The Missing Cat Crate

I have three cat crates.  I keep them in my closet, which is my "safe room" if we are under severe weather warnings or tornado watches or warnings.  In the past, Sake and Haiku have sat with me in the closet, in their crates, during warnings.   Both cats used to like to get in the crates on their own, from time to time, especially Haiku.

A few weeks ago, I loaned one of the crates to a co-worker, and the co-worker returned it tonight. I was not in a hurry for its return, as I do have the other two.

After I loaned the crate, Haiku was very upset, because one of the crates was missing.  She got over it in a day or so.  Tonight, when we returned the crate, Haiku greeted it like it was  a long lost friend. 

I did not immediately put it in the closet:  Although I am sure my co-worker cleaned it out before returning it, I want to wipe out the crate, probably after the end of the baseball game.
It will be interesting to see how Haiku reacts to the now returned crate.

After the I put the crate up, Haiku was a study in practiced indifference!

The News

I have been watching a lot of news on TV lately.  Hmmm.  I am not sure why they call it the news.  Because, although the first time I hear the story, it is news, but it gets repeated so many times that it eventually becomes "old."  And most of it is sad, traumatic, heart-wrenching, dramatic.  Even the feel good stories are dramatic. 

Let's face it, the "news" on television or the Internet is presented in a manner to entertain, not necessarily enlighten.   It is intended to be gut wrenching, and pull at the heart-strings.  It is intended to titillate, entice, tantalize, intrigue, and fascinate the viewer, ensuring they will "stay tuned" to watch the rest of the story.

The news is not really news any more.  It is the story of the day, or perhaps two or three "news cycles," but not necessarily "new." 

The news is meant to be "current events" but of course the "current events" offered has the climactic and dramatic story to entertain and entice the viewer.  "Current events" is probably a more neutral term to use.  But does not connote the drama presented by the news media. 

Oh well, I will still watch the news on TV. I will listen to it on the radio, and read news feeds while on the Internet.  At least I get several perspectives on the various stories by having so many news feeds at my disposal.

Go, Yankees!

I am watching the Yankees at Arlington against the Rangers tonight http://mlb.mlb.com/home.  But, it was my time to walk, now that the hot sun has been setting and my neighborhood is mostly in the shade.  The game is being televised on Fox Sports 1 http://www.foxsports.com/watch/foxsports1.  So, taking advantage of new technology, I downloaded the Fox app to my cell phone, and listened to the game as I walked the neighborhood.  New technology can be good!

Breaking the Writer's Block

I have been off work since the afternoon of 7/16/15, and except for the post about Sake, I have not written anything.  Frankly, I have had a writer's block.  I do not want to write about why I am on leave from work, suffice it to say that I am on leave for no bad reason, and I will not write about that. I have always felt some things are too personal to blog about.

I just cannot get myself to write.  Part of the problem is that while I follow the news every day, and I am appalled at the violence, hate, disaster and crime I see, I cannot force myself to comment on it. I am appalled by the political antics of the Republican party, and not much encouraged by the front runner in the Presidential race of the Democratic party, but I think I can support Bernie Sanders https://berniesanders.com/. But, I am not yet sure.

The news of the world is too distressing to comment on.  The natural disasters of the United States are overwhelming.  The political unrest in the Middle East is disheartening. The economic problems of the European Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union are disenchanting. There is more bad news than good in the world, it seems, sometimes.

I am not trying to be negative. Indeed, I wish I had good news to share.

But, my goal tonight is to post something, in an effort to break my writer's block, so maybe tomorrow, I can post something of value.

Sake to the Last

On July 15, 2015, I made a promise to Sake that I was taking her to the veterinarian for the last time.  She ate very little that day, and let me hold her for about 40 minutes before it was time to leave for the vet's office.  She went willingly into the crate.

She was crying and growling as we made the trip.  I am not sure she understood my message that this was the last trip she would have to make to the vet.  She was not happy. 

When we got into the exam room, and took the top off the cat carrier, she was bright eyed and alert.  But she had dropped 2 pound from Friday the 10th, to Wednesday the 15th.  She could no longer sustain her weight, or life for very long. 

When the vet and the tech came into the exam room, and the vet was getting ready to give Sake a sedative, the tech misjudged her, and Sake balked.  The tech and I both held her down for the vet.  They left while the sedative was allowed to work.  When the vet returned to the room, just a few minutes later, she asked "Did I hear her growl at me?"  "Yes," I said.  ("Sake to the last," I thought.  And as I told this story to others, they all agreed.)  The tech and vet both pet on her, remarking how they could not do so during her life.  They then gave her the final anesthesia.

The vet's office called the crematorium and cemetery for me.  The next afternoon, I had a chance to go out to pick out a box.  I told them I did not expect them to have her ready, but I wanted to take care of the box selection.  When I arrived at the crematorium and cemetery, they told me Sake was ready.  So, I chose a wooden box: Sake liked boxes, and so do I.  And, I brought her home.

I was able to fulfill the promise to Sake that she would not need to return to the vet's office again!  I was satisfied. 

Am I sad? Yes.  Do I miss her?  Yes.  Did I do the right thing, and the best thing for her?  I have no doubt in my mind.  

When I went into the hospital on the 17th, worrying about Sake was one less item on my mind.  But less selfishly, worrying about if I was continuing her needless suffering was not an issue.  

Do Haiku and Taki miss her?  Yes.  But they were less upset on the 15th, when I arrived home from the vet without her, than they had been on the 10th, when I arrived home without her, because she had been left a the vet's for sedation and lab work.   

The last few days of Sake's life, Haiku and Taki sat in the living room with her, just watching and waiting, while she laid under the futon.  Without being disrespectful, I hope, to the Hebrew religion, it kind of reminded me of "sitting shivas" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva_(Judaism).   

Open Carry, Concealed Carry, and My Safety

So, I am not against people owning guns that are reasonable. I do not think private citizens need assault weapons, however.

Think people should have to take gun safety courses before they can carry a gun, whether for hunting, skeet shooting, target practice or self protection.  Texas requires people to have a concealed hand gun license if you want to carry a concealed gun.

Texas just passed some laws about open carry, guns on college campuses, making both legal.

I know how I feel about this.

I think if people are carrying concealed weapons, they are probably doing so for protection. I dislike the carrying of concealed weapons, because we do not know who has a gun, and I guess we should act as if anyone around us could have a gun.

I know how I feel about open carry. There are those who are for it because they say you know what you are dealing with that way.  That is not so, because open carry does not require people with concealed guns to expose them.  It does, however, become a public statement about having a gun at the ready, to flourish and use, if their situation is to their disliking.

I think open carrying of weapons is what amounts to a threat, or a dare.  It declares the wearer ready to fight in a violent way.  I think Texas is going to see some horrible gun fights before someone gets smart and repeals the law.  Because we know that having a gun at the ready makes it that much more likely that someone will use it without thinking through the consequences and other options.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/whataburger-takes-stand-against-texas-new-open-car/nmxf6/

So, do I like the announcement from Whataburger?  Yes.  So much so that I am going to go to Whataburger, a place I do not normally frequent, and tell them I am there just because I support their banning of open carry.

This is the other sad thing.  I did not use the term gun or firearms in the title. I wonder how many of you knew it pertained to guns and firearms, and not something else.  If you are from Texas, you probably did not think twice about what it referred to.

End of Life Decisions

Sake has been sick for a very long time.  I have avoided thinking about arrangements for her if there is nothing the vet can do.  Today, I decided it was time. I took Sake to the vet for her chronic mouth infection.  Although she had lost more weight the vet said she looked bright and sharp, which has been my biased assessment.  However, she has been hiding, so I know she is not feeling her best. I left her to be sedated, so they could do labs, and they said they would shave her matts.

That was good.

But, I decided it was time to find out about end of life decisions.  A co-worker reminded me that there is a service in Lubbock that helps with that. It is the Cimarron Pet Services http://www.cimarronpetservices.com/.  They have a pet cemetery and they do cremations. They have containers for cremains, or just put them in a velvet pouch. They pick up from veterinarian offices. 

I called them this afternoon.  They require no "pre-need" planning.  They are readily available as needed. The person I spoke to on the phone was very nice, and encouraged me to feel free to call when I needed their service.  That was reassuring.

I brought Sake home from the vet to recover from being sedated.  In the morning, I will offer her something to eat.  My suspicion is she will eat it. This has been her pattern: to not eat for a day or two, and then to eat when she is really hungry.  But, then she over eats and vomits. The vet said just to give her a small amount.  Which I have figured out. Hopefully she will eat tomorrow.

Although she looks like a survivor from a concentration camp, Sake is bright, alert, and active when she feels well.

Tomorrow will tell.

Update on Sake

Sake has not been doing very well. She has not been eating well, and often when she eats, she vomits.  I have seen her eating very little the last couple of days although I think she may have eaten some paté style food overnight, even though she does not usually like paté style food.  Some one ate it, and Sake's trade mark is to take it out of the dish and eat it off the floor, and there was a mess around the dish.

I made an appointment for the vet today. Sake has been on steroids consistently since May of last year. The decision was to take the risk of sedating her, draw labs, and see what else is going on.  She weighed in at 6.5 lbs., down a pound from her last vet visit on 6/30/15. She had been maintaining a weight of 8 lbs.

The vet agreed to shave off some of her matted fur, since she cannot keep up with grooming herself, and she does not let me help her to groom.

When I picked Sake up close to closing time at the vet, she was still very groggy. Because she is so difficult for them to manage when she is awake, it is better for her to come home and finish waking up.  The vet said her mouth looked good, so they did not give her another steroid shot.  Her labs were all normal. So we do not know why she is not eating and vomiting when she does eat.

The instructions were to not let her eat or drink overnight, and keep her in the crate if need be. (Which makes the food/water situation easier with the other cats.) Feed her just a little bit of her favorite food in the morning.  Call in a report.  If she eats, great, let the vet know. If she does not, they will try to give her an injection to stimulate her appetite.

I put Sake in the computer room with me, thinking it might be good for her to know I am close by. Haiku and Taki usually join me in the computer room, but not tonight   I have checked on Sake from time to time, and mostly, she is still resting.

But, at one point, she started scratching at the crate door, and wanted out. I closed the door to the computer room, and let her out. She could just barely walk.  I picked her up and held her for a while, until she became restless and wanted down.  She still could barely walk. I shepherded her back into the crate, and she seemed relieved. Her mew was raspy as if her throat is dry, and I suspect it is. She occasionally comes to the crate door, scratches at it, then decides to lay down. 

I may let her out of the crate overnight, but keep her in the computer room. She will have no food, but access to a litter dish, if need be.  She is usually very fastidious about her grooming and hygiene, so access to a litter dish might be good for her.

We shall see how this plays out.

This Helps

So I am a fallen away Catholic.  I was raised Catholic, and even got my social work degree from the College of Our Lady of the Elms, in Chicopee, Mass. a Catholic College. It was also called Elms College back then, and markets itself as Elms College http://www.elms.edu/ now.  I like College of Our Lady of the Elms better, but what do I know.  It was a women's college when I obtained my degree.  It is a co-educational college now, and has a lot of extra-curricula activities that were not on campus during my matriculation. It also has graduate programs.  I have to say, it has really kept up with the times, and changed its image and mission to remain current and relevant in the modern world. 

So, after graduation, I volunteered as a social worker in the Laymen in the Amarillo Mission Program (LAMP), and was assigned to the Lubbock office. I worked for Catholic Family Service, Inc. for ten years.

During that time, I married a man who was not Catholic.  He was willing to go through whatever classes and conversions needed so I could continue to be Catholic.  But his involvement would have been a lie. I could not suborn that.  I continued to attend Mass for a while but did not receive the sacraments, and finally, despaired of participating in the Catholic Church.  One of the Palatine priests told me I should have asked him, and he would have married us in the Catholic Church. After the fact. I wish I had.

I never thought that I should abide by the Roman Catholic doctrine of not using birth control (other than "the rhythm method.") I think Roman Catholic women or families should freely be able to use birth control pills, and tubal ligation if they so choose. I fervently believe the policy of teaching abstinence is an invitation to unwed pregnancy, STDs and HIV.

Years after that, I was married and divorced again. Which further distanced me from the Roman Catholic Church.

I think the Roman Catholic Church should openly welcome gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender individuals. I am sorry that the Roman Catholic Church does not understand about acceptance, and love. I love that Pope Francis said "who am I to judge" about homosexuals. 

I have been asked about my feelings about the ruling of the United States Supreme Court, upholding the right of homosexuals to be legally married, with all of the rights and privileges attached. I know family and friends who are benefited by this ruling, and I have to say I want them to be treated with dignity, respect, and equal protection under the law.

Today on Facebook, I saw this interview about "Hell."http://deadstate.org/retired-priest-hell-was-invented-by-the-church-to-control-people-with-ear/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork

This helps me so much. It validates my belief about Heaven, Hell and God. I think that the teachings of God are about love, forgiveness, acceptance,service and kindness to one another.

I do not believe in Hell. I do not believe in being condemned to an eternal life of unforgiveness, pain and suffering.  I believe that God gives us the opportunity to be good people, and if our overwhelming actions show us to be children of God, our mistakes will be forgiven. 

Yeah! For South Carolina

Today, the State of South Carolina showed itself as a state looking to the future. After emotional and somewhat heated debate, the bill was passed that allowed for the Confederate Flag "Stars and Bars" to be taken down from the capitol property in Columbia,  SC, and placed in a museum on the capitol property http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/south-carolina-confederate-flag_559e0307e4b05b1d028fb690?ir=Politics&section=politics&utm_campaign=070915&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-politics&utm_content=FullStory&ncid=newsltushpmg00000003.  Governor Nikki Haley had promised to sign the bill quickly.  And, she did.  http://www.kcbd.com/story/29510871/south-carolina-governor-confederate-flag-comes-down-friday.  The best thing, in my mind, that although the flag is going to be relegated to a Civil War "relic room," there will be a ceremony that will treat the flag with dignity and honor. 

Why is this good?  Because although the flag's symbolism is mixed: "hatred vs. heritage" a ceremony to lay it to rest honors all:  It honors those for whom the flag symbolizes the heritage and the history of their family.  A ceremony also can be a rite of passage for those who view the flag as a symbol of hatred: A rite of passage ending an era of hate and racism, and starting a new era of forward thinking, future looking, respect and dignity embracing, inclusive and accepting people. 

It is symbolic that South Carolina leads the way: it lead the way into the Civil War.  It can now lead the way into a new era of compassion, acceptance and unity.  South Carolina has a burden to bear: to continue to move forward with inclusion, acceptance, equality, dignity, respect. 

What an outcome from an act of hate.

New Technology

Last year at this time, I was just setting up and learning to use my new laptop computer. It took a lot of work and patience on my part. There is still a lot of the computer that I have not used, including Skype.  I do not use the camera, nor the microphone.  I have discovered that if I want to play a DVD or CD, I prefer the old laptop, although with the old laptop, it helps to use headphones.  It helps to use headphones with the new computer, too, but is not as necessary.

I still have a lot of issues with the new computer: sometimes I have trouble downloading email.  Sometimes, I cannot find things in my library folders.

My Internet service provider has done some upgrades, and I have not yet upgraded to a new modem, so I am not sure if some of my connectivity problems, which occur regularly, are due to the old modem or the computer configuration itself.

On the other hand, I have used power point and excel successfully.  After struggling for a long time, I can do mail merge, although I cannot rely on all of the records to print the first time, and I have to modify and repeat the mail merges.  I think some of that is a function of the cheap printer I purchased.  I cannot print postcards, but I KNOW that is a function of the cheap printer I purchased.

I discovered that I really did know where to find the security code for my router, but the next time I get a router, I will use a security code that is easier to manage.

So, to add to my technology woes and wonders, I purchased a smartphone in May. I am still learning the ins and outs of using the smartphone, but love having the ready access to the Internet remotely.  I have GPS, which I have not needed to use. I have shot and sent a picture. I have learned how to do a self, but why would I want to?  I am becoming more and more comfortable with the phone.  I am reading the user guide, and after having the phone a few weeks, I went to a free tutorial at Sprint.

I have accessed the Cloud, but I am not sure why.

Having to learn the new phone has not made the new laptop feel that much more comfortable. I had become very, very comfortable with my old, outdated laptop, knew its quirks, and could work around them.  Not so with the new laptop and smartphone.

But things are looking up!

The Lifestyle Center and the West Texas Weather

So, I went to the Lifestyle Center http://www.covenanthealth.org/Our-Services/LifeStyle-Centre.aspx on Sunday afternoon, after I had done some yard work, but before I ran errands.  I went with a fresh change of clothes with the intent of showering, as requested, before getting into the pool, then after doing my physical therapy routine, washing my hair and showering again, changing into fresh, clean clothes, and running errands.  Well, upon my arrival, I saw the notice that the pool was closed due to high levels of chlorine.

So, I went home, showered, and ran errands in fresh, clean clothes.

I had every thought that I would go to the Lifestyle Center tonight.  About mid-afternoon, I noticed the clouds were building to the west, but they did not look bad. When I left work at about 5 PM, an incoming employee said the streets in mid-west Lubbock were flooded.  I saw the clouds, heard the thunder, and watched the lightning as I drove home.  I could see the evidence of a down pour as I drove home, but it was just sprinkling and splatting big drops.  No sooner had I driven into the garage, then a down pour occurred.  I usually walk out the garage, and around the corner to the front porch to pick up my mail. I went inside, opened the front door, and retrieved my mail that way.

The rain waxed and waned for a while, and we were even under a severe storm warning for a while, and when I checked my rain gauge right before dusk, I had an inch and three quarters of rain. A significant amount for Lubbock. I think we may get some more tonight.

There was no damaging hail at my house, no power outages (although there were some flickers) and no serious wind damage, if any wind damage at all. There was hail damage, flooding, power outages, and wind damage in other parts of Lubbock.  My part of town was blessed, this time.

I missed out on going to the pool but I stayed home safe, which is way more important.  And besides, the pool would have been closed due to the severe weather.

NASCAR

I like NASCAR http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series.html. I used to be a die hard NASCAR fan.  Some of my heart died with the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Earnhardt. 

Some of my heart died when NASCAR started changing things:  racing on Mother's Day weekend, decreasing the Firecracker 600 to a 400 mile race, closing the races at the short tracks such as at North Wilkesboro and Hickory, adding a lot of " cookie cutter race tracks" that were the boring same run, week after week, and changing the championship formula. The change in the championship formula was the last straw: They "invented" The Chase to try to make the race for the championship more exciting.  It did not do what they wanted.  The formula before the first change was points for leading a lap, points for winning, and points for finishing place.  The problem was that sometimes some driver could have a really, really good year, finish high in a lot of races, but not win any races.  The answer was simple:   increase the additional points for winning from 5 to 20.  Make it substantial.

No, NASCAR did all these other machinations to make the championship race more interesting. But, it did not succeed. So, now, instead of just worrying about points, they now also put some emphasis on winning.  Get rid of "the chase."  Go back to the points system, with large number of points for winning. It will take care of the problem, and I will be more interested in NASCAR.

But not until they return to some traditions: no racing on Easter weekend (period, including Saturday.) No racing on Mother's Day weekend at all.  More short tracks.  Lower ticket prices.

NASCAR has done well to keep the drivers and pit crews accessible to fans.  But that is probably the only thing they have maintained.  

My Email Was Hacked

My email was hacked July 3... in my two accounts with Suddenlink, I had over 800 mailer demons or bounce backs, on July 4. On July 5, I was notified that my sending privileges were suspended until I could contact customer service.  I have had this problem before, and it has taken me multiple phone calls to Suddenlink, and several hours to resolve.  I ran the anti-virus before calling Suddenlink, because if I had not, they would not fix anything until I ran the anti-virus.  It took the technician less than 10 minutes to reset my Suddenlink passwords.  He said he sent the email to the supervisor to reset my accounts, but it could take up to 48 hours to reset. He also reminded me that I would have to reset my passwords in Outlook.  At first, Outlook would not accept the new passwords, but when they did, I knew Suddenlink had reset the emails for me, and my accounts were available to send emails.  I sent a test from each account to the other, and they went through.  The technician I got tonight, George, knew his stuff and did GREAT!  Thanks Suddenlink!

The Survival of Buffalo Grass

May 11, 1970 saw Lubbock, Texas devastated by a tornado.  May 11, 1980, Joe Ely convinced the city leaders to allow an outdoor concert at the Buddy Holly Park.  http://www.virtualubbock.com/stoCOTornadoJam.html called a Tornado Jam. In 1982, due to the size of the crowd, torrential rains, and a supposed concern for the buffalo grass, the city council said no more outdoor concerts of that size.

But you know what. The city moved it's outdoor Independence Day concert to Mackenzie Park many years ago, has large crowds, and no concern for the buffalo grass.  This year, the entire celebration: parade, "picnic in the park," and concert and fireworks was held in the park.  I saw lots of buffalo grass, and I did not hear anyone express concern about it being destroyed.

My, how times have changed.  I wonder.  The first Tornado Jam was 35 years ago.  I wonder if some of the behind the scenes planners of the Tornado Jam are involved in any of the planning of the festivities in this era.  Just curious.

A Capitol Fourth and Other Celebrations

So, since I am not going to the Independence Day concert in Lubbock, I am doing the next best thing:  I am watching "A Capitol Fourth" http://www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth/about/the-concert/  http://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalmall4th/fireworks.htm on PBS. I think 8 PM is a little early for it to start, but they know what they are doing. 

I am prepared to just enjoy the music, and the fireworks on TV.

So, then I switched to the NBC presentation: "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular" http://www.nbc.com/macys-4th-of-july-fireworks-spectacular

The Fourth on Broadway at MacKenzie Park

I went to the Fourth on Broadway at Mackenzie Park http://www.broadwayfestivals.com/ to celebrate Independence Day today.  I got there early.  I sat on Broadway to watch the parade. The part of the street I was at was not crowded. And, there were no trees for shade.  I should have paid attention to the map, because the areas where there was shade was in the park.  And those areas were crowded.  At first, I thought the crowd was smaller than usual, but not really:  it was just such a bigger venue than Broadway between Avenue Q and University. 

I was not too happy about paying for parking, and there were plenty of areas off Broadway where people did park without paying. I think if I had parked for free at Cesar Chavez Avenue, instead of in the South Plains Fair parking lot, I might have had a shorter walk to the festival.   I know I would not have had the long hill to walk up on my way home. 

I also did not realize how the venues were laid out, and I spent some time trying to find the venue I wanted.  I did.  I stayed till mid-afternoon, but lunch and a shaved ice.

I will not return for the concert and fireworks.

Honor Flight

I am not sure when the concept of Honor Flight http://www.texassouthplainshonorflight.org/about/ originated, but it is several years old.  It involves raising community funds so that World War II, Korean, or even Vietnam War veterans can travel to Washington, D. C. without charge to them, to view the memorials, especially those dedicated to them.  The priority is to send the World War II veterans first, given their age and fragility. 

Why is this important?  Well, think about it.  The veterans from these wars sacrificed so much for our country, and were variably honored upon their return.  You could say the veterans from the Vietnam War were not honored.  But memorials have been built to them in Washington, D.C. How better to acknowledge and honor a veteran, than to give that veteran a chance to view the national memorial erected on behalf of that veteran. And, to allow that veteran to travel to see the memorial at no cost to the veteran.

I think this is a community activity that demonstrates dignity and respect to veterans, shows that they are honored, and gives them a special recognition. It also shows the dignity and respect of the community towards the heroes that protect our country.

Go, Honor Flight!