Day Ninety-one

I ended yesterday's journal post celebrating the victory (in a really excellent overtime game) of one of my Alma maters, the University of Louisville (M.S.S.W., 1975).

I begin this journal post reporting the defeat of my fist Alma mater, the University of Kentucky (B.A.Ed., 1969) in a not-so-marvelous football game.

Unlike basketball season, when I can count of both U of L and UK having winning seasons, football is an extreme. Where the University of Louisville has an undefeated football season and is rated 16th in the nation in the BCS poll, the University of Kentucky has won only one game and isn't even rated.

[SIGH]

I fell asleep following this afternoon's football game. Now awake, I am seeking the energy (again) to do housework. Thankfully, I seem to have recovered from most of the back pain that has plagued me over the past several days. Still, I can be up working only in ten minute or so intervals before my elderly body requires at least a 20 minute rest,

The kitty kids again greeted me when I came out of the bedroom this morning. That's a good feeling, except I realize that want they want is breakfast. Feeding all three at three separate feeding stations ain't easy!

I've been watching football all day; now it's time for baseball!

  

Day Eighty-eight

It has been a busy day for all of us. Alex spent lots of time on my desk; here he gobbles some kitty cat treats. 

Here is Alex a few minutes ago after he climbed into my arms and began purring.

Sugar and Little Girl played a lot today, chasing and wrestling and basically under my feet. Here they are this evening grooming each other prior to a nap.

I believe I was wrong about the cause of my continued aching back. I don't believe that tossing garbage bags into the compactor has been the cause; rather, I found today that lifting the cat litter box caused me severe back pain. Unfortunately I cannot not clean it.

Day Eighty-one

I'm not getting much done because I have had a

all day. 

There is a lot to do. There has been ever since I stopped have a caregiver. I have worked daily on the chores but have yet to have everything done at once. 

Wait a minute! Isn't that the way it has always been? No matter how much one does there is still more to do?

Except for cats, of course. At the moment Alex is between the blinds and the window glass. From the way his tail and one paw are hanging down I suspect that he is napping.

I know that Sugar is napping. I can see her curled up on the padded rocker.

Little Girl is also by the window. She isn't napping. Little Girl is bathing herself.

Day Eighty

I have one less thing to worry about: Sugar returned home at 1:00 a.m. today. Sugar was at the patio door when I looked out at 1:00 a.m. was I was on my way to bed. She immediately went to the food and water dishes. Little Girl was excited that she was back and followed her closely. Then Sugar came to the desk where I usually give her her treats. She finally curled up on the rocker about 1:30 a.m. and has been sleeping there ever since. 

Little Girl cried a lot during the night, which didn't help my sleep.

Alex has decided to spend most of his times between the blinds and the window, looking out and safe from the pestering of Little Girl.

I have three silly cats!

I'm again out of oxygen tubing. Yes, Little Girl chewed holes in some of the ones I was delivered last week. And my lift chair cut through one of them when I lowered it down on it. I'll call for more when the service opens this morning and hope that they will supply them.

I've finished cleaning the kitchen. It was a slow process because both my leg and back hurt when I stand. Today I'll finish the living and dining areas. I also need to drive down to the garbage dumpster and mailboxes.

I thought I would get a lot done this morning. However, after breakfasting and taking my morning meditations, I fell asleep and slept for an hour and a half. I am more energetic now and have taken garbage bags out to the car to drive to the dumpster which I'll do after my meals-on-wheels (which comes any time between 10:30 and 12:30) is delivered.

I'm glad to read that Malalai Yousafzai, who has gained the love of millions, has gone to the United Kingdom for treatment. I hope the child is safe there from Taliban murders. 

Day Seventy-six

My energy level is still low, but I have been able to gather most of the garbage and will take it to the dumpster this afternoon when I must drive to the pawn shop and pay another $50.00 to keep my guitar. Somehow I must raise the total $300.00 at one time to retrieve it. I thought I had most of it when a woman contacted me about my exercise bike that I have listed on Craig's List. 

Unfortunately, she emailed the next day that, unknown to her, her husband had purchased one from a used sports equipment store.

The kitty kids have been playing this morning. Sugar and Little Girl were chasing each other around the apartment. Old kitty Alex, of course, didn't join in: he has been looking out the window while sitting in his own sunbeam, one of his long-time favorite activities.

Now I shall return to apartment cleaning and hopefully not wear myself out too much.

My neighbor, who used to be Little Girl's human, dropped by the apartment. She told me about being hospitalized from last Saturday through last night. It was a serious condition and she's not yet healed. I pray for her.

Little Girl rubbed up against her former human's legs and my neighbor petted her. After she left, Little Girl stood by the door, crying. I feet sad that my neighbor felt she had to give Little Girl away.

Now I need tp shower and dress and take my $50.00 to the pawn shop. I pray that my energy allows me to do all of that.

I'm back from the trip to the (damned) pawn shop, $50.00 poorer and they still have my guitar. I did over do it a bit and the charge to my portable oxygen machine ran low before I returned home.

The kitty kids surrounded me as soon as I walked in the door, expecting (I assume) that I had brought them treats, which, of course, I had. Later the three did their own thing: Alex to the window, Little Girl on top of the printer, and Sugar napping in the rocking chair.

Moments before I snapped the above photo, Alex took a hard swipe at Little Girl with his right paw (still lifted above). Thankfully he missed her, It seems that Alex has gotten over being intimidated by the kitten! 

Day Seventy-five

Having Alex out of hiding has made a major improvement in our apartment life. Unfortunately, my energy level hasn't improved, so I am far behind in the work that was once performed by caregivers. 

Day Sixty-two

Alex

Sugar

Alex is still living in the bathroom except for his meals. Sugar has been spending her time sitting/napping on the bench that holds my CPAP beside my bed. I believe that both of them are afraid of the (big) kitten, Little Girl:

Little Girl

After I sat watching Little Girl systematically push stuff off my desk, I picked her up and placed her on the floor. When she jumped right back up, I squirted her twice with water. She is now hiding in the laundry basket. 

Now all 3 of my kitty kids are in hiding, Little Girl from the water, Alex and Sugar from Little Girl.

I've been sleeping almost all day! I've not felt sleepy, but I have lacked energy. I hope everything in my body has been recharged by the sleep. Without a housekeeper, I still have much to do today!

The more that I do all the housework here, the more surprised I become. For some reason (climbing kitten maybe?) the box containing the Christmas nativity scene fell down from the closet shelf where it had been stored. Wise men, shepherds, angel, manger, and the whole Holy Family ended up on the floor. 

Using my reaching thingie, I picked up, inspected, wiped off, and returned each piece  to the box, thinking as I did, “I’ll be getting this out in a couple of months.”

But that’s not what surprised me. Also on the floor (and presumably in the box since they hadn’t been on the floor until after the box toppled) were:

• Cat nail clippers for which I’ve been searching for months
• Cat hair brush (one of 3 that I own) that I have missed for months
• Clothing brush I use for removing cat hair from me
• Small flash light with extra batteries
• One fork
• One pencil
• One magnifying glass

Since it was a caregiver who packed and put the box on the shelf, I wonder what was in her mind as she added the extra, none Christmas-related items.

Day Fifty-seven

Thus far it appears that today will be a quiet, lazy day. I awakened late: 9:00 AM. After feeding the kitty kids, who have all returned to sleeping, I checked my vital signs: all were relatively excellent. Then a quick harvesting of the FarmVille game farms.  

Plans for this afternoon including taking the garbage to the dumpster and watching collegiate football on TV.

A quiet day!

This afternoon I fell asleep watching a football game I had on TV only because I couldn't get the University of Kentucky game on Direct-TV. When I awakened I discovered that all three kitty kids had napped with me.

Sugar

Little Girl

Alex

I'm watching the LSU/Auburn football game. It's a good game! However, the antics of Little Girl and Sugar are so entertaining that they pull my attention away from the game. They are climbing of each other across my desk, file cabins  and printer, their paws flying as they compete with each other to push stuff on the floor. I now have a lot of picking up to do, but the laughs these two kitty kids gave me are worth the work.

At sometime this evening I need to create a Silly Sunday post for tomorrow. I think I'll await the end of the LSU/Auburn football game, which is now in half-time.

It's done!