Idaho Representative Vito Barbieri asks if a camera women can swallow to show the state of their colons after colonoscopy could be used to prevent abortion.
Apparently, he does not understand the differences between the digestive system and the reproductive system.
YOU'RE FIRED, VITO.
Happy Monday everyone, for those who were off last week, I hope you had a great February vacation! We had a really nice week off but I am so ready to get back into a routine and have some solid work time (especially now that I'm finally flipping my workspace into something awesome)! Kicking things off, if you're looking for something to do this week, enjoy this roundup via the Weekly Blueprint!
February 23 - 27: It’s National Engineering week. (Acton)
February 24: How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World book discussion. (Acton)
February 24: Wild winter family book club. (South Wellfleet)
February 25: Lunar New Year storytime. (Salem)
February 25: Who cares about all this snow? Let’s have a beach party. (Sharon)
February 25: Tots at 10 children’s activity program kicks off. (Somerville)
February 26: Free admission day at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. (Boston)
February 26: Learn how to make some warm winter soups. (Lexington)
February 26 - March 1: The Singing Turtle puppet show. (Brookline)
February 27: KidsJam dance party and dance lessons. (Boston)
February 27: What might happen when maple meets milk? (Lincoln)
Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Kizzy didn't pee last night. About an hour after I wrote my last post, though, his painkillers kicked in and he stopped his frantic litterbox laps and settled down. This morning, there was still nothing in his box, but he seemed cheerful, so we all went to work and school.
Around ten, I went to pick him up and he made a mournful noise. I called Beloved and he picked up the little angel and I honestly thought that was that, but when we got to the vet, Kizzy had a 180-degree personality change and started trotting around the place like a show horse.
He's not blocked. He just hadn't peed.
So then the vet tells us the bladder can get stretched out (much like Buttonsworth's megacolon) after a cat is blocked and so it takes the medicine he's on to snap everything back together. We blinked at each other and collected our little black cat and came home.
So now I think we are in the tunnel that connects a health crisis to the safety zone. Kizzy passed through this tunnel last year, and I'm praying he can do it again. It's a pretty scary tunnel, and I've been through it with people and with animals, and it never gets any more fun.
But he's still here, and I'm very very thankful for that.
Onward.
It's been a year and two weeks since the last time our little black cat had a health crisis. He had a urinary blockage last January with two rounds of hospitalization. Then we had a good year in which we fell in love with him even more.
On Friday night, he started acting frantic around the litter box. We took him to the normal vet, where they said his bladder was small so they gave him steroids and antibiotics. We took him home.
On Saturday morning, he was crying in pain. He'd vomited all over the basement in the night. We took him to the emergency vet, where he got a catheter and he stayed overnight. The bill equaled almost exactly our mortgage payment.
We brought him home this morning, and he slept on my stomach for two blissful hours during which I tried to memorize the soft feel of his fur on my skin.
About three hours ago, he started straining on the litter box again.
We called the vet. They said he might be reblocking. After we underwent several rounds of unfruitful hospitalization with Sir Charles Buttonsworth, the Manx we adopted at the same time as Kizzy, we promised ourselves we wouldn't keep throwing ourselves at chronic problems if we weren't willing to take the radical next step. In the case of urinary blockage, the radical next step is a surgery that essentially removes the cat's penis and turns him into a girl cat with a wider urethra. I won't judge anyone that would undertake that step, but we can't afford it, not if we want to be fiscally responsible and stay on track to free ourselves from the mountain of debt we built getting out of This Old House and into Chateau Travolta. One four-figure vet bill per year. We promised ourselves.
We've had the four-figure vet bill. Kizzy is currently straining on the box.
Beloved and the little angel think he just needs to drink more water, but I have watched this cat every day since the last blockage. I know the ins and outs of his litter box behavior.
This isn't going to go away.
I sit in the office, typing this post, and my human family sits in the living room, halfheartedly watching the Oscars, and my cat sits in the basement, frantic.
I told my family I won't wait for him to scream in pain. I won't let him spend another awful night vomiting and straining in the basement. I can't stand it.
I thought, this time ... this cat was so young and super-human. This cat walks on a leash and can leap to the top of the refrigerator.
I can't believe this is happening again.
I swear, after the old age death, we've had the acute kidney failure then the diabetes crisis then the megacolon and now the urinary obstruction. The vets must think we have pet Manchausen by proxy. We feed them all expensive prescription food. We scoop their poop every day, two litter boxes per cat. We filter their water and we do everything.
And they. keep. dying.
I don't know what to say.
But I have to say something, because I have to do something, because there is another half hour before I have to go feel Kizzy's bladder and figure out what to do.
Oh my God, I love this little black cat so much.
Happy Friday everyone, I hope you're enjoying a lovely February vacation! If you're in town and looking for something to do this weekend, enjoy this roundup of 19 events, lovingly curated for your consideration. Also, it's SO cold out today, which is making me fret about families in need of winter items. If you want to donate, or are in need of, winter gear, check out these 9 ways to donate/procure winter gear.
1. Celebrate National Engineering Week by making tinfoil ferries. (Acton)
2. There is certainly enough snow for a sledding party. (Andover)
3. The Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra’s family concert. (Arlington)
4. Kindie rockers Roly Poly Guacamole. (Arlington)
5. Pinkalicious: The Musical. (Boston)
6. Lunar New Year celebration. (Boston)
7. Do you have the fastest baby in the bunch? (Braintree)
8. A musical journey around the world. (Brookline)
9. A showing of Babe. (Brookline)
10. Family show with The Flip Flops. (Cambridge)
11. A day to embrace your love of science. (Cambridge)
12. Flapjack fling and sugaring tours. (Ipswich)
13. Farm fun nature crafts and cookies. (Ipswich)
14. This weekend event is for the birds. (Lexington)
15. Participate in the Polaroid Portrait Project. (Lincoln)
16. A sculpture park snowshoe tour. (Lincoln)
17. Ben Rudnick Family Matters show. (Natick)
18. Antique sleigh rally. (Sturbridge)
19. Family fun at the movie theater. (Woburn)
Image credit: Mass Audubon
I drove her to school yesterday, because it was cold.
She hoisted her backpack and saxophone out of the trunk that she didn't used to be able to open by herself. It is a heavy trunk door and the struts to keep it open don't work anymore.
I see her every day, but something about the way she flipped her hair back and blew me a kiss reminded me of the way she looked when I dropped her off in first grade. But this isn't first grade, it's fifth grade, and she's told me next year she will rule the school.
Something about the way she flipped her hair and blew me a kiss nailed my gut to the back of my seat, and I actually couldn't move for a breath.
My mother told me about this love, but I didn't understand it.
Every night she says she loves me more. And I say no, that's impossible. I don't even make a game out of it. I know now it is impossible to love your mother more than she loves you, at least in my family.
She saw a while back that I was serious, and she stopped trying to win the argument. I wrap her in blankets and the promise that there is no way that I could not love her the most.
She clomps off toward the school in her winter boots, the backpack and the saxophone trying to drag her down but her long hair promising to catch the wind so she can fly.
It's a normal school day, but it's not.
Just like every day.
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Well, happy snowpocalypse Sunday everyone! As I watch the swirl outside, it couldn't be clearer that Mother Nature is boss. Whoa. Meanwhile, I'm sure there's some serious cabin fever going on so I'm sharing this February vacation mega-roundup so you can plan some outings for the week. Definitely check programming for inclement weather changes! Also, if you just want to get out and sled, here's a roundup of 16 fun sledding spots for you. Enjoy!
ACTON: A different February festivity each day of the week.
ARLINGTON: Sing along with Annie and her friends or Joseph and his brothers.
ARLINGTON: Walk in and create works of art all week long.
BEVERLY: Teens and parents talk about online life.
BOSTON: Franklin Park turns into a winter carnival.
BOSTON: Get creative with lots of boxes.
BOSTON: Great offers from Blue Man Group.
BOSTON: Who is eating who this vacation week?
BOSTON: Pinkalicious: The Musical.
BOSTON: FREE admission for kids and great activities all week at the MFA.
BOSTON: School vacation means it’s Hotel Week Boston.
BOSTON: Lots going on at Faneuil Hall.
BOSTON: Penguins, whales and flame sea jellies at the aquarium this week.
BOSTON: Chilly but beautiful, fun on the waterfront this week.
BOYLSTON: Botanic gardens, a spring-like escape from winter.
BREWSTER: Escape to the Cape for February vacation.
CAMBRIDGE: Lights, Cameras, Science!
COHASSET: Wintry barnyard and farm activities.
CONCORD: Get cooking during school vacation.
CONCORD: Books galore and so much more.
CONCORD: Presidential crafts and activities all week.
CONCORD: Drop into this art center and get creative.
DOVER: Family pizza making and board games.
EASTON: A snow sisters’ “slumber” party.
EASTON: Engage in crime-solving mystery scavenger hunt.
HARVARD: Discover the Fruitlands Museum.
HINGHAM: Exploring farm and forest under a snowy blanket.
LEXINGTON: Hear the stories behind the souvenirs.
LEXINGTON: Baking, cooking and...birdfeeders.
LINCOLN: Find your inner Thoreau and Walden inspiration.
SALEM: Secret activities, blazing trails and creativity all week at the Peabody Essex Museum.
SOMERVILLE: Even grown ups love Legos!
STONEHAM: Have a wild week at the zoo.
STURBRIDGE: An old-fashioned WinterFest!
WESTON: Spend some time with Ben Rudnick and Friends.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS: Mass Audubon has you covered with nature related activities all week.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS: It’s the perfect week to embrace the chill.
Image credit: Wilson Farm
When the last snowpocalypse hit, I will admit that one of my first concerns when potential electricity loss came up was WHAT WOULD I DO ABOUT MY COFFEE? Sad, I know! But, the experience reminded me of a conversation we had with friends about pour-over coffee and hand grinders + the fact that our electric coffee was dying, so I decided to order a manual coffee system. It has worked great so I wanted to share the solution with you!
At first the idea of pour-over coffee seemed hard to me (there are lots of instructions online that make it sound really hard), but it's really not hard! Just heat up water (some say not to boil the water but I do...it's fine!) and pour it over grounds in a filter set up in a pour-over system. Here's what you need:
1. My friends have a Chemex and it is beautiful, but I wasn't ready to plunk down that much cash before knowing whether we'd like the pour-over system. I ordered the Melitta carafe ($10.99!); it's not as pretty but it totally works. You will also need the #4 filters for the Melitta carafe.
2. Coffee grinding is optional. You could always grind beans at the store, but if you're buried in a snowpocalypse, the store will not be an option! My friends have this Zassenhaus coffee grinder but again, I wasn't ready to drop that much cash. I order the Kalita coffee grinder and it works great. An unexpected bonus is that the circular shape and size makes it very easy to hold and grind. Even Violet and Laurel have had fun using it!
I'm sure there must be benefits to the Chemex and Zassenhaus but if you're looking for budget entry into the world of pour-over coffee then try the Melitta and Kalita options. We've been using this system daily for over a week and the taste is great, I really enjoy the mindfulness of the process, and it makes me excited to serve coffee to friends too!
Oh, and also, if for some reason the gas went out during a snowpocalypse and we weren't able to use the stove, we could heat water with our Primus propane stove or Whisperlite camping stove. Just trying to give you all the coffee preparedness options!
Image credits: coffee thumbnail via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; product images via Amazon
Friends, I'm starting to worry about the collective meltdown of our great state -- I hope you're hanging in there! Here are 21 weekends events, lovingly curated for your consideration. And of course, depending on how the weather shakes out (it sounds as if we'll be hit hardest on Sunday), be sure to check individual event sites for updates regarding postponed events or cancellations. Stay safe and warm out there, and look out for your neighbors!
1. Pop-up Valentine card making. (Acton)
2. Happy birthday Galileo! (Acton)
3. Monkey Makes Mischief in Heaven puppet show. (Arlington)
4. Hotel Week Boston kicks off just in time for school vacation. (Boston)
5. Longest running science fiction convention in New England. (Boston)
6. Celebrate wine, food and culture. (Boston)
7. Pinkalicious: The Musical. (Boston)
8. Making butter is kitchen science! (Boston)
9. Build, explore, deconstruct and recreate with cardboard boxes. (Boston)
10. Join Boston artist Ekua Holmes in the creation of a vibrant new community installation. (Brookline)
11. Wayne Potash and the Music Fun Band. (Brookline)
12. Ben Rudnick show. (Belmont)
13. Final weekend for Lollipops for Breakfast. (Brookline)
14. A celebration of East Hampton’s seasonal beauty. (East Hampton)
15. Make your own snow farmer. (Ipswich)
16. A teeny tiny model train show. (Lexington)
17. Free children’s performance of Peter and the Wolf. (Lexington)
18. Valentine’s date night with clay. (Lincoln)
19. Seaside bird watching. (Manchester, Rockport)
20. Hot chocolate, chowder, ice sculpting and all things Winterfest. (North Adams)
21. Slopeside performance from Six String Soldiers. (Princeton)
Image credit: Etsy
