Day 103: Happy Birthday Charlotte

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 103: Happy Birthday Charlotte

I seldom post pictures of Charlotte because she is a quiet cat. She eats, she grooms, she sleeps, and wouldn’t say boo to a goose. On the contrary, if a goose was to say boo to her, I’m quite sure she would faint.

Charlotte is an extremely nervous cat, literally afraid of her own shadow. If someone talks too loud, she goes running; if there's a thunderstorm, she dives under the bed; if the wind blows, she hides in the laundry basket; and as soon as the vacuum cleaner gets switched on, she hides under the duvet.

Why she is so on edge I have no idea, it’s not like she ever experienced abuse as we adopted her as a ten-week-old kitten.

We were in a pet food store one day and I overheard the owner talking that her cat had kittens. “I don’t know what happened,” she stated. “I thought my two cats were both males.” How someone can be so stupid is beyond me. Anyone who has a cat takes the animal for inoculations, at which time the vet would see whether the cat is male or female.

Anyway, so there they were, four adorable kittens looking for a home. I found it impossible to choose, so I waited which of the kittens would come to me. When one of them did, I immediately knew I would call her Charlotte.

Other than her inoculations and her spay, for years she never saw the inside of a doctor’s office. That changed a few years ago, Charlotte had to have dental work done, and this year in January she developed a urinary tract infection. The vet prescribed a course of antibiotics.

Now anyone who has ever tried to give a cat a pill knows what I’m about to say … giving Charlotte her medication was hell on wheels. With the help of Dieter, it wasn’t too bad, but on my own … OMG!!!

I tried pill pockets (she ate the pocket – left the pill), I tried a pill popper (that didn’t work at all), I tried coating the pill in butter, nothing worked. Eventually, with some gentle coaxing and a lot of perseverance, Charlotte got her medication, but only after she spat out the pill a few times. At the end of the antibiotics course, I don’t know who was more relieved, Charlotte or me.

When I heard about a special cat food that prevents urinary tract infections, I immediately bought it. It cost the earth, but as far as I was concerned, it was worth it. 24 hours later I returned the food. While the dry nibbles were indeed effective in preventing urinary tract infections, they could cause kidney failure. Well, I wasn’t gonna take that chance.

Now, about two weeks ago, Charlotte developed a lip infection. She had this type of infection twice before, but this time it was really bad, one side of her mouth was horribly swollen. Off we went to the vet.

When he mentioned a course of antibiotics I thought … OMG not again. That’s when the doctor asked if we considered giving Charlotte her meds via a two-week release shot. Come again? 

As the vet explained, a two-week release shot is an injection that releases antibiotics gradually over a two-week period. For a second I wasn’t sure what to do, slap or kiss the man. Why hadn’t he suggested this before? With this (painless) injection there was no need for pills, which was far less traumatic for Charlotte and for me.

Anyway, all is well and on her birthday, we wish Charlotte many happy returns.

Don’t forget to donate to the Toronto Cat Rescue.

Any amount will make a difference.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/toronto-cat-rescue-bowl-a-thon-9/

Day 75: Happy New Year

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 75: Happy New Year

It’s January 1^st and I would like to wish all my readers all a happy, healthy and contented New Year.

When I read the wishes that are flying around on social media, and the resolutions being made, it always amazes me the kind of effect a new year has on people. 

Today we're getting a fresh start, but if you think about it, we get lots of fresh starts over the year. Every 30 days or so we start a new month, every 7 days we start a new week, and after every night dawns a brand-new day. Yet February, Monday or any other month or day of the week comes and goes without anyone taking any notice. It’s only January 1^st that has people hopeful, forgiving, and in the best of spirits.

Even though we wish each other a happy New Year, chances are, we’ll hit a few snags along the way. People will die, people will get sick, lose loved ones, lose possessions, lose jobs. Along with smiles, tears will fall. So here are my New Year’s wishes to you.

If you’re sick, I hope you’ll get better soon. That you get up from whatever has you feeling down, and start whistling a tune.

If you’re unemployed, I hope you’ll get work. And with any luck, your boss won't turn out to be a jerk.

If your bank account can do with a boost, I hope you’ll get a windfall. Be careful though that your newly acquired wealth doesn’t become your downfall.

If you’re struggling with a problem, I hope it gets sorted out. Whether it’s something you need to talk or write about.

If you wish for anything in particular, I hope you get what you desire. Don’t overthink it, just go for what you want to acquire.

If life seems bleak and you feel you have reason to complain, keep in mind that the sunshine will come after this time of rain.

Be kind to yourself and to others, we are all mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers.

Now that 2017 has been laid to rest, all we can do is give 2018 a warm welcome and hope for the best.

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Is it really that simple

Voltaire once said, “I have chosen to be happy because it’s good for my health.” I wonder for how long he managed to keep up that resolution. Were things different in his lifetime? If Voltaire had lived today rather than in the 1700s would he perhaps also occasionally have lost his cool?

I think it’s strange, to begin with, choosing to be happy. Is there anyone who chooses to be unhappy? I imagine that most people get out of bed in the morning resolving to look, feel and do their best.

But no sooner does the day get started and life starts throwing stones at this resolve. There’s no hot water in the shower, a button is missing from a favorite shirt, the milk has gone sour … your good mood is being undermined and you haven’t even left the house.

On the road, there are more experiences to brush you up the wrong way: the highway is a parking lot, cars don’t indicate to turn left or right, or indicate for an ‘eventual turn’, or a car slides into your parking spot.

As the day progresses you get served more aggravation, from superiors, colleagues, and machinery. How are you doing with that “I have chosen to be happy because it’s good for my health” resolution?

I don’t have a car, so I don’t have to deal with highways and parking spaces, as a TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) user, I take the train, bus or streetcar. Not that that is without aggravation.

For instance …

Yesterday I was waiting in the Lawrence East station when I saw a youngster come out of the parole office across the street, walk up to the station and swan through the revolving barrier without paying.

This is the second time I’ve seen this happening. The first time an ex-inmate walked up to the ticket office and said that he’d come to see his parole officer but didn’t have any money for the train for the return journey. The TTC staff member asked him how he’d got to the parole office in the first place. “The same way,” he said. “They just let me through.” The staff member waved that he could proceed, without paying.

While that guy at least had the decency to ask if he could go through, the youngster I saw yesterday afternoon had no such manners. Without the slightest hesitation, he just walked in, indicating that this wasn’t the first time he was allowed on the train without paying.

Now that ticks me off. On average two million people take the TTC each day. The majority uses this form of transportation to get to and from work, but there are others who use the train for different reasons. Some are on their way to an interview, others have to go see a doctor, dentist or other medical professional. Others still have appointments at a hospital for life-saving treatment. All of these people, whether they are young or old, rich or poor, employed or unemployed, have to pay. But ex-inmates do not?!

If I was the kind of person to make resolutions, my “I have chosen to be happy because it’s good for my health” decision would go right out the window. I do not choose to be unhappy, nobody does, but life with all its complications and injustices just makes my blood boil.

What was that Mr. Voltaire …

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Will it be a happy year?

It is the first day of the first month of a new year. Exciting, isn’t it? A whole year lies ahead, filled with possibilities. Out with the old and in with the new. As I let the old year out this morning and the New Year in, I wondered what 2011 will bring.

In case you’re wondering ... in previous years I let the old year out through the back door (in this case the balcony door) and let the New Year in through the front door. Since the past years haven’t really been all that great, I decided to change the tradition somewhat. I let the old year out through the front door and then let the New Year in through the back door. After all, the balcony door faces south, the south is associated with sunshine, sunshine is associated with warmth and happiness, so ... let the sunshine in.

Afterward I was thinking about 2010 and everything that happened.

The first notable thing happened in February when I lost my home. No, not through a sale or anything like that, my dad went into a retirement home and should I ever go back ‘home’, I will have to check-in to a hotel as there won’t be a place for me to stay. I suggested to my dad that he could come and live with me, but he didn’t want that. Living in a strange country, with a language he doesn’t understand didn’t appeal to him and I wouldn’t be able to give him the medical care he needs. So a retirement home it was.

March would have seen my 30th wedding anniversary if it was not for the fact that I got divorced some ... hm, how long has it been? Oh who cares when you're having fun.

In March I was also introduced to the electronic cigarette and gave up smoking for six whole days. No cravings whatsoever. Unfortunately, then I read an article written by a fellow ‘vaper’ (user of an electronic cigarette) stating how disgusting cigarettes smelled and tasted after ‘vaping’ only a few weeks. I started to wonder ... could this be true? If I lit up a smoke, would it smell and taste disgusting to me? So I tried it and lit up. Hm, the cigarette didn’t smell disgusting at all, I took a drag and hm, it didn’t taste disgusting either. As a matter of fact, the smoke smelled and tasted pretty good. That was it, my six smoke free days went up in smoke.
Still, I smoked significantly less. How much less? Let me put it this way ... I used to go through a carton per week, with the use of the electronic smoke I went through a packet a week.

In April ‘new’ furniture arrived. I had my dad’s ‘old’ furniture shipped over to me and when the lounge, dining room, bedroom and knick knacks arrived a hundred and one memories came with them. Some good, some funny, some painfully sad.

In May I had a birthday. I turned 53. 5 ... 3! ... am I really that old? I don’t feel old. On a good day I feel 35, on a bad day ... hm, yeah, well, 85 maybe.

In July we experienced a heat wave in Toronto and precisely during those super hot days the A/C in our condo building packed up. For three days we suffered an immense heat. We bought cooling fans that worked non- stop, but even with those fans it was unbearably hot in the rooms. I remember sitting with a cold wet towel around my neck and my feet in cold water to have some relief. When the temperature went down to 35 deg C (95 deg F) there was a noticeable difference and we breathed a sigh of relief. For nearly three weeks we were without A/C and it made me wonder how, in the olden days, we ever managed without it.

In August I got a job and with that my eleven month unemployment status came to an end. I stumbled into finance, which is something I had never done before. After having been an executive, administrative and legal assistant for more years than I care to remember, dealing with financial issues was a change, a challenge and occasionally hell on wheels.

In September a number of things happened.
We joined a bowling league; we played a bowling tournament (and took first place I might add); we were notified that our condo was to be sold; we spent evenings and weekends looking for a suitable place to live; and ended up buying the condo where we had been living for the past six years. After eleven years in Canada we finally became home owners.

The rest of the year was uneventful. Nothing particularly good happened, but nothing particularly bad happened either. We just slipped from one day into another.

And now what will 2011 bring? Last night and probably all through January, people will wish each other a happy New Year, but will it be? There will be some good times and there will be same bad times. There will be days that we’re walking on sunshine and days that we’ll be walking under a cloud of thunder. We will laugh out loud and we’ll silently cry.

364 days lie ahead of us. Are you ready for them? I hope you, me and everyone else has a truly happy year.