Daily Meanderings

My Disturbing Encounter with Hoarders

2011-08-23T01:53:00.004-05:00

Soooo....I just got unfriended on Facebook by an acquaintance from my Orchid Society. I'm not surprised by it. This woman's story is so disturbing I needed to vent about it somewhere, and it's too long for Facebook, so voila!, here it is.

So, this woman's 50ish, I'm guessing, and as Midwest as you can get. But I thought they were a little more cosmopolitan because they'd lived in NY for a while before moving back. Anyway, Susan and I chatted for a bit at a meeting since we were both newish members, and found out we also had cats and the symphony in common. The last society meeting we just ended up chatting away, and spent an enjoyable afternoon hanging out. She made a lot of somewhat strange statements, but I sorta shrugged it off. Her husband pretty much dictated what, when, and how she did. Exaggerated, surely! They'd gotten hooked on estate shopping, and they were starting to get filled to the rafters. Even the garage was stuffed! Exaggerated, again, right?

Next weird story: John wouldn't let the cats get spayed/neutered, but the cats started multiplying up to THIRTY-TWO cats. A friend staged an intervention and insisted they s/n, so get THIS - the two of them snuck them out of the house in batches so he wouldn't know. Just his "fav" guy is still intact and roaming outside, btw. Had to be a hell of a friend, because she also got him to finally consent to rehoming most of the cats, so they're down to 6.

Apparently I am waaaay too understanding and non-believing of her stories, because none of that deterred me from agreeing to lunch a few weeks later.

Sooooo.....she wants me to check out all her orchids and the cats and believes I'll appreciate her hubby's art since I'm an art historian. So we get to a pretty big house, looks ok, kinda overgrown and unkempt but that's nature, right? She opens the door and I'm immediately assaulted by an unbelievable stench of cat piss. It was HARD to be in there, I couldn't really breathe, and my eyes started to sting. I was floored.

Or I thought I was. I'd suddenly walked into an episode of "Hoarders". The house was packed to the rafters with crap EVERYWHERE. There were "collectibles" in every single nook and cranny, and there were thin little paths cutting through all the crap enough for single file walking in some places, others I had to climb over. Orchids were all around, but none were being cared for. The guy's office was spectacular. There was barely room to squeeze between the piles and piles of papers and neatly stacked mail from the floor to the ceiling, all brown from age and dust. It looked like nothing had been cleaned for years.

The cats were separated, some upstairs and some in the basement, and there were piles of paper plates with dried cat food, crumbs everywhere, and when we went down to the basement I thought I'd pass out from the cat piss stench, dried piles of cat food, and flood damage.

I could go on and on about the house and all the other insane things she said, but it'll take pages, so I won't. Bottom line: I was SHOCKED. I realized that she really meant the things she said!! About her freakishly controlling husband, the whole lot. OMG!!

Anyway, we still facebooked each other, and she said she'd definitely invite me with her and her husband to the next estate sale. I wondered.

A month later I finally remembered her because she sent me an email today, so I thought I'd check her wall, only she'd unfriended me! Not a big loss, but curiosity prompted me to do a search and pull her up - she's not very computer-savvy, and all her info was public. She'd always had almost non-existent wall activity, but it was a shock to see that only her 3 family members remain as friends on her page. She'd unfriended ALL 15 or 16(?) of her "friends". I thought he'd just forbid her from talking to me anymore, but this wholesale unfriending business is still very disturbing to me.

The email she sent was very friendly, letting me know of an event I may be interested in, but very firm in hinting that she's just sooooo busy there's no chance of getting together for the foreseeable future. I wonder if her husband also reads her email. I wonder what other "privileges" he took away from her.

I feel so sad for her. This is still blowing my mind. I am soooo getting miles away from these people.

Bit of Self-Improvement Boasting!

2011-08-17T01:47:00.000-05:00

I've been up to some good self-improvement stuff (ok, not earth-shattering or anything, LOL) but enough for me to boast about it. Share your recent self-improvement, big or small, and join me for a mutual pride-fest!

1. My super-organized walk-in. Bought a whole bunch of drawers, bins and shelves, and now I have a bitchin' setup. I filled FOUR large black garbage bags to the brim and donated them. I flat out dumped one garbage bag too. Just yesterday I realized that I need to let go of more. The 80s and 90s want their remaining clothes back, AND I don't need to dress like a 60 year old (yet)!

2. My continuing house organization. I've gotten most rooms, except my office and basement, to my satisfaction (But not obsessive. Ok, maybe it is.) I've finally got a couple nice armchairs for the library, it's all done.

3. Makeup!! Yesterday I went to Sephora and Ulta for the first time ever, and bought some new updated items. TRIED them first, so it won't be a surprise at home, like drugstore buys. I also dumped out one large shopping bag's worth of cosmetics, samples and perfumes. Some were twenty YEARS old!! Embarrassing. Keeping new items with bad colors won't change the fact it was a waste of money and I can't return it.

4. More social activities for my hobbies. I've done some paint-by-numbers with wine club, fun!, wine club, and joined a French and Spanish club to practice speaking. Still looking for a Chinese club and volunteering at the museum.

5. Upcoming - haircut. I HATE salons, they often fuck up my hair. But it still needs cutting. So we'll see about this new salon, Michael's supposed to be good.

Woohoo! I'm sure I'll have more to post soon.

Ginza Got His Dental Cleaning

2011-08-05T15:23:00.001-05:00

He's recovering very nicely from Monday's dental. I found an all cat clinic out here in the burbs, so I was happy. The whole vet team were all very nice, and I could tell they all take good care of their patients.

I took him back to his waiting room cage, where his name was written right on top, which I liked. Everything was clean, smelled good and disinfected, and very organized. Since we also wanted to get a urine sample, I tried to encourage him to go, but he hissed when he smelled the cage, perfectly normal. He looked so scared and confused to see me go, bit heartbreaking, but all the nice techs made me feel better.

The vet called right at noon to tell me everything had gone well, went over everything that was done, and the urine results (normal!). Poor baby had 3 little teeth taken out, but everything else was very good. So happy and relieved to pick him up right at 3pm (you know I was a worrying nervous wreck.)

Pixie was so cute, chatting nonstop all morning, I think asking where Ginza was. When he got home, though, she wasn't pleased with his smell at all, so she hissed away like no one's business for 3 days! So cute. Everything finally back to normal yesterday, everyone's eating together again.

Now he's tapping my knee asking for lunch. Too cute!

Sprint's Nexus S4G 'See More Cats' Commercial

2011-06-16T10:22:00.001-05:00

AWWWWW! Loving this commercial. Good timing too, need a new phone!

Pixie - The Puzzlement Continues

2011-04-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

So Pixie seemed to be ok the day after the last fever, but then she was lethargic again the next day. So off she went to another vet, and again, nothing obvious. The new vet seems nice, but maybe a little too surgery-happy, but it's just a feeling. Anyway, here we are a week later. We've been observing her closely, and she's not quite right, but there's nothing we can pinpoint still. Besides being frustrating, it's scary worrying about when she's going to fall ill again, and if she won't rebound again.

Pixie Has A Fever Again

2011-03-22T19:51:00.000-05:00

That 24 hour virus is back, she ate half-heartedly last night, then looked lethargic. Took her temp at midnight, she was 104.2. Stayed up the whole night to watch her, then took her temp again at 5:30am, and she was back down to 102, thankfully. She's ok now, just a little subdued as she recovers. So frustrating not know what the hell this is.

Plain Brown Tabby Treats!

2011-03-07T12:19:00.011-06:00

Always enjoy doing business with Plain Brown Tabby, everything's always exactly as described, oftentimes even better! The kitties can always tell when the box is theirs, they're jumping all over it while I'm finding the scissors to cut it open, LOL. They've all gone nuts over the latest new toy, the Kitty Cuddler with Valerian spiced Catnip. I barely got them out of the box before they were all over 'em! Enjoy the video.

Book - Red Harvest, Dashiell Hammett

2011-03-06T13:12:00.001-06:00

I haven't read about that much blood since Dexter, and that's a lot. Practically everyone dies in this book, there couldn't have been anyone left in that town after the Continental Op's done with it! Although some of the sayings are too dated even for me to get, and the plot was extremely convoluted, I found this an excellent read. The whole hard-boiled, spare writing really drove the book forward.

Ginza Pics

2011-03-02T02:10:00.001-06:00

Barcelona, Spain

2011-03-02T02:00:00.001-06:00

Had a fun time last week in Barcelona, all the way up to the severe food poisoning on our last day, so I missed the Picasso Museum and Parc Guell, so something to look forward to next visit. It was cold and drizzly. Most of the people were really friendly, except for several of the cab drivers and restaurateurs of more tourist-driven places. I also met the NICEST cab driver who took me from the airport to the hotel, Condes de Barcelona. He spoke very little English, but I spoke enough Castilian to carry a very entertaining conversation with him, and he didn't think my accent sucked. Haha. I adored walking all around gawking at the marvelous architecture everywhere.

Book - A Season For The Dead

2011-03-02T01:18:00.002-06:00

David Hewson. Interesting if kinda weak plot, ok characters but couldn't get them 3-dimensional. The writing is sorta hideous, though. Not the worst I've read, but pretty down there.

Some psycho is running around killing people in the style of the Catholic martyrs, and they all happen to have known the same woman, who's some gorgeous but aloof and secretive babe. Two partners thrust together unwillingly get involved in the case, and adventure ensues. Set in Rome, which was nice.

Dexter Series

2011-03-02T01:12:00.000-06:00

We've finished the Dexter TV series 1, 2, and 3, and are getting ready for 4. We just needed a break from all that blood and violence for a little while. We really like the series, it's well done, and I don't even mind the lead (I don't like him at all, for no reason, really).

Meanwhile, I've read the book series:

- Darkly Dreaming Dexter
- Dearly Devoted Dexter
- Dexter in the Dark
- Dexter By Design

I'm planning to read Dexter is Delicious soon, I got the audiobook, but it's not as enjoyable for me as reading an actual book. So, they're pretty good fast reads, like fast food snacks. The TV adaptation significantly departs from the books except for the first book, so don't expect to get the same thing or you'll be rather disappointed. The third in the series has been panned, but I thought it was right in keeping with the whole theme in general. The author's been practically hitting us over the head about the existence of the Other, so why such violent reaction when he expands on it? I found it interesting.

Anyway, good reads, very violent, very bloody, very graphic, but not utterly repugnant and nightmarish like American Psycho.

Easy Rawlins

2011-03-02T00:54:00.000-06:00

Ever since I saw the movie "Devil in A Blue Dress" I had the book series on my list. So I was very excited when I reached it, and I blew through Little Scarlet, Cinnamon Kiss, and Blonde Faith (the last three in the series in order) and wanted MORE!!! I'm so sad the series was over, although I'm also very pleased with the decision to go out on top of the game.

Very well written books, very evocative and atmospheric period L.A., with a fascinating character. The mysteries are slightly weak in plot, but very forgivable.

Loved, loved, loved.

Update

2011-03-02T00:46:00.000-06:00

I've been having a fun time on Facebook, but it takes up my allotted leisure online time, so this blog's been a major casualty. Even more interesting, a few people I don't know have already asked to friend me, but I'm just not into all about building my "friends" number, as so many of them seem to! Makes me a seriously old fogey, but apparently a pretty secure one. Humble brag. Haha.

But I love my blog, and here I can just talk and talk about my favorite subjects without being a bore. People who come to this blog know exactly what they'll find here.

Anyway, enough of that. I'm still around.

Not So Active Blogger

2010-12-05T00:10:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to get back out in the world, and part of that process was to get more active on Facebook. I'm very happy sharing some stuff I share on this blog over there, since I don't talk about anything really depressing here, about the family especially, which is such a nice break for me. This blog fulfills my goal of having all the things I love in one place - I flip thru my old posts, and I smile about my varied interests, the things that give me enjoyment. Facebook isn't going to replace this, but I am trying to spend a little more time there, so meantime, this blog suffers a bit, but only a bit, because obviously I'll be more active here again.

Kayla Judges New Blooms

2010-11-16T14:42:00.000-06:00

Hmmm, uh-oh, she's not looking too impressed. Tough crowd!

From Kitties

Hmmm - Not Sure - Think Ginza Likes His Electric Blanket?

2010-11-11T11:33:00.002-06:00

From Kitties

Mutant Phal

2010-11-09T12:11:00.003-06:00

Not sure if it was the heat or what. Odd looking. Hopefully it's not a trend, since it was fine back when I bought it in bloom.

From Blooming Orchids!

What's Blooming Now

2010-11-09T12:06:00.003-06:00

My noid catt (Cal White), several phals, noid zygo (Kiwi Geyser), and Blc Hawaiian Wizard 'Carmela' with two buds.

From Blooming Orchids!

From Everything Else Orchids

Sherlock Series

2010-11-07T23:26:00.000-06:00

Excellent!!! Just finished watching the last in the three-part series, and I'm very happy. Very well done, very entertaining, well thought out. All the characters work, and they managed to convey a little victoriana feel to the modern setting without being ham-fisted about it.

Glad it seems well-received and popular, so hopefully that ensures a new series will be out soon.

Playing The Temperature Game

2010-11-04T13:57:00.000-05:00

I really shouldn't be risking the cyms like this, but after that unpleasantly hot summer, I want to give them as much cold as I can. The basement is surprisingly warm still, which is disappointing. I was hoping for much cooler temps.

So it's a tightrope act between just enough cold and disaster. We're getting down into the 30s now, which I haven't subjected them to before. Have seen posts that say they can deal with that. Can't decide when to water, etc. They're set to come in next week, when I see the forecast coming for the 20s.

In addition to the tarp, have been throwing a packing quilt over them. May double that for the next couple nights.

Right Now - Jazz Showcase

2010-10-31T21:31:00.004-05:00

Cyms Sheltered From Rain

2010-10-24T16:04:00.001-05:00

Exceedingly crude and ugly, but effective. Just for a few days anyway.

REC and Quarantine

2010-10-21T17:51:00.001-05:00

I haven't watched any American horror movies in a very long time. They're geared only for the juvenile teeny-boppers, and full of pointless hacking/slashing, which is unappealing to me, even back in the day. (Never got into the Friday 13th/Halloween crap.) But recently I caught a couple minutes of Quarantine playing on TV, and it seemed intriguing. I also like the lead, Jennifer Carpenter. Cute. Not the usual idiotic fare. So I DVRd it when it reran. Hubby decided to watch with me, very surprising, since he usually avoids this genre.

So the story is about a reporter and her cameraman doing a puff piece on firefighters, and in the course of responding to a call-out, ends up quarantined in an apartment building with a mysterious illness spreading among its residents. We both really enjoyed it! It was well-done, tense and suspenseful, and all the zombies running around weren't over the top corny. Good outline of a plot, just enough to not be stupid, very interesting premise. I really liked the live-action documentary feeling of the hand-held camera, which brought an immediacy and intensity to the action.

I found out that it was a remake of a Spanish movie, REC, and that was being offered OnDemand, so watched that too. It was very good, much better than the American version. But don't get me wrong, the Am version does a very good job this time matching the original. Don't quote me, but I *think* the same director/producer made both, and shot for shot matched up, so that would explain why it retained most of its goodness. Yeah, yeah, ripoffs of other movies abound - Jody Foster groping around blindly awash in green night-vision, for instance. Blair Witch-y, etc. But it's all done well.

Overall, I was very pleased to see that the horror genre hasn't gone completely off the rails. We were both very entertained without feeling like it was a pointless hack-fest.

Holding Breath - Kitties Seem Ok

2010-10-20T23:54:00.000-05:00

Last temp reading for Pixie at 11:30pm was 101º. She's subdued, but responding to treaties, eating well, but not talking much. Hopefully she doesn't suffer a relapse. Still very worried about her.

Kayla thankfully ate a whole can tonight, then wanted a snack afterward too, and is now sprawled on my lap purring. Whew.

Kayla Approves New Bed

2010-10-20T18:39:00.001-05:00

Freshly laundered blankie and a heating pad underneath - the best!

Blooming Soon - Hopefully

2010-10-20T14:25:00.001-05:00

Both noids, a zygo and a catt.

Pixie's Better But It's Kayla's Turn

2010-10-20T14:18:00.001-05:00

Thankfully Pixie's fever's gone, but now she's started to have a lower temp.

11:30am 99.8º
1:30pm 99.6º

Will have to keep an eye on it. She's eating normally, and meowing when disturbed again, but subdued, as she would be from having had such a high fever.

But now Kayla refused to eat breakfast, and she's extra clingy today, demanding to sit on my lap and following me everywhere today. Worried.

Pixie's Got A Fever Again

2010-10-20T03:47:00.003-05:00

Been waiting for it to recur again, and it has. Around 11pm she started looking down, now it's almost 4am, and she seems to be getting better again.

12:30am 104.6º
1:30am 106º + freaked me out, she let me put a wet towel on her, not even a peep
2:30am 104º ready for the vet, whew, will wait now
3:30am 103.4º even took some treaties, even purred a bit for daddy
4:30am 102.8º even purred for me, bit feistier. Oh thank god.

Will go get some rest now and leave her alone to get better. Fingers crossed it doesn't flare up again while I'm sleeping.

Book - The Art Thief

2010-10-15T12:53:00.005-05:00

OMG. What can I even say about this thing? I think this is the first negative review I've done so far on this blog. I HATE having to trash a book featuring subjects so near and dear to my heart - art, especially Caravaggio, and mystery. BUT.....this thing BLOWS big-time. It was so awful that I almost gave up. This is only the 4th ever book I've ever contemplated not finishing, except I was hoping for a good ending. Nope - the convoluted, Oceans-11-type rip-off ending really took the cake. As it stood, it was a painful, 1.5 week trudge that had me continuously rolling my eyes. (I usually finish books within a couple days.)

The writing was absolutely horrendous. Ugly. Tenses change mid-sentence!!! Awkward. Pretentious. Charney didn't seem to find a metaphor he couldn't resist, which in itself is not a sin, but the results were painful, often ludicrous, ugly and forced. The characters...what characters? Plot? Disjointed. The guy must have had deluded expectations of this being turned into a Da Vinci Code, since it reads more like some ridiculously bad movie script.

Thankfully I've been calmed down by the next book on my list, The Devil in The White City, which I can tell already from the first chapter that it's well-written.

Extra Bonus - Pretty Botanical Garden

2010-10-08T18:12:00.001-05:00

Helping Set Up Tables For Orchid Show

2010-10-08T18:10:00.001-05:00

Inspecting The Library

2010-10-03T15:54:00.001-05:00

Potinara Full Circle

2010-10-02T11:00:00.004-05:00

The color darkened from the pale pink on day 1 to this pretty deep pink. AND it became wonderfully fragrant too!

From Blooming Orchids!

Hmmmm, just checked this out on the website, and it's too light in this pic, it's really a bright deep pink. But one can't expect too much from a mobile camera.

Orchid Winter Setup Continues

2010-10-02T10:45:00.003-05:00

From Everything Else Orchids

Second shelf and lights all up and running. Glad I got the largest humidifier, cause at top running it's still just hovering around 50%. Got enough space for everything except the phals, but the lights are so bright I'm hoping to get away with a smaller shelf in between the two units.

Pixie Sunning In The Library

2010-10-01T10:50:00.001-05:00

First Lighting Shelf Is Up

2010-10-01T10:46:00.002-05:00

From Everything Else Orchids

Started with the tallest, there's one last slot for Catt Chocolate Drop right in the front. Lookin' good!!

Now Blooming

2010-09-30T10:03:00.001-05:00

This is supposed to be Pot Full Circle, but I think it may have been mislabeled, since it doesn't have the expected full frilly petals expected of the cross. No fragrance, disappointing, but still very pretty.

Blooming - My Oldest Catt

2010-09-28T12:24:00.003-05:00

Yippee! It survived the trip, didn't blast, and now both buds have opened since I took the pic this morning. This is my Mr. Reliable, a Noid that's put up with all manner of torture over 18 years and still puts out these beautiful fragrant flowers. Cheers for Noids!!

From Blooming Orchids!

Today's Orchid Haul

2010-09-26T17:20:00.002-05:00

Everything in the box from Oak Hill, then a couple odds and ends from Hausermann's.

Blc Ahchung Emerald 'Water'
Catt dowiana v aurea
Catt dowiana 'Costa Rica'
L purpurata
L purpurata carnea x 2
L purpurata v. werkhauseri 'Blue Sky'
L tenebrosa x 2
Pot Yellow Glory 'Peach Surprise'
Phal bellina violacea 'Borneo'
Angraecum superbum
Encyclia radiata
Paph delenatii

Right Now - Buddy Guy's Legends

2010-09-22T21:45:00.001-05:00

Right Now - Orchids Have Arrived!!!!

2010-09-22T14:31:00.001-05:00

Came a day early! FedEx guy thought that was a lot of boxes, we thought there'd be more, LOL. Conscripted Hubby to help since he's taken the day off, 104 orchids later, we're done.

Right Now - Rosa's Lounge

2010-09-21T23:47:00.000-05:00

Right Now - Mag Mile

2010-09-21T16:50:00.001-05:00

Right Now - Chicago Architecture Tour On The River

2010-09-21T13:16:00.001-05:00

The Orchids Are Coming!!

2010-09-20T15:19:00.000-05:00

I got the FedEx trackers just now, they've left their boarding facility! 140 lbs of plants, woohoo. Anxiously awaiting them on Thursday. Feel really bad that I'm taking them from their pampered surroundings in their giant greenhouses in the wonderful Bay Area climate to this looooovely Midwest weather. At least we're not being baked to death anymore....for now. Next up....getting frozen to death. Joy, joy.

So excited about getting back my collection!!!!!!!

Right Now - Glencoe Roast Coffee

2010-09-12T11:04:00.002-05:00

Pixie Had A Fever Again

2010-09-11T14:50:00.000-05:00

Last night, same thing happened - she was happy and chipper in the morning, started sleeping around 4pm, maybe, then lethargic by dinnertime. A little better than the last time, she lifted her head a little. Sure enough, she had a temp again, 104.6º. We decided against taking her in again unless she went up to 105º, since the symptoms were the same. We just kept an eye on her most of the night. I syringe-dribbled water every 15 minutes for her, gave her some vit C. Took her temp again at midnight, and it was 104º.

2am, she stirred a bit, and just like last time, she came down for a bite! Ate a whole can, then back to rest upstairs. We decided she'd gotten over the worst, so definitely no ER, stopped water. We finally got some sleep.

This morning she's back to normal, temp 101º, chatting up a storm, big appetite. Gotta say, the internet is a most wonderful place. We found so much info on FUOs - fever of unknown origin, that helped us make informed decisions about Pixie's care, not panicking and racing her off the the ER again and stressing her out. We decided a few more tests next week to rule out the next level of baddies - we didn't get tests for FIP, toxo, and thyroid - slim possibilities, but better safe than sorry.

These were excellent sources of info for us:

Merck Veterinary Manual - Fever of Unknown Origin
Webvet - Fever in Cats
Ask The Vet - Kitty with Unexplained High Fever

Today's Cute Kitty Pics

2010-09-09T10:57:00.002-05:00

Cobbled Two Ikea Expedits Together

2010-09-04T21:22:00.002-05:00

Simple brace to hold the two units together.

Finished product!

Aftermath

2010-09-02T10:52:00.001-05:00

Done - went very smoothly, no surprises. No obvious cracks, but he doesn't rule it out completely.

Right Now - Dentist

2010-09-02T09:31:00.001-05:00

Nervously waiting for a 2 hour procedure. Not a good way to start the day!

Kayla At Play

2010-08-31T14:28:00.002-05:00

No More Flower Posts

2010-08-30T23:40:00.001-05:00

Last post for a loooong time with a "flower" tag. Just took a look over all my pics of the gorgeous flowers that I left behind, and am heartbroken. It took so long to get such a nice collection, and it's gone, gone, gone. Sob, sob.

Ok, done mourning my flower loss. Onwards with the orchids. At least I refused to leave them behind, very excited they're on their way in a couple weeks.

Pixie's Doing Well

2010-08-29T11:49:00.000-05:00

Back to her feisty self, she got really pissed off when I took her temperature, LOL. Eating well, running around, curious. Very relieved.

No idea what it might have been.

Back Home And Pixie's Eating

2010-08-29T02:46:00.002-05:00

Whew! Decided to try tempting Pixie with some food, and she ate like a horse. Yippee. Looking night and day already, she's wandering around some and meowing away. Not a perfect resolution, but at least all the major stuff was ruled out.

We're exhausted, going to hit the sack now.

Right Now - With Pixie At The ER

2010-08-29T00:56:00.002-05:00

Poor little girl is feeling so crappy and we torture her with the vet. She's scared to death and peed all over the floor while I was holding her.

She's got a 104.5 fever. So far urine tests are negative for UTI - not good. and kidneys are good.

Ok, vet back blood tests all good - idiopathic diagnosis. Nothing else to be done for now. Subcu. anti-inflam and antibiotics and we'll be off.

Orchid Boo-boo

2010-08-27T13:35:00.000-05:00

Crap. Crappity-crap-crap. Broke the newest growth on Lc Tokyo Magic x C Little Dipper this morning. Kicking myself.

Kayla's Sunning

2010-08-27T09:43:00.001-05:00

Officially Declared War On The Pests

2010-08-24T17:43:00.002-05:00

Ok. Chemicals have been chosen and used today. I hate chemicals. But you try scrubbing 52 tubs of cyms with rubbing alcohol/dishwashing soap over and over without getting into the crevices and roots and get back to me next year when you've finished.

(BTW, OMFG, the Home Depots here in Chicagoland have never heard of shade cloth. Little bitty me had a phalanx of 6 guys all scratching their heads and consulting with each other. I snarkily told them HDs in California stock it. (Yup, my petty little I-miss-California-oh-so-much attitude came out. Deal with it.)

Anyway, where was I - yeah.....Mealies, Scale - I had decided on acephate as the weapon of choice, but none (!?) was available at the Home Depot, so I settled on Ortho Max Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer, which is acetamiprid, and apparently pretty successful on scale. Would have preferred a dunk, but they only had a ready to use mix. Some treatment right now is better than none, so I sprayed away, but didn't get all the leaves underneath. Right now aiming for population control. Sprayed two catts with mealies, let's see what happens to them.

Slugs - went with Ortho Ecosense Slug and Snail killer. Oh please. Everything pretends to be "green" these days. Anyway. I'll go with the iron phosphate over the metaldehyde, has less collateral damage, supposedly.

Tomorrow starts the toothbrushing over the leaves, then a nice Neem spray. Should keep things under control until I find a store that sells the acephate.

Gee, I sound really cranky today. Did I mention I hate chemicals? Did I mention I miss home? LOL.

RLC Ahchung Emerald 'Water'

2010-08-23T14:47:00.005-05:00

Oak Hill Gardens. Didn't get this, but think I'll have to reconsider. Gorgeous, wonderful fragrance, but big. Have been shifting to the compacts, but pitifully few have fragrance.

From Blooming Orchids!

My Haul From Oak Hill

2010-08-23T13:40:00.002-05:00

From Saturday's visit. I only got seven, all fragrant, of course. All the catts are blooming size and all have sheaths already. The phals are still babies, but Liese said one of them was already blooming size (yay), and the other two are about 2 years away. Can't wait.

Catt Chocolate Drop
Iwan Apple Blossom 'Mendenhall'
Lc Sagarik Wax 'African Beauty'
Slc George Hausermann 'York'
Phal bellina violacea 'Borneo'
Phal violacia v Malaysia
Phal violacia v sumatra

Right Now - Oak Hill Gardens

2010-08-21T13:12:00.004-05:00

Orchid Society picnicking right now. Lots of plants, already bought a bunch - shhhh, don't tell Hubby!

After the picnic: I was seriously freaking uber-miserable weather-wise. The goddamn mosquitoes were at me despite the spray - my face got bitten!?! The greenhouses were incredibly hot, and I didn't see any vent systems, but it was heaven strolling through their selections. I really enjoyed this visit so much more than Hausermann's, I have to say. They have a huge selection of species and compact catts, I found their set-up so easy to walk around (except the really narrow rows), shopper-friendly - there's pics so you don't have to guess or ask what the heck it's gonna look like, and Greg and Liese are just the nicest, friendliest, patient people around, happy to answer questions, however silly.

Repotted Both Paph Pinocchios

2010-08-20T23:41:00.002-05:00

Not many roots on the small one, a couple new roots on the big one, but both are just the toughest little guys! Forgot about pics until I was already done. Bummer.

Outside on the bottom shelf getting some fresh air.

Everyone Enjoying Fresh Catnip

2010-08-19T12:17:00.002-05:00

OMG, the critters are so freaking hilarious! Pixie's completed zoned out, she's a sloppy drunk - her entire left side was soaked from all the drool, she was rolling all around, stretching and scratching, a giant puddle of drool on the floor. Ginza was pretty still, enjoying his high, drooling just a little bit. Kayla was completely still, staring off into space, very dignified, more chewing the leaves for roughage, you'd think.

Root Canal Soon

2010-08-17T23:47:00.000-05:00

Well, that tooth has come to a head, and off I go tomorrow to the dentist for a referral, hopefully, to an endodontist. The HMO dental plan we have is absolutely the shits - no network dentists AT ALL in our town?!? Nearest one was 7 miles away? And that was the least of my problems. Spent 9am to 3pm on the phone Monday dealing with it. Yeah, you read right.

Don't feel like dwelling on it any more, so frustrated. Keeping fingers crossed these dentists aren't hacks.

Right Now- Navy Pier

2010-08-14T22:31:00.014-05:00

First tourist visit in our new city, just in time for fireworks. Tons of people even while we were leaving around midnight, whole thing was really pleasant and fun. Will come back to see it during the daytime, and come back for a night cruise or somesuch. It was really hilarious to see so many party boats!

Caught the end of this band in the Beer Garden. Sounded good.

Sprayed Road Sign - Anything Wrong?

2010-08-11T16:57:00.000-05:00

New Wave T5s Arrives

2010-08-10T15:51:00.002-05:00

Two boxes came, one for the bulbs, another packaged around the fixture box, very well protected. All set up, and it is BRIGHT! Woohoo.

Little Helper In Laundry Room

2010-08-10T14:05:00.001-05:00

Souvenir de la Malmaison

2010-08-08T12:00:00.002-05:00

Wet, dreary day but the second flush of this gorgeous rose always perks things right up.

New OfficeMax Chair

2010-08-07T19:06:00.002-05:00

Got me a new office chair to replace the one Pixie shredded. OfficeMax had a sale on this Fiorello II, $110, plus we had a 20% coupon, so our total came out to $96.35. What a deal.

Just half hour to assemble, really comfy. Very happy.

More Arlington Track Pics

2010-08-07T17:00:00.003-05:00

Not proud of it, but on our way out, decided to try out these self-serve betting thingies. I picked Dancing Demonette just for the fun name, and s/he won. We bet $2 to win, got $6.60 back.

Arlington Race Track

2010-08-07T15:12:00.001-05:00

NOT here voluntarily. Company event.

Bought My First New Wave T5s

2010-08-06T17:33:00.002-05:00

After a looooooot of research, I decided to go the midway route and get some New Wave 4 ft 4 bulb T5s. Not ready for the giant ballasts and HIDs yet. The heat was unbelievable. The spinning ones at the hydroponics store almost triggered a migraine too.

On the mention of a fellow Orchid Board member, I just bought my first set online at plantlightinghydroponics.com, which also close to the best price. So far the vendor's been fantastic. I immediately got receipt of my order, then an hour later, received the order-shipped notification along with UPS tracking. Update on Tuesday.

If this works out, 4 more sets getting bought. All in time for my orchids, the boarding people planning for mid-September ships. I really miss my plants!

The new 36" shelves got delivered today, just like the one in the pic a couple posts back. Going to buy two more 48" sets from Costco.

It's definitely going to be a challenge growing my orchids here, vs. California. Keep your eye on this space for my experiments on all this artificial lighting.

Dends Getting Fresh Air

2010-08-06T12:09:00.002-05:00

Scrubbed off mealybugs from the very ailing dends and they're sunning outside now. We'll see how they do. Baby cyms on the right.

One Orchid Shelf Up!

2010-08-05T12:19:00.002-05:00

Finally made some decisions - buying some 4' New Wave lights and growing them in the library. Basement would have been better, since I wouldn't have had to worry about moisture, or chewing critters, but I don't like it, and there's only one electrical outlet - boo. Anyway, so here we are, and the orchids are getting shipped over next month. No more boarding, yippee!

Mealybugs have invaded the dends here, and scale on some of the cyms, but I'll get that cleared up soon. Scrubbed everything, trying to decide on which poison to use. Blc Horizon Flight 'Happy Landing' x L anceps 'Splish Splash' got a scary amount of immature scale all over it, unpotted, scrubbed.....we'll see.

Pixie's Lip - Day 3 on Meds

2010-08-03T11:19:00.003-05:00

What a huge relief!! Just two and a half days on meds, and the swelling's noticeably gone down. Side effects for the poor little girl is constipation, dry mouth or nausea - she keeping licking her lips, and a little sluggishness. Hopefully nothing else is involved.

Oh yeah, almost forgot....greasy coat, not grooming herself.

Pixie Feels Better

2010-08-02T16:07:00.001-05:00

Whew, med seems to be working! The swelling's gone down by half, and she's perky again.

Finally - Hausermann Visit

2010-08-02T13:38:00.002-05:00

Stopped at the front desk, asked for a quick tour, and a nice kid, Adam, took me around. Continuing the family tradition, nice.

Today's Cuteness Pics

2010-08-01T10:13:00.003-05:00

Ginza's unbelievably adorable! Poor Pixie's drowsy from the meds, and I disturbed Kayla's nap.

From Kitties

Pixie's Lip Update

2010-08-01T09:16:00.004-05:00

Poor, poor thing. Not getting any better, and can't find the Benadryl, so decided to try the 4mg Clortabs. Target only had the 12mg ones, but luckily I found the 4mgs next door at Walmart. Gave only 1mg yesterday at 3pm, and it really made her lethargic. Another dose at 8:30am. Keeping fingers crossed that at least she'll be more comfortable, even if we haven't been able to figure out what she's allergic to yet.

Ikea Visit

2010-07-31T22:59:00.016-05:00

Finally, reluctantly, had to visit the Ikea to explore bookcase options. Didn't buy anything, will order online for delivery cause the car's not big enough. But at least made some decisions. Decided on more Expedit shelves, since they're more flexible than the Billy straight bookcases. They make them in a bigger size now, 72" vs. 58", yippee. Though they don't seem to have extensions for the new size yet, only the 58", so we'll have to settle for one of those. New configuration, longer than the square shelving, so will fit some of my prized large art books. Nice! Can't wait to get the library set up.

(Shhhh, photos borrowed from Ikea).

Pixie's Swelled Lip

2010-07-29T15:24:00.001-05:00

Poor thing, she's got that little swelled lip again. I can tell it's uncomfortable for her, I hope she's not in pain. Nothing to be done, like last time, it subsided after a week. Dr. D suspected a food allergy last time, so we're guessing the same this time. Can't figure out which food it is yet. I just bought them a couple new treaties - Pet Greens Treats, and Fancy Feast.

Interesting! Just did more reading on the condition, and litter was mentioned as a possible cause. Must ask Hubby when he changed the litter, since I bought a new brand, from Costco. I can't remember if he did it the day before or earlier than that.

So many new things in the last couple days, hard to pin down at the moment. No worries, will systematically eliminate sources.

Yippee - I Finally Have A Garage Space

2010-07-19T14:20:00.000-05:00

Finally cleared the poor cyms, outside they went, got the odds and ends cleaned up, shoe shelves up, and voila!, I can actually park in my garage spot. What a treat. First time ever in the history of car ownership do I ever have an actual spot of my own.

Must get used to putting in the basement what used to go in the garage. Still not used to it, don't like going down there much.

Pantry Inspection

2010-07-14T13:04:00.002-05:00

Pixie and Ginza look like they approve of the kitty food location, except she's holding up completion of phase II. LOL.

From Kitties

Inspected Every Box

2010-07-13T23:34:00.000-05:00

Marathon session today, and everything hurts, but I got every box opened, most of it unpacked and grouped so I can assess the situation tomorrow. LMAO, it looks like a bad garage sale, especially all that kitchenware stuff. Found myself wondering why on earth I have 80 mugs. No, really, I counted. That's the number. How mortifying. Already have a huge pile going straight to Goodwill.

Only a couple things broken - a champagne flute, and a very fine Noritake Pearl Platinum bowl. Can't tell yet if anything's missing, but there may be. Bummer.

Was really worried that I hadn't found Mozart, and I only had 1 box left. Haha, turned out that's where he was! Found his leash, pawprint, and collar too. Very relieved. Wondering what he would have been doing in this new place, where he would have staked out territory. We miss our boy.

New Redi Arch Window Shade

2010-07-06T17:00:00.003-05:00

Took a lot longer than "seconds" because of all the cutting, but it's perfect! Exactly what I expected. Great temporary paper shade, but it doesn't look cheap. Hopefully it keeps out most of the direct morning sun - we'll see tomorrow - and it was only $18. Got it from Amazon, here's the link.

Pixie Worried Us

2010-07-04T18:01:00.060-05:00

In the morning, Pixie didn't seem to have an appetite, and was excessively vocal, even when laying down. After a little play session, she had her mouth open several times, a pant or two. She kept squinting like she was in pain. So we wanted to play it safe and have the vet check her out and rule out anything obvious. It was really stressful not having vetted any doctors yet, but we did a little searching, and settled on Lombard Vet Hospital, which was open, but not an ER. Regular price for a visit is $50, but since it was a holiday, it was $88.

I've read that they have more dog than cat patients, but I couldn't really tell, especially since we didn't have any procedures done, so we couldn't evaluate needle-handling or anything else. It was very clean, no smells, some maintenance guys were sprucing up the place. There were dog and cat decorations. No separate waiting rooms, so we'd have to wait with the dogs. But it's a pretty big waiting area, so it's not a dealbreaker. They also had free lean cat treats and catnip toys!! Usually we see dog goodies only.

The front desk was really nice. Dr. Shanding was the attending, and he seemed very good. He was very calm, said hi to Pixie, lifted her up and cuddled her first, so she was very at ease. We really appreciated that. He did a nice thorough check on her, very patient with us worry-warts, and our million questions, didn't try to rush us out or up-sell us on anything. He pronounced her well and off we went.

I'd prefer to see if we can find a cats-only vet, but it's great to know that we have a place meanwhile for a real emergency. We were very relieved all-around.

Gahhhhhh.......No Wallander Morkret Ending......Unbelievable!!!

2010-07-03T23:11:00.001-05:00

ARRRRRGGGGHHHH! Just finished watching most of Wallander's Morkret, and AGAIN....the station froze at the last ten minutes. Gee, caught all the credits, though. Can't find video anywhere legitimate, anyone who's watched it, PLEASE tell us the ending. I promise, I won't publish it public, we'll just read and delete so no-one gets it spoiled for them.

Ah Peaceful Household

2010-07-02T16:59:00.001-05:00

Settling in nicely in their new home.

From Kitties

Yippee - Ready to Unpack!

2010-07-02T16:49:00.000-05:00

Ok. Carpet seems all dry now. Ready to unpack.

Bought a load of cleaning supplies from Target. Can't wait to clean the place more thoroughly.

Finally!

Carpets Done....Almost

2010-06-30T11:23:00.000-05:00

Everything except one room got done.....coincidentally, the guy remembered coming over to clean it up a year ago, when a woman was living here for "staging" and had a cat. He remembered having to clean up cat pee then, these may be the same stains. After he said that, hmmmm.... I wasn't too encouraged that anything great would come out of it. Sure enough, even after I blacklighted the spots for them, they only passed over twice, then very reluctantly passed over again a couple times after I had to insist. WTF.

Sure enough, the smell's still pretty strong. Not their fault, just the woman's fault for letting it soak into the carpet. Will lay down plastic and put a rug over the two main damaged areas.

Anyway, at least all clean. Except for the office. Major improvement.

More Progress

2010-06-29T19:04:00.000-05:00

AT & T put in a phone line today, and the steam cleaner guy cleaned the couch. Yippee. Tomorrow the carpet cleaner. Trying out a few different outfits to see which I like best.

Can't find dishes or bowls, but do have the dish drying rack. LOL.

Officially Moved In

2010-06-26T21:40:00.018-05:00

We are done! Everything out of the apartment, not spotlessly clean, but clean enough for the maid to do about an hour's worth to get it sparkling. No more smelly food odors! It was absolutely nauseating. I will miss the nice view. I can't look out past buildings at the new place. I'm sure I'll adjust after a bit.

I am just hurting all over. My shoulders, calves, feet especially. My knee is killing me. Up and down, up and down all those stairs. Hats off to our Bekins/Boyer Rosene movers, who were all sweethearts, good humor even in the sweltering heat, up and down those freaking stairs, tired and still making sure nothing got nicked. Took great care with all our stuff.

Furminator

2010-06-25T17:42:00.001-05:00

Decided to buy one on Amazon - medium one. Looks just like a glorified flea comb, but anything to help cut down on the fur is good with me!

Movers Are Done

2010-06-25T17:34:00.000-05:00

Almost everything's moved in now, just a few odds and ends we'll do ourselves tomorrow, along with the VIPs, the kitties. Everything fits, tons of room, no immediate need to buy anything furniture-wise. Hopefully we'll be happy in it for a while.

Cleaned up the apartment as well as I could. Don't know what they'll have problems with.

Time for a well-deserved break!

Book - This Night's Foul Work

2010-06-20T12:29:00.000-05:00

Haven't had much time to post my reading lately, but this was so excellent I had to make sure I mentioned it before it gets lost in the shuffle. I loved it.

Newest Dustbuster

2010-06-20T11:12:00.002-05:00

Black & Decker Dustbuster CHV9608 9.6v. We can't tell you how many handhelds we've gone through, and how much money we've thrown away on Black and Decker. (No denial - they're total pieces of shit that won't charge after a year and doesn't really suck up much. Hard floors only, don't even bother on carpet, I have to use the real vacuums.) But these are extremely convenient to vacuum up floating fur & hair & litter. Any little bit helps, so I don't dispair as much, so it's still money well spent. This one does the job, and doesn't kill my ears like the 18 volt pivoting ones.

Bought it here from Amazon.

The House Is Officially Sold

2010-06-17T13:54:00.000-05:00

It's been recorded, and we're getting a check tomorrow. It's quite sad.

Well, on to next week, when we move to the new place.