Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[friendperidot]

thank you, for the most part my dolls are 16" fashion dolls, considered to be 1/4 scale generally. Most of my rooms are 36"x36"x24" high. Right now they are disassembled and packed away. I hope to get moved into a place of my own in the next few months and put them all back together. Most of the dolls I collect are from the Tonner Doll Company, which announced earlier this month that it was closing after 25 years so Robert Tonner could pursue different interests which are supposed to be a new doll company. I also collect a few 19" Evangeline Ghastly dolls from a separate company operated by Tonner, Wilde Imagination, which is also closing. I am heartbroken. I think his dolls are the most human looking of all the 16" dolls. I usually refer to them as Barbie's younger, much larger and much more expensive sisters. They were usually affordable which some of the more haute couture fashion dolls are not for me. I will treasure my collection and I won't be closed to the idea of buying any new dolls he may create.

Most of the furniture I use in my rooms is repurposed from other sources, jewelry boxes, American Girl furniture and things I happen to find at flea markets or thrift stores. When I first started collecting props, they were difficult to find, but as I did more, I developed a better eye and even sometimes pass on things because I don't need them.

I hope it's ok to post it here, but here's a link to my blog about my dollhouse. I hope to update it when I get moved and get set up again. You'll have to go to the archives to get to each of the sections.

http://barbarasdollhouse.blogspot.com/?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=14

[Brattinella]

24 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

thank you, for the most part my dolls are 16" fashion dolls, considered to be 1/4 scale generally. Most of my rooms are 36"x36"x24" high. Right now they are disassembled and packed away. I hope to get moved into a place of my own in the next few months and put them all back together. Most of the dolls I collect are from the Tonner Doll Company, which announced earlier this month that it was closing after 25 years so Robert Tonner could pursue different interests which are supposed to be a new doll company. I also collect a few 19" Evangeline Ghastly dolls from a separate company operated by Tonner, Wilde Imagination, which is also closing. I am heartbroken. I think his dolls are the most human looking of all the 16" dolls. I usually refer to them as Barbie's younger, much larger and much more expensive sisters. They were usually affordable which some of the more haute couture fashion dolls are not for me. I will treasure my collection and I won't be closed to the idea of buying any new dolls he may create.

Most of the furniture I use in my rooms is repurposed from other sources, jewelry boxes, American Girl furniture and things I happen to find at flea markets or thrift stores. When I first started collecting props, they were difficult to find, but as I did more, I developed a better eye and even sometimes pass on things because I don't need them.

I hope it's ok to post it here, but here's a link to my blog about my dollhouse. I hope to update it when I get moved and get set up again. You'll have to go to the archives to get to each of the sections.

http://barbarasdollhouse.blogspot.com/?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=14

Thank you, that is so cool!

[theatremouse]

34 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

Right now they are disassembled and packed away. I hope to get moved into a place of my own in the next few months and put them all back together.

Clearly, I am way too sleep deprived to be attempting to read anything because at first I thought that said dismembered and thought "well that discussion took a turn..."

[friendperidot]

lol, go to bed, theatrenouse, get some sleep, happy new year!

[Maharincess]

On 12/18/2016 at 8:27 AM, Prevailing Wind said:

My car is one of the airbag recall cars and I have to go on Wednesday to have it fixed. They said it's an all-day job, so I'm taking my Kindle for that. I'll probably take a real book, too, in case I get antsy holding the Kindle.

The Honda people said only my passenger-side airbag is troublesome, so it hasn't been a priority with me - I usually have no passengers but the cats, taking them to the vet. Both Bosco & Stella each weigh enough in the carrier that the car thinks they're child passengers and turns off the airbag completely. Smart car for almost 10 years old!

May I ask why you would get antsy holding a Kindle?  Tell me to mind my own business if you want but that sentence has me curious. 

[frenchtoast]

Not answering for prevailing wind but for me, I'd get distracted. It's a great way to tote around an entire library, but I know I'd be surfing the web or playing a game or some such before I settled down (if I settled down) to read a book on my Kindle. I have read a book, so I can do it. But those shiny games!!

And, ew, now I'm reminded of that uber creepy Star Trek TNG episode where the crew is addicted to a game and Wesley Crusher (shut up, Wesley) saves the day.

[friendperidot]

I'm getting old and I find trying to use the internet on my Kindle is just annoying. I use mine for reading almost exclusively. Sometimes when I'm sitting outside with the dog, I'll check FB, but anything more that that annoys me. I don't like using the on screen keyboard.

[Prevailing Wind]

I just don't like holding the damn thing. I prefer propping it up on a table if I'm going to read it. Turns out, I also took a paperback & finished it by the time they were done with my car, so I left the book behind for someone else to pick up & read. Can't share like that with a Kindle.

[peacheslatour]

16 hours ago, friendperidot said:

thank you, for the most part my dolls are 16" fashion dolls, considered to be 1/4 scale generally. Most of my rooms are 36"x36"x24" high. Right now they are disassembled and packed away. I hope to get moved into a place of my own in the next few months and put them all back together. Most of the dolls I collect are from the Tonner Doll Company, which announced earlier this month that it was closing after 25 years so Robert Tonner could pursue different interests which are supposed to be a new doll company. I also collect a few 19" Evangeline Ghastly dolls from a separate company operated by Tonner, Wilde Imagination, which is also closing. I am heartbroken. I think his dolls are the most human looking of all the 16" dolls. I usually refer to them as Barbie's younger, much larger and much more expensive sisters. They were usually affordable which some of the more haute couture fashion dolls are not for me. I will treasure my collection and I won't be closed to the idea of buying any new dolls he may create.

Most of the furniture I use in my rooms is repurposed from other sources, jewelry boxes, American Girl furniture and things I happen to find at flea markets or thrift stores. When I first started collecting props, they were difficult to find, but as I did more, I developed a better eye and even sometimes pass on things because I don't need them.

I hope it's ok to post it here, but here's a link to my blog about my dollhouse. I hope to update it when I get moved and get set up again. You'll have to go to the archives to get to each of the sections.

http://barbarasdollhouse.blogspot.com/?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=14

Wow, very nice. I collect Liddle Kiddles and Petite Princess furniture. I love dolls.

[friendperidot]

Prevailing Wind, I have to walk to the laundromat right now, so I load up my clothes hamper into my shopping cart, I've got a nice deluxe model that has an additional basket on the back where I can put laundry soap and some things that won't fit in the hamper, like towels or bedding. I tuck my Kindle into the hamper, also my cart has a nice bungee cord netting thing that stretches over everything to keep it all in while I walk, helps keep the lid on my broken plastic hamper. While waiting for my clothes to wash and dry, I put the cart in front of me and prop the Kindle on the bar of the extra basket and lean it back so the top is resting on the large basket. Also I have the Kindle in a vinyl cover which has saved it several times when it's been dropped. The cover has ridges for folding it to prop it up, but I don't really like it that way. I've had mine about 4 years and it works great. Bought the kid one earlier this year and bought a cover. Of course the kid kept removing the cover, then dropping or throwing the Kindle. It no longer works, the screen is broken beyond repair and I am not replacing. When the kid learns to care for things, they can buy their own. I've had to replace my phone twice this year because of the kid, he's no longer allowed to use it. Now he managed to get one for himself when he turned 18 on Halloween, and he's still careless, it will be his to replace when it breaks, I'm out of the electronics buying business for him.

[Ohwell]

Quote

I have heard it said (Craig Ferguson, I think) that they give you really good drugs for a colonoscopy.

Yup.  Whatever the heck they gave me before I had the colonoscopy, I actually woke up smiling.  One of the best highs I ever had.  Plus, I felt no pain afterwards.  As others have said, the worst part is drinking the dreck beforehand. 

[Prevailing Wind]

I made a carrying pouch for my Kindle by cutting off the bottom of one leg of worn-out jeans. The hem of the jeans leg is the opening for the pouch, so I only had one seam at the other send to sew. When I take it into a restaurant, I fold the pouch into thirds and prop the Kindle on it, so it's at an angle.  But I still feel like I'm cheating on my librarian by reading a Kindle.

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Yup.  Whatever the heck they gave me before I had the colonoscopy, I actually woke up smiling.  One of the best highs I ever had.  Plus, I felt no pain afterwards.  As others have said, the worst part is drinking the dreck beforehand. 

Actually, the prep solution isn't that bad.  Mine tasted like lemon-flavored Alka-Seltzer.  The trick to making it palatable is to mix it the night before you're supposed to start drinking it and make sure it's well-chilled in the refrigerator before you do start drinking it.   The only real downside is that that you end up pretty much living on the toilet for about three hours or so while the prep solution does its job. That's why (at my boss's insistence) I took two days off from work:  one day to prepare for the colonoscopy beforehand and the day of the procedure itself to recover from it once it was over.

As for the procedure itself?  No biggie at all.  As Craig Ferguson noted, the intravenous anesthetic they give you works very well.  I remember waiting for it to take effect, and then the next thing I remember is the nurse waking me up about half an hour later and telling me that the colonoscopy was finished and that I had passed with flying colors -- not so much as a single polyp! -- and that I could come back in ten years for my next one.  And nope, no pain at all.

Edited January 2, 2017 by legaleagle53

[xaxat]

On 12/30/2016 at 9:16 PM, AuntiePam said:

I doubt Amazon has any control over how the manufacturer packages the item, so I think you're right -- Amazon wants to know about their packaging. 

Amazon and Walmart are big enough to have some influence over how companies package their products. And I read that Amazon takes packaging review complaints back to the suppliers in order to get them to change. 

[Prevailing Wind]

Quote

the next thing I remember is the nurse waking me up about half an hour later and telling me that the colonoscopy was finished and that I had passed with flying colors

Lucky you!  I had a rigid bend in my intestines that the colonoscope couldn't get past. They tried two different scopes & three different positions before they gave up. They still managed to charge full price to Medicare, though.  THEN I had to go for the barium enema. Then I had an upper GI, which required NO prep! (yay!) ALL that to discover they don't know why I'm sick.  Since they eliminated everything traditional medicine believes in, I went further afield and gave up yeast. I finally convinced my GP to give me a course of fluconazole, stopped consuming yeast and sugar and I'm feeling MUCH better (except when I think of grilled cheese sandwiches, turkey stuffing, pizza, glazed donuts or beer.) At least I can have muffins & tortillas. This is easier than gluten-free for the most part, but I still find myself longing for a tuna & Swiss on rye sandwich.

[Ohwell]

10 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

As for the procedure itself?  No biggie at all.  As Craig Ferguson noted, the intravenous anesthetic they give you works very well.  I remember waiting for it to take effect, and then the next thing I remember is the nurse waking me up about half an hour later and telling me that the colonoscopy was finished and that I had passed with flying colors -- not so much as a single polyp! -- and that I could come back in ten years for my next one.  And nope, no pain at all.

Same here, not a single polyp.  Man was I happy!

[Prevailing Wind]

Quote

We get Leverage on ION TV. It's usually on all day on Sunday and I always watch it.

I have all 5 seasons in boxes. It's hard to get out one season & watch, because I'll have to watch the entire season and then watch the other 4. And I CAN'T stop. Nothing else gets done around here until all 5 seasons have been watched.  I think it's kind of funny, too, how I'll be out on my Road Trip and see something that reminds me of Leverage (this last trip, it was guy who kinda looked like Christian Kane) and when I get to my hotel room & start channel surfing (looking for Jeopardy!) I'll find some channel airing Leverage.

I know there's a section of the Jeopardy! website that lists when/where it's on, but it's not always accurate.

[ennui]

I forget which topic it was, but the star shower thingies are 50% off right now, if anyone wants to plan ahead. When I saw them in the store, I was tempted. 

[mmecorday]

OK, which one of us wrote this? 'Fess up!

http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-commercials-directed-at-audience-that-doesnt-exist/

[peacheslatour]

Oh, good old Cracked. Always good for a larf.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

"You're a guest, you execrable crone" is the most amazing sentence I have ever read.

[peacheslatour]

smittykins said:

There was an episode of Emergency Vets where the owner of a German Shepherd with epilepsy had him put down for the same reason.

Yup. Poor Lizzie had some stomach issue. Oh she was such a little scamp. Once I was giving her a bath and I heard the bell ring, indicating someone was at the front desk. I left for a moment (I was alone in the clinic, not unusual, but that's another story) and here comes a very soapy Lizzie barreling through the reception area, I swear she was laughing.

[proserpina65]

On the Weight Watchers thing: what worked for me, when it still worked, was having a plan with specific values which I could easily compute, having suggestions I wouldn't have thought of on my own (without judgment), and having those weekly weigh-ins as encouragement.  When they changed the plan to something which required a far more complex method of determining how many points each item was & how many points I could each in a day, and also de-emphasized calories and exercise, at Thanksgiving!, I hit a plateau and the whole program stopped working for me.  Yeah, I know, I let it stop working, but I found I needed the simplicity and without it, I couldn't stick to the plan.

[smittykins]

I've read there are people who follow earlier versions of WW because it works better for them.

Original Weight Watchers Diet Plan

Edited January 11, 2017 by smittykins
Add link

[janie jones]

I always wondered if a vet would put a dog down if the owner didn't have a good reason for it. 

[Prevailing Wind]

The vets I work for won't. We've got an elderly cat with herpes staying with us - has been for about 2 years now. The original owner died and the heirs didn't want to be bothered with two old, herpes cats, so they came to us to put them down. We took 'em in, instead. The heirs signed over their rights and we gave the kitties loving care & Thomas soon got adopted out. We're still waiting for a loving heart to come & adopt Emma.  I can't tell you how many dogs, mostly Pitties, our Animal Hospital has taken in instead of euthanizing them.

Then there are the pets that are practically begging to be set free to "cross the Rainbow Bridge," but the owners aren't ready yet to sign off on the Euth form.  It's said, "Your pet will let you know when it's time..." The trick is to pay attention to what the pet is telling you, not what your heart is saying.

 

Being a vet is a heartbreaking job. You KNOW chances are you're going to outlive your patients and watch them die and try to help them to do it pain- and stress-free.  No wonder vets have the highest suicide rate.  http://web-dvm.net/high-suicide-rate-among-veterinarians/

...probably as much due to some owners' block-headedness as well as euthanizing pets.  Why do people think you can call a vet and they can diagnose your pet over the freakin' phone?  I listened to one of our docs the other day, as she tried to (way too patiently, if you ask me) to tell this woman she'd have to actually SEE and examine the pet before she could tell her what was wrong, if anything.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Then there are the pets that are practically begging to be set free to "cross the Rainbow Bridge," but the owners aren't ready yet to sign off on the Euth form.  It's said, "Your pet will let you know when it's time..." The trick is to pay attention to what the pet is telling you, not what your heart is saying

We had people bring in their 23 year old cat. The poor thing was blind, deaf, incontinent, arthritic, morbidly obese and had a serious heart ailment. It was suffering and could barely move. When the vet delicately suggested that maybe the kindest thing to do would be to put the poor thing down, he was met with cries of "Oh no we lurve him!" Yeah, that's some love.

Quote

I listened to one of our docs the other day, as she tried to (way too patiently, if you ask me) to tell this woman she'd have to actually SEE and examine the pet before she could tell her what was wrong, if anything

We used to get that too. Was tempted to ask them to hold it closer to the phone.

[frenchtoast]

We knew the end was coming for our dog a few years ago. We had called to ask about a home visit from the vet and were told it would have been scheduled a week or two in advance. So we were going to schedule it following my husband's work trip. During the trip, Hudson went downhill so fast, hubby came back and we called and brought him to the vet's office. I must sing their praises--they do it after office hours, they are so kind and compassionate. Most likely it helped, for us, that we had already accepted that we were going to have to put him down. But the vet and the staff were just the best. It's a difficult decision, but the dog was suffering and I still feel bad that we tried to put it off to time it better.

[peacheslatour]

31 minutes ago, frenchtoast said:

We knew the end was coming for our dog a few years ago. We had called to ask about a home visit from the vet and were told it would have been scheduled a week or two in advance. So we were going to schedule it following my husband's work trip. During the trip, Hudson went downhill so fast, hubby came back and we called and brought him to the vet's office. I must sing their praises--they do it after office hours, they are so kind and compassionate. Most likely it helped, for us, that we had already accepted that we were going to have to put him down. But the vet and the staff were just the best. It's a difficult decision, but the dog was suffering and I still feel bad that we tried to put it off to time it better.

You did the right and kind thing. You gave your darling pet all your love and I'm sure he had the best life you could give him. Our beloved pets give us all of their love and trust. We are their guardians and it is our responsibility to make sure they don't suffer needlessly. Please accept a warm hug from an internet stranger.

[topanga]

On 12/31/2016 at 1:39 PM, friendperidot said:

years ago I ordered a doll bathroom from Amazon. it was about $20 less than Target and Walmart, shipped free and I was offered frustration free packaging, I took the offer, I loved the way it was packed, got it very quickly and before Christmas, it was a gift to myself. Bathtubs that fit my dolls are easy to find, toilets and sinks are not.

I read your post too fast and thought you said "bathroom doll." My mind went to dark places...

I wish I had the courage to still collect dolls and doll houses. I have two sons, no daughters, so I worry that people would look at me funny if I had them around the house. I do have 2 holiday Barbies still in their packages, but they're in my closet. I do plan to adopt a daughter one day, and she might want those Barbies. I tell myself they're for her. 

[peacheslatour]

17 minutes ago, topanga said:

I read your post too fast and thought you said "bathroom doll." My mind went to dark places...

I wish I had the courage to still collect dolls and doll houses. I have two sons, no daughters, so I worry that people would look at me funny if I had them around the house. I do have 2 holiday Barbies still in their packages, but they're in my closet. I do plan to adopt a daughter one day, and she might want those Barbies. I tell myself they're for her. 

Do it!  I started collecting when my son was in grade school. I keep my dolls in glass cases that I arrange like little houses, in my bedroom. My hubby thinks it's adorable and my sons friends never went into my (and my DH's room) and even if they did, so what?

[riley702]

2 hours ago, Ilovecomputers said:

Has anyone here used those DNA kits for family ancestry?  I ask because my mother was adopted as an infant and we know nothing about her biological family (other than her mother died of spinal meningitis two weeks after giving birth to her) and I would like to know about my mother's family.

I have. Growing up, the family story was that we were French, German, English and Dutch. Mom started digging around years ago and we quickly discovered there was no Dutch, just more German (Deutsch). Ancestry says we aren't English, either, but Irish instead. So - French, German, Irish, a substantial chunk of Scandanavian we haven't a clue about and less than 10% each of Iberian penninsula (Spain and Portugal), Italian and Greek (which are lumped together for some reason) and a trace from the Caucasus region. I also did 23andme and there are minor differences, but mostly agree.

Edited January 11, 2017 by riley702

[friendperidot]

Quote

I wish I had the courage to still collect dolls and doll houses. I have two sons, no daughters, so I worry that people would look at me funny if I had them around the house. I do have 2 holiday Barbies still in their packages, but they're in my closet. I do plan to adopt a daughter one day, and she might want those Barbies. I tell myself they're for her. 

I have no children. I like dolls. I don't give a c**p what anyone else thinks! Do what you love. It helps to find some on line doll communities, there are several, Prego is for any and all fashion dolls, primarily 16", Riley Hugs and Kishes for collectors of Helen Kish, Pink Box something or other for Barbie and one for Fashion Royalty that I cannot remember the name of, I'm not a member. Most of them are closed groups because things have happened over the years, not just trolls, they get shut down pretty quick, but id thefts. So now you have to write an administrator to get in, I'm not one. I mostly participate in FB groups for various dolls and dioramas and miniature groups. They're easy to find, just search FB for the type of doll you're interested in. When you're in some doll groups, it helps you not feel so alone. Because of meeting a couple of people in Prego several years ago, we had a very small group of friends in our city get together, many larger cities have active doll clubs. I have been friends with some of these people in real life for over 10 years and they are just the bestest people in the world!

If you have any hobby, collecting or otherwise, find people you can share it with. Your hobby is much more fun. I know there are model train enthusiasts, radio controlled airplane people, anything and everything, some cannot be mentioned in polite company. There was a doll group several years ago that was something about old men collecting school girl dolls, I can't quite remember the name, but they were just a group of men that collected dolls, nothing dirty about them. We had a Yahoo group for our small city group, and we had it closed from the beginning, got a request once from a couple that was searching for something much different than we had! We declined to let them in. We've closed that group and moved it to FB because it's much easier for all of us and we can stay in touch. Doll collectors come in all ages, shapes and sexes and sexual orientation, it's a pretty open society once you get to know them.

As for my doll bathroom, it actually came with a toddler doll that sang a silly little song about "teetee to the toity!" I gave the doll away to a child therapist I knew along with the grooming tools she had, hairbrush, toothbrush, etc. 

[Eliot]

On 1/10/2017 at 8:10 PM, janie jones said:

I always wondered if a vet would put a dog down if the owner didn't have a good reason for it. 

My last cat was diagnosed with diabetes when she was ten. The vet who diagnosed her helpfully suggested euthanasia because "giving a cat insulin twice a day will disrupt your lifestyle. What if you wanted to go to a cocktail party?"

Yeah, I fired his ass and my diabetic cat and my lifestyle co-existed happily for another five years.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Eliot

[bilgistic]

That vet should have his license revoked.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

2 hours ago, Eliot said:

My last cat was diagnosed with diabetes when she was ten. The vet who diagnosed her helpfully suggested euthanasia because "giving a cat insulin twice a day will disrupt your lifestyle. What if you wanted to go to an cocktail party?"

Yeah, I fired his ass and my diabetic cat and my lifestyle co-existed happily for another five years.

O.O

[Jamoche]

2 hours ago, Eliot said:

My last cat was diagnosed with diabetes when she was ten. The vet who diagnosed her helpfully suggested euthanasia because "giving a cat insulin twice a day will disrupt your lifestyle. What if you wanted to go to an cocktail party?"

Yeah, I fired his ass and my diabetic cat and my lifestyle co-existed happily for another five years.

Good lord. What does he tell dog owners who don't have yards? Gee, the dog needs to be walked 3-4 times a day, but what about the cocktail party? 

Actually, the dog was a great excuse when the parties turned out to be duds :)

[peacheslatour]

12 hours ago, bilgistic said:

That vet should have his license revoked.

I could tell you stories about one of the vets I used to work with that would curl your kneecaps.

[Bastet]

Having a diabetic cat for whom a high-protein/ultra low-carb diet is inadequate to maintain proper blood glucose levels and is thus insulin dependent is a lifestyle adjustment, yes.  You're tied to that 12-hour schedule, you need a friend or pet sitter who also learns how to test the blood and administer the insulin before you can go away, etc.  But, good grief, people do it all the time!  You get into a routine and happily carry on with life.  What a horrible thing for a vet to present a diabetes diagnosis as something warranting euthanasia! 

[bilgistic]

I've had the vets at Bilgisticat's vet office look at me like I have three heads when I say, "I've read this from Cornell about kitties with IBD (irritable bowel disease); what do you think?" I would like to switch vets, but B-cat is 15.5 and has a long history with that vet office. My future kitties will be going to a different practice (not kitties from the future--kitties I will have in the future).

Edited January 17, 2017 by bilgistic

[smittykins]

Plus I've heard that giving cat injections is much easier than pills.

[Brattinella]

2 hours ago, smittykins said:

Plus I've heard that giving cat injections is much easier than pills.

Yes, because you don't have to go anywhere near their teeth.  They feel the little sting and then it is over.

[mojoween]

Speaking of cats, in October of 2014 hubby and I were at a park and saw the most beautiful playful cat sleeping under a park bench.  He followed us around for a bit and I wanted to bring him home, but my husband was allergic and I even asked my mother but she had just gotten a dog.  Four days later hubs went fishing to the same park, and when he got home he said "come out to the truck."  Lo and behold, the cat was still at the park, hubs thought he looked thinner, and he collected him and brought him home.  I feel badly that I called him a girl until I took him to the vet for a checkup a few days later and she's like "yeah, he's a boy, but whoever had him before had him neutered."  Luckily we had already named him Mookie so a boy name fit.  And hubs found out he is allergic to outside pollen that cats bring inside with them, not actual cat dander.  I like to tell him that he was allergic to cats, until he found the right cat.  Because Mookie is a dream.  He is the most loving, affectionate, playful cat I have ever had, and from the ages of toddlerhood to teen, I had a lot of cats.  The vet couldn't pinpoint his age but said he was between 2-4, and with the way he acts, I'm thinking it's the low side and he is 4 now.  

This was a long meandering way to wonder about something I read online, about how to make your cat hate you, and one of the items was not changing the litter box for a week.  I am flabbergasted by this.  Now before Mookie I hadn't had a cat for twenty years, so litter was in a box that you had to dump the whole thing and refill all of the time and it was gross and messy, and now the clumping stuff is great, but are there really people who don't empty the clumps once or twice a day?  Why would you do that to a cat?  In his litter room we have a four gallon garbage can, I scoop the litter out of his box twice a day and empty the can once a week when the trash goes out.

I'll never understand people who have pets, and then don't care for them.  

For the record, I read this thread from start to finish and now I want a multi-grain bagel, I never ate cheesecake until a couple of years ago because I thought it was made from actual cheese (like cheddar or something, and I only eat mozzerella on pizza, no other cheese) and if you serve me a steak with any amount of pink in it I will leave and never come back.

Edited January 18, 2017 by mojoween

[chessiegal]

Ah, I've been told the best cats find you. I lost my last kitty before our current (home owner - hah!) cat  to colon cancer. Our current sweet lady, Jinglebelle, showed up on our back deck a few days before Christmas 3 years ago. Turns out she was declawed front and back, and being cowed by another cat chasing her away from the food I was leaving out for her. Nobody puts baby in the corner! She finally decided to move in. She is the sweetest thing - I can't believe someone dumped her in winter. I doubt she ran away because she has no interest in going outside (other than our screen porch where she is on critter duty in warmer months).

As for litter box, I make sure it's clean as soon as I've seen it's been used. I have a sitter come once a day to feed and clean the litter box when we travel.

[riley702]

I'm a complete sap for my kitties. I have an automatic ltter box (Litter Robot) and I change the bag in the drawer about every 4 days, which correlates nicely with the kitchen trash bag needing to go out, also.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

And now for something completely different:

2 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Actually, you don't have to get it completely fixed as long as the remainder is cosmetic, but it will affect your insurance coverage. The only LM ad that sort of makes sense to me is the guy who says that he didn't have the wrong coverage...he had the wrong insurance company. He may have a point if his old company employed agents incapable of dealing with clueless idiots who have to rely on them to figure out what they need to buy.

Both of these things are true. I was coming back from a spoken word event back in November, and I was on my Honda Metropolitan because the weather wasn't too cold. I was almost home, on a straightaway, and I spot a deer on the side of the road. In the grass. Where we were both safe. Hand to God, the damn thing timed the leap, and the bike and I parted company. Mostly cosmetic damage, though I did have to get the steering checked where I bought it to make sure that didn't need repairing. I use Nationwide for insurance, not Liberty Mutual, and they specified that I didn't have to get it completely fixed, just make sure it was street-worthy. My rate did go up, though, just a bit.

[bitchin camaro]

I got my dog when she was a baby - a friend found her abandoned and covered in fleas and brought her to me to see if I'd have any luck finding her a home. Yep - mine! She apparently was carrying parvo, so she got really, REALLY sick and my vets were total godsends. They gave her about a 50/50 shot of making it, and they kept her there on iv nutrition and fluids for 3 weeks to nurse her back to health. It was expensive, but they cut their fee by at least half and let me pay over time. And 8 years later, she's in perfect health and is an absolute joy to be around. And every time we go in for a checkup, they just love on her like she's their own dog. I am eternally grateful.

I have cats too, but they would eat me in my sleep if I tried to make them indoor cats. I'm in a neighborhood, but have a 2 acre lot full of woods they can play in. They're well taken care of, but I think we'd all hate each other if we had to do the litter box thing. 

[Eliot]

On 1/17/2017 at 10:41 AM, Brattinella said:

Yes, because you don't have to go anywhere near their teeth.  They feel the little sting and then it is over.

So much easier. They don't feel it at all - just grab the folds at the scruff of the neck and jab in the needle. I used to give the injection while my cat ate, and she could not even be bothered noticing I was there.

She was a good kitty and I'm glad I didn't listen to that awful vet. Not that I would have. But still.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Eliot

[ennui]

Here, for all you cat people ... 

[janie jones]

9 hours ago, friendperidot said:

janie jones, I am old, was a teenager in prehistory days of the 1960s, I wanted to shave my legs, god only knows why, the hair on my legs is darn near invisible and the only way it shows up is when I wear hose and like I said, I'm old and I don't give a darn any more. But I was told no, and decided to try anyway. Used my dad's razor (I know, I know, it was the early 60s) I was probably around 14. Took about a 3 inch path of the top layer of skin off my shin. Since I was old enough to have friends with daughters that might start thinking about shaving, I have told that story in front of mother and daughter as a lesson to be learned and suggested the daughters get permission and instruction before trying.

I still fail to understand how instruction would resolve this, or even what the instruction to prevent this happening would be.  I've known other people who've done this same thing after years of shaving their legs, so it doesn't strike me as something that is a result of inexperience.  

I feel like if you're going to give yourself a huge gash or scrape shaving, there really isn't anything anyone else can do about it, and it's typically going to be an accident rather than a lack of instruction. 

Shaving doesn't require anything more than common sense, it seems to me.

I hope I don't sound argumentative; I really am trying to comprehend.