It’s been encouraging to see how you’ve progressed! Quick question, with all the weight loss are you having any trouble/issues with “extra” skin? Will you need to have some removed in the future?
Oh yeah, there’s going to definitely be plastic surgery in my future, from a tummy tuck and boob lift (probably sometime in the fall of ’07) to (later on) loose skin removed from my upper arms and upper thighs.
And I know some of you might be tempted to suggest that as time goes on the skin will “snap back”, but trust me. This skin ain’t snappin’.
* * *
I heard some where not long ago that losing weight helps you to think more clearly. Have you found that to be the case with you? Have you noticed that maybe you aren’t as forgetful as you might have been before?
I dearly, dearly, DEARLY wish that this were the case with me, that I’m suddenly all clear-minded and able to remember from one room to the next what I’d intended to do, but sadly, it’s not. I’m as fuzzy-headed and forgetful as I ever was, and at the very least, once a day I walk into a room and have to stand there for several minutes, trying to remember what I’d meant to do before getting irritated and stomping off.
* * *
Okay, here’s my burning question…I am wondering what brand of kitty litter you use and how often you change it. And how many litter boxes do you have for 6 cats?
I prefer
Arm & Hammer kitty litter because it clumps a lot faster and harder than most other litters I’ve tried. We’ve tried most every other litter out there, and so far I’m liking the Arm & Hammer the most. We only have one litter box for all six cats, but it’s a huge one (and it’s set in a larger container to contain the urine that Spankythebastard likes to send over the side of the litter box). It gets cleaned out once in the morning and once in the evening, and usually once a week the old litter gets tossed, the litter box gets scrubbed out with soap and water, and it’s refilled with fresh litter. So far, it’s working well for us.
Actually, I just remembered that for the last couple of weeks we’ve been using Fresh Step Scoopable litter with carbon (for odor control). It’s working pretty well as far as the odor control goes, but I think that the Arm & Hammer litter still clumps harder.
* * *
Seeing the “yelling” pic of Mister Boogers made me think – you should have reader participation and ask for our best yawny pics of our kitties.
Sounds good to me – send ’em in, folks, and I’ll post a few a day! (My email address can be found over there in the sidebar – click on “contact” to get to the “contact” page)
* * *
Since your surgery, I know you’ve been really active, even more so than you used to be. But how about your motivation? Are you finding it easier to get up and move now that you’re so much smaller? Or do you still have to talk to yourself just as sternly about hoisting it off the couch?
Most of the time I still have to think about something I need to do (ie, vacuum the living room, go upstairs to do laundry, clean the bathroom) for a while until I drive myself crazy and finally haul my ass up off the couch to go do whatever it is. Really, at the bottom, if it’s not something that impacts another living thing (ie, cleaning out the litter box, filling the bird feeders, cleaning out the bird bath, making dinner), I’ll still put it off as long as I can.
* * *
When you guys make the big move, will you still have a fenced-in area for the kitties to enjoy? I’d be a paranoid furbaby mom and worry about them wandering free through acres of land. Also, if you have a pesticide company come out, will you be asking about pet-safe treatment sprays?
Yep, we’re planning on fencing in an area in the back yard (Fred’s already done a rough drawing of how much of the back yard will be fenced in for the cats) and we’ll be letting them out during the day. Fred actually suggested installing an electric fence around the entire property and collaring all the cats until I pointed out that the fence isn’t just to contain the cats – it’s to keep them safe from predators as well.
And of course it’ll only be pet-safe treatment sprays on our land.
* * *
You mentioned in the past buying some clothes from eBay as you’ve been losing weight. I’m losing weight now too, and I’m looking into cheaper ways to fill in the wardrobe as I drop sizes. Have you been pleased with the clothes you’ve bought off eBay so far? Did you only buy New With Tags stuff or used things too? Any other hints for inexpensive clothes?
So far I’ve been mostly pleased with the clothes I’ve bought off eBay. Everything’s been in pretty good shape, and I’ve bought both New With Tags stuff as well as used clothes. My only gripe is that it’s hard to know if something’s going to fit you when you’re not able to try it on ahead of time. I bought a lot of several pairs of jeans a few months ago, all of them the same size, and some of them fit and some of them didn’t – which I guess is really just the chance you take when you buy clothes on eBay.
My only suggestion (and this is something that was suggested to me, or I never would have thought of it) is to search on the size clothing you’re looking for, along with “lot”, so you’ll be looking at auctions for more than one piece of clothing.
* * *
i know you’ve probably said why before, but my parents are considering replacing the (old-ass) linoleum on their kitchen floor: why do you hate your stone floor?
I hate our stone floor mostly because of the color – it’s lighter than I’d like – and because one of the tiles got cracked when we were moving in, and the crack has moved across the floor in the past five years, following the grout between the tiles. Also, it’s really hard to get the grout between the tiles really clean, so that in some parts of our kitchen/ eating area, the grout is a dark gray, and in other parts it’s a lighter gray. I would have liked to rip up the stone tiles and replace it with a decent (and easier-to-clean) linoleum, but at this point that would be a dumb move, since we’ll be putting the house up for sale in about six months.
* * *
when my cat has a bird and won’t let go just hold their scruff firmly get up close and blow hard right up their nose! Sounds weird but they let go right away… works every time!
But… then the bird is free, and will fly directly into your face!
* * *
I am re-discovering my Maine roots (genealogically speaking) and discovered a whole bunch ‘o distant relatives in Aroostock County, in the Weston area. Have you ever been that far north in Maine? I guess since I do not hunt, nor fish, nor snowmobile, there is not much reason for me to visit, eh? I asked if there was a nice hotel anywhere nearby, and you could have heard the laughter all the way to Alabama, I swear!
I’m 99.99% sure that when we lived in Loring AFB, it was located in Aroostock County. We lived there for two years – 1977 – 1978, I think – and in fact, the high school kids in the area would start school back in the middle of the summer, then get time off (a couple of weeks or a month) in early Fall so that they could work picking potatoes in Aroostock County. I know Tracy worked in the potato fields, and Randy might have, as well.
But, yeah – there’s not a whole lot up there!
* * *
When you’re PMSing, do you cry over Century 21 commercials?
When I’m PMSing, I cry over EVERYTHING, and I’m not exaggerating at all. I’m a great big crybaby, and sad commercials get to me, sad songs get to me, happy songs get to me, Sex and the City gets to me. It doesn’t take much to make the PMSing Bitchypoo get seriously teary-eyed.
* * *
That little cat had 8 kittens? Did I count right? It looks like there are 8. Really cute pic of the hungry baby. What kind of fish, other aquatic animals are you planning on putting into the pond? My ex-husband’s aunt had a koi fish pond w/ frogs and lillypads. It was really neat looking, with a little waterfall in the back of the pond to help w/ putting oxygen into the water for the fish.
Yep, that little cat had 8 kittens.
Hard to believe, isn’t it?
As far as what exactly will be going into the pond, I’m not sure. I know there’ll be catfish and bass going into the pond, and according to Fred’s stepfather, we’ll be ending up with carp whether we want them or not. I hadn’t thought about frogs in the pond, but I wouldn’t be against having some frogs in the pond. There’ll definitely need to be some kind of aeration system (I’ve heard there are solar-run aeration systems you can put in the pond) so the water doesn’t get nasty.
I’ve actually suggested to Fred that we put a koi pond in the back yard, because I think that would be kind of neat. Until Tommy went fishing and brought in a present for me, that is.
* * *
Have you thought about getting ducks if you’re going to have a pond? They’re so cute swimming about, and usually friendlier than chickens, or so I’ve heard!
Oh, we’re definitely planning to have at least a few ducks. We’ve talked about raising ducks for their eggs (rumor has it that duck eggs are even better than chicken eggs, but I’ve never tried one myself), but even if we just had them as pets, that’d be okay, too. There’s nothing Fred likes more than to see a duck waddling around making bitchy little quacking sounds.
* * *
Who gets to clean the chicken coop?
We’ll be taking turns with that, I think. Maybe we could switch weeks – one week I do the litter boxes and Fred cleans the chicken coop, the next we switch!
* * *
Robyn, I have to tell you – chickens are so damned GROSS. We had chickens for years growing up, and they STINK STINK STINK. Plus, they’re very ungrateful.
Hee – the idea of expecting gratitude from chickens has me laughing my ass off. All animals are ugrateful, aren’t they? Mister Boogers never thanks me when I clean out the litter box or feed him, after all. Heh!
* * *
Quick question about the house. It looked like there were some vents in the celing in some of the hallways or rooms. Are the vents in the floor or ceilings?
All the air and heating vents are in the floors. There is one vent in the ceiling of the dining room/ floor of the guest bedroom that appears to be there just to let the air flow between the rooms. If you stand in the dining room, you can see up into the guest bedroom, so once we get that made into the guest bedroom (at first, it’s going to be the foster kittens room, until we get the bonus room over the garage finished), we may need to cover it up so that no one accidentally catches sight of my parents wandering around the guest bedroom naked.
* * *
Putting up a fence and using the cats collars to keep them inside will take care of them. But have you considered that in the country you’ll also need to make sure animals such as raccoons and possums don’t climb over or dig under the fence to visit the new neighbors?
Fred has mentioned perhaps putting up an electric fence outside the perimeter of the fence in the back yard, because I reallllly don’t want to see any possums in the house, and I ESPECIALLY don’t want to see a raccoon racing through the house. We are only planning on letting the cats out in the yard during the daytime, though, and if I recall correctly raccoons and possums are nocturnal animals. Maybe having the cats inside at night will cut down on the possibility of having raccoons and possums in the house – or am I being naive?
* * *
Those kittens are adorable. Do they convey?
I actually had to ask Fred what “convey” might mean in this case. I learn something new every day! The kittens have gone to a new home with the people who are selling us the house, so in this case, they don’t convey. But the owner did say that if she couldn’t find homes for all the kittens, she’d give us a call (we mentioned that perhaps we could foster them for the shelter if she couldn’t find homes for them).
* * *
How do you choose the “previously” quotes at the bottom of your page? Do you keep the same ones year after year, or do you mix them up?
They’re pretty random – I usually go to the old entry and scan down the page until I find a line that catches my eye. Often I end up using the same quotes from year to year, though it isn’t on purpose.
* * *
* Are Debbie and Tracy willing to have you share the links to their online journals?
I doubt that they would, but even if they would, I wouldn’t want to share the links. Tracy’s journal is far more personal and private than mine is, and I’d hate to send an influx of strangers over there.
* Which brother just moved back to Maine, and whose the brother whose wife had the WLS?
Tracy just moved back to Maine, and it was Tracy’s wife who had weight loss surgery a few years ago.
* How do you react when you come across people (like the ones whose house you just bought, for example), who do not spay and neuter their cats, let them have litters of kittens, get them declawed, etc.? I’m assuming you don’t agree with these practices (?), and I don’t either, but sometimes it’s hard for me to figure out whether I should speak up or just bite my tongue. For example, I catch, neuter, release and feed feral cats in my neighborhood, and recently I caught one that was obviously a pet–friendly and purring, let me pet him, etc., but very neglected (fleas, ear mites, long claws). I tracked down his owner who informed me that he “likes to live outside with the ferals and the raccoons.” She then informed me that they were moving soon and asked if I wanted a cat. We already have two cats and two dogs, so I don’t need or want another cat, but I had a difficult time deciding whether I should confront her about her cat’s condition, and whether I should offer to help her (through the local cat rescue that I work with) find a new owner for her cat. What do you do in situations like these? Do you feel a moral obligation to speak up on the animal’s behalf, or is it better to keep the peace?
It’s really hard to know what to do in that case – because on the one hand I really want to say something like “Oh. Will you be having your cat – who has already had two litters of kittens – spayed? I notice you’re having a hard time finding homes for all those kittens. Wouldn’t you be happier if you didn’t have to find homes every year?”, but on the other hand, I think that most owners with unspayed/ unneutered cats KNOW that it would be the responsible thing to do, to have their cats fixed. I know that the owner of the house we’re buying said that she needed to have her cat spayed – and she clearly felt a bit guilty about the fact that she hadn’t.
Once we’re in the house, should unspayed/ unneutered cats start showing up to hang around the house, I will have NO PROBLEM catching them, having them fixed, and releasing them. If it seems clear that their owners have abandoned them and they have no place to call home, I’d happily work with our no-kill shelter to find them a home.
If I were in your place and a neighbor said they’d be moving soon and asked if I wanted another cat, chances are good I’d just tell them I’d take the cats, then work with the rescue to find the cat a new home. Clearly the neighbors don’t have that cat’s best interest at heart, and I think all cats deserve to have homes where they’re loved and appreciated.
On a side note – y’all remember
when I put up some pictures of the cats who lived in my sister’s apartment complex, and asked if anyone was interested in adopting them? Well, the jackasses who owned the cats moved – and left the cats behind. My sister belongs to a local
Freecycle mailing list, and ended up sending out an email asking if anyone would be interested in adopting them – and it seems that she’s found a home for them. Yay!
* * *
I was reading MSN’s Emmy predictions today and saw this: “though it sometimes feels like the same-o, same-o two-step.” ARGH! Made me think of you.
You’d think a professional news organization would have caught that one!
* * *
I was wondering what Spud is doing after you move? Is she going to college or traveling? Is her dad coming to her high school graduation?
She’ll be moving with us – the college she’s planning on attending (at least, I think she’s planning on attending it – there was a point where she was thinking about attending college in Rhode Island and living with her father, but she hasn’t mentioned that recently) is less than ten minutes from the new house, which makes it kind of convenient.
I don’t know if her father will be attending her high school graduation – nothing’s been mentioned about it at this point.
* * *
I am glad to hear that everything went well! Here’s hoping that your liver is okay and just biled up! Fortunately, you don’t seem to have any bad habits, except for Fred, anyway (and Fred has been proven to be be beneficial to livers, I am told.)
I think that “Proven to be beneficial to livers” should be Fred’s new tagline. Hee!
* * *
Did they say that they found gallstones when they took the gallbladder out?
They didn’t find gallstones, actually, but said that my gallbladder was “inflamed, sludgy and sandy.” Which doesn’t sound like a good thing!
* * *
Has anyone suggested that the gas and shoulder pain was due to helium, which they pump in you so that they can move organs around during laparoscopic procedures? The shoulder pain is quite intense as the gas is caught in your body.
Several people mentioned this after I talked about the shoulder pain. The weird thing is that it was always the same shoulder that hurt – and the shoulder hurt more than anything – and it would hurt no matter what position I was in. I can’t say that I miss that shoulder pain at ALL, and if my shoulder never hurts like that again, I’ll be happy camper!
* * *
I read where 1/3 of all patients who have gastric bypass surgery develop gallstones and should take supplemental bile salts for the first 6 months after surgery. Did you hear about that? and if you did, did you take bile salts?
I had heard that some number of gastric bypass patients end up needing to have their gallstones out, but I hadn’t heard of supplemental bile salts. I wish I had!
* * *
A potential new tagline: Bitchypoo: A sandy, sludgy and inflamed place since 1999
That tagline, along with an angry-looking cartoon gallbladder, would be perfect!
* * *
Have you guys considered getting a ride on lawnmower?
We’re planning on getting a tractor with a mower attachment for the back part of the property, and a riding lawnmower for the area around the house. I’ll be responsible for the area around the house, so hopefully we’ll get a riding lawnmower that isn’t too hard to use!
* * *
How about pygmy goats? I’ve always wanted one as a pet, but I live inside the city limits.
Ever since the day a few years ago when we visited the
roadside petting zoo with bitty pygmy goats, I’ve wanted to have pygmy goats. I don’t appear to be having any luck convincing Fred though, unfortunately.
* * *
Warning: Possible Rescue Me spoilers in this section; skip to the next if you haven’t seen the Season 3 finale.
So, do you think Tommy goes to the great ladder in the sky and makes his presence as a ghost next season? There is a next season, btw, starts filming in Jan. ’07.
I bet Tommy’s going to end up dragged out of the burning house at the very last moment and Janet will end up nursing him back to health.
That Sheila is a crazy-ass bitch. I can’t STAND her. I don’t see why Jimmy’s ghost is so damn devoted to the crazy bitch, personally.
* * *
do you really have stalkers? you have mentioned it a few times. i find it so odd if its true that because people read your on line journal that would want to stalk you.
As far as I know, I don’t have any stalkers. When I mention leaving out details to thwart stalkers, I’m really just kidding. I mean, I wouldn’t go out of my way to advertise my home address or where I’ll be at a certain time on a certain day, but I don’t think I have the sort of journal that attracts stalkers.
* * *
I have to disagree with Deb about the hairstyle. You have very fine hair Robyn, if my memory serves me correct. With a cut like that, the hair is texturized to look choppy and spikey, but fine hair hasn’t got the strength to pull that off. It will either lay flat or stick out, and most styling products used to create this look are too heavy for fine hair to handle. Your hair looks cute the length you have it now. Have you ever considered a body perm? (not a tight or curly one)
I have considered a body perm, but at this point I’m trying to do as little as possible to my hair, and coloring it comes first. Maybe when my hair starts growing back in (which will hopefully be in the next few months), I’ll think about a perm.
I actually decided to leave my hair style the way it is. You’re right – I do have very fine hair, and I don’t think my hair would work very well with that hair style. I think the reason it looks so good on Fred’s cousin is because she has thick, straight hair. My hair is fine, kind of thin, and tends to curl. I re-discovered this past weekend that if I just blow-dry the top about halfway dry and leave the rest to air-dry, it ends up looking pretty good.
Sadly, this is a lesson I need to re-discover every six months or so.
* * *
Any plans for a big vegetable garden?
Oh, definitely! We’ll be planning a ton of vegetables next year, and we’re going to see what works for us, and what doesn’t. The funny thing is that a couple of weeks before we found the new house, Fred sent me an email that read, in part:
When we move, I want:
1. 2 apple trees
2. 2 pear trees
3. 2 peach trees
4. 2 plum trees
5. 1 or 2 lemon trees (if possible to grow)
Further, a 1/2-acre garden plot with:
1. irrigation
2. corn
3. green beans
4. tomatoes
5. okra
6. peas
7. squash (yellow+acorn)
8. watermelons
9. cantaloupes
10. peppers
11. sunflowers
A small pond, maybe 1/3 acre, with:
1. catfish
2. bream
3. bass
4. ducks
Add cucumbers, onions, and potatoes to that list.
* * *
How does your stomach like the corn? I know I can’t have too much, for very specific reasons, and while I haven’t had gastric bypass, I have issues that makes me have to eat like I have.
Actually, the corn doesn’t go through me as fast as it did before I had weight loss surgery! I don’t eat a lot of corn, and when I do I’m careful to be sure to eat my protein first, which tends to kind of “buffer” my stomach against the carbs I eat later in the meal.
The corn we got down the street from the new house last weekend ended up being a bit of a disappointment. It was mushy and just not that good. DAMN IT! The tomatoes were awesome, though.
* * *
Is your house one of the Sears Roebuck houses people used to order from the catalogue? All the material would come by rail. They are such classic styles and yours really looks like one.
I actually had to ask Fred if it was a Sears Roebuck house, because I hadn’t heard of such a thing. He had, but he says that the new house isn’t one of those. I did a little Googling, and anyone interested in seeing pictures of the Sears Roebuck houses, you can see them
here. Some of them are really pretty neat-looking.
* * *
As always, if you have a burning question, leave it in the comments and I’ll get around to it one of these days!
* * *
Instead of finding another cat bed (of which there are MANY scattered through the house), Mister Boogers opts for a precarious hanging-over-the-edge-of-the-table position.
I bought a woodpecker seed cake at the store a few weeks ago, not to attract woodpeckers but because the package said that chickadees also are attracted to it. I haven’t seen any chickadees on it, but the squirrel certainly enjoys it.
Sugarbutt on the left, Tommy on the right, squirrel in the middle. Neither Sugarbutt nor Tommy can get too close to the fence (or their collars will zap them), and I think the squirrel has figured that out.
Sunset from our back yard.
All of today’s uploaded pictures are
hither.
* * *
Previously
2005: Give me some of that, Barbara Bush, you ignoramus.
2004: No entry.
2003: Because believe it or not, it never once occurred to me that the Walton family was comprised of hillbillies.
2002: Look, I drink a gallon of water a day. I need to know that I can pee when I need to, so stop rolling your eyes at me.
2001: No entry.
2000: Can I tell you how much I loathe Bret Easton Ellis?]]>
Milk face.
I adore this picture.
“Hewwo. I am Miss Maddy Mack. Welcome to my cat carrier. It’s small but cozy, and there’s a stuffed monkey for cuddling. I’m growing (I weigh 13 ounces now!), and it’s time to move on to a bigger house. I want to sell my carrier, but I need the help of professionals. Welcome to the newest episode of Sell This House!”
All of today’s uploaded pictures are here.
This is Adah, who belongs to Lara. Lara says I think my favorite cat-yawn might be the post-yawn, demonstrated by Adah, here. I have to say, I love the post-yawn, too. I don’t think I can count the number of pictures I have of Mister Boogers with that exact look on his face. Hee!
This is Ginger, who belongs to Joan, who says [Ginger has] lots of personality & ruler of the house (much to the dismay of our other cat!). I think I can see some personality, there!
Mister Boogers hates you.
This is Lola, reader Melinda’s Beagle. Melinda says, This is Lola, my 4 yr old beagle. When I snapped this picture last spring I thought of your yawning kitties so it is only appropriate to share. What a cutie! Almost makes me want a dog. 🙂
Look! It’s a Sugarbutt lookalike! (A Sugalike!) This is reader Leanne’s cat Basil (and that looks like a disapproving Boogalike over there on the left!). I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I love orange kitties, have I?
These two are Pita (on the left) and Pepper (the yawner). They belong to Donna, and if you want to see some cute cat pictures, you should check out 
This is Zoey. She belongs to reader Hulda in Indiana. I love the attitude she’s got going on.
Hulda’s Zoey again. I swear, when I first glanced at the picture, between the black cat, the red collar and the cat chewing on something it shouldn’t, I thought it was Tommy! What a cutie pie.
Leo the mighty lion roars! Leo belongs to Hulda’s mother, who lives in Iceland.
Leo again. Now THAT is a hard-sleeping cat.
Leo’s sister, Krista. I love how sweet and soft she looks.
Thanks for sharing, Hulda! The rest of you – keep ’em coming!
This is Shelly’s cat Piglet. Shelly says, Her hair is so short b/c it’s her summer haircut (which she LOVES) b/c not only is she a piggy eater, she is Pigpen dirty too. And she CLAIMS it’s a yawn, but I don’t know. That kind of looks like a “Come closer and I’ll CHEW YOUR FACE OFF!” look to me.
Okay, so possibly Sunny isn’t yawning – but obviously he’s thinking about it. Sunny’s momma, Sandy, says His name is Sunny, a/k/a Mommy’s little fat boy, and the toy on his back we call Pookie. We have two other cats, Ollie (who is a total camera whore) and Rascal (pretty old and doesn’t want to be bothered). Oh, how I love the orange kitties!
This is Jill’s Toonces. Jill says, Toonces is such a “Diva Cat”. I have a group of three pictures which include this one I’m sending you in a picture frame on the wall in my office. People always comment on her pictures and the cat lovers who see these really enjoy them and it sparks a lot of conversations about their cats, too. Needless to say, her pics are quite the conversation starters! I love this picture – not only does it look like it was professionally done in a studio and everything, but also Toonces apparently yawned so hard her pupils popped right out and rolled across the floor. (Jill, I LOVE that you named your cat Toonces!)
Mister Boogers hates you.
This is Robin’s pretty Mango, who is apparently wearing a Disney Princess hat, which isn’t in the picture. I think we should all buy Disney Princess hats for our cats. I know Mister Boogers would look smashing!
This is the beautiful Gracie, who belongs to Dana.
Dana’s Karpuz (who looks less like s/he is yawning than complaining about something. Hee!)
And Dana’s gorgeous Shadow. I love checking out Dana’s 
That’s Harry on the top, Izzy on the bottom. They belong to reader Debby. Thanks for sharing, Debby!
(I love the way cats’ eyes look so evil when they’re at the biggest part of a yawn. It cracks me up!)
"These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve."
