I'm thinking I should just quietly go away. I can think of two certain sisters that would love that; they could continue their high school popularity mentality cult. But, it's more than that. I don't seem to be posting about Tom, Theresa, and Tang anymore. Well, at least not directly. I post about my day to day struggles with unemployment, my Draconian apartment management and the like. And while I suppose that does affect my fur kids, it's not what folks come here for. No, I think should just fade away into the mist. Perhaps, if God is very kind He will take me and my family to a better place. One can dream....

Tracy, don't even think that. Me and other folks do like to read your posts, and we certainly DO NOT want you to go away, because we would greatly miss you. We see your struggles, and you are in our thoughts and prayers. You are important, your struggles are important. Please hang in there. Never, never, never, never give up! Sometimes when you least expect it things will get better. Keep hoping, keep believing! You can do it. We are all rooting for you. Never mind the sisters. God bless you and your little fur children!

Hugs,
DannysMom

Thanks DannysMom

I will try to think of something about the kids or related to them to post. In the mean time, I don't really have anything....

Hi Tracy....I want to wish you, sweet little Theresa, and Sgt. Tang (remember him?), a happy Caturday. I hope no one is causing you to feel bad. Your problems do affect your furkids and I know your problems will be solved when the time is right. I don't stop by every day because I don't have any cats to talk about, well, maybe that little stray Blackie should count....I gave him some too cold meat yesterday aad he wouldn't eat it. So I microwaved some more and put it on top, so he ate it all......He sassed a raccoon the other night, but he let him eat the dry food.

Well, Tracy, you hang in there, and give your sweet furbabies a belly rub for me. It's a beautiful day today and maybe they can get some balcony time if the sun isn't too hot......I'm always thinking of Angel Tom too. Wonder what he and Angel Mickey are up to? .....Prayers are always said for you and furbabies...TTFN

LoveMyMickey

I hope you and the kids are having a nice weekend together. Try to relax and watch funny movies. Laughter is good for the soul, and when everything else is so depressing it is important to keep our spirits up. I hope moon_beam will send you a really nice note today to lift you up.

Thank you LoveMyMickey. Glad Blackie is doing OK; might want to make sure he has fresh water on a day like this. Sounds like he and the racoon are coming to terms. Angel Mickey and Angel Tom are hopefully having a ball up at the Bridge.

Thank you DannysMom - nothing funny on TV today, but thank for the suggestion. It's hard to feel up with no job prospects and that stupid inspection coming Monday. Hope your Angels Tina and Danny are well up at the Bridge too.

The kids are doing OK, no balcony time today as it's too warm not to have an adverse effect on my AC, which certainly can't afford. Hope all is wel in your worlds. TTFN

TTT

Hi, Tracy, Caturday evening greetings to you, your precious Theresa and little Tang from Noah and me. I hope this finds you and your precious furkids doing well and in reasonably good spirits.

Please let me add my sincere hopes that you will not fade away from us. You and your precious furkids are important to us, Tracy. But the decision is yours to make.

Today has been a busy one. I have been going through most of my important papers - - mortgage, insurance, etc., - - trying to bring more organization to the chaos. This took quite awhile but now I have papers organized and just need to type and print out labels for the file folders. Whew!!! That has been on my "to do" list for quite awhile, and today I was finally up to the task.

Noah and I are enjoying having the big basement door open and gated to enjoy the sounds and songs of the woodland critters as we watch the Preakness event on TV. Soon it will be time to get my Noah his dinner - - he is already on his table in the kitchen patiently waiting for me to fix it for him. His tummy is an "alarm clock".

I hope today is treating you, your precious Theresa and little Tang kindly, and that you and your precious furkids will have a very peaceful and cozy evening. I thank you for the blessing of your friendship, Tracy, and of your precious furkids. Please know you, your precious Theresa and little Tang are in my thoughts and prayers, and that I always look forward to sharing your news and your treasured memories of your beloved Sir Thomas.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Hi Tracy....I absolutely agree about the water for Blackie. We add fresh water to his bowl morning and evening. I have seen him stand there and drink for a long time.

Tracy, I hope you and furbabies have a peaceful and cozy evening and a blessed week.....TTFN

LoveMyMickey

Thank you moon_beam

I'm glad you have been able to make a dent in your to-do list. It's not that I want to fade away, it's just that I don't seem to see the point. I don't know what to post about anymore. Perhaps being out of work and being at home with the fur kids so much, I'm starting to take things for granted and not seeing the beauty of the "little things" It's the kind of funk I really just don't know how to break. The last time I was out of work so long, I ended up entangled in one of the most horrific mistake of a relationship out of a low sense of self worth. Though the likelyhood of that happening again (I have NO interest in making personal human connections like I did 11 years ago) is nil, I'm afraid some other disaster will come up. Well, I hope Noah enjoys his dinner and that you both are doing well. TTFN

TTT

Tracy, I for one would greatly miss your posts, even if you don't really know what to post about anymore. Please hang in there, and do not give up. Maybe a job for you is just around the corner. Have you tried job fairs or volunteer work that could lead to a paying job? Please don't give up. And don't think about disasters. Try to find something positive, anything, even if it's just the tiniest little thing. Hang on to hope! Dare to dream, and never, never, never, never give up!

On a lighter note I wish I had made a bet with moon_beam about the horse race today. I sorta had an inkling that "I'll Have Another" would win. With a name like that I figured he deserved it!

Mindy and Shelley have settled down. Shelley found the little kitty condo that's part of the big cat jungle gym that I bought years ago. It used to be one of Danny's favorite napping spots. I wish she would gain weight. She is so thin and gaunt and looks more like an old cat than a 1 year old. I put some high cal food in her bowl, but Mindy ate it! And she really needs to lose some weight! Mindy and Shelley kind of look like an odd couple together, sorta like Laurel and Hardy. Mindy has short little legs and is chubby, and Shelley has long legs and is thin. I'm hoping that maybe this got you to smile just a bit.

Thank you Andrea

Your story did make me smile briefly. It also made me think about how Tang has intuitvely sought out Tom's old favorite spots to relax. I had a similar issue with Tom's special RX diabetic food - as in Theresa would swoop in and devour it even though she didn't even need it! You might try the reverse of what I did to keep Tom from taking Theresa's can food - put Shelley up in place that's separate from Mindy. You might also try hand feeding her treats. While human food is not reccomended on a nornal basis, it might help to put some weight on her in the short term.

My big issue with the inspection is that the manager has commented in the past about my lack of housekeeping skills. I mean I vacuum every other night and I don't leave food or dirty dishes out; actually I'm paranoid about that because I HATE bugs. I take my trash to the dumpster regularly. But living alone, I have more than my fair share of dust and paper type clutter. I'm thinking she is looking for something to rag me about to put me out because I had the gall to complain about neighbors again (the reason she cited 2 years ago) But this time I have a lease and then I didn't. But, you know what? Putting people out is pretty hard legally, absent not paying rent. So, let her come. I have decided not to let her intimidate me. Perhaps I will put HER off balance asking why she has gone through so many asst. managers and leasing agents in that same amount of time.

Anyway, I hope you and Mindy and Shelley are well, and thanks for stopping by TTFN

TTT

Dear Tracey, Ditto on DannysMom's words, I would also miss your posts! That's ridiculous that the manager should comment on surface muddle in your apartment, what business is it of theirs? I am generally a good housekeeper but filing defeats me, I tend to file in stacks of paper too, and if there's a bit of dust? The world will not come to an end...hope Theresa and Tang are doing well and reminding you of what is real, take care my friend, Leejaye

Thank you leejaye

It's more than a "bit" though. But you are right. I finally figured out who she reminds me of. Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory. Cloyingly "sweet" on the surface, but a vindictive witch in reality. Thanks for stopping by, and the encouragement.

TTT

Hi, Tracy, sending you, your precious Theresa and little Tang greetings from Noah and me on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. I hope this finds you and your precious furkids doing well and in reasonably good spirits.

I ditto leejaye's assessment of housekeeping chores "The world will not come to an end" with the "lived in" look. Good thing no one does a white glove test here - - for real. Let us know how your "inspection" goes.

Today is another beautiful day here in Virginia. Noah and I are enjoying having the big door open listening to the sounds and songs of the woodland residents. I hope today is being kind to you, your precious Theresa and little Tang, and that you and your precious furkids will have a very peaceful and cozy evening. I thank you for the blessing of your friendship, Tracy, and of your precious furkids. Please know you, your precious Theresa and little Tang are in my thoughts and prayers, and that I always look forward to sharing your news and your treasured memories of your beloved Sir Thomas.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Thank you moon_beam

Like I said it's more than a "lived in" look, I freely admit. But complacency and depression will do that. I did however, just a little while ago, tackle a project. I cleaned what passes for the dining area off the living room and kitchen. I got some boxes and trash bags and totally cleaned off what seemed like a mile high pile of clutter of the dining table, wiped down the table, walls and vacuumed really good, etc. At least it's on obvious sign I made an effort. I don't even know who from the staff will accompany the "inspector" for the ceiling and windows (so the meno said) but if it's the manager, I will do my best to ignore her catty comments. Theresa and Tang wasted no time with an "inspection" of their own Hope you and Noah are well. TTFN

I just realized going back to the beginning of the post - Tomorrow it will be 1 year to the day I brought Tang home to be part of our family. Happy one year aniverssary Sgt. Tang!!!

Good evening, Tracy! It's been raining all day here, and my girls have been taking turns looking out of the opened window. I was so chuckling when I read your post about your cleaning effort! As long as you vacuumed and it looks half-way decent they can't really say anything. Just put on a smile and kill them with kindness! I can relate about bad managers. We had one here years ago who, without warning, had my prized arp rosemary bush pulled up, leaving a gaping hole in the ground. This is the first time in my life that I cried over a plant. It had grown from a tiny little plant into a beautiful bush, providing my neighbors with rosemary for their cooking.

Congratulations on Sgt. Tang's 1 year anniversary tomorrow! Would you mind sharing again where you got him and why he's named Tang? Is he an orange tabby?

Good evening Andrea.

I'm looking over at the dining area with a feeling of accomplishment. It's a small thing but definately noticeable. Funny you should mention tearing up a plant (I'm sorry for that, by the way) Here, they tore up all the lovely evergreens along the back sidewalk of the property where I liked to walk and had a good view of from my balcony. They say they are going to plant something else, but now it just looks so barren.

I got Tang when I brought Theresa in for her first wellness plan exam. I mentioned to one of the ladies behind the counter I know pretty well, that's it's ironic. I had adopted Theresa from the front of the PetSmart where the clinic is for company for Tom. And now she's alone. Well, she told me about how one of the nurses found Tang in the rain abandoned by their neighbors who moved out. It was pouring down rain and he was trying to get into the garage. She already had 2 dogs and 3 cats and could not keep him, so she brought him to the clinic to be cleaned up and put up for adoption. They let me Theresa and Tang into an exam room to "get to know" He seemed sheepish but affectionate. Dr. Mills came out to tell me about the tumor that had been removed and the heart worms (did you it's not generally fatal in cats, but neither is it treatable?) I said after dealing with Tom's diabetes, etc, this would not be so bad. The rest is in my first post. Yes he is and orange Tabby and his full name was Tangello. The counter lady and I both decided just Tang was better. For her part is was because her ex husband's name is Angello. The "seargant" part came from a character in a Star Trek TNG novel I'd been reading at the time.

Hey Tracey, Happy one year to you and Sgt Tang!!! And well done on conquering the dining room stack, you have inspired me to attack mine today (I've had 2 weeks holiday from work and kept meaning to do it, and now today is the last day of holidays...). Hang in there my friend, hope you and the kittles have a peaceful evening, Leejaye

Tracy, that is such a wonderful story about how Tang came into your life. Thanks for sharing it again! Orange tabbies are sweet cats. I had a female orange tabby named Twinkie (she just looked like the famed snack), and she was a little darling. Very tiny, only weighing 6 pounds. She always came when I called her name, just like a dog. I think I like Tang better than Tangello too. It sounds like a great name for him!

I didn't know Tang had heart worms. I know they're not treatable. My vet lectured me on heart worms and showed me what damage they can do to a cat's lungs. I just hate using the Revolution though; I just don't like all that chemical stuff. I wish there was something more natural.