Things I did not know

So, a list, of sorts of things I did not know until recently (being a relative term):

• Cats can be allergic to fleas
• Cats with fleas will probably never totally get rid of them, at least in this area
• Flea control is the goal
• This can be achieved by treating with Advantage (or similar) once monthly
• Flea bombs don’t work
• Flea baths don’t work either
• Cats who are allergic to fleas need a shot of steroid to get their little immune systems to calm the heck down and let the cat’s skin heal.
• Steroid shots equal almost-instant miracles happening.

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So, yes.  The pestilence is pestering one of our pets, and she was so miserable I took pity on her and had an evaluation done by the vet.  I learned many things at this visit, most of which are recorded above.

Almost makes me wish we still lived in CT, where fleas were not so much of an issue, but then I saw a few pictures of what is happening there today and I went all ‘nah, I’ll keep North Carolina.’  Lordy lordy – they have yet more snow, and it’s thick and fluffy and the one picture I saw of someone’s mailbox almost completely buried in snow reminds me of the winter of 1995-96 when we had so much snow that our cars were buried and nobody was getting noplace and I was stuck at home with a newborn I didn’t know how to operate.  And then I got the heebie-jeebies about that and turned right back around to accepting the fact that I live in the south now and even though it’s only the beginning of March we already need to bust out the lawnmower to cut back the recent rampant growth of weeds that is burgeoning in the front yard.  Oh, and maybe turn over the garden to prepare it for planting, because it’s time for that too.

No, really – planting.  Peas and suchlike.  Cool-weather crops, possible lettuces and broccoli as well, though I’d have to check the handy-dandy planting calendar calculator we picked up last year at around this time.  We were late getting in the Spring garden last year, so this weekend might find us scouring the racks at one of the local garden stores to gander at baby plants.  Because I don’t think there are going to be any more crops grown from seed; they take too long and it’s too easy to overlook things like ‘thinning’ and ‘weeding’ when you can’t tell which is the weed and which is the crop.  We had some issues last year in this regard, if you must ask.

Since we’re already out of the diced tomatoes we canned last year, I’m eager for garden season to start up again.  This year – more tomatoes!  And a dedicated patch in the garden for herbs - I stink at growing herbs in pots.  Hardly ever works out the way I want.  Oh, and if I see any volunteer plants this year, they all get ripped out by their tiny stalks because I shall not have a repeat of ‘pumpkin summer.’  Ain’t nobody got time for that!

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We all had eye exams yesterday.  Biff and I had the pupil dilation thing done.  6 hours later I still looked like

 that cat up there and was squinting like a vampire under a 100-watt light bulb.  No wonder people were looking at my funny as I ran the post-appointment errands, I had the wonky Bowie eye, doubled, and that just looks like you're on drugs, my friends.  WHICH I AM NOT!

And with that, I wish you a very Happy Weekend!  Tiff out.