What I’ve been up to lately…

Germany

I’ve been really worried about my dad who was in the hospital and I decided to fly to Germany last minute. The only affordable flight I could find was a one-top flight over Iceland with Icelandair. The night before my flight, my husband and I went for an after-dinner walk. My husband stepped in front of me to get around a basketball hoop on the sidewalk and I stepped on his heel and fell flat on my stomach. My arm felt sore, I iced it and went to bed ready for my trip the next day. During the night my arm hurt so badly that I couldn’t sleep and turning was nearly impossible. In the morning I couldn’t undress myself because the pain was so bad. So I decided to go to Express Care to see what was going on with my arm. The x-rays didn’t show a break but I was sent to an Orthopedic surgeon right away because the area of the swelling is usually a sign of a different type of injury. It looks like I have a tear and fluid buildup in my elbow. I was told I needed therapy to make sure my arm wouldn’t end up being stiff and I shouldn’t fly. I didn’t know how on earth I would carry suitcases or sit comfortably on a 10.5-hour trip or how I’d be able to help my parents who are in their 80s.

So with a heavy heart and a doctor’s note in hand, I canceled my flight just hours before leaving. It was seriously such a crazy emotional day. Fast forward a couple of days and my dad is back home and feeling better and so am I. However, I feel so bad that I wasn’t able to get on that plane because after days of icing and trying to keep my arm mobile, I feel much better.

You are probably wondering why I am showing you a photo of a snake under my living room chair. Well, Walter decided to bring me another snake the day of my injury to make me feel better. As you can imagine, I was beside myself LOL and thankfully my husband was home to lift the chair and get the snake back outside safely.

Cats

I had been wondering why the universe didn’t want me to get on that plane. I do believe things happen for a reason and a couple of days later I got my answer…

Maya

Before I decided to go to Germany, our dear Maya had gotten skinny and I took her to our vet to get checked out. We discovered that she is hyperthyroid and needed meds. I had gone through this before with our old Lilly cat and it was very manageable and she lived 8 more years with her meds.
When I found out I couldn’t fly, she didn’t get better though, and stopped eating and was throwing up. She had lost 3 lbs altogether which is a big amount for a small cat. So my vet (who’s also my husband’s cousin) told me to take her to the hospital to get an ultrasound. The results were devastating, she also has pancreatitis and suspected small-cell lymphoma. She had to be hospitalized to get her stronger and eat again. We decided to try a chemo drug which could help her live for a couple more years if she responds well. So now she is on 3 different drugs.

I believe had I went to Germany, she’d be dead by now because my husband and kids don’t pay attention to our cats the way I do. He wouldn’t have noticed her not eating and he probably would have thought he could just wait until I returned to take her to the doctors.

I’m so very glad that I have health insurance for our cats. It really helps a lot now to be able to afford her care.

Strays

In case you missed it, I TNRed (Trap, Neuter, Return) four cats earlier this year. Three of them were definitely feral but when I caught the fourth, a gray male (estimated to be around 5 years old), I noticed that he was a bit different. At first, I thought it was the drugs when he was in the trap after returning from being neutered because he was relaxed and eating treats out of my hand. The others were all hostile. While recovering he just chilled, cleaned himself, and enjoyed my food.

Another difference from the others was when I released him, he leisurely left the trap, wandered over to the stock tank pool, drank some water, and then just sat there and watched me. The others all darted out of the trap and ran as fast away from me as they could.

Fast forward several months and this guy now named Frank is permanently living in our garden to Willy’s despair. He absolutely hates him. My husband has bonded with him and he follows him and me around the yard like a dog. Not sure what we will do once winter comes around again. He clearly was a pet at some point.

I bought him a little tent bed that is open on all sides because he doesn’t like the enclosed heated house I bought during the winter for whoever needed shelter. He needs to feel like he can escape easily. It is perfectly nestled under our bamboo bush next to the patio which is his preferred place to hang out and he loves it. Great protection from the rain too.

Willy is so upset that I can’t take him outside on his leash right now. It’s mostly his fault because he is the aggressive one. If he chills out then he can come back outside too. Right now he can only use his cat enclosure. And he is like an obsessed police officer on patrol all day. Wish me luck.

Blog Posts

Due to all the stuff going on lately, I haven’t DIYed much or written many blog posts. Here are new blog posts in case you missed them.

Once my arm is better and I have the cat situation under control, I’ll hopefully get back to making more things. I still have to write about my new old dining room chairs yet too. It’s on my to-do list.

Also, I’m a bit discouraged by all the changes happening online again. It’s depressing to see the shift that AI is causing and the fact that Google is ending third-party cookies on Chrome. To normal folks, this might not appear like a big deal but to us who have built a livelyhood with websites and blogging, it is all a huge deal and can ruin our businesses that we have worked so hard for. It’s just another emotional roller coaster.

Happy Memorial Day weekend,