Can Elbow

Chuck's waiting...

Angel's waiting...

Cases of canned cat food, waiting...

My right elbow has been aching for months.  It feels like I've bumped the inside against something hard.  But there is no bruise.  At first, I figured it was an injury that I did not remember, or from carrying too much weight on my right hand fingers, when I hook the  gallon water jug and balance full food plates when I feed the 'o' cats.  But week after week, and no relief.  Being right-handed, I'm thinking What the hey?

Enter relative, who says he's having the same problem, and he's nailed his pain down to using a computer mouse for endless hours a day. That's right, folks...Mouse Elbow.  Look it up; I'll wait! Yep, on the internet with Tennis Elbow, lives Mouse Elbow. WELL!  I start monitoring my overuse of my paws at the keyboard.  But no, that's not it.  Maybe it's contributing, but there is something else wrong.  

At this point, most folks go to the doctor, or start eating anti-inflammatory meds.  Nope, not me!  I keep searching for the answer.  I go all Sherlock Holmes on everything, which needless to say has driven the hubby a bit batty.  Every time I pick up a spoon, a pen, reach out to grab a coat on a hanger, I've been puzzling out what makes my elbow hurt.

Drum roll...By George, I think I've got it!  OPENING CANNED CAT FOOD!  Pulling on the ring, yanking hard to pop that lid...yep, that hurts! About a month ago, I switched to pulling the lids off using my left hand. This weekend is the first time I've noticed that my right elbow is a tad less sore.  Now, I'm not out of the woods, and I really should high-tail it to the doc, which is on my to-do list.  I promise I will!  But for now, cans are opened on the left side, even if it takes a millisecond longer to dish out noms for the cats...who, trust me!...can tell that I've added a millisecond onto their meals.  

The Thief Returns

Aries, is back to his old tricks...

...which means waiting for food in my yard!



Aries, our backyard neighbor's cat, all but disappeared this Winter.  But he's popped up like crocus shoots, and he's back to his old tricks!  He waits for Sweetie and Patty to finish their meals, then he licks up any leftovers.  Actually, if I'm not standing there, he'll walk up and try to bully them off of their bowls with growls and hisses!  The hubby and I keep an eye on things, making sure 'our' cats get enough and then whisking the bowls away so no other cat, skunk, raccoon, opossum, squirrel, stray dog, groundhog...well, you get the idea...gets a free handout from us by accident.  But, let's face it...cats are smart, and Aries is certainly a smooth character.  He's good at hiding behind trees, so when I scan the yard, I don't see him if I stand still.  I know he has a home; he isn't a lost waif desperate for food.  Last year, I tried distracting Aries by giving him little bits of kibble, but he's too bold and will meow and cry for more when I walk away.  So, no food for him...he'll just have to outwit me and grab some crumbs.  I am, however, glad to see him because he's an older boy and no one loves cats like I do...even a cat that lives with the neighbors!   

One Word Wednesday

Mine!

Bella

Bella in her favorite napping spot

When I last wrote about Evie, here and here, her fate was uncertain.  My co-worker did not want to keep her, rather wishing to find another home for Evie after adopting out her two siblings.  Then the vet reported that she was blind.  Months later, and little Evie has been absorbed into the household of four-now-five cats and two dogs, and she will stay forever with my co-worker!  Called Baby Bella, she had to have her one eye removed at the same time she was spayed.  The other eye has little, if any, sight.  My friend says Bella is very friendly, and I am glad things have worked out.  I hope to visit some day soon, with my camera, to try to get some good photos of all of the menagerie!

Hurray for Baby Bella!

Vernal Equinox

Snow Drops

Snow Mold

Snow Patty Cat

You know what's great about having a birthday on March 20?  It's the vernal equinox, or the First Day of Spring*!  Although the cold is not completely gone, at least we know it's not going to hang around too much longer.  I ALWAYS take the day off from work.  One year, there was a blizzard that dropped a ton of snow.  I've already mentioned that three years ago, it almost hit 70 degrees, and I used the day to take trapped Patty to All About Animals for shots and neuter.  You just never know what kind of weather will show up!  Today reached the mid-fifties, and the sun came out in the afternoon.

I snapped a few photos of the things I found in the yard, while the sun shined:  cute little Snow Drop flowers, something called Snow Mold, which I've read grows when a significant snowfall occurs before the ground is frozen (it's harmless, and there is not a whole lot to do about it anyhow), and of course, Patty O'Malley will do anything to get my attention.  I slept in (yay!), got a manicure, and went to lunch with the hubby.  Not bad, for someone of my advanced age...ha ha ha!  Plus, the Michigan State Men's Basketball team won today; I'm a big Sparty fan. Go Green!  (Uh, sorry to my nephews who attend Ohio State, University of Michigan, and Northwestern...your old auntie has been an MSU fan since forever!  One niece is at MSU...yay!)

*About every four years, my birthday falls on the LAST day of Winter - a bummer when it happens!  And I cannot say I've ever seen Snow Mold before, although I've lived in Michigan my whole life.  But I looked it up on the internet, because it looks like spider webs...<shiver>

Patus O'Mallus

A handsome tabby appeared on our deck in the Winter of 2010-11.  He ran off when I appeared, but he was easily trapped March 20, 2011.  The hubby called him Tiger, but I knew this cat needed a name that suited his personality.  This cat, with his emerald green eyes, and his charming ways (he soon stopped avoiding me and began rubbing on my ankles), made me think he'd kissed the Blarney Stone*.  I thought up 'Patrick O'Malley', and shortened it to Patty.  The hubby and I often try to make it sound Latin with Patus O'Mallus, which is complete gibberish, but it suits him perfectly! 

So I wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day, as we all wait for a bit o' green to show up in our gardens and lawns. 

"May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be ever at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face

And the rain fall softly on your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of his hand."
-Irish Blessing

 

*If someone says you have kissed the Blarney Stone as a turn of phase, they are saying you have the "gift of gab" and/or the ability to flatter.

 

 

 



G.A.C.

Grab
All
Cats

'Nuff said

Exterior Outfit

Okay, this is my crazy-lady-with-cats outfit for feeding the 'o' cats. Usually, I have on the hubby's boots too, but at least you can see all the cat toys on the floor around my feet. My green down coat is about fives sizes too big...bought it on sale brand new, but there weren't many sizes left.  However, it fits nicely over my other, normal sized coats, and although it's not worthy of the Academy Awards red carpet, it keeps me warm enough to shovel snow, or sit outside for awhile to watch Patty and Sweetie eat up.

Of course, I don't show this type of attire to anyone...just my cat bloggy pals.  It's not like I'm sending it around the world or anything, right?

Magoo plays

P.S. Magoo's great-great-grandmother passed away recently, at the age of 100 years.  She was a interesting and wonderful woman; I had the pleasure of meeting her a few times in the years since her grandson married my sister.  Talk about some longevity genes!  'Grandma' will be sorely missed, and her big personality will leave a lasting mark on all who knew her.

Communication

This Saturday, I got up early and drove two hours north to Midland, Michigan.  I attended an animal communication class, offered by Ways to Wellness Store.  Lisa Turek taught the class, and even though I was sure I would not be able to 'read' any animals, after a little while...I did! Amazing, and humbling!  Lisa is a wonderful teacher; I'm sure she has a FB page too.  I was privileged to meet Lisa in September 2014 at a lecture, and emailed her a couple of times to make sure I was included in her next beginner class.  Told her I'd drive anywhere...and so I did.

Now, I must practice, practice, practice, to hone my skills.  So far, what I have received is like a old home movie, with no sound.  One of my classmates' cat refused to talk to me.  The cat turned around and walked away!  At least, that's what I 'saw' in my mind.  Another's dog just kept jumping, jumping, jumping.  The class read Patty O'Malley, and each person said that he was happy to have a home, food, and he did not really want to be inside...although he likes to look in!  And yes, Patty spends time on the front porch, looking in the front door.  My own impression of Patty was that he was pacing back and forth on the deck, like he does when I am there with him.  He always wants to touch me, and of course I pet and smooch him as much as I can.  When communicating from Midland, Patty seemed to wonder how he could 'see' me, but he could not touch me! 

Of course, this is not stuff that I will tell every person I meet.  Obviously, some lucky people are naturals at this, while I need much practice.  I hope to post about my exciting journeys in animal communication!  If I had seen a squirrel at the park while on my lunch break today...

Thanks to Caren of Cat Chat for her post about Lisa's lecture in Birmingham, Michigan last year!

Shoveling Error

This is how it looks sans snow, with Aries thrown in for scale

Oops!

I made a tiny shoveling error with the last snowfall.  The walkway makes a bend, but I went straight.  Then, it sleeted, and now my rotten shoveling job is frozen solid, and won't melt away until Spring...which may be around September, the way things are going in Michigan.  We shovel all the way to the alley, so Patty and Sweetie, and any other critter in the 'hood like neighbor Aries, can travel around at leisure.

Cat highway!

Canned Chuck

What do you think Chuck is trying to say?