I keep meaning to post an update...

Last Saturday while attempting to purchase cat food and litter, I got sucked in by the Florence no kill shelter who was showing off a selection of kitties at PetSmart. I love my Simon but the house felt kind of empty with only him living in it (Whisper is residing mostly in the garage so I only see her if I go out there). I thought he needed a kitty companion for the long hours I'm away from home. I've been debating this for many weeks so it was ok to be contemplating the options. A lilac point tabby caught my attention. He was beautiful, large, and needed some extra care. His name was Helix, and I brought him home with me.

It turns out that was a bit of an expensive choice because the vet visit today, even with the free exam, was $185. Not so okay, but I'll figure it out. He has been in isolation all week in the spare room and Simon has been speaking to me mostly in kitty profanities! He is NOT okay with this new cat in the house! He runs away from the noises Helix makes and hisses at me. He knows who brought him in! I'm hoping Simon comes around soon. I'd like to start a screen door introduction on Sunday but I have to figure out the logistics of it.

I was told Helix was 5 months old and they wanted to charge the kitten price for his adoption but I asked for the adult rate since he needed medical care. The vet thinks he's actually closer to 8-9 months. He weighs in at a little over 9 pounds so this makes more sense to me- I was suspicious.

So far I've learned that he doesn't like to be alone but he doesn't want to be held or penned in. I'm his personal jungle gym. He drools when he's happy. He has a foot fetish and would rather roll on my feet than my hands. He's clumsy which may be because he can't see well due to an eye infection or that he's still learning about his adult body. He's playful. The laser pointer is so much fun! He's very gentle. Even when he's playing and accidentally grabs my hand instead of the toy, he hasn't broken my skin.

Unfortunately, Helix isn't the only sicky around here. I developed an awful sore throat Tuesday night and went in to urgent care on Wednesday morning to make sure it wasn't strep. It wasn't but the doctor said it's a particularly nasty virus that's going around. She then directed me to stay home until Monday. I'm still battling the sore throat, I'm not sure how long it's going to be before I feel better but I need to go back on Monday, even if it means wearing a mask.

I'm tired but having trouble sleeping- partly due to daytime water consumption. I was awake at 1:00, 2:00, 4:00 and finally gave up and got up at 5:00. I took a short nap but otherwise have been up all day. This is quite contrary to what my body needs but I'm not sure how to fix it.

In other news, I received four letters from FEMA on Monday. One was to inform me that my premium was due. One was to ask me for proof I lived on my property. One was to tell me that my costs had been reduced due to HFIAA for the previous year. One was a check for $1752 as a refund for the overpayment. Today I received a letter from them telling me my premium had been under paid and I needed to remit payment for $305 in order to reinstate the entire amount of coverage. The amount the bank submitted was the amount quoted to them and was the same as last year. So I'm not sure why it's $305 more for this year or how this gets fixed but the money should be in escrow and not coming out of my pocket. However, I really wish FEMA could get their act together! I'll also note that I have not cashed the check or spent the money because I don't believe they won't say it was a mistake and ask for it back.