Now I really did it :((

[junebug17]

Oh my gosh missy, that raccoon is unbelievable! The dog crate is such a good idea that I hate to give up on it. It's *so* close to working well! I'm wondering if making the opening just a bit bigger would help. I can't believe that chubby raccoon was able to squeeze through. How frustrating that the cameras conked out too, ugh. Hang in there and try not to get too upset if you can (I know, easier said than done is an understatement); Keep reminding yourself that you and Greg are doing all you can under very difficult circumstances. ((((hugs))))

Marcy, love your idea of mimosas and shopping with a friend, it's pure genius! I hate grocery shopping too, once in a while my son or daughter will come with me and it really makes a difference. Glad to hear Marty is home this week!

I'm so glad you're rid of your problem employee, but I cannot believe you are facing more drama from these other women! I don't understand why some people are compelled to complain so much. I've come to know you through this thread, and you are clearly a fair and competent manager who does the best job you can so honestly I think these women are way out of line. As of right now, I wouldn't even worry about it and just continue doing your job, let these women gripe to each other to their hearts content. As you said, it's just hearsay at this point so there's really nothing to be done anyway. Sorry for this new irritation though, I know this is the last thing you need.

Thank you for your support about the situation with my mother…unfortunately she seems to be going back and forth about going, so I'm not sure what's going to happen. And of course I'm starting to feel guilty and worried because this is going to be a lot for my sister to handle on her own (her husband will help, but let's face it, she'll end up doing most of the caregiving). She plans to have outside help, which I fully support, and I'm planning on frequent visits, but still it will be life-changing for her. There just doesn't seem to be a completely *fair* way to work this out, yanno?

Jimmianne, yay for modern technology! Yes, Skype is an amazing thing, what a great way to stay connected to dd. I remember as a kid watching the Jetsons cartoon and thinking how cool it would be to see the person you're talking to lol! It seemed so futuristic and now it's a reality! I'm with missy though in that for regular phone calls I prefer not using FaceTime on my phone - when we first got it on our phones my husband was obsessed with using it when he was out of town - I finally told him I just couldn't bear to look at myself, I looked like death warmed over. It wasn't really necessary anyway, since his business trips are usually short. But it is a fantastic way to stay connected to loved ones, that's for sure.

I'm very excited about your trip to France in December! How wonderful to have that to look forward to. I'll bet this time around will be less stressful, you've already done the trip once and at least you know what to expect for the most part.

Kristie, thinking of you, hope things are going ok with Finn and Maggie.

 

[azstonie]

Hi Everybody:

Well, I'm here fighting the Canine Diarrhea Wars: Could be colitis or IBD. Testing has ruled out viral or bacterial. Both dogs took metronidazole. Maggie got an infection in right front paw, the doxycycline the vet prescribed did not work on an already-wrecked stomach so we switched her to an antibiotic ointment, which is working out very well for her. Both dogs have been eating boiled white rice, boiled organic grass fed ground sirloin (Whole Foods), some pumpkin, some vegetable broth since 3rd week of September. At one point, the diarrhea improved to formed stools but it didn't last.

Both dogs have a sky high ALP blood value and all other lab work is completely normal.

How to explain the super elevated ALP? So far, all tests say everything it might point to is fine.

The vet had me take them off the raw food back in September and put them immediately onto the home prepared bland diet. I was giving the dogs several supplements for their arthritis (which worked really really well, btw) and he had me take them off those too.

So no matter how hard I work home preparing their food, still the diarrhea.

Finn stopped eating this weekend. On Sunday he had acholic stools (putty colored) which is not good, it indicates a complete blockage of the bile duct system. Monday morning he refused to eat, and at 5:30 am barfed. A few hours later, he felt better and he felt hungry so I gave him some boiled sirloin, which he kept down. Repeated small servings of the boiled sirloin throughout the day and he rallied, although still the WORST diarrhea and he had the farting you would think a 300-pound man would have: Super loud and stinky.

Sunday afternoon Bob cracked, I've never seen him kind of lose it. He researched online and went out and bought a sensitive stomach/sensitive skin formulated Hill's Diet kibble. FINN ATE IT AND LOVED IT. Not my organic human grade home prepared food, nope, not going to eat that, but he ate all of the kibble. Maggie never loses her appetite so she ate the kibble AND my food

We went to the vet this morning. To date, I've spent $2500 on vet visits and tests and meds. He gave Finn and thorough abdominal exam, he got an abdominal x-ray (everything seen good except for an odd shape to one lobe of FInn's liver). Nothing to point to the serious diarrhea. An ultrasound would be the next test with a concurrent liver biopsy (I'll say yes to the ultrasound and NO to the biopsy).

Our vet has known Finn and Maggie almost all their lives (Finn turned 13 on Sunday) and he feels its food related. So I came home today with a prescription low residue kibble and wet food. On the one hand, it kills me to feed them commercially prepared dog food but on the other hand, if the raw food I gave them and then my cooked home-prepared diet gives them diarrhea and anorexia, what is the point? If they thrive on the prescription food, you cannot argue with that.

So today I fixed them lunch: Rice, ground sirloin, some pumpkin. Finn refused it. I put shredded cheese on it, he picked off the cheese shreds and ate those. I put in the prescription kibble and HE ATE EVERY KIBBLE WITH GUSTO and so I gave him more of it and he polished that off, happy as a little clam. Maggie ate her lunch, his lunch, and her serving of the new kibble. GO MAGGIE! My good eater! Ha.

So please cross your fingers for us on the new kibble and wet food. If the food stops the diarrhea, please remind me that success is success if I come back and say I don't like them on commercially prepared food, okay?

I should be buying myself a jewel for the end of the estate from hell but 7 weeks of sick dogs has had me distracted

Now, onto my NIRDI buddies:

Marcy: Good riddance to Millenial Rubbish? Hee. Regarding the yakking of the office hags, honest, who cares? Talk is cheap. They run their mouths on anything other than THEIR OWN PROBLEMS AND SHORTCOMINGS. Eff 'em. Be yourself and no apologies or navel gazing. If your management is satisfied and YOU are satisfied, then that is that, right?

Junie. I remember the day my parents rented an RV and drove it to my grandparents home in Southern California and removed them from their home, to my parents' home in Northern California. Of course, my grandparents did not want to go. They were PISSED OFF. But they got in the RV and once they got to my parents place they enjoyed it there. They had outlived all their friends and network of care where they lived, so the change was a welcome one for them. Society praises elderly people who are independent. But my parents making the decision when everything else had been exhausted, it took all the pressure off my grandparents. They weren't eating regularly, their house was unclean and unsafe for them, they had no back up or help in their own community because they outlived every single neighbor and doctor etc. And its not a neighbor's responsibility or expertise to be caretaker to them. They were driving down the wrong side of the freeway (after lying and saying they weren't driving any more). For years my mother could not face the fact that her parents were in extreme old age (beyond early 80s) and unable to care for themselves. Total denial. The freeway thing, that was the indicator she could not explain or laff away. After 6 months of caring for my grandparents in our home, they went into assisted living and this was when assisted living was in the bad old days (late 1980s-early 2000s) when the revolution in continuing care had not yet happened. No one wants change. No one wants someone else to take charge and make the decisions, so your mom is not going to commit to change and to giving control over to anyone. Her life works for her. The fact that it is untenable for other people is not a factor for her because in her experience, she chugs through each day. Mission accomplished for her. The last thing you need is to feel criticized or commented upon in a nonhelpful way, so I hope that nothing I've said here has done that (I'm going to reread this and most likely take stuff out toward that effort.) Junebug, I've written this before to you and its the best thing I can contribute which is for you and your sibs to get a licensed trained geriatric social worker to evaluate your mom and evaluate what resources are available and then you and your sibs meet with the social worker and generate the plan and then ACT ON IT. Right now your mom is sailing your ship; you can take that wheel whenever you are ready. I feel for you and that is the reason I'm writing all of this; giving 'advice' to people is usually a fruitless exercise because 1. No one typically wants advice and 2. People have to come to their own realizations in their own time and in their own way. So the first part of what I wrote, that was my experience in a similar situation and I shared that; the second part about what I wrote is actual advice and I wholeheartedly believe you can figure this thing out yourself and you don't need my advice. You're smart, you're creative, you have life experience.

Regarding your daughter and teaching. I taught at the elementary level and also at the junior high and high school level in California. Here is what I observed: The most stressful difficult work in teaching is at the elementary level. In addition, you receive the least pay and respect of the teaching profession, typically. The parents of elementary school kids are really hard to work with because they are very enmeshed with their children and feel entitled to micromanage their child's teacher, classroom and classmates. Get in their way, you're going to be meeting with that parent and the principal, calling them in the evenings when you should be relaxing or prepping for the next day. Teachers at the middle school and high school level have much less stress, have less negative contacts with parents, have a prep period during the teaching day, and a shorter teaching day. Teachers who are also mothers and homemakers do better for their own families when they teach middle school or high school. They don't come home exhausted. The happiest elementary school teachers I knew were single women with no children. They had their master's degrees or EdDs and made excellent money and enjoyed their time off.

Missy, those raccoons! God love those little effers

 

[MarionC]

AZ, my horse had diarrhea for almost 3 years. Amazing that he survived. We tried everything, even quack cures on the internet and enrollment in a diarrhea study at NCState.
Then one day a new student vet asked if I had tried...[some antibiotic shot... can't remember the name] Bingo, 12 hours later the problem was gone and never came back. He had been cultured for everything and never had a positive.
It's a horse-thing, but I can find out the name of the drug if you like. My horses and dogs are on some similar meds, so there is some cross-over.
All this is to say I've been there - it's upsetting and frustrating. I am hoping & praying this new food mix will do the trick for your guys.

 

[azstonie]

Hey Jimmianne, thank you for sharing your equine diarrhea experience! I'm glad your horse got better, LOL I think $2500 is the cost of *1* equine vet housecall, right? No animal is more expensive than horses, that's for sure.

Thank you for holding the good thought for the new food for Finnie Boy and Maggie. They sure like it, eat it right out of my hand. The first ingredient is CORN GRITS, which is a total no-no by Whole Dog Journal's Approved Food List, but I swear, I have to get this diarrhea stopped and stopped for a good while, *then* I can think about food again if I even decide to chance it.

Very exciting, to be traveling to France at Christmastime. It should be magical. I love TripAdvisor, the best. Start working on your Christmas French vocabulary!!!!!

I want to encourage you regarding traveling on your own occasionally, I've done this all my life and when I travel alone I meet many people and most of them are wonderful. Try to hold a good thought along those lines. I met some great peeps when I first went to the UK alone, I was in London and had to go to Ronnie Scott's to hear some jazz, very famous club. I went alone. The maitre d established that I was alone and he asked if I wanted to sit at at a table that would seat several singletons together OR if I wanted to sit alone. I said the group table would be fine. An old-age pensioner came in to enjoy the jazz, he was a good chat. Then a really handsome man came in, a little older than me, and he sat at the table. He was a banker for World Bank and when in London he stayed at his club on the Pall Mall. He gave me a ride back to my hotel after the concert, very polite and gentlemanly, and he would NOT ALLOW the pensioner to buy anything to eat or drink, he took care of it himself (a regular at Ronnie Scott's). He had a Bentley and a driver.

If I'd been there with a buddy I would not have had that experience. So when you're in France you'll have a little of both, travel on your own and travel with your family. Perfect!

 

[LLJsmom]

Kristie, I am so glad you found food that Finn would eat and keep down. How totally stressful for you and Bob. It's ok. As long as he will eat it, nevermind it's not as healthy as you would prefer. Your story about your trip to UK and that cool guy that you met at the club is awesome. I love that you just went and did it. My aunt travels by herself all the time and she is married with grown kids. She loves museums so she will go all over by herself. It's hard for her husband to get as much vacay as she had, so she wasn't gonna miss out bc he was busy!! Lol! In fact, she moved to DC for three years to clerk for a Supreme Court justice and lived in her own. Her DH had a job in CA that he could not leave. Sorry I have no idea what conversation that was about.

Sorry everyone. I haven't read the thread so I'm not sure what is up.

But I do need some advice and need to unload. My almost 13 year old son may kinda have a girlfriend. And I am not ready for this. And she's a clinger. Oh dear. Yes, I read his texts, and they told each other they liked each other. She wants to move right j to official boyfriend / girlfriend status and is complaining why he doesn't have time to text her. He has martial arts, cross country, soccer, and wants to do well in school. She wants to know why he won't hug her and he says he is nyo the touchy type. He isn't comfortable with it. She wants him to randomly text with her friends because she says she wants all the people she cares about to be friends. He tried to tell her that he didn't want it to be anything too serious and she immediately goes "did you just put me in the friend zone?"

OMG girls!! He is not even 13 yet!! She is all over his sh!t! So I am trying not to freak out but this girl is too much. He needs a girl that has over interests and a LIFE. Otherwise she will takeover his. He says he regrets saying anything.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Jimmianne, I am sorry you woke up so early but it turned out great since you got to Skype your daughter. Skype is awesome and I know you are happy to be able to see your DD is doing well. It sounds like she is with wonderful people as well. You’ll do fine getting to France in December. I am excited you are going again; you absolutely loved it over there on your trip this summer. As a matter of fact I have a BS in psychology. I used to have a badge with my maiden name that said “behavior counselor”. I should see if I can find it. That would be really funny to wear to work. I worked part time for about a year at a local clinic running a discussion group years and years ago.

Missy, probably the psychopath CEO’s got that way from dealing with problem children. I have always had the negative complaining, finger pointing employees but I was hoping to go at least one day without having to listen to some of the usual crap. I guess I was the crazy one thinking that. I asked Marty if he doesn’t miss being a boss and he said “Not for one minute”. Rats the camera is out and you can’t monitor the kitties at the beach house. You and Greg are doing the very best you can for those kitties.

Junebug, I think a drink would help relieve grocery shopping reluctance. I am glad you don’t mind it so much when one of your children go with it. The company makes it a nice time. Thank you for the kind words and reassurances about my managerial skills. I told that one lady last week I always do the very best I can for the team and each of them. I have never, ever yelled at any of them or been nasty to them. I wouldn’t like myself if I did act that way. I honestly am just kind of chuckling about the whole thing today. You can’t stop people from complaining or being unhappy. I completely understand what a difficult decision this is for you, your sister and her husband and your mom. Having someone move in who needs care will definitely alter their life. I am glad to hear that if your mom does decide to move there that your sister plans on having someone come in to help her. I think any of us worry we aren’t doing enough but I believe that feeling is because we can’t fix it or change it. I know you are doing everything you can and then some. I like to believe things work out for the best and the way they should. I am sure your mom is reluctant to move away from what she knows as home but I do think it is the best for her. Sending positive thoughts to you, her and your sister.

Kristie, you always make me laugh. I hate that Finn and Maggie have been so sick but your Canine Diarrhea Wars did make me smile. I am delighted to hear both of them are eating even if it is prepared food. Yay for Kibble. I am crossing my fingers and toes that both of them will get better and stronger every day. Thank you for the encouragement about work. When my millennial was complaining to my new boss those complaints got relayed to our director. The director read over that guys appraisal I wrote last year, my “rules of the room” and said I spelled expectations out clearly and if my employee couldn't understand them it was time for him to go. If my boss, his boss or HR were griping at me to change I would but they have always been very supportive of me.

LLJsmom, OMG I am sorry to hear about the clingy girl pressuring your son to become his girlfriend. She sounds needy and demanding and I hope he quickly decides to run away. I have no advice how to encourage that though. Sending that girl move along PS vibes right now.

Yes, it’s true that nasty white 4 letter word is in the forecast in the mountains around here. We had rain move in here today. Tomorrow’s high is in the 40’s. Our extended summer is coming to an end. Rats. I did see some very cool lightning coming home though.

Work was okay today. I went and told my boss about the complainers. He said pretty much what you said and Marty said - who cares? Let ‘em talk and complain. Most people tune that out anyway.

Marty baked potatoes and squash for supper and cooked some marinated London Broil on the grill. It was quite tasty.

You know how my little bear is named Snacks? Well now the rabbits have named my original bear “Entree”. We were watching TV and all of a sudden I notice Marty has one of the killer rabbits moving around in front of his iPad. The “rabbit” sent me a text that said “give me Entree”. What a putz!

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.

Marcy

 

[azstonie]

Jimmianne, you're so right re equine and canine cross over. I'd love to know what your horse took that stopped the diarrhea, please!!!!!!!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! As I type Sammy is inside the cage eating. Yes the cameras started working around 8PM last night and let's hope they keep working so we can evaluate what is happening. Sammy was able to fit inside and get to the food woohoo and I saw that with my own eyes live. Unfortunately the possum made it inside last night at 12:28 AM. I'm OK with that though. I mean the possum is not big and from what I understand they pose much less of a threat to the kitties. I sort of feel badly for the raccoons as they have trouble finding food too but it's just I am too worried for the kittens safety to purposefully let them eat their food if we can somehow prevent it. And the raccoons are still better equipped than the cats for survival outside.

Now we have to monitor as best we can to see if there is any kitty that cannot fit inside. We called Julio yesterday morning and he put wet food outside the cage too since we were leaving the cage in place for now and I wanted to make sure everyone could eat even if we had to include the raccoons while assessing the situation.

Another good news I hope development is that an animal rescue person finally got back to me yesterday (we have been emailing for a few days but it was hard to pin her down to anything) and she is going to our beach house this afternoon with another person. LOL I had to give this stranger our address and she knows we are not there but the animals deserve a chance so I went outside of my comfort zone just a bit. She said they will evaluate the situation and hopefully they will (not now but at a future date) TNR the older kittens and if there are kittens who are young enough they will be socialized. But they have to be younger than 8 weeks so I am not sure how old anyone is. I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed and holding my breath that somehow this all works out.

Kristie, I hope you wake up this morning having had a diarrhea free night and day to come...please don't feel badly that right now Finn and Maggie prefer the cheap commercial crap. At least they are eating and they might do great on this stuff even long term just wait and see. In the meantime remember what I said. Think of all the money you are saving for bling and all the time and energy you are saving too! Sending healing dust and vibes to your darling fur babies.


Marcy, I know being the boss generally sucks unless you are really lucky and have some amazing employees working with you. I think what you are going through is probably more common than not unfortunately. Part of the reason is because you are kind and approachable and just an excellent boss because you care and you listen and you want the team not to just run smoothly but to be happy too. If you were one of those nasty bosses people would be afraid to bug you with their petty issues and would also be afraid to rock the boat too much. Just surmising here. The problem is when someone caring is a boss is that some people take advantage and start acting like children.

Junie, I have a good feeling that you and your sister will be able to convince your mom to take that trip to NC to "visit" your sister. You accompany her for that visit, make her comfortable and content and then hopefully she will be happy to stay for an extended visit which will hopefully turn into a long term stay. Let's face it you need the break and this way you can visit her and spend time with her this way instead of continuing to take it all on yourself. I am very glad your sister is willing to do this and I am so hoping things work out for you guys. I am keeping good thoughts for you.

LLJsmom, wow and so it begins. I don't envy you but know you have given your son (and daughter) the tools they need to make smart choices. You have given them and continue to give them a strong foundation that will serve them well into and through adulthood. Of that I have no doubt. Trust that your son can handle this. Let him take the lead and see how it goes. He is smart and he learned from the best so even though he is only 12 I bet he can make good decisions about this. Wait and see and intervene only if necessary. I mean share with him how you are feeling but don't be too overprotective. It seems as if he knows what he wants to do and even tried telling this young lady that he does not want a serious relationship at this time. So trust that he has this. And if he doesn't you are right there able to step in but for now I would let him take control and wait to let him impress you so you can be a proud mama.

I hope everyone has a good day.

 

[MarionC]

Missy, this is all very good news about the kitties. Progress! thanks to you and Greg caring so much.
Thank goodness you finally found a rescue person to help so that you are not alone with the situation and can possibly get real-time help, not just the good wishes of us here : )

I was supposed to have lunch and a "fancy" mall shopping trip with two good friends today.One is ill and the other had a bad car accident, now I woke up with flu/bug. What a group we make lol
A cautionary tale about the car accident - and my friend only got scratches, even though her car spun and landed on its side - she was on a country road and looked down for a moment to see what fell off the passenger seat. The right tire caught the edge of the road, came back on to a place where there was loose gravel and voila! the car was out of control.
I am telling you as I told my dd AND myself - no texting, looking at the GPS for more than a second! Need I mention looking at rings? haha
I am so guilty, especially on road trips, of making my lunch, looking for a CD, etc etc. Please stay safe!

NYC is so close, why is it so hard to get there : (
Can't stand that we all can't be there! I want to see the Naked Cowboy and Adam...not necessarily in that order LOL

LLJsmom, these young girls can be so aggressive. ugh. Sounds like your son is handling himself very well.

 

[MarionC]

AZ - I'll ask my vet this morning. I can never remember the name. What a relief to be able to stop looking at/washing the rear end of an animal as a full time job - eh?
How are things this morning?

 

[LLJsmom]

Jimmianne, I hope your friend will recover quickly. How scary. You would never think that would happen, and it was just a second of distraction. Thank you for the reminder. I need it! Too bad you can't come out Jimmianne. I know. So last minute and all. Of course, I was just wishing...

Missy, wow, that was a possum? Guess you can hardly blame it. I mean, free food, right? But is there a concern that the kitty would get trapped in there with another unfriendly animal, like a raccoon? Missy, my heart breaks for you. You want to save all these kitties, and it's so hard. What would the animal shelter people be able to do? What is TNR? Sorry I missed that.

Marcy, have you seen Pitch Perfect 2 yet? If you haven't, it would be worth it just to watch how this one boss has to deal with these millennials. It is hilarious. Just think, skinny jeans, sriracha, and adding value all in one sentence. I know that I want to tell these kids that every time I hear "uh huh" when I say "thank you". "You are welcome" is too many words to string into one sentence for them. Ok, will stop b!tching right now.

Kristie, how is Finn today?

Hugs everyone!!

 

[Calliecake]

Hi Girls, I'm going thru the same thing as Kristie with my furbaby right now. She had diarrhea last night and many times thru the night. We spent all morning at the vet. They gave her meds (same thing Finn and Maggie are on) and intravenous liquids before sending her home. I found the meds they gave her a few years ago and tried to give it to her very early this morning. She tasted the meds in her rice and refused to eat it. As soon as we came home she ran to her rice and ate it all. So she ended getting a double dose of meds. The vet didn't seem to have a problem with it when I called to let her know. I'm just thankful they don't think it is anything serious and should clear up in the next day or two. It looks like I'm stuck at home the next two days until she starts to feel better. Kristie call me! What the heck did we do to deserve explosive diarrhea? Between the Popsicle stick and now this it's been a pretty expensive vet month. My husband just called and wanted to make sure I didn't pay anyone else's vet bill.... MEN!

Missy, It sounds like you came up with a pretty good solution for feeding the kitties. Hopefully the raccoons will give up and just look else where for food. Is the cage bolted down? I worried they might try to tip it over to get the food. Heaven knows they are resourceful little buggers. I can't wait to hear if this woman is able to help you with the cats. I know how stressful this has been for you.

Kristie, I hope you have good news about Finn and Maggie later today.

Marcy, it's always something when you manage people. I would ignore these woman. Some people just aren't happy unless they are complaining and seem to have a manager vs them mentality. It's ridiculous but I have seen it many times thru the years. They are always better to just ignore. Hopefully things will get easier at work soon and these people will stop trying to create drama where there is none. I get so hungry listening to your dinner descriptions. I really need to start cooking again. Is Marty home for a while? Your shopping trip with your friends sounds like fun. Leave it to you to come up with a way to make grocery shopping fun

Junebug, I hope your mom decides to go along with the plan to have her stay at your sisters for at least awhile. Can you tell her it's temporary and see how she adjusts? I really worry about both you and your brother getting burned out. If she won't stay with your sister it sounds like it's time to get some outside help with her. Do you have any plans to go back to the beach house?

LLJ'smom, It sounds like your son will handle the situation on his own. You have done a great job raising him. He has already told her he doesn't want a serious relationship. This may be a really good learning experience. He may learn at a very young age that he doesn't like clingy people. Now wouldnt that save him a lot of aggravation later on in life. I would sit back and see what happens. He sounds like he has a really good head on his shoulders. This girl really sounds quite aggressive. I'm sorry I won't be able to meet you on your New York trip. What an exciting trip you have planned. I can't wait to hear all about your visit.

Jimmianne, I hope you are beginning to feel better. It's that time of year when people start getting sick. Have you had your flu shot? What great news that you have a trip planned to see your daughter. How long do you plan to stay? Does she seem to be adjusting to life in France well? We all worried how my niece would adjust to living in California. Turns out she adjusted much better than her mom and family.

 

[LLJsmom]

Callie, I'm so sorry your baby is sick too. But she's eating the rice right? Is she keeping that down today? It makes me so sad to see any baby not be able to eat. Eating is so basic that you assume that they will be able to eat and keep food down. And when they don't, you worry.

And your hands are beautiful. All of our hands are beautiful. They show the years of living and loving our loved ones, and hopefully ourselves. (((hug)))

 

[MarionC]

AZ...copied from google;

Metronidazole is used to treat protozoal infections in dogs and cats including Giardia, Entamoeba, Trichomonas and Balantidium. It also is used to treat anaerobic bacterial infections. Metronidazole has immune modulating activity and may be prescribed to treat inflammatory bowel disease.

 

[Calliecake]

Jimmianne, This is what they prescribed my furbaby today. The vet said it almost always begins working quickly. Fingers crossed it works for Kristie's babies and my baby.

 

[azstonie]

Jimmianne, true dat! Flagyl (metronidazole) is one miraculous medication. I think Finn came off his too early, I'm starting it up again if no improvement by Friday noon. Thank you for getting on that for Finnie Boy!!!!!

 

[junebug17]

Hi girls!

Missy, I've been meaning to tell you that using a metal dog crate is such an excellent idea - I didn't even think of that option, I was stuck on the wood ones I was seeing. I am so happy Sammy was able to make his way in! And omg that possum! I don't think there's any way to keep that stinker out, but as you said, I don't think he'll pose a problem for the kitties. I'm such a softie that I feel a bit bad for the raccoons too, but judging by the size of them they must be eating pretty well, and they can manage much better in the wild than the kittens.

I'm so glad you were able to get a rescue person to assess this whole situation, I'm hoping you and Greg don't feel so alone now in dealing with this and you at least have made contact with someone who can possibly help. I am really hoping she can come up with some plan for these kitties.

Marcy, thank you for the good thoughts…yes, this is a difficult situation and there really is no perfect solution but the time has come to do something different; what we're doing now just isn't working. Thank you for your support and encouragement, it really means a lot to me.

I'm so glad you're not letting those comments at work bother you; it's just typical workplace stuff - some people just love to complain and it is so common for people to look for things to gripe about. I agree with everyone else to just ignore it - as you said, you've always had the support of your bosses, so you can feel confident that you're doing a good job. My husband is a manager too, and I can only imagine what they say about him lol!

Oh kristie, I had no idea Finn and Maggie were still having problems - I am so sorry, you and Bob must be so worn out by now. I'm hoping the new diet will help - if feeding them commercial food will alleviate all this illness, I'm all for it. I see that Finn is on the antibiotic Jimmianne suggested, I hope it helps. I'm keeping you all in my thoughts and I so hope they're both doing better soon. It's really stressful when our furbabies are sick, big hugs to you.

Thank you so much for sharing the story about your grandparents, it's helpful to hear from someone who has experienced this kind of situation. I've been feeling confused and overwhelmed. I was talking to my sister yesterday and we've reached the conclusion that my mother might not really have much of a say in this. The bottom line is a change has to be made with regard to her care for several different reasons, there is really no way around that and it's in my mother's best interest to do so, even if she can't or won't see it. At this point my sister is willing to have my mother with her…in the event it becomes too much for my sister (and I have a feeling it probably will at some point), we will revisit this and consider other alternatives. Thanks for taking the time to offer such good advice, I really do appreciate it.

You made excellent points about the differences between teaching young children and older ones! As a parent I experienced the exact things you describe- I was definitely more involved when my kids were in the lower grades - the older they got, the less I interacted with teachers. The kids were just more on their own, so to speak. My daughter will be home this weekend and I'm going to talk to her about your observations, you have definitely given some food for thought.

Calliecake, I can't believe your fur baby is sick too! I'm really sorry, it's very upsetting to have a sick pet. Sounds like she is getting the best of care and the vet doesn't think it's anything serious, hopefully the meds will kick in and she's feeling better really soon.

Yes, we're presenting this to my mother as a visit, we're afraid we'll overwhelm or scare her with anything more permanent. I'm hoping this all goes according to plan, but if for some reason it doesn't or gets delayed then yes, we will definitely be getting help in, I'm going to arrange it myself and my brother and mother will just have to deal. But as I was saying to Kristie, the better option is for my mother to go to my sisters. Thank you for your kindness during this rough patch in my life callie, having the support of you girls has meant the world to me.

Jimmianne, I'm really glad your friend is ok, I can't even imagine how scary that accident must have been for her and I'm so happy she wasn't seriously injured. Sorry to hear you're sick, I hope it's very short-lived. Take good care of yourself and get better soon!

LLJsmom, yikes, girl troubles already! Try not to worry about it too much, I'm sure your son will eventually figure out how he wants to handle it. I think I would just let things play out and see what happens. Just let him know you're there for him if he wants to talk about it or needs advice. I know it's really weird when our kids get older and start dealing with more "grown up" kinds of issues.

Hope everyone is having a good night!

 

[LLJsmom]

Junebug, I am so sorry that this is continuing. I am hoping that things will go smoothly for you and your sister, and that your mom will accede to what you both think is best. I can see it's not a straight forward process and requires so much patience. I am starting to run into that a little bit. My dad is having some health issues, and he is becoming more difficult, angry, short tempered, kinda bitter. I don't know what to do about it and try to let him have his way as much as possible. Well, enough about me. You're going through the serious stuff. (((Hug))). I hope you try to give yourself care and kindness throughout this time.

 

[LLJsmom]

So girls, I'm thinking about bling again. And wondering if I should seriously consider exchanging my stone at some point. I know that my ideal (in my head) stone is a step cut. And you all know I drool over asschers. However, I would love a chubby antique emerald too. My MRB is classic and beautiful, and I can live with it. But I know that in some future I will find a reason to switch it out to something that is more "me". When I first started searching for my upgrade I wanted a cushion but just didn't have the courage to be different among my family and peers. Now I know how stupid that was. Anyway, since I'll be seeing Missy and these awesome vendors, I might have a chance to see some well cut step cuts IRL. Heart is craving an antique, fat emerald or an asscher. I love asscher_girls Sebastian Barier. I might have a chance to do a trade in, but even so it won't be until our 20th anniversary which won't be for another 2 years. That gives me time to save up a little. I want at least 3 carats, but at that size I don't know how high I can go in terms of color. I wonder when I will start noticing tint. And clarity is a non-negotiable. I want at least vs2. Mind clean issues you know. Am I crazy? Do you think anyone would buy my VC setting? If I can focus on this trade, I will not make any significant purchases for a couple of years. I think I can get through the rest of the year without any damage. One month at a time. Although after finishing the NYC marathon my bling itch will be bad.

 

[MarionC]

Marcy, how wonderful it would be if there were a "positive thinking" course offered to businesses. It would be heaven to work in a place where everyone is working together. To some extent we create our own reality and these people sound as though they are creating a world they would rather not be in. ugh. always something, always someone at work to make things harder than they have to be.

June, I don't remember...how old is your Mom? I do think you have to take charge. Not easy to be the parent of the parent : (

AZ - great! let's hope this is the miracle drug for every pup here.

LLJsmom - ah! when I saw the word bling in your post I was instantly! completely! awake.
I found it hard to sell a setting lasy year, but I hope that would not be the case for you and your setting might be of more interest to people. Tony mentioned selling my asscher setting with a place-holder stone in it. Perhaps that would be something to consider.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Jimmianne, Oh no! I am so sorry you are ill. Is it the flu? How are you feeling today? If it is the flu you can take some meds within the first 72 (?) hours and it might be helpful so please if it is the flu please call your doctor ASAP to get meds that might reduce the intensity and duration of your illness. Hugs and healing vibes being sent your way sweetie!

LLJsmom, OMG I know we are going to be seeing some beautiful blingy bling.
And fwiw, I don't think you are crazy at all. In fact I would have no qualms whatsoever in purchasing my 20th anniversary gift a few years early. Seriously. When I turned 40 (over a decade ago already ) I got my 40th bday gift over a half year early and we all know anniversaries are way more bling occasions than any other so a couple of years early no big deal. Not if it makes you happy. Happy wife...

TNR is trap, neuter, and release. I hate the thought of releasing them back to outside to fend for themselves against predators and the cold and other potential life and death issues but ferals usually cannot be socialized unless they are under 2 months old according to the experts.

Callie, I am so sorry your sweet baby is also sick! How is she today? I am sending bucket loads of healing vibes and dust and love her way!

OK so you didn't get any SW boots this past weekend (I am disappointed about that because you would have looked amazing in a few of SW styles for sure) but I just made up for you not getting any because...wait for it...I just ordered 3, that's right 3 more pairs. I am certifiable I know because I seriously had too many pairs to begin with but when I am stressed I start purchasing and this does less damage than diamonds. Though after 20 pairs it really adds up I know.

I got a pair in black pin dot which at first I felt is too shiny but I decided to go ahead and order it and it will be delivered Saturday. If I don't like it I will ship it right back. It is pretty shiny so not sure. I also got the SW Renegade from Zappos which I never tried on before so no clue if it will fit or how it will fit i.e. pinch my toes etc as it looks narrower in the pics. I cannot believe I ordered without ever seeing it or trying it on IRL. And then I ordered another pair of Black Nappa which is always a classic and I will keep that pair at the beach house. So yes I have a few duplicates. I have 2 Black Nappas, 2 Mainlines, and 2 iLanders all in black leather and then I have 2 black suedes of the Mainlines and Ilanders too. Crazy but I do keep the duplicates at the beach house so I rationalize it that way. I have only worn my SW lowlands twice and that was my most expensive pair. They are so sexy but how often can one wear suede thigh high boots LOL. My faves are and will always be the 5050 SW though and I have so many in different colors that I really am set unless my foot size changes or well something else happens but hopefully that will not be the case. If that happens any NIRDIs around a size 9/9.5 shoe size?

Kristie, how are Finn and Maggie today? I hope you all had a good and peaceful night and wake up feeling 100% better. I hope Maggie's poop is all normal now and that Finnie boy has his appetite back. Really concerned about all the sick fur babies around here and sending more dust and healing vibes and good thoughts your way. You guys deserve some healthy time now. (((Hugs))). And well a HUGE thank you for making me feel better yesterday. You are a doll an absolute doll and an angel and I cannot thank you enough.

Junie, I hope your week is going smoothly and your mom is feeling well. And I know you will be able to convince her to "visit" your sister and turn that into an extended stay for everyone's sake. (((HUGS))).

Marcy, hope your workday went smoothly yesterday and that it is a noticeable improvement having problem employee gone no matter what else crops up. Looking forward to hearing how it went and also hearing about dinner and dessert. I am ready to get hungry.

So yesterday went like this. The animal rescue people, Joanne and Anne, came to our beach house yesterday. The woman who is in contact with me is Joanne and she is not as seasoned as the veteran who went with her but Joanne is the one who will trap, neuter and release the cats and she has been doing this part time for around 8 years so hopefully she knows what she is doing. Unfortunately they did not see any of the cats when they visited but I knew they would not as the cats stay away when people are around. But from my pics they feel all the cats including Squirt and Sprite are too old to be socialized. SO I was devastated about that. Nothing we can do. Very sad.

Anyway, Joanne is busy until mid next week and that is when she is going to try trapping the cats so she can bring them to the vet for neutering. If there are any females in the bunch they have to be spayed and that is a longer recovery period before they can be released but she assures me there is someone to keep them for that time period. I won't relate horror stories about that but if they are released too early they will die after being spayed and that was my main hesitation. It is a major surgery.

We have to take all the food in for 24-48 hours before the attempt to trap and Joanne said it might take up to 4 days so I am worried about depriving them of food for so long plus logistics because if she goes mid week how are we going to remove the food. We don't live close enough to just run over and do that a day or 2 before. Anyway not going to worry about that right now as I have enough on my mind yanno? Very stressed and trying to put it in perspective but when it there are lives on the line it is hard for me to find perspective even though I know many would be like hey they are not human lives. To me they are precious no matter if they are cats or humans or dogs or kids. I mean they are living beings and it pains me what they have to go through and even after if it is successful (and I hope and pray it will be) their lives will not be easy lives. Joanne assures me feral cats are very resourceful and tough but numbers speak clearly in that the average lifespan of a feral cat is 2-3 years. I just want to make those the best years for them that I can and if any of the cats are young enough to be socialized I will take them (I have not shared that tidbit with Greg yet LOL) because Joanne also said that there just is no one to socialize any of the cats even if they are young enough which they just don't think they are anyway. I said if they are I will take them. OMG Greg will kill me but I will deal with that if it turns out any of them are young enough for socialization.

I am still not 100% sure all the cats are getting into the small opening but Joanne said to leave it as is but I am still evaluating the situation. I would hate it if some cats could not get to the food. It is still keeping out the raccoons but Mr Possum was eating for quite a long time in the middle of the night last night LOL. He is so skinny though that I really don't mind at all and as I wrote before it hurts me to watch the raccoons wanting the food so badly but unable to get it. Should I remove the cage? Really I would do it so I could make sure all the cats can eat and not for the raccoons but I am torn. The raccoons are such gluttons and therein lies the problem. If I knew all the cats were eating I would for sure keep it as is. I told Greg when he goes this weekend to make the opening a quarter inch bigger but he feels that would allow the raccoons access.

A very disturbing thing happened yesterday which a couple of NIRDIs know about and made me feel so much better, thank you. I am still worried but cannot do anything. It looked like Sammy had a bloody ear on the security pics yesterday AM but I know nothing more. Please everyone think good thoughts for all these poor feral kitties that they are successfully neutered and healthy and able to live as good a life as possible with food and shelter always. Thanks so much for your good thoughts and PS dust for the cats.

I have Continuing Education starting tomorrow through Sunday so I have a long 3 day haul after my workday today. No real weekend for me this weekend. Ugh. I find these CE classes very boring so just want to get through it and onto next week already.

As usual I was way too verbose in my post and thank you for listening if you got this far. LOL. Sending hugs and love to all my girls and I hope your day goes well.

 

[missy]

Last pic, this one of Sammy sometime last night. Too dark to see details re his ear though. I am not going to post the upsetting pics of his ear for the more sensitive viewers.

 

[MarionC]

Ceiling, somewhere. Don't remember details to share.



As for hands...what a beautiful sentiment. After I came to PS I was very self conscious about posting photos of my hands...and they have gotten even older since!
How wonderful to look at our hands and think of all the loving things they have accomplished!
I had a paradigm shift after reading that comment.

 

[LLJsmom]

I loved my grandma's hands. I would hold them and examine them and touch them for hours at a time. I loved the wrinkles because I thought of how she did Chinese calligraphy with them. And I thought about how she shelled peanuts for me, and made me dessert, and sewed me jackets, and touched my face. I treasured her hands and I was so happy she let me touch and hold them. It gave me a sense of peace and wholeness that very little in life has.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, I am glad the animal rescue person is going look in to capturing some of the kitties and see what they can do. You are their hero you know. I could change and be a mean, hard nose boss but I wouldn’t be comfortable doing it. I always worry if I could do something better or different but overall I think I’m pretty decent and fair to them. I’d rather be taken advantage of than be nasty. I heard my old employee going on one of his rants today; I was so happy it wasn’t my problem.

Jimmianne, I hope you are feeling better and I am sorry to hear about your friends. Did you still get together with your friends? Did you go shopping? Thank you for reminding us about distractions when driving. I have to admit the thing most likely to catch my attention is my jewelry. I think once you get more than 3 people working together there is always going to be problems. I like the idea of a positive thinking class. I agree that people create their own reality. I pointed out to the drama du jour lady that you are about as happy as you make up your mind to be and she looked at me like I just uttered something in Swahili. Such a great thought about how much our hands have accomplished. People could learn to be positive hanging out with us NIRDIs!

LLJsmom, I will have to watch Pitch Perfect 2. Between 21 years of teaching and being a supervisor for most of my working years I have sure heard some whoopers. I am sorry to hear about your dad; it is kind of surprising how cranky elderly people can become. When I’d take my parents out for dinner I’d get there early and get a table and tell the waiter - “I’m paying, my parents are old and sometimes cranky so I apologize ahead of time if they are cranky to you. They don’t mean it” and then I always tipped them well. A 3 carat fat emerald cut would be fabulous! Of course sensitivity is a personal preference but that size and shape would show color more than an RB. I would look at F or G which of course shoots up the price. I’ll be anxious to hear about your diamond shopping experience in NYC. I love what you said about your grandma’s hand; I am glad you have such warm and happy memories of her.

Callie, I hate to hear your furbaby isn’t feeling well either. Hopefully she’ll be better in a few days. I agree it’s probably a good idea to just ignore my petty complainers. One of them is definitely a drama du jour person; I know I don’t tend to pay much attention to what people like that are rambling on about now. Marty is home through next week then heads out to DC again. He made a cream sauce pasta dish for supper tonight. It had some beef, veggies, garlic and cilantro in it and then steamed some green beans. It’s so chilly here this week I might make some noodle soup this weekend.

Kristie, how are Finn and Maggie doing?

Junebug, I am glad you and your family are moving towards trying something different; it sounds like it is the right thing to do for all of you. I am sure your husband has lots of similar stories about employees. Some people just can’t be happy and want to make sure they try to suck everyone in to their negative world. Best revenge is go along your merry way, right?

We had a nice time last night meeting our friends for dinner. Then we stopped and had a few drinks at the golf course to get our name in the drawing (3 for $500). It was a nice evening.

It was extremely foggy here this morning. Marty said he felt like a big ship was going to come out of the fog; I said that sounds like a scary movie. It rained a lot today as well. I bet we’d have over a foot of snow on the ground if it was colder. I am really glad it’s not cold enough to freeze; it would be solid ice out there.

Hurray for tomorrow being Friday.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[MarionC]

LLjsmom, what a lovely post. You loved her so much. How lucky for both of you to have this depth of relationship.

 

[azstonie]

I loved my grandma's hands. I would hold them and examine them and touch them for hours at a time. I loved the wrinkles because I thought of how she did Chinese calligraphy with them. And I thought about how she shelled peanuts for me, and made me dessert, and sewed me jackets, and touched my face. I treasured her hands and I was so happy she let me touch and hold them. It gave me a sense of peace and wholeness that very little in life has.

Poetry. Thank you for sharing this with us.

 

[Calliecake]

I loved my grandma's hands. I would hold them and examine them and touch them for hours at a time. I loved the wrinkles because I thought of how she did Chinese calligraphy with them. And I thought about how she shelled peanuts for me, and made me dessert, and sewed me jackets, and touched my face. I treasured her hands and I was so happy she let me touch and hold them. It gave me a sense of peace and wholeness that very little in life has.

LLJsmom, Your beautiful post brought tears to my eyes. Your grandma was very lucky to have you in her life.

 

[Calliecake]

Missy, I so hope these people can help with your kitties. I am anxious to hear about the kitties ages too. You will need to post pictures of your new boots. Boots are the one great thing about cold weather. It was in the 70's downtown on Monday and we could not believe all the people we saw wearing boots. The furbaby spent most of today sleeping. It's breaking my heart that she is still not feeling well. She has been stuck to me like glue the past few days. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and the medicine will begin working well.

Marcy, How funny that you overheard your old employee complaining. You have to feel sorry for his new manager. Does the manager know what a nightmare he is stuck with? People like that never change. They just find something new to complain about. He is probably going to miss having you as his manager. You were a saint dealing with him. He may not be so lucky in the future. I'm glad Marty has been home woth you. We have been so lucky with weather this fall. It's still nice and warm here and that is so unusual for this time of year.

Junebug, If you mom goes to stay with your sister, when will she make the move? Is your sister doing things in her home to accommodate her coming or is it just normal maintence she is doing. I know it may be difficult but it sounds as if it will be the best thing for everyone. Do you have any plans for the weekend? The weather has been so nice here I'm wondering if my husband will be golfing this weekend.

LLJsmom, I would love a three carat Emerald cut. I have always found them to be so elegant. I can't wait to hear all about your trip to New York, the race and your time with Missy. I know you will have a wonderful time. I wish I were going to be there with you.

Kristie, Is Maggie still continuing to do well? How is sweet a Finn? I keep hoping they are feeling better by the weekend. What a nice change that would be to everyone healthy again.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! I'm very sleepy as I had difficulty falling asleep last night and got about 4 hours. Well I can catch up on my sleep in class today. JK!

LLJsmom, I love your description of your grandma's hands. So lovely and meaningful and how wonderful you had such a close and special relationship with her. Thank you for sharing. Peace and wholeness. Love that.

Jimmianne, I hope you are feeling all better and looking forward to hearing how it goes with your potential new neighbors. I am still thinking about your sweet chick and I hope you are doing OK. Just sending more (((hugs))) your way.

Love the ceiling pic you posted. Beautiful.

How is your friend who had the car accident doing? I always think of my friend who was texting and is still recovering from her serious accident. Not worth it. Full attention on the road at all times. Whether walking or driving or cycling etc. I cannot tell you how many people text and walk and don't pay attention. Drives me mad and I just want to shake them and say STOP, pay attention and be in the moment. PLEASE. Anyway I hope your friend is doing well and thank goodness she didn't have a more serious accident. Scary.


Callie, I am sorry your sweet fur baby is still not 100%. Sending more healing vibes and PS dust her way and hoping she is all better very soon.

Yesterday my mom called me and told me someone dropped off a smooth Collie puppy (8 months old and 35 lbs) at my sister's office and disappeared. This happened Monday and now my sister's boss is keeping the dog until next Monday (as the law requires) and then having the dog pound pick him up. If he doesn't find a home they will put him down. My mom went there and said the dog is so playful and friendly and sweet and loving. I begged her to adopt him but she wants no more dogs. Since Tara died she is done with raising dogs. My dad is 81, she's in her 70's and they want to travel and not be tied down anymore than they already are with their 6 cats (3 of them feral).


So I asked around work and someone said maybe but she really wanted a smaller dog. I am not hopeful. Also the dog is not neutered and has none of his shots and I asked the office manager where my sister works how much that would cost (so I could tell prospective adopters) and she said around $250 or so. Great. I could just see many people saying forget it if they were unsure to begin with given this extra money they would have to pay. I am willing to pay the cost if someone would adopt him. Can you believe this beautiful 8 month old puppy might be killed by the pound if no one adopts him. Breaks my heart.

I called Greg yesterday after I asked around but he said no. I knew he would but I had to try. He was pretty definite about it too.

Marcy, I am with you. I would never want to change who I am because of what I do and let them be miserable. You will always be lovely and kind and they will always be unhappy. It is their problem and not yours in any way and good for you not letting them make it your problem.

I am no one's hero no way but thank you for kind thoughts. I wish I could really save them (adopt them and give them a wonderful loving warm safe home) and the fact that I cannot, that it is too late for them for that kind of life makes me feel sick and torn up but I know I have no choice but to accept this fact. I waited too long for the youngest kittens, that I know now and when I think about it I cry so I am trying not to think about it.

Love the fog as long as I am not driving in it and I am glad you had a lovely evening with your friends and good luck with the contest. I hope you win.


Kristie, I hope Finn and Maggie are doing even better today. In fact I am hoping they are both back to healthy and feeling well.

Have a good weekend girls. Today is the first day of my 3 day CE event. Today at least my girlfriend signed up and is in all my classes but then Sat and Sun I am on my own. Usually one of my best friends Tom takes all the classes with me just to keep me company as he never needs the CE he gets so much from his CE trips. However this year he cannot as he has other school obligations (he is the chief of the department at the optometry school) and he is teaching most of the weekend. So I am out of luck in the company department this weekend and I hate sitting alone without my friend(s) there to chat with and write notes too. Haha yes I am that immature during class. Unless it is a good lecture and let me tell you from experience they usually are not attention grabbing lectures. LOL. Plus I hate eating lunch alone and really very few people I know attend this specific CE weekend so not counting on running into any old friends. Except for today. Anyway, have a fun weekend for me and I hope everyone remains safe and enjoys!

Oh and the cameras are working on and off so really difficult to monitor what is going on at the beach house. Very frustrating and Greg will be going there tomorrow and I hope he can fix those darn cameras.


ETA: Do you girls think I should start a PS thread for any local people (NY/NJ/Connecticut) looking for a good home for this Collie puppy? I don't know if it is a good idea or not and I don't have any pics of him but my mom says he looks just like Lassie. IDK and we only have until Monday till my sister's boss has the pound pick him up... not sure what to do. Crazy idea or worthwhile?