Smidgin, my CH kitty passed away today after a short illness.

His CH condition made his legs splay out so he didn't walk as much as sashay but it never slowed him down. He had a funny way of running and kept up with Danny when they went outside.

Whenever I returned home from being out he would run up to me purring loudly in greeting and purred louder when I picked him up.

In the evening he would poke my butt to let me know it was time to go to bed and race to the bedroom and jump on it waiting for me.

Danny and him finally made peace and they would always eat together and often slept near each other during the day.

He was a good cat and I'll miss him terribly.

Farewell friend.

Well, the visitor (aka Pixel) had gone elswhere a few weeks ago. I had expected it would happen but expect to see him again when it gets near winter. Two are enough for me. Danny behaves but Smidgin is climbing over everything and has ruined one set of window blinds already. I'm also worried about him on the kitchen counter and accidentally turning on the stove or knocking things off.

A couple months have passed since my visitor (now Pixel {or Pixie for short} has made himself home here. I'm thinking he was someone's pet at one time who no longer has an owner. I live in what was a senior's mobile home park and a couple of the older residents have passed away recently so he might have belonged to one of them. He's very friendly and has been sleeping on my bed at night along with Smidgie. Smidgin gets along with him and Danny is getting used to him as well. They lay down in the computer room waiting for me to turn in for the night. I say "Bedtime" and they form a parade line to the bedroom with Danny in front (he wants treats) Smidgie in the middle, and Pixie in the rear, stopping every few steps to see if I am keeping up with them. Treats are given and a few minutes later they join me in bed. I just need to know that he recognizes his new name and responds to it before he can go outside with Danny and Smidgin.

When I opened the garage door the other day, another cat was nosing around like it was going to come inside. I don't need any more visitors.

I came into the house one night and when I turned on the kitchen light there were three pairs of eyes looking back at me. I have two cats so having a third pair of eyes was a surprise. He must have come in when I had the garage door open and went through the cat door into the house. Afraid of me at first, he ran out into the garage and hid, only coming in to steal Danny and Smidgin's food and get warm. After a couple days (and putting out some food just for him) he got over his shyness and decided I wasn't an evil demon and vocally wanted scritchies.

Danny tolerates him, Smidgie gets along with him with no problems. He apparently has been in some fights before showing up at my place as he has some sores which I am having treated at the shelter, There is one that may need a stitch or two. I haven't given him a name as yet but I'm thinking of calling him Pixel after Robert Heinlein's cat who walks through walls. That and he looks like a black dot when he's curled up.

I think I'll keep him.

Well, my birthday came and went quietly. Dinner with my sibs, gift cards, no presents, no cake, and no balloons. Funny thing, most of my birthday cards came from my doctors and stores.

Thanks to all who wished me a happy birthday. *hugs*

In a little over a week I'll have reached the grand old age of seventy three. Not that I regret it, Hell no. I feel a bit sad when I don't even get Facebook or X balloons and have to explain to my inner child that when you get a certain age people don't treat you the same way.

Here it is December and I have hardly posted anything. Nothing much has happened here. My two furbabies have gotten used to each other although there are moments where I hear a hiss or two. Smidgin has decided that curling around my head at night is his preferred sleeping spot. Good thing I wear a CPAP mask or I'd find it hard to breathe. He also has the habit of dipping his paws in the water fountain to drink. One night he did that and then jumped on the bed and gave me a wet willie.

Milton's gone. I wish I could see where my old home was since it was in the middle of the storm track. My friends are OK for the most part and I hope everything gets back to normal for them soon.

October is nearly over and I haven't ridden my trike as much as I wanted. I replaced the front derailleur and its cable. The shift levers are not easy to work and need to be rethought as far as location goes. I've moved the controler to where I can see it and change the settings. I've also mounted the head of the radio under it so I am a 40 watt mobile as well. The antenna is mounted to the back of the trike and needs a flag for safety. I think I'll either have my call on it or "73's" on it.

Weird cats. Smidgin has a Napoleon complex. He thinks he is the boss even though Danny has been with me much longer. He has all kinds of sores and scratches because Smidgie doesn't retract his claws. Even though his is about a third the size and weight of Danny, he bullies poor Danny. Smidgin has also commandeered the computer desktop and using the trackball is almost impossible now as he thinks that I should be petting him and lays his head on my hand making it hard to move the ball around (and the need to clean it often). He has also taken to sleep at the top of my head at night though I don't know how he ignores the CPAP gear.

Seeing the center of hurricane Milton will pass right over my old home, I am afraid for everyone there. So many furries live in Tampa, Sarasota, Lakeland, Orlando, and Daytona. Please find shelter. *hugs*

A dear friend lost his mate recently from pnumonia and hyperthiroidism complications due to her not taking her medications for months. Please, please, if you are on meds, take them. If you can not afford them, look for a free clinic or charitable agency like the Salvation Army. It they haven't got them they should have a source for you to get them.

We are losing too many from avoidable things.

January is almost over and now I'm a bit older, but I don't feel that way. I'm a bit saddened that most of my birthday greetings were from advertizers and doctors. Then again, I didn't make a lot of noise or ask for gifts so I should not have expected much.

I have adopted a second cat. The shelter called him wobbles because he got CH (Cerebral Hypoplasia) in the womb. This means his brain didn't developed properly and his back legs spread out and he has no feeling in his tail. I've renamed him Smidgin because he is tiny (maybe from the CH) He is always underfoot and sleeps by my side. (I worry I'll roll over on him) Danny tolerates him though he got som nasty scratches from getting swatted. When I'm on the computer Smidgie taps on my butt for attention but he hasn't learned to keep his claws retracted and I get stuck. Either he wants the red dot or will bring his toy over to play fetch.

In one week I shall have reached the ripe old age of 72.

Another birthday and I don't feel old inside though I'm almost falling apart outside.

In one week I will have passed my seventh decade on this planet. I've been around the sun so many times I'm getting a bit dizzy. I don't feel that old though my body has other opinions on the matter so I guess I'm not immune to ageing any more than anyone else.

It has been a very long time since posting a journal. Most of it has been staying home as most things had been canceled or postponed. 2021 has been a weird year and I'm not sorry to see it go. It's kept me from doing things that I've needed to do as well as wanted to. I do hope to attend several cons this year. I haven't been to IFC, even though it is only an hour away. I missed MFM last year too under doctor's advice. I'm hoping the Ft Wayne furs will have some get togethers that I can join in on as well. I haven't been to the Children's Zoo yet, or the museums or anything else there. There are also a lot of second hand and thrift stores in Ft Wayne too. Indianapolis and Ft Wayne are about an hour apart for me so there are so many things to do once this Covid CF is over.

The Bunnybus is doing great other than a smudge on the nose from parking too close to the garage door when it opened and on the side where the power chair brushed up against it going out. I've added the bunny with balloons decal that I had made for me at MFM a few years ago and also added a callsign decal so if any hams want to chat while I'm on the road, they will know who is driving. I did forget that it has heated seats. I was driving and felt warm down there and thought that I needed to go back home and get changed until I realized what it was.

At home there is another antenna on the roof as well as a weather station. The antenna looks a bit like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree with a few more branches. https://i91.servimg.com/u/f91/11/21.....9/christ10.png The weather station is below it. If anyone wants to know what it is like here : https://www.wunderground.com/dashbo...../pws/KINPERU18

Anyway, I'll be 70 on the 17th. I'm tempted to take th zero off the cake and put it in front of the seven. I've no wish list, though I wouldn't turn anything down. I'm happy just to be here.

It has been an eventful month. This time of year a lot of people hit deer with their cars. Not being the normal kind of person, I got a RAM, the pickup kind. It didn't do much to it, just a dented bumper and a broken taillight. Me? It bent the hood and right fender but the plastic front end was smashed badly enough for the insurance company to total my car. I wasn't injured badly, though I suspect I fractured my clavicle from the seatbelt.

Bad as it was, it did make me upgrade my vehicle. I went from a POS Chevy Sonic to a 2020 Ford Escape. It is bigger and has a lot of toys like a rearview camera, lane warning signals, blind-spot warning signal, a large display, and keyless entry. I mounted my Kenwood ham radio in the pocket under the heater/AC controls. It matches the interior and looks like it belonged there all along. I had a trailer hitch put on so I could use a chair lift for my power chair. I'm much happier with the controls and the way that it drives. Not so happy with what the DMV socked me with for the registration.

Interestingly enough, I bought the wheelchair lift that once belonged to my stepdad. It was sold after he passed away and the new owner had it for several years before putting it up for sale. I found out and bought it back.

I have dubbed it the Bunnybus and will probably add a decal or two later.

https://www.furaffinity.net/view/41303206

Tired, weak, and a bit hungry, and happy to be home. Danny is very happy to see me too.

I’m still in the hospital and have started feeling better today. What the major thing is a return of the hernia from Hell. Problem is, that the area is so big that patching it would be difficult and would not guarantee success.
This is a lot like one I had back a few years ago. Any cough, sneeze, or sudden move would cause immediate severe pain, like someone was ripping my guts out . I have been given an abdominal binder, which is like a elastic band that gets wrapped around the stomach and puts pressure on the hernia. It works very well and I have not been in pain since.
Talking to the doctor, she said that I might go home tomorrow. Danny will be very happy to see me.

The day after I came home I had some headaches and dark diarrhea. My doctor told me to go to the ER and have them examine me, So now I’m in hospital for a day or so.

It was a rather strange day. We arrived at the hospital at 11:00 and didn't wait too long to be called into a room. They took a 12 lead EKG and put in the IV and had me prepped by 11:30. Then the wait. It was almost 1:30 when they came for me and another 20 minutes for surgical prep. Things like shaving part of my thigh (in case they couldn't use my arm) and strapping my arm down so it wouldn't move. No general anesthesia, midazolam and fentanyl for a 'twilight' sleep where I am awake but don't give a shit.

The procedure went well, I didn't need stents and was back in recovery afterward. Three hours of rest while they checked the artery where the catheter went in for bleeding, and then, I was discharged. I was lucky that not much was needed.

Tomorrow I get driven down to Indianapolis to the heart center for a catheterization. With luck, I'll just have a balloon angioplasty and a stent or two. Not exactly the kind of heart balloon I was hoping for, but I will feel a lot better afterward. The worse case would be a bypass with a scar that looks like Frankenstein's monster. I'll find out tomorrow.

Well, it looks like I've made it again. 69 and counting. I wonder what I'll celebrate with? 🎈🎈🎈🎈🎂

2021 has started and in one week I'll be reaching the grand age of sixty-nine. I wasn't sure I'd make it. It's been a rough year for everyone in many ways. and my health has suffered. The diabetes is under control though the neuropathy has my feet feeling like there is duct tape stuck to the bottom of them, I get various pokes, stings, and shocks in random places, and now have the bladder control of a two-year-old. Everything else is about as expected for my age. I could complain but it wouldn't accomplish anything.

Being winter in Indiana, I stay home a lot. I don't need any nasty virus to make me do this, it's cold outside. There are a lot of things to busy myself with. I still haven't gotten the house cleaned. Part laziness on my side, part not knowing where to begin. Also, I still have a lot of things that I should give away or toss out. I've already sorted out a lot of the library and plushies, I just need to get it and some other things to the ones who can appreciate them. I would like to get out and visit friends too, but that will have to wait until things improve.

So much has happened since January, and yet I haven't posted anything. Things good, bad, and otherwise. In short, life. I celebrated my 68th birthday earlier and just realized I am the same age as old folks. (Brrr, scary)

February I was at Javiroo's for the Daytona 500, which got rained postponed. We still had fun watching Masked Singer and playing games and had the usual parting breakfast at Cosmo's.

March saw me getting a power chair. I don't quite need it all the time yet, but it has been handy to have. I've driven it downtown a couple of times and even pulled up to the Burger King drive-thru in it. (Hey! It has four wheels)

In April I was taking lessons to get my General class radio license.

May was very sad. My mother passed away from the effects of Parkinson's disease. She was bed-bound, in pain, and could not speak anymore. A case of I'm relieved that her suffering is over, but I hated to see her go. I wasn't able to attend the burial because of COVID and the lockdown Michigan imposed.

I passed my General test in June and now am known as K9WET. That would be perfect if I had a puppy fursona, but Squeakybunny I am, and will always be. (and I won't explain the WET part) It would have been nice if I could have gotten N0POP as my call sign, but that's a different region and was already taken.

July was pretty uneventful. I got a multi-band radio with the stimulus check and put up a vertical antenna in the back of the house. It's hidden from most angles which is good because the neighbors can't see it and complain. Now I can talk around the world from my home.

The first weekend in August I took a train ride with my sister and her husband. Not an extremely far ride, but I haven't been on a train in decades. We also went to a place called Bailey's. It's a surplus store bigger than you can imagine. They have everything there except balloons and a couple of other things (maybe they were just out).

Fall is coming soon and I'll probably be seeing deer run across the road as I drive to Wabash or Logansport. I'll be careful and try to avoid hitting them.

That brings me up to the present.

So far the year has been promising. I've been getting back in to ham radio and involving myself with the local club. I also had changed my callsign because I'm in a different district and wanted to fit in with the region. Looking through what was available I picked K9WET as it made some sense even though I'm not a canine. It also has a hidden meaning that only those who really know me know.

I got a Mickey Mouse balloon as a birthday present to myself and put it in the bedroom on the bed table where I can look at it from time to time. Around 2AM a furry nuisance named Danny climbed over me and took off with it. The next morning I found it in the living room where he had been playing with it. I'm not sure whether it was because it was a mouse or that it was bouncing around that attracted him. Silly kitty should have his own balloon maybe?

I'm still trying to find furries local to me. Everyone so far is at least 50 miles away. I do have friends like Javiroo and CadpigJR in Ft. Wayne and Lil Jennie south of Indianapolis so I'm not all alone, but it is a decent drive to go visit them. I'm also going to try to get to one or more conventions this year if things allow. Screw that 'OK boomer' crap, I want to have fun and age doesn't mean squat.

I may be settling in to being an old fart but still . . .

My inner child is pouty and sad. My birthday was yesterday and it wasn't so much there was no party, no presents, no cake, and no balloons. Of all the people I know, only a few remembered it. Maybe growing old means getting old and I shouldn't feel this way.