Two books, alike in... something.

The first book I officially proofread was a long time ago now. :)

And it was this book. In late 2007, Brothers in Arms was the only Vorkosigan novel I hadn't read. I got a copy of the original novel from PaperbackBookSwap, and set to proofreading.

I had a blast.

The first hardcover edition of Brothers in Arms was published in August 2008 in time for the Worldcon, Denvention 3, where Lois was the GoH.

Cat update -- or, Sweetpea's day RUINED forever.

I let in both cats -- as Sweetie hadn't come in earlier, and this was about to be Jack's third breakfast -- and prepared. They were eating, and I'd spooked Sweetpea by bringing "kitten crunchies" aka the kitten food they both like as snackage.

( Lately I've been adding "crunchies" to their first breakfast as a greeting, to rejoice that they made it to their First Meal, and Sweetpea especially considers this a new and excellent greeting/habit.

( It began about a week ago, so it's a habit for life now. :p )

MORE hypo-medical stupid...!

Briefly, if possible, but perhaps that's unhelpful... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've been arguing for some time that my doctors should listen to me on meds*. When it comes to mania and near mania and hypomania and near hypomania -- they don't. In recent years, I've gotten wayyyy too close to all four of those latter stages. Multiple times.

Now, I am starting to enter menopause. That could be the other problem.

Thing is, I just don't know. 

This year, I began having really erratic menses, like nothing I'd have before, and/or normal menses mixed in with crazy throwbacks... as in, blood levels from over a decade ago, or even my first decade of periods!

=-=

July 2018 to now.

It's been nearly a year since I posted last. With four posts last year, and this the first posted in 2019--

The short version of the past year is this: Tiny Cat chose to live inside with us; six months later, he vanished; his family nearly all vanished; I've been struggling with depression for many months...

I did get a new shrink. So that worked out. :) Except for the other problem, which is that I appear to be speeding BACK into effin' hypomania. Again. Not my current doctor's fault, he is very good at working with me, unlike the previous few doctors.

More on my health later...


Looking back, I posted about the cats and our cat colony, so I'm glad I documented it at least. :/ Having one beloved cat disappear, and then not just one more cat, but four more--! It takes a toll on you.

Gatito was just a couple days away from his first birthday, dammit!

I tried not to get close to his cousins -- Shadow had her second litter two years after her first -- but I failed.

I loved Cali, little scamp that she was.  She somehow projected an aura of "small human girl in a pinafore" as she rocketed around.  You could feel her determination as she did whatever she wanted, all the time, and focused intensely on those things. Beautiful little bratling, Cali was. Dammit...

From kittens to kitten.

FYI: Like Tiny Cat, these are feral kittens.

Last week Nixie went missing, on 25-July-18. After breakfast. This seems to be the time the kittens vanish, sometime after the kibble comes back out.

Can't leave the kibble out overnight, since local coons -- anywhere from 3-7 a night! -- come by, along with a couple skunks, and maybe a possum.

Nix is a dilute calico male. A timid cat. He and Jack had just started purring together at us...

Then Sunday (29-July) Cali went missing. She's a female calico. After I fed her and her brother Jack breakfast.

Status of kittens: variable.

Shadow brought back the kittens after that first road trip.

 [ETA: Nearly that entire link is about Smoky's loss, beware! :( "Smoky's grandmother brought us new feral kittens the following week, 18-April. They're gone now -- probably she decided to abandon them/lead them off to new territory."] 

Mother and kittens went away 2-4 more times since then for the day... then returned.

Twice this week they've all gone missing. Granted, it's idiot season -- where half the neighborhood blows up firecrackers day and night, a horrible experience for cats and dogs alike. Let alone lawn mowers.


Friday all the kittens came back late. I fed them wet food, knowing they'd be starving and thirsty.

Last night we got Nixie, hoarsely mewing, and Jack, at 11pm -- same time as Friday. But not their sister Cali.

Sunday I'd seen Nix at 9am, who then fled, but not his sibs. Back towards the far corner of yard. Shadow must've taught her feral kittens to climb fences... or to try to. Whenever the kittens vanish, I tell Shadow "bring back the kittens" and she realized that means I'll feed them wet food when they're home.

Last night, oddly, Shadow didn't want any wet food. The boys and her adult daughter Vee happily ate it.

Spring update...

Tiny Cat went missing 13-April-18. Three days before his birthday.

I have a couple blog posts started about Gatito, our Smoky, who was almost a year old.  Short version, we're positive he was rescued by someone who figured he was a cute polite young cat, and that's why there's been no sign of him. He'd always come home before. * 

I hope that person has other cats for him to play with, and takes good care of my baby. I miss him terribly -- we all do.

A horrible and vicious tomcat had been attacking Smoky, and Vee, and pretty much every cat here who wasn't Shadow. The only cat who the Orange Monster could mate with; I call him that rather than constantly cuss, okay?