Friday August 8th 2025

No Stars In My Eyes, LPN · 2025-08-08T13:38:07Z

Rain, and some more rain, and 82% humidity, and rain! But it is to get up to 82 degrees as well. I think next week the temps are going to go back up in the 90's. (NOT yay!)

Well I found out where Tinker has been going.....she goes in the closet for the front bedroom, which was once the main bedroom for Nannie and Baw-baw. <Yep, that was my FiL's name to the grand-kids.) Anyway, I cleaned up the poops and put chux down and I'm hoping she gets the idea. Gonna spray odor eliminator in there, even though I can't smell anything.

So, this morning was "interesting".....I got Nannie up and fed, and she was sitting in the recliner, having finished her yogurt, when who should walk around the back of the house? SiL, her grand-dgt and two of the kids' cousins. Tinker was so happy, she kept going from person to person to person to get loved on. The girls were all around 8-9 years old; everyone talking at the same time and between the higher-pitched voices and SiL's deeper, smoker's voice, and the Southern accents, ....I really need my hearing aids because a lot of the time all I could do was raise my eyebrows, and smile or make a laughing sound, even though I couldn't really understand half of what they were talking about.

But the thing that got me was when SiL came in and saw Nannie up in her chair, she said to me, "Did you think I wasn't coming today?" I told her it's Friday and that is the day I get Nannie up and BiL comes to get her and take her to daycare. SiL said that was "just for last Friday because I was at the beach," Uh....no, Friday has most always been the day BiL comes to get her and I know that because I have to set my alarm clock in order to get up in time to have Nannie ready to go when BiL gets here around 8:45 AM. But SiL insisted she's the one who" always" comes on Friday morning. Nope, it ain't so, but I wasn't about to argue with her. 🙄 She DOES come to get her up on Mondays and Wednesdays. But, I guess I can expect to go pick her up at 4:45 PM today. Funny thing was, I had not heard from SiL all week, so I sure wasn't expecting her to show up. Usually she calls me a few days ahead of time to remind me who is to do what regarding Nannie's schedule; and SiL's schedule with the ABC store is always changing depending on which store she is to work at and which 'shift' they want her to work (and she never tells them "No".) I may not remember a lot of things, but I do remember Friday mornings because getting up early is not one of my 'best", favorite things', y'know?

Anyway, other than picking Nannie up this afternoon, I have no reason to go out in the rain. I may go back up to bed....even though I don't feel particularly sleepy right now....but a rainy day with no pressing chores, it seems like the perfect opportunity to rest ... Nada to do except for doing those darn dishes; I never before have wished for a dish washer, but I believe I would be more inclined to use one here, with all the dirty glasses, spoons, my coffee cups, Tinker's dishes, and whatever else I've managed to use in the course of a day or two. Ah well, I've been the 'dishwasher' all my life, so it ain't no thang but a thing.

Tinker has started coming up to sleep in the crook of my left elbow/armpit, (because I always start sleeping on my left side) she curls up so small and doesn't move. It's rather nice and comforting when she breathes a sigh and snuggles deeper.

All for now. Over and out. Y'all behave and have a lovely weekend!

Editorial Team / Admin · 2025-08-08T16:02:38Z

Hello all!

Awww, No Stars, glad you found Tinker's hidey-spot, and got it all cleaned out!

We took LuLu in to the vet yesterday, and X-ray showed she had a bladder stone! So last night she had surgery to remove the stone. They kept her overnight, and we are leaving soon to pick her up. Hopefully she does well, postop -- eats better, gets some weight on her, and just is more comfortable. It's been a long few months, and cats are not that easy to read re: What Is Really Going On!

Hope you all have a good evening and weekend!

No Stars In My Eyes, LPN · 2025-08-08T17:04:30Z

Huh! I never heard before that a cat could get a kidney stone. Glad it has been found and is being removed, but sorry Lulu had to go through surgery.

Tinker and I had a nice 2 hour nap! Felt good! Then, when we came down to the den, Tink looked out the glass door like she always does, and WHOA! There was a doe about half-way up to the house from the very back of the yard. Tinker jumped on her hind legs (^boing^boing^boing^!) and put her front paws up on the glass and let out with tremendously loud, sharp barking, which caused the deer to turn and run back down to the back woods ....which naturally caused Tinker to increase the sound and frequency of her barking. It has taken about 10-15 minutes for her to quiet down. But she hasn't stopped periodically trembling with excitement, and she has her eyes and ears trained on the area where the deer exited the lawn. So when I take her out again, I can guarantee where she will drag me, It isn't raining right now, but I still better put on my shoes (as opposed to the open-to-the-air krok-like clogs I usually wear) so my toes will stay dry!

There are many large in diameter mushrooms in the yard....it makes me think of Disney's FANTASIA. But if I start seeing dancing hippos in tutus, I will become worried about myself. Which makes me think of that book (then it became a movie) 'LET'S NOT GO TO THE DOGS TODAY', which took place somewhere in South (?) Africa. So, I'm saying, 'LET"S NOT GO TO THE HIPPOS TODAY!'

Got 3+1/2 hours before I have to retrieve the Nannie-person., then around 5 hours before I put her to bed. Maybe she will ask to go to bed early like she did the other (last?) night.

......and now I have a Buddy Holly song rolling around in my head: 'Maybe, Baby'. I used to be known for breaking out into portions of songs when something someone said reminded me of a line or chorus of a song. I do remember people saying to me, "Are you ALWAYS like this??!" Somehow it makes me feel a little better that I'm doing it more frequently again. I know I've done it here in AN, but to have it happen IRL (not saying y'all aren't real or alive) and let it out audibly is ....if only to me .... kind of fun.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · 2025-08-08T17:35:57Z

I'm glad Lulu is on the way to feeling better. If only they could tell us what's going on!

Joe, we played board games at church Wednesday night (and had hot dogs and ice cream). Hubs and I played with a group that included of couple of kids (maybe 6-8 years old) and we played Uno. It was fun.

I used to enjoy Scrabble, but it is no fun to play with Hubs because he takes such a long time to come up with his move. He is not much of a board game person, so I was pleasantly surprised that he said he had fun playing cards the other night.

Editorial Team / Admin · 2025-08-08T23:50:29Z

Thanks for your concerns and thoughts re: LuLu. She is doing well, wearing her cone of shame and is very affectionate, enjoying being petted and stroked. She doesn't yowl anymore whenever she uses the litter box, and in general has much less yowling (she has always been a very vocal cat). She doesn't appear to be in any discomfort, and the surgical site is dry (it was a bladder stone, not a kidney stone -- and it was sent off to be examined as to make-up). She has eaten, has drunk fluids, and is walking easily around the front bedroom. We don't want her to climb (she is notorious HIGH climber), so she will remain in the bedroom for a couple days, until she is a little more healed. I'm sure the other cats will hiss at her at first. We are just relieved she seems to be more herself than she was preop -- seems she was miserable then. 😞

Today has mainly been spent picking her up and situating her, and then spending time in the room, monitoring her (and petting her 🙂 ).

Have a good evening!

No Stars In My Eyes, LPN · 2025-08-09T02:00:52Z

Tinker has taken up a great love and appreciation for having one of Momo's little 1 + 1/2 ft X 3 ft baby blankets draped over her. She will curl up in a tight little ball and make a brief grunt/bark. When I put the blanket over her she wants to be completely covered up, head, face and all; then once she is, she heaves a big, relaxed sigh. I envy her satisfaction with such a simple 'activity'.