By Sweetie, intrepid defender of family and instigator of mischief

Good morning, friends. 

There isn't much drop in temperature today but when Grammy went out to water the plants it felt a little fresher.  The humidity is supposed to drop this evening.  We can hope.  Then I can sit at the balcony screen and listen to the leaves fluttering.

So, this past month has been busy.  We were off to the vet this month for our annual checkups... Mousie and I.  I got a clean bill of health, though I did lose a pound and was full of poopies.  Mousie on the other-hand, has been diagnosed with Glaucoma in her left eye.  So far the right eye's pressures are normal but on the edge of high so she'll have to be watched monthly for a while.    The good thing is that Rondo can go every other month along with them for his claw trim.    Lucky Grammy.  Monthly trips to the vet.  *giggles*   As long as I don't have to go.

So, now the daily routine includes an eye drop in Mousie's eye morning and evening along with our 4 meals a day.  Play time, snuggle time, and lots of slumber time.

And on to Grammy news... She's managed a year without injuries and her autoimmune issues are slightly improved.  While she is still immune suppressed now the doctor is allowing her to do her own grocery shopping again.  Yahoo!  She's giving it a go tomorrow.  She has to be very careful, keep sanitizing her paws, double masking and stay away from others.  Wohoo, a little freedom! 

And you know what that means for us?  Yes, Grammy out of the house and four kitties with freedom too.  Freedom to get into mischief!  Freedom to nap wherever we wish, on whatever we wish.  AND full access to the refrigerator.  The boys are over-the-moon ecstatic.    Little do they know - the reason Grammy is grocery shopping tomorrow is.... the fridge is almost empty.  Don't tell Etude & Rondo.  I want to watch the look on their faces when they open the door.  *giggles*

Well, that's all for this week.  Have a great one.  Stay healthy.  Stay cool if it's too hot where you live and warm if it's cold.    Love you dear readers/friends.

by Etude, aka Velcro, the cuddlebug

Good morning, everyone.  Well, here we are at another Monday and what is there to talk about other than a visit to our favourite Dr. Whitecoat?  Well, not much but you must hear this...

Grammy decided since we are reaching 10 years of age it was time to do a Senior blood panel.   We are at the top end of Mature.  The nerve!  Senior.  We are still young whippersnappers, not old fogeys like Grammy.   Dr. Whitecoat agreed and we had no say in the matter.  Again I say, the nerve!

Rondo was taken first to trim his claws.  The techies did what they could but just as Grammy feared a couple of his claws had pierced his toe-pads.  Those had to be left for the doctor to take care of and she did a great job.   Just to be sure an antibiotic injection was given to ensure no infection takes hold.   Grammy was advised to trim him or bring him back within 3 to 4 months.    Little does she realize what a terror he is with Grammy.   She stands a chance of losing her arm, fingers or nose.  But with the 'cat whisperer' the little brat just sits quietly and allows her to do her thing.

In addition, Mr Long-legs lost a pound.  One whole pound and now sits at 14 lbs.  According to the vettie 13 lbs is an ideal weight for boys of our build.  I beg to differ but then, who listens to me!  Certainly not Grammy, nor the vettie.

Now to me and my issues.  Grammy advised that I had an inflamed gum around the upper back tooth on the left.  Turns out the upper back right tooth is in the same condition.  With a special tool Dr. Whitecoat popped off the calcification around the two teeth, staunched the blood and said all the other teeth were in great shape.  Of course they are. 

As to the chewing my fur off the belly and legs... They are growing in again and Dr. Whitecoat thinks it was because my teeth and gums were sore combined with the Grammy issue last August.   So, Grammy has meds for when I am anxious.  Otherwise, I'm perfect!  As if I didn't know that already.

Oh, and guess what!!!   I was a good boy this year.  I've lost two pounds bringing me down to 16 lbs from November 2019... so in 16 months.  Not bad.   But is Dr Whitecoat happy?  Yes and no.  Happy I'm down some but another three to go. Sheesh!!!  How is this fair when Mousie is allowed all the food she can eat and Sweetie gets Turkey or Chicken and Giblets in Gravy while we are on a diet menu?

So, back to the blood panel.  We got great results in all areas.  Liver, heart, kidneys and all other organs are in 100% condition. See, I told you I was perfect! Yes, yes, Rondo is too, I guess.  Grammy said she was sure the old bladder and bowels were too!  She said the proof was in the pudding!  Or was that the litter box?   

Pudding!  Yum!!!  Oh, Grammyyyyy!  We boys are hungry!  Rondo wants yoghurt and I'll have a nice big bowl of Sweetie's Turkey and Giblets in Gravy, please.

by Mousie, birthday girl and Grammy's little cutiepie.

Good morning, Friends.
​   
This KITTEN just celebrated her 9th birthday and right up front I'd like to thank all my friends for the greetings, pressies and delightful comments and wishes for me.  You all made my day glorious.  Thank you.  

This all came a day after we got good news about my mummy, Whiskers.  As you know, we've all been worried about her.  She had lost some weight, her coat was kind of rough and she was tossing her food a lot.  Blood work showed her potassium high, sodium low and B12 in the proverbial litterbox.   Well, we don't have a definitive answer to what is wrong but it is thought that she may have an inflamed stomach and bowel.  We hope that's all... as it can be managed with diet and vitamins.  

A course of fluids, B12 shot and some meds to settle the tummy and a new food seemed to settle her down and she was allowed to come home the next day.  Close monitoring, weekly B12 shots, daily tummy meds and her new food seem to be working.  

Her follow-up this past Friday was good...  she gained back most of what she'd lost, is not throwing up, gets tummy meds every other morning until the bottle is finished and gets one more B12 shot with close monitoring over the next 5 weeks until her next checkup.

Despite all this she is still a wily old girl... and gives Grammy a run for her money as they say.   Anticipating the morning syringe she hovers where she has multiple escape routes and hiding places.  On the morning Grammy only feed her she settles quickly to eat... and has a hearty appetite.  The in-between days she scoots, slinks and scampers around the condo to avoid the inevitable meds.  By the time Grammy wins the contest, and she always does, eventually... both are exhausted.  It's a good thing that giving her breakfast has to wait an hour.  Grammy collapses into her chair, Whiskers into her tent and both take a much needed nap.   

Sweetie and I await our breakfast until we can all enjoy it together...with mummy. The boys, on the other hand, DO NOT WAIT.  Those pork chops, especially RONDO howl and wail and moan until Grammy puts out their breakfasts.  I swear they don't even taste their food as they inhale it.  They so lack the finer graces of Sweetie, mummy and me... well, maybe Sweetie and me.  Mummy eats voraciously too. *giggles*

So, what does all this have to do with Knitting?  Well, with everything that's been going on - Grammy's injuries and healing, Sweetie's teeth and mummy Whiskers' upset - Grammy has been home more than usual and yet, hasn't been knitting as much as she was.  The old dear only managed to read on-line books as a distraction for most of the time but finally picked up one of her projects and actually finished knitting it.  Wow!  We are impressed.  She now has a nice blue sweater for autumn. She's working on another - a white V-neck pullover - but needs two measurements before she can complete it... and awaits those from the person for whom it is being made.   

Dare we tell you how many other projects are started and not completed?   Here goes... another sweater, a shrug, a scarf, a shawl, and a pair of socks...oh and a remake of a pair of slippers.   ALL items starting with the letter S... What's with that?  This isn't so bad.  REALLY! Actually, the list is getting smaller as she works her way through them...  What motivates her?  The long list of things she still wants to make and won't start until these in-process items are completed.

Well, friends.  That's all for this week... slim pickins, I'm afraid but we'll post Grammy's sweater below... it awaits buttons, but the right ones which Grammy hasn't found yet.  The search goes on... for them.

Comments are welcomed. Especially if funny, sweet or cute like me.​

by Mousie, cutest little blogger in history *giggles*

Good morning, dear friends.  
Today we are all discombobulated.  Oh, it is a planned upheaval but it is upheaval nevertheless.  As you know life has had its ups and downs chez Mischief and Mayhem Central for a while now.   Well, today is no different.   

Grammy's day now starts an hour earlier to ensure Whiskers has her morning medication an hour before she eats.  This could be given an hour before her evening meal but Grammy's evenings are not usually stable.  She's in, she's out, she's home early or late.  AND she's usually less focused by dinner time... a necessity when trying to control a cantankerous kitty and administer meds by mouth.  At least, the mornings are somewhat more routine and Grammy is fresh... or sort of.

On top of that we are still in flux about Whiskers' health issues... but we are staying positive and hopeful that it is nothing serious.

So, that having been said, why are we discombobulated?  You may not have heard but our ceiling exhaust for laundry and lave died.   Yes, its little heart gave out and it's noisy chatter has gone mute. Sadly!  

Well, maybe not so sadly.  He was, as I said, noisy... like about a gazillion decibels.   BUT the sadly part is, we need a new one and he was very old.  It isn't a simple, pop out one, pop in another.  Oh no!  Unfortunately, the piping is different and other stuff has to be dealt with before our new exhaust fan can be installed.  This entails removing part of the ceiling.  A dirty, messy job.  Contained, but messy.

Due to the mess it'll create, Grammy has had to empty the bathroom and she will be bathroomless for three days.  Yeeeeew!  She's going to be one stinky Grammy!  No shower.  And even worse, no loo!  We just hope she's not planning to use our litter boxes.  NOOOOOOOOO!  That would not be acceptable.   

What's that, Grammy?   Oh Phew!  She has a backup plan... and wonderful neighbours.   Yes, you know that, don't you!  We have the most amazing neighbours.  In fact, our gem of a neighbour has opened her home to the old girl AND has offered to and is getting a few groceries for Grammy today too.   Talk about a kind, thoughtful lady.  We love her.  

Now you ask what has that got to do with lemons and lemonade?  Well, fan dying is the lemon, of course.  BUT...

Grammy took the opportunity to go through everything in the bathroom, discard what had expired, is no longer used, was superfluous to our lives, well, her life actually .... and it was a lot more than you'd think. Amazing how much you accumulate over the years. How could anyone have thought Grammy was a minimalist?  Not really... She's just tidy and keeps only essentials out but the stuff is/was there... in the cupboards.

So, when the work is finished we will encourage her to do a second go-through and purge some more before putting everything away.  Once back together it'll be like a whole new place.  Clean, fully functional and amazingly ordered.  Lemonade. 

Now where will we be during all of this?  We'll be confined to the bedroom, door closed, kitty door latched during the day and allowed to roam free once Mr Contractor Guy departs.  In other words, at night.  Not the best of scenarios but as Grammy says... it's a must!  Otherwise, Sweetie will be out there supervising and Rondo and Etude will be getting underfoot.  We cannot have that.  

So, I'm off to get some of that delicious lemonade.  See you.

​Comments are welcomed.  Keep them cute, like me.  Okay? 

by Rondo, the handsome, debonair poet

Well, dear friends... we have returned.  Sweetie wished to post today's blog but we decided she'd better wait until she's used up some of her pent up energy so I, Rondo am bard and blogger of the day. 

You ask why she has so much energy?   That's what we thought you asked. 

As you know she had some dental issues and had to have all but her incisors and fangs removed.  And due to the state of her mouth she must have been in pain, though she never complained. As a result, it was a shock to Grammy when they were at the annual vettie appointment and she saw her poor wee gums all swollen and red.

Well, she had been quieter, less bouncy, less mischievous, but we all thought she was settling down now that she's almost seven and a half years old.   You know... like we boys settled down and are now much more mature, dignified and less rambunctious.  

What do you mean, Grammy?  That doesn't describe us?  Of course it does.  Where have you been?  La-la land?  Oh yes, that's right, you have been in a state, you old thing.  Hush now!

Well, now that the wee darling - that's Sweetie, not the old girl - is feeling better and her gums have healed and she doesn't have to take anymore yucky meds she has returned to kittenhood.  I swear it!  She has!  Grammy tries to work on the computer, read, knit and where is she?  Right in her lap demanding attention or knocking things off the table or biting things. 

WHY, in the last couple of days computer mouse, nail clippers, file, tv remote and half a dozen other remotes the old girl keeps nearby have all either landed on the floor or been systematically carried off to be batted around the room.  Luckily, Grammy caught her before the coffee cup took a flying leap into oblivion.  And this time she wasn't trying to drink the brew, she was showing her distain for the meager dregs Grammy'd left for her to ingest.

And last night Grammy had to close the window part way!  Why on such a lovely evening, you ask?  Well, the little scamp found a small tear in the screen, had worked a bit of the wire loose and was yanking on it with her newly healed gums.... Now it's large enough for those pesky no-seeums to fly through without even catching their wings on the wire...  

OH, right!  I forgot, Etude.  Add it to Grammy's to-do list.   Fix Screen.  No, no-seeums allowed indoors.  Oh wait!  Let them in.  That'll give us things to chase that the old girl cannot see and she'll think the moths are back... Oh, such fun.  Strike it from the list!  

Sorry, friends.  So back to the woeful tale of Sweetie and her misbehaving.  Not only does she toss things and tear things but now she's biting our ears... Etude's and mine. Well, not quite biting them, gumming them, sort of... as she doesn't have many teeth left. 

Oh, there she goes again.  What now, Grammy???  She's trying to get us to exercise and chase her?  Huh!  Who knew?  Well, not us, obviously.  

Why would we need to exercise?  We got the clean bill of health at the vettie.   Oh shush!  I don't remember hearing the vettie say WE needed more exercise.  I'm sure of it. Did you, Etude?  

No, I thought not.   Well, Grammy, the vettie asked YOU about exercise... and you told her you get lots of exercise waving our wands and throwing and retrieving our toys... Nothing in there about us!  I'm sure of it.

Well, this is about Sweetie, so once again, I say, SHUSH!  

So, friends.   That Sweetie, she's getting into all sorts of trouble now her teeth are gone and her gums are better.  We, that's Etude and I, try to set a good example.  We snooze all day, only wake up to eat or get snuggles from the old girl.. oh and to … you know... eliminate. *aside R whispers to Etude* We won't mention us taking turns pouncing on Sweetie and biting her neck.  No, that's not important.   

That Sweetie is surely a slow learner.   Sheesh, life is tough.  Don't ya know it!  

A little brightener for your day.... from the bard of M&M Central himself. 

Sweetie

Sweet Cecily’s her name but she goes by Sweetie
Her bones are strong but not too meatie.
Feisty she is, she’s like a colt
Long legs she has and she loves to bolt
From bed to floor to wall to rack
She scares us when on Grammy’s back
She pounces, then with a toss
Of sail-sized ears she’s off
To adventures only in her head
And when she’s done she hits her bed.
A snooze, for that is all it is
Before she starts to skim and whizz
Past others scattered ‘neath our roof
She chases flick’ring lights and floof
To parts unknown they scatter far
Afraid of Sweetie, our feisty star.

originally published February 26, 2018

Comments are welcomed... and especially if full of mischief.
​

by Mousie, nurse and companion,

Good morning, dear friends.  
As you all know, we had our annual physicals with Dr Whitecoat a few weeks ago and all is well for everyone except Sweetie... 

Last Thursday Sweetie went back for dental surgery to address her extensive gum disease.  Well, Grammy and she weren't happy but resigned themselves to the trek. It took an extra hour to get there which was horrendous in the heat.  Travel to the border of the city was no issue but the bus from there to the vet was 40 minutes delayed... They barely got there before the Animal Hospital closed for the night. 

Surgery went ahead Friday morning.  Sweetie had all remaining teeth removed except her canines and incisors… and they say she'll be on soft food for the rest of her life.  Imagine!  That would be great... though I, Mousie, do love my crunchies too.

So, I wonder if we should re-weigh her now that she's had 8 more teeth out. Lighter?  No!  Grammy saw the teeth, they were appalling! Doctor said they were filled with cavities and hard to remove. They'd break apart.  So, it took more excavating than originally expected - 30-60 minutes ended up being 60-90 minutes and they needed every second of those 90 minutes.  Poor wee Sweetie.  

​Good news is she still has her fangs and her incisors so her photo sessions will look normal.

Friday Grammy picked her up with medications and instructions and a dear lady named Kelly drove them home again.  What a blessing that was.

Sweetie is for the most part, cooperative taking her meds with food... but for the first day or so, was wobbly and a little spaced out.  Now she's more herself.  

Mummy Whiskers and I are keeping her company while she heals...

Now, Grammy wondered if kitty dentures might be the order of the day... but knowing how she can barely handle her own we think not!  *Giggles*

Now, on to another topic.  

How is everyone holding up in this heat?   We've been trying to exercise Grammy - you know... for her health... but she refuses to chase the red dot and it's too hot to wave the feathers on a wand so until this heat eases up we are all going for major R&R&E.... Rest, Relaxation and Eating.  Yes.    

Have a great day, friends.  See you next week.

Comments, especially cheeky ones are welcomed. 

By Etude, hefty, healthy chronicler of mean ol' Grammy

Two days later and we promised you an update about the visit to our vet.  In case you haven't heard, we love our vet and call her Dr. WhiteCoat, but the silly thing is she doesn't wear a white coat.  She wears patterned scrubs... and looks quite professional in them.  Also, she has a soft voice and gentle touch when she gives us a thorough going over.  Rondo and I have been her patients since we were born. She had to help our mummy because we were big babies and mummy was tiny.  Poor mummy.

So, on to our visit.  As you read in the previous blog Grammy tossed us all into our crates and dragged us into the taxi and then reversed the process to bring us home again.  Mean ol' Grammy! 

​We got to the vettie clinic very early. Despite this they were gracious and took us almost immediately.  

On arrival in the examination room Grammy let Whiskers out to wander.  The rest of us had settled down to wait patiently and Sweetie curled up and went to sleep in her carrier but Whiskers was fussing to get out.  Well, she explored every nook and cranny while she waited.  We think she was searching for an escape route. 

On being examined there was a little concern that she'd lost a bit of weight.. and she is 10 (yes, we thought she was 2 years older but records show she's estimated to be only a year older than Mousie) and so is not considered a Senior, but Mature. 

We beg to differ on that description, but Dr WhiteCoat clarified she's Mature in age.  She wasn't commenting on her behaviour. *Giggles*  So, she got a thorough going over - heart, kidneys, privates, mammary glands okay, all organs in good working order.  Only concern is that she eats too quickly and throws up.  But it is usually after a long night with no food and an acid buildup in her tummy. NOTHING NEW there! She and Rondo are alike that way.

​Just to be sure and due to her age a Blood Panel for Mature cats was done.  No kidney disease, heart issues, diabetes, thyroid or whatever else was tested for.  She's a healthy mature girl.

​Mousie as you all know, is very tiny and Grammy was worried she'd lost some weight but she danced for joy when she found out Mousie weighs the same now as she did at the last visit.  Organs, skin condition, ears, eyes, mouth all checked.  Two teeth had calcification on them that doctor removed during the exam with no fuss.  Good girl, Mousie. She has allergies and a heart murmur but is otherwise well...  The murmur hasn't changed in 2 1/2 years.  EXCELLENT News !! 

To be absolutely sure about the heart a special test was done to check the strength of the heart muscle.  The heart muscle is considered healthy but will be monitored and checked again in 2 years.  As for the allergies... she has to have meds during allergy season and that will be a challenge for Grammy... but not insurmountable.   As her nether parts were being check Mousie expressed her anal gland into doctor's gloved hand.  I don't think it was appreciated. *giggles*  YEEEEEEEW! That's so gross. At least it wasn't poopies. 

The rest of us were not so rude and were praised for our super clean butts.  She can thank Whiskers, our consummate groomer for those  pristine butts.  She's meticulous and relentless.  Of course, Grammy objects when she decides to groom her after she's done with us.  We think its funny!

Rondo was examined next because he was the one who triggered the appointment.  Gained weight, cheeky boy.  But other than having some calcification removed from a tooth he is in perfect health. Must have been a bit of a bug, poor fellow.

He even cooperated with Dr. WhiteCoat when she trimmed his claws.  Nary a growl nor a snap of the jaw, only a pulling away of his paws, to which doctor told him to behave... AND HE DID! 

Wow!  Grammy thinks she'll have to take him there for claw trims quarterly rather than risk life and limb to do it herself. ​

I was next but being a gentlecat I'll tell you about Sweetie first.  Sweetie is in perfect health everywhere but in her wee mouth.  Weight the same, no issues with anything else.  Like all of us, ears clean, butt clean, etc. but she has gum disease.  Poor wee thing. 

Years ago when she was still a kitten she had to have a bunch of back teeth removed because they were blocking her esophagus and her ability to swallow, causing gum issues.  Grammy had hoped that was the end of it but, no!  She needs major surgery to remove a whole bunch of teeth followed by antibiotics to clear up the infection and pain meds for the pain, of course.   

Grammy was devastated to see the condition  of her mouth and to think she hadn't been monitoring it... but 18 months ago her teeth and gums were fine and she was eating normally so...
 
Poor little Sweetie is booked in for surgery late next week.  She gave the doctor the old stink-eye for that and for manhandling her.  

Once back in her carrier and for the next 20 minutes Sweetie groomed herself from tops of her ears to the very tip of her tail.  She had to get that 'stink' off her.   Even the doctor commented on her fastidious behaviour.  We could tell Sweetie was not amused! Not one bit!

Little did she know she was going to be handled again when she had the bloodwork taken.   That elicited a snort and a repeat of the grooming process. The nerve!  To be manhandled after just finishing her groom.   But then, she is a fussy little princess.​

And now we get to me.... the handsome, debonair Etude.  Dr. Whitecoat put me on the scale and said ruefully ... GAINED again!  Well, I am a healthy boy of eighteen pounds.

When asked about our exercise regime Grammy explained how we (Rondo and I) love to chase the red dot for a maximum of 5 minutes before settling down to watch the girls and their futile antics.  And with other toys we play pond duck, tucking in our paws and rubbernecking while Grammy gyrates and dances around the room with feather toys on wands and crinkly balls and mouses to entertain us.  We didn't realize WE were supposed to chase the toys.  Come on!  That's baby stuff.  We boys are sophistocats not girly kittens.

I did have to have two teeth decalcified but that took 2 minutes and other than swallowing some of the debris the procedure went well.  AND I cooperated with the nail trim too.. wiggled a bit but nothing more.  Everything else about me is PERFECT!  Of course, it is.  

​Comments are welcomed.  

​by Sweetie and Gentle Mouse, disgruntled kittens.

Well, friends.  We had to step up and take over the blog for today.  Those lazy brothers of ours have decided to slack off as usual and they even let Grammy off the hook.  Not going to happen after what we've been through today.  Sorry, Grammy but doing our blog is a MUST so hop to it ol' girl you've already missed a couple this month.  Get those fingers in gear and start typing.

So, to start with... we are normally dragged off to our favourite vettie in the autumn but Grammy 'postponed' it until now... Actually she was procrastinating... as usual!!!  But with Rondo sick over the weekend she couldn't put it off any longer.  
​
Appointment was made for today.  If you follow us on our Facebook page you'll have seen a few days ago that carriers were brought out and assembled and plunked onto the floor for us to trip over.  So much for a tidy condo, Grammy!

But how kind!  Grammy gave us more choices for naps and being the cooperative, sweet and easy-going kitties that we are we made full use of them, slept in them, played in them and Mousie checked out the boys in theirs before settling into one herself. 

So, this morning arrived.  Grammy was behaving as usual.  Up, make bed, feed kitties, make and pour coffee.  Sit down, enjoy coffee and check Facebook. Shower, dress.  Hmmm! Grammy must be going out today.  Okay! More nap time for us! Nothing amiss here so we kitties carried on as usual.. eat, nap, and nap again.

Unfortunately she must have made a call for transportation while we napped because we never suspected a thing. UNTIL...

Grammy walked into bedroom where we three girls were.  Walked over to the window as she had numerous times earlier today.  Suddenly she nabbed Mousie who was asleep in her lair and unceremoniously plopped her into the carrier on the dresser.  

Mousie:  Yes, and what did YOU do, Sweetie?  Scarpered off through the cat door into the living-room leaving me to deal with Grammy alone.  You could have tripped her up, given her a clawing!  Anything to get me released from her grip, but NOOOOO!  You abandoned me! Traitor!

Sweetie:  Sorry, Mousie. Really, I am but I was scared and only thought of making myself scarce.

Mousie:  I think mummy Whiskers was bewildered.  Wakened from her sleep by my loud 'Miep! Miep! Miep!' (Grammy interjects - Yes, Mousie's cry is so loud she needs a megaphone to be heard.) she blundered around trying to figure out what was happening... and Grammy, quick as a whip, zipped up my carrier and grabbed mummy.  Before I could shout 'HELP! she was plunked into her carrier where she growled at Grammy and gave her the stink-eye... but good!

Next she grabbed Rondo who was hiding beside the fridge.  Maybe he thought he'd blend in with the white appliances but nope!  Grammy scooped him up with and 'umph, you're one heavy lump, mister!' and he responded with a 'you're no light-weight yourself, old girl'.  Well, that didn't sit well so he too was dumped into his carrier and the door slammed shut.  

Now the search was on for Etude.  Where was the elusive Tude the Dude?  Grammy couldn't find him. Not in the bedroom.  Not in the kitchen, bathroom, closet so he had to be in the livingroom… Nope.   Back to the bedroom... where he'd sucked in his girth and slipped behind the headboard and the wall.  Bed pulled out and Grammy grabbed him, groaned,  - heavier than Rondo - lumbered over to his carrier plopped him in and fastened the door.

Now, as you know, Sweetie got the warning and scarpered.  Everywhere had been searched looking for Etude leaving only one possibility - the drawer under the sofa.  Quietly opening it, Grammy saw a furry body hunkered down tail toward her and before the traitor could react she too was scooped and dropped through the top of her carrier and the snaps secured.

And that was that!  Or so we thought, but no!  Next we were loaded onto the rollator one by one, rolled to the elevator and stacked by the door.  One last trip to the condo to swap rollator for crutch; lock up.  Button pushed, elevator door opened, Rondo set to hold door open while we were tossed inside, pull Rondo in, descend, shove him against door once more and we got tossed out into the lobby.  Then one by one we were taken to the entrance where our taxi driver loaded us and we were off.

Through that whole hallway, elevator, taxi ride Sweetie made Grammy and then the driver aware of what she though of the situation.  She howled for every second of the 45 minute trip and she 'don't need no megaphone'!  *giggles*
 
Sweetie: Well, someone had to.  The boys and Whiskers just settled in to enjoy the scenery and you were on Grammy's lap getting pets.  Where was I? On the floor behind Grammy!  No window!  Now who's the traitor, HUH?

The return trip was much quieter with only one squawk from me before I gave up and had a nap.   BUT when we reached our floor we ALL howled until we were inside the condo.    See what the neighbours think of you now, Grammy!  Hah!

Stay tuned for part 2 - the Vettie visit.

​Comments are welcomed.  Especially if they are commiserations with us and our plight.

By Gentle Mouse, aka Mousie

​To begin with, dear friends,  you have probably noticed that our page has changed.  Yes, we had some problems with the old template and since it was no longer supported we were forced to change.  We hope you like the new look. 

​Now!  To the crux of our misadventure...

Grammy and I were almost swept into Lake Ontario.  Yes we were.  I was being dragged to see Dr WhiteCoat for a goopy eye that didn't get better with L-Lysine.  First clue that something worse was going on.

​As you all know, Grammy has been fighting the flu followed by another virus and a cold then shoulder pain and more.  Because of this she didn't notice when mummy Whiskers had more teary discharge from her eyes than usual and I had a lot too.  Well, as soon as she did she added the L-Lysine to our wet food and Mummy's eyes cleared right up but mine didn't.  SO two days later it was off to vettieland for me.  YUCK!

​Grammy is getting quite adept at scooping me into the carrier.... She's a sneaky one.  She put the carrier on the dresser and left the room for hours and I let my guard down and crawled into my blankie for a wee nap.  Mid-afternoon there she was peaking at me like she does and I just blinked and relaxed 'cause she does that now and again.  Well, she reached into my blankie and scooped me out and into the lamb fleece lined carrier before I could protest.  She is a sneaky poopyhead.

​I had to tell her what I thought so I screamed at her. (Grammy here – I would not call ‘meep, meep, meep’ screaming.  It was hardly audible more like a squeaky mouse.  HAHA!  Mouse! Definitely not screaming.) 

​Hey, who's telling this story, Grammy.  Shush!  I screamed, friends and continued to scream all the way down the elevator and into the vehicle. 

​Now the forecast for last Friday was high winds and intermittent short showers and we got caught in it travelling there and back.  When we were dropped off to transfer to another vehicle the wind grabbed the cart with me on it and I flew around Grammy like a kite in a zephyr.  Woohoo!  Such fun!  But I don't think Grammy would agree.   She was struggling to hang onto me, keep upright against the wind and not hurt her shoulder and hip anymore.  And we were being swept closer to the lake!  Not a good place to be on a windy day.

​Well, we finally made it after a few more windy glitches.  Grammy had a senior moment and got off the bus at the wrong address... (Same street, just 299, should have been 199, goofy Grammy!)  and then had to cart me three blocks further.  The whole time the wind whipped against us and sent me sailing again, two or three times.  Boy, it almost reminded me of ballooning with Raina, our pal only ballooning wouldn't be allowed in gale force winds.  We finally arrived, and none too soon.  Grammy was exhausted and I’d almost lost all my fur – blown away on the blustery wind.

​Dr WhiteCoat checked my eye and took bloodwork, gave Grammy instructions on how to care for the eye and then plunked this big blue collar on me.  It was so heavy that I couldn't hold up my head and I couldn't see anywhere except in front of me.  GET IT OFF ME! Meep  OFF! Meep PLEASE! Meep  Phew!  Dr WhiteCoat removed it.  What a lovely lady.  NOT!

​Know what she did then?  She got out garden shears - you know those big ones for trimming hedges... yes, Big, BIg, BIG scissors to cut down the collar and plunked it back on me.  Meanie.  She said it was so I wouldn't clean off the medicine. 
 
WHAT!  What medicine?  I don't need medicine.  Then she jabbed me with a needle in my hip and poked out my eye with her finger and this nasty goop. 
 
(Grammy here again - she didn't poke out the eye.  She put ointment in it.)  SHUSH GRAMMY, this is my story.  Now, where was I? Oh yes...​

The Doctor poked out my eye and scrubbed it with gauze before she put it back and stickied it up with goop.  Then she said take the little baby home and I'll call you.   I'm NOT A LITTLE BABY!  I'm delicate and petite.  I scampered back into my carrier annoyed that she’d say I was a baby! 

Before we could pay POW!  Out went the hydro electric.   The power was knocked out by the wild winds. Unkie (our driver) had arrived to take us home.    Not much else we could do without power but ... Such excitement.  Everyone was discombobulated...  so we left.

​And as we stepped outside the door it happened again, the cart flew up in the air again, my blankie blew away and Grammy almost landed on her bum *teehee* I said bum.  *giggles behind paws*

Well, Unkie ran to get the blanket which was half way down the street to the lake, then helped us into the car while dodging signs and debris as it whipped along the sidewalk.  Wow!  That was dangerous stuff.  Unkie almost got hit a couple of times but he ducked quickly.

​Finally settled inside the car we felt safe so, we started out for home.... and on the way the car rocked and swayed and trembled in the wind like a giant was playing zoomies with it.  Unkie is a great driver so he got us home safe and then skedaddled off to his home before the winds got worse.  Thank you Unkie for driving us home!

​When we came in from our adventure the rest of the crew ran away from me.  Rondo said I was an alien while Etude said no, not an alien an iguana (cause of my ruffles, I guess).  Mummy hissed at me and Sweetie fluffed up her tail and arched her back.  What's wrong with you guys?  It's me Mousie, I said.  Noooooooooo!   You can't be Mousie, she doesn't smell yucky and she doesn't have a big blue thing around her neck.  You're an alien iguana something.

​Well, I showed them.  Grammy gave us our dinner and nobody would eat near me so I ate it all - all by myself. Hahaha !  And it was delicious!

​Comments are welcomed, friends.  Let's keep it light and fun.  ​