Sweetest girl.

This is Mercy, and I adore her. I go into Ithaca Grain and Pet Supply just to see her. They discovered recently that she has cancer in her jawbone, which can be pretty painful. She has still been acting really good, though, eating pretty well, visiting customers, talking, purring.

I saw her last Thursday, and went back in today just, of course, to see her. I couldn't find her, and worried a little, but she was still so good Thursday. When I had the chance to ask the woman working, though, she told me the sad news. "She passed Friday night," Sarah said, really sad herself.

Mercy was 18 and just a wonderful, sweet, quietly friendly cat. I am so glad and so lucky to have known her. As my friend Tom said when Chewie died, slightly amended here, "Thanks for sharing your life with me, little girl. I'll miss you."

Ergh.

I was woken up by the sounds of gunfire this morning.

No, I don't live in a bad area.

Just the deer do.

ODE TO JOY

OH the monkey joys
we have shared together, Boof
Miss your sunny smile!

But fear not, Buttum
Forever will we be one
Monkey, Donkey, PIE.

Happy muffins, FuzzyDave

That's RIGHT ...

I'd forgotten: Whilst the lovely Elly was staying with us last week, I came out one morning to find the CO detector pulled out of its wall socket and lying on the floor, which I thought was a really odd thing for a cat to do. How they ever got it out I have no idea. Maybe it was a joint effort. I still wonder if one of the humans did it in their sleep.

But the detector that was right next to the heater never went off. Too close to the floor? Possibly. Of course, I held it right over the vent in my bedroom the other day when I was worried, and nada.

They came and took the heater out of the wall this morning so they can fix it and replace it. How keen am I on having the same heater back again? Norman may become my very best friend.

I do have a fireplace, but I'm scareder than ever to have a fire in there. And Norman said he sure wouldn't trust it to be properly upkept after all this. One of my heaters could be an anomaly; two that are completely unconnected and unrelated to each other? That's something else. I have half a mind to go knocking on my neighbors' doors to warn them.

(The heaters are like those units in hotel rooms that have the ac/heat buttons and the knob for warmer/cooler. Totally self-contained.)

Gas Man (a la Jazz Man?)

The day I moved into this apartment, almost a year ago, I called the landlords about a smell I feared was natural gas. Mr. Landlord popped in and said he didn't smell anything, but that his sniffer ain't so great either. He didn't think there was a problem. I feared I was overreacting and carried on, still always worried.

Finally, last Thursday, I called NYSEG to ask if that sweet smell was OK. Their answer was along the lines of HOLD ON, SOMEONE WILL BE RIGHT OVER! I actually laughed. But around 7, Norman arrived.

And found a leak in the living room heater.

Well.

Now it turns out there was more to the problem than Norman found. Handyman T replaced the "whole heater" today. I walked in afterward and ... really really smelled gas. Handy T had checked everything thoroughly and not gotten any readings from his gas detector, so maybe it was something that happened during the changeout, but ...

See, the house next door to my parents' exploded a few years back. Yeah. Exploded. A guy was clearing bushes (hired to, not randomly roaming the neighborhood), and the roots must have been wrapped around a gas line everyone thought was shut off. The missus was home and somehow survived mostly unscathed, but the house was gone in like 5 minutes. Cracked our foundation and some walls, too, and made our siding look like crinkle-cut fries.

So you can follow the trail to my not being so comfortable with gas.

Now I won't turn it on until Norman comes back and smells the same things I smell and says it's OK. He is supposed to be here 7ish, which is now. I felt groggy till about noon this morning, so I am kinda concerned. The cats seem OK, but you never know.

NORMAN!!!

8:52 p.m.
Add carbon monoxide to the list.

That's right! Can I get a "radon!" from the house?

Gas is shut off to the heaters. So it's cold in here. Yes. Melissa offered their guest room, but packing up the cats is .... well it's something. So as long as we're safe here, and Norman ASSURED me we are (though he was pretty sure of that last Thursday too) ... space heaters? Well, the one time I plugged one in here, the wall outlet got hot. GOOD TIMES. Maybe I should rent that room ...

So I would like to make this funny but my hands are cold. What the landlords are going to do now I don't know. Norman recommended replacing the heaters. *Shite.*

SWEET DREAMS!!

TARGET KNOWS WHAT'S
GOOD FOR YOU

TARGET KNOWS ALL

Think they're so big.

Where do toasters get off telling me how I want my toast? NO, if I PUT IT BACK IN AGAIN, I WANT IT DARKER, you presumptuous little snit.

Getting all uppity since they got their cancel button and all.

(That said, the one I have now really rocks. Can't diss little red magic there.)

It's a Law

Whenever someone says, "You really need to get out more," you are obligated to laugh.

W00T!

Freedom fried birthday
Maybe this year you will meet
Mit Romney. Monkey!

Kitties! Kitties! Cats!
OH MY GOD THEY’RE EVERYWHERE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAWK!


... man.