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Another Musing from the place I’m doing Laundry
It’s bonkers.
As Alice would say.
It’s almost 3 weeks since I left my home. And I still feel like a dog turning in circles and not able to lay down.
That got me to thinking about the homeless – the people who don’t have shelter to exhale in. Bouncing and bouncing from place to place. I mean, if I feel this way in my parents home – then … Gawd.
It makes me so sad.
The important thing is I have my Teddy. My bear. I think I understand the homeless with their carts. Having things that are familiar to you is so important. THEN I start thinking about people relocated due to fire or flood and all of their possessions gone. Just gone. Then I appreciate Facebook more. I lost a lot of photos in my divorce. But, Facebook is an eternal photo album and also, since they started memories, a diary.
Anyway.
I’ve also taken a lot of photos.
Tiny Dancer with her tongue out
Tiny in the sun
The ‘lover but a biter’
Missing her mom
Tiny dancer sleeping
Plucky on her window seat
Cacti and globe
Gorgeous Cacti
Me, in the window
Clearly, it’s a ‘tad’ windy.
Bottom line, it sucks not to be home. But I’m glad to fill in for my mum and dad that also want to be home.
And, am enjoying the pets, even if it means many scratches. 😉
Musings from … The place I’m doing laundry right now
It’s been a while since I’ve written and I’ve felt the tug and ache of not doing so.
We have family matters going on that, let’s just say, have me covering for my mum at her house – and having my son take the reins at our home.
I’ve been here … 10 days? I feel sometimes like I’m on an island and have forgotten to carve notches into a tree to track time.
First and foremost, I miss my son, I miss my dog, I miss ‘my’ routine.
But, what I’m doing is necessary and above ‘me’ and I am glad to do it.
So let’s get to the ‘Pros’ of being here eh? Keeping the chin up and all that!
Wait – no – first, the ‘Adjusting to the routine’ Cons. Which aren’t really ‘cons’ but, just stuff that I wasn’t mentally or physically prepared for.
Stairs. (And trust me, with C.O.P.D and a heart condition, this is either majorly helping, or killing me lol!)
2 Litter boxes
Longer commute
Lonely
Feeding regimes
Medicine giving
Turning over and picking up dog
Add to that work in the middle and adjusting to new meds.
OH! And two homes worth of food. $$$
Enough bitching.
Here’s my horrible view from the room I’m now sleeping in:
And here is the awful view from the couch 😉
And as for those stairs? While I can’t breathe going up them, coming down them affords me this view:
Have I mentioned the pool?
I actually told my laundry lady I wouldn’t be there for a few weeks – she worries about her ‘regulars’ (gawd, I feel like a ‘John’)
So, I am using laundry thingies that play a tune when the cycle is done.
I do have ONE major issue with the washer …
(Other than it looks like something yawning with its eyes closed) … Steelers magnets!!!!! STEELERS! As a Packers fan, it feels like blasphemy every time I use it.
Other than all of this – today, I accomplished much.
Cleaned – went over the river to visit my son and dog – put in a prescription and shopped for food.
I even got to talk to my mum this morning.
Now, I shall introduce you to the little clan I’m keeping.
Miss you all and I’ll write more when I can.
Musings from the Laundromat: Storms, Rainbows and Rabbits edition
It’s dark outside. Thunder is rumbling. I’m sitting quietly at my table in the laundromat with much on my mind.
We’ll begin at the beginning.
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It has been raining on and off since Friday. Yesterday there was a break in the weather and I was sitting outside on the phone.
Then I spotted something in the dirt, outside the gate, by the road. Two somethings.
Squirming, small and mole like. I like moles. I thought I’d grab my camera and see if I could zoom in to figure out what they were.
Didn’t get much information out of that plan, so I walked over to them.
“Oh, mom … I have to go! I’ll call you back.”
This is what my camera picked up next.
A tiny, newborn rabbit.
Two of them were flopping blindly in the rocks.
I looked around for the mother …
I looked around for a warren. Some sort of home they may have come from.
There was NO WAY these two made it any great distance – unable to walk or see.
I spoke to my mom again – unsure what to do, but certain I had to do something!
We have a lot of feral cats in our neighborhood – being a rural location.
Also the skies were threatening to open back up again and would surely soak these tiny creatures.
We decided I would put them in a box and keep them warm. I grabbed a t-shirt and padded the box. Placed them gently inside and put the box near a location I’d seen ‘crumples’ (named for its ‘crumply’ ear) and another rabbit friend spending a lot of time.
I then placed baby carrots all around the box, went inside and waited.
No bunny came.
I finally made the decision, that they couldn’t just stay outside in the box all night. If one cried out, a cat would be sure to find them.
So inside with me they went.
What to do next? They must be hungry.
After watching a video on YouTube, I threw on some shoes and in my pajamas, headed out to the nearest store.
I scooped the less feisty one up first, held it securely, but sweetly and nursed.
I wish I had photos of that for you … But I clearly had my hands full.
They both took in several drops.
This is them after their meal.
All tucked in for the night.
They slept in my bathroom high enough so that should one squeak, Butters wouldn’t be able to investigate with any success.
Then I was tucked in … And hoping they made it through the night.
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This morning I got up early. Held my breath and peered inside the box.
Alive and well!
I don’t know why I didn’t think of it last night, but I donned my fluffy robe and prepared their breakfast.
Holding each against the fluff seemed to comfort them. They didn’t eat as much this morning, but the feisty one cried out between drops and what it lacked in size it more than made up for with volume! 🙂
Baby rabbits do an amazing impersonation of a squeaky toy. A LOUD squeaky toy.
They also look very much like otters from the front! LOL!
Breakfast finished, back in the box.
Here’s some more pictures:
I hated to leave them to do laundry – but they’re ok.
They’ll get another meal when I get back and my mom used her animal network to find me someone local who will take them and care for them.
I did go back outside this morning to see if any bunny was searching …
All I spotted was this.
I think it’s a good omen.
I think my foster babies are going to be just fine.
Musings from the Laundromat: Tracks and Crumples and Butters edition.
Tracks! Tracks in my yard. The two doves that spend a lot of time in my neck of the desert seem to have nested nearby because I see them daily now.
Here’s one to refresh your memory:
There’s a few other creatures sticking close to my home – one of which I have lovingly named ‘Crumple Bunny’ which has morphed to ‘Crumples’ already.
It’s little left ear is in constant flop – or – crumpled mode. I’m not sure if it was born this way, or has been injured. I’ve started leaving baby carrots around the area for Crumples and his able eared friend.
A closer shot. It isn’t caged by the way – I took this from my porch, the rabbit was in my neighbor’s yard behind the fence.
Or – my EX neighbor’s I should say!
YES! They finally left!!!!
They also left, 3 tires, an old car, a broken shed full of gawd only knows what – a mattress, toys – and various other items. *sigh*
I didn’t expect less of them.
Back to animals – and speaking of little left things …
Butters has been stepping gingerly on her left hind foot.
I investigated as much as I could considering:
A) She doesn’t like to be prodded or examined – doubly so when there’s something to actually examine.
B) I am not a vet.
I can’t find anything in her paw or pads – but she had been nibbling furiously on the foot attached to said leg for some time. I thought she needed a bath – but that didn’t fix the problem.
Then she seemed fine.
I should also mention I switched her food to a more expensive “joint care” one after her last limpy period.
(This happened last year and the vet had suggested it could be arthritis since the anti-inflammatory’s she was prescribed with seemed to give her back her usual gait.)
I then noticed she wasn’t – um – ‘Answering natures call’ on a regular basis. Also noticed her food bowl was left for meals at a time untouched.
I (again, with all my veterinary training) just assumed since her foot/leg was bothering her, perhaps she just didn’t feel like eating.
Yesterday I thought I’d buy her old food and give that a shot.
I had barely put a scoop in her bowl and she dove in head first!
Kibble was flying – the bowl was clinking and … I felt like the worst dog mom on the planet.
She freaking HATED the ‘better’ food!
Poor thing has been hungry! No wonder she hadn’t used the yard, she had nothing to give it!
I swear she gave me dirty looks all day yesterday after that. At one point she lay on the couch opposite mine with my son – I could feel her looking at me, but when I returned eye contact, she turned her head.
She was probably thinking, “Really? REALLY mom? It took you a bag of food to realize I only ate it when I was flipping starving and wondered why I wasn’t going potty??!”
Sufficiently shamed.
She is now giving what little attention I deserve as she works on forgiving me.
As for her leg – I guess it’s back to the vet with us.
THAT will be an adventure. And when I say ‘adventure’ I mean a drama packed, hyperventilation filled 5 minute drive followed by self asphyxiation by leash in a waiting room. And that’s just me! 😉
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Musings from the Laundromat: Hoggy Birds and Chocolate Shame edition
After being snow bird blocked for the past two weekends, I finally got here early enough for the top load washing machines.
I think probably the fact that it’s Easter also had a part in my success. I assume eggs are being hidden or services attended in lieu of early morning laundry.
As for me? I’m doing brunch at 3:30 with my family.
OK, so that’s not exactly brunch time, but was the earliest reservation.
It’s Linner really isn’t it? Not brunch. I don’t care – food at any time is fine by me.
Which reminds me … I’m STILL gaining weight.
I started out super excited about this, because I needed to put some pounds on. But I haven’t reached a plateau yet – I just keep gaining.
My doctor did mention something about my meds slowing my metabolism – but I didn’t put that fun fact together with my scale until later.
I’m going to have to slow down on the food debauchery because I for one, cannot afford a new wardrobe. In my smugness I donated all my larger clothes – now it’s just daily ‘snugness!’
That’s my only concern really – having to spend money on clothes, because let’s face it, no ones seeing me naked in the foreseeable future.
Found a chocolate wrapper on the kitchen counter this morning and I kid you not, I don’t remember tucking into that last night. I had a candy black out! (Is that a thing? It should be a thing. It’s a thing now.)
Shame washed over me – then I spied with my little eye, 2 bricks of chocolate left in the package and shame be damned, I ate 1 of the survivors.
I’ll try to restrain myself from any other sweets that may leap in my path today – but AM going to gorge myself on ‘Linner’. I mean, it’s a buffet – it would be rude not to partake in excess!
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Happy Easter to all my Soupers who celebrate it – and happy Sunday to all who don’t.
Debauchery Soup 