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Thrive Without Janelle: The Accountability Group


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Gah! I guess I didn't hit submit yesterday so no posting.  It was 5.648 steps for Sunday.

6,378 steps Monday. 

Caught one little kitty yesterday. So many new kittens are showing up. I think all the local feral cats are bringing their kitties here to eat. Sheesh, this is getting frustrating! Seems to be no end in sight...

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5,784 steps yesterday.

A take it easy day. TNR guy brought back the kitty I caught the other day. He said it was too feral to be tamed. Oh well, at least it is fixed. So many new kittens showing up, local feral cats I guess, but I can't keep them all even fixed. Food costs a lot! Now I don't know what to do. Maybe advertise barn cats? I'll worry about that later... But Winter is fast approaching and I worry about keeping them all warm. It was 30° when I fed them at 8AM this morning!

So far, totally happy with the AdBlocker! I have to laugh, a few sites have a pop up that says "We see you have blocked our ads. Please give a donation to keep us going..." Uh no, I just click through it and read what little I was going to and don't click around the site. Or I just shut it down and don't read the link.

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6,796 steps yesterday.

Well, no so much resting! Cat/kitten wrangling mostly.  Caught one of the littles yesterday hoping to get a buddy or two for him today.

She called me back, he weighed in at all of 1.5 lbs so they think he is maybe 5 weeks old. She thinks he will be tame-able and will get him a home, thank goodness!

I just don't get where all these "littles" are coming from. I guess all the feral cats locally have found the "food kitchen" here and are bringing me their babies to feed. The OG mama has been feeding a new crop of 5 and she was fixed 9/5 so they aren't her's.  Guess once her's were weaned she moved on to whatever kitties she could find. She is a good mama, I have to give her that! But man, is there no end to this???

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6,785 steps yesterday.

About the same as yesterday. Today. I have 2 big boxes from Chewy out for delivery, one 43.9# and the other 50.6# so there will be lots of up and down the side stairs to bring the items inside. One more box coming tomorrow. I think I may have to go with cheaper brands of food. These guys eat a lot!!

So far have caught 2 littles. It is tiring as  have to stand at the window and continuously watch to see if one goes in. I am going for one more today and that is it. It feels like an endless task. My knees aren't liking all the standing... 

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8,954 steps yesterday!

Between unloading all the cat food yesterday, and I did a bunch of yard work hauling dead branches the "neighbor" left on my lawn. Then wrangling kittens... Very exhausting day all in all, definitely taking it easier today!

Ended up just catching the 2 "littles" kittens yesterday. TNR lady says actually she is going to tame them and find homes so they are gone for good. Good for them, though I was kind of sad to see them go. All 4 I have caught in the last few days will be gone, I hope to good homes. Still several "littles"  and a few bigger kittens to wrangle but I am tired today so may take the day off.

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A round 6,600 steps yesterday.

Tried to take it as easy as possible. I think today is going to be busy, just hope I can get as many kitties as possible. I am getting really exhausted in this whole process. It started 9/5 and still going...it feels like there is no end in sight...

I managed to catch 2 of the tiniest of the "littles" this morning!!  I think that is going to be it for the day. 2 more on that side of the house and maybe 4 on the front side, bit those are not going to be easy to catch.

Monday I have errands, so probably won't try to catch the last 2 until Tuesday. It is supposed to snow Wed... 😕  I want to get as many as possible, but I can only do what I can do, I'm beginning to feel it in my knee...

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typo
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6,627 steps yesterday.

Last evening I noticed a couple more of the tiny "littles" in the back of the house. Sigh...

In light of the coming weather (snow Tues night-Wed), I am not going to go to town today as I had planned and instead try to catch more of the "littles" and get them off to new homes. The bigger kittens, just a few still needing fixing, can take care enough of themselves to get through this bit of weather.

I am getting burned out...this has been a much longer project than I ever expected. It is beginning to take a toll on my knee and hands. Back to the Meloxicam today!

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On 10/18/2023 at 11:29 AM, Gramto6 said:

So far, totally happy with the AdBlocker! I have to laugh, a few sites have a pop up that says "We see you have blocked our ads. Please give a donation to keep us going..." Uh no, I just click through it and read what little I was going to and don't click around the site. Or I just shut it down and don't read the link.

Yeah, I get that a lot.  Some sites strong-arm you into turning off your ad blocker for their site to see their content but then promise that the ads they show you won't be annoying and compromise your privacy too much, LOL.  So far they have been true to their word on that.

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6,682 steps yesterday.

Quick grocery run, but otherwise I had to take a mental health day from kitty catching yesterday. May regret it as rain coming this afternoon and snow overnight and tomorrow. It is going to be hard to trap any more right now  because the auto trap I have to use has to be plugged in to house power. With exposed extension cords outside I worry about the rain causing electrical problems. As much as the TNR lady wants me to keep going, I'm not sure it is safe for the trap. It is a one of a kind and if it gets fried, there is no other way to get the littles. I've gotten the tiniest ones and the others look to be able to fend for themselves with mamas and "aunties" around. May briefly try in the morning once it warms up a bit. Once it gets wet and snow is on the ground, it is waiting time for me. It is going to be cold the rest of the week, but the snow is supposed to be over by Thursday. It just depends on how long it takes to melt...

I really didn't realize the whole responsibility was going to fall on me. They pick up the ones I catch, fix them and bring them back, the catching is the hard part. At least they are fostering these very littles and they will get real homes...I just don't know how much longer I can do this... It has been ongoing since Sept 5!

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With as many cats as have been done, hopefully that means fewer kitties in the future.  Hindsight being 20/20 this is why my neighbors and I refuse to feed any animals that aren't ours.  Perhaps look online for some cat rescue places like Tiny Kittens and email them for suggestions on how to back out of the situation.  I know one of their approaches is working hard to trap the pregnant cats to get them healthy and then adopt out all the babies so no more feral cats are created.  

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I finally got a date for my bariatric surgery - November 20th, the Monday before Thanksgiving. No feasting for me this year, just liquids. Maybe some chicken broth and a bit of liquid protein for my Turkey dinner. But I don't mind. Thanksgiving is about more than food, right?  My goal before the surgery is to lose another 8-10 lbs so I don't lose my momentum. I'm already 35 lbs down from my heaviest weight.

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@Absolom unfortunately there has been a cat explosion here this season, literally no one is taking cats any more.The shelters are full and most rescues are running out of people to give kittens to.  A couple of mine have been brought back to me after being fixed. Fortunately the last 5 I have caught are really young and their grand son is taming them and they will go to homes. I have about 6 more kittens some older than others that still need to be fixed but they are very savvy and head for cover when they see me. They are going to be very hard to catch. No more adult pregnant ones unless local strays make their way here and I have no control over that. 

Set up my auto trap this afternoon hoping to catch the 2 from the side yard before the weather come in, but the darn trap wouldn't work. The TNR people are out of town a couple of days so I won't be kitten wrangling till they get back and fix the trap. I need the rest anyway!

@altopower Yay!! I'll be sending you good thoughts the day of your surgery! Hope you have a speedy recovery and enjoy your broth for Thanksgiving, you have lots to be thankful for!! (((Hugs)))

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typo
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31 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

No more adult pregnant ones unless local strays make their way here and I have no control over that. 

That would be the goal next is grab any pregnant cat so they can have the kittens be brought up around humans and have the mama cat go out of business.  I hope no one is dropping cats off near your place.  

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18 minutes ago, Absolom said:

That would be the goal next is grab any pregnant cat so they can have the kittens be brought up around humans and have the mama cat go out of business.  I hope no one is dropping cats off near your place.  

There aren't any pregnant ones here, but the fields around me lead to another subdivision on another street and I hear there are tons of feral cats there. In the morning, when I feed, I have way more cats here than I do for later feedings, (my original colonies) so there are a lot of free-loaders coming in for food... It feels never ending to me at times.

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5,631 steps yesterday.

Did what I could in preparation for the snow. Tried to trap a few more littles, but the auto trap wasn't working. Guess I'm taking the time off until TNR people get back. I'll be busy enough clearing snow...

Yesterday's high here was 50° rain started in evening. Today's forecast is 33°/19° snow early then showers throughout the day. Snow showers the next couple of days. Too early for my liking to have snow already!!

There is about 2" of snow that I can see on the deck, and it is still lightly snowing. No sign of kitties, but I hear some in the nook by the front door where one of the box shelters I made for them is located. Soon as it gets lighter I will start clearing the deck so I can feed them. Maybe the snow will keep some of the interlopers away...

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5,925 steps yesterday. 

Lots of in and out trying to keep warm water available for the kitties. I warmed up the canned food for each meal. too.

Yesterday's high was 32° with light snow throughout the day. Today's forecast is 32°/20° with snow flurries in the morning then maybe some overnight. It will be cold for days though.

I ask myself why am I so worried this year and I realize I did't have tiny kittens last year going into Winter. Last year was brutally cold, days and days in the minus temps. I am going to be stressing until I see the littles that are left here are growing bigger. The only good thing about the cold/snow is that all the interlopers did not show up, just my own cats were here yesterday.

TNR guy picked up the auto trap and will try to fix it. I asked about the battery instead of the electrical cords and he is going to try to find a resolution for that.

 

ETA: 22° when I went out to feed the kitties. Today looks like a lot of the interlopers are back...darn.

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4,463 steps yesterday.

Totally exhausted from shoveling snow and constantly getting warm water and then warm food to the kitties. Did a whole lot more sitting and trying to rest than normal. Today I am feeling yesterday's work in my back...

Yesterday's high was all of 32° with periods of snow. Today's forecast is 32°/18° cloudy with snow flurries in the morning. It is predicted to be really cold today, tonight, and tomorrow morning then start to warm maybe up to the 50's for 4-5 days. Yay!

I am definitely feeling my age this Winter (is it even Winter yet??). I ache all over and am still rationing the Meloxicam, Advil doesn't help much. PCP never called me back re the rx, may call again today. Stressing about the small kitties too doesn't help.

Feeling kind of down that I can't do more to keep them warm. I have to get the tin shed cleaned and safe for them, but that is so much work I don't think I can do it alone. Colleen, my new friend from the TNR group is really into building things, hopefully I can get some help from her. Then I have to figure out how to get the 2 colonies to merge and go in it together. This is all beginning to be too much for me.

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6,554 steps yesterday.

Still sticking close to home, not going to go anywhere. Today will be fixing up cat boxes with dry bedding, I'm going to cut up an old velour blanket and add it to the beds as nights are going to be very, very cold for a few more days.

Most of the new boxes I set up for the kitties held up well through this snow. Today I want to make a couple more and change bedding in existing ones. Thanks to Chewy I have lots of good sized boxes to use. Usually I'll see 3-4 kitties crammed into one or another so I know they like them and get some shelter there.

I wish I could do more, but hopefully the weather will allow some work on the shed and that would be great. There is already electricity there so I could put one of those oil heaters inside set low enough that it won't burn them if they get too close, just enough to keep them warm. Lots of work there!!

I have to be sure not to over do though as back is feeling the last few days. Took a Meloxicam and will for a few days. I still haven't heard from pcp on why she gave me so few, but I'll make due for now while I am doing heavier work.

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typo
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Meloxicam should be in 30 or 90 day supply depending on insurance and taken daily as a maintenance med to get the most benefit from it.  She may have only given you a few to see how it works for you.  Have you tried asking for a refil via the pharmacy?  I can just click the refill box on my account on the pharmacy's website.  It's how my doctor prefers I request refills.  

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I explained to her how my mail rx works. For something that is not a one of rx, Dr writes 90 day supply rx (30 a month x 3 = 90 pills) supply which is auto renewed in 3 month increments for a total of a year.  Then Dr renews for another year etc, etc. I thought she meant for me to take it daily which worked so well and I haven't felt so good in a long time!  (Reason I rant is my plan for those pills is $2 for the 90 supply! So having to renew every month costs me more...I know not that much but...)

When I called dr at the time I realized I didn't have enough to last until next refill was available (not on auto for some reason) the nurse says it is a as needed rx (??)  I asked to talk to the dr and nurse said she'd put me on the list for her to call back. Never heard from her...   I don't know why she put me on a restricted amount, it isn't an addictive med, unless there is some medical reason heart/liver problems that it is not good for me.   I am frustrated, as this made my back, hands and even knee (that was better after steroid shot) feel so much better.

This is a new dr and so far I have been really pleased with her but I am frustrated over this rx and hating feeling bad all day again when I can't take it for a few days to  space out the amount I have.  Argh!!  (Sorry about the rant...)

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I've been taking it for 2 to 3 years and the only restriction my doctor has is regular blood tests to check kidney and liver function.  That's every 3 months for me.  My recommendation is make an appointment to go in and talk face to face about it.  It normally isn't treated like as needed drugs.  As you say not addictive and it's biggest problem would be potential ulcers or kidney or liver issues.  I've had none of any of those.   I take two a day one in the morning and one at night.

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I see my Gastro on thursday. I'm going to ask him if there is any reason I shouldn't be taking. 1-7.5 mg tab of Meloxicam a day. I do have some liver issues, no problems with kidneys and I have a slight heart murmur.  Liver and heart being monitored by drs already.  Will ask Gastro about it, then go to pcp for her reasons.

All I can say is I feel so much better on the one dose a day!! 

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4,990 steps yesterday.

Feeling exhausted and really tired of the cold! Right now it is 10° at 8:10 AM...brrrr

Yesterday's high was 30° no snow and some sun which was nice. Today's forecast is 36°/14° and clear. The clear at night is why it is so cold. Mild worming begins Monday.

Made another box with velour blanket pieces for front door nook, that is the driest spot around. Refilled 2 boxes out by garage also with portions of the velour and the kitties seemed to really like that. Have a couple more boxes to redo on front deck but at least so far their blankets are dry...just really cold. Hope the velour will hold the warmth better.

Did some shoveling on the front deck but I have to be so careful. Even with the Meloxicam for 2 days, this morning back is not happy.
 

ETA: mild warming!  not worming!! 

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typo
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2 hours ago, ginger90 said:

One of the kittens who is in a long line of cats on my daughter’s property. The momma cat is a busy one. 

D43ABB5D-EF4E-4A45-91D2-8FBFC9C6872F.jpeg

I have quite a few that look like that! So cute!

Most of mine are now fixed, but there are a fewkittens that managed to slip through. Maybe when the auto trap gets fixed I can at least get them...but losing hope for this year.  Will try to get them early in Spring worst case scenario.

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6,576 steps.

Quick grocery run after gathering garbage and taking it up to road.

10° again this morning when I went out to feed kitties. Supposed to warm some soon, but rain in forecast from Thursday through Sunday. At least no snow down here in the valley, and at least it will melt the ice on the porches.

I called pcp yesterday and she had called in new rx for the Meloxicam the day I called (10/19). It is for a 90 day supply with one renewal, will have to get it set up w/auto renewal but don't have to worry at this point. A little communication from her would have helped! sigh

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6,085 steps yesterday.

Starting to feel better with the daily dose of Meloxicam again. It took about 4-5 days when I first started it. Should be feeling full effect in about a day or two.

Yesterday's high was 33° here, nice day, but rain on the way tomorrow. Today's forecast is 48°/33°.  Now I have to prep for the rain which will melt the rest of the snow off the roof. I need to get my gutters cleared as they over flow all over where I have the kitty beds. Have to cover the beds in plastic to keep them as dry as possible. With as many cats as I have this year it is a real chore!

The darn snow came before I had a chance to deal with the gutters.
 

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5,539 steps yesterday.

Today I drive up to town to see Gastro, then to Target to get set up with Consumer Cellular (and probably some shopping too!). The time spent driving and waiting at dr will probably offset any gain from the shopping. It is what it is step-wise...

Gastro appointment is early afternoon, it is just my 6 month check up and I need to schedule my yearly liver MRI. I don't expect any surprises. I already know one of the polyps was precancerous. That means I do have to do the next colonoscopy in 5 yrs...yuk...but going to ask about pills instead of the "swamp water".

It is going to be raining on and off all day and evening.  The only thing I am looking forward to about having to go out today is getting my phone service changed and a small shop in Target. First time there since the pandemic began. Otherwise, I would be totally happy just staying home where it is warm and dry and looking after my cats.

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6,809 steps yesterday.

More than expected, but I did wander some in Target since Consumer Cellular tech was not in yesterday.  😒

Bummed because now I have to make another trip up to town. I did get the phone # of the Tech area so I can check to be sure the tech is there before I go.

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typo
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5,684 steps yesterday.

Took it easy. I should have done more work on cat shelters as it is drizzly rain again today. But I just needed to take it easy and if nothing else, I have learned to listen to my body to avoid problems!

Surprise, surprise, when I called AT&T to get my iPad off cellular service (that I never knew it had!)  They told me I was on an old "Grandfathered" plan (meaning to me higher rates!) and they had a better plan to offer me. Told them the only reason I wasn't calling to cancel was because the Consumer Cellular tech was not in yesterday for me to switch.  Made me an offer that will work for the time being making it not urgent to switch (still will, but not right away). Now I pay $50 +tax ($4-$6)  for unlimited talk, text and data. No charge ever for overuse. Not quite as good as CC but will do me for now. Makes me wonder how many others like me are out there merrily going around paying the higher fees and not aware they are basically being cheated??

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1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

The outside cats will now have an igloo. It was for the dogs, but they really aren’t interested in it.

I've looked at those, but I have sooo many cats I'd have to buy many of them. I. may try with a couple and see how they go over and then decide what to do from there.

I really need to check it out on Chewy.

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There are areas in the country where feral cat colonies are being controlled with birth control med in their food.  Apparently there has been success in cutting the cat populations where this has been tried.  I don't know how widespread this idea is, but I have seen studies where it has worked.  Just an idea to investigate.

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Trap, neuter, and release which @Gramto6 has been participating in is really effective, too, and is permanent not relying on the food supply.  She's had amazing success and is down to just a few younger kittens to go unless some new cat wanders in.  Hopefully those last few will get in to be neutered by spring and no new kitties!!

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2 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

There are areas in the country where feral cat colonies are being controlled with birth control med in their food.  Apparently there has been success in cutting the cat populations where this has been tried.  I don't know how widespread this idea is, but I have seen studies where it has worked.  Just an idea to investigate.

I'm not sure I would feel comfortable putting out food with medication in it that random cats and other animals here would eat. As  @Absolom said the vast majority of mine have been fixed with a handful of kittens that are just too small at this point to even trigger a trap.  By Spring they should have grown enough to be trapped and fixed. I do have random feral cats come for food, but all of my mature females have been spayed so they won't be having kittens. Hopefully the kittens will be taken care of in the Spring and we will be a kitten free zone here! 

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5,694 steps yesterday.

Fixed up 3 of cat shelters and made a new one. Other than that not much walking. 

Today is tidying up and collecting garbage for pick up tomorrow.   May putter with cat shelters otherwise just take it easy.  

I hate the time change! It always makes me feel out of sync for a couple of days. I wish we would do away with it for once and all!

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I hate the changing 2 X a year, too.  Pick one or the other, and leave it alone!

Of course, I hated it more when I worked.  I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is, and I had a very boring job.  I almost nodded off a couple of times.

November weather is depressing.  Gray, rainy skies, cold, and less daylight.  At least it's not snowing yet here.  I had help last winter with shoveling, which I really appreciated, from neighbors.  

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1 hour ago, Absolom said:

I'd vote for a compromise of shifting 30 minutes to the middle year round.  

Me too or just leave it at DST and call it a day.  Here in the Northeast we get a lot less daylight than other areas of the country.  My father always used to remind me that the number of hours of daylight in a day is not only dependent on longitude but latitude as well.  The closer you are to the equator, the longer the days.  So up here we are not only very far East in the Eastern time zone, but we are also far North.  So the sun sets earlier here than in a lot of places pretty much year 'round regardless of whether we get more or less total daylight per day than those other places.  And I don't know about you, but especially the older I get, the more I appreciate more daylight in the evening so I don't feel like I have to rush home at 3:30 in the afternoon in the Winter.  Even here in an area with lower crime than a lot of places we have seen an uptick, and older women are being accosted in parking lots for their purses, etc., especially after dark.

The time change issue t's very complicated and no wonder everyone's disagreeing about it.  There is no one-size-fits all solution.  I just found a fascinating site on a blog that keeps track of such things.  For astronomical daylight geeks it's absolutely fascinating.  One of the maps shows the hour of the sunset everywhere in the US on this very date in 2017, so we can assume it's good for today too.  I suppose that's because this is the date we change the clocks.

https://us-climate.blogspot.com/2016/06/daylight-twilight-astronomical-maps.html

 

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Yep! I'm on the Western edge of Montana about at the middle of the State and it definitely is darker here sooner than it was when I lived in CA. I don't mind Winter per se, but it is the darkness that I don't like. That is why I dislike the end of DST so much. Sun in the sky when the temps drop into the single digits and below 0° makes a big difference!

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I have a theory that as we all get older we get more gloomy in the Winter months because of the decreased daylight and cold temps., perhaps because we become more deficient in vitamin D.  My closest friends now all complain about this time of year, even the ones that never did before recently.  I take supplements but SADS still catches up with me by about February or so and lasts until April.  I had a light box for a few years but it didn't do much.  I've heard that the newer ones are better.  I should look into that or get outside in the sunshine more in the Winter.  But even if I did there's less benefit from the sun in the Winter too even when it's bright out because of the sun's angle or whatever, so I've read.

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Missed posting yesterday, guess I forgot to hit Submit, again!  7,026 steps Monday.

5,064 steps yesterday. (Tuesday).  I think this may be my new Winter mode, I'm feeling my age in my bones more this year than ever!

Changed bedding in several of the cat beds. Got distracted by some crossword puzzles on the computer and didn't get as many steps as normal. Did get up each hour though.

Man, just feeding all these cats is a full time job!! And my goodness do they eat a lot! I see them carrying mice around many times a day so it isn't as if they can't find their own food now, (when there us 1'+ of snow on the ground, that will be a different story) but they scarf down what I give them like they are starving! Hopefully the dry weather in the forecast will allow me some time to work out better shelters...

28° when I went out to feed the kitties!

@altopower keep up the good work! I know the waiting can be miserable/kind of scary as surgery gets closer.  BTDT with my cancer surgery.  This will pass and soon you will be on the other side of it and can begin the real relaxing and healing. You are in my thoughts and prayers that everything goes well and for a speedy recovery. (((HUGS)))
 

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