The Magic of Factory Work!

Ok, I'll admit that. over the past several weeks, there has been very little to blog about. Who ever knew that a life of a productive, job holding citizen could be so boring!??! Well, With my shop cat gone and our day to day lives at Civco sucking all the energy out of us, I really have been struggling to find things of interest to mention. Actually, I kind of like the Civco job. It is fun folding the various plastics and medical equipment every day. Cheryl finds it a little more challenging. Not the folding mind you, but the repetition of it all. Good thing it is only temporary! Cheryl says that she has to "save me" because I might actually 'enjoy' working there over time. But I have to admit, working an 8 hour day is exhausting! I can't believe I did it as a younger version of myself. In other news, We have had a flood in the Kitchen of our apartment. Not much of one, but the neighbor called the landlord and complained so we did not have to. Hopefully it will be fixed when we get back. I'm not sure what is going on, but perhaps a pipe broke somewhere in the wall and is causing problems in the lower two apartments.

Civco, Spring, And a Week without the shop cat..

It has been almost a week and a half since Red decided to leave us for the happy mousing grounds in the sky. And we miss him. Cheryl says it is like that radio in the background that is alwasy playing but you really don't notice until one day it is not playing. I miss taking Red for walks out in the yard. And, it is finally warming up a bit here so he would actually enjoy it more. On a brighter note, Cheryl and I got a temporary gig at Civco and it makes the time go by a little bit easier. Civco is a local company that manufactures Medical Equipment. It's actually not so bad. Perhaps a little boring, but quite easy. We work in the clean room folding plastic bags and packaging latex covers for equipment. They make lots of stuff from disposable covers to full blown machines ( they have a machine shop with all the really cool "toys" where they make probes, ultrasound machines, Etc.) Our focus is limited to the clean room, however, so I don't get to play with an industrial lathe or bansdaw. On the downside, it does pretty much kill the day so there is not much time for blogging or checking in to the shops. I guess it is a trade off no matter what. Hopefully I'll get to blog a little more often, but every time I say that, it seems like the gaps get wider and wider between posts. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Farewell, My Dear Red Shop Cat

Tuesday marks a very sad day for us here as our dear Shop cat, Red, died. It happened so fast, we barely had time to rush him to the vet to figure out what was wrong. Sunday, I was playing with him in the yard, And by Tuesday night, he spiraled out of control. We bundled him up in a blanket at 3 am on a cold rainy morning for a trip to the emergency vet, but by the time we arrived, his temperature had dropped severely and the vet gave us the grim prognosis. There was only one option, and after seeing Red's condition plummet over the past 24 hours, I was in agreement.
Over the past 15 years, we have had a total of 6 cats, and for me, Red was one of those cats that was truly unique. I really don't know how to describe him in terms that people would understand. I mean, all of our cats are great in their own way, but with Red, it's like there is something noticeably missing in our lives. He was not just a cat, but a friend...if that makes sense. He would sleep on my shoulders while I painted, climb on my lap while I folded, and steal my milk whenever I would drink coffee. He had to be on me whenever I sat down and would follow me everywhere. He was probably one of the oldy cats I was able to take for walks without him wandering away ( too far anyway). He was handsome, easy going, and well behaved. And he would get along with any cat and most dogs ( at least all the dogs I've ever seen him around) instantly. He was just so likeable to everyone and everything that ever met him. It happened so fast, and even now, I am still stunned by the loss. He had no health issues ( other than chronic bad breath) and was frisky and cuddly just two days prior. Perhaps it is a blessing that he did not linger for two weeks like poor Zulu ( another Awesome cat!) with the vets scrambling to figure out what to do while our bank account dwindles! Anyway, This blog post might be a little sad, but he was a great cat and I'm sure impossible to replace. We still have two cats that are wonderful in their own way, But cats like Red only seem to come around once in a blue moon. I look forward to seeing him again, someday. Because I'm sure that he'll be waiting for me in heaven along with Zulu, Sasha and Orange. Rest in Peace, Red. Your light was very bright and over much too quickly. And I will miss you very, very much....

Our Poor Sick cat

The Shop cat ( Red) Has been feeling a little under the weather the last couple of days. I think he ate something that did not agree with him and he has been lethargic and puky since. I don't like seeing my shop cat feeling bad so it has been bugging me. However, He was fine until two days ago when we changed up his food. I personally think he caught a stomach bug that has been giving him loose stool and nausea. However, he is alert and he does drink water. I'm hoping that this will pass, as the online key was pretty vague on the subject. He is a healthy cat and he has had no contact with any other outside ( strange) cats. Other than the changing of the food, ( which, by the way, was one of the "problems" that could cause these symptoms) He could not contact one of the "major" viruses anyway. So, Until poor Red feels better, I'm going to be holding his paw and trying to get him to drink as much water and he can. ( hydration is the key to beating a cold!) In other news. Remember how I mentioned the Bald Eagles here in Iowa? Until today, I was pretty sure we had at least 3 hovering around our local town. However, that was all blown away today! On our trip to Iowa City, we saw about 50! ( that is right! 50!) Bald Eagles hanging out in the middle of this open corn field. There was NO mistake what they were. I sure wish I knew what they were after in that field, but with no camera and not wanting to walk out into a muddy field, I will most likely never know. It was a sight thought. Perhaps they are migrating north at this time. How I wish we could have had some documentation, because I have only seen pictures of Eagles like this along a river stuffed with spawning Salmon. Hope every one's week is going well. And I'm hoping the Red gets back on his feet real soon! P.S. The Eagle pics are "borrowed" from online. From some people who have better cameras than me...

New March Claymore Chapter is out!

The latest Chapter of the Claymore Manga is out! Read it here! Spoiler : Miria is ALIVE! Go get 'Em Phantom Miria! As Usual, there are more questions than Answers, BUT that is what makes this a great story! The man has a talent for leaving you wanting MORE! Check it out at Animefreak.tv!