friendlings

We said goodbye to Edward around 12:20 yesterday, a month and a few hours after saying goodbye to Luigi.  There was a cloud that was rainbow colored in the sky, a nacreous cloud (except May?! and 35° latitude?!) that greeted us as we reached the vet, that offered a bit of marvel to go with the grief.

The medication to allow Edward to breathe more easily failed and the prognosis became even more complicated. No prognosis had him leaving the cage where he was receiving supplemental oxygen, so we said good bye to him there.

We're shattered, and i have so much at work to focus on the next few days. A week and a half before i can safely see my dad.... No spots, so we're thankful for that. (I think Christine worries the stress of waking to Luigi's condition triggered the last flare of my condition.)

--== ∞ ==--

Meanwhile, B-- (Christine's sister's husband) is now using supplemental oxygen.  D-- and B-- lost their two grey cats Atty and Scout to some seizure condition in late 2024 and this spring. We know additional grief is on the horizon.

So we will go through the change in our lives because forward through time is the only way i know.

--== ∞ ==--

I'd started working in the yard just before, the vet called. And then while Christine showered before we went to the vet, i put a few plants in the ground in the yesterday:

Better boy buried deeply in the eastern side of the back of the circle garden; a bigger Early girl to the west, and between them a "Sweet banana" pepper and a sweet basil. Last year a Matt's wild cherry tomato swarmed that whole area. I would have expected seedlings but maybe the winter weeds then pinestraw mulch was too thick.

Carmen (Red Italian frying pepper) east most, and the second of the four "Sweet banana" peppers in the east middle bed; the last two  "Sweet banana" peppers in the west middle bed, and one between the two tomatoes.

The Thai basil in the east front bed  close to the peony where sage thrived before.

I also pulled some seeds out from my collection - Zinna, marigold, sunflowers. I have struggled to grow sunflowers here but will try again, i guess. I mixed a bunch of collected marigold seed heads in the soil near the tomatoes - who knows when i collected those.  I should probably soak some of the hyacinth beans and plant them so when all the poppies die back i have something to replace them.  It failed last time i tried but i will try again. If i get my seedling kit going soon, i should start some more basil.

I'm leaning towards planting the  rosemary where i had it before but i don't know why that big plant died last year. I suspect humidity from all the stilt grass and Bears foot (Smallanthus uvedalia), then drought. But i wonder if the Smallanthus uvedalia had anything to do with it beyond the shade and captured humidity.

Following up on last night's semi-cryptic post.

Last night, around 1 am, Edward Cat's blood work came back indicative of congestive heart failure with nothing in the fluid from around the lungs (pulmonary edema? i guess) indicative of cancer. There was some chance his breathing difficulties were triggered by fluids he received on Thursday[1]. Given that, there are reasonable chances that he can receive treatment and be better, at least for a while. So he's been hospitalized today with some hope that they can stabilize his breathing, give him some drugs for the fluid build up and to help him eat, and feed him (with a feeding tube) to get his eating started again -- and then he might come home. And it's possible maybe we give him regular meds  and he's OK for a while.

We got home, had a bit of alcohol to sedate and counter coffee, and then were asleep -- my watch says 3:20 am. I was up around 7. I just called and learned they're doing rounds: we'll hear how he is in a few hours.

[1] "Decompensation into fulminant pulmonary edema may be precipitated by a stressful event, anesthesia, intravenous fluid administration or steroid administration. " https://academy.royalcanin.com/en/veterinary/management-of-the-cat-with-heart-failure