Thread #1: So, yesterday began not just with clouds but with our observation that tough-guy Selkie appeared to be in some distress with regards to his internal plumbing. Without having recourse to a level three diagnostic, we opted to take him into the veterinary clinic in the morning for observation and treatment. It turns out that he has a common but mysterious cat disorder, known as FUT or FLUTD, which involves the build-up of struvite or oxalate crystals in the urinary tract (I'm not making that up). It can be fatal, but is usually managed by throwing fistfuls of money at the veterinarian and switching to food that is apparently made of platinum. In any case, he seems to be doing fine, and is on some sedatives that make him rather dopey and even more amusing than usual.
Thread #2: I got a call in the morning from Dan the Scooter Man with bad news about Ruby. Like Janis Joplin, someone took a little piece of her heart: a part deep inside her engine, one that helps create the spark, broke. The part is no longer manufactured, and the process to replace it, even if one were found, is more trouble than the bike is worth. Dan suggested that Bent Bike might take the scooter off my hands; I called them, and lo and behold, they offered me just enough to pay what I owed Dan for picking it up and taking a look at it! He offered to deliver for me, so I drove up to Kenmore and dropped off the title with him. I even submitted the report of sale and told my agent to cancel the insurance. So now, like Janis, Ruby is no longer with us; unlike Janis, she will be parted out and live on in a series of undoubtedly crapped-out, bestickered motor scooters putt-putting around the Puget Sound area.
Thread#3: Early in the morning, we got a call from old pal JayCee, who will be the featured guest artist at Otis's next show in August. She was in the neighborhood and wanted to have a cuppa and talk about the show and stuff. Well, I was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, of course, but Otis went from snoozing to shmoozing in just a few minutes, leaving her a bit shell-shocked, especially since she made the ride to the vet right afterwards. It took a little while for her system to recover, but ti was a conversation worth having and it was good to see JayCee again.
Thread #4: As I was en route to see Dan in Kenmore, I got a call from NatDog, who was just leaving campus after her summer class. The timing was right for us to meet at 3PB/LFP for lunch, so we did. We had a long, leisurely meal, reveling in the unbearable lightness of summer (even for those teaching one summer session course). After NatDog moved on, I tried to sell some books to 3PB, but they didn't want any of them; I did get a ten-percent-off coupon, so the paperback I had found to buy was nineteen cents cheaper.
Thread #5: We spent the evening watching Selkie stumble around and had time to watch The Shadow, Alec Baldwin's 1994 superhero turn. It wasn't a bad adaptation, although much more mystical than its source material ever was; the cast included Johnathan Winters in a straight role, Tim Curry overdoing it, and Peter Boyle wasted as Shrevvy. Nice period sets, though.
The sun was shining this morning, and we are looking forward to a less eventful day!
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Ruby-Rest in Pieces
I'm trying to remember the powdered additive that you can add to a cat's meal that will help with the crystals (I believe both Willi and Fu had them), and now that I'm looking at what's left of our container of "All the Best" Enzymes Plus, it's either Amylase or Lipase or Cellulase. In any 'ase, I'll give you what's left when I come to town Tuesday before they put me to sleep at the hospital.
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