They’re really good about plowing around here. Plus the streets are black asphalt and really soak up any available warmth from the sun.
Gutters are clean and Higgs is finally quiet. She was disturbed that a strange truck was in the driveway. Idiot.
I think it might be nap time.
One of Wifey, RN’s patients is a guitarist and singer, and is legally blind. He’s going to be (supposed to be) playing at Bourbon Bar & Grill tonight. The Events tab says tonight is karaoke, so The Missus needs to confirm. We’ve seen him there once before, and mi esposa says she’ll but us dinner when we go see him.
Pokes head in.
Snow from earlier this week got supplemented yesterday. What should have been a 30 minute drive took 90 minutes due to slowness. No accidents in our area, just dumb drivers that keep changing lanes for no apparent reason.
Now we’re above freezing, and will stay that way until Saturday, so the white stuff is melting. No idea if we’ll get a white Christmas - still too far out. Fairly unlikely, though.
Pretty kitties (brain not working well - I wrote prettie kitties, first). Last night we got home at almost midnight, and I didn’t get to sleep until 1:00. Quarter to six came rather early today.
JtC, I am so sorry. I hope your mother is able to enjoy her finch sock (had to google it) and is content.
Boo, you’re making me hungry.
Carrot cake is out of the oven, so I can go make the cream cheese frosting. Might end up eating some of the frosting on its own.
It’s barely above freezing here, rain is trying to decide if it’s gonna land as water or ice. Gonna be a fun night for Mrs. Morty who has to drive home about 30 miles in this slop.
Also came to a rather disturbing realization today. My online devices are to me what TV sets were to my dad’s generation. That is to say, I always have to have an online device with me at all times. My dad and many in our family had the TV on all the time as background noise for their lives.
It used to irritate me that the very first thing my dad would do upon entering any room is turn on the TV. He had a TV in every room, and yes that room too. And they were all going full-blast on the audio, he was hard-of-hearing. That was at home. When we went to the cabin, first thing he’d do was fire up the generator, second thing he’d do was power up the TVs. Last thing he’d do was get the pump and fridge running. Then we’d start unloading the car. Priorities…
It frightens me a bit I’ve become the same way. I get VERY uncomfortable if I have to do without internet for any length of time. I’m turning into my dad, sorta. I don’t have any TV’s blasting but I’m online with two different devices right now.
Tried Facebook. Slightly worried about the kinds of people who might respond to a pet-related ad on Craigslist.
Local SPCA isn’t answering phone calls or tweets. Another alleged cat rescue in town isn’t answering emails either.
Just shipped a batch of homemade Christmas cookies off to my mom, who’s in “memory care” - she’s had a pretty rapid decline. About a year ago she lived alone in her house with a visiting aide. After my brother crunched numbers, realized selling the house and moving her to assisted living would be cheaper and safer, and convinced her to move, she moved to an assisted living facility. My brother was smart - he picked a place that also has a memory care unit, so a couple months ago it was an easy move to another wing.
Not that I’d expect a batch of cookies to cure Alzheimer’s, but hopefully they can bring some familiarity.
Poor mom is so frustrated about not being able to remember, and sad. She knows where she is going and doesn’t want her journey to be over yet.
I learned to do needlework at her knee, it has been a lifelong passion and joy for her. When I started using open canvas at around 10 years old, I got very frustrated with french knots because I kept pulling them through the canvas. She taught me to do colonial knots instead and I have been using them ever since. Last week she saw me doing them and asked what I was doing. I showed her and explained why and she thought I was very clever for using a candlewicking stitch for needlepoint. I felt like weeping.
Hubs is the same way. We’ve lived for years without a TV, but he gets really twitchy without the internet. We lost all internet services in the county for a couple of days and hubs got so bad we drove a county away to sit in a loud honky-tonk bar and day drink so he could play on his phone. Well, I did the day drinking because he was driving but someone had to pay for the table.
I’ve found that most rescue groups are run by volunteers who tend to be otherwise occupied during the holidays. all I can advise is to keep on it. Does your DH have a break room or somewhere he can hang pics to maybe sucker one of his co-workers into adopting some Christmas cats? You are a very good people for doing so much for the poor kitties.
No break room on a construction site, but he says he’s doing his best to convince co-workers they need a cat or two. 
I’ve seen Tiny nursing, and Little Miss at this point DOES appear to be lactating. Tiny can and does eat solid food, at least of the canned variety. Still questioning separating them at this point. Little Miss is still a VERY enthusiastic eater. Pretty sure she’s eaten at least two cans of food already today. DH and I are of the opinion she really needs the calories, so she’s getting fed pretty much on demand and as much as she wants.
Afternoon all. It’s 4pm and still raining outside, is supposed to dry up around 9-10pm, but temperatures will be down in the 20’s-40’sF range for the future. Still cooped up, soccer has been watched (was rooting for Morocco but pretty sure France would win, as they did) and puzzles solved. Need to get the garbage and recyclables outside before bedtime for pickup tomorrow. Outside of that, BLT’s on rye will provide my dining experience.
gotti, that’s a nice story, wishing you and brother and Mom well.
Morty, I’m spending 4-6 hours and day on the internet, I can appreciate where you’re coming from. I still have TV for things and am not yet dependent on my cellphone, but I know what you mean. Big test will be my Antarctica cruise this February, doubt they have a lot of connectivity down there. Planning on bringing plenty of reading material.
Flyboy, hope you and wife-unit get to enjoy the music.
Beep, well, science did develop radio, CD players, and stereo to listen to music with… But yeah, spent a couple days listening (on the internet) to Paul Simon’s Graceland and music can take over sometimes. Enjoy writing while the Muse of Music is upon you.
OK, need to turn on the TV, watch Pardon the Interruption and then be thinking about dinner. All y’all take care.
ace, if I ate from your house, I would weigh 600# and have an A1c in double digits. 
Too bad that you can’t keep the puddy tats seanette.
{{{lily and MrsLily}}} Feel better soonest.
{{{JtC and mama}}} With my mom, we began losing her about 15 years before her heart stopped beating. Sparks of her would show up occasionally, but they became fewer and farther apart as time passed. Dementia is a heartless b!tch.
Irked, came home and walked three little doggies (mine and Miss Ann’s) in the rain. Nelson wore his slicker, as he doesn’t like to get wet, Della didn’t mind too much and I had to keep Charlie from playing in the puddles. Miss Ann said that she’s beginning to find work arounds to get some things done with one hand laid up. She said that she’s grateful for takeout food and disposable plates / flatware.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Howdy Y’all! We procured provisions, achieved nappage, day drank, and honed our sloth skills. Sup also got fixed and et and the kitchen cleanded up. I also ordered a big beast tenderloin from the burly butcher sto’. I should be able to pick it up on Moanday. Really lookin’ forward to that for the big Christmas feast.
gotti maybe the cookies will trigger a memory for your mom. At any rate, she’ll have homemade cookies to munch on which is always a good thing.
Beep let the muse overwhelm you while it may.
FlyBoy hope y’all get to see Wifey’s patient play tonight.
Die I think it’s a rule that one must eat some of the cream cheese frostin’. If not, then I declare it a rule. So mote it be!
Morty OYKW likes tv background noise. I can do without. However, I am the one who is connected to my phone, laptop, and/or tablet most of the day.
Thanks, but tbh, I just hope she recognizes them as something to eat. She’s gone past the point of trying to use a TV remote as a phone, getting mad that nobody answers then throwing it in the trash.
Yep.
Tahred. Hoping to sleep thru tonight. Worn out from coughing.
Board ate my post.
TL:DR:
Random potato?
{{{{JtC}}}}
{{{{gotti}}}}
{{{{FairyChats}}}}
Good luck on the cats, nettie
Crazy day involving shipping Christmas gifts. Soooo many screw-ups, soooo much bad timing. But it’s basically done. I’m burning a candle a friend gave me that smells exactly like a 
.
JtC: dementia is a heartbreaker that makes me ponder imponderables like “Who are we if we forget everything about our lives?” Your letter idea is golden. If you get a chance, play songs from her youth. It’s amazing how much it sharpens memory. I wish you and your mom serenity.
gotti, you’re a good son who raised good kids. The cookies may well help. My aunt was an amateur opera singer. Long after Auntie had forgotten most of her life, my sister took her to a program featuring a soprano singing Italian opera, and my aunt joined in and remembered all the lyrics. I’m betting just smelling the cookies will strike a chord for your mom.
swampy, glad the bed is soooo comfy. At 5’2, I know that “feet don’t touch the floor” feeling well. I always think of Lili Tomlin’s Edith Ann on Laugh-In. Remember her?
Seanette: My daughter and her hubs lured a cat down from a tree. Nobody claimed it, their two cats refused it, and the shelters weren’t taking more cats. One shelter said cats had a better chance of getting adopted by Good Samaritans on the streets than at shelters. Eventually, the coworker of a friend adopted the cat, and they lived happily ever after. In addition to social media, tell everyone you know and ask them to ask everyone they know. Such sweet kitties deserve a loving home.
Good son, maybe, but absolutely not a father. I’m on Team Swampy… 
I have a story to tell and I swear it is the truth. On Monday, we took 2 packages to the post office and sent them off with an expected delivery date of 12/16/22. Both packages were delivered to their proper destinations today! Unbelievable.
That is an excellent idea, thank you.
If not, she will have something tasty to munch on and to share with her friends. When Dad was in his final home, he really liked it if I brought him enough snacky things that he could give to the people who inhabited his world with him. He also loved ink pens. When he first moved in, all the nursing staff used the cheapo stick pens their employer supplied. Once I started buying Dad a box of the pens I used every visit, I couldn’t help but notice that everyone had a nice, cushion grip pen in their pocket.
Saw your next post. I’m so sorry. It sucks. I think the worst part of it is that we want to do something, anything but we are so helpless to get close to the person we love.
Thank you again everyone for the kind thoughts and messages. It was hard going through this with Dad and FIL. It won’t be any easier with Mom. At least I have a better idea of what to expect this time around.
We went to Applebee’s last night and she knew that she would be allowed to take her leftovers through security and remembered to ask for extra napkins and a plastic fork so she could eat again while she was waiting for her plane. I’m glad she did that because we ate at 5 and her plane was late, so she didn’t get home until midnight.
Tonight we went to Red Lobster and the cooks actually knew what they were doing, the lobster was tender and sweet, not chewy and fishy tasting. I had one of their glittery Christmas drinks that was so pretty I wanted to just take it home and put on on the coffee table as a decoration.
They had one of those things on the table to pay our check and the waitress accidently hit the 18% tip while helping hubs use the tap function. She was horrified and kept apologizing over and over. I didn’t want her to get in trouble so was willing to let that tip stand if she was happy, but hubs always tips in cash so he made her redo it (which took her going to her manager to get it fixed). I know she got a much better tip doing it hubs’ way, but now she’s on her manager’s mind for messing up a plastic payment.
nettie, I just remembered about Petfinder. While looking up their page, I saw several other online pet adoption websites that also looked promising. It wouldn’t hurt to post them online, but do be sure to charge an adoption or rehoming fee. That weeds out a lot of creeps right away.
Well, the patient didn’t show. He may be fighting a cold. We had dinner before going to the bar; I had Jäger Schnitzel, and the Spousal Unit had Wiener Schnitzel Champignon.
Apparently, the guest girls are not acquainted with dishwashers. The reactions when it started churning were actually pretty funny.
Buddy spent so long out today I was starting to think he’d run away from home, but he’s indoors now, fed, and in the bedroom keeping DH company. Allie’s been under the bed for most of the last day and a half.
Little Miss gets a bit aggressive toward Allie and Buddy, either of whom is big enough to kick her furry tail. For some reason, though, they don’t. I get that she’s feeling protective of Tiny, but she really needs to calm the hell down. Neither of her feline hosts have shown any aggression whatsoever toward the baby.