traveling tales from the exotic dinda

 I keep misspelling that word with the capital E so I guess maybe that means something?  I'll let it stand as a reminder.  Probably just means I need to be a better typist.

It's been a very long time since I've journaled regularly.  Losing Gavin meant I didn't want to remember any days that happened after his loss.  But I made a promise to my accountability coach that I would reboot the journaling thing and see where it leads.

So this is the reboot of Dinda 3.0? 4.? 5? or 6th iteration.  I've lost count.  but for lots of reasons, today is the first day of the rest of my life.

Happy post-solar-eclipse day to all who celebrate!  The energy has shifted.  Light has returned.

 
Been too long!  Just testing.

Invisalign makes you eat less b/c you have to take these things out every time so sometimes you're just too lazy and go drink a glass of water instead.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk!

Dinda

 Had to put my beloved Sara cat to sleep yesterday.  One of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  She was my beloved companion for 18 years, as a matter of fact she just turned 18 on this past Wednesday.  That was when I noticed she wasn't keeping her food down.  Of course, like all cats, there were often bouts of vomiting and hairball goodness but this seemed different.  Then Thursday I went off for meetings and when I came home she was curled up in the same spot as earlier that day.  She could hardly move.

I gathered her up in a towel and slept next to her on the sofa all night long; a long, sleepless night.  I watched her ragged breathing, then slow and steady.  I didn't think she was going to make it through the night but she did.  So I called the Vet as soon as they opened for an appointment.  They asked if I wanted to have her examined first but I knew her time was well past.  She was skin and bones, had been eating and drinking okay until the last few days and didn't appear to be in any obvious pain.  The past week she was even more clingy and I remember getting mad one time b/c she would not take no for an answer and kept trying to crawl on my lap while I tried to work.  She was often clingy when not feeling well and I should have known she was not feeling well.

She was a "one person cat" as the Vet described her.  He said some cats just bond with only person and no one else will do.  I told them she was the sweetest, most loving thing at home but only if we were alone.  When visitors were around she sat on my lap and hissed at anyone who tried to get near me.  I did try to socialize her but she would have none of it.  Even when I lived with my Mom or Sister, Sara refused to let anyone near her but me.

She moved with me at least 5 times.  She was, literally, the only reason I even bought a house in the first place. She was the best companion ever and I will miss her greatly.

Rest in peace, sweet Sara Bear.

So much to catch up on.  Right now I'm on a roll with cleaning and decluttering so I'm not gonna stop for long.  I would complain about the cold but the house is warm and it's the perfect weather to get this cleaning done!  

2017 sucked.  There is no other way to say it.  So many lost family members and friends.  But 2018 will be joyful.  Never let anyone steal your joy.

okay, next step complete, still trying to get LJ imported over here though.

So the big cat walks across my keyboard and this message pops up.  I have no idea what she hit to make it happen.  Or even what this feature is.  

for yankees. Surely there's a punchline waiting to be written there but Hurricanes are pretty serious things so I hope everyone takes them serious and gets prepared. it's probably too late for the big supply shopping runs but there are lots of things you can and still need to do to prep for potential power outages and loss of communications. The Weather channel is your best friend and if you see Jim Cantore hanging out near you - RUN! He always manages to be in the worst places that get hit the hardest.

Some things you may not think about but can help are:

Filling up a bunch of zip-loc bags with water and letting them freeze - if the power goes out, this will help preserve your icebox contents and give you some extra water. you do know how to flush a toilet without city water, right?

Write down the names and phone numbers of an out of the area contact for all family members to call and check in. Local services, including cell towers are usually overloaded but you might be able to reach someone away from the area. Text messages are usually easier to get through than calls so set folks up on text services now.

"Hunker down" - if you want to practice for a hurricane just go cut the power and gas now to your house, shut off the city water supply and see how long you last. IF you know you're going to have damage - call your insurance agent now as they can PRE-file a claim and get things moving faster than after the storm.

Oh and get used to people around you acting like idiots - people do some strange things. and buy alcohol and/or beer now - local authorities stopped all alcohol sales after the storm and you'd think that was the worst thing ever!

Good luck up North peoples!