Joys and concerns

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Well, it is official and I cried most of the day yesterday, but I have put Etoile up for adoption on petfinder.com I hope to find him a good home soon. We simply just cannot keep him, and any progeny as we have no room or time to devote to becoming breeders. I am very sad at having to give him up, but it the best move for his and the girls' health and safety.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

I have received 7 emails so far regarding Etoile, and I have deleted all 7. Not a single one of them has been legitimate. Not one of them has contained correct grammar, sentence structure, or can even tell me what kind of pet he is, despite my posting a photo. One even asked me the pets name, which is listed in the ad!

I was hoping that this would be a good solution to the problem, but I am so frustrated I could scream! I think of all of the pets that need a home and all these people can do is think of ways to scam others out of whatever they can get. We will make it work if we have to. We will find a way to put him in his own place and keep him as long as he lives if I can't find him a new home soon.

This decision was hard enough, but now to wade through the garbage to get to the real people who want to adopt him, *sigh*.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

I have a joy to share. I heard last night that Ruby Rebecca Wenning was born on 12-11-10. She came in at about 6 lbs. and some odd oz.'s This makes the 3rd child for my cousin Jason and his wife Marie. (Jay is 2 years younger than me.)

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

My mom announced on Christmas day that she will out of a job my this time next year. She is estimating 9 months as a more realistic time frame. Her boss is taking a buy-out from the parent insurance company he is an agent for. The company is phasing out agents in favor of phone banks and on-line presence like their competition.

[DJ]

Kim,thats terrible.Please take care.I knowyou willbe there foryour Mum.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Thanks. I hope a new year means new hope for us all.

[DJ]

I will second that.....

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

My best friend Kelley, who is the most un-flappable person I know,is flapped. Her dad, also named Kelley (she was named after him) has an enlarged spleen and bacterial infection. Her dad is 70 and is about 6'3". He has gone from 210 lb. to 165lb without trying to lose weight. She and her family are waiting for the test results to come back. Dr.s are trying to figure out why his spleen is enlarged and what is the cause of the infection.


It's pretty serious. I've never heard Kelley sound scared before, but she sounded that way last night on the phone.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

On a separate note, Etoile has been given a cage of his own and a roommate. After trying very unsuccessfully to find him a home, we decided to keep him. We set up the old cage next to the girls cage so he could still see and sniff (but NOT touch) the girls. Luna did have 6 babies (and the little devil got her pregnant right away!) and we were able to tell a boy so we kept one and put him in with Etoile about 1 week after the separation. Sol (Latin for Sun) is a dust colored male and he and his father are getting along fine.

So, imagine my surprise about 3 weeks ago, when we in the process of separating out the babies to go to the pet store, I am helping by moving the girls and the babies to the travel cage, (Narzain has gone to the bank, so I am all alone here) when I discover 2 "pinkies". Cloud had been pregnant too, and we didn't know it. So, there I was with 2 very small and newly born (about 1 or 2 days old) babies that you usually don't handle due to how delicate they are.

OH S***! So quickly I scooped and placed then got the girls in with them and the other babies, freaking out the entire time. Luna is the size of a mousy Winnebago at this time and I am worried about her. Everything went fine and now we come to Sunday.

Luna had her babies a few days after Cloud, and we were just seeing them Friday/Saturday. This means that they are ready to be weaned by mom and can go to the pet store soon. So, Sunday (1/30/11), we decided to clean the cage because we can now safely handle the babies.

CHAOS THY NAME IS MOUSE!

All heck broke loose. Luna had 9 babies (my little girl, the over achiever!) So, now we are trying to wrangle 11 babies and 2 adults into the travel cage. One jumped onto the floor, one the counter and the travel cage got knocked into the sink,causing one to end up in said sink, and we each got bitten (no blood) which is unusual.(Everyone was captured and recovered quickly.)

All in all, not good,and more traumatic for me then them.

We are going to enjoy the quiet.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

I talked to Kelley on Tuesday evening,and the internist said that her dad has 2 growth's the size of a man's fist on his liver. They are cancer.The internist said surgery, radiation, and chemo will probably be the course of treatment. His entire liver will have to be removed, so Kelley and her family are going to get tested to see who is a tissue match.

I could tell Kelley had been crying and I in the 20 years I have known her, I have only known her to cry 1 time,and that was when one of her nephews was killed in a car accident. Kelley is not a crier. She just is not the touchy-feely type. If anything, she is the toughest person I know.

Her dad is a retired Iron-Worker,who is also a carpenter,and has done work in the auto industry. He was in the Navy. To her, he's Superman. I know this going to be hard for her and her family. Her dad is kinda larger than life and now....

Sorry. Please pray. Please keep a good thought.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Kelley's dad passed yesterday.

[A.]

I am sorry to hear of your friend's loss...thoughts and prayers are with her and her family.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Thank you. The funeral was yesterday and I hope now the family may find peace.

[Narzain, The Minister of Awesome]

As you may or may not know, I've been dealing with a minor heart condition for a while. It's called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and it means that part of my heart muscle is overdeveloped. Yes, in my whole flabby body I have one beefed-up muscle, and it's not one I want that way. Figures. It's either caused by or the cause of my high blood pressure, and symptoms include pounding heart (out of proportion to exertion) and occasional dizziness. Recently I had a barrage of tests done at the Cleveland Clinic: echo, stress test, EKG, MRI, chest X-ray, you name it. The end result: the specialist recommends surgery.

Yup, open-heart surgery. I don't know the details of the procedure yet, but in a couple days I should know when it's scheduled, and I hope to have a consult with the surgeon so I know exactly what I'm getting into. I do know it'll involve a 5-7 day stay at the Clinic, and we're figuring on a few weeks recovery time at home. The up side is, my specialist is one of the top doctors in the country with HCM, the surgeon is also one of the best in the country, and I'll be at the Cleveland Clinic (which, as a friend of mine says, "invented the heart"). So I'm in very good hands.

Kim & I are dealing with this, each in our own way, with varying levels of freaking out. I'll be wigging worse as it gets closer, and she'll be getting better as 'crisis-handling mode' takes over. So between us, we should be okay. We (which will mostly wind up being Kim) will keep you all posted on the progress of things.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

That indeed I will. I will remind all of you when we get closer to the time what is what and whom to contact if there are any problems.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

We have a date.

May 5.

He will have a full sternal procedure, which means that they will open his breast bone. There may also be a repair done too if they find it necessary. He will be in ICU the first night and in a step down room 4-5 days. He will have a 6 week recovery and may be cleared to return to work after 4 weeks for light duty. He will not be allowed to drive during this time.

He will have to go under another chest x-ray and EKG (which he just had on March 28, but it will be more that 30 days....) and a heart cath which was already ordered by his cardiologist (which is why he was sent to the specialist in the first place!)

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

I have some good news. Rose Mary Wenning is my newest cousin. She entered the world on April 8, 2011 at 7 lbs. and 4 oz. All are well.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Yesterday, Narzain had a heart cath and they found 2 blocked arteries, one major one (70%) and one minor (not sure just how blocked) Today, we met with the surgeon who was very nice and he said they will bypass both arteries while they are in there. Narzain's age (just turned 40 in February) is in his favor as well as the fact that his over all health is excellent. The procedure will be 5 hours and we will not know until next Wednesday evening which of the 2 surgery groups he will be in, 5:15 a.m. arrival or 10:00 a.m. arrival.

I will not be near a computer until May 6, but I will let all of you know what is going on.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

O.K. my head has been up my hindend for a few days. Narzain is just fine and recovering nicely. His surgeon said that he may be home by Wednesday or Thursday, and that Narz looks really good. Buddy boy took his first walk in the hall yesterday and spent most of the day in a chair, and by last night, was reading a book, which he has not done since being admitted.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

He came home yesterday. He will be staying with me until I and he feel that he can handle being back at his apartment. His apartment is an old house that was split into 4 flats and he must go up 2 flights (short ones like you would find in your home) but stairs all the same. I took him to my salon to have his hair washed and get a shave, both are his first is a week. He felt much better.

I finally slept for the first time in a week last night. I think I can finally get my anxiety to "stand down".

[Narzain, The Minister of Awesome]

Hey, all. I'm back in the real world. Doing pretty well. I get a rasp in my throat pretty often which makes me couch (no fun at all), but I have very little actual pain. More like a baseline discomfort unless I try to move more than I should (or in a way I shouldn't). And, of course, everything makes me tired. But other than that, I'm feeling well and alert.

Thanks for your support & positive energy!

[Paul]

SOOOOO glad to hear you are up and around!

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Narain will have, what we hope will be his final appointment with the cardiologist tomorrow (Wed.) and will be released to go back to work. His rehab appointment is Thursday. We hope that all will go well and that he will only have to make an annual appointment with the doc from now on.

[Narzain, The Minister of Awesome]

And I'm free to move about my workplace. The cardiologist visit went well, I've got my rehab plan, and clearance to return to work and to the Y. And there was much rejoicing.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

My friend Kelley who just lost her dad in March to liver cancer, is now facing the diagnosis that her mom has lung cancer. They think they have found it early.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Narzain returned to work this week and all seems to be going well.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

My great-aunt Bootsie ( real name Ruth) passed away on Saturday. She had bypass surgery last year and just seemed to have problems off and on since. She evidently developed MERSA and went into hospice. She was just Aunt Bootsie to me. (We don't stand on formality in my family.) She was my maternal grandma's sister in-law, and her husband, Chucky, was just as funny as she was. Between the 2 of them, I learned more creative swears than I could have ever come up with on my own.

They had 3 girls and 2 boys, the most children of any of my grandmas siblings. For my mom, she was the cool aunt when she was growing up. My aunt was 79.

So the next time any of you enjoy a beer, please think of my aunt, and toast her for me.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

On a separate note, my cousin Sarah (I have 2, one with the "h",one without, both on my moms' side) apparently had a mini-stroke and is in physical rehab and should be home this week. She is just over 60.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

I had my first car accident today. I am fine. The car,not so much. Not totaled, but not driveable either. I am shaken up and weather is the very utmost cause. Snow. I was going slowly and was on my way to the library. I turned the corner and car met curb. The right front tire is UNDER the car. See, when I break something, I don't go half-way.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Well, I am fine, the car is back and I have my check from the insurance company. My mechanic was able to fix it with no problem, and it turns out that it was mechanical failure and not driver error that caused my problem. My control arm (for those of you who don't speak car, that is what makes the wheel turn) broke. This is a very delicate part and a good pot hole can fracture one. My mechanic thinks this may be the case and that I must have hit ice or something causing just enough torque to snap it.

All in all, not a bad situation, and now I can make jokes. Saturday, I was shaking and crying throughout the day. I have never had been in or had an accident before. So, as a first time for everything moment, not a bad one.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

On Leap Day, Kim Harrison, author of the Rachel Morgan urban fantasy books, came to a branch of my library system. Not only did she Q & A a question for me, we all got meet and greet with her. I too my omnibus of the first 3 books to be signed and got an early b-day prezzie from the boyfriend of the new book that just came out, so I got to have BOTH signed! Not only that, I and the boyfriend had our picture taken by Kim's husband and it is on her site, kimharrison.net, under events, look for the Cleveland appearance, or check out my profile page, and you can see it in my photo gallery.

[Paul]

Kim wrote: "On Leap Day, Kim Harrison, author of the Rachel Morgan urban fantasy books, came to a branch of my library system. Not only did she Q & A a question for me, we all got meet and greet with her. I to..."

Awesome! Great pic. Thanks for sharing dear friend :)

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

In case anyone is interested, I have just posted photos of the wedding flowers I have made for my best friend and her up coming event next month. All are made from silk flowers and the pictures are on my profile.

Narzain took them for me since I don't have a digital camera.

[Paul]

Very pretty!

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Thank you sweetie!

I should note here that Paul has been able to see them in person, so he has seen the details that did not come across in the photos and that he is just a real sweetheart and being most kind.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

I got a scary email yesterday. My best friend Karen (I have 3 total, Connie, Karen and Kelley) emailed me to tell me that she found a lump yesterday morning. She is working on getting a mammogram scheduled ASAP. I will be going with her to her appointment and I will keep you posted.

The new avatar is my way of showing my support.

[Paul]

Bummed big time. My Uncle Traynor passed this morning at 6:30. He was the last living sibling of my mother's. The funeral is in Tennessee and I won't be able to go. Please send thoughts my way.

[Narzain, The Minister of Awesome]

Kim: It's okay to be scared; that's a scary email to get, even if the odds are good that she'll be okay. We're with you, and thinking positive thoughts Karen's way.

Paul: Oh, man, I'm sorry to hear that. More positive thoughts going your way.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Oh Paul, I am so sorry sweetie. You are most assuredly in my prayers.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Karen has an appointment for Friday (5/25) at 9:15 in the morning.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Just came from the mammogram. Karen is just fine. If it gets bigger or a problem, she is to come back.

[Paul]

That is AWESOME news Kim!

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

This is very hard for me to type this.

I got a call from Kelley last night, to tell me bad news. It appears that one of their dogs decided to make a commentary on the up coming wedding on Saturday. Kelley's fiance raises pure bread Mastiffs. They only have a few at a time, and one female (fixed) is their family pet. The male stud was home from a recent stud out and was in the yard. Their personal dog, Candy, was in the basement as she and Max do not get along. (He's a little young for her to keep up with.)

To set the scene, Kelley was worried that I had made her bouquet too long and that it would catch on her dress (which I have not seen) so she and her sister were going to shorten it (I offered) on Saturday. Kelley's future mother in law was also over. Her future let in Max, who looks nothing like Candy,(the future claimed she thought she was letting in Candy) who then promptly worried the bridal bouquet to shreds and then, peed on it.

Needless to say, a new bouquet was ordered on line, her future mother in-law paid for it,and 2 hours of my life are gone with a stupid act by a stupid person (trust me,there is precedent here). Kelley is upset, I am hurt, and the new bouquet is at her sisters house for safe keeping.


At least I have pictures.

[Paul]

Kim wrote: "This is very hard for me to type this.

I got a call from Kelley last night, to tell me bad news. It appears that one of their dogs decided to make a commentary on the up coming wedding on Saturda..."

Oh Hon. HUGGIES and comfort to you.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Thank you sweetie. I am hoping in time that this will become a funny wedding story, and not the sick feeling I have now.

I hope to post pictures of the wedding,me,and the Narz looking, as he put it "spiffy" and of course the cake , which is being made by our own Paul. I will let you know when I post them.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Y'all are gonna love this one.

I was telling one of the Y employees on Wednesday what had happened to the flowers as she is quite interested in what I did and how the wedding stuff is going along. Another patron overheard us,looked me right in the eyes,and said, "Well, that should be a lesson in humility for you." and walked away. To say my gob had been smacked was an understatement.

Me,a humility lesson? Am I that arrogant?

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Well, the wedding went well. I have posted a few pictures on my profile. I did not get the wedding party as I wanted to because there were no photo ops at the wedding and they did not bring their flowers to the reception. I hope to get a digital photo from the bride when they get home from the family honeymoon.

So, the bride wore a white ball gown with crystals and a sweetheart corset top, strapless dress with a lace bolero and tiara. She was absolutely gorgeous. The bridesmaids all wore strapless floor length satin with a "diamond" detail at the one hip, with bolero jackets. The color was a deep,rich Marine blue. The groom and ushers were in black tuxes with Marine Blue pocket squares and white shirts.

The bride wore a second gown to the reception as the ceremony gown was borrowed from a family friend. For the reception, she wore a strapless satin sheath style gown with crystal detail at the waist and cross-cross ruched sweet-heart neckline and a lace bolero, and the train was pinned up.

The ring bearer and flower girl were both dressed in their First Communion dresses with matching Marine blue sashes and tiny tiaras.

The food was banquet hall food, but the bar! EEEEE! It was cheaper to provide their own liquor than have the hall do it, so it was top shelf all the way baby!

I, who do not drink, had 2 Tanqueray Gin and Tonics, 4 glassed of champagne, Kahlua and cream, and a shot of Cuervo 1800 Tequila with the bride. No hangover, never got sick. (Big grin.) I learned that I like Amaretto Sours but I do NOT like Dewars. (UGH!)

I danced. I shook my groove thing,I shook what my mamma gave me, and I dropped it like it's hot.

I had a blast.



Went to the doctor today for regular appointment.

I am now at 351.2 lbs. I have lost more weight!

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

I am in need of prayers for myself. I went to the eye doctor on Tuesday and I now need too see a specialist. All my doctor could say is that something is "not right" with my right macular. I need to see a specialist and she can work with my regular doctor to get me a referral to the Cleveland Clinic Eye Center.

Here's the scary part. I can only see 100% out of my right eye. I had a bleeding retina in my left several years ago that left me with a center dead spot. I have peripheral, but not dead center. So, fear is a big part right now.

I am at a day by day thing right now. I must stress that my vision is just fine, and that hopefully this is a normal thing for me that she just hasn't noticed before or wasn't enough of a concern before to be noted.

I will keep you posted.

[Paul]

BIG hugs to you my dear. Call me.

[Kim, Wild-eyed Bibliomaniac]

Thank you. I will.