It's a beautiful, windy morning, but apparently we have another heat wave coming our way. I still have some paperwork to get done so I'm staying in with my air conditioning.

Got those 5-day sweet pickles canned. Oh, my gosh! They are worth every minute of work - SO crispy/crunchy and good. Got 8 pints of stewed tomatoes with onions, green peppers and onions done yesterday. I'd like to get more of those, but don't know if the tomatoes will cooperate. We are one of the few people in our area who have ANY veggie garden at all because of the horrendous heat earlier this summer. But hubby has been watering religiously once a week.

Sure is a beautiful morning! Twittering hummingbirds and black coffee - great start to the day. It's weeding for me later - they are starting to get ahead of me! Then tonight is the first night of league bowling. Don't know if I'm ready for it or not!

sports and chores.

Good morning everyone!

Sumatra Mandheling coffee, Scottish Breakfast tea and bottled Fiji water in the Break Room.

Tree culling finishes today, and, in theory, we'll get a part installed in our 'possessed' fridge that will fix it ... in theory

Is Willow a cuddlier Hagatha? I'm thinking along the same lines with Drac, she misses dad.

Those 5-day sweet pickles sound marvelous Drac!

Have a wonderful day everyone.

Good afternoon all: too wet to be out in the garden today, but there is some finishing plaster work long overdue in the conservatory - definitely not my favourite task but I have just made a start!

I particularly enjoy the ongoing updates from Drac (aka the Human Dynamo), and hagatha's cat tales, although sorry to hear that Duke has made hummingbird feeding problematic and that Willow has the blues. I usually check this thread every morning over my first coffee, although I am usually too lazy to post anything...

Soot, Willow is a snuggler and has taken over my lap now.

I picked up the medication today, but, true to my expectations, I cannot get the little monster to actually eat it. It's a tuna-flavoured liquid, but if I put it in her food she just walks away and trying to syringe it into her mouth results in a flurry of claws and struggling, so I'm at a bit of an impasse. There is a second medication for back pain, which she also has, apparently. Neither medication has gone down the hatch yet.

She's not always depressed, though. Just now, after a long, drooling, session with a new catnip toy, Dude deigned to actually chase her and engage in some play, which always cheers her up. They may never be bonded, but there are times when they clearly enjoy having each other around.

court shows and even perry mason, and chores, starting with perry mason, america court with judge kevin ross, the people court, judge greg mathis, justice with judge mablean ,the verdict with judge hatchett, judge judy. and chore. for tomorrow

I'm watching Frozen on the History Channel.

Hagatha, I am delighted to hear that Willow seems to be accepting you as a substitute to a greater extent!

Last time we had to medicate a cat there were some dry treats we used, wetting them but letting them dry out to some extent: success when putting it in wet food failed.

Now all you have to do is find a way of protecting hummingbird feeders from Dude... (a bell on a collar perhaps?)

Okay SQF, I'll bite: how come Frozen is on the History Channel?

Good morning, Danish, Donuts, and Bagels in the Break Room.

I managed to get some Gabapentin down Willow's gob last night. I think I'll have to use only one or the other drug, since she runs away every time she sees me with the syringe. Once a day is all I can manage, and I suspect that the Gabapentin will also help with the depression.

The worst part is that Willow is also on a diet, and the constant whining for food is getting annoying. Plus, she's howling at my door at 5:00 am and I'm getting sleep-deprived. John used to feed her in the middle of the night, and she's absolutely starving early in the morning. Stubborn girl; banging on the door and hissing at her works or a day or two, and then she's right back at it. I've ordered one of those automatic food dispensers so she can eat early. If it works I'll get one for Dude, too. I can't feed him dry food since he never drinks water, but he could have a little snack early on.

Okay, I'm sorry hagatha but I have to ask this. How do you/the vet know she has back pain? You wrote this earlier: "There is a second medication for back pain, which she also has, apparently." That word "apparently" is saying to me that you are taking the vets word about it. As you all know, I know nothing about health issues (cats or my own), so I'll refrain from any personal comment but I'm just curious about this. Is she doing something that shows she's in pain or maybe when you touch her or what?

The vet ran her hands down around Willow's spine, and she did flinch a bit. She no longer jumps up onto surfaces she used to sit on all the time - like the higher window sills and, notably, the perch on our balcony that allows her to see the world. I didn't really notice this before, but now that I have more time I can see that she moves like a far older cat than Dude, who is a year older than her. I also remember my previous cat, Rachel, who at the age of 9 was as goofy and playful as any kitten.

I'm hoping that getting a couple of pounds off her will make medication unnecessary. She's pretty big.

Thanks for explaining.

I do think being overweight is a lot of it. I just wish that Willow being on a diet didn't mean I have to lose sleep. I love my cat, but...

If she cannot get into the bedroom, could some of that be loneliness, not just hunger?

We always have food out for the cat. I even leave food out for her even though she won't give me the time of day. Of course, I'm not sure how that works for the dieting.

Good afternoon everyone

Lapsang souchong smoked tea and bottled Fiji water in the Break Room.

Lex, I don't think it's the Disney Frozen ... perhaps the Antarctica or Artic?

Keeping Willow and you in my thoughts and prayers Hagatha

T.G.I.F. everyone

My friend uses two of those automatic feeders and they are a lifesaver for her cats who tend towards fatties. Leaving food out all the time was what turned one of them into a 23 pound porker when her ex-husband had him. She was surprised he hadn't already gone into liver failure. It took her almost a year, but she finally got the weight off before it killed him.

sports and chores.

family, for some reason you have four posts all within a minute. I'll see if Marian or Ana can delete them.

Oldbroad, I don't think she's lonely, since I've always had a separate room because of my severe insomnia. She's never been allowed in my room at night; she wiggles and snores and is not the best bed companion. The 5:00 am wakeup call is definitely food related.

"she wiggles and snores and is not the best bed companion."

Good morning, Danish, Donuts, and Bagels in the Break Room. Going to the flea market today. Working the kitchen for our dinner at the Eagles tonight, Trivia to follow.

Good morning everyone

Sulawesi Toraja coffee, Scottish Breakfast tea and bottled Fiji water in the Break Room.

The weekend arrived with my projects and chores

Stay safe in the kitchen Connie ... have a wonderful Saturday everyone

I've started an Artigiano Coffee subscription, where every two weeks coffee arrives in my mailbox all the way from Vancouver. I was finding that my old favourite Discovery Coffee was all too lightly roasted to give my coffee enough body, now that I'm using the automatic espresso machine, even the blend they use for their espresso. The Artigiano is just right - small beans, a true medium roast, and no trace of oiliness. Plus this way I save 10%. Now I really feel as though the coffee I'm making is very close to coffee shop coffee.

It's a beautiful sunny day, and if it's not too hot later I ight walk on the seawall for an hour or two. Our little city has spent years upgrading the waterfront and now we have a long, lovely walk from downtown south along the water's edge for miles. The City was smart enough to add lots of parking stalls all along that stretch of the road, as well as well-placed washrooms, so you really can walk for hours. There's a nice coffee shop and a couple of restaurants along the way, too.