Mortaine’s Blog

WHEW!!!

I did 5K today! 2 1/2 walk and 2 1/2 run alternating until I had gone a total of 3.1 miles, or 5K. It took 48 minutes, according to my pedometer, which I guess means I alternated a total of 9 times.

No significant trouble breathing. I think I ran slower today than I have in the past– I think I run slower outside than I do on the treadmill.

I feel GREAT.

Hammer is doing much better. The redness in his neck has receded a lot. His appetite is improving. I think he’s pretty sore still; he reacts when I touch his neck or mouth (as when giving him pills). He’s off the painkillers because I worried the narcotics were holding him back a little from his recovery (I need him to start walking a little more now, and they were definitely affecting his appetite). He still has bruising on his chest (the bruises went as far as the shaved part of his chest) but have turned back to white/pink on his neck and at the incision site. Also, although his skin is a little floppy, there’s no more swelling at all.

Today we had rainstorms off and on. I dropped my knives off to be sharpened. Twice. The first time, I dropped them off at the hardware store up here, and they called me back an hour later to let me know their machine wasn’t aligned correctly and to have them done at the cutlery store at the mall. So I drove to the mall and dropped them off there. Then I went over to Fleet Feet and exchanged my shoes (the ones I bought 2 weeks ago were too small). Hopefully, the new ones will fit nice and everything. They seemed “breezy” when I tried them on, which I figure isn’t that bad of a thing. I’m going to go workout at 3, provided lunch (hot dogs) doesn’t keep repeating on me. Gurgle. I’ve already prepped for tonight’s game. So, of my to-do list for today, I have to workout and read my SCUBA book before 5. It would also be nice to do the dishes by then.

John is putting up the new mailbox post today. He’s even going to paint it dark grey (to match the trim on our house) and perch a little gargoyle on the top of the post to help with rain runoff. So now we’ll be able to tell people “we’re the mailbox with the gargoyle.” It’ll also help to put our street number on the post, I think.

’s embarrasing pets meme (ganked from : For each of your pet(s), give their full name (short name), species, gender, age, and list the little things you say to or call them, as if they understood the language and knew what the hell you were talking about. Pictures optional.

Hammer:
brindle purebred NGA greyhound. Retired racer. 11-12 years old.

aka: Hambone, Hammy, Ham-ham, Hamburgler (rare), Biscuit-breath, Biscuit, Babe, Boy, Snuggle, Stinky
I talk to my dog a LOT, because he understands a LOT. I ask him questions to initiate activity– “Wanna go outside?” “Wanna go for a walk?” “Want a biscuit?” I also give the command “Hammer, go outside,” especially if he’s dawdling. To give an idea of a complex instruction that worked earlier this week, John told Hammer “Ok, turn that way so you don’t hit your head.” Hammer carefully turned. What amazed me was that John hadn’t pointed which way to turn (but there’s only one way to turn). I also say things like “Awww” and “poor shaved doggy.” Sometimes I mutter about how much more popular than me he is.

Allegro
black domestic shorthaired cat. 11 years old (we think).

aka: Legro, Legro-foof, The Rug, Foof, Cat, Kitten, Kitty, GETOFFTHEBEDRIGHTNOW, Stinky. Allegro responds to a series of clicks in the mouth “tk-tk-tk-tk-tk,” so he really thinks that’s his name.
We talk to Allegro a lot, but he rarely listens. Most of the time, when I want him to listen, I tk-tk at him and make a hand gesture for where I want him to go. The rest of the time, I tell him things like “Shut up, cat” and “No, you’re not going outside” and “You want dinner?” and other things that are obvious to him but which I, mere human that I am, feel I should blather on about. I frequently tell him what a sweet, good kitty he is, especially when he’s peeing in the litterbox or when he’s all snuggly and cute. I ALWAYS tell him “good kitty” when he’s taken his medicine.