Miss Greta Loses One of Nine Lives - A Cautionary Tail/Tale

We came very close to losing Miss Greta this week. Suffice it to say, we learned a lot, but we didn't have fun. What we thought was a problem with hairballs, turned out to be a severe urinary tract infection. We learned that simply because a cat is throwing up, it can be a lot more serious than hairballs. I want to thank my friends on Plurk and Twitter for their very helpful suggestions - particularly, the friend who gently reminded me that cats usually aren't "sick" with hairballs. Fortunately, that suggestion stuck with me and we got her to the vet first thing Friday. Because our Miss Greta is one tough cookie, the vet thought she probably had this infection for some time and it just suddenly brought her down. Through every one's thoughts and prayers and excellent veterinary care, Miss Greta is at the deck door right now cursing at the birds - just two days after taking her to the vet. She's a ways from her usual perky self, but she's back on the path.

On a brighter note, I want to give my Yankee Ingenuity Award to FNB Plastics for developing the "Original Spinning Wheel Cup Holder." One of the down sides for spinning, at least for me, was that I didn't have a place to have my coffee or soda near. I could move the wheel near a table, but then it blocks the door. When I'm at a spinning event, the cup has to go on the floor and then I'd have to stop spinning and reach down and grab it. It just wasn't efficient. Now, the cup holder sits on top of the wheel, at least for the Ashford Joy wheel, and I can drink, many times without stopping the wheel. There's models for many different wheels and more in development. To attach, there's bolts that fit through the open spaces in the wheel, so there is no glue, no drilling into the wheel. The cup holders are made in the USA and are reasonably priced from the manufacturer (mine was $30, with shipping). FBN Plastics can be found at www.fnbplastics.etsy.com



On the Needles: I seemed to have skipped Sock Pair #13 - so I am actually on Pair #17 which is from Trekking Hand Painted. I'll have to get the numbering straightened on Ravelry. (No wonder math is not my strong suit - I can't even count!)




Off the Needles: Since it's been a little over a week since I've blogged, I've finished off Pair #14 - the Bubble Hand Spun, which was photographed last time; Pair #15 - a pair of socks from leftover Regia self-striping (I think) with vanilla heels and toes from Brown Sheep Wildfoote; Pair #16 which is left over hand-dyed sock blank with Wildfoote heels, toes and cuff in a burnt orange.

52 Books in 52 Weeks/Book No. 35: The Piano Teacher by Lynn York. This is not the usual type of book I pick up; however, one of the blurbs said that Ms. York was a cross between Agatha Christie and Flannery O'Connor - two of my favorites, for very different reasons. Other than the fact this was "sort of" a cosy mystery and it was set in the South, I didn't catch the resemblance. An okay beach read, but then I'm not a beach person.