August 1, 2022 Monday--12:30pm

 Good afternoon!

What a promising week!  Plus I got a ton of photos from Leah I will put some at the end...all reasons I am so happy to be isolated so that the boys could do more fun things this summer.  Really are photos for Gramma so feel free to skip if you'd like but they do make Gramma so very happy.  :)

Before I forget...it is not unusual up here for rental places to require a cat be declawed and to have size limits on dogs if they even allow either.  I had my previous cat, Karma, declawed at the last complex I lived because it was required.  Annie was declawed because it was required in the place Dagan and Leah were renting before they bought their house.  Their cat Blink is not declawed.  :)  Just the way it is in some areas.  Many places also have pet deposits, too.  I didn't have an option as I need federal housing assistance and they seem to require the cats to be declawed.  But at least some of the places allow cats and small dogs!  :)  Many do not.

Anyways, on with the week...

We had several cooler days!  Some sprinkles and rain a few times.  (Blogger went goofy on spacing and font sizing for a little bit here and will not let me change what it has deigned the better choice for us.)

The birds have finally decided the plastic bird bath isn't as scary as they thought it was.

Tuesday

I got the cart to the garage that was filled with cat stuff.  Oddly, as I was waking up I dreamt I was looking at a rescue cat on a website.  I knew I would be doing that probably next year...if the scan in November went well.  Forgot all about it.

Wednesday

Made a ton of soup.  Gathered up more cat things and trash to go to the dumpster because Dagan was coming after work Thursday to help me move stuff.  My sister, Renee, was moved to a short term rehab facility.  Has to be nice for her to be out of the hospital.

Thursday

Was a beautiful cooler day.  Leah brought the boys to the zoo (pictures to follow at the end).  The planter flowers have really taken off!  I did lose half a coleus already in the front of this planter during a windy storm...

...but they are looking so gorgeous!  

People will even stop on the sidewalk when I am out there to tell me how beautiful they are.  *blushes*

I saw a baby partridge with an adult--just a fleeting glance and just one baby--but I was SOOO excited!  Maybe one had survived?!

Anyways, I was texting with Leah and we were discussing Dagan being over after work and cat stuff.  For the past couple of days it had been nagging in my head to find out what the name of the cat sanctuary is in Fargo...and I would think to myself...yah, yah, yah--I have plenty of time for that.  Those of you who have been followers for a long time have heard all about my GA (guardian angel) stuff and how I will argue in my head with him sometimes--too often--LOL!  

So, I am texting Leah and keep getting "ask...ask"...so I did...thinking how dumb it was to be asking now as I might forget the name of the place by next year anyways.  Leah texted me--Cat's Cradle...and I am thinking I should write that down somewhere.  I get another text...saying they might have a website...

Click!  I remembered the dream and was searching online immediately.  (The older I get GA doesn't have to nag me quite as long--lol!)  And here was the very first cat I saw!!

Name: Alley General Age: Adult Gender: Female Coat Length: Short Color: Tortoiseshell Pattern: Up-to-date: Yes Declawed: Yes More information: Alley is an adult, spayed female cat, probably born in 2014.  She is front declawed.  She has been a house cat all of her life and arrived with us through no fault of her own. Alley is calm and quiet as befits her maturity and experience.  She originally hid in corners in her colony room, but after a couple of weeks, she has stake out territory on the upholstered seats and is very content.  The other cats are nice to her, or at least don't bother her and she's fine with that.  She likes to be petted and will tolerate light grooming (she doesn't need much).  She's quietly affectionate, but not competitive with others.  She really likes a little lap time when she's sleepy.  Alley has lived with another, similar-age female cat in the past, so we know she can be a nice roomie with the right kitty.

I texted Leah back--Oh No!  I shouldn't have looked!  And told her about Alley.

Well, I went back and looked at each of the 54 cats available--and none of them stood out for me.  Alley is beautiful and sounds perfect for me.  Eight years old, fixed, declawed (and Cat's Cradle doesn't believe in cats being declawed--Dagan and Leah got Blink from them and had to sign a paper that they'd never get Blink declawed), quiet, a bit shy yet independent, and has lost her companion it sounds like.  So--Dagan and Leah thought I should try for her, too.  And I am--trying.  Wish me luck!

The thing is--now I am going to get all teary-eyed again--this all felt like a GA guided thing...like years ago when my health forced me to quit college.  I had no income, couldn't work anymore, was losing my apartment, had no money to move or to store my stuff, was on my third try for disability, was in such terrible pain, to the bone exhausted, and emotionally drained down to one big tear.....and I had been peeking through the paper for rentals--hoping and praying that my decision would be positive this time for disability.  It was winter so nobody was moving and rents were way too high and low income housing places had waiting lists......but I kept getting nagged to call this ad for a place called WestWinds.  Stop it!  Stop it!  They don't even advertise for one-bedrooms!  Federal housing won't let me live in a two-bedroom!  Finally just to shut him up I called.  They had an eviction that they had not advertised for yet--just been emptied & hadn't been cleaned yet--and they rarely advertised for one-bedrooms because they had so very few...and at the same time (so close together I can't remember what came first) I got approved for disability with a bit of back pay that was enough for me to move...that is how I ended up in West Winds...where I could also finally have a cat again!  (There's another guided story about how I ended up in this apartment, too--LOL!)

This whole cat thing seemed very GA guided, too.  Even though Alley is all in the works and I may not get her--it was like the universe telling me--you're going to be okay, you know?  That GA was telling me that I will be around to be there for a cat that needs a forever home.  Now I can't see to type again--LOL!  That has made me happier than any scan ever could.

Dagan came over after work.  He brought out trash, cleaned the big tub litter bin with the hose in the yard, and brought out the cat stuff I had ready.  (I did keep more in than I had planned--LOL!)  We had a nice long chat.

Friday

Before my morning clinic appointment I went down to the office to talk to somebody in person.  I wanted them to know that if Cats Cradle called to see if it is okay that I have a cat that I am not getting a second cat (against the rules) and that my cat died.  Since I had been approved for a companion or support animal years ago when I got Karma and they accepted the letter and forms I had used to get a cat when I lived at West Winds when I moved here to North Sky I didn't think there'd be any problem.  (No I never told them about Karma dying and me taking in Annie from McFamily.)

Another coincidence?

There was a lady at the desk I didn't recognize.  She was in a conversation with two other ladies so I sat outside to wait.  Now Leah was picking me up at about 10ish and it was only 9:15 so I figured I had plenty of time.  Well, 20 minutes later with no end in sight I was getting nervous that I would have to leave to finish getting ready (have to do things like put numbing cream on my port, etc)...then a lady comes in the front door and walks right into the office.  I rose to stand in the office door--she came out--and it was the young girl who had brought my paperwork and filled it out with me at my place AND the one who had picked up the dead bird and bunny!  She is who I had wanted to talk to in the first place!

She told me that Goldmark requires everything be done again for a new pet.  Which means I would need a note from a doctor that I need a companion animal and would have to fill out all the forms again...and Cats Cradle calls your landlord...so this slows everything down.  But I told her I was having an infusion that day and would ask the doctor to write something for me.  She said that if she were me she would go ahead and start things since she didn't foresee I would have any issues with getting permission to have a cat.  (From her inflection--might be one of the silver linings to having cancer and being housebound in the first place--pity?--I'll use it--LOL!)

So, I get home, finish getting ready, and Leah came to pick me up.  Good news: bloodwork was good.  Bad news: when I saw the doctor she said they do not do that (the note for a cat).  Good news: I got scheduled for my next CTscan in September!!  I have the next infusion without a doctor visit Aug 19th.  I have the dermatologist Sept 1st. (I had thought it was in August--my appointments haven't been showing up right away online recently--and I did call about that--said they'd call me back and never did.)  Then CTscan Sept 7th and infusion with doctor visit Sept 9th.  I am so glad to get a scan earlier than November!  Funny how one doctor tells you this and another tells you that.  But this scan is scheduled and everything--whoohoo!!  Hoping for good news, of course--but less worried about it, to be honest.  :) :)

Anyways, Leah came inside with me afterwards.  She was working on my laptop to try to set an automatic photo exchange--to Google photos from One Drive.  I think she got photos to transfer but not videos but I am not sure.  We (I) got so side-tracked talking about Alley and other stuff that I just used One Drive today because she had already transferred months of photos onto it (that make Gramma so happy).

While Leah was here I called Dr. Kessler's nurse to see if Dr. Kessler would write a note for me.  She called me back and said Dr. Kessler said she normally doesn't do that but she'd probably be willing to make an exception for me and wanted more information...so her nurse and I chatted a bit.  (She's a sweetheart.)  Said she'd get back to me and let me know--that day or maybe Monday.  [Which she did--this morning.  Dr. Kessler already wrote something and they were putting it in the mail for me today!!!]

And while Leah was here we filled out the online adoption request form and emailed it to Cat's Cradle.

Saturday

Look what I saw!!!  And this time I got pictures!! 

One baby has survived, can fly, and it is with both parents.  Makes me so happy!

Along with the other weekly calendar and announcement stuff that Goldmark clips outside our door on Fridays--I noticed this??!!  (Can click to enlarge.)

What the heck?!  Have they also lost the master list for which apartment is which?  How can they need this information?  How can they not know how many bedrooms people have and which apartments are handicapped, etc.??  My confidence level in management has been dropping.  Just when I need them to approve me all over again for a cat, of course.  Which makes no sense, either.  How can my mental health and well-being change for the better when my pet dies--LOL!

I got an email from Gail at Cat's Cradle wanting to know which vet I had used for my last cat.  I wrote back that we used to go to Two Rivers but were not happy with them and I needed a new regular vet.  That I had used Red River Emergency Vet Clinic for Annie and was very happy with them.  Saw that on their website Cat's Cradle had some recommended vets.

I thought--oh no--they might be upset if they find out I didn't do the insulin shots for Annie and avoided the vet because it freaked her out so badly.  She had all her shots and was never outside--and was traumatized so easily.  

Never heard back.  They do the pre-approval interview for being allowed to come for a viewing via the phone.

Sunday

I got an email I missed by an hour asking if I was available for a phone call from Gail at Cat's Cradle.  Emailed back that I was.  Haven't heard anything even yet today.  I might try to call them later.  Not sure exactly what to do.

Meanwhile, been so humid and hot enough that been closed up for a few days.  Love seeing the flowers out there, regardless.  80s today and mid-90s tomorrow.  I'm sure a lot of you have worse unseasonable weather than we do here.

I watched a couple of interesting shows on Hulu:  The Old Man S1 and Under The Banner of Heaven (mini-series based on true crime in a Mormon community).  I finally watched S3 of Tin Star on Prime, too.  Very weird ending.  Anyways, the week flew by.  I am hoping to have good news to share next week about Alley.  If she is meant to be...it will all fall into place, right?

*******

Now, McFamily pictures!!

The Red River Zoo

A fox.

Otters!  Above ground and...

...under water!

I have never been to this zoo myself but it looks pretty good for a smaller zoo.

Not sure what's in there.

Prairie dogs!!

Ian!  They sure do have odd things they can do--LOL!

Not sure what that is in this exhibit.

They got to get pictures as beekeepers--LOL!  Liam and...

...Ian.

No clue what they are inside of up there.

Bobcat.

What a beautiful bobcat!

Rides?  Maybe these are at the zoo, too?  Ian on a horse on the merry-go-round.

Liam must have chosen a bench seat.

At home.

I also have no idea what these bowls of sudsy looking stuff are.  Haven't had time to ask Leah about any of the photos--LOL!

I know this is a sprinkler type of water toy.

Love candid pics like this!  The boys glued to something on the tube and Daddy and Blink asleep on the other side of the couch--lol!

Other fun places!

I am so glad they have been able to do some fun things this summer after being kind of locked up for almost two years.  Ian has had tennis lessons.

Mama and Liam hang out while Ian learns about tennis.

They've been able to visit different parks...and had picnic lunches in a few.  There are a lot of cool kids parks in the southern parts of the cities.

Ian also has had some golf lessons and been able to go with Daddy a few times around the course.

Looks like in bad weather they practice tennis inside.

Liam can run the track...

...while Ian learns (second from right).

Nice days when they're outside Mama and Liam can have snacks on a blanket.

Here the boys are rolling down a small hill...

...several times on a windy day.

Love the tire swing at this park!  

The playgrounds don't all look the same these days like they did when I was little...or even when Dagan was little.  Liam on the slide.

Ian on the slide.  

They must like to go headfirst--LOL!  

Well, that's it for this week.  I do have a bunch of pictures from their week of vacation with the McGregor clan but I can save them for another time.  So many already this week.

Wish me luck with Alley.  Hoops to jump through with Goldmark and with Cat's Cradle.  I was not expecting to be thinking about another cat at all yet...let alone have a specific one in mind.  But she ticked every box.  I may not feel totally ready--but I didn't for Annie, either.  And having the company--really miss that.  I fall in love with critters so easily.  How can you not?  Positive thoughts, fingers crossed, prayers, and good wishes appreciated.  Till next week.