I’m a Grandma

Well sort of. I have a new grandson, or shall I say “grand-kitty”. His name is Galileo (yes, like the scientist!) and Elly adopted him this week. He is a special needs kitty and I am very proud of her adoption. He was found on the street, paralyzed and almost dead and he was eventually nursed back to health. He is a young adult, about 18 months and a beautiful domestic short hair. He is also profoundly deaf, as sometimes happens with white cats. He is a real sweetie, affectionate and very loveable. He seems to have adjusted to his new home, happy to be out of a cage and away from other animals. It’s taken him a few days to adjust to his new home, but now he is eating well and wanders all around. He requires a little more effort to be stimulated to play, but I took over a feather toy and after getting used to the idea that he won’t respond to noise, we figured out how to get him to play and soon he was rolling and biting and jumping. I don’t think he’ll ever be an active cat, but I do think he will be a big cat. He is already double the size of Mia!

Shu-u-u-u-u! Don’t you dare mention to her that we spent the evening visiting another cat, even if it is her nephew. I think it would be hysterical to see the two of them together – big and little, male and female, black and white, shorthair and longhair. Never were there such opposites! Maybe someday we can socialize them. I think they are two very happy “only” children, but we’ll see.

I have a lot to write about, and am aware I have written for two weeks. I haven’t been well. It’s been a rough two weeks for me. Started off with a horrendous cold that left me in bed for two days. I didn’t even make it to church on the 1st Sunday of the New Year. I seemed to be getting over that, although it did seem to want to hang on, but I was feeling better and starting to resume my life when I was attacked by a severe gastoenteritis. I was sick enough to think I heading to a hospital, but decided I was too sick to face sitting up and waiting to be seen. Fortunately we were finally able to get me rehydrated and get some meds for the pain. When the fever subsided, then I knew I might possibly live, which I did. That took the stuffings out of me for a few days. When I am off my feed, you can be sure I am really sick. I mean I came out of the anesthesia from gall bladder surgery complaining I was hungry. Somehow all of this must of knocked out my immunities, because the cold turned into a sinus infection and I have a humdinger of a cough and earache left over.  I am absolutely allergic to doctors and antibiotics, but I considered that option and decided to give it one more day. Today I seem to have a little energy back and I accomplished a number of things, so since I felt I was on the upswing, decided to forego a doctor! I know exactly what the routine is and in fact I could have just gone out and got the antibiotic and prednisone I knew that would be prescribed (as it’s easy to get medicine without a prescription here), but I hate to go that route. I felt like a witch doctor as I breathed in my garlic oil fumes in boiling water, drank apple vinegar, used a cinnamon poultice and drank gallons of water, did a regular sinus cleanse with a neti pot,  but you know what? From what I read, those are just about as effective as the big guns. As long as I can ward off bronchitis, I’ll live without the nasty meds.

Today I felt a hankering toward creativity and so I dug out a project I started before Christmas and decided to finish it. It is a watercolor portrait of Sissy when she was about 6, I think. We all love this photo of her with her missing teeth, sweet smile and mischievous eyes. It seemed to go smoothly and before I knew it, I had virtually finished. I showed it to her and she liked it, so I am going to give it to her.

So finally I’ve said hello in 2010. I hope to later catch up some more on the news around here. Have a good one!