The weekend weather forecast looks unpleasant for our usual outdoor activities. Too cloudy for astronomy and too much rain chance for cycling. What we will be up to is, at this point, unknown. Tasha is feeling much better after a few days of dosing her with Prednisolone. Dr. B. said I did the right thing in resuming the medication he prescribed as therapy for possible inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Tasha's feline body seems to agree. {See: Cornell Feline Health Center for more info.} Where she was vomiting frequently and a little too quiet, she now keeps all meals and water down and romps around the house — her old self again. Doc would like us to begin reducing the dose and try and find some low maintenance dose that will keep the symptoms at bay. Very tricky: she went for more than a month without any medication and had no noticeable symptoms — how to find that elusive minimum dose. Dinner out at the Wild Ginger China Bistro tonight! What's pending for the weekend is a mystery!
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The Labor Day weekend was pretty good for us. On balance, we'd have to say it was stellar!
I had to work Saturday so that made this a not-long weekend for me. Sunday, however, we were able to bring mother-in-law home from the nursing facility. She was delighted to be home and is now in much better condition than before her brief hospital stay for surgery. She said of her last physical therapy session, "The therapist told me she I was going so fast with my walker she couldn't keep up with me! I told her, I have to, I don't have much time left!" That's my 88-year-old mom-in-law for you! After making sure she was settled in at home, sweetie and I set off looking for lunch and new sneakers for me. We had a nice lunch at Chipotle and found great shoe bargains for both of us –she finally got some good sneakers for herself instead of those really cheap ones– at Shoe Carnival. Then home.
The forecast called for excellent sky conditions Sunday and I had missed out Saturday night because of lack of sleep Friday. It's all related. So I felt I really had to go out to the observatory this night so that I wouldn't regret not going. As it turned out, I had a great time and was, in fact, very glad I went. I practiced locating the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) with the big scope. Not easy but I was able to find it repeatedly. I also got a gander at the beautiful globular star cluster M22, in Sagittarius. Tried photographing both of those objects through the telescope but it's still not tracking well enough. The sky was so clear that I decided to try some observatory portraits and got some very nice shots. I'll do that again another night since I've learned a few things on this first try. Among those things, I need to bring my good tripod, not the old broken one. Also, the ISO setting of 1600 introduced a lot of noise among the stars. Still, I love this photo and several others from the night. Left the observatory at midnight and got to bed before 1:30 AM Monday, Labor Day.
Today we rose a little late and got on the road a little late for a –seemingly– very hot ride from Oberlin. It was supposed to be a loop through the town of Wakeman and back to Oberlin but, well, I missed a turn and we rode too far south. We corrected that, got to Wakeman and a Subway sandwich lunch on their town green, and made it back to Oberlin. Not much of a loop but a challenging 33.9 miles on a beautiful day through splendid countryside of rolling fields and farms — and almost no motor traffic! Taking a shower, however, may have been the most rewarding part of the activities — we were so sweaty and sticky.
I lost sleep Friday night because Tasha has started vomiting again. Poor little kitty. It didn't seem so bad as the first time this happened and we took her in a panic to the emergency clinic. She had been off the medication since late July, however, and I'd hoped we wouldn't have to resume. With her problem continuing, though not severe, over the weekend, I felt I had to start her back on Prednisolone. I'll call the vet tomorrow and find out what course of treatment he recommends.
Tomorrow is Tuesday and back to work…. {sigh!}
It was a busy day Friday with plenty of work to do. I finished rebuilding a PC for a fellow who almost certainly got spyware on his system –or worse– and who should have known better. So he has a fresh OS install along with all of the latest apps and updates. We'll see how long it takes him to make the same mistakes that messed up his system before!
Tasha's cortisone is now down to dosing every third day. Still acting healthy and keeping her meals down. I'm happy.
Today (Saturday) was running around on errands and shopping in the beautiful weather. Two new bookcases ordered and due in four weeks. Once home I checked out the news on how a tiny local bookstore drew upwards of 12,000 people to their town square for their special Harry Potter activities. That's 12,000 men, women, and children! The Learned Owl Bookstore, on the square in Hudson, Ohio, embraced H.P. early-on with genuine enthusiasm that went far beyond simple sales promotion. I love that little shop.
I shot some photos of flowers in our patio area. Lily pedals lit from behind were hauntingly beautiful but I didn't think focus was as sharp as it ought to be. One of those images may yet show up here; the colors were just so vivid. The black-eyed Susans, however, presented an excellent opportunity in the late-day sun. The Fuji FinePix S7000 isn't the best all-in-one camera for action but it has a great "super-macro" and has given me excellent results.
I'm planning to go to the observatory tonight and get some practice aiming using celestial coordinates. I also want to see if a new adapter will finally allow me to attach a modern camera to the old telescope. If it works, a photo will surely show up here and, possibly, in local newspapers.
Today is a good day to have an indoor job. You can't always say that but the official temperature in Cleveland, Ohio is 97 degrees !! That's hot most places plus we've got the weird combination of high humidity and near drought conditions. Helping out a little is the fact that it's overcast. On balance the cloud cover is good when it's already this hot, but there's a very interesting sunspot group on the face of the Sun right now and I can't even take a look. Oh well.
On Dr. B.'s standing orders, I've reduced Tasha's daily cortisone dose from a half-tablet daily to a half-tablet every other day. So far, so good. She seems to have more energy so is certainly acting like she feels better. She'd like to have the windows open but, well, see the paragraph above… it's the humans' house and we can't stand the heat. (Or at least don't want to have to put up with it!)
July 4 is my birthday. Instead of having a party or some such thing, I decided to pay my mother a visit. It had been a long, long time since I'd seen her and we had a splendid time. She's 80 years old but bright, active, and fully independent — enviable conditions for that age. Two of her three kids (the boys) live some distance away so she sees us rarely. Our sister lives much closer. We chatted for the longest time and shared lunch and dinner before I headed back home –it's a 2 1/2-hour drive– for the night. I have got to visit more often! Back at home we watched the big Cleveland fireworks display on TV. It was very impressive on TV but it's really not at all the same experience as seeing it with your own eyes. Now I want to go to a fireworks show!
My lovely Indian neighbor, Leela, learned that it was my birthday and left a greeting card taped to our door. In part it read, "I am glad you are my neighbors — just like finding a small stream of water in a dry neighborhood." Between visiting Mom and that thought from Leela, it was a happy birthday.
I'd worried about Tasha because she threw up three times in one day but she seems fine. No more puking except for a tiny fur ball and that doesn't count since fur balls aren't what worry me. They're merely gross! And Missy, though yowling excessively the morning after her vet visit, has returned to her normal habits. All is well, then, at home.
I've been dissatisfied with my personal M.D. for a while and July 3rd's appointment pretty much sealed the deal… I'm moving on! Not only could his staff tech not draw blood for testing but for no stated reason, the doc ordered a thallium stress test. As I understand it, a thallium stress test is only indicated where cardiac disease is suspected and he gave me no reason to believe my heart has any problems. There has to be a very good reason for me to allow myself to be injected with a radioactive substance and Dr. D. didn't give me any reason at all. So I see a new practice August 3 and hope for better treatment.
Speaking with the vet today, Dr. B. said Tasha's cortisone dose is to be reduced by half. Then, after another week with no symptoms, we're to reduce the dosage by half again. The goal is to eliminate the treatment entirely but the only way to see if we can do that is to see if her illness flares up again as the cortisone is cut back! The cat is getting really good at ejecting the pill these days; she runs her tongue in reverse and pushes on my hand with her paws. It's impressive how strong a little animal can be! Sometimes I can get that tiny tablet in on the first try but often it's taking several tries. For several good reasons I'll be happy if we can discontinue the medication.
At work I've been rehabbing an existing PC for use by our new webmaster — a current staffer taking a new post which will incorporate portions of my job. He starts in a couple of weeks and I'll transition my Web duties to him as quickly as I can. The enjoyable part: I haven't rebuilt a PC from bare metal in a while. It's tedious but rewarding as even older computers run very well with the OS cleaned out and freshly-loaded, current software. I've finished with the basics and the old PC is good as new and maybe better.
The weather is supposed to be darned near perfect this weekend. Sunny with temperatures in the 70s — my ideal summer weather. All I want to do is rest and get centered; stuff at work is throwing me off balance — yes, I know it is up to me to let such things flow past me and not affect my being but I never said I had myself under control. I'm tired. Between self-inflicted stress (gotta start meditating) and not getting enough sleep last night, I'm draggin'. I'd also like to know where my sense of humor went and how to get it back! Believe it or not, I used to be pretty funny! I'm taking vacation time this coming week so maybe I can look for some of those things during the first week of July. I'll bet that doesn't happen, though. Still, it will be nice to be away from the office.
I never should have come in to work. Had a bad night's sleep, probably due to physical discomfort, and got up with upset stomach, general aches and malaise, no appetite. Still, I felt I could make it. Now, getting on towards the end of the work day, I'm dog tired and just want to get home and sleep! I'll soldier on and hopefully make it to the end of the day (90 minutes from now) before going home. Wasn't a total waste here as I did get a little work done and helped solve a technical issue or two. I really feel lousy!
Right now Tasha seems to be doing better than me. Spoke with Dr. G. today –Dr. B. was ill– and she reduced Tasha's cortisone doses from two tablets per day to one. I call back in a week and see about further reduction. This is pretty much standard protocol where inflammatory bowel disease is suspected. Of course, there never was a definite diagnosis so we'll see if and when symptoms return. At any rate, Tasha is doing much better and, if she lost any weight during her ordeal, she gained back every ounce during her recovery!
It was a pretty nice morning this day. I had a reasonably good night's sleep (too brief, as usual, but restful except for waking briefly suspecting the shadow on the wall had supernatural significance, telling my id it was stupid, then going back to sleep). As I was getting dressed for work, clad in briefs and a dress shirt, I spotted a deer munching on tree ring plants in a neighbor's front yard. So I went downstairs, grabbed my camera, and shot a few photos of our visitor. The deer strolled out of the neighbor's yard and toward ours so I moved to the balcony, still clad in briefs and a dress shirt. Hey, I was covered! Anyway, the deer was becoming wary apparently hearing my camera's stupid beeps and clicks but was checking out some ragged landscape plants when I shot the photo shown here. Shortly after that, our Friday morning visitor disappeared into a small wooded area nearby and I went indoors to put my pants on. The deer around here regularly visit our front yards in search of good grazing but we usually don't see them this long after sunrise. They are emboldened by the pressure of diminishing habitat as wooded areas and open fields are developed, mostly for new housing. I can't help but feel sorry for them: they're just trying to make a living in a world that is increasingly hostile. I wish we would preserve more green areas around here as refuge and habitat for these and other wild creatures. Politicians and developers define such lands as "vacant" or "idle." Just shows you what they don't know about the natural world and it's too bad so few people recognize the value of such areas.
The cats are both doing well. You can tell Tasha's feeling better because she was a total grouch towards Missy last night. She's probably transferring the aggression she has over the outdoor cats she sees through the window on to poor old Miss who she sees moving through the nighttime shadows of the living room. At any rate, she charged and hissed at Missy several times last night and was difficult to calm. This morning they were apparently at peace with each other as they got their respective medicines, foods, and treats.
My niece is to be married tomorrow. Most of the family will be traveling to the Dayton area for the ceremonies but we won't be among them. I'd made an early prior commitment to run an open house at the College Observatory for Alumni Day. Pretty important to not miss. By chance we also got into the conflicting requirement for regular medication of two cats who definitely will do better at home than boarded at the vet's. Long-term stress is just no good for them. Still, I'm sorry to miss this important day in her life and the chance to see my family. So, weakly in our stead, we sent our best wishes and a generous gift to dear Rachel. Even now I usually think of her as a 10-year-old girl rather than the engaged recent college graduate she now is. {Sigh!} Where did those years go?
Missy visited Dr. B. today and got very good news. Her blood glucose level is 227 which is just above the targeted 200. She has gained back some of the weight that has slipped away and is well hydrated. Missy tipped the scales at a dainty 8.5 lbs. today, up from 8.1 only last week. We're very pleased. Insulin dose is to be increased slightly from 5 to 6 units once a day. Meanwhile Tasha is doing well. You'd never known we were in full-blown medical crisis a week ago! Dr. B. is having us reduce the antibiotic and stop dosing at the end of the week. The cortisone we will keep up until next week when we check back with the doctor and talk about whether the dosage can be reduced. Nothing is assured, however, and the root of Tasha's episode is still not certain. She's basically being treated for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and has, so far, responded splendidly. All-in-all we're seeing improvements in both cats and hope they enjoy good health for a good long time.
Here's an excellent article on IBD at the Cornell Feline Health Center Web site: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/ibd.html
The weather is excellent. The cats are feeling well. After this week of heat, storms, and sick kitties today is, indeed, a very good day. If I have enough energy left at the end of the day today –this was my Saturday to work– I may go out stargazing; the skies don't get much clearer around here than they are right now and expected to be tonight. We don't get many nights like this in an entire year and, with Jupiter well placed for viewing, I'd like to get out and take a look at it and some deep sky objects. Nice comfortable temperatures and humidities, too.
Cat updates: Missy's acting better than she has in quite some time, apparently responding well to insulin therapy at a slightly higher dosage: 5 units per day. Her coat and skin condition continue to improve as well. It looks like we got her to the vet just in time; diabetes can be very sneaky. Today Tasha is enjoying the fresh air and sights through the patio door screen, has kept down meals and treats so far, and has reportedly been awake all morning. We still don't know what the matter was (or is) with Tash but I'm happy for any improvements. We talk to the vet again on Monday and it will be interesting to hear what he says. In the mean time, we hope for an uneventful and beautiful weekend.
PhotonStopper 