I've been quiet online the last couple of weeks for Reasons.

Happy reason: multiple visitations.

A wonderful good friend & fellow writer stopped by with her husband for an afternoon as they passed through the area on a Vacation Road Trip. Much fun was had, touring the house, watching kittehs play, noshing on cheese & veggies, and talking about life, the universe, TTRPGs, writing, and gardening. It was all so very normal it was surreal.

Right after that through today, there's been family in town. My brother in law & sister in law made time at the end of a longer trip to stay with us, oh, happy days! Our guest room has had its first post-pandemic occupants, (I still can't get over the luxury of having A Guest Room, btw) and the kittens have been successfully introduced to overnight newcomers as well as short-term visitors. They are taking in all in stride, of course. More hands to pet them, more people to appreciate their cuteness.

We were mostly homebodies & enjoyed quiet low-key hangout time, but that's still away-from-desk time for me. Our stroll around the Botanic Garden was a complete delight, plus Spouseman and I got to have dinner with my niece who lives in Chicago proper, so this has been an EXTRA-bonus good time.

And there's one less-happy reason for my generally distracted absence: Meriadoc the Mellow could use good vibes if you have them to spare. His health isn't improving. Small upside, it isn't exactly deteriorating either? He has an okay appetite & drinks water, he tussles with his brother and plays with toys, but, um. BUT.

I've handled and owned enough kittens over the decades to know something is off. He's oddly humpbacked, increasingly splay-legged, has massively cloggy intestines and struggles chewing hard kibble, plus he still sounds congested and acts like his ears bother him despite full runs of antibiotics for infections. In the six weeks he's been with us, he's had about six total days of feeling tip-top, and those didn't come in a row.

This isn't the best video of his odd way of moving, but it's the one I have available to upload. He's on hard floor here, but I assure you, the frogwalking looks just as whacky on carpet, if not more so.

In summary, Merry is clearly a kitty who deserves a serious checkup from a Cat Specialist. And that is what he's going to get. We talk to a consultant Wednesday to get him scheduled for a full workup. And he goes to his regular everyday vet on Thursday for sure to deal with his uncooperative intestines. (Assuming he continues to avoid Total Digestive Shutdown which would lead to a kitty ER visit even sooner.)

Fingers & toes crossed, everyone!

I would feel that I am talking far too much about my furbabies digestive adventures but I know many new parents of tiny new humans, and I've heard and read my share of baby digestion tales. It's just the way it is.

BTW, if you ever wondered why Baby Pooping and Baby Eating seems to be all new parents ever talk about, there's a valid reason. Closely monitoring what goes in and what comes out is one of the only ways to accurately track the health of a tiny creature who cannot tell you if anythign is wrong. And when dealing with tiny living beings whose metabolisms are designed to burn fuel like a wildfire eats up a parched prairie, well. A missed meal or two, or a few extra hours without drinking can have disproportionate impacts.

OH LOOK, I DIGRESS. Having a not-thriving baby in the house means I've spent far more time than I probably should watching over him while he does totally nothing noteworthy because I'm scared Ill miss some sign that he's going from Having Problems to Having A Health Emergency.

IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT STRESSFUL I GOTTA SAY.

Spouseman is my rock and my sounding board and has been good about urging me to trust my experience and instincts & not second-guess my concerns--and even reminded me not to downplay issues or badmouth myself as Nervous Cat Mom when I'm talking to the veterinarians. Even if I do feel that way. Which I do, of course.

Anyway. This has been a lot of words to say that I haven't done diddly on the writing front, but here we are. Ghost Town is still stalled with two pivotal scenes sitting half-done and the final action still to write. Monthly-ish newsletter still lacks a catchy title and still hasn't been drafted. Meanwhile I surf, doomscroll through cat health information sites and spoil my babies by sitting with them for extra playtimes and making their food enticing and so on.

Anxiety avoidance is exhausting. Better than a full-on meltdown, but definitely not optimal.

That's all for now. Until later. (except for a pic. Lookit this cutie pie. How can I not worry?)