Squeaker

While Son and DIL took G#2 to college as noted previously I spent several days house, dog, cat, and turtle tending.  Each of the things had its days of being like a squeaky wheel needing special attention.  Yes, even turtles need attention.  Her light has to be turned on and off each day.  The feeding of 8 morsels of feed broken into small bites is an every other day routine.  Cannot have a fat turtle, I guess.  This time turtle care was a bit of a challenge.  

The biggest concern for Norma the turtle was she would not eat for the first 2 or 3 days. I would break up the pellets.  Drop one at a time in the tank and point to it.  Norma would take it in her mouth and then immediately spit it out.  That action had never happened before during the many times I had fed her.  I wondered if she sensed that Grandson #2 was gone. 

In addition to her not eating, the water in her tank was low and the pump was making strange sounds.  From past experience with fish tanks, I knew not to put straight tap water in the tank.  Sent a text to DIL and Son.  They said there was distilled water in a closet, please add some.  I did.  Not only did the pump begin sounding normal, but Norma also began eating.

There was the house and plants to care for, also.  On Saturday the house cleaner was to arrive early.  I knew it would be easier to just remove DJ from the house.  I brought her to our apartment knowing full well it was against the rules.  Mid-afternoon DJ and I returned to a spotless home.  I went to check on Norma and could not believe the condition of the 'kids' bedrooms'.  In every room the entire floor was visible.  No clothing, no wires, no video game controllers.  The place was showing signs of being an empty nest type of home.  Grandsons #s 3 & 4 will continue to spend the first and third weekends there.  Still not the same as full-time residents.

Lyla the resident kitty is a beggar.  Her meows announce her need for food.  The meows began this time at about 4:30 AM and again around 4:30 PM.  The AM meows were announced to my face as I slept.  I would not immediately respond which led to the usual kneading of my head, shoulders, sometimes my face, and basically all of me.  Some mornings she would give up for a bit and I would fall back to sleep.  Honestly, most mornings I just gave up and fed her about 5:30 - 6.  That is terribly early for me!  Lyla's meows were her squeaky wheels in the afternoons, too.  Feeding was the best solution to stop the squeaking.

Then there is DJ.  She is like an entire freight train of squeaky wheels.  Not only does she find mischief outdoors, but she also has a basket of toys inside.  She digs through the basket until she finds the exact one she wants for her play.  Note that the play is almost never a solo activity.  Grandpa or I were chosen to either play tug of war or toss the toy with her.  When a toy has one of those squeakers hidden inside, she will intermittently chew until the squeaker is removed.  Of course, she did that successfully this past week.  I quickly had her spit out the squeaker lest she choked on it.

The doctor had requested the yearly mammogram and bone density tests.  Today was the day.  I thought yesterday was the day and showed up.  Oops.  I returned today with a little mischief in mind. I arrived and was shortly called for my tests.  Once I had donned the proper attire it was time for the mammogram.

The technician took me to the room that contained the smash my boob device.  The right breast was placed exactly where needed for the best image.  The tech then pushed the button to lower the plastic boob smasher.  As the smashing began, I squeezed the squeaker toy retrieved from DJ the previous day.  The tech threw her head back with a huge smile on her face.  "This is the first time I have ever had that joke pulled on me.  I was having a horrible day and you just made it better!"

There are times a squeaker is the best thing that can happen.

Take care,

Janice