All things considered 2022 turned out not too badly.  Healthwise the only major concern has been an annoying plugged salivary gland, which I’m growing very tired of, and will be agitating to have the teensy little calcium stone, which I can see when I turn my cheek inside out, removed.  So small yet so disruptive.

However if that’s it, then that’s pretty good.  I’m now dealing with George and Iris, the tuxedo cats, who’ve discovered Calvin has a kitten in the basement.  The other day Calvin let Felix play on the stairs and Iris was just sitting and looking at him, no hissing or growling.  I said to Calvin wow, that’s quite a surprise that these insane cats are taking a cat in their home so well.

Then the other night as I was getting ready for bed I walked past the dining room table, and noticed what I thought was a brown leaf, and when I looked, it was a three-inch cat turd.  I gather the cats aren’t nearly as accepting of that kitten which makes a lot more sense given their natures.

I thought this was brilliant as I planned almost daily social events.  I figured if I clean the heck out of the house, then every day when someone’s coming, it’s just a touch-up and not a major cleaning.  When you have two long-haired dachshunds, which perform like mops, binging whatever is outside, inside, and two cats, the house is dirty.

I began with lunch for Joan, the Reiki Master, followed the next day by lunch for Elsa after a morning of our favourite thrift store shopping.  Then on Saturday Luke and Jan arrived for their annual Christmas party and we invited a wide variety of people.  The Taylors came, which means people from age almost two, to seventy-five.  In between were Ashley and James, along with other young friends of Luke’s and Calvin’s.

Jan invited some Thais, and Elsa, who’s Mexican, came, too.  So we tried to cover all age ranges and nationalities as best we could.  I made a pot of curried chili, chicken thighs and rice, followed by Christmas cookies.  Calvin made his famous whiskey punch.  For safety I needed two Advil and two Gravol during the night, then woke up fine on Sunday.

That was a good thing as Marie came for a nice Christmas lunch that day, and last night I had the Crones for a Happy Hour which included celebrating Donna’s 88th birthday.  I handed Calvin a nice large plate of leftover food followed by a wedge of the banana cake I’d made.  Being a 24-year-old student, he works for food.

And today he’ll be working hard as we’re in a blizzard with minus 18 degree temperatures, so Calvin has to shovel.  I’ll do the top area, but he has to do the long driveway.  But with the snow pounding down it all seems pointless and wouldn’t you know it I’m down to one can of cat food, and that can mean trouble.

I read that slow blinking at cats increases bonding, and sure enough I’ve experimented and George is especially receptive to it.  I just have to be careful I don’t get into some slow-blink habit as that’d be a difficult one to explain.  Are you okay?  Yeah, I’m fine, just trying to get my cats to be more friendly.  Probably too late to save the house from the damage that’ll come when they run out of food, but at least I tried.