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Warning: bit of a ramble. If you are still interested, please read on…
Where to start? Well, how about that today would have been Sunny’s 17th birthday, and even as I type that I realise that most cats never get to see 17… but dammit it sometimes still totally sideswipes me when I’m not expecting it – how much I miss him! And then I just ache and ache so bad wanting to hold him again, bury my face in his fur, look into his beautiful blue eyes. I missed his last birthday because I was in Málaga – it was the only birthday of his I ever missed. And yeah, I know cats don’t know about birthdays and such, but it was always important for me to make a big fuss over him, remembering the morning he was born in Salamanca. And how at that time, having those wee helpless kittens to look after was very crucial to my well-being. Ah well, I know I wouldn’t be still missing him so much if I hadn’t loved him so, and if having him in my life hadn’t been so wonderful. So I guess that’s part of the deal. Fairy ’nuff.
What else? Well, talking about my trip to Málaga last summer, it looks like I’ll be back there soon. Manolo has told me that his apartment will be free from the 13-26th of August and that I can use it during that time – isn’t that fabulous? And so I am planning to go for a week (the 15th-22nd) in order to spend some time with Victoria at the vineyards and the bodega – gotta get more material for my most favourite of part-time jobs! And of course it will also be wonderful to be in Málaga again – my “second home” – and lie in bed at night listening to the waves…
I’m hoping that Nog will be able to make it down for the last weekend I’m there, but there are cat issues. I still have to shut Loki in the livingroom when nobody is at home so that he doesn’t rip the shit out of poor Azar. I try to tell myself that Loki is just playing (and I really think he is) but he gets pretty rough sometimes. And as I’ve said before, Loki’s jaws clamped onto Azar’s windpipe could lead to serious injury or even death, inadvertent or otherwise, which is obviously something I want to prevent. So the problem is this… do I leave Loki shut up in the livingroom for three whole days (two nights)? I think I could get Bizzy from L’Oca Giuliva across the street to come over and check on the boys. She has cats and so I could trust her to play with Loki a bit and make sure that all is well. And Nog really could use a break – plus I think he loves Málaga as much as I do. I mean, it’s a big livingroom, and Loki would have lots of food and water … not cruel, right?
Oh, and yesterday I had yet another hospital visit ALL BY MYSELF and the very best thing about it was that I wasn’t afraid at all. Heck, didn’t even feel nervous. More about that tomorrow.
In other news – WordPress has a new Like Button that has suddenly appeared, which I think will help out those who either don’t have time to comment or feel they have nothing to say.
Otherwise and that, been cooking up a storm lately. Nog has been working quite a lot this summer, which kind of came out of the blue, and because he needs constant refueling – nobody ever believes he eats way more than I do – I have been helping out by cooking meals for him. Some are things that can be frozen and that he can reheat whenever he likes, such as: lentils & chorizo, risottos, bolognese, various stews. I also make the weekly tortillas (spinach & onion and potato & onion), as well as fabby marinated potatoes and various salads & sandwiches. And curiously, the more I cook, the less I want to eat. So this is kind of win-win for me at the moment. I still get to have small snacks of gorgeous food (if I say so myself!) but I’m actually eating less than before.
And I guess that’s it really. I think this is turning out to be one of the best summers of my life, though it may not look like much to the casual observer. But it’s the no chemo thing. Every morning I wake up feeling so goddam lucky, you can’t imagine.
How’s your summer going?
casa azahar 
I’ve never clicked a like button before…what fun. Har! This has been a good summer so far here at Anchovy World Headquarters. We’re working on a big mosaic for the front of the house (it’s a four foot Baltimore Oriole). The plan is to do a few mosaic birds and affix them onto the house. I’ve also really been enjoying going out to a forest each week with “the girls”. As much as I say I’m going there to forage for mushrooms, I know that mycology is an added benefit and the true purpose of the trips is to wander about in the woods with my dogs. It’s great fun. We’ve made some headway this season on a garden that we add to each year. It’s really coming into its own.
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If I ever take a trip back to Canada a visit to Anchovy World Headquarters would definitely be on my list of things to do. I believe I have a standing bbq invitation? I’d also love to try some of those mushrooms you find. And play with the girls, meet all the cats (especially Jacques!)…
The mosaic sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to see pics of it.
Yay! My first Like. 🙂
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I know how you feel about leaving “the boys”. We were talking about going up to Thunder Bay this summer (Well… Mom was talking about it. I really don’t fancy driving all that distance to see my sister and my niece with my Mom in the car constantly having to stop and go to the bathroom). Mom finally decided that she was worried about Amber maybe expiring while we were away.
Meanwhile, after Ange kindly unpacked and organize my kitchen, dining room and living room pretty much, Amber decided to throw all he “reasonably” good potty behaviours to the wind and pee not just on the bathroom floor (SOMETIMES on the mat provided, sometimes not) and pee all over Mom’s bedroom, all over the dining room and even leave little hard gifts behind Mom’s bedroom door and behind the dining table. At least the bathroom floor is ceramic tile. Unfortunately, Mom usually doesn’t notice and tracks through it several times until I discover it.
Unfortunately, too, the living and dining room are carpeted in this hideous industrial carpeting (brown) and so not only does it absorb the offending mess, it makes it impossible to see. Mom can’t smell a thing but I can and if I can, anyone coming into the house can smell it WAY more.
I finally put my foot down…. Much to my despair over this. Amber has to go.
He is somewhere between 17 and 19, had arthritis in his hips and because of that, the doctor thinks he has trouble getting in and out of the box. She also thinks that his kidneys are failing. He drinks constantly and pees constantly.
I feel terrible because he is the sweetest cat. But on top of everything I have to do for Mom and be on top of for Mom, on top of the housework, and on top of my own work, I simply do not have the energy to spend hours a day checking every inch of carpet for pee, spending time spraying the carpet to remove the smell. scrubbing the bathroom floor, sometimes several times a day, and then spending a day cleaning the carpet…. And to start all over the next day…
Mom says “I’ll do it”. but she’s 86 and can barely see the floor and has no strength.
The smell permeating the house and some nights I can barely breathe up here even after spraying and washing. It is just too stressful.
I agreed to let her have until the end of the summer. I am taking him in to get groomed tomorrow. He will have a few peaceful weeks and then I will take him in to the vet.
We weighed the options of finding him a how –Who would take him when he pees everywhere? — If he went to a farm, he is too old to be kept in a barn. He’s an indoor cat now and all he wants to do is sleep and be loved. Those “cats off” sprays are out of the question because they make me sick to my stomach and we would have to spray them everywhere…. There just isn’t another solution.
Honest to God… If there was another way… I would do it.
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Can you keep him in one (uncarpeted) room, thereby limiting the pee damage? It does sound like his kidneys are failing and I can sure understand how stressful all this is for you. A very difficult decision – I honestly don’t know what I’d do.
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He’d be miserable…. He likes to curl up on the living room floor or beside Mom on the couch. When he’s not peeing or trying to mooch food, he sleeps. And I would still have top clean the floor 50 times a day…
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those marinated potatoes look good
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You should try them. Reckon you can find vinagre de Jerez there?
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So do the shrimp!
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Re. the “like” button – I’m a tad annoyed with this. It’s too Facebook-ish and you’re right, it’s kinda shallow-ish to have it there. Having it for short blurbs on FB is OK, but it somehow….Oh, I don’t know……….cheapens WP for me……I hate to sound elitist or anything though!
BTW, I did make the marinated potatoes but haven’t had time to do up a blog post about them. They were pretty tasty even without the fancy vinegar. Apple cider vinegar did the trick!
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I actually like the Like Button and didn’t say anything about it being shallow-ish (though it is Facebook-ish). I think it’s a nice way of showing someone you’ve visited their blog if you don’t have time to comment or can’t think of anything to say. You can disactivate it on your blog by going to Appearance > Extras.
I’ve made the marinated potatoes with different vinegars too and, yes, they turn out fine. But if you can find some nice sherry vinegar you’ll really notice the difference. Maybe Rain could find you some in Van?
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Oh, so sorry Az! I think in my exhausted state I completely misread your comment about the like button, and hence the comment I made. My apologies! Now that I re-read what you wrote, yeah, I see I completely missed the mark on that one. Sorry!
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Hey, no problem! Don’t give it another thought. I misread stuff sometimes too … and am OFTEN misread. At least you didn’t misread me as being a crappy person (this happens) and only thought I’d said something different about the Like Button.
Meanwhile, you make another good argument in favour of the Like Button. When someone is tired or in a hurry and just wants to acknowledge they’ve dropped by, they can just hit the Like Button. Later they can return and comment, after they’ve had some time to think about things, or just when they have some extra time.
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I can’t find the like button! I have to say I think it would be useful. Most of my on-line time is during my lunch break at work and if the sites I visit are busy, commenting as well as reading isn’t necessary possible. The like button means I can sort of say “I’ve read what you wrote, it was interesting” thus giving people feedback when time is limited. Better than just reading and running as it were.
But where is it?
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I think you have to click on “leave a comment” first. And if you don’t have a blog you can create an account with Gravatar, which means you can put a little pic up that will be your photo id avatar across the blogoverse.
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Ah, that would explain it. I’ll have to give that a go.
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