Before breakfast Wednesday, I found a text from nursing company. I could read to Mom if I followed the nurse's directions. This got me excited, since I've really missed reading to Mom. {Smile}
After breakfast, I started to worry about something I noticed when I was sick, but just couldn't deal with on top of everything else: Val's right front paw had gotten distinctly swollen compared to his left front paw. He had a bandage on the paw that looked tight, so I took it off, thinking it might be reducing circulation. Then I realized I really should have called the vet first and called the vet immediately. The receptionist asked if I could bring him in tomorrow before she even talked to the doctor. That quick worried me a little, but not so much as when she came back and asked if I could bring him in at 1:45 (pm) today. I said I'd see what I could do and put the appointment into my phone's calendar. {grimace}
Then I called Melanie but got her answering machine. I considered leaving a message but decided to leave that until after I'd called Alan, because I only had a few hours. (I never did leave that message; I'll have to try some other day.) {smile}
Next, I called Alan, and explained about Val's appointment. When was it? 1:45 pm. He already had a ride scheduled for 1 pm, but he'd come straight to our house after that, and yeah... get us there by 1:45 pm. He promised. {Smile}
He was at the house at a good time, and even helped me carry Val in his carrier to the car, which was great. Val barely meowed on the way down, which made chatting with Alan easy. I suggested that Val knew he needed to go, because he certainly can tell us when he doesn't want the trip. Alan agreed. {Smile}
I had a fair wait at the vet, but then they took us into a room. the doctor came right in and asked about the paw. She asked if I had felt it, and if it was hot. No, but I managed to when she stepped out of the room. It was slightly warmer than his other paw, which I told her when she came back. She was relieved, explaining that if it was cold, he was losing it. We both agreed that with all his other problems, he does not need to lose a paw. {smile}
She examined him as much as he let her. Then she took him and came back, saying he was down to 15 pounds. That's light. I think he's supposed to be between 16 and 17 pounds; we weren't happy when he was around and over 19 pounds, either. She promised me some medicine but had me wait in the lobby a while. When I'd gotten the medicine and checked out, I called Alan. He was in Kea'au, the village just south of Hilo, coming back from a ride. He would come pick us up next, but it would be a while. {Smile}
I was enjoying a new comic book that came over the weekend, a manga called "The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife," about an invisible man who owns and runs a detective agency, taking advantage of his talent. He is always invisible and can turn his clothes invisible at will. This doesn't matter to his secretary, who, being blind, detects him by hearing and smell when he didn't think he had a smell. I wanted to talk to someone about it and found one of the gals at the desk who was willing to talk. She found it as intriguing as I did. Then she asked about what else I read. {Smile}
I told her about how I don't read books sequentially, but skip around, following one group of characters, then going back to where I left, and following the bunch that started me skipping ahead. It means some parts get read a lot, because I'll do it more than once with the different groups of characters. I was pleasantly surprised with her reaction: she said it sounded fun and wants to try it. I suggested starting with the _Lord of the Rings_, yes, the one the movies were based on. I explained that in the first book, the characters pretty much stay together, but in the second book, he starts devoting some chapters to one group, and other chapters to others, with the second half of the novel dedicated to Frodo and Sam. This is a lot easier than most books, where you can't predict where they'll shift back, so I end up checking every scene along the way. {Smile}
Alan came and got us, and took us home, with another nice chat on the way. Again, little meowing, thought that's more common going home. {Smile}
Oh, and I got a short phone call from our former nurse after I got home. I did enjoy talking to him, very much. {Smile}
I finally got to eat dinner with Mom today and I read to her before dinner, too. The nurse refused to tell me how far to sit or anything, so I masked up, and sat with the bedside tray between us. I got up and moved down the bed to show her pictures, but that got them so far away, i didn't do that much. I started with scripture and thoughts about it. Since I missed a few days, I started with Saturday, September 23rd's entry, then read today, Wednesday the 27th's entry. Next, I read a Christmas card from her niece's granddaughter, and a Thanksgiving card from her sister. Then, I skipped the picture books, instead reading a poem and a short story from _365 Bedtime Stories and Rhymes_. Last, I ended with two stories from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. The first was _Blackberry Picking_, the September 23rd story. William and Sandra wanted to go pick blackberries for their mother, pointing out how much she liked to make jam. She thought it was too late in the season to find much but let them go. When they ran to their favorite field to pick in, they told each other there were plenty of berries, and started picking. William tried one, and declared they tasted good, too. they got back with only a few berries in their buckets, but lots of stains around their mouths. Their mother said it was lucky she'd already made plenty of jam. The second was _The Two Friends_, the September 27th story. Josephine the tortoise lived a quiet life in a walled garden. When the boy left the gate open, she went for a walk, thinking she was unseen. She walked into the woods, going this way and that until she was thoroughly lost. As she looked around, starting to panic, a polite voice offered to show her the way home. it was Hector Hedgehog, who'd noticed her leave, and followed at a distance, in case she needed help. He showed her home, and after that they visited as they could. {Smile}
I did my head exercises, arm swinging exercises, arm resistance exercises, leg exercises, standing arm weight training exercises, and sitting arm weight training after feeding Val and paperwork after the evening team broke up. I ran out of time at that point, or I would have done my walking exercises, too. I definitely had the energy. I don't know about salsa dancing, but I'm hoping soon. {Smile}
I read articles in the morning, and didn't hop into City of Heroes: Homecoming until after the nurse's phone call after I got home from the vet in the late afternoon. I soon found Perogies, who said come quickly to join the later long, large group event. I joined the group and chatted with Perogies until they started. We both ran it, and chatted briefly afterwards, before I left to read to Mom.
After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I chatted first with the fellow who likes stories, but he was already in a task force. You can't join them after they've started. So, I wished him well. Next, I chatted with a fellow I'd met just a few days before the other. They're my two newest "global friends," as they call a group that's particularly easy to keep touch with. He was alone but looking at a fellow who kept asking for a group to run with. The three of us teamed up, and a fellow I think the friend also knew joined us. I got a character who has missions to work on, but when I got back, my new friend was getting ready to do a type of individual mission, so we did a series of them. Eventually, at least three of us changed characters when he was ready to change to a higher-level zone, including me. We ran similar missions at a higher level until I said I was leaving to do my exercises. However, I got caught up in paperwork and feeding Val first, which might be why I didn't get my walking exercises done, too. {smile}
