Weekend Open Thread

Today’s Caturday cat has a bit of an owie. Sender-inner Jan F. explains: “No, CatMike, ‘Bitten by a Spider, Man’ is not a good superhero name and your costume needs work! The derpy heart on your sleeve is too much. Maybe you could go Trick or Treating as a frilled lizard.”

Yeah, but that kid in the comic books got all powerful and stuff.
You already voted!

80 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread

  1. Nancy July 29, 2017 / 8:08 am

    Awww, poor baby. I do like the upside down “cone” effect, much less confining or uncomfy-looking.
    I wrote in last Caturday about my fur baby Honey who had not been eating. Well – mommy pulled the ultimate in dirty tricks Wednesday. Chicken cooking in the crock pot. All. Day. Long. Bless her little furry heart, if she eats much more chicken she is going to sprout feathers and cluck!! She has also been favoring some of the more “gourmet” kitty foods so I feel better with her not eating only the chicken. She’s still a little wobbly but getting steadier, plan to take her back to vet this week sometime for follow up. God has been kind and all your kind thoughts have meant much to me (would share a pic but don’t know how).

    • Faye July 29, 2017 / 8:50 am

      Yay! Stubborn kitty.

    • Eve S. July 29, 2017 / 10:11 am

      When my old cat was in her last years and had no teeth I fed her baby food pureed beef and pureed chicken. She loved both, esp the beef. It was convenient.

    • Laura July 29, 2017 / 10:54 am

      Great job, and I’m so glad she’s eating!

    • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 11:15 am

      Excellent news! May things continue upwardly!

    • Dulcie July 29, 2017 / 11:17 am

      I am so very glad. When they start eating again there is much joy and glad tidings. Way to go girl (and mom too!).

    • debg July 29, 2017 / 11:32 am

      So happy for you both. Once they start eating again, that’s a great sign.

    • Maia July 29, 2017 / 1:28 pm

      Yay! I’m glad to hear the good news! 🙂

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike July 29, 2017 / 7:36 pm

      Great news! I was touch and go with a pet once so I know how good it feels to see them start eating.

    • Smartypants July 29, 2017 / 8:42 pm

      That’s great news – so glad she’s responding to the ‘Stealth Chicken’ trick 😀

      • Nancy July 30, 2017 / 8:19 pm

        Thank you for all the cheery thoughts!! I don’t comment often but do still feel part of the Cuteropolis family!

  2. HaHa July 29, 2017 / 8:12 am

    I feel ya CatMike. I just had shoulder surgery on Thursday. Doesn’t feel great now, but am looking forward to being all better. Blows a gentle kiss that lands right on the heart on your boo boo.

    • Laura July 29, 2017 / 10:56 am

      Feel better soon, Haha! Surgery is never any fun, but the results can be we’ll worth it. And do your exercises! ?

    • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 11:17 am

      That was me almost a year ago – is it rotator cuff? Are you in a contraption? (No, I don’t mean a cone of shame) SO much fun. I hope you’re sleeping OK and that you do all your exercises – most important.

      • HaHa July 29, 2017 / 12:56 pm

        ?I will do my exercises once they come. Right now I am supposed to limit movement. Easier said than done. 😉
        I saw what happend when my mom stopped doing her exercises once meetings with her therapist stopped.
        Post op check up with Dr on Tuesday and therapy probably on Wednesday.
        I tore my labrum, (SLAP tear, Dr told me what those letters stand for, but I don’t remember) so they fixed that and did the bicep thing. While they were in there they did work on my rotator cuff a little bit, shaved off a bit of bone that was rubbing on the tendon and smoothed the tendon. I have a little plug to hold the bicep tendon in place. I like to sing the song, “I am Iron Man” except man is replaced with woman, and when I ask the doctor on Tuesday what kind of metal it is, iron will be replaced with that. ??
        I am pretty active, and I plan on coming back stronger than I was before.
        I will channel this kitty when encouragement is needed for flexing.

        Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement.

        • Laura July 29, 2017 / 1:11 pm

          You’re lucky not to have exercises yet. When I had my knee replaced, the doc had a very aggressive recovery setup, and I had to start exercising *8 hours* after surgery! It was great in the long run, but in the short run? We used a lot of bad words towards the doctor!

          • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 2:49 pm

            I have a plastic screw to hold my shortened bicep in place, so be prepared to say “Plastic Woman”!!! And, yes, I was immobilized for 4 weeks, tho’ I did pulley exercises from day one, and the ball squeeze – like that lovely kitty! Knees are a different story – they do need to be exercised from the get-go – I’ve know a ton of people who have had knee replacement and they all had to exercise right out of the gate.

            • Laura July 29, 2017 / 3:12 pm

              They’ve learned a lot about the importance of exercise at the right time for various surgeries, haven’t they? I had hand surgery nearly 20 years ago now, and was in a cast with my joint pinned for 3 months and didn’t start exercising until I had the cast off. Today they don’t pin the joint, don’t use a cast but just a removable splint, and start you exercising almost immediately. It’s probably a lot easier in the long run; I had a *ton* of adhesions in my hand after the cast came off, whereas I suspect now there’s not more than one or two. But yes, the exercises are vital. I had a friend who had a hip replacement and *didn’t* do her exercises after, and today she’s virtually immobilized. It’s such a shame!

        • Duckie ? July 29, 2017 / 4:34 pm

          Someone loop this, PLEASE!

        • Emsthemonster July 30, 2017 / 5:00 pm

          Aaww what a sweet exercising kitty, I hope you will feel better soon, Haha

    • Maia July 29, 2017 / 1:30 pm

      Sending healing thoughts your way, Haha!

  3. Ricky's Mom July 29, 2017 / 8:46 am

    Oh, poor boo-boo kitty. And poor boo-boo Haha! Heal fast! Nancy, I hope Honey stays on the mend. You are such a good kitty-mommy.

    • Nancy July 29, 2017 / 9:20 am

      Honey & I appreciate the warmth here. We have been enjoying our typical (when I don’t have to work) Caturday morning routine of watching Law & Order reruns in mommy’s bed. Been up & down a few times (to get that gourmet kitty food) but been a very relaxed (and relieved) morning!

  4. Jan July 29, 2017 / 9:02 am

    Poor kitty-puss! I would love to kiss it and make it better!

    I hope Honey continues to get better too, sometimes mom’s have to be a little underhanded… 🙂

    In today’s weekly-Lily, our heroine eschews my assistance at picking off the tastiest leaves from the catnip plant (growing in the green pot), and takes matters into her own paws! (larger version)

    • Faye July 29, 2017 / 9:52 am

      Beautiful kitty. Wonderful photo.

    • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 11:19 am

      How CUTE! And dexterous.

    • Dulcie July 29, 2017 / 11:19 am

      More smudges on Lily’s face. Dear sweet one.

    • dubravkamcvmd July 29, 2017 / 1:15 pm

      What a picture! That face set off by flowers!

      • Jan July 31, 2017 / 12:30 am

        It is indeed AND I have video! (Soon to be forthcoming…)

  5. Eve S. July 29, 2017 / 10:15 am

    Going for the regal look, red hair and all.

  6. Laura July 29, 2017 / 11:05 am

    Our niece had her baby last night, and mother and daughter are both healthy, which is the ultimate goal! Good thing I’m almost done with the blanket; I hope to get it finished and sent this week. And then it’s on to the classic Baby Surprise Jacket. I love knitting for babies!

    We’ve had a quiet week. Sebastian’s surgery on his bottom has healed beautifully and he leaves it alone, so all is well. Melody is still the Queen, of course.

    I hope everyone and their furry family members have a great week!

    • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 11:20 am

      All good news, Laura – and you don’t need to hurry too much with the blanket, do you? It’ll be most needed in the winter.

      • Laura July 29, 2017 / 1:14 pm

        They’re in Minnesota. Nights there even in summer can be very chilly. And a first baby? You know she’ll be kept totally warm!

    • Dulcie July 29, 2017 / 11:24 am

      What’s a “baby surprize” jacket. Can adults wear it? It sounds so cute!!
      I saw a baby quilt once where the squares opened up to reveal little knitted figures. I think they may have been velcroed on? Can’t quite remember as they don’t let you touch these things at shows unfortunately.

      • debg July 29, 2017 / 11:33 am

        I’m guessing the Baby Surprise Jacket is Elizabeth Zimmerman’s classic pattern. The surprise comes in for knitters, because they think this weird pattern can never work! But it does. It’s an adorable pattern.

        • Laura July 29, 2017 / 1:17 pm

          Yes. When you knit it, it looks like an amoeba or protozoa or some such — and then you match point A with point D, and point C with point B, and suddenly it’s a cute baby sweater. Seriously, Google it and see — it’s really creative!

      • Laura July 29, 2017 / 3:15 pm

        Oh, and the original inventor’s grandson, I believe, has written the pattern now for sizes through adult, so yes, you can have an adult Surprise Jacket, or a teenage Surprise Jacket, or anything in between. Elizabeth Zimmerman was so creative, her patterns are incredibly adaptable!

        • Dulcie July 29, 2017 / 3:31 pm

          Oh wow. Thanks for the info! Just ask the question and ye shall receive the answers! This site is so good for so many things. ?

    • Maia July 29, 2017 / 1:39 pm

      Congrats on the new member to your extended family!

  7. allein ? July 29, 2017 / 11:19 am

    Rainy day, no plans to go anywhere. I’m nursing a hurt ankle from stepping on an uneven spot in the bookstore parking lot on Wednesday night (where the top of a ramp meets the curb, but I hit right at the point where the side of the ramp angles down a bit; the difference was maybe half an inch at the most but it tilted my foot toward my little toe just as my weight shifted onto that foot and my ankle just sorta collapsed under me). I need to watch where I’m walking more carefully.

    Yay for new babies and kitties who eat!

    • Maia July 29, 2017 / 1:41 pm

      Rainy days are good days to stay home with a propped-up ankle! And a good book, or fully-charged laptop 🙂 Hope that ankle heals quickly for you, Allein!

      • allein ? July 29, 2017 / 1:55 pm

        My laptop would be great if my internet didn’t keep dying on me.

        The ankle only hurts when I move it, really. When I first did it, it was more like, “that’s gonna be sore later” than “ow, that hurt!”. Driving and walking around work the next aggravated it some, then yesterday I was off but I had to do some errands. So today I can relax, as long as I don’t have to climb up on a chair and reset my modem a million times….

        • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 2:51 pm

          Are you icing and warming? Warm before moving, ice after.

          • allein ? July 29, 2017 / 2:57 pm

            I did put ice on it the day I did it, though it wasn’t until a couple hours later, and after work on Thursday a few times for about 15 minutes each.

            Unless my morning shower counts for warming, then no…

  8. debg July 29, 2017 / 11:43 am

    Finally, my magazine went to press on Wednesday, after a highly stressful couple of weeks. We got behind, and that meant everybody on my team felt the burn. Then some lamebrain (me) scheduled a writing workshop for Monday–back in early June, when I set it up, I hadn’t realized we’d have so much trouble with the magazine. Since the workshop was a BFD involving what seemed like half the company, I was on pins and needles all last weekend. It seemed to go very well, thank goodness.

    On top of everything else, I’ve been wrangling with the city over my horrific lawn. They understandably did not love its appearance with 12″-high weeds all over the place, cited me for a code violation, and basically told me to fix it by a certain date or I’d be called in front of the Ministry of Magic for a hearing. Last Sunday, my lawn guy spent 6 hours digging up everything (not cheap). On Wednesday, I talked to the inspector who’d cited me. Unfortunately, all my stress over everything bubbled up and I was unconscionably rude to him.

    It turns out, letting go like that does NOT make me feel better; it makes me feel like a horrid human being. Sent him a fervent apology by email and have reminded myself to treat other people the way I wish to be treated.

    So this weekend is all about recuperating from all the stress. Cat-cuddles, knitting, great audiobooks, and great movies.

    Best wishes for speedy recovery to CatMike, Haha, Honey, Allein, and anybody else dealing with physical ailments.

    PS–I shared the good penguin/bad penguin post with coworkers, several of whom clicked through to your comments. My work peeps are likely to start joining us here! They found us hilarious!

    • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 12:20 pm

      Good on you, DEBG, glad everything turned out well – too bad about the inspector fizzle – it’s true, letting loose really doesn’t help tho’ I wish more people understood that. High marks for apologizing and enjoy your much needed R&R.

      And welcome to all DEBG co-workers who join us!

    • Emsthemonster July 30, 2017 / 5:07 pm

      Debg, what a nice person you are to have apologized.

  9. Duckie ? July 29, 2017 / 12:14 pm

    I don’t know why, but for some reason, I feel like my life is holding its breath today. Sort of like that feeling as the sky gets ready to snow, or it’s just about to rain after six weeks of dry.

    • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 12:16 pm

      Sounds like Ray Bradbury in “Dandelion Wine”. Very poetic, Duckie, and I hope not portentous in any bad way.

    • Amyliz July 29, 2017 / 12:40 pm

      Well, Duckie, if something portentous is about to happen, I hope it is something GOOD! Keep us posted.

  10. allein ? July 29, 2017 / 1:02 pm

    Was just watching this video…some interesting things about kitties and water..




  11. Maia July 29, 2017 / 1:37 pm

    This weekend is the Seattle Scottish Highland Games! Husband is mostly Scottish and I’m mostly Irish, so we go to hear the bagpipes . It’s Warmer weather than usual, for here, anyway, so planning for heat and sunshine (and yes, we both have redheads in our ancestry)!

    • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 2:52 pm

      Oh, I love the caber (sp?) toss! It’s a riot. The extent to which man will try to prove his manliness.

  12. fkaWaldenPond July 29, 2017 / 6:42 pm

    Hi Everyone!
    I had a WONDERFUL time in Newfoundland and it is as they say– heaven; it really is incredibly beautiful. I am attaching a photo of the view from my brothers place and if you look carefully left of exact bulls eye centre you will see a humpback whale spout!
    The whales are so common, they are primarily Humpbacks and Minkes feeding on the capelin that are spawning right now. The humpbacks are MASSIVE– that spout in the photo is easily a storey or two high. Often you get a cluster of them and their spout blows are certainly better than any Vegas set up. They will flip their tales out of the water, or smack their fins. And the seabirds! Gannets are incredible to watch as they dive in, straight down sending huge white splashes up. Then there are badass huge crows who run that community. I could gush on and on…
    I am slowly going through what I missed, still no sign of a couple few– but everyone seems to be overall well. Despite not being in NF, good to be back here. (I will send the photos to Mike as despite trying to resize, they are still too big too load.)

      • allein ? July 29, 2017 / 8:12 pm

        I wish I was sitting next to that water in the last picture right now.

        • fkaWaldenPond July 29, 2017 / 8:45 pm

          Insider tip: Sit closer to the house as you are brought food and drink. 😉

      • Faye July 29, 2017 / 9:11 pm

        I can smell the fresh salty air.

        • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 9:45 pm

          Oh, yes, the sea breezes and the salty air – sigh. Something I don’t get to experience much anymore. What a lovely place, FKAWaldenpond! Lucky you and lucky brother!

          • fkaWaldenPond July 29, 2017 / 10:05 pm

            Hi Murray and Faye! You know, surprisingly it is not very salty, actually clear and sweet (except for the occasional capelin fertilizer on gardens.) My brother is refinishing a claw foot bathtub, grinding down to repaint and install in the bathroom. The whole house is being gutted and refinished. Actually, the magic of the place is about fifty percent of those ‘rickety salt box houses’ you see are actually gutted and refinished with slate countertops and dishwashers type of thing ; it is all shabby chic but without the ‘attitude’. A lot are American-I-am-out-of-here-early-retirees– so yes, ‘obnoxious gentrification’ but… sure makes for a great group of people, new set of ideas and income injection/growth for a community that has been slowly evaporating since the cod moratorium. A few musicians, restaurant people, teachers ect.

            • Murray C July 30, 2017 / 9:53 am

              I have a dear friend from Toronto and he did his folklore research in Newfoundland – spent many hours collecting from locals – older folks probably long passed away. I love the concept of gathering in the evening in someone’s house and singing ’til the wee hours.

            • Faye July 30, 2017 / 10:32 am

              Oooo sounds wonderful. Fantastic retirement idea for my generation.

      • dubravkamcvmd July 30, 2017 / 8:20 am

        Looks like you had wonderful weather.

        • fkaWaldenPond July 30, 2017 / 12:37 pm

          I had to go to Newfoundland to get a sunburn!

          • Emsthemonster July 30, 2017 / 5:02 pm

            I am glad you had a nice time, awesome pics!

  13. Not That Mike The Other Mike July 29, 2017 / 7:56 pm

    Some animal news: I told you about a feral cat in my neighborhood with a short tail. He’s a very outgoing cat and he and I have become buddies recently. He and Ani my rabbit get along pretty well, especially when they’re outdoors together.

    So I’ve decided to take care of Shorty, as I’m calling him. I’ve started feeding him, and I’m going to get him neutered next weekend. He will still be an outdoor cat, but he’ll be welcome in the house in every room except for Ani’s because she gets territorial.

    • allein ? July 29, 2017 / 8:08 pm

      I’m sure I speak for everyone here when I say we expect pictures. 😉

    • Smartypants July 29, 2017 / 8:39 pm

      Oh, that’s great news! I think I remember him sneaking in to visit with Ani.

    • fkaWaldenPond July 29, 2017 / 8:44 pm

      Congratulations! Shorty is a lucky fella! 🙂

    • Faye July 29, 2017 / 9:14 pm

      Good going Mike.

    • Murray C July 29, 2017 / 9:42 pm

      VERY exciting and good for you, Mike. Yes, we’ll look forward to seeing some pictures soon.

    • dubravkamcvmd July 30, 2017 / 8:22 am

      Sounds like good news for all the living creatures involved.

    • Emsthemonster July 30, 2017 / 5:09 pm

      Great news, life is so much better with a cat or two or.. 🙂

  14. Patty July 29, 2017 / 10:28 pm

    Yay for Mike taking care of Shorty!

    My kittens are actually ready for new homes, but the shelter is full right now. I don’t mind keeping them around a little longer, in order to find them good homes. One of them is more than likely staying, since my husband is partial to it, as it resembles 2 cats he had when he was younger, both in looks and personality.

    I had a day yesterday, my brother had a prescription for pain meds (for his broken leg), but his insurance won’t cover it. I guess 30 pills is all they’ll cover for a month (one pill a day?). I don’t have $35 to spend on his meds. I had to go to the pharmacy to drop the paper scrip off, then back to pick the paper up when we couldn’t pay for it. Then my brother borrowed money to cover most of it, and I said I’d pay the rest, so back to the pharmacy again. To tell the truth, one pain pill a day would be enough for me, I hate taking them, but the brother has had 2 brain tumors, a broken back, a compound fracture in the other leg, and has the pain tolerance of a toddler. What hurts him would be minor inconvenience for me, he screams when he has to get an IV. I’d have sucked it up and dealt with the pain, but Larry is also bi-polar and is a little hard to deal with. At least he takes his bi-polar meds on a regular basis, since his seizure disorder showed up at the same time as he was trying to stop taking his meds, and even though his doctors told him it was the wellbutrin they had him on that likely caused it, he believes it was the risperidone, and he isn’t going to risk that again. He was more difficult to deal with when he wasn’t medicated, and we didn’t hear from him for over 10 yrs. He hated everyone. He still hates most people. Unfortunately, my siblings won’t have anything to do with him, so that leaves me to take care of him, and I really don’t like him much.

    • Faye July 30, 2017 / 10:39 am

      Tough to take care of relatives with mental illness. Sometimes they are so deep in their illness that the last thing they can manage is to be nice or show appreciation. Helping them is a burden but something for the caregiver to be proud of after they have passed away.

    • dubravkamcvmd July 30, 2017 / 12:07 pm

      One of the awful things about being mentally ill is that it makes you unpleasant. Nobody likes mentally ill people. Sympathy is very much theoretical. It makes your support of your brother doubly admirable.

      • Patty July 30, 2017 / 12:35 pm

        He’s my brother, while he is unlikable, he needs someone to take care of him, and I couldn’t just leave him homeless in Denver. Good thing about him, he knows he is a jerk, and usually laughs when I tell him he’s a jerk. He does remember to say thank you when I do stuff for him, unlike some other relatives. I am the middle child of 7, raised by a single mother. I was always the one who stayed home to clean up the blood while mom took the injured one to the ER.

        Today I will be making a ton of peach crisp from the case of Colorado peaches my husband brought home, which I will share with my brother, and my unemployed sister (she has a job starting tomorrow, yay!), because they don’t get a lot of treats, and I can share some happiness with them. They will both thank me, and my nieces will say, “Where’s mine?” because they are greedy, ungrateful, adult brats and I won’t be making them any.

        • Murray C July 30, 2017 / 1:31 pm

          Patty, you’re a marvel – I’m glad to see you know where to draw the line. I am very impressed with your care taking your bro – and it would seem many other people and critters who enter your life. My hat is off to you. I’m happy for your sister and I wish her well in her new employment.

        • Emsthemonster July 30, 2017 / 5:18 pm

          What a wonderful person you are, Patty!
          /respect

Comments are closed.