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Archive for June, 2016

Messed Up Royally

June 26th, 2016 at 03:37 pm

So... last weekend I reformatted my computer. A few weeks prior to that I had transferred ALL the photos off of DHs SD Memory card. 4 years worth of photos.

Can you see where this is going?

I meticulously went through everything on my computer and uploaded into Amazon Drive and Dropbox. I signed up for the Firefox thing that remembers your favoritesy67/logins/etc. I thought that ALL my photo files had been uploaded.

Then I hit "restore" and went through the process of resetting up everything.

All week a niggling thought has been in the back of my head that I should have double checked that ALL photo files got uploaded *before* doing the restore. But with helping DH get moved in, etc., I didn't have a chance to look to see if they actually had.

This morning I had a chance. Frown Frown I feel absolutely sick. I can't believe I was so careless to not be sure of it beforehand.

I think there is a very slim possibility that someone with computer geek as their middle name may be able to recover them ...$$$$

I'm not sure if I should tell him when he wakes up later today (he works nights), or wait til I have a possible solution in hand.

We've had a lot of really good discussions this weekend, and things have been going pretty well. The dog's owner will hopefully be coming to get him SOON today.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. An I'm sorry is a little weak for something like this. Doesn't get the pictures back. Frown

More Dog meds, Restore Computer, test results, etc

June 18th, 2016 at 11:47 pm

Koky finished his medications two days ago. His itching seemed to be pretty much completely gone. By last night though, he seemed to be back to itching almost as miserably as before. Sigh.

So I called the vet this morning and got a refil of Aquapel - an itch inhibitor. $51. From what the vet tech said, it sounds like the only way he's going to not itch, is to take this - for the rest of his life.

I feel for his owner's - $100/month for meds to make their dog not itch. But it's a part of pet parenthood. You do what you have to do.

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I completely wiped my computer today and then reinstalled most things. After 5+ years, there was a lot of miscellaneous stuff on it. I'm hoping that this will help make it keep going for a few more years.

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Got the plumber bill finally (from the broken faucet/pipe) = $239 for two hours + parts. Not as bad as we were fearing.

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I had bloodwork done last week - as part of our employee benefits. Part of it was a CBC panel. There were only 4 items out of range - two of which did not surprise me as they have been out of range before (Cholesterol.) The two other items though did surprise me - my platelet count was 508 (high range 400) and my lymphocyte count was also about 60 over high range. (can't remember what it was)

The least that it means is that I'm fighting some kind of infection - either bacterial or viral. Dr. Google also suggests other possible things ...

I'm going to try to get in touch with my doctor on Monday to see if she can look at the results and figure out if there is anything needing to be looked into.

Maybe this explains my complete lack of energy and moodiness ... Probably not the moodiness... Smile

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I bought groceries for 3 cook smart meals on Friday. Yikes! It took me nearly 90 minutes to find everything. Just ingredients for three meals!

It also cost quite a bit more than I'm used to spending...

I need to figure out how to do healthy, home cooked meals, while also not killing the food budget. (Plus there's some produce from last week that didn't get used up - like half a head of lettuce, etc. Feels kind of wasteful.)

Maybe I'll just pick two meals and make 6-8 servings worth - so it'll use up the full veggie/fruit other ingredients, and also be less work. Smile

I'll get it figured out.

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This afternoon I used some of the farro I cooked to make fried farro & veggies. It actually was pretty good. Smile

It's one way to use up the leftover veggies. Smile

Mexican Hash ... Cats ..

June 16th, 2016 at 02:06 am

Tonight I made the Mexican Hash. Again, the stove here is frustrating me. I ended up burning the sweet potatoes instead of "lightly browning". Ugh.

I think the directions missed a step in explaining when to season the pinto beans ...

Otherwise, a kind of meh meal. One upside is that I actually ate a little bit of avocado, and didn't die or have an "incident." I have a thing with certain textures I guess ..

Here's the meal:



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Kari won't take the calming gel from my finger, so I had to kind of trick her by getting it on her fur/paw. It maybe? is helping?? She actually came out into the kitchen last night where DH and I were sitting/talking and where the dog and a good number of the cats were. First time she'd really ventured out of the office in a week (other than at night to sleep with me.)

I got some more gel on her tonight. We'll see I guess.

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Feeling frustrated about several things right now.

Zuchinni Cakes and the Cat Situation

June 14th, 2016 at 01:26 am

Yesterday I spent about 90 minutes or so doing prep work for the 4 meals for the week from Cook Smarts. I'm really hoping that the more often I do this, the faster I'll get - plus it would help if I could get my printer to work ... I had to write directions down, then go back and forth from the office to the kitchen to remind myself of what my shorthand was talking about ...

So tonight I made the first meal - Zucchini cakes and salad with a greek yogurt/mayo based sauce and balsamic based salad dressing.

It took me about 20 minutes to put together (having already made the cakes except for frying on Sunday.)

One thing I'm going to have to figure out is my stove - the burners are smaller than I'm used to, and there is only "low" and "high" options.

Overall, I liked the meal. I have leftovers for tomorrows dinner. One biggie .. I actually used the tomatoes called for in the salad AND ATE some!

Let's just say that when I was young, there was an incident at a Chi Chi's in Des Moines, IA with me and a tomato my dad insisted I eat. Yeah, that didn't end well.

So .. here's a picture of the meal -

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The cat situation is somewhat better. Today though ... I came the closest to wanting to kick an animal that I ever have - not that I *ever* would do that! I got home and was waiting for Koky the dog to calm down enough so I could put his leash on and take him out. He apparently felt I was ignoring him too long, and decided that barking at and charging at the smallest and sweetest cat of the bunch (who incidentally still has her claws) was a good idea - especially cornering her. I was livid.

He wasn't doing it to hurt her, but still! He just doesn't get that you don't do that.. She doesn't seem to be overly affected by it thankfully (nor scared of him - I think she gets that he wasn't attacking her - but she still didn't like it!)

Kari ... she seemed to be starting to relax a little bit. Then tonight I sat down at my computer after washing the dinner dishes ... She got on my lap and looked up to see Sunshine (the smallest one) coming into the room. She went nuts (Kari) hissing and yowling. Then Koky came over ... and the paws went flying.

DH isn't 100% sure if Sunshine is spayed or not. She is one of the strays he picked up - he was told the only way to know for sure would be to shave her. He says he's never noticed her being in "heat." But ... I kind of wonder based on how Kari reacts to her and that all the other cats don't seem to like her much.

We're going to have to get a multiple cat license soon (once Koky's gone) and one of the requirements is proving that everyone is spayed/neutered - so we'll be finding out for sure on that.

Ugh!!!! (Sunshine is now curled up in my lap. Koky at my feet. Kari .. who knows where she is.)

The calming gel is supposed to arrive tomorrow. I really hope it works. If it doesn't, I'll try the feliway spray - but I've got a large area to cover, so am not sure how economical that'll be.

More Wedding Pictures - Courtesy of the Photographer! - Cat Stress

June 11th, 2016 at 04:38 am

Last night I got the link to our wedding photos from our photographer. I'd really tried to be patient and not send too many emails asking for updates. Smile

Some are ones that are similar to ones my family took, but there are a good number of the ceremony and reception that I hadn't had any photos of.

Here's the link if you'd like to see: http://ronhagen.smugmug.com/Scott-Laura/n-6nkHfw

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We've been having some animal issues here. Right now I'm still the only one actually *living* here. With all the cats and the dog we're dogsitting.

DH's cats are adjusting pretty well to the new house / new environment. They also have adjusted well to being fed out of individual bowls (rather than food scattered on the floor with a mad scramble ...)

Kari though ... she adjusted well when it was just her and I. She was okay when the first few cats were added. Still okay, though getting stressed when more were added. Then, the dog was added. And finally, the last cat.

The first few days with the dog went okay. She wasn't eating much because she kept looking out for the dog every time there was a noise. But eventually I figured out that if I fed her away from the group up high, that that would work somewhat better.

That was good - because I had enough to deal with due to the dogs skin allergy. (which while not totally healed, is a whole lot better now - thanks to being consistent with his meds!)

The last 3 or 4 days though, things have gone from just okay, to not okay. She is very stressed. Not just hissing once in awhile at the other cats, but hissing a LOT, growling, and doing this horrible scream that sounds like she's being murdered or something. (while no cat is even touching her - nor is the dog - just a cat getting too close to her space or something) Also, is basically keeping herself sequestered in a corner of my office.

DH thinks it will get better once the dog is gone. (Two more long weeks.) I really hope he is right.

I am afraid though, that Kari won't be happy in a multi-animal family. She was very skittish and aloof with other people even when it was just her and I. Now she's even more jumpy.

I'm afraid that I may have to consider doing something that makes my stomach turn inside out. Something I have always said I would *never* do. But .. if it is either find a new home for her or have her continue being stressed out and not enjoying life ... and stressing me out, which in turn stresses DH out (since I'm a *wee* bit over emotional due to the stress ...) It's also not helping the other cats much to be constantly hissed at/ swatted at by Kari.

Ugh.

I won't make any decision until I've tried just about anything and everything I can think of.

Tonight I bought some calming chews from Petco. Kari wouldn't eat them. Frown Koky (the dog) liked them though. (He also prefers cat food - and his owner just feeds him cat food.)

I also ordered some kind of calming gel paste from Amazon today.

The dog - he is a sweet, good dog for the most part. But ... he has this tendency to charge the cats once in a while when he gets overexcited. He also has the most annoying bark in the world. If you ignore him, it just gets worse.

I'm SO ready for this dog to go. 2 more weeks.

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DH asked me tonight to schedule movers for the 21st. Finally. (He's been working on getting his place packed - lots of electronics/speakers which take a lot of time to pack properly, etc.)

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Sunday I have someone scheduled to come put the coaxial cable through the walls (for cable/Internet). I can also have them make connections in other places in the house, or do outlets. All for the same price. ($40) I'm going to ask them to do the bedrooms, the office, the workshop and the laundry room. Smile May as well, right?

I was just so happy to be able to have someone come out on a Sunday!

When that's done, then I'll be working on my Cook Smart's meal plan. I bit the bullet and paid for a year - at 20% off. $56.

I went shopping for ingredients tonight. I still need to find farro and soyrizo.

Meal 1: Zucchini Cake Sandwiches
Meal 2: Farro Bowls (may sub Quinoa if I can't find farro)
Meal 3: Mexican Hash
Meal 4: Soyrizo and Corn Saute

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Ok, gotta clean the cat boxes, take Koky out, and then feed the gang so I can get to bed. Night all!

TWC, Sinuses ... , Cats on Counters ..

June 8th, 2016 at 03:00 am

So Time warner Cable still had my name spelled incorrectly - after 4 different times supposedly correcting the spelling. Seriously. This time I had the person read back the spelling to me.

Part of the reason I was calling them was to find out if they would send someone out to string the 50 ft cable through our house and get it off my floor!

They're sending someone on Sunday! morning to do that, and anything else I can think of at the same time. Maybe have them string cords to all the rooms in the house?? She said something about outlets too? It'll cost $40, but I think it's worth it to have someone who knows what they are doing to do it. Who knows when we'd have the time to figure out how to do it ourselves .. the cord is unsightly.

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I had a horrible sinus headache yesterday after work. Pretty debilitating, actually. I ended up sleeping most of the evening, then getting up to take Koky out and feed the gang. Then back to bed.

DH came over after work (around 4 a.m.) and I woke up when he came in. My headache was thankfully gone by then.

The only thing I can think of is that the last two times this happened, it was after DH mowed the yard. He came in the middle of it to take a break and laid down on the bed in his clothes. So .. I'm thinking that whatever I'm allergic to in grass cuttings stuck to his clothes and transferred to the bedding.

Hence the sinus headache - no matter how much Allegra D, Nasacort, etc.

I told DH that next time he cuts the grass and wants to take a break in the middle, he'll have to disrobe before laying on the bed. Big Grin

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We have a couple of very persistent kitites for getting on the kitchen counters. I've covered them nearly completely in aluminum foil and double sided tape. All it really has accomplished is to make it noisily apparent when a cat is on the counter ...

I don't want to use the electronic mats or loud noises (two of the cats are quite skittish already) - I saw the idea of an upside down chair mat. They're pretty expensive though - also saw something called an x-Mat which is a similar idea (and cheaper.)

Any other ideas on how to keep cats off counters? Once we can successfully to do that, then I plan on working on the dining room table ...

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I put up 3 sun window seats for the cats in the living room. Only one cat so far has braved them ... Our own little Pepe le Peau!

Here are some pictures:




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I got my first letter from our mortgage company with our account number, etc. So now I can set up our online account. Big Grin I'll probably do that when I finish here.

Still don't have a bill from the plumber.

DH got in touch with a fencing guy today. He'll be coming by tomorrow to do an estimate. The fire was fueled by finding a big pile of dog excrement which could only be from the next door neighbors German Shepherd in our yard. Yuck!

Hello ... :)

June 4th, 2016 at 05:53 pm

It's been a bit.

Sunday will make two weeks since I did the major move in to our home. All but one cat and one DH are also moved in. DH and last cat eta move in tomorrow.DH has been waiting for some eggs to hatch first. So .. two possibly three chicks will also be arriving tomorrow (oh, some turtles will be coming too)

We've (or I should say, (I've) been dog sitting for the past week. That's been fun - getting two sets of cats acclimated to each other and to their new home. while also taking care of a dog. Sweet dog. Sweet dog who unfortunately has some kind of a skin infection which causes him to itch constantly. Which the owner failed to mention to us.


I got the name of his vet only by calling him the night after he dropped the poor dog off and seeing how miserable he was. of course this was on a Saturday of a holiday weekend.

Sunday I spent $40 at Petco on itch relief spray and oatmeal shampoo, as well as a couple chew bones. DH and I gave Koky a bath - which helped some. The itch spray also seemed to help some.

Tuesday after work I called the vet anf found out this was an ongoing issue - mostly due to inconsistency on the owner's part of giving meds.

Wednesday after work I picked up the new order of meds - to the tune of $97. Ouch. But they seem to be doing the trick! He's still itching, but not nearly as much.

We've got him for three more weeks. It will be much easier once DH is here full time so I don't have to rush home from work to take the dog out. I enjoy taking him on walks - it's just stressful when I know he must be desperate to go out and traffic is inching along.

The first week traffic was a dream - 15 minutes give or take. This past week though, construction season started ... 25 - 30+ minutes! Ugh!

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We're in serious talks about privacy fence again. This week we've seen adult neighbors crossing through our back yard multiple times ... but more annoying .. their German Shepherd has been allowed free reign to come into our yard! I *really* don't like this - especially since I am going out in my yard with Koky multiple times a day. Koky would not intimidate a GS.

DH is chomping at the teeth to give neighbors a piece of his mind, but realizes it might not be a good idea.

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I saw some cube shelving at Big Lots which I thought might work for the bedroom and the office - a buy one get 50% off the second sale. DH and I went to look at them in store on Thursday and well ... I was disappointed with their in real life look.

Budget ... ??? What's that?

I broke the tub faucet last week ... didn't think a pipe was broken. Til the next morning when I heard a dripping sound in the basement. I thought it was new leakage due to some fierce rains. Nope - DH discovered it was a broken pipe. Oops.

We haven't gotten the bill yet from the plumber.

Our home warranty person is going to submit it for us (not insurance, but the warranty plan) to see if they'll cover the broken pipe ( faucet isn't covered)

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The Internet/cable got installed on Saturday. What a fiasco. The guy was here at least two hours. Then there are only two cable hookups in the house - the living room and the basement. I'd bought a wi fi extender which i put in the office. After nearly four frustrating hours I finally got it working on my computer - sort of. The connection kept dropping!

So on Sunday I bought a 50 ft coaxial cable and ran it from the living room to my computer in the office. Internet was back! But now we have a cable cord running through the house ... A some point we're going to have someone come out and run it through the floor or ceiling.

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Lots more .. but at any rate, I'm glad it's the weekend and I can take some time to breathe a little. (and catch up on the net!)