Monday, May 11, 2015

My husband seemed a bit better yesterday; certainly no worse. He lies there thinking about things we can do to the house, many of which terrify me. We mustn't drift, he says. Why not? Knocking through the kitchen into the small adjacent lavatory is one of his ideas. Men in! Expense! To what end? His proposed modifications to our bed are even more alarming. And he wants us to order in meals.

But he also thinks we should get a cat.

I'll work on that one. We have held back, all these years, because we disapprove of keeping cats indoors as we would have to do because our front door opens, more or less, on the street. We have very high standards and it may not be easy to find the perfect kitten. Tortoiseshell-and-white, no older than seven weeks at the very most, un-spayed.

I'll check on oxygen saturation today. I've looked at his notes, Shandy, without finding anything about estimated-date-of-release. He says I'm not supposed to look. I say – surely rightly – Freedom of Information.

Alexander is coming over today, which will help a lot. I am to ring the ward after 11 and tell them that I want to talk to a dr when I turn up for visiting. Alexander planned his visit not knowing that. It will be very good to have him there with me.

Knitting

Another day yesterday of none, zilch. I feel it's rather wicked to knit in the morning. And when I get back from the hospital after afternoon visiting, all I can manage is a bite to eat, perhaps, and then blessed bed. At what my husband would regard as teatime.

I continue with my Craftsy course with Clara Parkes, however – it's all right, for some reason, to do that in the morning – and indeed am reinforcing it with her book “The Knitter's Book of Wool” which I have got but had not spent much time with. The course seems to boil down to the advice to trust the instincts you have acquired in a lifetime of knitting – I would recommend it nonetheless.


As for the wonderful Fantoosh, I think I have concluded that none of Old Maiden Aunt's colours are available at the moment in the alpaca-silk-cashmere Kate Davies prescribes. So what I'll do is choose a colour, or colour range – I've done that, actually – and go back from time to time to see if there's any yarn for me. Meanwhile, stash is not enhanced and that's a good thing.

10 comments:

  1. Jean, didn't you knit in the mornings after taking a special pill - was it for osteoporosis?

    I think the knitting gods will allow you to knit in the mornings under current circumstances ��

    ReplyDelete
  2. May I respectfully ask why an unspayed kitten?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cats live much longer if kept indoors and I am also respectfully wondering why unspayed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A kitten would be work, but easier than knocking down walls. I hope your son will provide some sensible responses to some of those ideas. And very good that he will be able to sit in on the doctor visit. Two heads and four ears are always good in those situations, I think.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ellen1:16 PM

    We have always lived with cats, and with the exception of the first, they have always lived indoors. I am aware that in the UK most peole seem to allow their cats outside, but the life expectancy of indoor cats is far longer than for those who go outdoors. Seven weeks is a fine time to get a kitten,but kittens younger than that need quite a lot more attention than you might have time to give...its something to think about. And unspayed cats are a horror: they go into heat at regular intervals, and howl loudly at all times of the night. If there are stray males outside, they will gather at your wind and howl back...a nightmare! Un neutered males that reach puberty without surgery are much more likely to spray the wall, the furniture, your clothes closet, as they mark their territory. Please think that through!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous1:21 PM

    I would take your husband’s hospital-bed planning as a positive sign: he certainly plans to return home! I agree that a kitten is certainly easier than living through a remodel of any sort. So take these glimmers of silver lining as a positive sign.
    cheers,
    CKP

    ReplyDelete
  7. Spinningfishwife1:35 PM

    Go to the Edinburgh Cat Protection League rescue at 3 Casselbank Street
    Edinburgh
    0131 554 5521

    They don't get all sniffy about keeping cats indoors only, we've had three from there. And they will be overflowing with kittens over the next few weeks. But no cat rescue will rehome a kitten at 7 weeks nowadays, it's a minimum of eight weeks before a kitten is taken from it's mother nowadays and if the kittens are dumped at the rescue before then they still won't let you have them till eight weeks because they still have to get bottles as well as solid food.

    But my suggestion is to get two. It's a shame for an indoor only cat to never meet another cat and they keep each other company. But definitely get it spayed, you want a female cat calling in heat every three weeks and all the New Town Toms lined up at the windowsill?

    ReplyDelete
  8. GrannyPurple7:08 PM

    Our cats have always been indoor cats, after the first one was terminated by a four-wheeled predator. Current tiny cat adopted me in a downtown parking lot, had been dumped, possibly months before, and even after nearly 10 years lets me know how happy she is to have chosen us. She is perfectly happy watching "Cat TV" ie the world outside the windows--and chasing small balls of yarn.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We have four cats all spayed and neutered. There are far too many unwanted kittens in this world. They are all indoor cats for their own safety.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous11:34 PM

    I adopted two older, spayed, female cats. I have had kittens but find them a bit destructive. My cats are old enough to behave, and they enjoy snuggling up and chilling out. One likes to go out, but the other is happy in or out. Have you had Siamese cats? I have, and they are very sweet but noisy companions and far too smart for their own good. They seem to be fine indoors, though.

    ReplyDelete