It's a little fishy

So the VHM noticed on sunday that the girl's betta, Fishstick was behaving a bit odd.  He was floating with his nose pointed straight up out of the water, and his tail straight down.

This morning, as he went upstairs to finish getting ready for work he said, "Fish's eye is all swollen, he's not long for this world."

Wow.  I did some quick research online - because even though he's "just a fish" - he's still a creature in our care and is one of the family.  Fishstick was sick. "Pop-eye" is a condition which can be caused by a number of things but most frequently a bacterial infection.  Fishes can lose the vision in that eye, lose the eye completely or even die.

I let the girl take a shower before I bombarded her with the details - she got him out of the tank, and into clean water and a clean bowl.  I made a list of things we needed from the pet store.  In my haste I found myself in the rain outside of the pet store before even the employees showed up. Boo.

Luckily there was a Dunkin Donuts in the area...

Dunkin Donuts is full of old guys - I told the VHM that this is where I will go, after he passes, to flirt with men. 

I was accepted, noticed, and ignored until I got up to leave and then my neighbor wished me a good day.


I like old guys.

and pumpkin donuts.



But it was 10:01 and I needed to save a fish.

I bought a bunch of stuff, including the medicine that hopefully will put Fishstick on the mend -

and made my way back to the house.  The Maracyn comes in packets (kinda like the cheese packets you get with take-out pizza).  One packet is for 10 gallons of water.  Our fish typically lives in a 1-2 gallon tank but was just moved to a 1/2 gallon tank.  The packets are small, by the time the girl split the packet into 10 and then split one of those piles in 1/2... well it was such a tiny amount, she had to pinch it up with rubber gloved fingers.  We are aware our measuring was not exact - but he is a fish.

He reacted very weird after the powder got put in - alarmed us both - but then calmed down.  We noted he's also seemingly lost some color, which is in line with a bacterial infection. Assuring ourselves that we caught it early (some of the pics of "pop-eye" suffering fish made Fishstick look positively healthy in comparison), we hope for the best.

Fishstick hiding behind his new heater in the sick-bowl

Dad Report: Remember that entry where Dad thought he was dropped off at a church and then transported in the middle of the night back to his room? Well, he's back to that ol' story again.  I think it happens when he leaves in the morning from St. Mary's - and then returns very late at night - after a big day.  He undoubtedly gets fatigued/over stimulated and places (especially places like hospitals and nursing homes) dramatically change from day to night; both visually and otherwise.

I tried to suggest to him "an alternative hypothesis," since even he was exclaiming how hard it was to believe that they could move him in the middle of the night, into a car or other form of transport, from the church to where he lives, in an elevator, and up to his room and into his bed all without waking him- but he was not accepting of it.  He said "well believe that if you want, but that is not what's happening, as this has happened before."   My alternative hypothesis was that due to his memory problems, which we know get worse when he's tired later in the day, perhaps he was not remembering returning to his room accurately.  But he quite believes that is not the case.

2008 Summer

Random Photo of the day:


The VHM, a really good sport.

I haven't knitted in forever, though I am doing a small project right now.  It's my hands, and elbows really that make it virtually impossible for me to knit.  If I wasn't on the computer all the time, maybe -- but right now, it's just another thing that aggravates my weak points.

He's cute though...and was always willing to model the sizing for me.





The writing: in haiku form

water rises high          

spirits float beyond all loss

joyous rebirth sings

it's odd but I have no recollection of this haiku; or it's impetus. Huh. 

Fears & Anxieties:  I am taking the advice I gave my sister yesterday - fighting against the feeling of urgency - enjoying the process - letting things happen as they will - in a more organic fashion. Trying not to force...ease and grace ease and grace ease and grace.

and a final word - somewhere out there is a woman who is lost - I know she has strength she doesn't recognize, deep within herself.  She has lost sight of her true value and worth and has given over her happiness to another.  I pray for her, and others like her to grab ahold of the glimmer, the spark, that internal voice you are trying not to listen to - get out now, get out however you can, you are worth more, you will survive this and even more - because you are strong, you are a woman, your value is unmeasurable, you only need to listen and trust your glimmer and your spark. 

Thanks Jezebel for putting it succinctly