Things that I wish that I did not know existed -- Calvin & Hobbes slash.

The juxtaposition of Vortex and askye's posts is making my head spin.

Does anyone have any opinions on various types of warming kennel pads? We have an electric one that I have never wanted to just plug in and leave (and if I'm around, Harvey may as well be on my lap). The time I put a towel in the microwave to warm it, Harvey squirmed away from it. I looked at a couple styles that could be heated in the microwave - one smells bad when heated (neoprene) and another is a hard plastic disc that is uncomfortable for some pets. Then I started looking at the ones that passively reflect body heat. The ones with the best reviews mention a crinkly sound, which I think indicates a layer of mylar, Space Blanket stuff. I'd like to get something more cozy for Harvey's little house than old towels so that we can turn the themostat back down while leaving him feeling toasty.

WS, my cat is very fond of my thermal blanket. I think it reflects heat back to him while being very soft. If you bought one and cut it down so a couple of layers fit into Harvey's sleeping space, that might be nice. I'm afraid I don't have a brand name or anything, as it's an old blanket that I got when we split up my parents' house contents. I can look around and see if I can find similar online.

ETA: This looks similar. [link]

Oh yeah, those are soft and warm. Thanks for hunting up that link. But I think cutting it might make the edges unravel in the washing machine. I can get a mylar-lined, machine-washable kennel pad of the right size for half the price of that blanket.

Oh, man, Tim's dad is getting on my last nerve, and I am having a hard time being compassionate and understanding. Right after Thanksgiving, he started calling and asking when we were going to put up his Christmas tree and decorate the house, etc., for him. So that weekend several family members (meaning, MORE than just Tim and me) decorated his house for Christmas. And this was a HUGE help, because for the past 3 years, it was ONLY Tim and me who decorated, and it took so long we would have to go out to his house 2-3 different times just to get it all decorated.

Then 2 days after Christmas he started calling and saying, "All the Christmas decorations are still up but Christmas is over. When will they be gone?" TWO DAYS. (I never, EVER, take these calls, because if I did, I would scream at him about entitlement and not being a dick to people who are doing him a favor and hey, maybe just don't force us to decorate next year, hey?)

So Tim is talking to him now, and the plan is for several family members (i.e., once again, more than just us) to un-decorate next Sunday. And Tim's dad, for some reason, is vehemently opposed to it being several family members and doesn't want a lot of people there and wants it to be just Tim and me. And there is NO WAY we can get all the decorations down and put away by ourselves when it took 8 people to put them up.

Tim is explaining patiently to him that, if he wants the decorations down, we need help from the people who helped up put them up, because we can't do it all by ourselves. Tim has the patience of a saint. I would not be able to keep my calm with this nonsense.

And BOY, do I feel bad that I'm not being compassionate and understanding that his dad just wants to maintain the traditions and such that they've always done when Tim's mom was alive -- and I GET that -- but seriously, if you ask for help, you can't dictate the terms of it. Or, I mean, you can try, but that isn't going to work.

Oy, I feel you Steph. My mom does the same thing. She wants help, but only on her terms from certain people.

My grandmother was like that too, especially after my grandfather got sick and after he died.

The thing is, he loves having his family around him, so I'm not sure why he's pushing back against several people helping un-decorate next weekend.

As for dictating the rest of the terms (i.e., "Why are the decorations still up?", etc.), I get that he has less and less control of things as he ages, and wants to have some control over something. I do get that. But still, it's very frustrating.

Again, feeling you. With my mom, it's that she wants to prove that she is important to you by making you dance to her tune.

My grandfather (RIP) would only accept certain help from my mother, aka the only one of his four children who lived in another state. He had one son 30 min away, one 15 min away, and one next door. Literally next door.

IOW, don't blame you at all.