Usual Critters and a New Telephone

I saw the sun for the first time today at 5:40 p.m. - it felt kinda weird, because the high temperature was 82, but there was thick cloud cover all day.  We had a few spits of rain throughout the morning - not enough to even get my shirt wet while walking the Rs.  Remy's hind legs are getting worse: he usually stumbles (toe knuckles under) two or three times on the way to the Snow house; he did that eight times this morning, and his legs gave way twice while he was in the yard.  It's not pretty - and he knows that something is wrong, and he looks at you so apologetically when he falls...  Nancy and Joel will have to make a very hard decision soon, I'm afraid.  But, on the bright side, I did see Brandi and Peach today - they are both still chugging away; and 22-year-old Ooch was sitting in the bay window at his house this morning, too.
   My telephone died yesterday.  I knew something was up, because for the past three days the volume has been extremely loud, and I couldn't lower it.  Last night, the star and pound buttons gave up the ghost - and I have to press both buttons to retrieve my voice mail.  So I bought a new phone today - "an old fogey's phone" was the way the employee at the store described it, when he thought I was out of hearing range.  I wanted to laugh out loud in his face, but I didn't.  It's a phone that is a land line, and it will work even if the power goes out.  It has Caller ID, and it also has four sets of rings, each louder than the other, which I keep on the lowest sound.  The Caller ID screen tilts, so I can always make the screen viewable, and it has 10 audio levels.  It's almost exactly like the one it replaces, which was 17 years old....
   I just had to go outside and rescue Nedi.  Lovey was sitting on the cat tree, looking out, and I heard the unmistakable howl of a territorial cat.  I thought it was Lovey, and that the raccoons were advancing.  I looked out, and Speedy Taco, the cat from the end of the building, had poor Nedi cornered, and was howling and growling at him.  Nedi had no idea what to do - he was just trying to make himself into a smaller black ball.  I gently got Speedy to leave, then collected Nedi; at which time Lovey decided to chase Speedy, so I had to go after her, as well...