Happy Birthday Zenkitty!

I was super-nervous and flop-sweating this morning, but Mom's follow-up with her surgeon's office went very well. The pathology came back and her cancer was non-invasive and non-aggressive, so she doesn't require any additional treatment—just regular exams to make sure it doesn't reoccur. The nurse practitioner said if you have to develop cancer, hers was the kind to hope for.

What a relief, Matt!

Glad to hear it, Matt!

Matt that is so good to hear!

Last night M noticed something going on with Scrappy the cat's mouth. I thought it might be an abscess because it looked kind of swollen. M held on to Scrappy while I applied a hot compress for awhile and then this morning M was able to basically cuddle Scrappy while he applied the compress.

We were able to get a vet appointment and it's not an abscess, just a cut on his lip. So he has antibiotics.

This morning I was trying to just give him a little comfort and he got really angry , hissed and when I couldn't get my hand away in time bit me. Ok that's not true. I actually tried to pet him right before that and he clearly didn't want to be petted and I ignored his boundaries. So I disinfected the bite and washed it and have been periodically and liberally applying hand sanitizer to my hands. It's a little sore but that might be some bruising.

Scrappy also scratched M's arms all up and it's going to be an adventure giving him medicine 2x a day for 2 weeks.

Oh, that is awesome, Matt.

Yes, it should be reported as improper use of a hammock.

I know; I even felt a little guilty as I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

Good news, Matt! Glad to hear it.

I'm so sad for my niece. The Bayistas may have seen the news about a young father from Berkeley who went running in the Pleasanton hills on Saturday and disappeared. It was over 100F that day, but he is an ultramarathoner, and yet, there has been no sign of him. He left his cell in his car at the trailhead, so they have no way of tracking him.

Anyway, he was my niece's boss for a couple years, and he continues to be a valued mentor, and so she and my sister went out there on Monday to help with the search. M is just distraught. He had a 3-year-old and a ten-month old. It's so sad.

I even felt a little guilty as I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

That guilt will come back to haunt you. It will.

Matt, that's wonderful news about your mom. Not so wonderful with the cat bite. Keep an eye on it, and if there's *any* redness or swelling, go to the ER. Friend of mine wound up in the hospital on IV abx for four days with a cat bite he ignored. I'm not saying that's what happens, but it can, and quickly. Just keep an eye on it.

We hardly ever drink coffee anymore. I'm actually over it, except for the memory of how good it was. We used a little motel room sized 4 cup Mr. Coffee, with excellent locally roasted shade grown, bird safe beans we ground ourselves. And the instant the coffee was done it got decanted into a stainless steel thermos that had been sitting ready full of very hot water. No burning, no icky. I do miss coffee. Both on a cold wintery morning, and also in summer, when I stuck leftovers in the fridge long enough to freeze into slush, and then had the equivalent of a "blended" Iced coffee.

While tea is lovely, it's just not the same.

Great news, Matt! What a relief.

Yes, what Beverly said about the cat scratches and bite. They may well heal fine, but watch closely.

That is hard, Consuela. Comfort and strength wishes for all.

Mornings here are pretty chilly so I have taken to changing up my usual black coffee routine. My diet encourages such things as heavy cream so I add a couple tablespoons of that along with cocoa and stevia for a lovely keto morning beverage. It seems to warm me up more efficiently than plain black coffee.