19Feb25: strutting…

Whew! Just a classic seated pose. Thanks. Andy!

That wonky right eye is handy for sneaking a peek.

18Feb25: Andy visits the veterinarian…

Oh yeah! Holly got his purr roaring with some favorite massage and “scritch” techniques! “The tail! The tail!” Purr! Purr!

Then Holly got to business, weighing him.

He lost some weight, which is a concern for the next time as medication doses have been changed between now and then.

Andy patiently waited on the scale but was a bit unhappy for the long wait on the examination table…

…or was he upset with me because I put him in the carrier an hour ahead of schedule!

It was because of the snow and bad roads, Andy…

…and we got put ahead on the schedule once we got there. Perhaps it was because of the bad roads and cancelations? Don’t know, just am appreciative!

Of course, with both Holly and me “scritching” and rubbing his head and neck till Dr.Olejnik could come in, Andy’s mood improved.

The veterinarian finally came in and reported on Andy.

I showed her that concerning photo of Andy with dilated eyes where the pupils were different sizes. He had lower pressure in that right eye, which had elevated pressure back in December. A thorough examination of both eyes showed they are free of a problem. Andy’s next appointment is March 3rd. Though his results were good this time, Dr. Olejnik recommends an echogram because of his heart murmur. While I love Andy and would do anything for him, I have to consider the chaos in Washington and how it impacts my security before I spend large sums on him…or me.

17Feb25: Meh! Andy dislikes musicals…

Fred and Ginger were dancing their hearts out.

I tried to explain they did this to get people food, to get it into terms he might understand, or that it was a form of people play.

He chose to stay but didn’t watch the movie.

16Feb25: missing a classic John Wayne movie…

Andy is missing it, and he usually likes an animal-rich movie with lots of action.

“No horse could run him into the ground.”

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I generally find Western movies uninteresting, but “True Grit” is one John Wayne movie with a good storyline, fantastic scenery, super cinematography, and lots of good humor. Andy watched for a short time, though, then hopped off the ottoman and went for a snooze in my bedroom. John Wayne movies, it seems, always has been a matter of taste!

15Feb25: “Guess what, Andy!?”

I scratched his chin to minimize the trauma he’ll feel about the news.

“You get to go see Holly this morning!”
(Holly, remember, is a veterinary technician, and Andy had a follow-up visit with Dr. Olenik yesterday.)

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Dang it! I got a call from the animal clinic at 8:45 am yesterday. I wrote down the wrong time for Andy’s appointment. It was for 8:30, not 9:30. Too dang many appointments for my cat and me to keep track of!

Anyway, I apologized, noted I’m an idiot trying to juggle too dang many appointments for a cat and me, and made a new appointment for 17th of February at 8:30 am. Andy is happy. I’m upset that I copied the wrong time to a new note from another note that had a big coffee stain (from me.. ) on the time for Andy’s appointment made unclear.

I had looked forward to having Andy’s appointment over because it cleared next Monday to be free of obligations.

On top of it, while I don’t make appointments on dialysis days, for reasons outlined after I fainted during a lung function test recently and ended up in emergency for a four hours, I made one with my financial advisor for 10:00 am after Tuesday’s dialysis session because I didn’t want it scheduled on that Monday date that ended being needed for makeup appointment for Andy!

Sorry for ranting. It looks like it will be a very busy week next week again, with no relief till Friday.

Andy and I had a different day instead, but….

14Feb26: minding his business

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Andy has a follow-up appointment today. I learned yesterday that I have to have an operation to correct an aortic valve issue. The details are being sorted out, but it will be in Rapid City, South Dakota, and I will be away two days. Andy will be boarded at his veterinarian’s clinic unless I decide other options will be happier for him.

13Feb25: making up…

Yeah, he thought he escaped his doses by running out of the room as soon as he saw what was coming.

Seriously, he left the room when I came back with medicine. He left fast!

When he came back a few minutes later. I surprised him with his medicine!

Oh well, afterward and with a bit of loving, he got over my surprise.

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Nothing like figuring out strategies to medicate a cat!

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One thing’s better: thinking you don’t have a post ready for the coming day, it’s 11:45 pm, then you find a pretty good one sitting in draft that is all there and ready to go! I just forgot the final step of moving it onto the schedule pile! I guarantee that the one I started to do before I found I had this ready to go was looking pretty poor.

12Feb25: a birthday…

Today is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. When I was a little kid, this was a big deal at school, a celebration of patriotism and a history lesson easily swallowed.

Today, on the anniversary of arguably the greatest President to serve, I worry about the guy who history will probably say ended a nearly 250 year old experiment in self-government.

Who knows how it will pan out? Hopefully, not with violence, yet I have to ask my friends who voted for that man. “How about that cheap gasoline? Eggs any cheaper? Was the price of your freedom worth it?” Just asking.

Happy Birthday, Abe!

11Feb25: reflecting….

Perhaps he’s picking up on my mood change when the random mug I took from the cabinet for my coffee turned out to be the last “Dougy” mug. Yeah. I’m reflecting on what it was like in my life when I had two kitty brothers. We, Andy and I, miss the comedian kitty boy, the naughty one, Dougy.

10Feb25: rule of law…

Andy’s an American kitty, born in the USA.

He’s very interested in “Inherit the Wind”, a film that is about a famous trial that is all about “he who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind.” Yes, that’s Biblical quote spoken by the character playing William Jennings Bryan in this film about the 1920s “Monkey Trial” where a teacher is charged with breaking a law about teaching evolution in school.

Andy stood up when I set my coffee down on the lapboard.

Andy had to check it out, of course. It migh5 be something he likes!

“Nope! Coffee! I’m not Garfield, Doug.” Andy hopped onto the end table to get away from that nasty stuff.

=(>+<)=

The events happening in Washington, D.C. since the inauguration are very alaming to me because Medicare and Supplimental are what pay for my three times weekly dialysis treatments. Without these payments, I can’t afford the treatments. Without the treatments, I die. Medicare is one of the programs Republicans regularly try to end or privatize. The way to do this is based on the U.S. Constitutional process by the elected Legislative branch, not the unconstitutional, illegal chainsaw approach of the new president. Oh yeah, without dialysis, I bloat out, my organs are crushed by fluid buildup in the tissues, and I suffer death by an overloaded heart. Friends who voted for the current president voted for someone who would do something about the price of gas and eggs or because of their sincere belief about abortion, in most cases. Reducing government spending, too, is a traditional Republican principle. Well, to quote the Biblical quote quoted in the film, “he who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind.” I hope it happens before I die.

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I was very tired after dialysis yesterday. After medicating Andy a little after 1:00 pm, I went to bed. I woke up a little after 11 pm. Sleeping 10 hours these days is indicative of the stress, worry, existential fear of my country’s political situation, I feel these days.