Too many ups and downs with the cat to post something every day---what happened one day was cancelled out the next. Last post was the night before the appointment to drop her off at the UGA Pet Health Center... They drew blood and found low counts of red and white cells and platelets, and arranged an appointment for her at the Vet Teaching Hospital. Took her straight over there and dropped her off, all before noon. Cancer had spread, likely to the bone marrow, consistent with the bloodwork. Prognosis was now less than a month. They kept her overnight to make sure she was eating, drinking, vitamins, whatever necessary to get her into the best shape possible. Sent us home with a medicine you put on her ear to stimulate appetite. NOT to stop giving the steroids, but now double the dose---2 pills instead of one. It took her 2 days to recover from the hospital stay. Then a couple of good days. Then another downturn. She began fighting me when I tried to give any meds. We had built a good a relationship. I didn't want to spoil it fighting with each other over meds at the end, and you can't stop steroids abruptly. It would only get worse. Took her to the UGA ER and had them put her down Thursday.
Hi Nancy, sorry to hear this about the Little One, I agree that you made the right decision. You both made a great pair.
Thanks everyone. This is harder than I thought it would be. My last stage of grief is always bargaining (what if I'd done things differently). Sometimes that stage never ends. On a positive note, there are new little ones in the bluebird house, 2nd round nest. They should leave in a couple more weeks.
I did get a chance to try out the new chain saw briefly last Tuesday. It's so light. Feels like a toy. Only had time to try it on one 4" tree limb down on the fence up near the house. It cut well, as well as the ECHO gas. The chain is slightly narrower than standard. I wonder if you could replace it with a wider bar and chain? Maybe a narrow one cuts better, IDK. There is a wild cherry tree down right beside the goat barn. Been dead for a year at least. Cutting that up will be a good test. Next time I have to mow the lawn out there. High yesterday was 97. No end in sight. No rain to make the grass grow. It may be a while.
A narrower chain probably encounters less resistance, so extends battery life. And I've been experiencing the same slow-growing grass issue here in the middle of Virginia. I've been looking at getting a zero turn mower because I cut 6 or so acres, and they cut better and in half the time as my tractor's belly mower does. Plus it keeps the hours off of my tractor. I just don't want to spend the money on the model that's required for a lot this size. The slow-growing grass has helped me defer the decision.
Yeah, I bet that's it! Oregon makes a narrow chain and bar that fit. I have 8 regular chains hanging in the basement. Whenever one got dull I just bought another one. Could never get them as sharp as brand new ones. I could try harder to learn. These batteries should outlast me even if it cuts down the time, in this weather. We'll see. I'd like a zero-turn mower for out at the farm. Lots of triangles. Hard to maneuver a tractor riding mower. I always end up going in circles at the end---big circles. No place to keep either type in town.
My neighbor sharpened the chain for my gas powered saw, but it was still lacking, so I bought an Oregon chain from Tractor Supply. When I worked on lawn mowers in a prior life, we had a jig to sharpen chains. It was electric, had a grinding wheel you set to the proper angle, and stops so you could advance the chain one link at a time where it would automatically stop. It was fast & fool proof. My hesitation is two-fold. First, a lot my size requires an entry level commercial model. Second,prices have increased significantly since COVID. There is a dealer that has one on the lot that they've used to cut their own grass. I went out there with my neighbors to help me shop, and Harry had me write down the model#. I looked it up and it's a 4 year old model, so it's been sitting there for a while. It's marked down $2,000 from the original price, and is $4,000 less than the current model year. They will finance it over a 3 year period, but I just got out from under car payments. The thing will turn my 4-5 hour imperfect tractor/mower job into a 2 hour work of art. I may go out there tomorrow (end of the month) and see if they can do better on the price. The guy told me his boss said to get it off the lot, so the door is open.
Thanks @Joe Riley. That was interesting. All stuff I've done. I wonder how big her property is. She walks it, toting a chain saw and gas. I looked at her other videos. In THIS ONE she even has goats and adopted a stray cat. One of the most fun things my mother and I did out there was clear two roads through the woods. Neighbors had barking dogs at two corners of our property and the goats would not go near those corners. The only way to take them to the other side of the lake was to bypass one of the two corners. Needed roads for the utility vehicle so my mom could come along. I haven't been on either road for years. Probably couldn't find them now.
RE: .... my avatar, the Tree of Life The Tree of Life appears, in one form or another, in many ancient and not-so-ancient mythologies of diverse cultures around the globe. It represents the meeting and melding of the earthly and heavenly essences, the harmonious intermingling of all forces acting on our lives as we pass through this cosmic cloud of being. The roots reaching down into the earthly plane, the branches reaching up into the heavenly sphere. This particular piece of artistry as shown in my avatar was created by hand from twisted copper wire, small black beads of an earthly gemstone, the rootball made of mossy earth, and the bonding agent of clear acrylic epoxy resin holds the delicate tree together. It was made by a friend of mine from Central America who also teaches disabled children to go about their lives with confidence and pride. I am proud to wear this around my neck to remind others of the spiritual nature of the eternal life forces with which we live.
I'm sorry about that. I know how you feel. I had a cat who got cancer at the age of about 22. She couldn't eat regular cat food, so I moved to the gravy foods, and then some special formulas that were practically water with added nutrients. That helped her get around more and gave her a couple of months in which she didn't look like she was miserable. Then, she started painstakingly picking out the medication that I had crumbled into her food. Yes, I could force her mouth open and make her swallow the stuff but she hated it when I did that, and it just seemed too cruel, and it wasn't like it was going to save her life, just lengthen it a week or so, maybe a month.