pie cake and procrastination

I love pie. Not much of a sweets person, pie speaks to my need for crust, with a hint of sweetie filling. Cherries are rarer than hen's teeth these days, and sour cherries even more. I happened to find a slew of frozen sour cherries at a frozen food store in my mom's small town. Hence a pie. The last one was a disaster as I followed every recipe that said NOT to thaw or drain the cherries. Jerks. The pie turned out a sloppy pinkish mess. I drained them this time, and from the start it just looked more...um...piey. Made the cake for easter dinner. Ina Garten's Beatty's chocolate cake. It seemed very watery when put in the oven, but baked up perfectly. I made 1 1/5 times the icing, and it makes for a much better thickly iced cake. yum. Last on the first weekend-off-in-two-months agenda is taclking the attic yarn and fabric room. It stores everything we are slowly parting with, old desks, tables and the ugliest brown carpet on the planet. The ultimate plan is to reduce the junk by half, rip up the carpets, fake a plank look using a router, then paint to look like an old painted attic floor. Been putting this off for a year. Time for a trip to the dump. And Annie. She is perfect, and I adore her.

As I undertake renovating this old house, I am blown away by the BAD work done on it in the 70's. The previous owners had a Chinese food restaurant, and used the carpet from the restaurant to carpet every possible surface in the house, including the stairs. The bathroom had three layers of tile , no baseboards anywhere in any room actually match, even along the same wall. One by one, things are being torn out and simply replaced to try and bring her back to her period. First the bathroom..... and the after The plumbing was a nightmare, but lordy, I think I could retrofit anything just with the parts I had leftover. Next, the stairs.

49

Not 48.

Today is my birthday. I am 49. I thought I was only 48. Really, was totally convinced I was 48.

My mom made me do the math.

I did however get a first-robin-of-the-spring siting, having had one every year since I can remember.

Apparently all 49 of them.

ten days out

Leonard is ten days out from his surgery. His haunch hair is growing back s l o w l y , and he has started laying in the windows and sleeping on the bed again.

It's nice to have him back .

tortoise, hares and new software

Started another pair of mittens ( big shock) I bought Jamieson and Smith Shetland DK from Camilla Valley Farms, to make Kate Davies Tortoise and Hare gauntlets. I will make them mittens, and bulkier with a nice laceweight liner.

I love kate's patterns, they look good no matter the colors you choose, and her critters are just so huggable.

Leonards Femoral Head osteotomy -day one

Leonard came home today . He walked in, ate some food, had a pee, and laid down in his usual spot. He is still a little shaky, and limps . He soon figured out that hopping into the litter box worked well.
He is a little sleepier than usual, but when I picked up his wire toy to hide it away, he swatted at it, and was ready for some play.
We had to have a talk about the wonder of his fentanyl patch so he stopped trying to chew it off. Rather he chew that than his stitches, about which he is totally disinterested.
I prefer animals to most people, and think if you adopt a pet, no matter the type, you make a promise to love them, protect them, know when to do everything and know when enough is enough.
I work with a woman who told me she would rather pay for music lessons for her children than pay a vet bill, so if her cats get sick, she has them put to sleep. I asked what lesson she was teaching her children if she thought animals were disposable. I wonder if she will be surprised when she is left in a nursing home when she becomes too expensive to care for at home.
I actually wanted to put HER to sleep, but I know I would get caught.

Kingston Road Animal Hospital, Dr.John Mitelman and his team provided me with confidence, information, and kindness as I decided to do the right thing and go for the surgery. Rather than feel pressured, I felt supported. They pretended not to be grossed out when I kissed Leonard's head and paws.
I hope I can apply that to MY practice with families.
Here is my Len, day two after surgery.

Leonard's femoral head ostetomy

Leonard fell off of a footstool while avoiding being brushed. He yowled and started dragging his right hind leg behind him. I tried to see what he had done and he growled. I KNEW something was wrong.

Leonard is a pansy.

I took him to the emergency vet, and it turned out he had fractured the femoral head.

He needed a femoral head osteotomy. After reading a little bit, I listened to the vet, and did what he recommended. I work in healthcare and am good at what I do . I have to trust that Vets are too.

He had his surgery today , and did well. He has a shaved hindquarter, a fentanyl patch, and was pretty gorked when I saw him after work.

When I adopted him I promised him I would take care of him. I had to put his surgery on credit. But would pay anything to spend ten more minutes with my cats who have died.

Life is a bargain.

I saw him tonight, kissed his head, kissed his paws and thanked him for doing his best.

He comes home tomorrow.

I will take photos, and hope that someone who is facing this gets as much comfort from Leonard's experience as I did from others.