The day after Thanksgiving, we were invited to Spyder and Kanga’s house and we got to meet their pets. Among them, there were two very friendly cats Kanga talks about with fondness. However, he said that once the kitties move to pet heaven, that will be it for him in the feline department. His reason? Cleaning the litter box gets old and is always nasty. I didn’t grasp the whole concept until yesterday…

You see? I don’t take care of litter box cleaning here. That was my husband’s promise to me, that he would always do it, so he always does. However, doctor’s instructions after surgery include not bending and/or lifting more than 20lbs. And when I went to the basement yesterday, I realized the cats bathrooms needed to be taken care of. There I was in my first litter box cleaning duty, ever.

Mind you, I’ve had cats before but I grew up in a big country house where my pets ran wild and went to the bathroom outside. I never knew where they did their stuff (nor I was curious!). But this litter box cleaning thing… let me tell you… EWWW! I’ve been exposed to all kinds of nasty things studying Biology, but nothing prepared me for the penetrating smell… you know what I’m talking about. Just thinking about it makes me gag.

Anyway, I did it for the first and hopefully last time. I guess John is used to it now, but I have a reason to appreciate him even more. I swear my cats don’t eat weird stuff, and I can say you probably will never see me buying canned food for them.

John is feeling much better. Not 100% well, but getting there. He had his post-op appointment with the surgeon, and everything is going according to plan. Going to the doctor meant that John and I finally broke free from our house arrest; and that made me gather enough courage to go shopping because I hadn’t bought anything for Christmas.

John said he didn’t want anything, but I couldn’t let pass Christmas without buying a little gift for him. Me? I’m forever spoiled, and I buy crap for myself all the time. Like today, when I saw a Nine West wallet at a really good price and brought it home. Truth is, my old wallet had been asking to be sent to retirement for a long, long time. I think I’ve had it since 2001, and I have to admit that although being faux-leather, the quality was amazing. But I needed a married woman wallet, one where I can put my check book because I’m tired of always forgetting it when I’m supposed to bring it with me.

So after 7 years and a lot of good memories, I said bye-bye to my very practical, cool-looking wallet. It’s like saying good-bye to a friend… I’m such a sentimental fool. But I’m sure my bank cards and my drivers license are happy about the new smell. :-)

When you sign up for projects like Holidailies, promising you will post every day for 30 days, you have no clairvoyant abilities to foresee nasty colds like the one I’ve been dealing with for the last 3 days. That’s why I haven’t posted.

I’ve spent my time either sleeping or vegetating on the lazy-boy under the effect of cold medications. I’m feeling a little bit better today, and I will try to post something later.

According to Wikipedia:

Cabin fever is a slang term for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in, for an extended period. Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, forgetfulness, laughter, and excessive sleeping.

I’ve been restless and irritable today. I haven’t been inside for an extended period of time, but I’ve grown so accustomed to go out every day, if only to run small errands, that when I have to stay at home without doing anything interesting at the end of the day I’m about to scream at the top of my lungs. It comes and goes like the seasons; sometimes I’m a total homebody, but other times I need to go out to breathe some air and just look at the outside world.

Mind you, today we’re getting rain in KC and the weather is awful in general. So I’ve been at home, mostly taking care of a hubby who just underwent ear surgery, and trying to keep busy doing little things here and there. John is managing well on his own for the most part, playing WoW, watching TV, playing with his Rubik’s cube and taking it easy. But after 5:30 or so, I started feeling the itch to go outside… he noticed, asked what happened, and I told him I needed a excuse to make a little run outside. So I went to buy bread for tomorrow’s breakfast. It took me less than 10 minutes but it felt good!

And now that I remember, I’ve always been like this. When I was living on my own in Canada, and I didn’t have school, I went out for a drive around Chicoutimi to clear my mind and see something different, especially in the evening. I like to see the outside world at night, probably because when the day is ending there is a sense of accomplishment, and I like to see people going home and just getting ready to unwind.

I love being home, and I enjoy every minute I spend here, but sometimes I need to step outside even if it means I’ll get my winter Crocs wet in a puddle.