I love working from home.

I love working from home. I have a lot of reasons why, and not having to go out in this is one of them. ❤️

I mentioned pretty recently...

I mentioned pretty recently that our oldest cat, Sindar, may have gone blind.  We took her to the vet and found out that she has high blood pressure which has caused retinal detachment and obviously, blindness.  (It's not uncommon, so those of you with older cats - you might want to have that checked.  Her medication was $9.  I'd pay that every month to keep her eyesight.)  Her blindness may or may not be permanent; I'm hoping we caught it in time that she can regain at least partial vision.  She also has a giant blood clot in one of her eyes.  It's easily visible by just shining a light in there.  😬

She started her blood pressure meds today and I hope they are helping her feel better, at least.  She has slept a lot this afternoon, so I think she needed some good rest.  She'll go back for a check-up soon and we'll get the results of her bloodwork, too, which hopefully won't show any other major problems.

I have dealt with a lot of animal situations over the years; one of my foster dogs was deaf (or at least very hard of hearing).  This is my first time helping a blind animal, and it's not without its challenges.

We chose to leave Sindar in our bedroom / my office where she has lived for the last year +.  The two other cats in there with her know that she is the boss and to leave her alone.  Though the room is large, she knows her way around and we feel that moving her to a new space (even if it's smaller) would just be confusing to her at this point.  Besides that, I can keep an eye on her when I work, and I keep an ear out for her when I sleep.

I've been sleeping light as hell since we discovered that she couldn't see.  She ended up falling off the bed once; I plugged in a nightlight for her and I don't know if she still had a little bit of vision left at some point and that helped or if she learned to feel for the edge of the bed with her paws to avoid a fall again; but she's only had one clumsy landing and not another "fall" that I can tell.

She still makes her way to the food, water, and litter box.  She's doing fine with all of that.  She still gets on and off the bed.  Sometimes she meows out like she's calling for help, so we try to help her when she does.  We pet her to soothe her and then try to make a sound (like rustling her food) to orient her.  Sometimes she wants to nap in my lap and I let her.  Sometimes she lays awkwardly in the middle of the floor or in front of a door and we have to watch out so we don't step on her.  It's also weird to feel a cat stepping on my feet, but that has become a norm.

Sometimes, situations are straight-up funny, and like... yes - it's sad, but also you just have to laugh.  There are times when she walks with so much confidence - right into a wall or onto one of her roommates.  Adrian (our runt who is in the room with her) is terrified of her, and yesterday she walked directly up to Adrian's face and scared her so bad she scrambled to the TOP of the cat tower to escape. 😂😂😂 I think her two roommates know that something is going on, but not what.

Then there are times that are significantly less funny, like hearing her fall off the bed that time.  Or like the other night when I woke up to her growling and hissing because something "had" her.  She'd gotten a claw stuck in one of the pyramid-shaped cat bed tents that we have and couldn't get away.  I don't know if she bumped it and then slapped it and got hooked or what, but she was PISSED.  Sindar is pretty strong and definitely a cat that demands respect, so it wasn't the most fun for me to suck it up and untangle her, but it had to be done.

The vet couldn't say if, when, or how much her eyes might heal, so this is how we're rocking along right now.  Obviously, her quality of life is our #1 priority.  We've loved and lost so many in the past that we've learned (the hard way, unfortunately) that letting them go a minute too soon is better than any amount of actual suffering.  We just don't roll like that.  So hopefully, her bloodwork comes back good and we can get our old lady on the mend.  I'll keep you all posted.  ❤

Today is a pretty special day

Today is a pretty special day; I've officially been Shadow's mom for 23 years.  Even though it happened right in front of my eyeballs it's hard to believe that he's a whole young adult.  It happened so fast!

I would write a big, long, mushy post, but he's not on Facebook to see it.  So instead I'm going to celebrate his birthday by spending the afternoon with him doing whatever he wants.  I'm 100% sure that includes getting food.  😁  That child has always loved his food!

I know I don't post about him much these days; he hangs out with me less than he used to, but that's a natural progression, I think.  He's got his own things going on now, and I'm happy for him.  He's so kind and smart and good-looking.  And talented.  And he smells great, like, all the time.  His smile is so big and bright and it makes me happy to see it.  I'm so proud of the person he is.

So anyway, before this turns into a big, long, mushy post, I'd better end it.  😂  Just know that I love my kiddo and I think he's pretty great and I hope that he has a wonderful 23rd birthday.  ❤❤❤

Today me and my beautiful Shaun are celebrating 5 years of being married.

Today me and my beautiful Shaun are celebrating 5 years of being married (and almost 15 years together).  He gave me a lovely wooden puzzle box that it takes 27 steps to open.  There is also something inside, but I don't know what it is yet because I've yet to get it open.  😄  I gifted him a helicopter ride (to be taken this weekend) because I was so checked out near the last December holiday that I had some making-up to do.  Not that he ever views it that way, but basically not living at home during that time (due to job training) had my mind fried and I didn't feel great about it.  I really didn't pick out or buy gifts for anyone (not even him); he handled all of that - and like a pro, I might add.

I have felt so good and so gushy lately, but I've been hyper-focused on my database rather than sitting down and writing out my feelings.  I'm in the zone on a project that I've wanted to finish for years and I finally feel like I have the mental space and energy to do it.  My sweet husbang has put up with me getting off work, getting on my personal laptop, and half-ass watching our shows or whatever we're doing because my brain is just busy.

I love that he knows me so well that he takes none of this personally.  I love that he roots for me to do my nerd shit and accomplish things that make me feel good, even when it's a sacrifice to do so.  I love that he's content to chill in the same room as me while doing something totally different that he's into.  Parallel play is where it's at, y'all.  But seriously, Shaun is absolutely, 100% my favorite person ever and I'm grateful he chose to spend his life with me.  He is my best friend and I'd be lost without him!

Edit:

OMG! I had to edit this post to put up a photo of this beautiful box and gorgeous heart-shaped rock it contained. Why is he so good to me!? I LOVE THESE GIFTS SO MUCH! ❤️❤️❤️

And he had to open the puzzle box for me. I got the concept, but my stumpy hands were starting to hurt. 😂😂😂

Good morning from here

Good morning from here. So many balloons! ❤️❤️❤️

This is my current collection of succulents.

This is my current collection of succulents. Most of these are the ones who survived the humidity of Talladega as well as the move. It's only a fraction of the number of plants I used to have, but it's a very manageable number to care for and I'm grateful that they are still with me.

Bottom left (in a cage because it's wily - just kidding; it's to keep the cats from chewing it) was gifted to me by Sabrina. I repotted it yesterday and I hope it will be happy. I still don't know what it is. 😂 I'll get a close-up soon and ask if anyone can identify. The jade plants on the top left shelf were given to me by a coworker before I left Cincinnati. I repotted them yesterday, too. I spent some time cleaning and arranging my shelves and I am pretty pleased with how it came out.

I don't love the look of having my plants in totes, but it has made watering much easier and more effective. I feel like I finally cracked the code for how to make them survive in the new environment (after over a year here 😳). My confidence that I won't kill them is finally good enough that I felt comfortable ordering 2 succulents I'd like to have. I don't see me growing my collection back to what it used to be, but there are a few beauties that I miss.

Maybe I can get some better photos later, but for now I'm thrilled with how the catio / sunroom looks. ❤️

Ember lets you know when it's playtime.

Ember lets you know when it's playtime. Volume up for this one. 😂😂😂