In early Sept. Rollo began eating less hay, then he started having trouble eating other stuff. He would rub the side of his mouth with his paw and sometimes acted as if something was caught in his teeth. My car wasn't running at the time, but I called the vet and she put him on Critical Care, special food that one feeds to sick animals via a syringe. The photo above is he & I facing off as we prepare to get him to eat some. When my car got a new battery a couple days later, I was able to take him to the vet who said he was having some dental issues, but thought it might be a dental infection and gave him pain meds & an antibiotic. After a week of little progress, I called the animal clinic again & spoke to another vet who said he should be eating by then & to bring him in that afternoon so she could look at him. After I did, she said his teeth were so messed up that they are rubbing on his gums and he won't be able to eat until he has dental surgery to fix his teeth. Since that vet works mainly at another clinic far away, the earliest they could fit him in at the closer clinic was Oct. 9th, though I wasn't sure if he would last till then, since he's losing so much weight due to not having anything but the Critical Care, which I have trouble getting him to eat. She did say she could get him in sooner at the far clinic, but I don't know if my car would make it to an area that I'm thoroughly unfamiliar with.
I posted my dilemma on Facebook & a former neighbor volunteered to drive us there. So now Rollo has an appointment for Wed. Sept. 30th. We are to drop him off in the morning and then hopefully pick him up in the evening, depending on how groggy he is. There is the danger of him having an adverse affect from the anesthesia, but without the surgery, things don't look good either. It was the proverbial rock and hard place. I'm trying to stay positive and not think that this may be my last week with him. It's going to be a long drive, which I'm nervous about and then the worry about him making it through the operation. He is rather perky, for all that's wrong & our feeding sessions often feel like a wrestling match, which can be frustrating, but a good sign that he's so feisty. He loves pureed carrots, which actually came out more like carrot juice in my version and I give him applesauce every evening as well. In some ways, this time is making us closer. I'm hoping that he comes through the surgery and that allows him to resume eating normally, so that we can have some more time together. He brings such silliness to my life and has been such a good companion in this time of isolation.

Isolation has been somewhat productive so far. I've read almost 100 books in 2020 at this point and there are still 4 months to go. A lot of the books have been the sheer escapism of cozy mysteries, though there's been a few others of more substance. I've also been working a lot on my art and have completed 2 paintings since isolation began. One is the platypus (below) and the other is a pair of narwhals jousting. There's a couple other pictures in various states of progress, so I'm not sure what will get done next.

I've also decided to participate in Inktober again this year during the month of October and am working on the preliminaries so that I can just start the finished pictures when the month begins. Though I've not joined in since 2016, I'll be doing the weekly drawing as I did before. It's usually too much pressure with also preparing for the holiday craft shows at the same time, but this year there won't be any craft shows for me, so I should take advantage of the flexibility. I'll need a total of 5 pictures for the weekly goal and have ideas for 4 so far, so I'm pleased with how things are going.

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Since I can no longer go to the Y, I need another way to get some exercise. I Bought one of those exercise DVDs, but I just don't do it as often as I should and one time I hurt my neck, so that plan has not worked out as well as I'd hoped. So I bought a stationary bike from Amazon and I arrived recently, but needs to be assembled.Getting it up to my apartment was a workout in itself, since the box weighed around 40 pounds. I thought I'd be able to slide it up the edges of the stairs, but that didn't work, so after much struggling, I managed to turn it end over end up the stairs & then scoot it over to my apartment door & just inside.
Some of the reviews said they'd put it together in 45 mins. but I know my experience will not be that swift. It will probably take me a couple of days. I wanted to vacuum the carpet before starting, tp prevent any dust or dirt getting onto the parts. I'm hoping to begin working on it within the week and will be keeping in mind that the important part is that however long it takes, the main concern is that it works in the end. Then I can pedal my way to fitness.

One of the things that is taking a lot of my attention is houseplants. Since I started isolating, I've repotted nearly all of the ones I had and ordered a couple more online. I had a few houseplants, but gave them sporadic attention. Now I'm checking them everyday to see if they need watering, looking to see how much they've grown or gotten flowers. I don't have many and there are some duplicates, but the line of them on the living room windowsill pleases me. There are people who have much more room to display them and many more types and some part of me is envious, but realistically, I know it's not possible for me to have that amount in my apartment with the window space I have. I'm sure there are multi-level tables that would expand my space, but at this point, I can't afford that either.
The photo above was taken soon after many of them were transplanted a few months ago, so most of them have grown much more since then. After getting over the first shock of repotting, nearly all of the plants were rejuvenated and some look as if they could be put into larger pots already. I'm pleased that they are doing well and hope they continue to. By no means do i have a green thumb, but I do get joy from my leafy roommates.

Last winter when I first heard about Covid-19, the coronavirus, I was worried. I even asked my dr. about it in late January. As it spread around the world, it was obvious it would reach North America, but I was surprised at the speed of it once it hit our shores.
It was difficult to absorb how completely it was changing society. Part of what makes it hard for us to come to terms with such a threat, is that nowadays we are so used to having a pill or a shot or some type of medical procedure to combat disease. This one we don’t and it’s hard for modern humans to comprehend that point. But through most of human history there have been all sorts of illnesses which could kill us or damage us and there was no cure. Not just the big things such as the Plague, but also things like polio, typhoid, cholera. And ones that we barely know what they are anymore, such as diphtheria. At least now, we have some understanding of what causes Covid and there is progress towards treatment, though it may be far off.
As time has gone on, the severity of the situation sunk in for nearly everyone. People seemed to regress to an earlier version of humanity. I found echoes of behavior from the Black Plague, best described in Barbara Tuchman’s book “A Distant Mirror”. Some people turned to miracle cures, others got more religious, some of us became obsessed with learning all we could about it. A certain segment is in denial or are carousing, as if the danger doesn’t exist. It would make a fascinating study for a sociologist.
Though I’m not elderly, I have enough health conditions to give me a bingo card full of vulnerabilities. At first I had trouble coming to grips with the sheer terror that I would die if I caught it. I wouldn’t even put any library ebooks on hold, because I wasn’t sure if I would be around to read them. I made a handwritten will and arrangements for caring for my guinea pig, Rollo, if something happened. For awhile, I couldn’t even make plans for more than the immediate future, since everything was so uncertain. I went into isolation sooner than most and unlike many people, consider my apartment not as a prison, but as a safe space.
The last day I went anywhere was on Friday, March 13th, an auspicious date. I went to the pet shop to get food for Rollo. I wish I had gotten some takeout, since I’ve been cooking all of my own meals since then. I can’t get brave enough to have anything delivered. I change clothes and wear a mask to get the mail, which I only do every couple of weeks. I’ve taken the garbage out to the bin a few times. My car battery is dead because I wasn’t going out to start it often enough. I don’t want to call AAA, so I’m trying to find a reasonably priced battery charger that I can use myself without another car. My sister brings my groceries and medications to my apartment door and I wipe them down with disinfectant wipes. I’m taking every precaution I can to stay safe.
Part of me wonders why I bother, as I’m not really contributing much to the world except a few paintings and book reviews, which would not be missed. So why am I taking up space? But of course, to each of us, our existence is precious, as it’s the only one we have, even if it doesn’t always live up to expectations.
My life hasn’t changed that much in quarantine, as previously I’d only gone out a few times per week. I do miss going to lunch with my sister, something we did several times per month. I’m not bored, as I have plenty of interests and always did spend a lot of time reading and painting, along with other solitary hobbies. As long as I have internet access, I can communicate with people, even if it’s not as often as I’d wish.
With the possibility of a vaccine and/or treatment some ways in the distance, quarantine for us vulnerables could go on for months, a prospect I try not to think too hard about. I hope that conditions for entertaining myself remain stable and that my mindset will bear with it. I reassure myself that losing a year in quarantine and going on to have other, more productive years is better than getting sick and losing all of them. That’s the current version of thinking positive and right now, it seems like enough.

Ohio is in the midst of a winter storm, which started Wed. night with rain turning to ice, with a dusting of snow. It was pretty to look at, but nerve wracking in parking lots. Despite that, I was determined to attend the annual book sale at one of the local libraries. Last year, I missed it because I was sick, so I was pleased to get back on schedule.
It was busier than expected, considering the weather and they have expanded the sale into 4 meeting rooms this year. One room was expensive collector's editions, some priced at $50 or more. This included a giant book on cat breeds, a thin book that was almost 3 feet square. The photos of cats were actually life size in some cases. It may the biggest book I've ever seen, larger than many atlases. It was quite freakish to see.
Despite the tables full of books, it took awhile to find anything that 1)I didn't already have 2)the font didn't need a Sherlock Holmes magnifying glass to read or 3)wanted to keep forever, especially after spending a whole dollar on. Once books come into my apartment, they seldom go out, so I must choose wisely. Eventually I found 5 books for $6, which is less than I usually get. I was able to add to my collection of Barbara Tuchman history books and get a small book on RFK, another was a memoir of Ewan McGregor's 2004 long-distance motorcycle trip . A thin volume of night time photos of Yosemite Park induced calmness, which I'm always in search of. And the best(and most expensive at $2), was a heavy tome filled with tons of photos of African wildlife in their native habitats. This is going to be a great reference! All of these new purchases are now ensconced on the bookshelf I assembled on New Year's Eve.
While I was at the library, I picked up my 3D dinosaur from their reference desk. It's also propped up on the bookshelf, adding a touch of whimsy.

When I was little, I would often pretend to be a hedgehog, which remains one of my favorite animals. I was thrilled when I learned tumbling in school, because I would envision myself as a hedgehog & could curl into a tight little ball, just like they do. because of this, I would call the February holiday Hedgehog Day instead. Later I learned that in Europe, it really WAS called Hedgehog Day and the name was changed after the Puritans came to North America, where we don't have the prickly little creatures in our gardens. Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family & are quite different.
So even though now I mostly celebrate Groundhog Day, a little part of me still yearns for the European version of the day and I still wish there were hedgies roaming in our yards.

I recently read a novel that I really liked, so it's the subject of my latest review for Vulpes Libris. This is the link-
Eleanor Oliphant novel

Some of the local libraries have gotten 3D printers in the last 4 or 5 years and offer classes on how to use them. The classes used to be more often, but are now monthly. I've wanted to take the class for years, but something always prevented me. Last Monday I finally took the one time orientation class, which was different than I thought it would be. We don't get to work the printer, but rather select project files which we send to the library for them to make. The main reason is because it takes a long time to make something on a 3D printer, hours in fact. The class was an overview of how the printer works & the type of things that can be made. We were given websites where we could find patterns, which are then downloaded as files, which are transferred to the printer. Everyone signed up to have an object made & the library will notify us when we can pick it up. We can then send them another project if and when we wish. I chose a brontosaurus this time(see pic) and already have a squirrel key chain fob lined up for the next project.
My ultimate goal was to turn one of my drawings into a 3D item, but after talking to the instructor, who said that would be a very advanced process, I'm not sure that is something I want to pursue. She did say it was possible, but that I'd have to transfer it into a design that would work for the printer, which on reflection, seems like it might be too complicated for me to learn how to do.
After class I walked to the reference desk where they do the printing & the librarian there not only showed me how it worked, but started a print session so I could see how it was done. The printer looks like a small, partially open oven with an arm that melts spools of colored plastic into thin threads & lays the thread on a metal platform. The teacher compared it to making a soft serve ice cream cone. I watched it doing layers of waffle patterns for awhile, but had to leave to get home before dark. It was slow, but fascinating.
While the lesson turned out very different than expected, it's still something I'm glad that I did and would like to explore the subject a little more in the months to come.

After taking a year off to absorb so many changes, I'm hoping to return to blogging again, even if sporadically, as I miss writing about things.