Unravelled

We made it through the week with no new animal illnesses, and I will consider that a gift.  Womble is finding some relief with the cool mist vaporizer and seems more comfortable and active.

Charlie's urinary issues have resolved for now, but these tend to be recurring, so I'm sure we will see it again in the future. 

 I got an awesome package in the mail this week--one that has made Charlie as happy as me.  My friend, April, who excels in crafts of all kinds, crocheted a gorgeous afghan for me.  It is in my favorite happy colors, and it's huge!  I've never seen such a large afghan.  It covers our whole king-sized bed.  I don't understand how she was able to make something so large and intricate with no errors.  Every stitch looks exactly the same in form and size--it's just incomprehensible to me.  My brief forays into crochet and knitting drove me crazy, because I couldn't get the uniform knots (stitches?) and the results were not nice.  Oh, and because April is smart and knows my household, the afghan can be machine washed/dried.

I suspected the cats would love it, as they all love Mark's crocheted afghan (from his grandma) and take turns snuggling in it and kneading it.  Charlie has been the biggest afghan addict in the household, so when he saw this enormous fluffy miracle appear on his bed, he just knew the cat gods were rewarding him for being such a sweet boy.  He has been planted on the afghan since it arrived, leaving only for food and potty breaks.  Fortunately, Charlie is a generous boy and doesn't mind sharing with me or the other cats.

The box that the afghan came in has already been re-purposed as a guinea pig/rabbit hidey.  We are always on the lookout for cardboard boxes, which are enjoyed by the herbivores as well as our cats.

I left the house this morning without my cellphone.  I realized after I dropped L off and while I was on my way to class, and by then I didn't have time to run back home to get it. I spent my workday in my classroom/lab, where I do not get a phone signal at all.  It is truly the land time forgot, because nobody can get a signal in the lower level of our building.  I had no need for my phone, but I still spent the day feeling panicky and naked without it.

It was when I got in the car to go home that I realized why I looked like shit all day.  On my ride in, I noticed that my eyes looked like hell.  I had some emergency eyeliner in my bag, so I tried to touch it up, thinking that would help.  It didn't.  When I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on my way home, it hit me.  I had forgotten my mascara.  I put everything on but mascara, which is why my eyes looked so shitty and unwell. 

I don't know what was wrong with my brain this morning.  I'm amazed that I was able to teach (arrays!) today with that level of brain functioning. I'm glad it's a short week!

I came home to find a mess of blood on the floor and all over Hurley bird's tail feathers.  The blood was dried and coagulated, so she wasn't bleeding anymore.  I could see exactly what happened--she had broken a tail blood feather (pin feather).  We are incredibly lucky that it sealed on its own before she lost too much blood and died.  I'm sick about how this could have turned out and am left with the helpless feeling I have most of time as a mommy/caretaker.  I feel like a huge failure whenever one of them is hurt/ill and like an even worse failure when one dies.  I know logically that I can't possibly prevent every potential illness/injury, but it doesn't override my feelings. 

Hurley is a little tired, and her tail is a mess, but her partner, Darwin, and her (grown) child Poppy we sitting with her and taking good care of her.  I expect they'll have her tail cleaned up by tomorrow.