Category — Friday Blog Roundup

Another week and another vet visit for Beorn. This time he was having trouble walking on Monday morning. He stumbled around as if he were drunk when he moved at all. The vet took an x-ray but found nothing wrong. He was out of statis, and his stomach and intestines were filled with food. He was a little dehydrated but perked up when given water. He said his teeth looked good despite not coming together yet.

He came home and ate solid food for the first time in weeks — a blueberry — and he followed it up with a chunk of banana the next day. We spent the week working on water consumption because he wasn’t getting it from vegetables.

Poor little Beorn is pretty much the same, though drooling a bit less. Hoping he perks up this weekend because he normally loves Pesach cooking and getting all of the leftover parsley.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

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But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• Nothing… sniff.

Okay, now my choices this week.

A lovely post from The Next 15,000 Days with pictures from a hike, complete with haiku. She explains: “It was a moment that felt just perfect—I was exactly where I wanted to be … It’s not the life I once planned, but over the years I’ve learned to love it just as it is.” It’s a beautiful poem and post.

Lastly, The Road Less Travelled writes about an emotional weekend. She attended multiple memorial services as well as watched an event that was steeped in recent loss. While difficult to attend, these memorials were also moments of connection. As she wrote about the ride home: “In the car heading home, dh said, ‘I’m so glad we went.’ Me too. Life is short — way too short for some. 🙁 Treasure the people you love. Make the effort. You won’t regret it.” Sending another hug.

The roundup to the Roundup: Over a month of syringe feeding Beorn. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between April 4 – April 11) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

I didn’t know what to put in this space because it would honestly be more about Beorn. Any brain space that is not dedicated to work is given over to Beorn because it takes 1.5 to 2 hours to get food and medication into him each day. A case in point: Beorn is next to me as I write this, having his critical care. Afterward, we’ll clean his scratches with ointment and get things ready for his next set of medications in half an hour. I feel like I’m either in a state of getting ready to do something for him, doing something for him, or cleaning up from doing something for him.

So that’s it. My non-update about why I can’t think about anything else except my sick pig, who is currently eating baby food and critical care but hasn’t eaten solid food yet. I put my finger in his mouth last night, and he tried to bite it, but I could barely feel it. His teeth are so tiny now. At least he is finally pooping and peeing after multiple days of nothing.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “What I’m Doing Along With Freaking Out” (Stirrup Queens) – thank you, Phoenix and Jess!

Okay, now my choices this week.

Finding a Different Path gave us a positive brain dump. Positive moments are personal, but I smiled at the ending: “Making this list actually has made me feel appreciably happier and lighter.” We could all use that (and blooming orchids).

Lastly, Infertile Phoenix marks her 10th survivor anniversary. She writes, “It’s officially been ten years since I stopped fertility treatments, stopped tracking my cycle and every sign and symptom, and stopped trying to conceive.” Her plans to mark the day didn’t unfold as expected, but maybe that’s the perfect way to mark the day.

The roundup to the Roundup: Once again, still waiting for Beorn to bounce back. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between March 28 – April 4) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

Beorn stopped eating his vitamin this week, which is definitely one of his top five favourite things, along with timothy treats, apple slices, head rubs, and when the Wolvog tickles his armpit. Looking at that list, he had been off timothy treats for weeks, moving slowly with the apple slices, and not into moving around, much less popcorning after a tickle. So that left us with head rubs. He still asked for head rubs by leaning into my hand and nudging me.

He also wouldn’t eat a blueberry. That was the last straw. I called the guinea pig specialist, who agreed to see him that day. I jumped in the car to bring him over because I was desperate enough to leave him at the clinic – one of their policies, which makes me anxious. It was my last resort option.

Of course, when I got home, I discovered the stinker had eaten the blueberry without me noticing while I was on the phone.

The vet did not find anything obviously wrong with him. He let her examine his teeth — twice — and they looked normal to the eye. He didn’t have any lumps or impactions. He was clearly thinner. He had a heart murmur that may or may not be connected and some inflammation on his paws. But one big point was that my normal vet didn’t give me the correct amount of critical care he should have been receiving to keep his intestines moving. I was giving him less than half the daily amount.

So that’s what we’re trying now. An anti-inflammatory painkiller + the correct amount of critical care. Hoping this gets him back to normal because I could not concentrate without my baby in the house.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “Good Advice” (Stirrup Queens) – thank you, Jess!

Okay, now my choices this week.

Slaying, Blogging, Whatever writes about stress and worry. Namely, that dreamlike quality that hangs over unusually stressful times (9/11, the pandemic, etc), and how it normalizes after weeks or months. She fears the dreamlike stress state currently unfolding will one day become normal, which may be worse than the unreal state.

Lastly, The Barreness also writes about the situation unfolding in our country and at the local level. After a disheartening council meeting, she reflects: “To look for the good; I stood beside people I socialize with who were there to fight for more protections for people they don’t know, maybe know, and love. I took heart in that.” I too wish there was a superhero coming and agree that it’s up to us.

The roundup to the Roundup: Still waiting for Beorn to bounce back. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between March 21 – 28) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

We end the week with Beorn pretty much exactly the same as he was last week. He has not lost weight, but he isn’t eating a lot. I think the antibiotics are killing his appetite, so I’m eager to see if he bounces back next week because the antibiotics will be complete. In the meantime, it’s Critical Care three times per day.

Another bummer: spring break wraps up, and the twins go back to school. Trying to enjoy the weekend, but it’s kind of a teary mess coupled with the drippy stench of Critical Care. Cheers?

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• Nothing… sniff.

Okay, now my choices this week.

No Kidding in NZ highlights things she is thinking about as she ages without children. While she talks and writes about it, she also acknowledges that she needs to take action, and she has rounded up various tasks she needs to do. She writes: “Please forgive the repetition. I think I use these posts as motivation to actually get things done! Let’s hope it works.” I think it’s a good reminder for everyone.

Lastly, Finding a Different Path writes about her husband’s birthday celebration. She makes this point: “We are a family of two (plus cats), and we do everything we can to squeeze as much love and joy out of our time as possible. We have fun and, in a way, treat ourselves as our own kids.” I love that idea — to treat yourself to fun and celebration. Happy birthday, Bryce!

The roundup to the Roundup: A non-update update about Beorn. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between March 14 – 21) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

Beorn has been off all week, not acting like himself, which means that I have been off all week, not feeling like myself. I feel such a deep responsibility for this guinea pig and the fact that he depends on me to figure out what is wrong and address it.

The two main issues are that (1) he isn’t consistent. One day, he’ll barely eat things he normally loves, such as lettuce, but he’ll chow down on an apple slice, and he never fails to beg for his vitamin. The pig LOVES his vitamin more than anything else in the world. So he eats, but he’s eating strangely. And (2) we no longer have a vet specializing in exotics. We now have a general vet who normally focuses on cats and dogs but will care for our guinea pig when needed. So, taking Beorn to the vet is a little different than taking a dog because it’s outside his focus. The only vet we know in the area who treats exotics wasn’t taking new patients the last time we called, and we don’t have an emergency situation where our vet could call in a favour for her expertise.

We’re going to our vet, but I wish Beorn could tell me whether to chill or whether something is wrong.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “Beauty” (No Kidding in NZ)

Okay, now my choices this week.

In Search of Motherhood gives an update after a long time away. I liked the title because it’s no small thing to continue moving forward during an impossibly difficult time: In Which Our Heroine Is… Still Standing. Sending a hug because the pain comes through her words.

Lastly, Hopelessly Infertile and Surrounded by Fertiles closes out a hard month by reflecting on a difficult situation and the need for transparency and honesty when giving disappointing news. She admits: “I don’t know what to do with these feelings. They go away most of the time, but in this season, they come back. How happy I was to be there for them then. And how sad it makes me now that I was ever happy for someone who treated me so shabbily.” It’s a hard situation without an easy answer.

The roundup to the Roundup: Not sure what is up with Beorn. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between March 7 – 14) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.