Musings on a Small Life

Derry's new cone, as of July 30. Don't tell him it's pink and "girl kitty" looking. The paper cone from the vet, while flexible, had issues. It drove poor Derry mad, so much so that he was constantly and obsessively picking at it, as well as licking and biting the fur he could reach on his flank. Every time he would twist around, which was all the time, the edge of the old cone would scrape across his incision, making it feel even worse. Added to that, the sound of a raspy cat tongue against a paper tarpaulin all day and all night drove ME mad. We both were barely sleeping, even though I escaped to the guest bedroom for a few nights. So I found this one on Amazon.ca, paid for shipping, and it arrived yesterday morning. It's thick and obviously heavier, but it's blessedly soft and oh, so quiet, and I think it must feel so much better to him. He spent yesterday afternoon curled up in the living room and was sleeping so deeply that he didn't even hear m...

In the pet blogging world, the post-surgical cone that dogs and cats often have to wear is referred to the as the "cone of shame." Derry is the first cat I've had that has had to wear one and I think it's the cone of bravery, not of shame. It's a badge of honour for having survived an ordeal. He had a dental on Thursday, and the vet thought it worthwhile to remove the egg-sized fatty lump on his right side at the same time. (We had discussed this at length two weeks' prior, when I took Derry in for a check-up and blood work, urine analysis, etc.) This was Derry's fourth dental since he was three years old (he's 13 now) and the first one at which he's not had any extractions. (He lost nine teeth during the first dental, three at the second and two at the third.) I assumed, based on previous experience, that he would have needed at least another couple of teeth removed this time, and had I known he would not, I certainly would not have put him throug...

Thanks to those of you who have checked in to see if we're okay. I didn't realize how long it's been since I posted here. Derry soaking up the sun yesterday evening. I'm still working from home, probably will be until 2021 by the way things seem to be going, and I just don't have anything to write about. I'm taking lots of morning walks, taking pics when I can, but overall, life is even "smaller" than usual, more constrained. (As it is for so many of us!) Anyway, I'm posting on Instagram usually once or twice a day, and you can find us under "fuzzy_tales" if you're on it and want to see pics. It's a private account, so you'll have to submit a request to follow. If your Instagram name is something I wouldn't recognize, you'd do better to give me a heads up via email or a blog comment. Otherwise I'd probably delete the follow request! Take care and stay well, everyone. Looks like we're in this for the long haul! ...

Tomorrow will be 10 weeks, 70 crazy days, and counting, since we've been under lockdown of varying degrees and working from home. I actually don't think we'll all be back at the office until next year unless there's a miracle vaccine before then. May 8 and 9 we had snow and ice, as you can see below. My poor bleeding heart! I lost about 1/3 of it, but it's now in full, glorious bloom. Now we're having a heat wave and my air conditioning is on. From winter to summer overnight, almost. I've been taking lots of walks down to the swamp, which is where most of the following snapshots were taken. One of the paths to the water, below. The geese families like to hang out here, so I'm very careful when they're around, don't go close, since they have their babies to protect now. In the distance, below, you can see two large apartment buildings under construction. It's a busy area, usually quite noisy with tr...

Thanks to those who recently emailed me to ask if we were okay. ♥ Yes, all is okay here. I'm just finding it a bit more of a challenge to keep self-isolating; we're on day 51. I'm thankful to be able to work remotely, but definitely am missing interacting with humans that I like, face-to-face. I'm not counting the occasional "expedition" to the grocery store or drugstore, though that's better than nothing. :-D Anyway, I really haven't anything to write about at the moment, and while I am reading blog posts, I'm not often in the mood to comment. I'm still posting on Instagram, though, usually every day. I hope everyone is doing well, or at least hanging in there. Do stay safe and healthy!     Peace. Comments are off.