Random bits

Life has been busy over the past few weeks. The Wife and I have just returned from 5 days with the family - parents' 50th anniversary celebration. Giant sigh of relief that it is over.

Today we set up the pool for the dog. Yes, we bought a pool for the dog. We don't want her to go into our pond because it makes her smell horrible (much worse than basic wet dog) so we got her a little wading pool. She doesn't quite know what to make of it - she almost sat down in it but then decided to hop out instead. We hope that tomorrow when the water is a little warmer she'll like it better.

We have coined a new term - F.U.P. It means "fuck you paw." Emily Dickinson Kitty has a little foot shake she does sometimes and it totally looks like the cat version of the finger. We dubbed it the "fuck you paw" but The Wife wants to refer to it as a "F.U.P." so we can use it in public. Now she wants to further clarify it and use the C-F.U.P. or D-F.U.P. to identify which pet is flipping us off.

Sylvia Plath Kitty July,1996-June 20, 2008

Today The Wife and I had our cat, Sylvia, euthanized. It's a long, complicated story but suffice to say that we tried everything we could and everything various vets recommended and it was probably past time. Sylvia was generally a quiet cat (unless she was hungry) and even though there is another cat (her sister, Emily Dickinson) and a dog in the house, tonight we feel her absence. There is an unusual stillness in the house. I was outside a few minutes ago and saw the first firefly of the season. Both of these things, seemingly unrelated and small, have convinced me of what I have long belived. Animals have souls. Sylvia's is gone from our house and our lives. I do think pets go to heaven and I like to think that Sylvia has found my grandmother and has settled in with her.

I'm sorry, Syl. I wish there had been another option. I'll miss you greeting me every morning outside the bedroom door and lining up in your spot for your share of the lunch meat when I make my lunch. I'll think of you every time I eat rice pudding. You were a good cat.

IMing with the dog...

Poochie: MaMa B!! MaMa K wetted me with the hose. I runned away, but I'm still hot. Can I have a pool like Zoey [editor's note: co-worker's dog] so I can just lay in the water without it raining on me?
Me: Well I think that's up to MaMa K because she will have to dry you off after you've been laying in your pool.
Poochie: MaMa K said it was o.k. because I was eyeing the wading part of the pond & at least in a pool I won't smell quite so icky.
Me: This is true. What size pool would you like?
Poochie: I dpon
Poochie: oops. darn paws.
Poochie: I don't know. I was thinking of a plastic one that I could lay in (like a library lion) and maybe MaMa K could cool off by putting her feet in. Mayby CVS or K-mart has one?
Poochie: Oh & the sides can't be too high, because I need to be able to watch those darn birdies.
Poochie: So, more long than deep.
Me: maybe I can go shopping tomorrow after work.

Not an auspicious start to the day

Yesterday I woke up at 4 AM in a bed covered in dog vomit for the second time in 2 weeks. I stripped the quilt off the bed and put a towel down for the dog, who at that moment seemed none the worse for wear. The next morning however I realized that in addition to the bed having been covered in vomit the DOG was covered in vomit. So I had to bathe her before I went to work. The Wife was also up early for a doctor's appointment and the dog looked so miserable that The Wife cancelled her appointment to stay home with the dog. A good thing as the poor dog yakked 3 more time before 10 AM. The vet came (AGAIN) and put the dog on antibiotics. The vet said she thought it was "garbage ingestion" [meaning dog is eating some random crap in the yard like, well crap from rabbits or birds] but it could be metabolic disease. So if it continues we have to take her in for blood and urine tests and provide a poo sample for testing. After 24 hours of food restriction and only ice cubes (it was very cute to watch her eat ice cubes last night) the dog seems to be on the mend. But she needs another bath.