Journey with Friends

Welcome my friends to our weekly issue of Journey with Friends.  This is a time that we come together for support, for encouragement, for fellowship – all with one single goal in mind – to live better.  Welcome to our journey to share our goals and our accomplishments and our disappointments and frustrations.

Together we can do this!

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Hello friends. I write this post from my bed. Some of you may know while others don’t about my current situation. I came home from work early last Thursday not feeling so well. I was aching and coughing – a cough I might add is from the depths of hell. I couldn’t sleep that night and was having difficulty breathing. About 6:30am on Friday, I told my husband we needed to go to emergency care because it was getting worse.

Once at the emergency room, they took me straight back and hooked me up to oxygen and started breathing treatments. They took blood, throat and nose cultures, gave me liquid codeine for my cough and gave me steroids. After my second breathing treatment, I started feeling a little better.

That is until the doctor finally came back with my test results – flu. And yes I did get a flu shot this year. The doctor explained that the flu strain they were seeing wasn’t what the flu shot had. Yay me huh?  The doctor wanted me to stay the night but where do you want to be when you’re sick?  Your own bed in your own home. So they did let me go sending me home with a breathing machine.  I’m also taking steroids and ibuprofen. I was instructed to be quarantined with strict bed rest.

I originally felt like a bus had hit me twice. Now I just feel like I’ve been hit once. The aches and pains are still present but the coughing seems to be getting better.

Thank you so much for all of those that sent prayers, healing vibes and cards. I really appreciated them so very much!

 

Tank vs Albert

Mommy wanted to do a test between our two cars – Albert the Smart Car vs Tank the Equinox – to see which one is more fun to drive.  I know – mom lives a full exciting life huh?  Snorts.  Okay so I’m breaking down the competition for you.

In this corner we have Tank.  Tank is a 1996 Chevrolet Equinox.  Tank weighs around 5,000 pounds give or take.  Holds about 18 gallons of gas.  Can seat five and has a cargo storage area in the back.  Labeled as a SUV although it doesn’t really look or drive like one.  Very comfortable for long trips.  Nicknamed Tank because it withstands a beating and still comes out strong and ready to ride. And did we mention awesome for long trips – great seating and space.

In this corner we have Albert.  Albert is a 2010 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe.  Albert weighs in between 1,500-1,800 pounds and can be driven either manually or stick.  Albert only holds 8.7 gallons of gas but goes and goes and goes getting excellent gas mileage.  Albert can only seat two – tops.  Albert is gas efficient yes but smooth driving – not so much.  You feel every bump in the road.  Personally for one person – you get used to the ride and love it.  The hub not so much.  Long trips – it can be worrisome.  Highways don’t bother you much but if it is windy, you will be fighting to keep the car in the lane.  Great car to ride around town, back and forth to work or grocery trips.  Remember all of those times your parents said playing Tetris wouldn’t pay off?  Well in this car and grocery shopping, it does 🙂 Has a little cargo area in the back – just perfect for this little oinker or some groceries.

So there you go – the two contenders.  Here’s the challenge.  Mom will drive one car for each day.  While driving the car, she will do the following:

• Wave at two cars that are similar in make and see what people do.
• Let two people in front of her at different times to see what people do.
• Go through a drive thru and pay for the breakfast behind her to see what people do.

This is a challenge to see what people do while she is driving each car.  Why?  Because mom swears that she is treated differently when driving the other car.  And besides, mom is like this.  She likes challenges. So, what do you think will happen?  Look here for the blog to see the results.

 

Mouse Girl – A Story of Kitty Spa

There comes a time in every little purr things life that she has to go to what mom refers to as the “Kitty Spa”.  I find this totally fascinating.  Mouse Girl, the purr thing here at the Hotel Thompson, is a girly girl.  We all know that.  Mommy washes me and the other purr thing here, Hemi, with no problems.  But, mommy says that Mouse Girl is different.  How so?!

Well, it might have to do with Mouse Girl being a Maine Coon kitty.  If you didn’t know, Maine Coon kitties are big… like really big.  Mouse Girl is almost the same size as moi.  Does that tell you anything in size?  And, it might have to do something with the fact that mom tells daddy that Mouse Girl has a  wicked back kick?  Apparently Mouse Girl thought to bring out some of her ninja skills this weekend when mom attempted to bathe her in the kitchen sink.  When I tell you that the kick took mom’s breathe away, it’s not just something that I’m saying.  Mouse Girl literally back kicked mommy in the chest.  After daddy stopped laughing, mom kicked daddy in the ankle to show him how it felt.  Yeah, my humans are weird like that.

So, back to the size of Mouse Girl.  If you ever came into the Hotel Thompson, you would never see her.  She’s not overly friendly with people that she doesn’t know.  I think it all stems from her days at the shelter.  You see mom/dad adopted her from a shelter.  They went to look for a kitty friend for Hemi after his brother Tybee passed away. (Both of them were also adopted from the shelter.)  When they were looking at the kitties, Mouse Girl *picked* mommy and daddy and decided she was coming home with them that day to her forever home.  That’s how she came to be with us here at the Hotel Thompson.

A lot of people that visit the Hotel Thompson, don’t even know she’s here.  But I got a great picture of her this weekend.  She’s a big kitty – a handful I might add.  Mommy thought well if she wouldn’t let her groom her, she would take her to the kitty spa.

So, let me get this straight.  She back kicks mom, won’t let her groom her so she gets awarded by going to the kitty spa?  Mom, what are you thinking?  I just shook my piggy head in disbelief.  Hemi was the same way.  It just goes to figure since Mouse Girl is such a girlie girl.

I have to ask.  Mommy never really explained it to me.  Mouse Girl was gone for several hours at this kitty spa.  What the heck is a kitty spa?  All I have are pictures like this in my head:

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Please tell me I’m wrong.  Really?  Mani, Pedi, wash, bubble bath, massages AND sauna treatments.  Hair up in curlers – please, please tell me I’m dreaming and this is all really just a piggy nightmare!

Then, the telephone rung and it was the kitty spa saying that Mouse Girl was done.  Done?  Done what?  I have to admit that I was intrigued as to what she was going to look like upon her return.  Mom/dad went and picked her up and opened her crate door in the front room.  The first thing me and Hemi did was smell her.  She smelled like baby powder.  Eeww – how girly.  Then she came sashaying out of her kennel.  She looked so relaxed, different but the same, and she was all smiling.  Yep, she was actually smiling with happiness.  She’s content.  She didn’t try to run away.  She walked through the house like she owned it and jumped on the bed for a nap.  I was able to click this picture of her.

WOW – she was even nice to me and Hemi for a change.  Personally, I think she needs to go to this kitty spa thing more often.  I’m going to make her another appointment next weekend.  If she comes home all this nice and not so moody, it will so be worth it!