Some chewed plants, some blooms...

Some chewed plants, some blooms, and some REALLY DETERMINED prickly pear pads.

I don't know who's been chewing my plants, but there are quite a few who look like this now. I'm sure they'll be fine. I guess they have character now. 😂

Sweet little buds. ❤️

This is the first time I've ever had a Monkey Tail bloom. I'm so excited!

These two pads started rotting a few months ago. I had their pots in a tote that wasn't draining. I knew better, but forgot to dump it after some rain.

I cut the rotted part off of them both and put them on the patio table to callous. I left them there for probably a good 2 months, ignoring them completely.

Look at the roots they've put out! I planted them today and I hope they continue to grow for me.

Thank goodness I didn't make plans this weekend...

Thank goodness I didn't make plans this weekend because I'm having a hard time over here.

I was up late last night with Calypso because her breathing sounded worse than usual (she has chronic respiratory crud).  I ended up taking her to the bathroom and turning the water on hot and sitting with her for a while so she could breathe the steam.  It seemed to help, thank goodness.  I was reading online and saw that we could do a drop of child Afrin in each nostril for 3 days, then stop.  We have some on the way for if she gets in bad shape.  I don't think it would hurt to have it on hand.

I got up early this morning to see the balloons, but then I went back to sleep since I got to bed late.  I got up and didn't do my walking.  I had water and Lactaid milk and my vitamins/daily meds for breakfast, like I normally do.  Everything was fine... until it wasn't.

TMI:  I did a dooks.  It was fine.

But maybe a minute after I was done I started having the worst cramps OF MY LIFE.  I say this as a person who's had 3 IUDs inserted and two removed - one of which had to be dug for and no, I was not given any pain meds for any of that.  I say this as a person who pushed another person out of my body.  I say this a person who had impacted wisdom teeth cut out with only local anesthesia.  I am not a pain wimp, but today tears came out of my eyes due to how much it hurt.  I was nauseated due to the pain.  It was bad and it lasted for about 45 minutes before it eased up enough that I napped a little.

It was in the center of my abdomen, beneath my belly button.  It was sharp and mean and deep.  There were two waves, and they lasted about 15 minutes each.  I felt it from my guts down to my cervix.  We've all had gas before, and it was not like any sort of gas I've ever felt.  I also haven't farted all day since then.  My abdomen is very tender to the touch, and sore like it was a workout.  I was exhausted afterwards and have been tired all day since.  I am going straight to bed after I get this posted because I am so tired.

If anyone knows what that might have been about, I would love to hear your ideas/experiences.  I've never had anything like that happen before and I'm really hoping it will never happen again.  But in case it does, I'd like to have an idea of what caused it or how to stop it.

Other than that, Shaun built part of the greenhouse base, but ran out of screws.  I had some housework I wanted to do and we had errands we needed to run, but I wasn't really up for leaving the house after hurting so bad.  It ended up being a TV/movie day and that's ok.

I hope y'all are doing well.  Goodnight.  ❤

Bear's collection of random things today:

Bear's collection of random things today:

I'm just glad it doesn't include the litter scoop this time. 😂 But he definitely has a preference for wood. I bet it has a satisfying texture to bite down on. We take it from him because of splinters and we don't want him to swallow any, but I guess we'll have to put it up out of reach.

My favorite way to wake up: Hearing a balloon nearby!

My favorite way to wake up:  Hearing a balloon nearby!

It's Balloon Fiesta week! 😁😁😁

Scar lives in my bedroom...

Scar lives in my bedroom because he's on a special diet. He sleeps on my pillow. He gently adjusts my position with his paws when I don't leave him enough room. He asks me to clean his eye boogers every night before we go to sleep. I wipe his butt because I switched his food to something else I thought would work for his IBD, but doesn't. Food that makes turds is on the way from Chewy as we speak.

This cat is MY cat. He's my little boyfriend. He gives me kisses and rubs his lips on my face and snuggles me.

Tell me why I was surprised, on Day 2 of using my treadmill, that he. wasn't. having. it.

He started meowing around all upset near the last 10 minutes of my walk. He kept getting closer and closer to the treadmill while I was walking, making eye contact and meowing loudly. He eventually patted it with his paws. Then he did it:  He got up there. 😳

I put my feet on the sides and let him pass between my legs. I wasn't going fast, so he was ok. But this is my arthritic old cat and I don't want him doing this. I stopped the treadmill and checked on him. He was fine. But he put a paw on my leg and looked at me and I knew what he wanted:  to be held.

So I finished the last 7 minutes of my walk holding a cat. 😂😂😂

I'm putting my baby wrap on tomorrow. If he pulls this mess again, he's gonna be put in it.

I don't know why I thought I was allowed to do anything without him. 😂

Ash crashed out on the back of the couch. 😂❤️

Ash crashed out on the back of the couch. 😂❤️

I am crashing out a bit early tonight...

I am crashing out a bit early tonight, and that's a good thing.

I got my treadmill yesterday and put it together last night before bed... by myself!  Shaun has been going to sleep earlier than me lately and I was awake, so I went for it.  It was pretty neat.

I also got up earlier than I usually do so I could use it.  I only walked a mile today, but that's more than I've been walking lately, so it's a STEP (hahaha!) in the right direction.  I definitely could have walked more, but I had to shower and go online for a meeting.

Getting a little bit of exercise first thing and a shower helped me shake off the morning drowsy.  That was great.  I'm really excited to have my human version of a hamster wheel in my room where I can walk alone and listen to music or watch shows that no one else wants to watch.  It makes for some nice me-time.

Switching gears:

My succulents are so pitiful.  I left them the last few weeks without water and IT SHOWS.  Something has also been eating them.  I don't begrudge any hungry little creature a nibble of food when they need it, so I'm not mad.  I am, however, curious to see how some of these will look as they grow.

I've been taking turns soaking my plant trays overnight and all day.  So I've been putting a tray in my water box, going to bed, taking it out in the morning and put another one in, then changing it right before bed and so on.  So far, they are REALLY responding well to the extended soaks.  I used to just get them thoroughly wet and call it good, but I might keep them on a rotation - at least for the hot months.  I've got to figure out how to make them live in the winter without cramming them all in the house.  😬

I've gone through most of them searching for mealy bugs and I THINK I caught that before it got too bad.  I separated the ones that I could find evidence of bugs on, then brought them in and stabbed the bugs (😞), then doused them with alcohol to hopefully get any that I didn't see.

I noticed that my plants are dirty and I don't like that.  I don't know how they get so many bird feathers and poop on them through the shade cloth, but they did - not to mention the dirt.  I might hose them all down before putting them in the greenhouse - if we ever get that built.  😅

Shaun and I have been debating whether to put it longways or shortways in the space (it's a rectangle).  We prepped the space for longways, but if we do that we won't be able to open the back door, and the window that auto-opens will likely stick out over our fence line onto the neighbor's property.  We want to be good neighbors, so we are probably going to put it shortways.

It might seem slightly awkward, but also I think it will work out.  So I think we've settled that and will hopefully go for it soon.  Maybe I'll wake up extra-early this weekend and see what we can do.  It's been a steady week at work.  Enough to keep me busy, but not so extra that I'm exhausted.  That's a good place to be.

We've had so many house projects this year that we are dragging our feet on starting something else, but we have to get it done before the cold weather arrives.  I might need to take a few days off work so that we dedicate some time to it and knock it out.  According to the internet it will take around 4 days to build the greenhouse, so that's not nothing.  We could probably do it if I took 2 days to make a long weekend.  We'll see.

Anyway.  Nighttime ramble.  You're welcome.  🤣