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Sunday, January 25, 2015
RIP Oliver
I haven't really updated or written anything on here about Oliver these past few weeks. I guess mainly just trying not to think about it and willing it to be ok but ultimately a choice had to be made yesterday and we had to be selfless and release him.
He had kidney issues for the past 2-3 years but was on meds for them and all in all pretty stable. We were at the vet in late sumner and all was the same as before. He was fine throughout our move from the house to the apartment and out of all the cats settled in the fastest. Nosy, walking around, checking everything out and finding places he liked to sleep and rest.
He was 18 so of course not young but for his age doing well. Happy and alert. But a little after Christmas he started having more mobility issues, limping etc. So on New Year's Eve we brought him to the vet where he was diagnosed with severe arthritis. They put him on several meds in addition to his kidney ones (bone/joint vitamins and a pain/anti-inflammatory med) and all seemed well and hopeful.
He was difficult with taking his meds and I tried various tactics over the next few days and weeks. Plus his appetite seemed off. After a bit he also started to develop stomach troubles, diarrhea and also constipation. Last week Friday I called the vet and they recommended a certain product for the constipation so I tried that but things didn't really seem to improve.
So I made a vet appointment for him for Wednesday. Unfortunately it wasn't a very encouraging appointment. His arthritis was so severe that it was affecting his whole back end and spine influencing his nerves and how everything responds in regards to the bowel movements. If he didn't go to the bathroom there was the danger of his bladder exploding etc. All very scary stuff. He also had lost 3lbs since New Year's. They gave me steroids,a muscle relaxant, an appetite stimulant and some critical diet food to try fatten him up.
I stayed home with him and watched him 24/7 and at times it seemed like maybe I could get him to pull through but as the days passed it became pretty clear it just wasn't meant to be. We had a follow up appointment scheduled for Saturday morning and that's when we had to make our final decision. I really didn't want to let him go but he was literally skin and bones at that point so it just wasn't fair to him. The one good thing is that he was happy right to the end. He purred, meowed, ate and wanted attention Saturday morning. He even looked around at the vet, being his nosy self, before tiring himself out and curling up against me. My poor baby. So yes rest in peace. Now I have someone else waiting for me in heaven :)
Mail Update. Getting so behind on my mail again. Received letters from: Tiffany/OK, Nina/WA, Emilia/Finland, Lotte/Denmark, Kimber/Canada, Celia/MA, Charles/TN and Alexandra/Peru.
Posted by Hanna at 04:48 PM in Cats | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Dreary January Sunday
And it's Sunday again. All in all this has been a very laid back, lazy weekend. We were off on both weekend days. Yesterday, Saturday, we slept in late and then went to see "The Wedding Ringer" at the movies. I wasn't too sure what to expect but it was actually really funny and an enjoyable movie. Not an Oscar movie by all means of course but a fun movie nonetheless.
We still have some Oscar nominated movies I want to see before the awards. ("The Theory of Everything", "Birdman" and "Selma") Yeah I know "Selma" wasn't technically nominated in any of the big categories but it did well at the Golden Globes so I still definitely want to see it.
Today, Sunday, we ended up sleeping in again and then went to Milford to eat at SBC. The weather was really messy this morning, icy rain coating everything in a sheet of ice, then mixing with rain. When we left it was just our stairs and driveway that were really icy, the roads were mainly fine. Here now, going to head back home in a bit. Will stop at the store for some groceries, then maybe watch some shows.
And tomorrow it is already Monday again. It's Martin Luther King Day tomorrow but it's not a day we get off at work. Not a huge deal. At least it should be a little quieter, at least if the weather cooperates.
Mail Update. Received letters from Celia/MA, Charles/TN and Alexandra/Peru.
Posted by Hanna at 02:49 PM in Food and Drink, Weather | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Patton Oswalt - Carnegie Hall Weekend Update
And it's already Sunday again. Had both Saturday and today off which was nice but even with the two days it just flew by. But isn't that the way it always goes?
Friday we woke up to a snowy mess. We didn't even get that much, just,a few inches, but the timing was just bad with it happening right during morning rush hour. At first a lot of the schools had delays (usually 90 min-2 hours to give the towns some extra time to clear and sand the roads and sidewalks) but then switched to cancellations. I don't know if that was really necessary considering the sun was out mid to late morning. Anyway needless to say all that made for a rather unenjoyable morning at work especially since we also had to leave earlier than normal that day.
We had tickets to see Patton Oswalt at Carnegie Hall so we took the train down to NYC. Had dinner beforehand at a burger place called RARE we found (37th & Lexington, not that far from Grand Central) One of the best burgers I had in a while, hands down, super delicious. After dinner we headed over to Carnegie Hall to see Patton Oswalt. Very fun show. Afterwards we had another drink and then headed back to CT. Ended up being home around 2am so we slept in late on Saturday. :)
Saturday we got up late and had a relaxed day. Went for lunch and then back home to catch up on a bunch of TV shows. Today, Sunday, slept in too. I got up a bit earlier and took care of some things around the house. Vacuumed and took the Christmas deco down while Mike was in the shower. Afterwards we headed to Flipside in Fairfield for a late lunch. Here now, heading back home in a bit. Gonna stop at the grocery store and later we will watch the Golden Globes. And then it's already Monday tomorrow. Ugh. Another winter weather watch on our horizon as well. Sounds like a repeat of Friday. Double ugh.
Mail Update. Received letters from Celia/MA, Charles/TN and Alexandra/Peru.
Posted by Hanna at 04:03 PM in Food and Drink, NYC, Performances, Weather | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, January 04, 2015
New Year's + California Travel Plans
And here we are in 2015. Another year gone by. I know it's a cliché to say that the years fly by faster when you get older but I think there does have to be some truth to it. Anyway let's hope 2015 is a good one. I have had mixed messages from various friends. Two engagements with weddings planned for 2015, but on the less positive side one of my friends lost relatives in the Air Asia crash which is just so sad. So a mixed bag as they say.
Personally we had a nice New Year's. Work was busy leading up to it as expected. New Year's Eve we had reservations in Bethel at a wine bar where they had a pre-fix 4 course wine tasting dinner with great food and wine. The only drawback was that they decided to do communal seating so we ended up with three other couples at our table. I wasn't really prepared for that and we didn't have much in common with the other people but oh well.
Had the 1st off and went to the movies to see "Big Eyes" and then had a small feast (brie & baguette, shrimp cocktail, pepperjack & crackers, veggies & dip and pigs in a blanket) at home.
Worked on Friday and Saturday. Today we had off and slept in. Then drove up to Massachusetts to check out a restaurant. Papp's Bar and Grill at Barnes Municipal Airport in Westfield, MA. Will be heading back soon-ish to watch some TV when we get home.
In different news we booked flights out to California for February (17-24) Will be out there for Mike's birthday and also meeting up with Nicki, our Australian friend who will be there. Really looking forward to it. Our flights are to LAX but planning on spending a night up in Santa Barbara and maybe a day trip to Catalina.
Mail Update. Received a letter from Alexandra/Peru.
Posted by Hanna at 05:37 PM in Food and Drink, Holidays, Travel, Wine | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack