The Roof And Other Things

We had a wind and rain storm a couple of days ago. Some parts of Nova Scotia received torrential rainfall in a short period of time. We had ample warning but that wasn't enough to save some roads from being washed out and some homes from being flooded. As in other regions, climate change is bringing our province unusual weather and damaged infrastructure and dwellings. To the east of us, the province of Newfoundland has also suffered.

On a personal level, I was lucky to avoid flooding, but I did lose a number of shingles to the wind. I've been trying to get in touch with a roofing company, with no luck so far. I imagine they are busy.

In the meantime, I had a "duh" moment when discussing the roof with my big brother. He advised me to contact my insurance company. Well, of course that's what any normal person would have thought of first. Why have insurance in the first place? Sometimes I wonder where I've parked my brain and if I'll ever remember how to get back to it.

My husband and I always had what we considered to be an efficient and effective division of labour in our household. He took care of things like house repairs, vehicle maintenance, and financial stuff. I took care of things like meals, housekeeping, and gift giving. It's not that we couldn't have done a lot of what the other person did; it's that we chose not to because of our individual strengths and because we each enjoyed the jobs we took on.

Now the gaps in my base of knowledge and experience are showing. 

Because my husband worked long hours at his job, at least I learned how to clean out a sink drain, unclog a toilet, shut off the water and electricity, maintain the air exchanger, paint a wall, mow the grass, and shovel snow. It's not much, but it's a start.

Did you ever have a point in your life where you suddenly realize you had gaping holes in your knowledge base for everyday life? Or have you always been an adult, even when you were a child?

 

 

 

Kitty Update

Just checking in with an update on Meredith cat. If you missed the post describing her problem, go here. 

In addition to her trembling spells, she had also started drinking a lot and, not surprisingly, peeing a lot.

I was originally given a December 23 appointment for bloodwork but when her drinking/peeing increased last week, I called again and they fit her in the same day.

All of her bloodwork has come back fine: no diabetes, no liver or kidney problems, no thyroid issues. But her urine is very dilute and the vet is concerned about that.

So today she is having a full body x-ray to see if she might have a growth or tumour of some sort that is causing the issue. I had to take her in first thing this morning, and it could be afternoon before I get a call to retrieve her, as they have been very busy and told me they'd just be fitting her in around the other scheduled appointments as time becomes available.

I hate leaving my cats at the vet, although I know they get good care. I just feel so sorry for them, not able to be in their own familiar surroundings, and with all the other anxious pets adding to the noise and strangeness.

I do wonder, though, if waaaay inside Meredith's memory, she senses that she has been there before for some extended period of time - back before she came to live with us, when the vet had fixed her up after her accident and she spent time recuperating and waiting for a new home. I hope so, if it makes it easier on her.

Maybe I'm more anxious than she is. 

I'll update this post when I've spoken to the vet later today.

Update:  The news is not good - the x-ray showed a "calcified mass" in her chest, which is pushing her heart forward. There is nothing that can be done. As long as she is eating and seems comfortable, we will keep going forward. This is the heartbreaking part of having pets, but I try hard, very hard, to remember that giving them the best possible end-of-life care is a vital part of having a furry loved one. I don't know how long Meredith will have, but I'll try to make it the most comfortable time possible.

 

Commenting in Blogger

You may notice the next time you leave a comment that I am now using the pop-up box for comments instead of the embedded comment box.

Some folks have been having a very hard time leaving comments and they find the pop-up box works better, so I'm giving it a try.

If you want to change yours, just go to the Dashboard of your blog, click on Settings, scroll down to Comments, click on Comment Location, then choose Popup Window.

And here are a few related memes, for your amusement.

 

 

"Popped" ... "Pop-up" ... Get it? (Yep, that's a pretty tenuous connection to the post, I know)

 

 

 

Do you have any other tips to help commenters who are having difficulty commenting in Blogger?

Catching Up

Hello, my people. It has been a while. I haven't been commenting much on your blogs, but I am still reading when I can. Your posts are a welcome distraction and I thank you for that. It's also nice to keep up with everyone's lives. This post is me trying to return some of that to you.

Work and work-related things have been keeping me busy. October is always a month of deadlines at my job. And recently two of my long-time fellow workers retired, so there were gifts, etc. to sort out and a supper to attend. It was a lovely evening, but it was also heart-wrenching because our workplace is very much a close-knit group of congenial people, like a second family for most or all of us, and I will miss working with these two people very much. It feels like two more losses in my world, certainly not on the same level as losing my husband, but not inconsequential either.

Home stuff has also been occupying my mind. So many things I was going to do in the spring, then in the summer, then in the fall before the snow comes . . . are still to be done. I have to figure out things like what snow tires I need, where to buy them, and take the vehicle to the garage to have them installed. Some yard work and cleanup has to be done now or it won't get done at all until next May. Fortunately our son is helping me with a lot of things and that helps to reduce the To Do list. But there are a few things that need done to the exterior of the house and I've been putting off calling to get it started. That will have to happen this coming week.

"Mom" stuff has been about the same as usual - a daily visit for medications, a weekly grocery trip, a few medical appointments, and extended conversations to try to explain things she doesn't understand and/or remember. Her ability to cope varies from day to day. For example, now that the weather is cooler and she has the furnace turned on, she is worrying about how much oil is in the tank. Two days ago she looked at the gauge and understood that it showed her tank over half full. Today she had no idea how to figure out the amount of oil remaining and repeatedly asked about it. Finally we went to her basement and I showed her the gauge and thought she understood. By the time we went back upstairs she had forgotten again. When she gets anxious about things, she tends to make poor decisions, then blame everyone else for both the problem and the results of her decisions, and then I have to fix it, so I like to try to avoid that if possible. But there's only so much I can do. Her appointment with the geriatric doctor isn't until December, and even if by some chance she is assessed as needing to go to a nursing home, there has been a shutdown of admissions to those due to insufficient staffing levels. So we will need to muddle along the way things are for a while yet.

I've also had Lucy cat to the vet for a checkup, required before the vet would approve a refill of a medication. The vet said her lungs sound better than they had, and advised me to cut back her pills gradually until she's at the lowest dose that will control her symptoms. One of the side effects of the medication is that she wants to eat more than usual. Reducing it should help to decrease her appetite. She is quite a bit heavier than she should be, because she gets aggressive when she wants food, and I don't want to be bitten again. (The first time required antibiotics.)

Meanwhile, also on my To Do list is to make a vet appointment for Meredith cat. She has occasional spells of trembling accompanied by a sort of stupor. I had her checked last spring, but the vet at that time didn't suggest blood work and I'd like to re-visit that question. We acquired Meredith after she had been hit by a car and taken by police to the vet for care. He wasn't sure he could even save her, but he did. Then no one claimed her, and we were looking for a companion to the other cat we had at the time. She has always had occasional twitching of her facial muscles and front paws, and both the current vet and I figure she had some neurological damage that is simply progressing with age. But I'd like to rule out other illnesses. I should have requested the blood work at the spring visit and I don't really remember why I didn't, but maybe I just wasn't thinking as clearly as I should have been.

One thing I have finally accomplished is to have our second vehicle overhauled and ready to pass on to our daughter. It took four months to get one small part for a critical repair. Before I could deliver the car to her, the Service Engine light came on. Luckily all it needed was an oil change, and within the coming week the car will at last be delivered to its new home.

I am somewhat worried that my other vehicle will break down and require parts that are not immediately available. Components for new cars and replacement parts for older cars are in short supply across North America. But I can't justify having two vehicles and the attendant costs. Also, our daughter and her family, who live in a rural area, could use the convenience that having a second vehicle would bring. Her husband often takes their two little boys out for errands and it will be good for her to have a way to do some things on her own while they are busy. So I'm glad this is happening soon.

*****

How about some funnies?

 

 

This is not my Lucy, but it's the same facial expression. Also, she meows. Loudly, with a violent edge to it.

Maybe by my next post I can cross off more than "wake up".

So, how are YOU doing? What's new in your part of the planet?