The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Good:
Bardic Madness went well. I helped with setup on Friday night - the plan was to help set up the royalty room, which ultimately meant moving a couple tables and some chairs up there. So I helped do feast prep in the kitchen, and am now versed in how to peel hard-boiled eggs. Which I did for a couple hours. Saturday I got to the event and discovered that I had left all of the refrigerated stuff (milk, creamer, cheese, yogurt raisins, coffee) at home, so I ran out and picked up more. Prepped the room with dried fruits, veggies, cheese, crackers, and coffee. Helped in the kitchen a little more. Organized a royalty room guard (Wolf, a young man for whom this was his first event.) Met up with Rhys, who I had asked to retain as well. When Their Majesties arrived we schlepped things into the building and got them set up and arranged, dressed, and into event mode. Rhys accompanied the Queen and I drafted Albrecht to join the King so I could stay with Emily (Their Majesties' daughter).
Their Majesties spent time either watching challenges or in the royalty room, signing scrolls, having conferences, and doing royal things. I spent most of my time answering questions from and giving direction to various folks and royalty, and playing with/keeping an eye on Emily. As the attendees of the event can attest, 'keeping an eye on Emily' involved a fair amount of chasing her from point A (the performance room) to point B (the royalty room) and point C (the drinking fountain). We did spend time being quiet (ish) in the royalty room, which contained a pile of beanbag chairs, games, and books; most of the games were more advanced or complex than she was interested in learning and the books weren't as interesting as the other opportunities, so we played with some of the stuffed animals she had brought and writing (and subsequently reading) stories in her new blank book (a gift from Baroness Kateryn). I should mention also that Fiona and Rhys took care of the kinds of things I would have normally done, like setting up and taking apart the thrones and retaining for Their Majesties in court.
When Their Majesties were finished, we packed them up and got them on their way. I cleaned up the royalty room and hung out with folks, eventually retiring to the royalty room to read and relax. Feast was early, and the food was amazingly wonderful. (Fiona and I assisted the cooking staff with serving the food, but also took time to enjoy it.) I stuck around for a little while longer and helped with general cleanup, then left for home about 9:15ish.
Sunday morning I went back to help with cleanup, where I got to do lots of mopping. Hurrah for mopping!
I should also mention that Laura and Ben were in the process of driving home from Pinawa; they got off to a late start, but I received email updates all day from them. They got to Superior at about 9 on Saturday morning, and Sunday left around noon. They got home at about 7:30 Sunday night. Yay!
The Bad:
At home I was met with an odd sight - dark reddish stains on the kitchen floor. It looked like A-1, but I couldn't find an overturned or broken container. I puzzled over it while I fed the cats, then saw that Brisco had a three-inch long gash in his leg and dried blood spattered all over his body and leg. So, I called Laura to fill her in, then put him in the cat carrier and whisked him off to the new 24/7 Vet ER. They determined that it wasn't terribly deep but still substantial; they shaved his leg, sutured him shut, bandaged him, attached an 'Elizabethan Collar', and he was ready to roll out around 2:30. They gave me antibiotics, painkillers, and instructions: keep him in a kennel or small room where he can't jump. No rough play with the other cats. So.
When we got Brisco, I installed a screen door on Ben's room so that we could separate him from the other cats and do the 'acclimate a cat to a new house' thing. The hinges remain just in case we ever need it again, and the door is in the garage. But, it's full of furniture and perfect for jumping around. We have cat carriers, but the largest is just tall enough for him to stand up in. Barely. So, I put a litter box in there (which takes 1/3 of the carrier) and a towel. With the e-collar and only three functional legs he couldn't do much, though; he wriggled around on his side until his face (and the collar) was pressed against the cage door and looked miserable. I gave him his antibiotics and went to call Laura. While I was on the phone with her I heard a crash from the kitchen - he had managed to open the door and was out. I corralled him back into the carrier and put it in the bathroom - which is the least jumpy room with a door - for the night. And I got to bed around 3.
During the night he managed to dis-assemble his collar, which was still attached to his neck but no longer shaped like a cone. I put it back together and taped some of the parts down with packing tape. (Yes, I considered duct tape.) Then I ran out to Farm and Fleet for a dog kennel. I ensconced him in his new digs with a larger litter box, a bowl of water, some food, a new towel (he had soiled the old one in the night *and* flipped the litter box into it), and kept an eye on him for a little while. I went back to site to finish cleaning up, then came home again to find that he had disengaged the e-collar and pulled off his bandage. It was a little alarming - I had started getting used to his bright pink leg, and to see his leg in one corner of the cage with him in the opposite corner was pretty startling. So, I called the ER ('cause the vet is closed on Sunday), who said that the bandage was a temporary measure anyway and that, if everything looked okay, he should be okay without it. As long as his collar was still attached and he couldn't chew on his leg. They explained how the collar was supposed to work, and I noted that a particular component wasn't there. So, out to the pet store to get a new one - I got a plastic one with a better design and an inflatable one. And the plastic one seems to be doing okay, so maybe I can return the inflatable one. Yay!
The Ugly:
To quote Joe Jackson, "will you look at, look at, look at all the blood". Brisco spent some time running around the house wounded and left blood splatters in the living room (including a spray across the windows), the kitchen, and the basement - mostly over by the desks and the sewing area. Which is where the computers, the fabric, and the un-shelved books live. The blood has dried (or clotted, or both) and I scrubbed it off the windows and bathroom floor, but I haven't been able to get it off the carpet. The stuff we use to wipe up most cat-related stains didn't do anything, so I'll try something more extreme; people on Facebook recommended hydrogen peroxide but I might try some gentler cleaners first. And honestly, by the time I went downstairs to use the computer for our Sunday night DDO group, I was too tired to even pay attention; tonight or tomorrow I'll clean that up too. But really, it's like someone walked through the house with a candle dripping wax everywhere. Or, I guess, like someone jumped around with an open wound on his leg. Oh, and there's a nice bloody footprint on the wall. And I don't know how I'm going to clean that either. (The website says dish detergent or Woolite/ammonia solution. I suppose I can try that.)
He's still not eating much. I'm concerned about giving him his antibiotics, because it's *tough* to squirt juice down his throat. But we'll keep on keeping on. Laura and Ben are home now, so that'll make it easier. And he's living in a kennel for the next couple weeks, so hurray for that.
In other news, Laura has an MRI tomorrow. (Normal checkup stuff.) Thursday night is fighter's practice. Saturday I might do some cleanup at the theater. Sunday is a meeting in Fox Lake, the scheduling of which means that I can't do anything else that day (other than attend the fighter's practice at the same location). And Laura and Ben are home, and that's the important part. And life goes on.
End of line.
Bardic Madness went well. I helped with setup on Friday night - the plan was to help set up the royalty room, which ultimately meant moving a couple tables and some chairs up there. So I helped do feast prep in the kitchen, and am now versed in how to peel hard-boiled eggs. Which I did for a couple hours. Saturday I got to the event and discovered that I had left all of the refrigerated stuff (milk, creamer, cheese, yogurt raisins, coffee) at home, so I ran out and picked up more. Prepped the room with dried fruits, veggies, cheese, crackers, and coffee. Helped in the kitchen a little more. Organized a royalty room guard (Wolf, a young man for whom this was his first event.) Met up with Rhys, who I had asked to retain as well. When Their Majesties arrived we schlepped things into the building and got them set up and arranged, dressed, and into event mode. Rhys accompanied the Queen and I drafted Albrecht to join the King so I could stay with Emily (Their Majesties' daughter).
Their Majesties spent time either watching challenges or in the royalty room, signing scrolls, having conferences, and doing royal things. I spent most of my time answering questions from and giving direction to various folks and royalty, and playing with/keeping an eye on Emily. As the attendees of the event can attest, 'keeping an eye on Emily' involved a fair amount of chasing her from point A (the performance room) to point B (the royalty room) and point C (the drinking fountain). We did spend time being quiet (ish) in the royalty room, which contained a pile of beanbag chairs, games, and books; most of the games were more advanced or complex than she was interested in learning and the books weren't as interesting as the other opportunities, so we played with some of the stuffed animals she had brought and writing (and subsequently reading) stories in her new blank book (a gift from Baroness Kateryn). I should mention also that Fiona and Rhys took care of the kinds of things I would have normally done, like setting up and taking apart the thrones and retaining for Their Majesties in court.
When Their Majesties were finished, we packed them up and got them on their way. I cleaned up the royalty room and hung out with folks, eventually retiring to the royalty room to read and relax. Feast was early, and the food was amazingly wonderful. (Fiona and I assisted the cooking staff with serving the food, but also took time to enjoy it.) I stuck around for a little while longer and helped with general cleanup, then left for home about 9:15ish.
Sunday morning I went back to help with cleanup, where I got to do lots of mopping. Hurrah for mopping!
I should also mention that Laura and Ben were in the process of driving home from Pinawa; they got off to a late start, but I received email updates all day from them. They got to Superior at about 9 on Saturday morning, and Sunday left around noon. They got home at about 7:30 Sunday night. Yay!
The Bad:
At home I was met with an odd sight - dark reddish stains on the kitchen floor. It looked like A-1, but I couldn't find an overturned or broken container. I puzzled over it while I fed the cats, then saw that Brisco had a three-inch long gash in his leg and dried blood spattered all over his body and leg. So, I called Laura to fill her in, then put him in the cat carrier and whisked him off to the new 24/7 Vet ER. They determined that it wasn't terribly deep but still substantial; they shaved his leg, sutured him shut, bandaged him, attached an 'Elizabethan Collar', and he was ready to roll out around 2:30. They gave me antibiotics, painkillers, and instructions: keep him in a kennel or small room where he can't jump. No rough play with the other cats. So.
When we got Brisco, I installed a screen door on Ben's room so that we could separate him from the other cats and do the 'acclimate a cat to a new house' thing. The hinges remain just in case we ever need it again, and the door is in the garage. But, it's full of furniture and perfect for jumping around. We have cat carriers, but the largest is just tall enough for him to stand up in. Barely. So, I put a litter box in there (which takes 1/3 of the carrier) and a towel. With the e-collar and only three functional legs he couldn't do much, though; he wriggled around on his side until his face (and the collar) was pressed against the cage door and looked miserable. I gave him his antibiotics and went to call Laura. While I was on the phone with her I heard a crash from the kitchen - he had managed to open the door and was out. I corralled him back into the carrier and put it in the bathroom - which is the least jumpy room with a door - for the night. And I got to bed around 3.
During the night he managed to dis-assemble his collar, which was still attached to his neck but no longer shaped like a cone. I put it back together and taped some of the parts down with packing tape. (Yes, I considered duct tape.) Then I ran out to Farm and Fleet for a dog kennel. I ensconced him in his new digs with a larger litter box, a bowl of water, some food, a new towel (he had soiled the old one in the night *and* flipped the litter box into it), and kept an eye on him for a little while. I went back to site to finish cleaning up, then came home again to find that he had disengaged the e-collar and pulled off his bandage. It was a little alarming - I had started getting used to his bright pink leg, and to see his leg in one corner of the cage with him in the opposite corner was pretty startling. So, I called the ER ('cause the vet is closed on Sunday), who said that the bandage was a temporary measure anyway and that, if everything looked okay, he should be okay without it. As long as his collar was still attached and he couldn't chew on his leg. They explained how the collar was supposed to work, and I noted that a particular component wasn't there. So, out to the pet store to get a new one - I got a plastic one with a better design and an inflatable one. And the plastic one seems to be doing okay, so maybe I can return the inflatable one. Yay!
The Ugly:
To quote Joe Jackson, "will you look at, look at, look at all the blood". Brisco spent some time running around the house wounded and left blood splatters in the living room (including a spray across the windows), the kitchen, and the basement - mostly over by the desks and the sewing area. Which is where the computers, the fabric, and the un-shelved books live. The blood has dried (or clotted, or both) and I scrubbed it off the windows and bathroom floor, but I haven't been able to get it off the carpet. The stuff we use to wipe up most cat-related stains didn't do anything, so I'll try something more extreme; people on Facebook recommended hydrogen peroxide but I might try some gentler cleaners first. And honestly, by the time I went downstairs to use the computer for our Sunday night DDO group, I was too tired to even pay attention; tonight or tomorrow I'll clean that up too. But really, it's like someone walked through the house with a candle dripping wax everywhere. Or, I guess, like someone jumped around with an open wound on his leg. Oh, and there's a nice bloody footprint on the wall. And I don't know how I'm going to clean that either. (The website says dish detergent or Woolite/ammonia solution. I suppose I can try that.)
He's still not eating much. I'm concerned about giving him his antibiotics, because it's *tough* to squirt juice down his throat. But we'll keep on keeping on. Laura and Ben are home now, so that'll make it easier. And he's living in a kennel for the next couple weeks, so hurray for that.
In other news, Laura has an MRI tomorrow. (Normal checkup stuff.) Thursday night is fighter's practice. Saturday I might do some cleanup at the theater. Sunday is a meeting in Fox Lake, the scheduling of which means that I can't do anything else that day (other than attend the fighter's practice at the same location). And Laura and Ben are home, and that's the important part. And life goes on.
End of line.