My owner, Rosie, a black and grey tabby who is a *sleek* twelve or thirteen
pounds wishes to join this elite club. She is meant to be on a diet, but it
isn't in her vocabulary. What would we do without our furry friends?
---
Joan

Sammy wants to join the group.  He is an 11 yr. old (or thereabouts) nine
pound Shih Tzu mixed with Lord only knows.  Sammy came to us at about age
five from a no kill shelter.  He was shaved bald because when he was found
wandering the streets he was matted beyond belief.  He has congestive heart
failure and takes three different meds. twice daily.  He still likes to play
though and loves all his toys.  Even though we think his toys belong in his
basket, he thinks the red one lives in front of the coffee table, the blue
one lives in the middle of the family room floor and the other 50 live under
our bed.

Sammy is the sweetest, most loving little guy you could ever meet.  He was
put on this earth to snuggle and he does it very well.  We don't know what
happened to him to put him on the streets, but we know his life since we
found him has been the best it could be.  He is loved and we are loved by
him in return.

Jean

Hello!  I was a member a few years back, thought I stop in again to see how
everyone was doing.  I'm surprised to say I only recognize a few "old
timers".  Fire Chief and your great jokes - I so appreciate a good laugh.
Diane Chamberlain - how many books do you have out, now?  I left before
Larry died, so sorry to hear about his passing - I'm sure he's in a better
place, pain free.

My household is close to a petting zoo:
Ms. Murphy, a ~10 yo red mini doxie (who rules the roost)
Otis - an 8 yo Rottweiler - my bozo boy
Freedom - a ~6 yo White German Shepard

Milo - an 8 yo Maine Coon tom cat who can't, but hope springs eternal
Ms Mini Meuw - a 1 1/2 yo tuxedo we fostered at 1 day, who now considers
herself  a human, and queen of all she sees.  She's a small cat, and is so
confident that nothing bad could happen, that when she's picked up, she'll
roll over on her back, supported by just our hands, and go completely limp
so her head and butt are hanging towards the floor, and her legs are, too.

Then add to that a hamster named Oreo, and hermit crab that I'd like to name
gone, two parakeets, and assorted fish.

I have RA, Fibro, OA, HBP, and Diabetes.  I just finished having the Rituxin
infusions, and I'm just waiting.  I'm coming out (I hope) of a major flair,
the first since going on disability.  It was horrible after the first
infusion, I think because of the prednisone.  50 mg the day of, back down to
my usual 5 mg the next day.

I need to vent a little, so you may want to skip the rest...

I dropped my RA yesterday, and have an appointment with another in Feb.
Should have done it years ago.  She's a good RA, but I think she's more
interested in $$$$.......
- If you miss an appointment and didn't cancel, you're charged $80.  That's
OK, it's your fault, etc, etc.

- If you have to call in for a refill because you forget to tell her at your
last appointment, you're charged $12.  That's OK, too.

- She writes most scrips for 12 months, and occasionally there's an overlap.
The pharmacy will only fill a prescription for 12 months, they consider it
expired, even if there are refills on it.  When that happens, I get charged
the $12.  I can even live with that.  Don't like it, but I can deal with it.

- Now, I'm taking Percocet.  She prescribes 50 pills, which is about a 2+
week supply, and I have to get a new written presc. each time I need a
refill.  She set it up, told me to just call in and a presc. would be
waiting for me.  Plus (which she did not tell me) a $12 charge.  No pay, no
pills.  As it happened, I didn't have any cash on me, I had just run across
town to pick my grandson up, and was close to the office, so I ran in, and
got hit with that.  I don't think it's right, and told them.  I've been with
this doctor for 20 years, and her response to her staff was "it stands - no
pay, no presc."   I cancelled my next appointments.

So I'm now without pain meds, and without an RA, at least until Feb.   I
don't lose my temper very often, I usually get tongue tied, forget how to
talk, etc.  After I cooled down, I thought D**n, talk about cutting off your
nose to spite your face.  I should have keep my mouth shut, paid the $12,
found a new RA, and THEN dropped her.

Thanks for letting me vent.  I hope y'all have a nice (pain free) weekend.
Sharon in VA.

I think I'm having a brain fart tonight.  Can someone interpret:

*GSH* yellow tiger cat
*DSH* gray and white tuxedo cat
 Black *DLH*  'dog?'  'cat?'
*DSH* gray and white tuxedo cat

 and:
*TAILS* for medical help we couldn't provide.

Thanks in advance.  Clooney's giving me a suspicious  (dirty) look
because I couldn't answer these for him.  He thinks they might be
something he's missing out on, because everyone *KNOWS* he's
entitled to any and all good stuff for cats...

I just pay the bills around here.  The rest of my time is
demanded ~*oops*~ deVOTED to serving His Majesty.

Ginnie      >^..^<
_______________________________

We share our home with three cats (inside), two dogs (outside), and one
mainly outdoor kitten.

Katie is the senior member of our feline family.  She is a ten year old
16+ pound long haired black and white tux.  She is the queen of the
family and loves to show who's in control.  Daisy and Dingle are four
year old sister and brother calicos.  Daisy is a tri-color little girl
and Dingle is gray and white.  Dingle is definitely the wild man of the
house.  Daisy is quite inquisitive and loves anything shiny.

Peanut is our 2 1/2 year old pit mix rescued dog.  He is so
affectionate and sometimes quite silly.  Scooby is our one year old
chocolate lab who is staying with us until his family can find a new
place to live.  He is one sweet but goofy guy.

Itty Kitty is a feral kitten from the strays who I feed.  I have let
him in to eat since he was big enough to come around.  It began when
the adult strays wouldn't let him eat and I have continued it to keep
him gentle and I hope to find him a home.  He has become quite a
cuddler and thinks he 'rules the roost' when he's here.

Angela