"Welcome to the Kitty Hospice!"

My mom and I frequently joke about our home being a "kitty hospice," because the house is full of cats who require medical attention. At one point my mom said "cats come here to die." That's not a very accurate statement...if that were true we wouldn't still have all of them around! The truth is, we take such devoted care of our sick pets that they've all ended up living way past their life expectancy! Cats come here to stay alive, man!!

Take Buddy for example. My homely but affectionate baby boy has been living with diabetes for nearly 8 years!! When he was first diagnosed (my junior hear of high school), the vet said we'd be lucky if he lived another 3 years. Since then he's had most of his teeth removed and a few scary blood-sugar spells, but he still has full mobility and his eyesight!

He doesn't even notice the insulin-filled syringe I stick in his neck every morning (the trick: do it during breakfast!).

Jacob has a benign tumor in his abdomen, discovered in late 2008. Because he is so old (17 years!), surgery to remove it is out of the question. He gets a (crushed) steroid with his breakfast every morning, which on most days he chomps like a champ!

Thankfully, the tumor's development has been stunted! Not halted, as it has grown slightly, but for the most part Jacob still seems comfortable.

Giving kisses!

Once the 'roids kick in I can't resist teasing him about his "roid rage" behavior, because he gets so wound up (especially about dinner!). He sits by his food bowl and yells at me every time I walk by...

Spitter, on the other hand, doesn't require any medication- she's just fat!! I have her on a diet, but my kitty-girl eats everything! She loves butter, eggs, cheese...and guacamole (isn't that bizarre?!). She will even lead me to "her breakfast spot" each morning, because she knows exactly where to go! It's hilarious!!

 

     

The whole "kitty hospice" notion came to fruition when we learned that Zuma is in the early stages of renal failure. So far her only "treatment" is staying hydrated, a pretty easy prescription to keep filled!

The other night the subject of animal adoption came up (following that sad Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commmercial). This is how the conversation went, pretty much verbatim:

ROSS'S FRIEND: "There are so many animals that need adoption. It's crazy."
ME: *nods sympathetically*

ROSS: *looks from me to his friend* "Don't say that, don't give her any ideas!"
ME: "Don't worry, I don't think we could fit any more animals in this house anyway." (what I was really thinking was, With our luck, another cat would bring yet another medical issue. The cats we have now already run the medical gamut, I don't think I could handle another one!)

Even the craziest cat ladies have their limits!!!

Life: A lesson in...well, life!

Earlier this week I babysat my 7 year old cousin, Tia. When I got to her house she had just come home from school, and she wanted to go to the park instead of do her homework. This is the (condensed) conversation that ensued:

ME: "Let's hurry up and get your homework done."
TIA: *scowls at me and crosses her arms defiantly* "But I want to go to the park."
ME: "The park is a reward, Tia. You have to do something to earn it, like do your homework."
TIA: "But I don't WANT to do it right now!"
ME: "I'm sorry you don't want to do your homework, but sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. It's called 'making compromises,' and it's part of life. Grown ups don't want to go to work every day, but we have to make money. You have to do your homework. It's not a choice. I'm sorry you don't like it."
TIA: "But the homework is harder than you think! It's nouns."
ME: "Well let me look at it, and I'll help you. I majored in English, I know nouns! Do you remember what nouns are?"
TIA: "Person, place, thing, or animal."
ME: "This will not take long at all. Let's just get it done, then we can go to the park."
TIA: "But if we wait too long, it will be too dark!"
ME: "Let's compromise. This homework has two parts. Let's do the first half, then we'll go to the park. When we come back, you will finish the rest."
TIA: *nods her head 'yes', then begrudgingly sits down at the table.*

For those of you who are thinking that my compromise turned me into a sucker, you are wrong! Tia is a very smart little girl, and she is actually very good about getting her homework done. I could tell that her "meltdown" mostly had to do with needing a break, since she had just come home from school.
Just how smart is Tia? See for yourself, in an exchange she later had with a family who was also at the park playing:

LITTLE GIRL: *Pointing to the school across the street, which also happens to be Tia's* "That's my school, I'm in kindergarten next year."
LITTLE GIRL'S MOM: "No, honey, you'll be in preschool next year. You're only three. You're a little kid."
LITTLE GIRL: "Well, soon I will be a big kid."
TIA: "I'm a big kid. And you know what?"
LITTLE GIRL'S MOM: "What?"
TIA: "When you're big you have to do things you don't want to."
ME: *Mouth falls open with shock and pride*
LITTLE GIRL'S MOM: "Yes, that's certainly the truth!"

We left the park an hour later. After we had rested for a bit Tia led the way to the table, and we had the rest of her homework done in about 5 minutes!!

Rewards come in all forms, whether it's something tangible (like a trip to the park) or simply felt (like recognizing that you've been heard and heeded).
Tia and I both learned something important that day: in every Situation there is a Lesson to be learned...

whether we want to hear about it or not!!!*

*Yes, I'm also referring to myself... I would have preferred that Tia listen to me the first time around instead of argue, even at the expense of forfeiting the day's Life Lesson! But who doesn't feel that way during a willpower-showdown??

"Oh yeah, today is that romantic holiday..."

I don't like Valentine's Day.

Maybe it's because I don't need any more "socially acceptable" excuses to eat obscene amounts of chocolate and candy.

Maybe it's because I'm single and I don't appreciate a holiday that makes me feel insignificant or inferior compared to those who are "lucky enough" to be in a relationship.

Either way, this year I chose to avoid the commercialized hype by researching the origin of the so-called "holiday."
As is typical of many an American holiday, our present-day interpretation has nothing to do with the events and/or people associated with its creation.
The historical account of the holiday is centered around a man with the surname Valentine. Exactly who Valentine is, however, is actually somewhat mysterious. I found a number of different interpretations of the legend. This was my favorite interpretation:

“One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure.”

So okay, Saint Valentine was a romantic. His importance in the modern day holiday, however, is virtually non-existent. Cupid-the winged, arrow-wielding, practically naked adolescent of Roman mythology-gets more recognition!

My Freshman year of college, a bunch of my single friends and I got together and declared the day Singles Awareness Day. Our boycott included ordering pizza and watching Love Potion #9.

*Ironically, and perhaps a little disappointingly, the acronym for our anti-romance holiday turned out to be S.A.D. But it was a very fun night, not at all sad!

Single Ladies at the Sechrist front desk

Getting cozy on the infamous blue futon to watch the movie! (I'm holding Melvin, my stuffed moose and the "official" mascot of Sechrist hall!)

Two years later I spent Singles Awareness Day indulging my crush on Dr. Derek Shepherd (known as "McDreamy" on the TV show Grey's Anatomy). That was a lot of fun, too!!

Me and Becca (and Melvin the moose again!)

This year I officially named Melvin the moose my Valentine "by proxy." He's been around for the last five years, and I've never given him due credit!

Me and my man (I mean moose!) Melvin!!

Whether your day includes candy hearts and roses or not, remember to wish a happy "statehood" day to Arizona...the Grand Canyon State is 98 today!!