Hanging In, with the Sidecat

I'm still here. I'm still a bit grumpy. I'm waiting for the patches to kick in those hormones that the gel seems not to have been doing (I had a damned hot flash on Saturday, didn't miss those at all). The elevator still isn't fixed.

But! In these difficult times, there is always: CAT, in a dozen ways.

1. Still loves his box from Walmart.

2. Also likes to sleep under a chair on the lanai, because that looks comfortable.

3. Hanging out where I put down a bowl of chicken (for ME) for 30 seconds, five minutes earlier.

4. Back in the box, but wait! New development!

5. Tail hanging out the back like a rudder!

6. Chin scritches.

7. Last Friday, he discovered the foot space under my desk and declared it cat space.

8. He went into the corner to wash his face after eating.

9. Chin rest.

10. Hanging out.

11. Back in that corner.

12. Back under the desk.

The Grumps

I'm grumpy. About many things. (And I'm not even talking about the state of the country/planet.) Shall we talk about what and why?

There are multiple possible causes/contributing factors

1. the elevator/stairs (yes, it's been broken for 10 weeks now; no, no update on the repair timeline since May, when they said it should be done before the end of July)
2. hormones
3. allergies
4. aging
5. unknown/combination
   
   

Q. Rage, over totally minor things like the computer being slow, or catching my pocket on a door handle as I walk by it. (Related is the way, way lower tolerance for physical irritants like a hair tickling my face, or the way the itchy spot on my back is flaring up madly.)

A. Hormones. Before I went on hormone therapy, one of the symptoms I noticed was mood swings, and specifically irrational rage. Well, due to supply chain problems with the patches, I went on the gel formulation for a few months, and guess what's back! Grrr. I was able to get the patches again, so starting this week I'm back on that, and hoping it's going to help. Soon. Really soon. Please.

Q. Achy joints (hips, shoulders, neck, lower back [which is not exactly a joint, but it's definitely achy]).

A. Most likely hormones, but possibly also impacted by stairs. I feel like it's been worse the last few weeks, though, which indicates hormones are more likely the cause. My knees absolutely hate the stairs, but they aren't really aching on level ground the way the rest is.

Q. Itchy/watery eyes, runny nose, clearing throat a lot, itchy scalp.

A. Allergies! On July 3, something here either started blooming or hit its peak, because my eyes went crazy, and the rest has been bothering me more and more.

Q. Frequent urination.

A. ???? I swear, tomorrow I'm going to count how often I go, because it feels like 100 times a day.

There are probably more things, but those are the main ones that are making me grumpy AF today. Is anything making you grumpy? Feel free to vent, no need to downplay anything here today. All grumps are valid.

Box Love Continues

Oh, y'all. This cat loves this box with such a passion that I feel guilty for not having given it to him sooner.

To answer some questions:

• I think I got it at Walmart; I'm going to look next time I'm in one and see if they still carry it.
• It came with three scratcher pads in it, so it could start off as more of a scratcher experience and less of a box, if you see what I mean, or you could take out the extra ones to start off with the box-ness.
• I do turn over and eventually replace scratcher pads when they shed enough cardboard bits that they bug me. :)
• I don't have a rotation for cat toys/scratchers/boxes etc., but Newman seems to have his own. He goes through phases where he is all over a thing and then has zero interest in it for weeks. He is a character.

And so cute! And so happy in his box.

Someone on facebook called the paw sticking out his rudder, and it makes sense to me. How else would you steer?

Box Day

No, not Boxing Day: box day. As in, Newman has a new box. 

He has these scratchers, which he sometimes naps on.

But today I pulled out a similar one I had forgotten about, and he's a fan.

He likes it!