A pinch and a punch........AUGUST 1ST!

Happy August Everyone!
Where is the summer going?
I hope that everyone here has a great Thursday! Gotta run and get ready for work...........
See you later!

I'm personally happy when summer is over, can't stand it! Here it will continue for this month and it will still be warm next month too. Wish I could go back to Finland, the summer were more reasonable there, not so hot and humid as here...

I love autumn and can't wait for it! I love all those autumn colors, and take lots of pics then!

(hmmm...sorry for venting out...)

Well it is 4:00 a.m. right now and I fell asleep on the cat couch last night with Shredder on my chest. Reminded me of when he was a baby kitty and i was bottle-feeding him. He kept waking me up last night periodically with tremors and spasms- poor boy. There is now some heat on his right back leg, but he is still growling every time he chews and swallows? I have been doing some research trying to figure this puzzle out and I found a disease that pretty much mimics his symptoms, though so far, he has had no fever. It is called discospondyltis and it is caused many ways but one way is from a common weed that is prevalent in our fields and that of our neighbors. Apparently, the spores are inhaled through the nose, (which would account for the labored breathing he experiences when his mouth is busy chewing) or the actual plant itself, pierces the skin and the fungus enters that way, travels in the blood stream up to the spinal column and creates an inflammation of the lumbar. The cure is not easy, and to properly diagnose it, the poor victim must succumb to a spinal tap. The cure is surgery and 6 weeks of therapy. I pray I am wrong but will run it by the vet when he calls this morning to check on us. I am going to start giving Shredder some GSE (Deb25 I can hear you groaning now! LOL) But it has the ability to cure fungus and bacteria and I have seen it work wonders on my animals, so I am giving it a go. I left Shred upstairs tucked under the comforter where I hope he will be able to stay for awhile in relative peace.


May we all have a peaceful and safe day. And Debby I hope by day's end there is word that you are now a Mom and Amber has arrived on the scene!


Peace to all........

I'm up early, too. Have to go in at 6:30. It is inventory day. I don't know WHY he scheduled me for this - I know NOTHING about doing inventory.

Today is my one-year anniversary, with Walgreens. At least, that means a raise! I now get dental benefits, too. I'm going to need that raise - next month, my medical insurance premiums go up 168%. I've racked up vacation time, too. THAT'S what I REALLY need! I'm going to take a couple of days, for Mark's wedding.

Happy August!

I am counting down the days until my long weekend! Unfortunately with John probabbly working this weekend (big survey job) we won't get to the cottage.

I am a contract employee here (I have been on contract for 6 years) and they are now threatening cut backs in hours. I need to work full time! I have applied for a permanent position (an exact same job, but instead of on the phones, dealing with in person enquires). I have to write a general competancy test. It has nothing to do with the job! test Here is a practice test. This practice test is only 50 questions - the real test will be about 150 question and I will have 3 hours to do it. Urgh! i did the 1st 20 questions and got perfect on them - I will have to do the others when I have time.

I woke up with a headache this morning. My sinuses were bothering me all night, so I was waking up with headaches all night too. Not fun. It is supposed to cool down for a while. The high today is only supposed to be around 80-85, so that's not bad. Much better than yesterday when we were right around 100.

We will find out for sure if we have been approved for the apartment today. She said it shouldn't be a problem, but I can't stop worrying until we get the final word. If you have good, or even decent credit, work really hard to keep it that way. It really bites not knowing if you will be able to qualify for anything.

Hissy, I hope that's not what's wrong with poor Shredder. Bad things like that shouldn't happen to good kitties like him (ok, to any kitty, but you know what I mean). He's still getting all my positive energy send his way.

Happy Dance!!

We got approved for the new apartment! Now it's just 2 weeks of packing, and 2 weeks of moving and cleaning. We are taking the move slow because of the great move-in special we got, which works out better for us. This way, we aren't in a big rush to move, and we have time to clean the old apartment and hopefully get some of our deposits back.

Today. August 1st, is a holiday in Switzerland - Swiss National Day! This usually culminates in extravagant firework displays, but as it has rained most of the day, they are likely to be tamer than usual. I can't say I mind much, because the noise is so painful for all the cats and dogs, and scares most of them silly, poor babies. I worry, too, because of all the wood in the buildings!

Today was also marked by a sad/happy event: Sundancer went to join his new family. They will love him dearly, and give him a wonderful life - but oh, I shall miss those great, deep orange eyes, his little "hello" squeak, and the special goodnight cuddle.

I'm going to have to give up breeding soon - can't be doing with this heartbreak every time a kitten leaves home.

Esme :goodbad:

I woke up early because I had a hair appointment at 8:00 (first time I got my hair cut since last year, I think it was due). I told her to take about 2 inches off and she took about 4 , but it's okay. It looks better than I thought it would (and hair is forgiving - it grows back, lol).
Then we went to the mechanic's to see if he knew of any cheap used cars. His son was there and he was getting rid of his car, certified for $1000! It's a 1990 Dodge Spirit, it's old but it's in great condition (and it's my first car, so anything looks good to me, lol). He's replacing the cracked windsheild (at no cost to me - after all, he is the mechanic's son) and I get to take the car in two weeks!!
And tonight, I help with dinner and bingo at the nursing home and then pack for the cottage. (Leaving tomorrow at 4AM...yuck). So now I have to come up with some creative tactic to get Socks in her carrier...she hates the carrier and she hides when we start packing the van... Any ideas?

The wallpaper lady was here today starting on the new wallpaper in the kitchen. We're pretty much getting a new kitchen because we had mold. Thankfully, we were still on our old insurance policy, so it's all covered minus our deductible. We're getting new counters, new wallpaper, new floors, new ceiling paint, and new cabinets where they ripped ours out. I also bought a new sink and faucet. It's going to be great, but I'm so tired of waiting. It's been over 2 months since we had the mold contained, and we've been eating out lunch and dinner every day since then. Not much fun with two small kids.

Amy has an infection in her ear canal, so we got to go back to the doctor today. she's in a lot of pain and is having a hard time. Poor thing!

Tomorrow morning the neighbor is watching my kids so I can go to an estate sale by myself. I need to find some more "treasures" for my eBay business, or I'll run out of decorating money!

No baby yet.

Heidi, congrats on getting approved for the apartment!

Hissy...What is the name of that weed you are talking about...we may have it here, too. It might come in handy to know the name.
I sure hope that isn't what is wrong with Shredder. I hope he will get better soon!!!!!!! I thought about you and him today, and am keeping you in my prayers!!

Hot here. VERY hot!!! I don't understand Merlin...he could laze around in the air conditioning all day, but instead he wants to be outside in this 100 degree weather. Silly cat.

Heidi-----Congratulations! Let the fun begin now.

Cindy: Happy one year anniversary.

Ady- 6 years on contract? You'd think they'd at least consider hiring you full time. The dedication is there. Many would have given up by now. Good luck getting a full time position.

Debby....in no time you'll be rocking your baby in your arms. The end is near!!!

Hissy, I'm praying very hard for Shredder to get better.

Esme: Sundancer will be fine. Especially if you know they'll love him dearly. Sorry you're sad....

Dawn, you lucky girl. I'm dying to re-do my kitchen. How can I acquire some of that mold???? :LOL: Just kidding....I'll eventually have a new one, I'm thinking years ahead of myself.

sockiesmom: I am not familiar with carriers but I've heard many horror stories regarding cats versus carriers. Good luck and let us know how it went!

My 1st day of August was great. 4 of us played hooky from work (with the boss's approval-of course!) I spent the afternoon at the beach. First time in years. I'm burnt like a lobster but it was worth it.

Have a good night all!