Categories
Miscellaneous

Diva

I think my cat is dying. My dear Diva pet of 12 years seems to be deteriorating. I picked her up at the humane society and as she was almost 4 years old, her days were numbered. People do not want an older CAT. They want a young, bouncy KITTEN.

Not so much for me. I wanted a pet and as cats are less maintenance than dogs (although I love both) when I am away, Miss Diva Devine would be going to board at a very fine cattery. Plus I did not want a cute, energetic and very hyper kitten to be destroying everything in my house when I am home. My house is not exactly pet or kid frie

When I went into her room at the humane society and saw my Diva she completely ignored and I thought… “That, is my cat.”

Gourmet food, Cattery Spa boarding and Swarovski collars later, my friends told me not only did she hit the jackpot when I adopted her but could I also adopt them??

She is my confidante. I tell her everything. Blank stares as I describe work, friends, travel, food, stresses and frustrations. She is a good listener. Then I have a few too many single malts and play air guitar with her to Boston or Journey.

The past few weeks I have noticed differences….she stands in the middle of the floor staring at…nothing. She normally has a good 20 hour nap throughout the day with loud snoring but when I check on her, she is staring into space, eyes open into nothingness.

Is it time? Is it her time? She does not cry or limp and still eats albeit not as much. She seems to not want to use her box and in the process has left me a few hard nuggets on the floor…I carry her to her box and she might use it, otherwise she races up the stairs, not ready. She is not crippled which makes me think ever so slightly it might be another cat strategy to get me to carry her downstairs rather than having to do it herself.

Hmmmm…she is a cat. It is possible. You know the adage…”Dogs have Masters and Cats have Staff.”

On the farm it would never get this far. She will not suffer I assure her and myself of that. No matter what it is it still makes me sad. She is not the same Diva I adopted all those years ago. And in cat years she is close to 80 therefore not like she is is a kitten stripped of all the adventures she has had – roaming outside in the country, chasing birds, mice and rabbits and defending her territory in the spring and fall when the occasional tiny rodent finds its way into the house…they are obliterated in due course; after adequate, torturous, play time of course.

The coming days will tell the story. Stay tuned for Diva news.

Categories
Food

The times they are a changin

Will not attempt to sing what Bob did but yes indeed it is a fitting start. COVID-19 continues to ravage the globe; some areas hit harder than others; some experts claim it is reporting methodology that results in misleading information; some say it is a hoax to upset the global economy fixed by the superpowers…well whatever it is it is real and it is causing a lot of turmoil, grief and damage around the world.

Like millions of others I have been doing a lot of online shopping. More than what I usually do, which can sometimes get a little carried away. However…due to certain people who eat up the fear factor aspect and have been hoarding, among hand sanitizers and cleaning supplies (which I can see some sense to – disinfecting and cleaning is good….) – toilet paper. There is still a decent supply of food in the stores, one just has to wait a little longer to get it due to the social distancing rules. No big. But there is no toilet paper, no paper towels, no napkins, no tissues. What may I ask are these hoarders planning? Some are purely in it for profit and place it online for about 10 times the price. I think the major online companies shut that down pretty fast. Selling it on the side out of their back door, in parking lots or back alleys? Really? Wow. No shame at all.

One of my online shopping items was something I never ever ever thought I would be adding to my cart….yes to the above…toilet paper. I had a package left and was doing alright but was getting to the point of needing some. Actually needing some. So I had a search through Amazon and lo and behold…..scads of it. The really cheap stuff I was a little wary of and read the reviews they were not what they claimed to be but the big brands (kittens and bears) pricing pretty similar to what I would pay in the supermarket although out of stock for about a month. I can wait. I caved. Two packages of fluffy soft TP added to my cart. I felt a little guilty ordering TWO. But I did not order TWENTY. I recently received them. They are legit. The real thing not a hoax. I am happy. Content. I feel safe. I have my TP. Enough for a while. Hopefully to take me through the transition as we start to head back to normality although things will never be quite the same again. The new normal.

I am more concerned about eating. I did buy a little more flour than I need at the moment but I also bake bread on a regular basis so I thought it was an ok thing to throw that 10kg bag of flour in my cart. I have never been much for canned goods but I did buy a few cans of beans and tomatoes but I will make the other stuff. If anything this whole situation has made me look deeper into my cupboards and use what I have. That is a good thing.

I would like to give most people the benefit of the doubt in terms of being kind, courteous and having a shred of common sense. As we grow ever daily in our global population it seems all the above shrink away at the same rate. Is it so difficult to be kind to others? Help someone out who needs it or asks? And to all you hoarding, rude arseholes – you will get your due reward….in the meantime I hope you plug your toilet.

Tata, stay safe…