Inquiring minds want to know

So at what point do you take a cat to the vet? Dumb Cat is really not himself. He is sneezing and snuffling and curled up looking very bedraggled in the basement. I mean, if he has a cold I know how he feels because if I could curl up in a nice dark place I would, but I’ve never seen him like this. But can a vet really do anything for a cat with a cold? I have to assume that it is kind of like taking a child to the pediatrician for a runny nose, right? Is there a way to tell if a cat is running a fever?

Who knew I would get so worked up about the heath of Dumb Cat…

A snuffle and a snort

We all have colds over here, even the cats. I had no idea cats could get colds, but both of ours have been sneezing and snorting up a storm today so clearly they do. Or else they have bird flu and we are all going to die, but I’m going to go with cold. Regardless, it is really, really gross to have two cats sneeze all over you on a fairly frequent basis. Clearly, black was not the right choice of tee-shirt color for today.

I should probably be going to bed, but M is out of town and I have a ton of TIVO to catch up on. Plus, lying down causes me to feel even worse, so right now collapsing on the couch with a big ole cup of tea is sounding like the better idea right now.

On the upside, they claim it will start raining here any minute and bring the temperature down to a mere seven degrees or so above normal….

Blog Fodder

M: “Chichimama, you look sad.”

Chichimama: “No, I’m just a bit sick and weather obsessed.”

M: “I have just the thing to help you! Look!!!”

Chichimama: “A remote control helicopter???”

M: “Yes! Well, a rather inexpensive one. On a real one you have up and down and front and back and left and right, and on this one, well, you have two buttons…I got it for free really…”

M demonstrates the helicopter, to the delight of Lazy Cat who scampers around the kitchen like a kitten instead of a ten year old cat.

Chichimama: ‘BLOG FODDER! With pictures! Keep flying while I grab the camera!”

Chichimama returns with camera not more than three seconds later. Lazy Cat has decided to take a snooze and the helicopter has lodged under the fridge grill.

Chichimama: “So much for bog fodder. That about sums up my day.”

M: “But look! A remote control helicopter!”

Obsessed

I have become weather obsessed (yes even more so than usual). I check various weather sites several times a day, and have taken to watching both the 10 pm and 11 pm news just for the weather forecast. Even C has noted my obsession with the weather, and alerts me when a forecast comes on PBS Kids.

I just want to know when the weather will break. And when the leaves will start turning. And when I can stop feeling guilty about wanting to sit on the couch and knit warm wooly things rather than chasing my children around the playground. I don’t know how y’all who live south manage in this weather year in and year out…

The "man" meme

As seen at Jen’s…

1. Who is your man?

M. Or Orangeman Mike, as he calls himself.

2. How long have you been together?

Continuously? 12 years. But we had a few false starts…

3. How long did you date?

Two years and two months from our first date to our wedding.

4. How old is your man?

35

5. Who eats more?

M. Especially when he is training for a marathon…

6. Who said “I love you” first?

M. I think. He would have been more likely to say it first anyway…

7. Who is taller?

M.

8. Who sings better?

I do. He’s totally tone deaf (love you honey!).

9. Who is smarter?

Technically, we think I have the higher IQ based on pure numbers, but he is infinitely more successful. Doing well on standardized tests really doesn’t mean much in the real world..

10. Whose temper is worse?

His. Although that’s not saying much. I can only think of two arguments that resulted in a raising of a voice. But he is more likely to swear at inanimate objects…

11. Who does the laundry?

Me. Although he used to do it all, many moons ago…

12. Who takes out the garbage?

Me.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?

He does.

14. Who pays the bills?

He does. I used to, but refused to use Quicken because it is a stupid program, so now he does and he bitches about it constantly.

15. Who is better with the computer?

He is. I have become computer illiterate since we started living together.

16. Who mows the lawn?

Vinnie. He’s the man.

17. Who cooks dinner?

I do. But he does the dishes (most of the time).

18. Who drives when you are together?

He does. Unless he hasn’t had enough coffee. Then I do because I’ve learned to live on minimal sleep without caffeine…

19. Who pays when you go out?

He does. He swears he married me because I let him pay on the first date without blinking an eye. See number 9 ;-) .

20. Who is most stubborn?

He is.

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?

Neither of us. Which is why we still have no furniture for several rooms in the house.

22. Whose parents do you see the most?

Toss up. We probably see his slightly more, but they live 25 miles away while mine live 300.

23. Who kissed who first?

The first time we dated or the second ;-) . I think he did. Or maybe I did. Ask Rebecca, she’ll know.

24. Who asked who out?

My sorority sister told him where to find me 12 hours after my ex dumped me. So I suppose technically she did. But our official first date (to the Natural Museum of History, how cool is that as a first date idea) was initiated by him…

25. Who proposed?

He did.

26. Who is more sensitive?

I am.

27. Who has more friends?

He hangs onto friends. He still talks to people he went to elementary school with. The only person I still talk to besides him (and his friends) who I knew before kids is Rebecca. But in terms of sheer numbers at this particular point in time I probably have more because he works so much.

28. Who has more siblings?

I do, if you count step-siblings.

29. Who wears the pants in the family?

Heh. It depends on who you ask. Probably A.

So I know I do this every year….

But when is it cold enough to turn on the heat? Inquiring minds want to know as it’s pretty cold in here. But seriously? I just turned the AC off (again) last week and it feels just WRONG to be turning the heat on less than a week after turning off the AC. Or perhaps I just have hang ups about heating and air conditioning. Fine. CLEARLY I have hang ups about heating and air conditioning. Still, what is YOUR magic number?

The stuff legends are made of

When I was little, my mom was known to be the tooth fairy by the entire elementary school (or at least those who were young enough to believe in such things). She garnered this particular reputation thanks to an unfortunate sleepover where a tooth was lost, and small children pretended to sleep, and she was caught in the act of replacing the tooth with a quarter. Wide-eyed, my sister’s best friend gasped “Mrs. J! You’re the tooth fairy!” And my mother, unsure how to handle the situation, mumbled “Ummm…,” which was taken for a yes, and a legend was born.

This year I am in charge of Breakfast with Santa at our church, one of the obligations that I have been unable to unload onto someone else. So over the last few days I have been making frantic phone calls trying to locate a Santa (for free) and discussing the merits of various cheap toys for goody bags in a hushed voice over the phone. C quickly caught wind of what was going on, and apparently proudly announced to his entire class on Friday that “My mommy knows SANTA. And she has been talking to him. DAILY.”

As the students erupted from the school in joyful abandon at the end of the day, a hush fell over the crowd as the children surveyed me chasing A around and threatening her with various and sundry punishments if she didn’t get into the stroller “RIGHT NOW.” Then a little girl, whose name I still don’t know, screamed out “Everyone! Be good! C’s mom is here! And she’s going to tell Santa on all of us!” And twenty-three kindergarteners quietly walked to their very confused parents. Thus, another legend was born.

Scaling back

I have totally over committed myself this fall. And I am in the process of disengaging myself from what I can. Which, quite honestly, is not all that much. But hopefully ditching a few of the things on my plate will ease things around here enough that I can get back to a semblance of normality. Because no one here at Chez J-E is having fun. Except maybe the cats, because I’m up until the wee hours of the night providing a warm lap.

Wobbly

After over a year of waiting, C has a wobbly tooth. There has been much rejoicing and many tears held back by mommy as C proudly wiggles said wobbly tooth. My little boy, with a wobbly tooth. Hard to believe.

I guess the tooth fairy needs to figure out exactly what her payout will be, huh? What is the going rate these days???

I think I am horrified

I rarely watch commercials thanks to my friend the DVR. But tonight I happen to be watching TV live. And I just saw a commercial for this. An exercycle attached to a TV, designed for kids. Am I wrong? Or is that? What ever happened to riding your bike around the block???

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