9 July 2024

 

A couple of weeks ago, after someone punched me in the face with a fistful of sleep, I wandered to the back of the house to crawl into bed. For once, I had no kitty help, so I was able to close the bedroom door. And while I was snoozing, the Spouse Thingy decided to run a couple of errands.

I wasn't quite asleep when he left. Within a minute, CJ began wandering up and down the hall, crying. It was pretty clear he thought he was alone and didn't want to be, but I was so close to being zonked I couldn't make myself get up to let him in the room.

He quieted quickly, though, and I fell asleep, hard.

Cut to today. Spouse Thingy was off work, and again, there were errands to be run. CJ watched as we got ready, and when he saw the wallet and keys go into my pocket, the crying began.

He followed us around, plastering us in guilt made of tiny, baby-like mews. He even jumped onto the table to head butt the Spouse Thingy, all the time begging us to stay. And I was tempted, I really was. I was not the only one. He was so sad, and it was our fault.

But...we had places to go. Yes, those errands could have been put off, but that only would have made the next time worse. That doesn't mean my heart wasn't kinda hurting as we closed and locked the door.

Once in the car, I remember a check that needed to be taken to the bank. Going back in for it would have hurt him even more, so we left without it, reasoning there's always tomorrow. Chances are high that I will need a nap, and CJ will sleep on top of me, so he won't be alone.

Now I worry he cries like this every time he realizes he's home alone (with Ozzy...she doesn't care. Us leaving just means more nap time as far as she's concerned.) 

There's no real point to this.

We made Good Boy CJ cry today, and I felt really, really bad about it. And now you can feel bad, too.

6 July 2024

 Oddz n Endz #867,391,911.902384b

♫♪♪ I feel useful, oh so useful...♫♪♪

I intended to get up at a normal-person hour so I could go to the store before the worst of the heat hit. So of course, I didn't wake up until almost 9:30 (this is actually good) and it took me a couple hours to feel like I'm a real live human, so by the time I left the house it was already 95F.

I did not beat the heat, but I did beat the worst of it, which should hit 108F (it is now 106 in my backyard, and it's not quite 2:30pm.) 

A little grumpy because OH MY BAST I SWEATED A LITTLE! I headed for the cat food first, because Ozzy and CJ love Meow Mix as a treat and we were out of it. They let me know last night that this made them all kinds of sad, including a mournful whine of of CJ, who is a Very Good Boy and knows he deserved him bedtime treat.

Anyway, I got there, turned my cart into the aisle, and saw a woman with a mop trying to coax something off the top shelf. So yes, of course I offered to help. She was about 5-feet nothing and I'm 5'8 with a decent reach. I grabbed the litter she wanted, placed it in her cart, and was going to go on my merry way when she said, "Everything important here is too high up. Don't they think of people my size when they do this?"

Nope, they do not.

So...we shopped together for the most part. She didn't need a whole lot, but truly 90% of what she needed was up higher than she can reach. 

I've reached the high things for others before but this is the first time I've been a personal shopper.

Not gonna lie, it made me feel good. I patted myself on the back when I got home, and decided that was a good excuse to have a couple cookies.

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A few weeks ago, I ordered a catio kit from Wayfair, and the Spouse Thingy assembled it and attached it to the house. For a day or two, Ozzy and CJ didn't quite know what to make of it, and it took a bit for both of them to risk exploring the high places. Now it's their all-time favorite thing. When Spouse Thingy gets home in the morning he lets them out for an hour, and in the evening they can spend several hours out there.

We had a stretch of not-so-hot weather, and they were able to go in and out as they pleased all day long. So this stretch of unreasonably hot is not going over well. CJ lays on the back of the love seat, his paws pressed to the glass, and he whines every now and then. He wants out, he's been good, so why am I not opening the window? 

Yesterday I explained the 113 out there, but he didn't care. I am now a Lame Human,

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Those pretty flowers are all dead now. Between the heat, the neighbor's dog peeing on all of them, and my giant black thumb, they never really stood a chance.

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The meds I stopped taking? Yeah, that lasted about 10 days. I did not mind the withdrawal effects--most of them were kind of interesting, including the brain zaps. Best one was late at night, in the dark, watching as a thin electric-looking line zapped from one side of my head to the other, right in my line of sight. There was quite a bit of whooshing in my ears, it felt like my brain was floating, and my tinnitus jacked up, but it was nothing too awful.

No, what got me was right around day 10, all the pain came screaming back at me. It was an eye-opener, realizing how much it was helping. So I started taking it again, and will live with the near-daily naps.

CJ loves those naps. He knows when I usually crash and burn, herds me to bed, and then climbs on top to hold me down. He's figured out when I'm on my right side with a body pillow up close, there's like this sweet spot where the sheet forms a hammock. My leg makes for a nice pillow. He drops off into sleep quickly, and whether I sleep or not doesn't matter. He's happy, I'm resting, and it's comforting to have him there.

Granted, I usually sleep for about 45 minutes, but we all know his happiness is more important.

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My new favorite picture. Y'all know my MIL was trying to steal my car, right? LOL