Saturday, August 3, 2019

The migraine that will not die

Well, that wasn't at all suspicious.  I heard "clawing up the gym mats" noises in the garage. 

As you may know, I spent $20, a few months ago, on some interlocking foam gym tiles.  I lay on them for my get-ups and stretching.  My cats (Biscuit in particular) did a pretty good number on them (enough I left it in my review) before Mama showed up. 

So of course I was curious to see what was going on.  I went out in the garage and turned on the light.  Mama, Spot, and Torbie were all sitting around my gym mats looking innocent.  But, while I was up, maybe I could give them some treats?  Spot in particular begs so cutely.   I gave them treats, it was good to see Spot munching right next to Torbie. 

Anyway, I woke up with a vicious headache.  2 doses of kratom did not help it.  I drank lots of very cold caffeine drinks.  That did not help.  I went back to bed after a few hours (having already fulfilled my primary functions of cat and Ron care). 

I noticed something interesting before I laid down.  You have to understand one thing about the father/husband in #6, he does manual labor but he won't even have his kids put up the garbage can.  They are too good for any chores or learning to do manual labor. 

I did plenty of chores growing up, it didn't kill me. 

Anyway, he sees himself as super macho man (which I think is actually a supplement).  He does all his own work if he can because he is in construction.  He manages all his own remodels, hiring illegals to do the grunt work.  I know they are illegals because they only speak spanish and laze around the minute he leaves the property, leaning against the side of my house as they sit down and gossip lazily.  He comes back they all jump to work again. 

So #6 has a bad case of man poisoning, "I can do it myself".  It bit him badly during his big remodel in 2012.  He couldn't get some of the windows into the side of the house, just a huge hole in the side of the house and a lot of arguing even I could understand... they had to get a crew of white guys out to fix it. 

He had to get a new A/C unit a few years back, because he had added the huge playroom (over 1000 square feet) and converted the garage to two bedrooms.  He decided to install it himself "save some money and show the world what a real man he was".  Normally I think it takes a few hours.  He had the illegals back to "help".  And it took a week.  Toward the end of it he was yelling with such frustration even I could understand.  But he wanted to do it himself. 

They are air conditioning fiends, I used to call them "the space aliens" because they always run the air, even when it is like 65 out, you can hear the compressor humming.   The wife/mother has conveyed her horror that I walk around in midsummer temperatures, on more than one occasion.  "It's too hot, it's too far".  No it isn't.  Maybe for you but I have things to do. 

It must be broken (already!) because he had a professional A/C repair team in a company work truck out to fix it.  No more do it yourself.   I thought that was funny, in mid summer you are not doing it yourself, you have to live with your wife and 6 kids who are spoiled on air conditioning - you are going to ante up whatever it takes to have a pro come out and fix it. 

Torbie laid down with me, she is very dependable.  I slept horribly.  Some times I wonder about the youngest girl next door, she does a lot of these piercing, non-verbal screams.  Sometimes in play but the majority when it is otherwise quiet.  Yet I have heard her talking plenty so I don't think she is autistic.  It is just SUPER annoying when I have a migraine.  I can understand a not-quite verbal toddler screaming like that but she is 5 and speaks 2 languages. 

They really don't understand just how close the houses are, together. 

At any rate after the screaming next door (probably saw Cleo) I got up.  I wasn't sleeping anyway.  I took some Excedrin.  I almost vomited but managed to keep it down, and it took a good chunk off the pain and rendered me fairly functional. 

Spotty did his adorable begging once he found me up.  I am glad he is seeing me as a reliable food source.  It takes a big load off his mother (who is dry, anyway).  I fed him and his mother, who showed up.  He went over to her bowl.  He hasn't quite grasped he has his own bowl.  He is social enough that I was able to put my hand under him (he was purring) and move him over to his own bowl.  He was quite happy to have it all to himself. 

Earlier I had asked my Facebook friends if they knew of a cheap, modest, housecoat I could wear outside when I am tending Cleo.  One of my friends came through with a plus sized one for $13.  I got it in purple.  I was hoping for less than $20.  My bathrobe is not 100% modest and I don't want to get arrested!

I went to get a cold soda from the fridge and heard "ripping up the exercise mats in the garage" noises.  I went out there and found Torbie, Mama cat, and Spot all standing around the mats.  I don't know who, or if all of them, were tearing it up but I thought it was funny.  They didn't even act guilty. 

Spotty and Mama said "Hey, Heather, can you feed us again since you're up?"  I gave them treats.  Torbie showed up, I gave her treats right next to Spot and they got along famously.  Mama cat did not want treats.  It is rare she is not hungry, eating for 6 and all.   Biscuit showed up, acting pitiful.  I gave him his specialty treats.  He did not finish them all but Spotty did.  I am glad Doc told me it is OK.  Spotty loves all things urinary formula. 

I do plan to wait on his neuter until he is 9 months.  I had Biscuit done at 5 months and he never really developed a mature penis as a result, it is smaller and more prone to blockage.  Doc said this can happen if you do them too early.  So I will let Spotty go until he is around 9 months and then do him.   I will do him sooner if he begins to spray or become aggressive, but I can't see that.  Spotty is a lover, not a fighter, and reminds me a lot of both Biscuit and Bubba.  I think he will be a big boy like both of them.  He has gorgeous orange mackerel tabby markings on a white base, very good looking as you've seen. 

Of course that means, assuming I get Cleo in the house, I will have four, partly white, cats.  And I wear a lot of black!   The other two are brown tabby and that shows up on everything. 

Going to get another soda. 

A little confusion about our ride tomorrow hopefully resolved.  We will see. 

My head is feeling better so hopefully that is done. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why not cover the mats with a sheet when not in use to keep the cats from ruining them. Though it sounds like it is too late for that.

Heather Knits said...

Oh, I bitch and moan but I don't mind. Besides, they are a lighter purple than I wanted. Not bad enough to return, but not loving them either. There are some scratch marks evident but they still cushion me just fine.