If she's only got a short time left, I want it to be a low-trauma as possible for her.

I so get this. I'm sorry, Consuela. I don't think there's an easy answer, but you will find the right one.

I hope you get definitive answers, even if they aren't the ones you'd like.

I refilled the birdfeeder at 7 am after being stalked by an angry little house sparrow. Little tyrants.

You'd think I'd at least sleep until the alarm goes off, but no, I was even before the lights on timers come on that I forgot to reset. Which is like 5 am. Managed to at least stay in bed until Loki got to the point of attacking everything that moved.

I'm sorry, Consuela.

I'm sorry, Consuela. My sister had to put her cat (The Amazing Belly Princess) down yesterday.

mr. flea's cousin is deaf from birth and fluent in ASL and I am friends with him on Facebook and his English is definitely "as a second language" caliber. Verbs are the most different from what you'd expect, and they're different from what any spoken English language learner I've known comes up with as well. (Certainly deaf from birth people can learn correct and fluent written, and even spoken, English, but my sense is John was not raised in a family that supported him well - his parents did not learn ASL, for example. Which makes me all, WTF? Knowing him I can very much see how a separate deaf culture is so important to many.)

Verbs are the most different from what you'd expect, and they're different from what any spoken English language learner I've known comes up with as well.

I'm going to second this. We have an ASL teacher who is deaf as is his entire family (wife and kids at least). As an English Language Learner, his writing does have odd verbs, but generally gets the prepositions right where a hearing a person from a spanish speaking home can often get the verb itself right, though conjugation and use of first person pronouns is wacky and prepositions are almost entire wrong.

Best thoughts to you and TNG, Consuela.

Thanks, folks. I could get a few more years, I suppose, except I don't know what's going on with her hindquarters.

And flea, I saw Nutty's post on LJ yesterday. Pets should not get old, damn it.

That's the third cat of friends who have died this week. Sheesh, I begin to think I've cursed them or something.

Woke up to a lovely smell this morning -- there was a chemical spill in a nearby town. The chemical that spilled? the one they put in natural gas to give it its smell.

Timelies all!

I'm sorry, Consuela.

Meanwhile, the pilot light on our water heater has gone out, and won't relight. Now waiting for the repair guy.