Odds and Ends

In looking back at the numbers involved in American Pharoah's win in the Belmont Stakes, someone noted, with surprise, that Pharoah ran the last quarter-mile (or 2 furlongs) faster than Secretariat did back in 1973.  That is impressive!  Also, American Pharoah will be on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Vogue in the near future.
   I had a fantastic time on Tuesday, 9 June.  It was my 59th birthday, and after spending several hours with Lovey and Nedi, and then an hour with Rosie, I spent 10 hours with my sister Kathy.  We had a light lunch, sat and talked, laughed, cried, looked at photos, and made plans for our trip to Chincoteague in July.  Then we picked up Jim (her husband), and had supper at the China Gourmet.  It was an excellent day!
   I'm currently house-sitting two cats, Cyrano and Pounce.  Pounce sings to me all morning and afternoon, wanting to go out.  Cyrano has started letting me sleep one night, and then waking me up every 90 minutes the next.  How does he wake me up?  He kneads my face, with his claws extended.  I have to admit I wake up quickly - and all he wants is to have his head and chin scratched for about a minute.  I might have to start closing the bedroom door.
   I have a storage unit, so I can start moving my belongings there and begin the scrubbing of my apartment.  I've been here for 9 years, plus, and still have the window curtains and shower curtain that "came" with the rental.  The only problem is the buckling ceiling and wall in the bathroom - I've commented on it, and complained about it, and asked for repairs for the past 14 months.  Now there is what I assume is mud (and hope is not sewage) oozing up through the edges of the tiles on the closet floor and the joiners cracks in the bathroom floor linoleum.  Maintenance keeps telling me that it's overflow from the bath tub above me, and they can't fix it...  I don't think anyone else will rent this place with the holes dripping water, sagging plaster, and mold growing above the shower head - on both the ceiling and the wall....
   I've been very worried about Lucy Lou Rox, one of the dogs I care for.  She's fourteen, a Portuguese Water dog, and she stopped putting any weight on one hind leg a couple of months ago.  The owner's regular vet just shrugged and said sciatica was the problem.  I recommended she have Dr Pete Rogers stop by.  He found a growth in her foot, which turned out to be a squamous type of cancer.  Lucy had surgery at Pet Menders (my cats' vet in Boulder) last Friday and is almost completely recovered.  She's bearing weight on that leg and foot, eating well, and is now interested in chasing squirrels again.  One toe and a small part of her foot pad was removed.  Voila!  A new dog!  So happy Doctor Pete found that.