Speaking of Teddy...

Teddy Bear actually got in his new dog bed for about 30 seconds the other day. Miraculously, I had my camera in hand, so I snapped a few photos. Then he left the bed and Zoe took it over again. She loves it! Meanwhile, Jesse continues to enjoy his "donut", which is about half the size of him. Somehow, he manages to squeeze himself into it and sleep. Weirdo. Anyway, last week Teddy went in to the vet to get his snaggle-tooth removed; it was hanging out of his mouth crooked and turning brown - yuck! I waited a while to see if it would fall out, and I even tried giving it a tug or two, but I got grossed out and decided to let the vet handle it. Plus, I'm sure that it didn't feel so good for Teddy. They removed the tooth, and two more fell out when they were cleaning his teeth - poor geriatric puppy! The vet said that a lot of his larger molars had been shattered somehow, maybe by chewing bones or other hard things when he was younger. Yuck! But now, his teeth are all taken care of and I can't even smell his breath. Amazing!

Gettin' Crafty

Last Saturday was my third week in another series of sewing classes. I was originally going to sew up a little bag to match the skirt I sewed during the first two weeks, but on the spur of the moment I decided to whip up some Yule stockings for the kitties and doggy. I had some coordinating fat quarters that I used for the cats' stockings, and leftover fabric from my skirt for Teddy's bone stocking. The skirt turned out very well - my first zipper! - but I need someone to take a picture of me wearing it before I can show you what it looks like. Anyway, here are the stockings - too bad I won't be here to watch the critters enjoy them! Oh well - at least they'll get some treats while I'm visiting up in Portland/Camas.

The Exciting Adventures of Chemo Kitty

So, for all of you who are wondering how my Zoe is doing, here's the latest. After starting her on chemo about a month ago, my vet and I decided to take her off the treatment after a week; she was throwing up every day, her appetite had really decreased, and she'd gotten really dehydrated. For the next couple of weeks we worked on settling her stomach down, getting her appetite up, and making sure she stayed hydrated. Before I knew it, my old Zoe was back - she's put on a little weight (I think the prednisone is really helping with that), and is drinking plenty of water. I discovered that if I pretend that I'm getting myself a glass of water, she can't help but drink from "my" glass. She also likes to eat her dry food from these little desert dishes that I have - kind of like those on the "Fancy Feast" commercials. Anyway, my vet wanted to try the chemo again, but at a reduced dose and frequency. We had to get the chemo specially formulated because it's such a low dose, but after one week of treatment, Zoe seems to be doing ok. She has thrown up a few times, but not like before, and she's still eating, drinking, and running around looking cute. We're taking it week by week, and this week was good - hopefully, they will continue to get better!

On another note, Teddy Bear has a really bad snaggle-tooth that must come out. And apparently, I have $500 that must be spent on that. He goes in for that this Friday, so wish him luck! Poor bear - I think he'll feel better, though, and his breath will definitely smell better!

Another Apartment Nightmare - NOT a Halloween Story!

I wish this was a Halloween tale; alas, this is just the horrific story of my life on Morning View Drive. Last week we were informed that all of the pipes in each building are going to be replaced. So, we were to secure our valuables, have our pets contained, and move everything out of the bathroom and under the kitchen cabinets so that the plumbers could access the necessary areas. Luckily, Mark was here this past week - I got a call on Monday from the landlady that they wanted to enter my apartment and start work that day. So, Mark moved all my stuff into the living room. When I got home, I saw that this was going to be a lot more disruptive than originally anticipated - check it out:

My dining area; workers were supposed to be done by 4:30 each day, but were there until about 6:00. They moved all their crap out of the way, but all my furniture had to be shoved into the living room for about a week.

My bathroom - everything was moved into the living room. They took down the only mirror I have in the apartment!

My living room. Where's the couch??? How do I get to the litter boxes??? What the hell is going on here???

Anyway, I think the plumbing is done now. I think this week they will be patching the holes that were cut in the bathroom, dining room, and kitchen, then painting the whole thing. At some point they'll be coming in to clean the carpets, replace faucets and sinks, and the ceiling fan. At least, that's what I've been told. I told the landlady - gee, all these renovations are great, but I'm living here. What a pain! And, my rent will be going up. Surprise, surprise.

Halloween Pictures at Last!

It was a strange Halloween. I think the fires had a lot to do with it - I didn't decorate my house like I did last year, and I only got four groups of kids at my door. The good thing was that I didn't have any groups of little thugs this year, the bad thing was that I had a whole lot of candy left over. Anyway, a few people still got dressed up at work, me included. I was a tiger...grrr! And, I still put decorations up in my office. It's weird doing Halloween in SoCal - the weather was so warm, and it just doesn't feel like autumn, and that things are dying or going to sleep for winter. At any rate, here are some pictures - enjoy!

My office was very spooky. Besides the Halloween decorations, there are lots of project files and piles of papers that have yet to be addressed. Boo!

Cara, me, and Heidi (above).

My downstairs neighbor went a little nuts. When I came home from work, a gigantic pumpkin was leering at me, and all those skeletons? Yup, motion-activated cackling is what I was listening to all night long.