Brain Droppings, Part Three

Bits and pieces of randomness...

1. My dad turned 77 on Tuesday, July 14th. On the Saturday before his birthday, the family got together to celebrate. My sister and her husband just had a pool installed, so we spent the afternoon swimming, soaking up the sun, and sipping the kick ass piña coladas my stepmother made. That evening, after a meal of barbecue pulled pork, corn casserole, baked beans, fried zucchini, and jello poke cake, we played a few rounds of Codenames. It was so much fun!
2. My local YWCA re-opened after the July 4th holiday, so my best friend Kelly and I started back up with our twice weekly water aerobics class. I'm hoping that the extra activity will help jump start my metabolism, as I'm currently dealing with my first weight loss plateau. It's frustrating as hell.
3. I bought new living room furniture. The new couch and armchair are scheduled to be delivered on July 20th, so I'm now faced with the conundrum of how to get the old couch moved out of the house and disposed of. The store saleslady gave me a list of charitable organizations that offer free pickup of furniture donations, but every single one I called turned me down when I mentioned there was slight damage on one of the couch's arms. Are you freaking kidding me?!?! My brother said he could help me this weekend, but I don't see how the two of us are going to be able to move it without giving ourselves hernias in the process. We might have to take it apart first to get it out the door. Stay tuned.
   
   
   
4. My pug Backes had an appointment at the vet office to get his nails trimmed and I was horrified to learn that one of his back dew claws had become ingrown and infected. I had seen him chewing that paw incessantly, but just assumed it was his allergies making him uncomfortable. No wonder his Apoquel wasn't bringing him relief...poor baby! He's doing much better now that the claw has been trimmed and he's taking an antibiotic. I'm such a bad doggie mama😢
5. I wasn't going to announce this until they were home with me, but I can't wait any longer! Meet my new kittens, Emmet and Gideon. They were born June 25, so it will be late August or early September before they’re fully weaned and ready to leave their mama. I've never had more than one cat at a time...any experienced multiple cat moms or dads out there who are willing to share tips or advice with me?
   
   
   

Misophonia, Table For One

I know Backes has allergies and can't help it, but damn, the sounds of his licking, chewing, and snorting is enough to make me want to puncture my ear drums so I don't have to hear it any more. Seriously. I thought giving him a Benadryl at night would help alleviate his symptoms, and while it does help initially, it usually wears off around 3 a.m. and the licking/chewing cycle starts anew. Sigh. Guess I'm going to have to call the vet for a prescription to give him (and me) relief.

Up Yours, Snotty!

I really love starting off the week by getting bitched at by a neighbor.

I was walking Backes and he did what most dogs do while on a walk- he lifted his leg and peed on the first available thing of interest on the street, which happened to be said neighbor’s car tire. We walked a little farther up to the corner, he peed on the stop sign pole and on a clump of weeds, and then we were on our way back home. No sooner were we at the foot of my driveway when the neighbor comes out of the house and down to her car and yells, “Thanks for letting your dog piss on my car! What the hell?” Now, I’ve never had a problem with this woman in the few times we’ve interacted, so I was caught off guard by her nasty attitude. I mean, he peed a little on her damn tire. It’s not like he took a big crap in her yard and I left it there¹. I offered an apology but she kept mumbling obscenities to herself and then drove off.

As pissed as I was, I bought a card and inserted a $20 bill for a car wash, with an apology from Backes. If she can’t get over it, she can shove the money and that card up her fat ass.

¹The kicker? Her dog, an overly aggressive old Chow Chow, has pooped in my yard twice, but do you see me acting like a big jerk over it?