Heatwave

Extremes, though contrary, have the like effects. Extreme heat kills, and so extreme cold... - George Chapman

Okay, I realize for those of you down south, it may not sound like much ... but we're in the middle of a massive heatwave up here in the northeast -- temps in the high 90s to 100+ and incredibly humid. What makes this worse is that we don't typically get temps like these, not for more than a day or two, so just aren't prepared for it.

I have no A/C in my house. Not even a window one. So, I sit and sweat and suffer.

This morning, our sediment filter for the house was full. DH changed it out this morning, and it's already getting full again. What this could indicate is that our well is drying out and we're hitting bottom. We aren't expecting any rain for almost a week so it's conceivable that we may run out of water. He seems unconcerned. I'm exactly the opposite, and am VERY concerned about the possibility. I'm praying for rain, and a lot of it.

I can't walk the dog, even first thing in the morning. I tried today, but it's already almost 80 out, and feels like I'm swimming through the air. I don't know if I can take four more days of this. Today is supposed to be the worst day and then it's "cooling off" into the low 90s for the rest of the week (but the humidity is increasing -- I didn't think that was possible).

I want a summer home in Alaska.

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In Pillar Place: Swallowtail -- just to prove me wrong, we had two butterflies emerge yesterday: Epsilon and Zeta (both males). This morning, five more were fluttering around: Nu, Mu, Eta, Beta, and Theta (three males and two females). This leaves three more (I think ... the butterflies are still drying their wings so I don't want to open up the box and check).

In Pillar Place: Monarch -- Xi has about doubled in size. It's incredible how quickly they grow. We found Omincron, inside a small curl in the leaf, little bugger. We'd like to go on another egg hunt, but it's just too hot to be tromping around outside in the sun, so it may have to wait until next week.

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Got more writing done yesterday. It's a bit frustrating, though. I can SEE the scene in my head. See the characters as they move and speak, but I'm struggling to convert that into words that bring it to life. Still, I like the story and the characters, so I think it'll work itself out.

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You Are Sideburns

You are quirky and a bit of a goofball. You don't take yourself too seriously, but you do pride yourself in being unique. You take something ordinary and put your own twist on it. You have a naturally funky sense of style. You are the last person you know to get stuck in a rut. In fact, you're well known for not really having strong habits or patterns. You shake things up before they get boring. You're constantly changing and evolving... no one can keep up!

What Kind of Facial Hair Are You?

HAHAHAHAHAHA... no.

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Kitty Update

Just got Breeann home... she's pleased to be here. She's not so happy that she's locked up in the laundry room. The vet wants me to keep her well-contained for the next day or two to make sure she's not vomiting where I can't see her. The x-rays show no obstructions or obvious reason for her vomiting. OTOH, they DO show MASSIVE arthritis in her back, hips and back knees, poor baby. The vet says she's probably in a great deal of pain, even though she only limps a little bit. He says cats go into "stealth mode" when they hurt.

:-(

Anyway, we won't have the blood test results back for a day or two, and at this point have no idea what's made her sick, so I just have to watch her, make sure she eats, drinks & poops and hopefully that she does NOT throw up again.

:::fingers crossed:::

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Worried About my Kitty

There is something about the presence of a cat... that seems to take the bite out of being alone. ~Louis J. Camuti

I'm worried about my cat, Breeann.



Yesterday morning, she threw up -- everywhere. All the food she'd eaten, plus about ten times more (where did it all come from?). The basement was covered with her mess... she'd even thrown up IN her food dish. And then she curled up on her fleece blanket and slept ALL DAY LONG.



She finally woke up around 7 pm (usually, she comes upstairs around 4:00 and starts asking for soft food -- she used to take medicine every night, and hasn't decided to forget that, even though she hasn't gotten it in months) and strolled upstairs, then curled up in a chair to sleep again. She never asked for food and didn't touch the little bit of hard food I'd put in her bowl.



I found her in the same chair this morning. She didn't move until about 4:30 a.m., when she jumped down and threw up again -- just liquid goo this time since she hadn't eaten since the morning before. And then she went back down into the basement, ignored the food bowl and curled up to go back to sleep.

She's an old lady ... fifteen years old. I got her as a baby from a lady where I worked. She'd been handed around from house to house since she'd left her mama and no one wanted to keep her (my other cat doesn't like her, she sheds, she gets into my stuff) and they knew I'd taken her sister (who promptly adopted my roommate, lol) so asked if I'd take her, too.

I had every intention of finding her another home. At the time, my roommate and I already had four cats and didn't need another... but, she fit right in and the rest is history. She's a GOOD cat -- a little cranky, but she deals with the dog, doesn't climb on the counters, doesn't shred the furniture.



As soon as the vet opens this morning, I'm calling for an appointment. I hope she just has a bug and everything goes away... but I'm worried about her. A lot.

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