wednesday, there was not a fix, to call back. Robert had a good sense of humor and was very kind and pleasant.

I have been considering upgrading my phone to a smart phone. As I explained to Robert, why would I upgrade with Sprint if they do not provide me good service.  If I spend money to upgrade, and I continue not to get good service, I have just wasted my money.

I do not have a land line, so I need cell phone service. I want reliable service.  I have been considering upgrading to a smart phone, but  I resent that I am being forced to do that by the cell phone company.  It should be my choice. Not dictated by some company's change of technology.

I am so frustrated by this.  I just want a phone that works. If I do not get service restored by Wednesday, I will call Sprint back, but just to tell them they suck, and am going to change to a different provider. 

I want a smart phone, but why would I get a smart phone if I cannot get access to service at my home. That makes no sense. 

Charitable Drive At Work

I work at a psychiatric prison.  The prison staff and offenders do a lot of community service. There are a lot of community projects that were completed by offender (trustee) labor. We do fundraisers for Special Olympics, Salvation Army Angel Trees, blood drives, and other community service activities.

Most recently, we have been asked to contribute to Impact Lubbock http://www.lubbockimpact.com/.  The request is for food items, and hygiene items. Impact Lubbock is a great charitable organization that helps people who are homeless or otherwise down on their luck. 

I am pleased that my place of employment will help this wonderful organization.

Helping Each Other

I am convinced that my cats help and communicate about each other. This evening, Haiku wanted to be in the garage. When I have a cat in the garage, I try to remember to leave the light on which will remind me that there is a cat in the garage.  And, I try to check on that cat periodically so the cat can come back inside the house proper.

So, tonight Haiku wanted to be in the garage. No problem. I checked on her a couple of times.  Just recently, Taki came to me and wanted some attention.  I followed her to the kitchen, and realized that Haiku wanted in from the garage.  So, I let her in.

Depending where I am sitting, I can hear the cats pounding on, or climbing the door between the kitchen and the garage. But I cannot hear that in the computer room. Which is why I try to check on the cat(s) in the garage from time to time. But sometimes, I do not check frequently enough. And one of the cats in the house will let me know the cat in the garage wants in.

Isn't that cool?

Responsibility

I am a board member for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock http://www.cclubbock.org/.  We have purchased a property that we are renovating for a bigger Resale Center. The Resale Center is basically a thrift store that accepts donations from the public and is open to the public. The profits from the store go into the general revenues of the agency budget, which is very important to the agency.

It is more than that, though.  It is an opportunity for people to volunteer and help the agency. It is also a resource for the clients of the agency who have needs.  They can receive vouchers to shop at the store and buy much needed supplies. 

I was out and about tonight and by chance I drove by the new building.  It was early evening.  It was very windy.  As I drove by, I noticed an outside door swinging in the wind.  I could have ignored this, and if something bad had happened, I would not have had to own up to knowing this. But I would know. So, I called around until I could contact someone with the agency who could contact someone to go lock the door. 

I was told that it was probably okay, because even if the outside door was unlocked, if the inside door was locked, there was no problem.  I did not enter the building. I did not know if someone was in there or not. I think the worst in these situations. 

I was also concerned because the wind was so strong, the door was being blown open and banging up against the wall.  I was concerned a very strong wind gust might result in broken windows, as the door had two glass windows. 

I may read too many mystery novels, and I work in a prison, so I may be too cynical (but I hope I am not too cynical) but I also think an open, swinging door on a vacant building is an invitation to vandalism, even if it is only graffiti.

So, I did what I thought was the right thing:  I sought help.  I stayed until help came. And, I thanked the helper.

Mental Stress

I am watching NASCAR http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series.html tonight.  The race is in Darlington, SC, "the track too tough to tame." The announcers are stressing the impact that mental stress has on the drivers and other team members.

We discount mental stress too much.  I think I wrote recently about how much mental stress I was experiencing when I was having regular hip pain. It wore me out mentally, and I did not realize how much until I had a pain management treatment and was experiencing minimal pain.  What an enlightenment to me.

I work in a psychiatric prison hospital, and we see many, many patients who come to our unit and immediately feel safer and better.  A prison is a high stress environment.  It is staff against offenders in many ways. Prisons are filled with bad actors and predators who almost unconsciously pick out easily victimized offenders.  At the unit where I work there are more safe guards, more correctional staff and more clinical staff so even the easily victimized or weak offenders can seek help.

Yet, we stabilize these patients and send them back into the same stressful environment. True the psychiatric prison hospital is not designed to be a permanent unit of assignment.  It is difficult to think that the patients we discharge who could not deal with the stress for long before will now be able to deal with it.  I try to educate them about how they can get sent back to the psychiatric prison hospital without doing high risk self injurious or injurious to others behavior.  Some times that helps. Sometimes it does not.

I do not appreciate for myself what my mental stressors are, and do not acknowledge them usually.  But, as with everyone else, I do have them.  And, when I try to deal with my stressors, sometimes I feel stronger, have more energy and feel more confident.

This is something I need to pay attention to in the future.

Music

I have so changed my music preferences.  I used to listen to old rock and roll, or classic rock and roll, mellow country, cowboy music, musical scores, easy listening and pop.

More and more, I have changed my music preferences:  I like classical music, bagpipes, Gregorian chants. A lot of music without words, but words are okay.

And, depending upon my mood, I might listen to something I used to listen to, also.  

It Rained Tonight. Sort Of

We had a chance of rain today.  Not much. But a chance.  About 5 PM or so, a cell built to the southwest but passed us by.

A couple hours later, we heard the thunder, saw the lightning, and for a brief time, had some rain.  The thunder and lightning far surpassed the rain. But we had some rain.

Sake and Haiku took it in stride.  Every time the rain sounds increased, Taki raced to the window to look out.  It is still novel to her.

One of the things I have learned in my years in Lubbock, is the native plants need scant amounts of rain to thrive and blossom.  You look at a desert expanse, and the plants are feet or yards apart. That is because the root systems spread that far, near the surface, and are ready to suck up what moisture they can when it does rain, to allow them to blossom, produce seeds and go dormant.

I hope we get some more rain this week.

We need it.

Thoreau at Devil's Perch

I do not know when I started going to the Barnes and Noble Mystery Group http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2364.  I knew it was in existence, but was hesitant to join it.  I did attend an Osher Lifelong Learning Institue http://www.depts.ttu.edu/outreach/ session that Bill Meador facilitated, and after that, I decided to join.

I was welcomed with open arms. I cannot tell you when a group of strangers have been more welcoming.  I have grown to appreciate the regulars, enjoys the sporadics, and generally have a good experience wtih this group.

The April 2014 selection for the group is Thoreau at Devil's Pearch http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/23134. Well of course, I would vote for this selection, as it was set in Massachusetts, although the east Massachusetts, Concord, Boston world is very different from the Connecticut River Valley world in which I grew up.

But, as I read the book, I loved the language.  I read phrases that I had not heard in years, and the antiquated language was so delicious!  This was a fun read for me.

Cat Attention

Early this morning, as I was sitting, Haiku climbed up my bag to my shoulders. This is painful, she uses her claws.  But, she wants to sit with me.

Well I did errands as I usually do today, then came home and had lunch. Haiku kept getting in my way on the dining table, so finally I moved to the sofa.  She did not want to sit on me, but she sat right next to me.  When I got up for a drink or bathroom break, she stayed right there and wanted to be right with me.

So, I did not do the chores and laundry that I generally do on Saturday. I let Haiku dictate the day. Which I spent reading and petting on not only Haiku, but Taki, who came around from time to time.

Sake and the Veterinarian

Well, Sake was sick this week with an eye infection.  Her eyes drain from time to time, so I was not too worried at first about the drainage.  But her eyes started looking rheumy, and she
stopped eating, although she acted hungry. So, I made an appointment with the veterinarian.  Sake ate well, Friday morning, which was probably due to being desperately hungry.

After all these years, we have figured it out:  The veterinarian used to insist their vet techs handle and hold her, although I tried to tell them that it would better if I did it.  Now, they know. Sometimes we do it together.  But this time, the vet tech came in to take a temperature, and left. No way were they getting a temperature.   The vet came in and asked me to hold her and open her eyes so he could look. 

He diagnosed conjunctivitis, and acknowledged we would not medicate her at their office, so sent me on my way with medication to administer at home.  I honestly thought that I would not be able to administer the ointment when I got Sake home, and planned to go back to work, then home a couple of hours later.

But, when we got home, and Sake left the carrier, she let me hold her and comfort her.  Wow! That was amazing.  So, I did put ointment in her eyes! 

When I got home that evening, her eyes were remarkably clearer. And, she ate well. 

So far, she has allowed me to medicate her and has continued to allow me to do so, although she is beginning to object. I can only think that the ointment has so relieved her pain that she is trying to be tolerant. Certainly, her eyes look better. And, she is consistently eating better.  She even asked for food midday!

I am so relieved that this time, we were able to provide her treatment that worked and was not too stressful for her.

The veterinarian said that with her weakened state, from the poor eating, that she is susceptible to upper respiratory infections, as well. So, if she starts sneezing or coughing, I need to get her back into the veterinarian's office.

The Cat Carrier Horror

Sake needed to go to the vet again.  She had runny eyes.  So, we had an appointment for Friday morning.

I went to work early, so I would have all of my treatment team paperwork completed before the appointment. I did not know how long the appointment would take.  Sometimes I get in quickly, sometimes, I have to wait.

So, when I went home to pick up Sake, she was asleep in the cat stroller. She had spent the better part of the last three days sleeping the stroller, eating little. She was not feeling well. She waxes and wanes on her eating, and when she is not eating well, she sleeps a lot.  That is usually a day or two.  This time the poor eating had lasted more than the usual day or two, and so I got an appointment at the veterinarian.

The cat carriers are stored in the closet.  Sake and Haiku get in and out of them, sleeping in them from time to time. Including when the weather is loud and rough and they need a safe place. 

The carriers are arranged so their openings are parallel to the closet walls.  When I got home Friday to take Sake to the vet, I turned the carrier so it was at right angles to the closet wall, the opening toward the closet door.  Take was out and about, saw this and dashed.  She hates the cat carriers!

Sake was sleeping in the cat stroller, unaware. When I put her in the carrier, she voiced her displeasure, but did not struggle as once she would have.

We went to the veterinarian, and returned home.  Sake vacated the carrier.  Taki was no where to be seen.  I put the carrier on the washer, basically out of sight, out of mind of Taki. I spent some time at home, then returned to work.  I did not see Taki until I returned home after work.

Severe Weather

The last several days, there has been severe weather in the Mid West.  This has included flash flood warnings, tornado warnings, severe wind warnings.  I have been watching The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/.  Parts of Texas, not near Lubbock, are involved in this severe weather break out.

I hope we do not have the severe weather outbreaks. We need the rain, but not the hail, tornadoes, or high winds.

Updating the Computer

As I read and studied the upgrade of the computer, I got scared off.  I am not sure about spending that much money to upgrade.  And, I have to re-install the programs on my computer.

I am unhappy that this is more complicated than I thought. I also think that if I am going to spend the money to upgrade my computer, I am going to get professional advice and help before I do so.  This is too serious to do it without confidence that I can do it myself and not muck it up.  So, if I am going to spend the money to do this, I will spend the money to get it done right.

I am either going to not do it, or spend the money to have it done right.  I am still undecided.

Backing Up on the Computer

So, Microsoft has made it very public that Windows XP will not be supported, starting later in the month of Aprill this year.  I am already having trouble accessing sites that have converted to Windows 8.1, because they are not compatible with other operating systems.  Eventually, most of those sites make corrections that allow users to access them without Windows 8.1.  But it is getting increasingly inconvenient not to be compatible with Windows 8.1.

So, I have decided that I need to make the update.  A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Windows Microsoft Website, and did a preliminary check on the update process:  My computer will accommodate the update, according to the Microsoft website, but needs some updates and changes. I was encouraged to call Microsoft so they could walk me through the process, but I did not do so.

Meanwhile, I visited my brother, who had recently made the upgrade.  He described his process, which included that Microsoft took control of his computer, so he did not have to stay on the phone with them, but he had to be at the computer, to respond to the chat requests. I am familiar with this, because our IT people at work do something similar.

So, I took the day off from work for April 2, 2014, so I could work on this project.  Tonight, April 1, 2014, I backed up the things on my computer that I did not want to lose.  I thought it might take me several hours. It took me less than 20 minutes. So, that was a revelation.

I am concerned about what will happen with this upgrade. I am prepared to do what I need to do, and take the time to have my computer be functional.