Derry, The (Almost) Toothless Wonder

My little baby bear currently is recovering at the v-e-t, having had his 3rd or 4th dental now. He lost 4 or 5 more teeth, bringing the total loss to 15 or 16. However, given that cats have 30 adult teeth, he still has 14 or 15 left--which means another dental at some point, if his health and kidneys hold up.

Nicki goes to the v-e-t tomorrow afternoon, almost a month early this time, because he's now peed twice outside the litter boxes (once while I was away in Halifax, in an empty Rubbermaid container in the basement, and then again Sunday night/Monday AM in the empty laundry basket in the basement). My first thought: His kidney stones or a UTI. I'll find out. He was fine in early April (UA and blood work), but that doesn't mean there isn't a problem now. Cats don't pee in abnormal places for no reason, and to the best my knowledge, they certainly don't do so out of spite. If it's not a physical issue, I can only think it's stress-related. What else? Just to be safe, I'll pick up a couple of bottles of Feliway; I have two old diffusers on hand. (Derry did have a short bout of cystitis when I got home; thank heavens for PetAlive's UTI-Free, I'd be up a creek without it. Nicki also is getting it now.)

So.

The trip to visit Mom. In a word: FREEZING. As in frost warnings. As in a needed trip to Value Village for a thick fleece pullover. I should have bought mittens or gloves too. Crazy. I went east at just the wrong time, apparently.

The last time I'd seen anything of the downtown area was almost 7 years ago and things have changed, and not in a good way, IMO. The city looks like a mini-Toronto, construction cranes everywhere, high-rises going up, development all over. My own city is a smaller version of the same thing now. A sign of the times, I guess, but I don't like it at all; all the concrete is depressing and discouraging. We humans need green grass and trees around us, need to connect with nature, not glass and steel and cement. Again, IMO.

At least the Public Gardens remains a serene spot amid all the development!

I didn't cry on the flights this time, but only the initial flight from my town to Toronto was fun--I had a great seat mate for that, and it turned out that this fellow works only 6 blocks away from where my dad and his wife live. Small world.

The best passenger was on the Toronto to Halifax leg, though:

A 10-week old male Alika Tia Coton pup to be used for breeding. The woman who got him was bringing him back from Texas (she's a bona fide breeder in Newport Corners, NS, a place I'd never heard of). I'd never heard of the breed before, either, and we chatted for a while, till a couple of other women came over, including a flight attendant. He travelled with her in a little carrier and was as good as gold, I never heard a peep from him during the flight. (Unfortunately they weren't my seat mates!)

I did get some great aerial shots coming home on the last leg of the trip, but that flight also was my worst--no seat mate (flight wasn't full) and the ground clearly visible. LOL. I had a talisman of sorts clutched in my left hand, the camera clutched in my right hand.  :-P

Below: Taking off in Toronto on the Dash 8-100. Dad always tells me they're the safest planes in the fleet, they can glide the farthest. Not really comforting.

 Anyone who knows our area well will recognize the two landmarks in our city in the snapshot below.

I was happy to be on the ground again, safe and sound!

A couple of final snapshots, below, from Sunday morning, headed (partway on foot) to Value Village (50% off, boy did I do well!)

Enlarge the deer shot, I lucked out with her! She took me by surprise and this was the only non-blurry pic I got.

So it's busy times here, somewhat stressful times too, but we'll manage. I hope.  :-)

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." (Julian or Norwich)

Peace to all.