Wednesday 30 November 2011

Eyes and cats

I couldn't stop rubbing my left eye last night, it was irritated and itchy. It was somewhat better this morning, no oozing but watery. When I got to work and found myself really fighting the urge to rub, I called my optometrist's office and made an appointment. That's when Coworker Kathy said that she had pink eye last week.

Scott sits between us, and the look on his face was priceless. Without being asked, I pulled out my wipes and let him help himself. His keyboard was carefully cleaned. :-)

I don't have pink eye. What I had was a mucus strand stuck in my eye, which the optometrist removed with a q-tip. (Ew ew ew). He prescribed anti-inflammatory drops, got his assistant to test for glaucoma, then sent me on my way. The eye does feel a lot better now.

I did a lot of laundry this weekend. Hermione was not helpful.

Hermione

Very unhelpful. (But unspeakably cute). I love how she folds up her front paws.

Hermione Hermione Hermione

She's grown so long that I really can't call her Little Miss anymore. She still has her sweet kitten face. She's going to be gorgeous when she grows up.

Hermione

This is not sisterly affection. This is Chloe bathing Hermione as domination.

Hermione Hermione

Tuesday 22 November 2011

RIP Anne McCaffrey

I did not have a horse phase as a young lass. I did not dream of horses or draw horses or yearned to ride them. I enjoy the occasional trail ride, but that's it.

Thanks to stumbling upon the short story "The Smallest Dragonboy" in a book from my high school library, I preferred dragons. I collected all of the Pern books. Including related ones like The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern. I have made klah. When I customized Barbie dolls, another Pern fan and I did a doll swap - we each made a doll and wrote a story to go with the doll and exchanged them.

Anne McCaffrey became this wonderful person - I could imagine her strolling around her farm in Ireland, dreaming up these grand stories while feeding the occasional fire-lizard.

I stopped with Dragon's Kin, a book that Anne wrote with her son Todd, that just wasn't very good. The bad guy practically had neon arrows pointing at him saying "EVIL BAD MAN" "EVIL VILLAIN" "DOES EVIL THINGS". The storytelling lacked subtlety, is what I'm saying. It didn't feel special.

It was with sadness today that I learned Anne McCaffrey has gone between. As a fellow reader put it, 85 wasn't a bad age to do it at. I'm sure dragons everywhere raised their voices in tribute.

Sunday 20 November 2011

Hermione "helps"

There are many "firsts" that a kitten looks forward to ... and one of them is "helping" Mummy change the sheets!

First, you need to make sure she pulls the dirty sheets off properly.

Changing the sheets

If your brother jumps on the bed, invite him to to play! (Side note: Charlie weighed almost 18 lbs at the vet yesterday. BIG boy!)

Changing the sheets

It's okay to stop and munch on your tail. Ignore what Mummy says. Nom nom nom.

Changing the sheets

Don't just stop when the sheets are on the bed. Kittens need to get up and close and personal to make the duvet is being properly placed.

Changing the sheets Changing the sheets

Lastly, be super cute. So that you won't get locked out of the bedroom the next time Mummy wants to change the sheets.

Changing the sheets

Saturday 19 November 2011

Buddies

Buddies by angelamermaid
Buddies, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Charlie likes his new little sister!

Sunday 13 November 2011

Three months old

Hermione just turned three months old!

Three months old

She's as cute as ever.

Three months old

She's still trying to make big sister Chloe love her. Chloe continues to bathe her to show that she's the bigger and more dominant cat.

Domination

Little Miss has a very big appetite. And she's growing very long and gangly - I swear her tail must have doubled in length in the last week.

Three months old

For her birthday, I went out and stocked up on canned kitten food. I also bought a covered litter pan with a little cat door.

New box

Why? Because when I came home last night, I saw this:

Uh oh

Big pink yawn!

Three months old

Friday 11 November 2011

I went to my first drum circle tonight ...


... and boy, are my arms tired!

Kristy, Coworker Phil's wife, invited me to drumming. She's doing different activities these days. I like drums, so I said "Sure!"

It was a lot of fun. It got weird, with the singing. I like that the leader led us to send out peace and love on Remembrance Day, in honour of those who have served and are serving, and their families, and for those who are living in war.

I don't like that she had us sing "Oh Canada" substituting "Planet Earth" for "Canada".

There was a lot of meditation, where we were encouraged to be cleansed of something within us, while sending out peace to the world. I found myself thinking of what it's like to be in an ICU, facing the awful truth that a family member is not going to get better, in fact they are going to get worse. So that's where my thoughts of peace went - to those facing awful truths.

Sunday 6 November 2011

Feline goodness

When I'm busy cleaning out multiple litterboxes, and feeding three loud cats in two different rooms, I sometimes wonder what I've gotten myself into.

This is what I've gotten myself into. :-)

New friends

Miss Chloe is a feral rescue who needs to have other cats around. This was very clear last year, when we suddenly lost Bonnie and we both grieved. Little Miss Hermione is desperately trying to win Chloe's affections, but it hasn't happened yet.

Miss Chloe

And Little Miss is very charming!

Little Miss likes my bed

Little Miss likes my bed

It didn't take Charlie long to accept Little Miss - she wrestles him and chases him and lets him pin her to the carpet - and then bounces up and plays with him all over again. Here, they are playing "Game for Cats" on my iPad.

New friends

Friday 4 November 2011

Unimpressed

Unimpressed by angelamermaid
Unimpressed, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I woke her up to cuddle her. She was not amused.

Little Miss went to the vet today for her second round of shots. She charmed everyone, from the beauty of her colours, to how she purred for everyone. She weighs 3.2 pounds and is healthy.

They gave me a free bag of kitten food, because she doesn't like what I got at the pet store. Hopefully she'll like this better.

Thursday 3 November 2011

I'm on a horse

I'm on a horse by angelamermaid
I'm on a horse, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Banff trail ride, July 28, 2011.

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Dunn

Dunn by angelamermaid
Dunn, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

On July 28, 2011, I treated myself to a three hour trail ride in Banff. I was assigned to Dunn. He is one bad ass horse.

Tuesday 1 November 2011

A Hermione post

Just her being sweet and floofy.

Little Miss Little Miss Little Miss

Halloween Candy

I am used to going all out for Halloween - our downtown office went crazy every year, planning a theme, decorating, there was fierce competition. The uptown location? Not so much. Only two of us even dressed up. (I was a pirate and I don't like the picture of me so just imagine me looking fierce).

What did I go all out on? Making Halloween candy for my team.

I made Halloween candy!

Especially Han Solo in carbonite chocolate! I used ice cube trays I got from ThinkGeek.

I made Halloween candy!

And pumpkin pi! :-) Actually it tasted like white chocolate. Made from another snazzy ice cube tray. My birthday happens to be Pi Day and I'm slowing building a pi collection.

I made Halloween candy!

A few weeks ago, I took a coupon to Michaels and stocked up on candy melts, which is what I used to make the candy. That, and fanciful ice cube trays. These came from Ikea.

I made Halloween candy!

A new milestone

I have a floor-to-ceiling cat tree in my living room, purchased when I changed jobs in 2007 and got a nice pay raise. When I got the tree, Comet and Bonnie were my cats. I never saw either of them on the top level.

Chloe was the first to reach the top level.

Chloe conquers the cat tree

Charlie, being a big cat, took a while, but he got there.

Charlie

Hermione, being a fearless kitten, conquered it easily this week.

Up the Cat Tree Up the Cat Tree