Postcard Campaign Update

I've been meaning to do a post about the Postcard Campaign, and I keep forgetting. My mind has been preoccupied, and I apologize.

I have not notified anyone for September send-outs, so we are getting a break. I know several of you have emailed me or left a comment on my blog saying that you have not received postcards for at least two months prior to September. I am working on finding out why. It really does bother me that folks sign up for it, and then only a couple people wind up receiving a postcard.

Everyone on the list has been enjoying getting postcards in their mailbox. And the one year anniversary of it passed with every single person on the list not receiving any postcards.

If this is something everyone wants to continue with, then I will keep it going.

In other news, packing is going well. I got rid of three boxes of stuff to a co-worker this week. Two boxes of bedding material that I no longer use, and one box of some random stuff that has never been used. Plus I shall be giving her some more stuff I came across. Plus I keep coming up with bags of trash, which I've had to haul to the dumpster at the office in Town.

My house looks like a tornado went through it, but I am getting stuff packed and I'm trying to get rid of stuff.

Oh, and in case anyone was curious, I kept the jars with the chick and mice skeletons.  :o)

Postcards, Libby, and Eye Candy

I have two postcards to share in this post. I was doing the happy dance at the post office yet again, thanks to my bloggy friends Cinderita and Hey Monkey Butt.

The first postcard I got was from my friend Cinderita. She went out and found postcards that seemed to match the people she was sending them to, which is a great personal touch. You can tell she's put a lot of thought and care into each one she sent out. On the back she wrote about the Postcard Campaign is creating memories and ways to connect. I guess I am, Rita, I guess I am! Thank you Rita for the lovely postcard!

The other postcard is from Hey Monkey Butt, who resides in the southern part of the USA, in Georgia. Georgia is a beautiful state, I can say that from experience. And if you like Paula Deen, I believe she lives there, so you could, like, stalk her or something.

If your curious about the postcards, just head on over to the Campaign page to find out more. Basically it's a little thing I started last summer - a campaign of mailbox happiness. Too often we find that all we get in the mail is junk mail and bills. These postcards help bring a smile to your face and brighten up your day. If you'd like to join, please send me an email with your real name and address and your blog address and the name you go by on your blog. If you hurry you can be added to the list for July!

Now, a Libby update! As you know, she had surgery (yet again) on that poor left knee - third time's a charm, right? Anyway, Dr.'s J and R did the surgery where they put the pin in her leg to straighten it out - they had already cut a groove for the knee cap to sit, but since this leg hasn't been healing right and previous attempts have been botched, they wanted to do the pin surgery since the right leg is looking freaking awesome.

 Libby after getting home. Took her out on the front long and she rolled for 20 minutes!

I went to visit the little jail-bird the day she had surgery, which was a Monday (about a week and a half ago). I couldn't get over the hill Tuesday or Wednesday, but went to pick her up on Thursday after work. She was so happy to be free!  The doctors had decided to do an injectable antibiotic and pain meds, which are a lot easier. I switched to a liquid antibiotic to make things easier on me, and the pain meds could go under her tongue.

A week and a half in and she's doing great. I talked to Dr. R today since he was my vet over here in Sticksville today (and Dr. J thought he was allowed vacation so took off for two weeks), and he said the stitches can come out on Saturday, have it re-wrapped for another two weeks. Libby will head to Redding with me on my delivery route and I will give her back to my mother. Miss Harriet will be happy. She's probably tired of hissing. Although, I think Libby has finally learned that hissing does not translate to "Let's play!".

 Seriously, how does one so no to this face?! You cannot resist!

I wore the poor thing out today - took her to work with me at the Stickville clinic. Tied her to the desk where she could always see the action. Everyone thought she was adorable. She didn't get any real nap time today, because even in the afternoon when I was alone at the clinic while the vet was off on ranch calls, I let her off leash and she would just follow me around like, well . . . a puppy on a leash. LOL So she had a big day. As did I. I was working my butt off all freaking day. And sweating. Sorry, wait. I'm a lady, I was "glistening". What the hell, I was sweating. Our little clinic only has a swamp cooler in the lobby, and the cool air maybe gets to the reception desk but no further. So the rest of the clinic where I do all my work, is warm and muggy. And I have a fan back there but it doesn't do much.

My only consolation prize was that a young vet was interviewing for a job with our clinic and was with Dr. R today. Eye candy. He was a very nice guy, and couldn't really get him and Dr. R to shut up. Seriously, they were worse than two women gossiping! He earned brownie points in the late morning however, because I was trying to clean up the mess that Dr. R had left, and the mess was just killing me. I'm talking disaster area people. Anyway, Dr. Eye Candy actually offered to help! It is a rare day indeed when a veterinarian actually offers to help the tech clean. Considering he has no idea where anything is or where anything goes, it was nice of him to offer. I let him put away all the bandage materials for me, though. And he threw away some trash. Seriously, any vet that's willing to offer to help deserves a job in my book! Not to mention he was happy to step in and take my place assisting Dr. R if I needed to go up front or grab the phone. Again. Brownie points. Sorry folks, I didn't get a picture. I was too busy! If he gets hired, I'll take one for ya.

And now, stick a fork me - I'm done. It's time for bed. And Advil . . . 

Absenteeism and Postcards

I have been absent. My apologies. I haven't read read a single blog in roughly a week. Nor have I written one post.

I just needed a break from the computer and being online. And I pretty much went cold turkey for the week. I went online once last week. Of course, that doesn't include me checking Facebook on my cell phone once in a while.

During my week of absenteeism I wrote some stuff for my grandparents publication; so I technically was on the computer some, but not as much as I usually am. I also read. A lot.

And I noticed that my eye twitch is permanently gone. I had been noticing my left eye twitching off and on a lot in the last month. I cut back on my computer time a bit and after some time, it seemed to diminish. I worry about eye strain because I'm on my laptop a lot. And that was just another reason I just turned my laptop off and called it quits for a bit. And it hasn't twitched once. Awesomeness.

 My guess is I just need to watch my computer time so I don't get more twitchy.

 I also wanted to talk about Postcards with you guys. I received a few emails from you guys asking about why you haven't received postcards. You all worried about me having secretly deleted you off the list. Nope. Didn't happen. Rita hasn't forgotten about any of us; she's picking out individual postcards for everyone on the list, something that suits the person she's looking for. Plus she was super lucky had spent 10 days in Hawaii, but was unlucky enough to get the post-travel cold. So, I wanted to let you guys know that if you have not received your postcard yet, never fear, it's still on its way.

But now, it's June and that means it's someone else's turn send out some postcards! This month it's going to come from What's On Your Mind Monkey Butt?  

If your curious about the Postcard Campaign, please visit the Campaign's page. Basically we take turns to sending postcards. It's so much more enjoyable to get a postcard in the mail than bills. And considering most of us get bills and junk mail in the letter box, which gets really old by the way, it's so much fun to get something nice. I myself do a little dance in the post office which means people usually stare at me. Each month it's another blogger's turn to send out postcards. So, if you'd like some mailbox happiness, please shoot me an email at theramblingsofcharliebrown@hotmail.com with your real name/address/blog addy/and the name you use in the blogging community.

 

April Blog Challenge: T is for Thank You (Postcard)

I forgot to schedule this one, so I'm posting it kinda late. Ooops. That's what happens when I have to be on the road early on Sunday morning, stay the night out of town, and am on the road again Monday.

I wanted to send a huge thank you to Lynne over at The Giggle Fest for my postcard this month! I love love love it!!

If you haven't stopped by her blog, you definitely should.

If you're new here or just stopping by and you're wondering why I'm posting about a postcard, let me tell you quickly about The Great Postcard Campaign! I came up with this last summer. If you're tired of getting bills and junk mail in the mailbox, jump on in to the Postcard Campaign. Trust me when I say these postcards bring a smile to your face and brighten up your day. I literally laughed out loud when I pulled the one above out of the box!

Each month a different blogger on the list sends out postcards to everyone on the list. You can click on the Campaign page for more details, but that's basically the gist of it. If you'd like to get some mailbox happiness in your neck of the woods, please shoot me an email with your real name, snail mail addy (as it should appear on an envelope), and your blog link. All I ask in return is that you thank the blogger who sent out postcards, preferably with a post similar to this, but other ways can be arranged, and also link back to me.

Now I get to announce the next sender of postcards!! For May, it will be the ever so lovely Rita from The Adventures of Cinderita!! 

Postcards and Eye Candy

First off I have a postcard to show y'all! I got my postcard a few days ago from the lovely Hazel over at Pablo's Angel. And it totally makes me want to just hop on a plane for a vacay. If only I had money and time. If only.

So, now, to officially announce the next sender of postcards for April! It will be the lovely Lyndylou over at The Giggle Fest!!

Now, onto the eye candy.

Many vet clinics open their arms to senior vet students, which allows the vet students little time to gain some experience in the real world. The clinic I work for is such a clinic. A couple weeks ago, Dr. J brought over to the Sticksville clinic a young lady (and no, she's not the eye candy), who was very nice. Dr. J asked me to take her to lunch, so we went to one of the two restaurants in town (the faster one) for a burger. She could be a good candidate for a hire, as her fiance grew up about an hour west of here and really doesn't want to leave.

This week, Dr. J brought another vet student - the eye candy. He was a very nice guy, seems knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. Which was good considering Dr. J must have slipped something into his coffee because he was on a roll. All day long.

I had two kitties knocked out by the time they got to the clinic, and Dr. J had Mr. Eye Candy do a couple kitty neuters and a kitty spay. The spay took him a total of 45 minutes. I knew he wouldn't be fast, considering he's on the large animal track and therefore doesn't practice much on the fluffy things. Like cats. But the cat survived, and we moved on.

It too me until noon to figure out who this guy looked like, because I had this nagging feeling he looked vaguely familiar, even though I'd never laid eyes on him before. At noon, it hit me. Took all I had not to go "AHA!!!" out loud. Because that would have been, you know, embarrassing.

Anyhow, just after lunch I posted my status on Facebook as this:

"The senior vet student that's here this week from UC Davis? Cuuuute. lol" 

Well, someone commented that I should "nonchalantly take his picture". Several people agreed, and I was left with the conundrum of slyly taking a picture of this guy in all his 6'2"-ness. My mother asked when I was bringing him home to meet the parents. I asked if this weekend was too soon. (note: in reality, he's not meeting my parents, and after today, I'm pretty sure he'll be back in Davis soon and I'll never see Mr. Cutie again.)

So, I slyly took a picture. Although, I'm not sure how sly I was, but no one said anything, so I'll just continue to think that I actually got away with it.

  Comments were as followed:

 The last comment was from my mother. Probably got a good laugh over all of it. I sure as hell did!

I slyly snapped another picture a little bit later, but no comments on it. lol

 I thought he resembled Ben Affleck. Now, I'm not a huge Ben fan, but the man is nothing to sneeze at. This guy just made the work day a wee bit easier. hehe. ;o)

I left work, went to dinner at my grandparents house, and shortly thereafter was helping them get a cow to the barn as her labor hadn't progressed in an hour. We pulled a calf - all 90 pounds of it! - and it's alive and well with it's mama in the barn. It's no wonder mama had a tough labor. eek! (sorry it was too dark in the barn for a picture and I didn't want to disturb bonding by using flash, otherwise I'd totally have a picture for y'all).

Postcards!

I did my happy dance at the post office again. Why? Well, I got me a postcard. Duh. 

 

 

This one came from "Speed Demon", who used to be a co-worker of mine at my old job. She's definitely one of the people I miss seeing every day. She has also since left that company for very good reasons of her own and is now joining the mob of people looking for jobs. I wish her all the best in her search! Plus, she commented on my Donkey Basketball video on Facebook with "I miss your laugh" after hearing my laughing on the recording. Which makes her pretty cool. 

 

Now I need to announce here who the next sender is for March:

 

Hazel from Pablo's Angel!

Postcard Campaign - I put to my faithful followers

First off, I must thank The Cat and The Coffee Cup for my latest postcard! She got creative (probably inspired Jewels) to make postcards of her own. She used her own beautiful pictures to make her postcards. Love the personal touch!

Now, I have something I wish to put to my faithful followers of the Postcard Campaign. I have been thinking about this a lot lately, and I would like your opinion(s). I have been having issues in getting into contact with a few members of this "club" seeing as how it's their turn to send postcards. I had trouble for January - hence it's partly my fault for postcards being sent out late in the month because I suddenly had to scramble get in touch with people.

I fully understand life happens and sometimes blogging gets put on the back burner. It happens to us all. However, there are several people that are members of the "club" that haven't blogged anywhere from 1 month to over 6 months. One person has apparently deleted their blog and hasn't been replying to emails. There are also bloggers who have not done the "thank you" post that I ask we all do upon receiving the postcards - as a common courtesy.

 I did not make it a requirement to follow me to take part in the Campaign. Anyone who wished to take part was allowed in. However, I am now rethinking this strategy. I am considering sending out a mass email to those in the Postcard Campaign; if you email me back with a "yes, I want to remain in" then you're in. Easy as that. As long as you are a follower, and I will make sure to follow back. If I don't hear back from you within 7 days, I will take your name off the mailing list (or if you reply to email with "remove me from the list").

I do not wish to be the mean blogger who kicked nice people off the Campaign list simply because they could not reply due to life issues. I do not wish to be the mean blogger who said "you have to follow me". I do not wish to be the mean blogger who held the proverbial gun to your head to make you write a "thank you" post.

I simply want to ensure that we are all on the same page. That we are all taking equal part. I don't want to ask nice people to pay for international postage for people who are not pulling their weight, so to speak. If you've never sent international mail before, it gets spendy. And there are quite a few international addresses. Not to mention some of those addresses are like novels. 

So, I want your opinion, my wonderful Campaign members. Even if you're not, feel free to give your two cents worth. I don't want to make any drastic changes before I put it you guys. Here's a recap of what I'm thinking of:

~ Sending mass email to ensure participation.

~ Those that do not reply within 7 days are taken off the list. (I will however, keep the addresses in case they change their minds)

~ Make it a requirement for Postcard members to follow me, and I will follow back.

~ You must have a blog in order to participate (to make sure people get updates regarding the Campaign, etc.)

Please let me know what you think. Thank you so much for your participation - I am enjoying the postcards and the notes on them! Without you, this Campaign doesn't exist!

Yet another phone convo, Libby update, and Postcard update!

Alrighty, so y'all remember the post I did the other day about the wonderful little phone conversation?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should check it out.

Would you believe that same gal called with the same question on the very next day?

Yep, I'm completely serious. And you could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard her name and her question. I politely replied, "Yes, you called yesterday afternoon about this and I told you I don't have any equine charts in your files." She said, "Hmm. That's so strange."

She had no freaking recollection that she had called me 18 hours earlier. Yeah.

NOW. I have a Libby update. 

I handed Libby off to my dad just before NYE, so that my parents could enjoy some quality Libby time. Dr. J had wanted to recheck her in 10 days, and technically it was supposed to be tomorrow (Friday), but Dad was in town on business, so I made an appointment for him today (Thursday). During dinner, Dad informed that Dr. J wanted to do surgery tomorrow morning. So Libby is now at the vet's spending the night, and supposedly, Dr. J will go in tomorrow to try to fix poor Libby's knee. He's going to try to realign her leg, as it's twisting for two reasons - 1. she was born that way, and 2. because of her little floating knee caps. If this surgery goes as planned, then in about two months she can have her right knee done.

It'll a long tough road for the Rat (aka Libby), but she's been such a trooper. Being shuttled between two houses and a vet clinic. But it will also be a long tough road for the humans involved because we're going to have to give her medicine again. That's gonna be a real bitch.

Ooooh. My poor cat. Her home is about to be invaded again. Poor little kitty.

NOW. I have a Postcard Campaign update!

In December I had let y'all know that it was Alex's turn to send out postcards for January. Unfortunately, she's unable to do that at the moment.  So now you should expect your postcards from:

The Cat and the Coffee Cup!

 

Postcards and Thank You's

With everything else going on, I nearly forgot to send out a bloggy thank you to my friend Jewels for the postcard she sent this month. She hand-made hers, which I think rocks and makes them super-cool. I'm so not that talented!

If you're curious about the postcard campaign, there's a link at the top of the page. It's all about spreading some simple yet wonderful mailbox happiness. Seriously, who doesn't love getting something besides junk mail and bills? To sign up, shoot me an email with your information, and that's all you need to do. Each month I announce the next blogger on the list who gets to send out postcards for the next month. For those of us that receive the postcards, we write up a little thank you in a post, include a picture of the postcard if you wish, and also link to them and me. But . . . it's time to announce the next sender! For January, the next blogger to send out postcards is:

Alessandra over at The Life and Times of A. Nighbert

(I will send you the addresses on January 1st)

Also, for those participating in the Postcard campaign, you also found a little something extra in your mailboxes this month. I sent out Christmas cards to everyone on the list, and most of you guys have already sent me messages thanking me. I just wanted to send you guys a little extra thank you for joining me in the crazy idea I had this past summer. Without you, it doesn't exist. I am enjoying it immensely, and I hope all of you are, too.

And before I forget, my mother wanted me to tell all of you who have commented on the post about Libby's infection THANK YOU. Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, and good mojo. Please keep it coming in hopes that our little Yorkie can walk normal again.

Postcards!

I have done yet another lil' happy dance at the post office. I received my postcard from CWMartin over at Tilting at Windmills.

Thanks CWMartin for the postcard - it put a smile on my face!

Now, if you're new here or just happened across my humble corner of the web, you may be wondering what I'm jabbering on about. I'm talking about The Great Postcard Campaign, where we spread some mailbox happiness around the globe by sending postcards. Each month I choose a member of the Postcard Campaign to send postcards to everyone on the list. The whole idea behind this is to bring a smile to someone's face, and we all take turns sending and receiving postcards. Each time we receive postcards, you link back to me and the person who sent them to you. If you have any questions about it, there's a link up top to the Postcard Campaign page, or you can shoot me an email.  If you want to join up, shoot me an email with your real name, snail mail addy, blogosphere name and blog website.

On the subject of postcards, my BFF sent me a couple not too long ago. She dubs them "antique" postcards as she's had them for quite sometime. I sent her a cute one just to say "hello" and she returned in kind.

I about peed my pants in sheer excitement when I found out these were from her. Its been months since we've seen each other, and I miss her terribly.

So, NOW I get to announce the next person to send postcards for DECEMBER. So, I don't know about anyone else, but being that it's the month of CHRISTMAS, I'm expecting some super-dee-duper postcards from the lovely:

Jewels over at According to Jewels!

Jewels, I shall email you the addy's on December 1st.

I had an impromptu weekend off. And when I say "weekend", I mean Sunday and Monday. I drove to Redding after work (a lovely 3 hour drive in the dark where the deer lurk) on Saturday evening. I slept in until about 8:30 on Sunday, which was awesome, and treated Mom to the movies. Now, I treated her to a movie she had already seen, however, she was more than willing to see it again. Actually, I believe it was her idea to see it again. "Real Steel" with Hugh Jackman. It won't be in theaters much longer, but if you can, go see it!!!! OMG, awesome movie. And not only because my boyfriend Hugh is in it (*sigh*), but because it's a feel good movie.

Postcards, Weather, & Construction

Just a reminder:

If you'd like to join the Postcard Campaign and start receiving postcards in November, the deadline to sign up is October 31st - which is Monday. After that, you'll have to wait for December. And trust me, you don't want to wait.

The Postcard Campaign is simple - we take turns sending and receiving postcards so that we get a nice little something in the mailbox each month. Because I don't consider bills and junk mail to be nice little somethings. If your curious, please check out the Postcard Campaign page - link up top.

I hope everyone was able to receive their postcards from Mynx! I haven't seen too many posts about them, so hopefully the Postal Service didn't sweep them under a table.

I'm not sure about the rest of the planet, but it got freaking COLD here recently. It was 20 degrees yesterday morning. There was ice on the front steps to work. While I'm cool with the bundling up deal, it's like Mother Nature just decided for a few nights it would be in the 20s if we were lucky. And then to have it not get above 45 degrees just so we never quite get rid of the chill that's lingering in the air. Helloooooooooooooo hot chocolate. And the heater. And my blankets. And my electric blanket.

Have I forgotten anything? Oh yes, my fuzzy socks. My thermal undies and socks. My insulated ranch gloves. And scarves. And my slippers. Both pairs.

I heard from Mom the other day that the wall frames have been put up at their house (around my room and bathroom for the extension), and the trusses were delivered yesterday so the roof will start going up! I will be home this weekend and take pictures, plus I will post the pics Mom sent me from her cell phone. As long as the weather holds out (we're begging, Mother Nature . . . .), progress can continue!



I got me some mailbox happiness today! I received my postcard from Mynx over at Dribble....  I did a little happy dance in the Post Office. I believe my little Post Office happy dances are the reason why folks around town are suddenly looking at me funny. 

If you would like something other than junk and bills in your mailbox, shoot me an email with your name, address, and blog address. If you have no idea what I'm referring to, please click on the Postcard Campaign page link up top. If you send me an email before the 1st of November, you could get your very on postcard from the next blogger on the list in November and every month thereafter. So, what are you waiting for?

So, that means I get to announce the next blogger to send out postcards for November!

CWMartin over at Tilting at Windmills
(I will email you the addy's on the 1st)



So, really . . . whatchya waiting for? Shoot me an email and join us!



Sick Bee, Busy Bee, Hungry Bee

I've been MIA for a little over a week. My apologies.

Unfortunately a little over a week ago, I came down with a head cold. As the average person knows, staring at a computer screen for more than 30 seconds would make my eyes water. And my head was "fuzzy" so thinking wasn't much of an option either. Not to mention I got a little tired of wiping my sneeze off the screen. At the time I came down with the cold I had been working on a post with awards, as a couple bloggers had given me a couple. I'm still working on it, it looks like it'll be a long one. Must remember to put a disclaimer on it.

Moving on.

I'm better now, obviously, since I'm finally blogging again. It took me a whole day to get caught up on everyone's blogs, y'all post too much. I hadn't even logged into blogger for over a week. Even though I've felt better the last few days, I just didn't log it. Perhaps I just needed a mini-vacation.

I will have to do a post about this past Saturday at work. Just another one of "those" days. But it will have to wait until probably next week. The rest of my week is going to be busy. I have my regular days with the vet's - tomorrow, Thursday, and Saturday. I will have my regular ranch work. It's delivery week for the publication, so I'll be on the road with Papa D Thursday afternoon and all day Friday. My mom is coming into to town for a couple nights starting on Friday. I'll be house-sitting Wednesday night through Saturday morning for a neighbor of my grandparents. And Sunday begins my monthly drive to Redding for publication delivery and family visits.

Sheesh.

Oh well. Keeps me out of trouble, though, right?

Ahem. Right?

Anyhoo, just wanted y'all to know I'm still alive. Just busy. But I will commence my semi-regular posting once the craziness is over . . . . next week.

Until then, happy blogging!

OH!

Don't forget, if you'd like to sign up for the Postcard Campaign to start receiving postcards in October, send me an email at theramblingsofcharliebrown @ hotmail.com. If you don't send me an email, you don't get a postcard, and that makes a sad little mailbox. If you think I'm nutso and have no idea what I'm talking about, then just visit the Postcard Campaign page up top. It's fun, it's easy, and all it costs you is a few postcard stamps.

And now I'm hungry. Must go raid the pantry or fridge.

I got my first postcard!



You may have noticed that my "button" for the Postcard Campaign has changed. A wee bit more appropriate considering my blog name and the mail box theme. ;o) Not to mention I stole it from Average Girl, as she so totally hit it right on the nose. So, thanks miss, I tip my (proverbial) cowgirl hat to ya!

I have received my very first postcard! If you recall, I sent them out last month, and this time around, it was Average Girl's turn to send them out. I started jumping up and down in the post office, pretty much looking like an idiot to all the poor souls who were forced to witness it. I know she was near a panic attack, having to send postcards to total strangers, but seeing as how she's blogged since they've been mailed, I'm pretty sure she survived! So, thanks Average Girl, for a beautiful post card!

By the by, if you haven't checked out her blog, you really should. All those little linky-poos are a hint.

A Native Indian Princess gazes towards Her Majesty's ship "Reindeer" as she drops anchor in Horse Shoe Bay. (Mural painted in British Columbia)

If you're looking for something other than bills or junk mail in your mailbox, join us in the Campaign for Mailbox Happiness. Just shoot me an email (listed above, left) with your name and address. You can also visit the Postcard Campaign's page (link above). There is still time to join up before it's the next person's turn for October - last day to sign up in time for an October postcard is the last day of September.

Speaking of which, I guess I can announce the next person's turn for October!

Next up is Mynx! (I will send you the addresses on October first)

I feel so guilty

Nothing and I mean nothing makes you feel more guilty than watching the aftermath of your cat recovering from anesthetics. I feel like the worst cat-mom ever.

I finally decided to just get it over with and take Miss Harriet to the vet. Her rear-end was one big mat, although she's never had mats this bad before, so that sort of concerned me. She's not much for combing, and if I have to comb out even a small mat, she's about ready to claw my eyes out. Plus she was over-due for her vaccinations and was in dire need of a nail trim.

I knew all of it would cost me close to $100 (these are country vets folks, and typically cost 1/3 of what a city vet will cost). I wasn't sure what the employee discount was (this is Job 3), but figured I would be paying for at least half the bill, so decided to just bite the bullet and get it done before the cold weather sets in. But the vet was super awesome and didn't charge me for anything. I was like, "J! Are you sure?!" So now my grandparents want all their animals transferred in to my name! lol

The vet showed up and he knocked out my kitty, and our two other surgeries. I shaved my cat while he worked on the other two. A few times I had to stop to help him or answer phones. I finished Miss Harriet and put her back in her carrier to wake up. The vet and I went about our day, and I periodically checked in on our surgeries. Miss Harriet once awake kept giving me the laser-death-ray-stares.

I left work at 4:30, with Miss Harriet in tow. I let her out when I got home and that's when the guilt stepped in. She weebled and she wobbled and she fell down. She staggered around a bit, and I figured she'd want to hide. A few minutes later, I hear scratching and a tiny "meow".  I ran to my bedroom and she was trying to climb up my bed and had one paw stuck on the comforter. I picked her up and lay down on the couch with her. She promptly fell asleep. She eventually woke up enough to curl up on my lap.

It's now been 12 hours since she was knocked out and she's still a weeble, but she's not really falling down. Her pupils are still dilated.

And I feel so guilty. Every animal reacts and recovers from anesthetics differently. My Harriet doesn't recover very well.

And amidst my guilt is my shock at how small my cat is without all that fur!! I mean seriously, folks, I thought my cat was obese. But minus a little house-cat fat in the belly region, she's actually normal.

When I left for dinner, I placed her on the couch. An hour later, she was in the exact same spot. And let me pick her up and place her in my lap and she stayed there for nearly two hours. I finally set her down as she seems to be getting her spunk back.

And I know she could use another dental. But I hate to put her through this again.

On a happier note, my bloggy friend, Jewels wrote a wonderful post about receiving her postcard from me the other day. Just remember, if you want to join, read the Postcard Campaign page and shoot me an e-mail if your interested! It's all about bringing a smile to someone's face.

Postcards and Music

For those that sent me addy's via my email, all of the postcards have officially been mailed! Whoohoo! I do have to give Mynx and Hazel some trouble however, as their postcards actually took some work. It's now blatantly obvious that this extremely rural county that I live in does not often see international mail. At all. Nor are they well stocked in postcard stamps in general. It took a bit of work for the poor gal covering for the Post Mistress to figure out the stamp price just to send one to Canada. Australia and Northern Ireland, however, were far beyond their capabilities in my tiny town. It's as if there is some kind of issue if it has to cross very large quantities of water, like say, an ocean. In the end, I had to make a special trip to a larger post office in Town and the guy was still flummoxed. Clearly these folks need to see more international mail. But don't worry girls, your postcards were sent today (Monday), and as long as it moves faster than an actual snail, hopefully you will both get them before September rolls around. lol

As for whose turn it is next month to send out postcards, I've decided to go with the order in which y'all agreed to participate. Which means Average Girl is next up for September!!

Now, if you guys would like to make it go a bit faster and have two people sending postcards, just let me know. It was something I just thought of, considering it's already a growing group. I'm excited to say that, including myself, there are now 10 people joined up for the Great Postcard Campaign. I think that is an absolutely awesome start, and I've practically purchased every postcard in town that I can so I'm prepared for when it's next my turn.

I will also be adding the names of all those who are participating to the Postcard Campaign page. If you have a blog, your name/blog name will show up as a link. Just some minor blog pimpin'.

And in the name of mailbox happiness, I have to give a shout-out to my BFF for sending me some. She made me a CD after our last visit in Redding when I told her I actually missed listening to the hip-hop and alternative stations I was always forced to listen to at my old job in Sacramento. So, she made me a "mixed tape" so to speak, and now I can't wait to listen to it. Including a song she introduced me to that day, which was absolutely hilarious, and which I will be so kind as to share with all of you. I must warn that the artist uses the "f" word a few times, so if that's not your cup of tea don't take a listen.

Now, I should probably get back to cleaning up my house.

The Great Postcard Campaign: Mailbox Happiness

Thus starts the first month of the Great Postcard Campaign. Right now I have a total of 5 wonderful bloggy friends who have been so kind as to join me on my quest for some mailbox happiness.

I will go ahead and kick start the who shebang for the month of August. If you wish to join up, all you have to do is shoot me an email and provide a mailing address. I will not do anything with your mailing address except send you a postcard. When it's the next person's turn, I will provide them with your address to send a postcard. This is on the honor system and therefore, anyone who abuses this will be cut out of the "circle". You are only asked to send one postcard to each blogger on the list. You can spread them out, or send the postcards at once. When you receive a postcard, you can share it on your blog and if possible, link to the blogger who sent you the postcard. I do ask that you link back to me, and hopefully we can get more to participate in the campaign for mailbox happiness. Just grab the button and link to me.

If you wish to be a part of this, please email me! We'd love to have more join us!