Mom came over for dinner and a movie Friday night. We cooked the flautas Dennis brought home from Costco, with beans and salad on the side. It was pretty good. For dessert we had chocolate cake with berries, a little ice cream and whipped cream on top. Good thing I skipped lunch.

The remodeling is coming along. The guys primed the walls and ceiling to get ready for painting next week. This is getting exciting.

Remodeling

New living room after plywood wall was taken down

Another view

View from living room into hallway

New master bedroom

Del Mar Fair

This is what we bought at the Del Mar Fair this year: dog signs for every dog Dennis and I have gotten together. The top sign can't be read very well, but it is Panda. Before Panda was Waco, my Shetland Sheepdog. Before Waco was Tina. Before Tina was Bootsy. Before Bootsy was Butch. Before Butch was Tiny. And that's all I know.

New Kitty Condos

7 cat condos for 7 cats. Just right.

Precious 2 loves her cat condo

Dot & Flash

Dot has outgrown her dress

But I'm still cute, Mom.

Dot & Flash waiting for a cookie

Movie Tuesday

We were pleasantly surprised that today's movie was actually interesting, despite the negative reviews. The movie, Self-less, has an interesting twisty-turny plot. Ben Kingsley is an extremely wealthy and powerful man who is dying of cancer. He undergoes an unorthodox medical procedure which transfers his consciousness into the body of a young, healthy man. Thats when the fun starts.

Cleopatra

Cleopatra (Cleo) was a beautiful calico cat. She was one of Jacuzzi's kittens long ago. Mark, our former accountant, wanted her so we gave her to him when she was just weeks old. She lived with Mark for many years, I think maybe 10 or 12. Mark developed bipolar disorder when he was about 40 and went through some bad times, both emotionally and financially. He wants to sell his condo and the realtor told him that they had to get out the cat smell and he had to get rid of the cat. So he asked if he could bring her back, and we said ok.

She stayed in the cat house, hiding in a cat box we have in there, for about a week. Then she disappeared for about a month. On Saturday, I found her on the love seat in the breezeway. She was very thin. I brought her into the cat house and tried to get her to drink water and eat something. She took a couple of laps of water but wouldn't eat. This was late Saturday, and I planned to bring her to the vet on Monday. On Monday morning she had disappeared again.

This morning I was on my way up to the Craft Room and I found her lying on the dirt next to the lower ramp. I thought she was dead, but then I saw she was breathing...barely. I picked her up and wrapped her in a towel, called the emergency number for the vet, and drove her to the Alpine veterinarian clinic. I was hoping she wouldn't die before we got there.

She was still alive when we got there, so the vet took her to the treatment room and I followed along. The vet could barely get an IV into a vein, she was so dehydrated. They gave her fluids and medication for shock, plus oxygen. I left after awhile and went back home. They called a while later and said Cleo had had a seizure and passed away.

What a sad story. I believe Cleo died of a broken heart. There was no reason for her to starve herself to death except that she just couldn't adjust to losing her person and her home.

On the way back from the movies today, I stopped by the clinic and picked her up to take home. When I got home, Homero and I buried her in the Pet Cemetery. Poor Cleo.