Sunday Ketchup

I haven't done a Catch Up post in a while.  I think it's overdue.  So, here goes:

The situation with Bill's employer actually was over 2 years, now that I've had time to think about things.  It was pretty bad, but once we realized that her was eligible for the contract buy-out we realized just how crushingly bad it was.  Once we found out that he was eligible, there was no question in our minds that he was taking it.  We just weren't sure what day he was going to pick to be his last day.  His last official day was Friday, and on Thursday he received official notification that his job was one that was going to be eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts effective July 1 so he would have been out of a job anyway even if he had stayed.  Just further proof to us that it was God's care and provision.  About 2 dozen people had taken the buy-our as of last Friday, anyone who is eligible can still opt to take it if their jobs are also on the chopping block.

At some point, Bill will need to find another job.  But we will be able to stretch the timeline for that out for a while if we have to.  He spent last week trying to catch up on pachinko machine restoration and cleanings for some of his customers.  The calls and emails wanting restorations and cleaning just keep coming.  More proof that God is still watching over us!

Last Wednesday, there was really bad weather.  It was rainy early in the day, although the forecast was for last afternoon/early evening but the rain had stopped by the time it was supposed to start.  I went to the grocery store, I was just getting back in the car at 5:00 and the news report was on as I started the car.  The reporter stated that we were "in the clear" as far as any potential bad stuff.  About 7:00, the first of what turned out to be 4 separate tornados sprouted.  The first one was west of Tulsa and it went through the northern part of the city/county limits.  There were no deaths, but there were a lot of injuries and a great deal of damage.  The storm continued on east and it took the twister with it.  The next target was a small town north/northeast of Tulsa called Owasso.  Again, damage and injuries but no deaths.  The tornado dissolved but then the storm kept going east and 2 more sprouted.  The next targets were the smaller towns of Claremore and Catoosa.  Widespread damage but again, no deaths were reported.  (None of those are the area we live in.)  We joke about the forecasters, but this time it was no joke.  They just missed it and they missed it BIG.

Otter turned 24 on Thursday!  We got her a small birthday cake, I took it (and ice cream!) to her apartment Wednesday afternoon so that she would have it on her actual birthday.  J was there, so he put it in the fridge for her and I told him to remind her that on your birthday it is perfectly acceptable to have cake for breakfast!  She apparently listened, because she texted me that she had cake AND ICE CREAM for her breakfast on Thursday.  :)  We met J & Otter at a Mexican place for dinner on Thursday, it was really nice.

Maggie was dragging her rear again last week, so I made an appointment with the vet for her on Friday.  That was actually the only time they could see her other than Thursday, and I had already arranged the day off as a vacation day - originally Bill had planned to make Thursday the 31st his last day but then he found out that his insurance premium would be covered for April if he made the 1st his last day.  Anyway, on Thursday morning Maggie had a slight accident.  It looked like she was just not able to make it outside but she tried.  I cleaned up after her and then I realized that she'd had "potty problems" outside and that evening she was acting like she wasn't feeling too good.  I called the vet and let them know and they scheduled an exam for her.  Friday, I took her for a short walk about an hour before the vet appointment.  She was having really bad "potty problems" then and she had a blade of grass sticking out her her behind parts!  She was happy to get in the car but not happy to get to the vet's office, but she was even more unhappy when she realized that she was being taken back to the room to get her "rear alignment!"  The vet came back in with her after that, he said that her glands were actually not very full and that it looked like they had emptied on their own.  He said that sometimes happens and that she probably had a slight intestinal infection.  He gave her an antibiotic liquid dose (which she didn't particularly like) and then sent home a few days worth of antibiotic pills for me to give her twice per day.  She also got her nails trimmed while she was there.  She responded pretty quickly to the medication, although she did figure out that there was a pill hidden in the bread bite she got this morning - she spit it out at me!

OK, I think I'm caught up for now!