Signs of crafting

As shocking as it is I have been crafting.

Even more shocking is that I have actually finished something!

I wanted to do a Yule calendar for Tiny and when I noticed that Ikea had this spruce wall hanging (it glows in the dark! *grin*) it was obvious that I will use one as the base and use plastic rings for the gifts - and for the decorations. That way the calendar would be versatile, functional and decorative.

Thanks to clarithromycin I failed the deadline (it makes me awfully tired. That and waking up every night because of this nasty cough that sinusitis also gave me), but luckily Tiny's too young to understand that.

And first gift is waiting for tomorrow morning...

Second hand toy cars etc. is what his calendar is made of. But he wont mind, he loves his toy cars (and the movie!).

In other news

I have two additional kids nowadays. Furry, smelly and meowy kids. Cats, that is. *grin*

Vikke and Vilma are siblings, age approximately 7 months. (Which means that Vikke is going to get neutered VERY soon...)

Randomness

I love our (ante- and) postnatal nurse. Her opinion was that it's the best for the child that I have decided to balance our lives by leaving Tiny's father as it obviously was what was needed.
She also considers staying at home that legally allowed three years (i.e. I can still return to my old job, they can't sack me without an extremely good reason) as a good thing and not being irrational despite the fact that it will be tight financially.

And I want a cat. Now that Mr. Pets-Belong-To-Outdoors-And-Not-With-Humans-And-Cats-Are-Dangerous-To-Babies has left the building I can't help, but wanting a new cat... Masa is still alive and well, but he has his own herd now so I wouldn't even consider taking him back.
Fun thing is that due Mr. PBTOANWHACAD not being around since last October Tiny and I were at my mom's after Tiny was born (c-section and so on). And she had four cats (now there is three). But that is why Tiny is so healthy. I am surprised that my child has no allergies (that I know of) and he is rarely sick (he has had two minor colds), but it has to be all about those cats.
And young sir loves those cats to pieces. Admittedly cats don't always enjoy his love and excitement, but still... they are good pals.

At the moment I am waiting until Tiny gets older, but who knows...

Goodbye Mr. Furry Diabetes

 

Neko
June, 1999 - 20th of August, 2011

Apparently cancer won and Neko had to be put to sleep this morning.

Cats, Hedgehogs and a Squirrel

I thought I was looking after these guys...

... but it seems that I am also personal slave for two hedgehogs and personal lifesaver for one squirrel who loves cat food...

Yes, that squirrel is in a cage of a kind: my mom has outing space for cats on the patio. They can get out and in by themselves as long as the living room window is open.

It just isn't squirrel proof.

Rest in peace, Mr. Big Boss.

 

Seiichi, aka. Heikki

June, 1999 - 9th of March, 2011

 

Old boy had a stroke this morning and had fallen to eternal sleep while my mom was taking him to the vet. He'll be buried next to Her Highness to the garden at our mother's house.

Since when sedatives made you sleepy?

I was listing my cross stitch WIPs (41 and counting...) and found an old photograph of Ronja from one drawer:

This was taken when she was young (before coming to me at the age of ~seven).

Beautiful little lady she was. ^^

And now I am off to create a full inventory of my floss and embellishments... yes, I know it's almost 2 am and I should be sleeping.
I am not tired and Hubby is away for few days so it's a great opportunity to list everything I have without letting Him know how much I have exactly.

He is getting old...

I heard that Neko has cancer. He had a lump in his ear and my sister (Neko lives with her) took him to the vet to remove it. The lump was analyzed and it was malign. In today's check-up there was another growth (small) in his another ear so there is probably is a tumor somewhere, at least cancerous cells roaming poor kitty's bloodstream.

Nothing intrusive will be done to ensure Neko as comfortable old age as possible and when the cancer proceeds far enough Neko will join Ronja, Mash-Mash and all the others.

Kitties: The Boys a Decade Ago

These cute little kitties are Neko, Seiichi and Mash-Mash (R.I.P.; not to be confused with Masa) when they were still kitties.

 

Neko and Seiichi were watching early morning cartoons from television. (First of the pictures should be in phrase dictionaries under "Cute as a button".)

This guy was Mash-Mash. He grew up to be big and fat, before passing away just before his third birthday.

Writer's Block: Raining cats or dogs?

My regular readers know it already, but I would say that I am 99,9% cat person and 0,01% dog person.

I have met some nice (and non-smelly) dogs during my life, I was especially fond of ex-husband's sister's dog: he was kind, he did not smell like so many dogs do (sorry dog people, but they do) and he was a dog-sized dog (not too small, not too big).

Dan and I watched after The Dog at one point for a week and I really enjoyed it. Though, it was rather I who watched after The Dog, took him to his walks and everything. At that point I was doing night shifts and even I was extremely annoyed with Dan not waking up in the morning (it was 9 am when I got home and he was sound asleep... even when I tried to wake him up to take The Dog out and let me sleep (note that he was not working (actually he hasn't actually worked a day in his life even now, as far as I know))) and taking The Dog out I enjoyed immensely those long morning walks with it.

But, still I am a cat person, which probably explains why I had four of them not-so-long-ago.
Why? Cats are usually very neat, relaxed and don't demand long walks three times a day even if there is the worst snow storm out there. They are also annoyingly sweet with their bouts of jumping on walls and wanting to be petted at that very moment when you have something important to do.
Cats are loyal thinkers, who don't demand too much of you (usually - and Her Highness was Siamese so she does not count) and love you in their own personal, yet devoted ways.

Life is never boring with cats in the house.

I am not a roommate type anyway so I wouldn't consider someone who doesn't like cats as a roommate. Basically my fondness of being on my own if I am not in a relationship has kept me from that problem.

When it comes to partner... Well, I admit that cats moved away when Mr. Wonderful moved here even I had swore to myself that no man comes between me and my cats... Well, basically He didn't, boys still seems to like me:

(
This was taken when I was tending the boys when my mom was at her cabin in the end of February - admittedly it was bit difficult to tend the cats properly with sprained ankle)

I wouldn't say that He doesn't like cats, He is just not used to have animals living in the house. This is, I would say, the biggest cultural difference, to this date, we have actually confronted.

1996: Sweet Dreams Cranky Old Lady

Another furry Personality has moved to greener pastures.

Maila, aka. Pimu, aka. Mimmi ?.6.1994 - 3.12.2009
(She was my mom's so I don't know her exact DOB.)

Had she lived over Christmas she had been older than Her Highness was when she was put to sleep. It's suspected that she suffered from the same illness which took Ronja: kidney failure.

The Swine Swears It Wasn't Him

The story goes as follows: after six days on sick leave due sinusitis and bronchitis I happily went to work on last Tuesday... I was still on antibiotics.

Note that I was on antibiotics. (Yes, repetitive.)

During those four hours I started to feel sick again and measured my temperature. Turns out I have fever (being on antibiotics it's odd), but as it was only four hour day and I was almost finished anyway I stayed and went to see the doctor the following day (day 1 after antibiotics).

D: "It's possible that you have a virus which has been supressed by an opportunistic bacteria and now that the bacteria is dying/ had died the virus has better possibility to reproduce and spread around."

Me: "So, I may have, for example, The Swine Flu?"

D: "That is very much possible, but I can't say for sure because you simply have fever and muscle weakness."

By the end of the week I had gone through all the non-fatal symptoms of The Flu. On Monday I saw a doc, another doc. After telling him what symptoms I had had we had the following conversation:

D: "I won't make the test because you have no symptoms of influeza."

Me: WTF? So, you're basically saying that I have some odd virus which, oddly enough, has all the symptoms of the Flu and is as long lasting?

D: "... you must have sinusitis."

Me: Well, I rarely have fever when I have it, I have never been this sick with sinusitis and, the point here is that, my sinuses and face don't hurt."

D: *echoes my sinuses* "There's nothing here... You should get X-rayed... but I give you three days off, and if you're still sick come back and we X-ray your sinuses."

Me: *by herself* "Ok..."

So....

© 2006-2008 Hoosier Ag Today

Basically, after being bed-ridden for a week with all the non-fatal symptoms it may be too late to even diagnose the Flu if I have had it because I have an odd feeling of getting better.
I understand that this way the doc thinks he ensures that I get the vaccination (not that I am paranoid or anything ), but... I am highly suspicious about the stuff for various reasons, one of them being my know hypersensitivy to certain medications and tons of other stuff, so I am not too sure do I get it - seasonal one I will take, as usual.

(By the way, when it comes to Neko (Mr. Avatar Kitty) he's enjoying his new life at my sister's (don't ask how he ended there )- he even has a new Lady friend now: Neko & Tellervo.)

Kitties

As you may remember boys moved to my mother's when Mr. W. moved to Finland. Even though I am happy that they seem to enjoy their life at my mother's I am not completely sure what I should think about they liking it there more than here (I claim it comes with having bigger social setting as there is six cats now).

I base my theory of them liking it better there to certain evidence, like this picture. Neko loves to spend his days out nowadays, he even walks in to the (and back) cage by himself - Neko who in the past never went out at my mother's place unless he was taken there.
Seiichi, who is extremely shy cat ask food every morning - and he sleeps with my mother (he used to be afraid of her)!Masa, on the other hand, is his usual loving self.

Actually Seiichi seemed to be worried on Monday, when I went to see my mother, that I am taking him from there. He didn't come close to me before I told him that I was just visiting (even though I will go to look after them when Mr. W. travels)...

Regardless, it's good that they like it there.

30 o.O

I had my bestest (yup *grin*) gift when Mr. Wonderful wished me good birthday when I woke up. Having him here is the best gift I can possible have today - due our financial situation no huge gifts, but he gave me the sweetest card (which I have placed on top of the TV).

30 years old (I almost wrote 30 years odd...)

Oh mi gosh, etc.. I don't feel like thirty at all, but I have already noticed all the things coming from getting older: I got an invitation for the official PAP smear today... oh well, at least it's good for me. In addition to that I have to book an appointment to our nurse because I have been sick so many times between January - March. It has to be an one hour appointment, and for what? We just come to conclusion that asthma, customer service job and flu season are not a good combination.
But that is what my employer wants me to do so there I go.

And in addition to that there is another health check coming within next two months. Groovy. And I know that this time there is this "and how about your weight then?" conversation... though, I can tell them that I have lost whopping 12,5 kilos since March without any dieting and that we shouldn't meddle with what seems to going well.
Though... they could check my thyroid levels, just for future reference as it seems that our mother has hypothyroidism despite her levels being within so called normal levels. I just can't help, but wondering did I really have point with my suspicion of having hypothyroidism when I was prescribed antidepressants...

Well, what is my weight loss secret? I am not quite sure, but I guess that the combination of Mr. Wonderful and Nigerian food is the thing - that yummy okra soup he makes every now and then may be big contributor in this. (This is interesting.)
One thing I am sure of: I am not complaining.

Her Highness

Thank you for your condolences.
She was put to sleep after, this is what the vet thought, her kidneys had failed. Poor dear couldn't control her bowel or bladder any more so it was just gentle to let her go.
My mother took her with her and buried Her Highness somewhere in her cabin's garden.

In general: odd changes

I have noticed extremely odd change in me lately: I like to shop and I am actually looking forward to buy *GASP* more *GASP* feminine clothes (what, aren't jeans and T-shirt feminine enough?! I am getting scary!) in future - and I have started to wear *GASP* earrings.
What boggles me almost as much is that I have this odd mania for turquoise stones (or glass pieces, whatever) - in general I have a thing for turquoise which I can't explain...
I have even grown my hair longer because He asked to (and it's not dark anymore, more like dark, bright red).

Should I be worried or should I just come to conclusion that I am in love?

Sweet dreams Little Lady

Mira Cassiopeia, aka. Ronja

26.12.1993 - 29.6.2009

Ground Control to Major Tom... (title in courtesy of David Bowie)

Yes, I am still alive, though I wonder where last month has disappeared. Time simply has been running away from me and I haven't been able to catch it yet.

Think of it: in my opinion DCLH came to Finland just yesterday, or day before it and actually he has been here for 6½ weeks already!
No, I am not complaining, vice versa, but still I am baffled. Though, I guess that I should have noticed time passing from the fact that my brother has seen DCLH and we have been eating lasagna for about six times already (He *loves* my lasagna ^^).

I guess I have become the White Rabbit from Alice in the Wonderland.

I just hope that I am soon getting back on track... well, I have my first holiday period in late May so maybe then. Here's for hoping.

Changes

There has been a major change in life, in addition to Mr. Wonderful moving in: cats moved (as it seems that He has somesort of an allergy - at least he's not sneezing as much now).

Boys went to live with my mother and they seem to love it there, which makes me feel good as I was worrying about them being separated from Her Highness - but apparently lack of Her Highness is not much of an issue because now they have three new buddies to live with. I have heard that even Seiichi, the Shy Cat, has got into good terms with my mother which is very much from him. ^^
Her Highness moved to live with my brother, because they love each other and my mother doesn't like her that much - if my brother hadn't took her she probably would have been put to sleep and that was not an option because, even though she's old and cranky, she's still relatively healthy for a Siamese of her age. Apparently she's enjoying it there with two younger cat ladies as I haven't heard anything opposite.

Work

Unlike so many others I am still working, actually slaving my butt off as our finances have been quite lousy lately - DCLH hasn't been able to find any kind of job yet (guy has B.Sc. and he speaks four languages) and all my sick leaves affected to my income and bills fell behind... it makes a nice merry-go-round. Hopefully things will clear out, financially, in May as it seems now.

I haven't even been stitching in months, before few days ago - and it's still few stitches now and then...

So, this is my story for now. I try to be around more, but you know where I am if I am not (at work ).

Advantages of being sick

I haven been stitching, not much, but that is much more than I have managed lately. Those antibiotics are bad for my stitching though as they make me tired and I can't concentrate on anything after I take my daily pill.

And, I surprised myself yesterday and spent some lovely hours with my designing software - and actually designed few things, couple of them got finished yesterday and some are still waiting for some fine tuning.
I have to say that I am very pleased with the big design I finished yesterday, I have actually already been looking for the right floss (I need something "desert-y". burmt umbra, burnt orange, muted...) for it, but I guess it is one of those cases which require lucky accidents. (ETA: 12-Grain, Colonial Copper, Just Rust)

Otherwise life is going on: I am getting better and cats are enjoying extra company (my sister came here yesterday, which means that there is 10 cats now in this two bedrooms apartment ).

Her Highness The Old Lady

A bit over a year ago she was still looking like a well fed, sleek cat:

This is how she looks nowadays:

She looks healthy, her fur is shiny and soft, but she's slowly fading away. When she came eight years ago she weighed six kilos, nowadays she's barely four and even though she eats well (canned food 2-3 times a day and some dry food when she feels like it) she's slowly getting thinner.

I am quite certain she has cancer, but why I don't take her to see a vet? Because she's almost 15 years old the chances are thin that she would get operated or if she did her chances to survive through the operation would be as thin.
She's not in pain, she's happy, she eats well and takes care of herself, so I have decided that even she probably has cancerous tumor somewhere I am not even trying to cure her: she is an old cat and very old Siamese and I believe that she has the right to live rest of her life with dignity, without operations which could kill her and without me knowing for sure that she is terminally ill.
If/ when she becomes too weak to take care of herself or has apparent pains I will take her to the vet and do the right thing.

I just believe that she has a right to enjoy the rest of her days without any excess stress.

Y-A-W-N

At least I can say that I get enough hours: today I will be working 9 hours (why wouldn't I, I get 19,20 €/h because it is Sunday), get back home very late, get to sleep about 5 hours before I have to wake up and head back to work again.

Admittedly I am a bit tired, but I am slowly getting used to this pace so some day I will have energy to stitch again. Now I just hope that no one gets sick before/ at Wednesday so I can have my day off then, sleep late (9 am is late, right? ) and concentrate on household chores and stitching. (I haven't blogged about my new, lovely stash either so it's time for that too then!)

Cats

Masa has found a new hobby this week: hunting birds.
As it's getting cold I have started winter feeding local birds and even the fat balls are hanging high some seeds fall on the balcony floor and some birds eat the seeds from the floor... and Masa, when he's out, can attack them.
I managed to save one bird from Masa when he brought it inside alive (it was able to fly so I let it go), but yesterday he brought a dead bird in.

Of course I let him to eat it, even at first he didn't seem to be too interested of his snack: I had to put boys outside and throw the bird with them, after some playing with the corpse Masa did the right thing and ate it.

Nowadays Masa has a collar with a little jingle bell in order to warn the birds about him.

Sunday Afternoon Poses

If she were a human she would have become a model, I guess, as she posed on my request. o.O

And a bit earlier Masa was enjoying "Granny's" applesauce on a slice of pancake:

Well...

... The internet connection did work, but I had nothing interesting to say: I spent my time scrubbing and cooking - and now I spend my time scrubbing until Thursday afternoon.

I must say that it's so very quiet here without my dears, but I'll go and get them back home tomorrow.