Expense avoided

Got in the shower this AM. The tub didn't drain. (On a positive note, when i was finished, it wasn't very full. Combination of low flow shower heads & short showers - good!)

I worried about the expense of having a plumber, & wondered how that - now - after most of the cold weather is past that our pipes freeze. And would the washer drain???

So i mentioned it to Duane who asked how it could not drain at all? Was the drain open?

"Of course," i said but went to check it. The little tongue-thingy was down, but when i pressed it it dropped about 1/4 cm, & started draining. !!! Who would believe that such a small thing made such a big difference.

I'm very thankful it is ok, it is not frozen, we don't need a plumber.
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Some of my rose bush stems are starting to green. (My MIL in OC has hers in full bloom. Also lots of tangerines & lemons.) I can see the buds beginning to form at the end of the peach tree limbs. In town some of the lilacs are starting to form the base buds. I think it will be a month or more before they begin to bloom. My own lilacs are sad little things. The heavy winter snows broke many of their little branches. It is going to be a long time before i have true bushes & not ankle high shrubs. The tulips have begun to push up.

Jeanet's tangerine tree.

Lilacs (not mine) two years ago.
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Duane will be down the hill again Friday night. He will leave tomorrow afternoon & come back Saturday night. His karate dojo has a tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center. It is across the street from Disneyland. He's doing a power-point presentation/set up for part of it. But he feels like he's "coming down" with something. Not good. I've dosed him with vitamin D & some other things. Hoping that will fight it off for him.
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Mac was a rescue kitty. He was heavily matted when they brought him in, & they did a "lion cut" shave on him. We don't know his parentage, of course, but strongly suspect he has a lot of Maine Coon. But he does mat, & he hates being brushed. He loves being held (if we are walking around) & petted (on his head & neck) but doesn't tolerate being petted on his back or tummy. He cries as if it hurts him somehow.

He also hates scissors. I mean seriously. He is so sensitized that hearing the "snick" of the scissors opening or closing wakes him up & he starts pawing & biting them.

We managed to get another lion cut on him, because of the mats the second year we had him. But last year when we tried the groomer said he "tried to eat" her. He is generally a well behaved kitty. However, at times we have had behavior problems with him. Being aware of what triggers him has helped alot.

We bought the most inexpensive shaver/groomer we could find, & gave him a sedative, but it didn't go very well. I've read since that some sedatives can make them more aggressive. We did ok, & got most of the lumps off of him. However, toward the end he was really fighting us. The truth is, if he should really need a serious grooming again, we'd probably have to take him to the vet to be anesthetized.

Each year it has been my plan to brush him regularly to avoid this, but he so hates to be brushed.

Earlier today i was working on a couple of mats on Jazz. (We do know his parentage - Turkish Angora. He doesn't mat as badly, and he likes to be brushed, so i've really no excuse.) Mac was lying next to Jazz, but i wasn't working on Mac, so he tolerated it better than i've ever seen. I also got a couple of little ones off Mac. Now, for the past 3 hours Mac has been sitting next to me. I have been working milimeter by milimeter on a thick mat on the side of his tummy. He lets me do it for half a minute or so before biting. Then i put down the scissors, & 10 minutes or so later i clip another tiny bit. After all this time i have about 90% of that mat gone. At this rate i should have him cleared of mats by the end of summer!!!

Did i mention he's a big cat?
















Jazz & Mac.















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