The "what's On Your Mind?" Thread -2018

[kashmir64]

Paint the little one orange, name it Onsa.

 

[Willowy]

The barn swallows still haven't left. One year they left in the last week of August, last year they left in the first week of September. So this is pretty late. I wonder what that says about the upcoming winter. I hope it means it'll be a mild winter!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

For those who need a kitten fix:

OH SQUEEEEEEEEE! SPLORT ~head explodes~

I wonder what that says about the upcoming winter. I hope it means it'll be a mild winter!

Well, having read both the Farmer's Almanac AND the Old Farmer's Almanac, and learning that they diometrically oppose one another, who the heck knows!

Hatches are battened as much as possible. Just waiting for Flo.

 

[Margret]

Breaking news. The governor of S. Carolina has just ordered coastal evacuation. Current map predicting landfall:

Please be safe, everybody. If you're staying in place make sure all your devices are charged, make sure your supplemental chargers are fully charged, make sure that you have plenty of food and water, for both yourselves and your family and animals, turn off charged cell phones and put them in Ziploc bags (preferably pint sized freezer bags) - if you put them with the touch screen facing the clear side of the bag you can use them without removing from the bag.

If you're evacuating, leave soon! Take adequate supplies, pets, and all your really important documents and electronics. Don't forget picture albums!

STAY SAFE!

And check in with us when it's over. We worry.

Margret

 

[Willowy]

Well, having read both the Farmer's Almanac AND the Old Farmer's Almanac, and learning that they diometrically oppose one another, who the heck knows!

I'm not so sure they're actually contradicting each other. One says "very cold and snowy". One says "warm and wet". Now, it's really all a matter of perception. If one writer looked at "20 degrees" and thought "wow, that's cold!", that would explain one of them. But for us, 20 degrees in the winter is warm. And "wet" is just a euphemism for "snowy" in the winter. Plus it can't snow if it's too cold. So they could be talking about the same forecast. I'll have to see if I can find the details on that.

 

[angels mommy]

Thanks Margret!!
Yes, we here in NC are getting prepared too.
Trying not to stress, because I know Sammie will pick up on it. I called the vet this afternoon to get some gabapentin..just in case, ...they are all out!! They said they will hopefully get more tommorow.
I hope so!
We are in Wilmington, right on the coast, but praying it vers off & misses us!!
We're in a brick house that's been here since the 70's, & has done fine through the years.
Praying everything goes ok!!

 

[Margret]

I was listening to Darkness Radio last night when there was an add for a thing called Pluto TV. It's kind of like satellite or cable, but it doesn't have the 'big' channels like A&E, Discovery etc... But it does have a MST3K channel, movies, news, sports, music and my favorite...the cat channel. All cats, all the time.
It's free with no sign up. Just download the app and you're ready to go. I'm glad I found it.

Can I get this on a regular comp, a desktop? Or on a regular TV?

I have it on my computer. The only tv I have is an old one. Real old, I can't even give this thing away, no one wants it.
You could (maybe?) get it on your phone also.

You can get it on an Android phone; I've been getting ads for it in programs like Magic Puzzles. kashmir64 has already answered the computer question, and I don't know about television, either. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that you can get it with a Roku stick, but I haven't tried.

Thanks for asking! Froggy has done amazingly well. His recovery has been very smooth. He hasn't even had pneumonia, which was pretty much assumed he would get - the preventative antibiotics the vet gave him seemed to do the trick. So far so good!

His name is... Froggy.

Don't know why I thought we were talking about a different kitten.

Froggy has been with me as a medical foster for five months (he's ten months old now,) but he was not eligible for adoption because he was not yet neutered and was not expected to be able to be because of his medical fragility and the anesthesia risk. Because the vet was able to neuter him while he was already under anesthesia by urgent necessity to remove the mass from his mouth, I was able to finalize his adoption and make him an official permanent family member.

Happy Gotcha! day, Froggy! Congratulations, Blakeney Green . I'm so glad you were able to make it officially permanent!

Today, I put myself on a waiting list for a different apartment complex. These apartments are more like two-room houses, no stairs to climb with heavy groceries. They look so nice. Most importantly, they’re closer to Morgantown.

Good luck!

For those who need a kitten fix:

Thank you so much! They're adorable! And that kitten cave is way too small for that many kittens....

Margret

 

[Blakeney Green]

Good news for Froggy today: the pathology results came back on his tumor, and it was NOT malignant. I'm still confident that removing it was the right choice because it was making it harder for him to eat, but I'm relieved it wasn't cancer.

 

[Margret]

Good news for Froggy today: the pathology results came back on his tumor, and it was NOT malignant. I'm still confident that removing it was the right choice because it was making it harder for him to eat, but I'm relieved it wasn't cancer.

This surgery was good all around. It got rid of something that was messing with Froggy's nutrition, got it tested so you can stop worrying about that possibility, at least, and got Froggy neutered so you could officially adopt him and he can be a safe, happy indoor kitty.

Just because a tumor is "benign" instead of malignant doesn't mean that it's your friend, as I well know. My benign brain tumor stole ten years from my memory! I can't tell you how good it is to have it gone.

Margret

 

[kashmir64]

My benign brain tumor stole ten years from my memory! I can't tell you how good it is to have it gone.

You mean you would tell us if you could remember what it was like to have it.

 

[Margret]

You mean you would tell us if you could remember what it was like to have it.

What I remember:

• One friend killing himself.
• One friend dying of a broken neck.
• Me being unable to visit the friend with the broken neck when he was in the hospital, dying.
• Staying up late one night to watch the Space Shuttle Columbia land, and seeing it split into flaming pieces instead.
• News reports of numerous wildfires in Colorado (where I live).
• Wanting to go to World Con when it was in Denver, needing a wheelchair to make it happen, and being unable to find one for rent anywhere in the city.
• Being tired all the time.

What I don't remember (though I've been assured that they happened):

• Watching Quantum Leap marathons with my husband.
• Going for romantic walks in the park with my husband (which I can no longer do because he's no longer physically capable of it).
• All the normal little everyday things that make life worth living.

I would not lose the painful memories; they're important. But losing the good memories? That hurts, a lot. As does losing my one and almost certainly only chance to go to a World Con.

Margret

 

[kashmir64]

I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore spot, just making a very bad joke.
Please forgive me.

 

[Willowy]

It's super windy here. The weather guys say it's from the hurricane. Funny how that works. If it's this bad here, it must be really bad closer to it! Be careful if you live in the area!

The barn swallows are still here .

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yes, we here in NC are getting prepared too.

Yes, we are! Pray, send vibes, whatever, guys. Flo is a ladydog.

Good news for Froggy today: the pathology results came back on his tumor, and it was NOT malignant.

OH, how I needed some good news today!

 

[kashmir64]

My son and I saw a hurricane a few days ago while watching the ISS. Didn't know where at the time. It was huge...I mean huge. It was probably Florence.

 

[NY cat man]

One of my sisters and her husband just moved to Elizabeth City NC 2 years ago, and it looks like they are right in the bullseye for Florence. Years ago, my ship went through a hurricane, and it wasn't fun. Forty and fifty foot waves, rolling sometimes as much as 35 degrees made life-- interesting. The only bright spot was that so many of the crew got seasick that you could go through the chow line as many ytimes as you wanted- or could hold.

 

[Margret]

I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore spot, just making a very bad joke.
Please forgive me.

No apology necessary.

This is something that I'm dealing with; that I need to deal with, and I haven't made any secret of it. If you do a TCS search on "lost decade" you'll find several posts, spread out over the entire time I've been on the site.

The only bright spot was that so many of the crew got seasick that you could go through the chow line as many ytimes as you wanted- or could hold.

I try to go to a local Science Fiction convention named MileHiCon almost every year. It's the last weekend of October, and the weather can vary from temperatures in the 80s to blizzard conditions. I don't generally take a room in the hotel - it's local so I go home to sleep in my own bed, as well as saving some money - but one year I made it to the con on the first day and decided that I'd be unable to get out until the weather improved, so I took a room. This was the year of the big blizzard. A lot of people who had intended to come didn't make it, but most of the guests had gotten there before the snow started, so it was a really fun convention. It was actually possible to just sit and talk with the guests, because there was so little competition for their attention. I think that was the year I shared an elevator with Nichelle Nichols.

The workers in the hotel restaurant were unable to get in, so there was no food to be had there, and the hotel gift shop and vending machines ran out of snacks early on, so we were really short on food. My friend who later died of a broken neck made an intrepid run to the grocery store and managed to stock the con suite with enough food (barely) to keep us all fed, but everyone was at least a little bit hungry. Ever since, that year's MileHiCon has been referred to by local fandom as "DonnerCon."

Margret

 

[Katie M]

I've received my class schedule for the next two modules. For November and December, both of my classes will be online. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I *like* physically going to class every day, I think it's good for my depression. Having both online means spending the majority of those six weeks at home. I can barely handle weekends.

On the other hand, not having to pay for bus rides and lunches will be great.

 

[Willowy]

I believe the barn swallows have finally left. Just about 2 weeks later than usual. I hope they have smooth travels. I'd like to go see their wintering grounds someday. As soon as I'm sure they're gone I'll knock down their old nests so they can start fresh next year. I love those little guys!

 

[segelkatt]

With heavy heart I have to report that my beloved silver Persian Bebe is no more. I sent her to the Big Sleep this morning after consulting with the vet. She had been losing weight lately and I had noticed she was walking funny, sometimes losing her balance and her legs would splay out. Yesterday she did not eat, not even treats, and she did not eat her breakfast, filled her tummy with water and then peed on me. Off to the vet we went. She had a heart murmur and probably suffered from kidney disease. At her age of 18 she did not have a good quality of life anymore and there was no point in spending all kinds of money just to find out if her life could be extended some more. So I sent her off, holding her to the last moment and beyond. At the front desk a candle was burning with a plaque saying if the candle is burning a pet had just been sent off and for people in the waiting room to speak quietly. Such a nice gesture. Every one of the few people there said they were so sorry for my loss and I don't know any of them.

Rest in Peace, my beloved little girl.