“Hello, and welcome to the open thread, where you can talk about just about anything that’s on your mind. I’m your host, Mittens, and this is my twin sister, Slippers.”
Via Reddit.
Weekend Open Thread
114 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”
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Good morning! Update on my front porch: After Ani chewed a hole in the screen and got out, I bought a replacement screen that’s advertised as being tougher than normal to resist pet tearing. I replaced the torn section, and if it’s a nice day today, I’m going to replace the other sections at the lower level.
Picture and hover text making me laugh in the morning! Good times! 🙂
I have a dilemma. A minor annoyance. A first world problem.
I went to word press to try to get rid of the scary/ugly green monster that shows for when I comment. While I like most shades of green, my monster leaves a bit to be desired.
I made an account and changed the picture for avatar on word press. It also sent me to gravatar, where I changed the picture as well. It is just a picture of my hand with green paint all over it. It said the avatar would start showing up. I am still waiting from last week when it got a bit late to be commenting on the weekend open thread.
If can be easily explained, yay! Computer jargon and terminology and maneuverings quickly become gobbledygook to me. If it doesn’t work out, so be it, I will move forward with an ugly green scary monster as my Haha mascot. My skills reside in non computering areas. 😉
HaHa, I turned on a feature that lets people hover over an icon to see more details about the owner’s Gravatar account, and this is what I saw (below). So maybe you do need to wait a bit before this site picks up the change.
Good luck with the new screen with Ani, NTMTOM! And Haha, alas I can’t help with avatar advice. But I kinda like your funky green monster 😉
Rough weekend for me. Brace yourselves for a long tale! Malc, the ginger, is doing much better on his steroids and special food, so I’m hoping he has a less severe case of IBD. That’s the good news. Third cat may have minor digestive issues but his behavior/eating is ok, so that’s gonna have to wait. It’s my gray kitty- he has a lot of issues already and had been stable for a couple years, but he had an episode right before Malc got sick. He improved for a couple weeks but he’s in pain and not eating much for a week. His heart, kidneys & pancreas (previous issues) seem ok given his age (12-not too old!) but some other levels are off and the pain is near a kidney (blockage). Trying to get an ultrasound Monday, messing with meds & food, and no improvement. I hate the waiting to see if he’ll eat & improve or if I have to put him down. I hate more that I don’t want to hospitalize him again since I’m still paying off previous surgery for him and the added cost of Malcolm’s bills. And he’s spent a lot of time in the hospital so I really want him to be able to be home if this is it. Oh- and my vet (who’ve I’ve worked with for years) is headed away to a conference so I confess I hate going to partners in the practice I don’t know. Especially if I have to say goodbye. Ugh. I have so many papers to grade but I’m just trying to get my little guy to eat. So prayers, happy thoughts, etc are appreciated. He’s such a good kitty. So sweet and well behaved. I really want to help as much as I can without making him suffer needlessly, ya know??
JLAMUSINGS, you have my prayers and best wishes for your sick fur babies and my hat is off to you for all your care and devotion. Having had to let my soul-kitty cross the rainbow bridge almost two years ago, I know how very hard it is to say good-bye, even when you know it is for the best. Hopefully your vet’s partners are of the same high quality (birds of a feather, you know!) and will help you through this difficult time.
So sorry about your kitty. It’s always tough trying to balance how much pain they may be (since they can’t talk) and their ability to bounce back. The one way I was able to make that determination is by looking at their eyes. For some reason, my kitty (and 1 doggy) always had a look that I could tell meant they were tired and didn’t want fight things anymore. Here’s hoping he perks up somewhat. Hugs through the web.
Sending positive healing thoughts your way.
I have no advice – it’s so hard – just know that I empathize so much and wish you the best.
I just thought of something – assuming he’s not drinking either, do you have any way to administer subcu fluids? Keeping him hydrated may help, certainly until you can get the ultrasound.
Your care and devotion is amazing and heartwarming. May there be lots of wonderful karma coming your way.
I’m so sorry–that’s a perfect storm of scary/sad/heartbreaking. We’re all thinking of you, and your gray kitty.
Thanks everybody for kind words! He is drinking. With all his stuff and meds over the last 3-4 years, it’s been a delicate balancing act. I’m thankful he’s been so good & happy this long. And yes, AJ, I know what you mean about the eyes 🙁
Have you tried mixing warm water with gooshy food? Sometimes just not having to chew makes eating easier.
Oh yeah. I’ve heated it for a few seconds, offered a variety. Heck, he’s been hand fed on and off for a few years whenever his kidneys acted up. He’s been mostly hand fed this past month too. Thanks for advice tho’ 🙁
One thing a vet told me is if they’re not eating, try offering plain first stage baby food either beef or chicken. The food is bland so they can digest it easily plus it’s got liquid in it to keep them hydrated. I used to do that for my one kitty when he was sick and yes he was spoon fed. If he was on antibiotics, I’d also mix in some plain non-fat yogurt (also on recommendation of the vet) to keep his gut flora in balance.
I’m so sorry for your sorrows. Poor Malc-y and you! It’s heart breaking to watch your furr-babies go through this and to feel so helpless. Sending you good thoughts, strength and peace. xo
Thanks! Malc is improving with ibd. Bumpy road. The gray guy is Yuki, the one who’s not recovering. Fitz is the big brown tabby. I hope the pic goes thru….I call it “3 Cat Morning”. I was just trying to take a pic of Malc on me when I saw Fitz looking. I didn’t even see little Yuki in the chair till I took the pic 🙂
Wow! I know the love is directed to you, but I can feel it coming through the picture.
I pray for clear signs for you and peace.
I am happy for you seeing so much love!
Sweet! A bit like Russian nesting dolls.
Oh Murray C you are right! Nesting cats! Such a great pic JLA thanks for sharing. xoxo
You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful picture of all 3 of them. Bet you couldn’t have done that with posing them that way. So sorry to hear about the kitty woes right now. But love has a way of doing marvelous things. You know we all have you in our prayers and thoughts. Keep us posted on how things are going. I have a 19 1/2 year old kitty who I keep saying one day at a time and am amazed at how well she’s still doing at that age. I’d add a picture I took of her yesterday sitting in a sunbeam on the floor but don’t know how. She LOVES her sunbeams!! But I realize there may not be many more of those days. So treasure each and every day.
Thank you everyone! I’ll keep you posted.
Oh! Aren’t they gorgeous!
What a great picture.
I said goodbye to my little gray man Yuki tonight. it was time- after years of chronic illnesses, there wasn’t anything left to keep him happy. We called him “the Smidget” since he was smoke colored and a tiny midget of a cat. He was very polite & persnickety & sweet. He tattled on the trouble his younger brothers got into. I miss his smidgety-ness already (“smidgety” is a term my friends & I use to refer to someone being cutely picky & proper like Yuki). Thanks for the prayers & kind thoughts everyone! It really helped just to share a little, ya know?
Oh JLA, I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s such a hard decision, and even knowing it’s the right thing to do doesn’t make it much easier. Love and hugs to you, Malc, and Fitz.
Condolences, JLA. We know that when we add a pet (or furbaby, if you will) to the family that we will more than likely outlive them. But the joy they add to our lives and those fine memories make the pain a little more bearable when the time comes to say goodbye. Thanks for sharing your decision and your strength with us!
Oh JLAMusings I am so sorry for your loss. Sending you more love and strength.
JLA – I’m so very sorry for your loss. ?
Oh no. I am so very very sorry JLA. This is truly one of the more painful things for us here at Cute. Just know how much we share this pain with you.
So sorry for your loss, it hurts like hell, I know. Lily is on my shoulders as I type this, she sends purrs. 🙁
Thanks everyone! Yup. It hurts. And I gotta watch my remaining kitties, especially Malc (ginger with probable IBD) who’s been off for the last couple days. I’m hoping it’s just him grieving 🙁
I am so deeply sorry. Yuki sounds like a wonderful companion. You have enchantingly described his manner. Forever in your heart and now in your soul.
Thanks, Faye. 🙂 so true
I feel like I just lost one of my own – I’m so sorry for the loss of your “Smidgety” one – I think we need to add that to our Cutetropolis lexicon in honor of Yuki.
I had a dream last night about my Harlequin bun I lost three years ago – it still hurts so, boy, do I get it – as do all of us critter lovers here.
Aww thanks. (hugs) amazing how we still can miss special pets even years later, isn’t it?
And that’s super sweet about “smidgety.” It is fun term to be self-deprecating or gently nudge a friend if either of you are being a bit too….smidgety about something. Example: The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland is soooo cute but he’s a bit smidgety about schedules. 😉
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So sorry to hear about the loss of Yuki. Sounds like he was a unique spirit who brought you much joy.
He was . Thanks!
Ohh I am sorry jla, that is really sad. I hope Malc comes out soon. Lots of love sent your way.
Thanks! Me too
Morning everyone. Thank goodness for Saturdays. This felt like a long week. I haven’t been sleeping properly (I think the gloomy weather / lack of sun here is throwing off some aspect of my biological clock). Merlin and I are sharing some breakfast and then I might get dressed and go out to do some shopping before I settle in this afternoon to write notes for a 30 minute presentation I have to give next week. Tomorrow I’m going to make a big pot of buffalo chicken chili for the Super Bowl (in truth, I’m not a football fan – I tune in for the commercials and halftime show and I use it as an excuse to cook something fun for dinner). My Christmas amaryllis might bloom tonight which will cheer up my kitchen a bit. Feeling thankful for all of you – I have been feeling a little lonely this week. It’s been too cold to be out much and I think I have some cabin fever. I always enjoy reading your Weekend Open postings though – makes me feel like we are all in this “life” thing together.
Birdcage, you should watch The Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. That’s what I do on game day. I HATE football and I’m glad to say that tho’ my husband likes to tune in from time to time he’s not a “Fan”.
My amaryllis bloomed last week and are still going strong – they are wonderful. All my Poinsettia are going well too – I have a relatively new cultivar that has creamy bits through the red and they’re very cheery. And I guess I need to take my Christmas decorations down now that it’s February, huh? I have to since we’re having painters come in in a couple of weeks. I always get a lump in my stomach when I take them down – leftover from childhood.
Happy Saturday, everyone – and those dealing with less than happy things I wish strength and grace to get through.
I used have pretty neutral thoughts about these big sporting events. But several years ago I heard an absolutely shocking statistic about the increase of violence perpetrated against women on Super Bowl Day. There are not just beatings but deaths. I can’t hear an ad for the “big game” without picturing the image of battered women and cruel drunken louts.
Sorry if this is a bit black.
I didn’t know about this, Dulcie, but it stands to reason. Urgh.
Ever notice that you almost never hear about instances of spousal abuse / domestic violence among non-NFL professional athletes? Purely an un-scientific observation, but football is the only major US sport where you are encouraged to hit another person as hard as you possibly can.
When your job involves extreme levels of physical domination, I’m not surprised that some of that mentality could spill over into one’s personal life. ?
Yes Julie I believe that there may be statistics to support that. Hockey is pretty violent and fighting is a big part of the game and culture and you would think it would have much the same statistics. However either it has not been reported or data not been collected because you don’t hear about it to the same extent as football.
It seems to be wherever there is unfettered high testosterone – gangs, military, sports, politics.
Besides the Puppy Bowl, there’s also the Fish Bowl on Nat Geo. It’s completely ridiculous, but I adore it because of that. I’m not sure what craziness they’ll come up with for this year, but it’s sure to be silly and make me laugh, and right now that’s what I really need. As do we all, I suspect.
Oh, good, thanks for the heads up. I will often watch all three times the Puppy Bowl is aired so having a Fish Bowl will be a nice break.
Reminds me of a song (my friends laugh at me when I say this because almost EVERYthing reminds me of a song) :
The Goldfish is a funny fish
He just swims round and round
And round and round and round and round
And round and round and round.
Isn’t there also a Kitten Bowl? I forget what channel it was..
Kittens usually did the half-time show for the Puppy Bowl – could that be what you’re thinking of?
Nope. It’s on the Hallmark channel.
http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/kitten-bowl
Cool! Even more good stuff to look at. I’m guessing it’s another show that’s geared toward getting the animals adopted – hope so.
I believe they are. I saw something that sounds like the North Shore Animal League provides the “players.” There’s also a link on the site with information about adopting a kitten.
And they have trading cards!
http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/kitten-bowl/kitten-bowl-trading-cards/
The trading cards are hilarious – sounds like Mike could do a great job with some of the text – bits of it remind me of Mike’s style of humor. Goody! Tomorrow is planned out – better start making popcorn.
Fish Bowl sounds really weird (in a good way) and funny!!
Birdcage, we are TOTALLY all in this “life” thing together. Happy cooking.
“She has an extra foot.”
Funny on so many levels. Plus I love that the it appears to be a man wearing the bunny slipper.
YES, isn’t that good. And at first glance I thought they were two real kitties!
JLAMUSINGS—Thoughts and prayers for you and your fur babies for good outcomes with all you are going through,
GOOD NEWS—The greater Cincy/NorthernKY area had only 7 days without clouds and rain in January. So far, 4 straight days of sunshine in February! Enjoying the “cold and dry” for now!
Hey Boosmom! I’m from greater Cincy too! Nice to see a neighbor here in Cutetropolis =)
Love Miss Slipper and her twinzie. Nothing too exciting going on here. Hubby has been on a work trip (in Hawaii no less!!) all week and he gets back today. Yeah!!!!!! I’m a little tired from dealing with everything by myself all week – work, house, dog, etc, etc. Kinda funny on the days Dobby was at the sitter, I had to keep reminding myself “don’t forget, don’t forget to pick up the dog” as I had visions of just doing my usual routine and getting home to no dog.
And he was a little shit last night. I’m sound asleep at 1 am and suddenly I hear him peeing. Only 3 hours after I had taken him out! In my room. On the carpet and my antique wood blanket chest. Then, after I turn on the light he jumps up on the bed and lays there wagging his tail. So here I was at 1 am, moving furniture and cleaning up after him. Not a happy camper and a little tired this morning from having my sleep interupted. Thank god he’s cute.
After all that, just running a couple errands this morning and then hockey tonight. Can’t wait, I think we’re on a 8 or 9 game winning streak so I’m hoping they keep it going. Have a good weekend everyone!
“I do not know what this is, but I know that it is MINE.”
Beautiful, darling, Lily. Of course it’s yours.
Yes. Everything belongs to the kittehs. Including us.
Trying to finalize my taxes, but it’s tough when new statements still keep showing up in the mail! I don’t mind, though–the last one increased my state refund by over $100 and decreased what I owe federally by $400! (Still recovering financially from switching careers, moving to Colorado, selling a house in Kansas and buying a house in Colorado.)
In other news, two of my felines come to work on Monday for a photo shoot. My company will release a knitting kit in March inspired by my oldest girl, Ursula–we’re going to make her a STAR! It’s very exciting.
Other than that, I’m just knitting and cooking this weekend. Trying to work up the energy for minor grocery shopping and major recycling, but it’s not happening.
PS I discovered a Chrome extension that has made my online time much more pleasant. It replaces photos of a certain powerful individual with photos of kittens. If you’ve been distressed by political news lately, it can help. Look for extension “Make America Kittens Again.”
That is so useful! I like to stay informed, but I do find all the photos of him distracting and unpleasant.
Yes, I’m tired of holding my hand up to block out the unpleasant visage. Thanks, DEBG.
And that’s very exciting about the photo shoot!
Thank you Debg! I’m going to look for an extension that replaces him with puppies.
Wonder if there’s an extension that can replace his name with something more soothing or funny?? ….ahem….
There’s one that replaces it with Drumpf.
Detrumpify replaces his image with kittens and his name with a variety of other names…… They make it for both Chrome and Firefox (I don’t use IE so haven’t researched that).
(I know this thread is going to probably make some people mad but he is such an abnormally awful human being that I just can’t stay silent. Plus all of what we’re posting here is tame compared to what I see on other sites.)
Doxaholic Ladybug – it ain’t called Open Thread for nuthin’ ?.
What I like about this site is that everyone, mostly, voices their opinion but no one really attacks anyone else.
??
I believe we’ve lost Phred’s Mom on account of that. I am sorry that happened to one of us but that sentiment is everywhere so Trump supporters have to get used to it.
Think so too.
If I avoided every website I like because I didn’t agree with the posts in the comments section… Well, I just wouldn’t be on the Internet at all, I suppose. ???
TRUTH!!!
Hell, I’d be happy if there was a way to replace images of the Loathesome Orange One with pictures of banana slugs.
Lol!
I have been glued to CNN watching the Majesty Of Our Three Branches Of Government work.
I could actually hear the Judicial System coming to the fore.
And seeing people out in the streets freely expressing their rights.
Whatever “side” we should all respect our system.
However, it is like 1984 and I recommend a reading or rereading of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
.., which is my favourite novel.
It’s all over the news today but if you haven’t seen it yet go check out Melissa McCarthy’s Sean Spicer routine on SNL last night. It is brilliant.
A) The Handmaid’s Tale is a fantastic and chilling novel.
B) Melissa McCarthy is pure comic genius. She should get an Emmy for that single performance….
Oh, I saw it – she was dead-on! She and Alec Baldwin are devastatingly accurate. Now we just need a Kellyanne Conway.
Thank you! Much better.
Oh Mittens, you are in my favorite kitty-sitting position. Front paws tucked under like that – you look so smug!
It’s been a rough week for me too. We found out on Monday morning that one of our co-workers died suddenly last Friday. Something related to diabetes. We are pretty devastated. He was Mr. Congeniality, never complained, always had a kind word for you, helpful, asked about your life, and was just an all around amazing guy. We’ve been in shock all week. The memorial was yesterday. It was very nice, but it hasn’t brought closure. Sigh. Working on it though…
Today I have to clean my house. I’m not an especially good housekeeper, but things around here are definitely beyond unacceptable. Then I’ll be in the studio lesson planning. Next week we do pop-ups and flexagons and since it is the week before Valentine’s Day – that will be the theme. I have to come up with them first though. I also want to encourage students to put one in the mail – with an actual stamp on it! It’s so much fun to get real mail. And in Philadelphia if you take it to Ben Franklin’s post office you can still get the stamp canceled with his signature! It’s very cool. And yes, I am that kind of a geek. 😉
Sending you all happy thoughts and love and strength and sunshine to help you with whatever you are doing today.
Happy thoughts back to you too. Hope you can find the closure you need. Years ago I lost a coworker to suicide. It was without warning signs as is common sometimes. As coworkers we remarked how hard it was to deal with as we only had the loosely related group of us to lean on instead of the family unit.
Tara, so sad! I lost a friend recently so the feeling is so fresh. I hope your office mates can rally for each other.
We call that cat position “The Barrel” – that and “Ham” (licking nether regions with one leg extended straight up) are our favorites.
Where do you teach?
Hugs to you, Tara. It always seems to be the best people who leave us prematurely.
Thank you all for your kind words. <3
This weekend I’m remembering those hurt in Bowling Green
https://www.bowlinggreenmassacrefund.com
The day after her MSNBC interview, Conway admitted she had inaccurately referred to the 2011 arrest of two Iraqi nationals for terrorism in Bowling Green, Kentucky.[5] No one had been actually injured or killed
It was conway referring to an arrest as a massacre.There was no massacre.It is wrong to perpetuate false information.
There was no massacre,it was Kellyanne Conway referring to the arrest of 2 iraqis as a massacre.The hoax stagers are engaged in perpetuating a fraud for political purposes. It leads to the ACLU donation site and makes it appear to be a Democratic fraud.Dirty tricks for political purposes.
I live where people probably still think the massacre actually happened,in that they live off gossip,and arent big on direct fact.Very right wing.This “Joke” ad is a really bad idea.
Scoobie, thank you SO much.
Scoobie – that is HILARIOUS!
Gaaaaa! Just saw this update!
http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/2017/01/25/premature-hippo-baby-updates/
Since I don’t want to deal with diabetes, I have to stay thin, so I am not as cushy, but I would happily hold whatever position needed to be a breathing pillow for the baby hippo!
HaHa, this would be the PERFECT job for me! Don’t need arthritic knees or hips to be working to do it. Sitting down all day, just breathing, with gentle caresses on a premature baby’s skin. Quiet words, maybe humming or singing.
I’m going to write to them immediately!
This is so sweet, I keep coming back for just one more look!
My tactophobic cat just doesn’t know what she’s missing.
I love Mittens and Slippers (a pun all it’s own there).
I feel better today, still no voice, so I’m sure there will be tests in my future.
I also noticed the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom leaked, and there appears to be mold growing. Now, being allergic to mold would explain all of my illnesses in the last couple of months, and there’s a good bet the mold has been growing behind the ceiling plaster for a while before appearing on the outside where it can be seen. After I pointed it out to the husband, he said, “I’ll take care of it” but he went to his daughter’s house to do some work on it today. If he goes the whole weekend without touching it, I will go get some masks and start tearing the ceiling out myself. He is horrible at doing anything around here, but let one of his daughter’s buy a crappy house and he’s over there every spare minute fixing things up.
Oh Patty,
Mold is baaaaaad news! If it really is mold, you might want to let a professional handle it. If you are going to do it yourself anyway – get a respirator for both particles and vapors. The spores will rupture and spread further. Be careful! Ugh – what a nightmare. I hope it’s not too bad.
Hi, all. I spent most of the previous week offline, so didn’t even post (or read) anything except Mike’s entries for several days, including the weekend open thread. So I hope I didn’t miss anything important. And, of course, prayers and thoughts and hugs to those who need it for themselves or their human or furry friends or family.
It was lovely to take a few days to do absolutely NOTHING. I just sat in the recliner with my feet up and knitted a couple pairs of socks. I’ve got a bunch I need to send to my daughter, but I keep thinking, “I’ll just do one more pair.” She has teeny feet, size 6, so her socks are incredibly fast to knit up compared with my size 10 boats. But I really need to send what I’ve got; I can always send another batch when I’m done with it! Since she lives in a town in the mountains of Idaho and works at a ski resort, she can use all the warm socks I can send her; and once you go handmade, it’s hard to go back to socks from a store. They’re just so much more *comfortable.*
The dogs are doing great. Melody has finally figured out that it’s fun to RUN at the dog park, which invariably amazes the humans since she can run at full greyhound speed. Other dogs sometimes challenge her, but the only time they can keep up is when she deliberately slows down to run with them — which she does most of the time now; she’s figured out that it’s more fun that way. Sebastian is just laid back; he doesn’t like to exert himself, ever.
I had a nice break from work, but I’m back to piles of it again. Blergh. j
If anyone hasn’t seen pictures taken by the the GOES-16 weather satellite of the Earth which they’ve just started publishing, you really need to. That was the launch we went to in January, which was my first launch, and it ended up being a night launch to boot which is *amazing,* so for me of course it’s extra-fun to see the pictures. But they’re just stunningly clear and beautiful! Our planet is so gorgeous!
I hope everybody has a good week. Hugs and skritches to all the critters, and everyone please take care of yourself! This little community is a welcome place to relax and breathe and just enjoy for me and I suspect the rest of you, too, and we need to keep it that way!
Oooh, post pix of your sox in the Cutetropolis Crafters group! I set up WIP and FO threads, but nobody posts in them.
About knitting and being active: Our daughter with friends have started a knitting group making brain hats for the upcoming science march in Boston.
LOVE that – send picture?
Oh wow, is that a thing? Cool!! (my cousins are scientists).
Oooo flat out Greyhound running for fun!!! And the sense to slow down for tandem running with those “in the slow lane”. Awesome. This story made my day.
FAYE! How is that little Milli doing? How are YOU doing???
Thanks, Laura, for letting us know about the satellite – the pictures are gorgeous. I can’t help thinking when I see something like this – why are some people so reluctant to believe science?????
Speaking of weather phenomena…here’s some cool stuff about rainbows someone posted on another site earlier. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/151218-rainbow-color-sunrise-sunset-atmosphere-science/#close
To all of you experiencing illness or other difficult situations…sending good thoughts your way and I hope things improve soon!
I am nursing a mild cold this weekend, just enough of one to make me feel justified in being kind of lazy. (I did, however, venture out to buy cat treats this morning because…well, what choice did I really have?)
Remember, the days are getting longer and now that it’s February we can officially say that spring begins next month! 😀