A-i-r-C-o-n-d-i-t-i-o-n-i-n-g Spells Relief

Oh man, that is so much better! We had a guy come to the house this evening to fix the heat pump! By the time he got here it was up to 91 degrees in the house. It had stayed in the mid 80's inside most the day and just rocketed up around 4pm. I made a little swamp cooler which really seemed to help until it got hotter, then it was just really humid and I had to break it down. The repair guys said that people all over town are having the exact same issue and he has been working until 10pm most days! We were very very very appreciative of him fixing ours and he took us up on our offer of a cold beverage, which was the least we could do. The repair total was only $140 , which was a very pleasant surprise. I hope the rest of this week gets better for the repair guys, I know ours will now that the heat pump is fixed. I was able to be somewhat productive today despite the heat. I got up early and did laundry and errands before it got too hot. I ended up having a nap this afternoon, the heat and not sleeping well just caught up with me. Don and I are both looking forward to a good nights sleep. Tomorrow is another work day and after work we are going to the fair! I am really excited about having a night out with my husband. One of our favorite country singers (Jake Owen) is performing and admission even includes the concert! It is even supposed to be a little cooler tomorrow which will make for a nicer outing. This weekend is going to be pretty full, we have a picnic to go to Saturday for Dons work, and Sunday is Don's big time trial. It sure will be nicer to come home to a cool house after all of our outdoor activities!

How Much Can You Take?

It is official. The heat pump has died. And with the hot hot hot weather continuing, we are not alone. So far, no word on when we can even have someone come out and look at it. It is currently 96 degrees in the house, windows closed, blinds closed, fan going and somewhere around 110 outside. Our poor kitties are melting into the floor. They have never had to deal with heat like this before. We are keeping the bathrooms open (they are always a little cooler with the tile and ceramic and all) for them to lay in and adding ice cubes to their water in hopes that they will drink a little more if it is cool. They will get water added to thier food tomorrow morning to help make sure they are staying hydrated. It is worrisome not having any idea what is wrong with the heat pump, and therefore no idea of what it might cost to have it fixed. And while it is supposed to be a little cooler tomorrow, maybe more like mid 90's, it will still be pretty hot. Until we get the heat pump figured out and/or it cools off...it is pretty much just to hot to do anything. I am currently wearing as little clothing as possible and drinking frequently from my jug, and despite and lack of clothing, the overwhelming stress of the impending repair and the horrible heat are making it a rather crapy situation.

The Hits Just Keep on Coming

It is well over 100 degrees today. Some signs in town say 105, some 110. Over all just way to hot. Don's face is fine today, we think maybe the last sting actually went into a blood vessel or something...bee toxin IV...not nice. We heard from our friend J today...D is still in the hospital awaiting his bleed to start again (!) so that the Dr's can do surgery to stop it (!)...he is not very satisfied with that and plans to come home and start hospice care, especially if they are not going to do the surgery right away......
Now our heat pump is not working. The thermostat has lights and numbers, so it is getting power, but Don says the outside unit is not running.at all. And while it is cooler inside than out, it is definitely not actively cooling. Argh. No more please.

Less Bees and Heat Please

It has been ridiculously hot here as of late. I mean really, really hot near 100 degrees. It is just way to hot. We did a little yard work over the weekend, and for some reason I got attacked by tons of these little, tiny, black, biting bugs. I have blister-y little welts all over my arms and a few on my legs. In addition to the heat and bugs, today work was just really long. Nothing really bad happened, it was just long. I made it home and took care of the kitties and finally got to change my clothes just as Don got home from a bike ride...He got stung. By a bee. On his forehead...AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!! He went to the store for more benadryl, but so far the swelling has been a lot less. What a mess. I just hope we can avoid another set of trips to the urgent care.

Morning Update

Dons face is much less swollen this morning. It seems to be returing to normal which is very good. At least one thing seems to be getting better...last night I found one tiny peice of flea dirt on Barley. YUCK! and ARGH! If there is flea dirt there are fleas and if I do not see live fleas it means they are few (which is good) but the cats are grooming them off (which is yucky). So not only are there fleas, but very likely tapeworms too. Gross. So today I had to run in to work to get flea treatment and meds for tapeworms for both kitties. I was not pleased. At least both medications work quickly so it should be taken care of. I am hoping that this run of difficulty will end soon.

Wounded/Illness Update

Don ended up back at the urgent care today (last night they gave him a cortisone injection, told him to take benadryl and told him if it was not better to come back in the am) as the swelling was not "markedly improved" and has to go on oral steroids. His face is still way swollen and is starting to get sort of red now too. His eyelashes tickle him because his eyelids are swollen so he keeps rubbing them and his eyes are starting to bruise too, adding to the pugilistic look. Blargh. Plus he is supposed to take loratadine and benadryl alternating every 12 hours...they both make him drowsy so he is not very excited about that. I am all for having the swelling go down and him being able to breathe, so I think drowsiness is a small price to pay...
Rye is much better today. Back to his regular constantly starving self. He was doing all his normal kitty things this afternoon and that is a big relief.
In other sucky news our friend D (of D and J) is in the hospital again. Apparently he had another small amount of bleeding, vomited and passed out. Once at the hospital they tried to put in a pace maker and were unable to (due to scar tissue, it sounded like). He is currently still in hospital, but J has contacted hospice so it sounds really not good. It has been a rough year for them and while I know D has been ill for a long time (diabetes, heart failure, plain old age) it is still a bit of a shock and pretty upsetting. All we can do is be here and help out as they need us.
In the mean time...I would settle for less swelling.

Bee Stung and Barfy

Last night while on a bike ride my husband got a bee stuck in his helmet. It was not happy to be stuck and so it stung him...on his forehead. By the time he got home it was pretty swollen, like 1/2 a ping-pong ball stuck to his head...and he was greeted by my declaration that "something is wrong with Rye." Our uber food motivated male kitty was not interested in eating his supper. If he is not wanting to eat something. is. WRONG. I watched him drink several times and make trips to the litter box. He was going pee, but not passing any stool. We talked about it and made a plan for me to take him in to work in the morning if he was not wanting to eat breakfast and had not gone poop. Meanwhile the swelling on my husbands head continued. By the time we went to bed, there was still no stool from little Rye and Don's nose was swollen to about twice normal size at the bridge. I was getting a little worried about keeping airways clear by this point, but Don assured me he was feeling fine and breathing with out difficulty. This morning, still no stool from Rye, and he still was not wanting to eat like normal...and Don's face and eyes were super swollen. He looked like he had gotten into a boxing match...and lost...only with out the bruises. His eyes were nearly swollen shut, he took a benadryl and went to work anyway. I took Rye to work with me, he ended up having to have an enema, which was successful in helping him pass stool, but also made him vomit (this is a common side effect in all cats...yucky but true). He seems a little bit better tonight, he ate with a little bit more of his normal interest...and my husband is at the urgent care as the swelling continues...

Exhausted Weekend

We were up pretty early for a trip to Seattle on Saturday. We were headed up with our friends A and G for G's early birthday...to see the Seattle Sounders take on Chelsea. It was good fun and the game was great...especially since Chelsea won 2-0. After the game we wandered around looking for someplace to eat that was not totally jam packed. We ended up in a little Asian market type place that was decent enough I suppose. Then we headed home via the airport so I could pick up my parents who were coming home from seeing my sis in England. It was very good to see them and be able to talk with them...and also to drive them to our place since they were completely and utterly exhausted. I got them home and pretty much straight into bed...I think they were both snoring before 3 minutes had passed! Sunday morning we got up and visited. Shared pictures and stories, then went blueberry picking. We had wonderful whole wheat corn meal blueberry pancakes for breakfast and more visiting. Mom and Da headed home in the afternoon, since they both had working to do Monday. It was good to see them, just way to short. Today it was back to work, my post has been changed due to someone else's work issues, so my day was slightly more stressful than normal. I came through it all ok and I know that even though it seems like a not so good thing, it really is a good thing because it means I am a trusted and relied upon worker. The weather has been quite hot lately and it is tiring me out....96 degrees is just too much. I hope it cools off a little tomorrow.

Supper Fail

I made a pasta salad "kit" tonight, since it was so hot today and I didn't feel like cooking. I did add a few ingredients to make it more like a meal and taste more home-made. Not that I was out to fool anyone. It was a Tuscan herb style so I added some roasted tomato and garlic turkey sausage and some fresh green beans. It was terrible. No kidding. I put most of mine down the garbage disposal, Don ate his saying it was not the greatest, but he didn't think it was as bad as I did. For some reason all I could taste in it was salt. The meat was the worst. Just horrible. Argh. I ended up having leftover deli potato salad from last night. I hope whatever I make tomorrow is a whole bunch better. Blegh.

the Next Day

Grief is a bit like a sore tooth that you can't keep your tongue off, or road rash that keeps sticking to your clothes. It was good that I had work today. It helped me to keep my mind focused and not to allow myself to sink in to the guilt and sorrow of loosing my buddy. There is always a time of "would of, could of, should of" and feeling upset for not being able to "be there" to say goodbye and ease Wally's fears. Nothing changes that and only time makes it lessen. I still feel sad, but at peace, I suppose, knowing the best choice was made. I was very tired last night and seemed like I slept very heavily, but I woke up with a headache and feeling not well rested. Things did improve through the day and I feel better tonight. Mostly just tired now and still sad.

Wally Bear

We have had a loss in our family. My parents are still in England and have a lady watching their home and kitties. I got a call today from her that one of our kitties was in the hospital and not doing well. I was able to call her back and then call the Dr. My good kitty Waldo, who is pretty scared-y, had not been seen for a few days and the house sitter found him on Thursday laying in the bath tub not moving. She rushed him to the hospital where they determined that he had a urinary blockage. At the hospital they were able to pass a urinary catheter to relieve his bladder and started him on fluids and hospital care. He was not successful urinating on his own on Saturday, so he was kept in the hospital with a catheter for the weekend. Sometime between Sunday morning and Monday morning he became paralyzed in his back end. He had no pulse in either back leg and both back legs were cold, meaning there was no blood flow. The Drs diagnosis was a blood clod that was most likely caused by an underlying heart condition. There is no cure or treatment for this type of condition. I had to make the final decision to put him down, I knew there was nothing else that could be done and that it was the best and most loving choice. After talking with the Dr, we both felt that the urinary issue was most likely caused by stress (since he is so fearful), which might mean he would not be drinking as much as he needed and holding his urine longer than he needed. Then the added stress of being sick could have exacerbated the heart condition, causing the clot to form and break free. Just a bad deal and series of bad events that all seemed to work together for a bad outcome.
I miss him a lot already. He was a very special kitty. When he was really happy and excited he would mix with his front feet like he was dancing. He had the best tail ever, it was like a big bushy feather duster. He had a loud purr and a little tiny noise he would make when he wanted the other kitties to play with him. He was a good "watching over kitty" for me when I needed it most. My Dad told me just before we got him, as I was having a hard time with the illness and impending loss of one of our other kitties, that even though I was sad at the thought of loosing him, not to think that getting another kitty would divide my love but instead would multiply it. It really did and Wally was a wonderful special kitty. Rest easy now Waldo,go quiet and calm, no more pain. I love you.
A heartfelt Thank You to Lucy, Dr. A. Ross and all the staff at CAC. I know you all did the very best you could and your care is deeply appreciated.

Drama

Blargh. Work today was blargh. There is a ton of drama going on at my work, none of it relates to me at all, other than the fact that I have to work with it going on. It is never easy, especially since everyone is so busy trying to make it seem like there is nothing going on...which would be fine except it is not working since the deep current of tension is so strong you can cut it with a knife. Oh well, I know if I keep my head down and do my job to the best of my abilities I will be fine.

Contact

I have been a bit behind on my blogging...between work and the extended Tour coverage I have not been making time to post. Today I talked to my sister. From England. They have finished their ocean voyage and were able to call using Internet phone. It is 8 hours ahead there, so it was very late and our conversation short. Mostly assuring each other that we were well and inquiring about the trip from my end. It was very strange. I found myself crying after hanging up the phone. Somehow at this point the distance just seems so much. I know in my logical mind that it is not going to make it any more difficult to see her and the kids...we were not able to see each other all that frequently when they lived in the states (it will be more time consuming, but worth it I am sure)...and that we will still be able to talk and e-mail...but it just seems somehow more. I suppose that it will take some time to get used to and right now it is just the initial unsettling that can be expected. I am sure that it seems a little odd...my husband said as I was crying saying that they are gone now really really and in England, "Did you think it was somehow not going to happen?"...It isn't that really and I knew they were going. I just don't know how to put it into words. Anyway, I was very glad to have heard from them, that they had made it safely and were getting things set to right and getting settled. They will have our parents there for another week to help and do adventures with. Then Mom and Da will head back home. I know my sis and her family will be in for many adventures and someday we will be able to go and visit. Until then, we will rely on technology to make things feel less far.

Downs and Ups

The "big move" is truly for real now. My parents and Sister are on a big boat in the ocean heading for England...it is very strange to have them so far away...and not really be able to contact them realiably. I am feeling ok, but a little unsettled about the whole thing.

In the good new side, the Tour was very exciting today! It was team time trial day, and it is the first time in 4 years that it has been back in the Tour. Even better Astana (Lance Armstrongs tesm) took first....and Lance is 1 second back from the yellow jersey. Whoohoo!

Vive Le Tour!

Le Tour de France started yesterday! Yipeee! We now commence tour coverage 16 or so hours per day!!! I love Phil, Paul and Bob. I love the Tour!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Today is day two of above 90 degree temperatures. It is way.too.hot. I know that the summer is just getting started and it will get hotter...but right now...it is too much. Especially with the holiday weekend and all of our kennel space full at work, full of barky dogs...who also really do need some relief from the heat too. So we leave the kennel door open so they can get some cool and in return...we get headaches from all the barking. C'est la vie.
Don had the day off today and did a little riding in the morning and ran a few errands. Then he came home and started cleaning my parents car. It is staying at our house while they are with my Sis heading to England. I called him as I was leaving work to find out what the plan was for supper...there was none(not surprisingly). He said maybe I should just go pick up a pizza...so I did...45 minutes later I finally got home. Apparently lots of other folks had the same idea.
Tomorrow is the start of Le Tour De France and therefore big goings-on at our house. We absolutely love the Tour and...practically live it for the entire month of July. Our social calendar, travel plans, everything is planned around our ability to watch the Tour. Don gets up at o-dark-thirty to catch the live broadcast, we DVR the mid-day, and I prefer the expanded coverage in the evenings (not just because I hate getting up early!). Go Lance!
With the holiday tomorrow we are also going to get together with our friends A and G for some food and fun. Apparently I am making apple pie (Don seems to feel it is a 4th of July tradition, despite me never having made one on July 4th before...) and we are barbecuing some chicken and Tuscan turkey burgers. I know it will be a good time regardless and we may even head out to watch some fireworks.
Right now I am just enjoying the AC (which is in itself a truly remarkable occurrence) and thinking about a snack if the car washing takes much longer...the pizza is starting to call my name.

Insanity

This week has been crazy. Work has just been out of control as of late. I feel like I have barely any time to even think let alone get anything done. Today was terrible as one of the workers left early and our boss filled in for her...except our boss was supposed to do something in her "home life" and she wasn't able to. It just made for a tense afternoon. Yesterday we did a good favor for our friends D and J and stayed at their place last night so they would have help if they needed it. Tonight my parents are sleeping here for a few hours and then we are heading out early early early to the airport so they can head out to help my sister move to England. Good thing tomorrow is my day off.