Yesterday was a good day because the crack in the wall that had been opened up by the Jan 6 committee got a whole lot bigger, in my opinion.
Today is a good day, too. More on that later.
I hope I am not jinxing anything by saying this is a good day, because my little Henry goes in for allergy testing in a few minutes – they will sedate him and do 72 (!) tiny little injections to see what he is most allergic to. He was scheduled for this two weeks ago on a day with a heat index of 112, so I cancelled that morning because that was not a day to stress the body of any living thing, particular a little one.
That is all.
ETA: TaMara here, Watergirl just sent me a photo of Henry to add to the post, LOL. They’re heading in the vet’s now.
That tongue
Open Thread: Our War Against the War on Women
mistermix
Our pup had allergies and she outgrew them in her later years, so hoping the same for Henry!
Steeplejack
Good luck to Henry!
TaMara
Can I jump in here and help debunk the “NBC reports” about the Secret Service? First of all it’s Peter Alexander who tweeted it. Rachel pretty much threw him under the bus last night, good for her.
But IMHO, January6thCmte will do what they always do, bring the receipts. No way they let her testify to this w/o knowing it was true.
And Bobby Engel already testified before the committee…so that debunks half of the Alexander scoop.
TaMara
Here’s hoping Henry’s allergies are as simple as a food you can eliminate from his diet.
One of my Danes, years ago, was allergic to grass! I planted a clover garden for her to stretch out in and that helped.
MisterDancer
We ‘re way past due on good days.
eclare
Best wishes to little Henry! BTW we need another Henry without any ears photo!
Alison Rose
@Steeplejack: I promise I will not use the power WP has randomly given me to edit your comment.
Ah yes, allergy testing. My favorite pre-teen memory!!!!! Not. With humans who have, you know, exposed skin, the first round is just a “scratch” test, where they take all those little vials of allergens, dip a teeny tiny needle in them, and make a little scratch on the underside of your forearm–think it was about 30 on each arm. But that was nothing, it was like scratching yourself with your fingernail.
Except it didn’t do anything to me, so then we had to do the second round, which was the same 30 in each arm, except this time it was injections. Oh lord, that sucked. I mean, it was still a tiny needle, but injections in that part of your arm, where the skin is thin and sensitive…yeah, no fun at all. I was 11 and was trying not to be a baby about it, just sitting there with tears silently running down my cheeks. I hesitantly asked the nurse, “……..what if THIS doesn’t work” and she said, did you see that man in the waiting area? I had–dude with his shirt off, sitting backwards in a chair with his bare back to the room. She said if the injections in the forearm don’t work, then they do them down your back.
I was like HELL TO THE NO YOU WILL NOT. I had absolutely miserable allergies from birth–indoor and out, year round, at a time when they didn’t have OTC non-drowsy meds. But I would’ve kept ’em like that to avoid 60 fucking shots in my back. Thankfully, we didn’t have to resort to that, and the 3+ years of immunotherapy did help a lot with lessening the severity of my allergies. (Something else later in life all but eradicated them, although my doctors insist there was no correlation, but like…I lived it, they didn’t.)
Hopefully Henry’s testing goes smoothly and you can start getting him on the shots!
TaMara
@eclare: I am shocked, shocked I tell you that this post did not come with a Henry photo. I think that violates some kind of Balloon-Juice front pager rule.
debbie
Good luck to your little Henry! Remind him not to leave his ears behind!
Joy in FL
A photo of Henry resting after his ordeal would be welcome : ) I hope his test results give a smooth path for management of whatever allergies they find.
Steeplejack
@Alison Rose :
The “edit someone else’s comment” thing has been debunked. It is a minor but harmless bug. You can try to edit someone else’s comment, but any changes you make don’t go through.
Posting this for general reassurance.
E.
Good day until the WV Coal v EPA case comes out. I am not sure people here understand what a hell’s cape that could unleash. /Eeyore
Nicole
Oh, sending all the good thoughts to Henry that the mystery of what he’s allergic to gets solved with a minimum of trouble. You’re a good pet mom to wait until the weather was better.
I’m waiting on a return call from our vet- our elderly pit mix, Ripley, has started whining excessively whenever she lies down (I’m listening to it from the other room as I type this). We’ve done blood work, she’s had a physical, all fine. The vet prescribed carprofen to see if it was pain-related, but no change. I think it’s anxiety/age-related dementia and am begging the vet to try anti-anxiety medication to see if that helps. It’s breaking my heart to know she’s unhappy but honestly, the whining is also starting to drive the entire household nuts.
She had seven teeth pulled in December and she’s not been the same since; I think because she doesn’t enjoy chewing things anymore and that was one of her big coping mechanisms. Shelter dogs, I tell ya. I can’t imagine what a shelter does to their brains, because a lot of them really do seem to carry the trauma the rest of their lives.
PST
@TaMara: Furthermore, on the Secret Service front, Hutchinson never claimed to be a witness herself, only to repeat a story she was told. That was made clear. In fact, the ever careful Liz Cheney, made a point of asking her if either of the agents ever later denied the story. As many have pointed out, this is all pretty irrelevant, since the significance of the incidence is in providing cumulative evidence that TFG actually intended to accompany an armed mob to the Capitol. He has himself said he did, but he is a liar and a blowhard, and until now many of us thought this was just bravado. Nevertheless, a denial that any grabbing took place should not (in a sensible world) detract from Hutchinson’s credibility, unless the agents also deny ever telling the story. And who among us hasn’t juiced a good yarn to make it even better? “You mean the President ordered you to drive him to the Capitol?” “Hell yes. He reached right over the seat and tried to grab the steering wheel!”
Steeplejack
@E.:
“Hell’s cape”? Black satin, I presume.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
DARN THAT JAN 6 COMMITTEE!
After hearing all the reports all day on the bombshells, hell, carpet-bombing shells from Cassidy Hutchinson, we decided (a) we wanted to hear Colbert’s reporting on it and (b) we wanted to hear it the same day instead of catching it 24 hours later on YouTube the way we usually do.
So that meant we tuned in to CBS live (streaming). Which meant I was seeing just how many commercials there were with streaming TV these days. I mean there were always ads, I was aware that hour-long shows only had 44 minutes of content. But there were so many that I honestly thought I must have clicked on something wrong, there was a “skip ad” link I’d missed, and the show was going on in some other window. I looked at the clock at midnight and there had been only one segment in the show so far, though we were ostensibly 25 minutes into it.
Yeah, I know. Tiny, tiny problems. The actual threat to democracy probably ranks a little higher.
eclare
@Alison Rose : I am so sorry you went through that, it sounds medieval.
Ohio Mom
It is an absolutely beautiful day here but I am stumbling through it. Ohio Dad’s blood sugar monitor starting shrieking around 2:30 last night because he had dropped to 65 whatever that set of initials is.
Much running around locating the cookies ensued, and my sleep cycle never got back in sync.
Now obviously I am tremendously grateful for modern medical technology, and I would gladly go through it all again tonight if need be.
Looking forward to this afternoon’s nap.
eclare
@E.: We are all aware on this site.
Alison Rose
@Steeplejack: Yeah, I’d seen WG or someone say that. Still, it gives one a momentary feeling of omnipotence to see it.
MisterDancer
It’s been discussed in comments that this could dismantle damn near the entire regulatory setup for America, including enforcement of the Clean Air act of course.
Ohio Mom
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: On the rare occasions I see commercials, I am always shocked at how weird they are. No wit or humor or art to them, many of them repulsive in one way or another. I am very aware I am not their target audience though.
CaseyL
Best wishes for Henry’s allergies to be something you can manage without disrupting the little guy’s routine too much!
eclare
@Nicole: Oh…poor Ripley. I have had several pit mixes, and chewing is a huge part of their lives. Anti anxiety drugs can def help, I gave one of mine Trazadone for separation anxiety, and it was like night and day.
I hope you and Ripley find some relief.
debbie
@Ceci n est pas mon nym:
Great monologue, though, wasn’t it?
TaMara
Hey, all just added a photo of Henry per WG’s request! Up top
debbie
@debbie:
ETA: They do that double window thing during ads; you can watch either the ads or the “backstage doings.” I rarely make it past the monologue, so could be missing something info-wise.
Timill
Apparently, today is also a good day to do a Jeopardy! online Zoom interview…
Well, it’s cheaper than the golf resort hotel that I went to last time.
WereBear
@Nicole: In cats, I’ve had luck with a grain-free diet, extra protein, and nutrition.
I also remind myself that they are suffering. Dementia does need treatment.
TaMara
@Nicole: If they won’t prescribe anti-anxiety, you might want to try CBD oil – we use it for pain here, but I have friends who use it for anxiety – thunderstorms, fireworks, general stress – and they’ve all had good results.
I can recommend an online store that is wonderful, I trust their product (local to me) and they are great at answering your questions. Just email if you like.
eclare
@TaMara: Yay! At least one ear is verified.
WereBear
@Timill: Good luck! I made it to standby, but East Coasters have a barrier there. They go closest on the list, first.
jnfr
@MisterDancer:
EPA didn’t come out today. Final opinions tomorrow.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@debbie: The guest was AOC and that was definitely worth waiting for.
TaMara
@Timill: Good luck!
I was on a game show (pure accident) and won! It’s a kick.
I would be too intimidated to ever try for Jeopardy!
Geminid
Watergirl, are you a little wistful now that Mary Miller has retired Rodney Davis. Any wist at all?
I don’t know who Democrats chose to run in your new district, but I trust that they will be good.
eclare
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: I thought she did a good job on Colbert. Kinzinger tonight!
MisterDancer
@jnfr: I saw — I was posting today’s crap from SCOTUS in the other thread as I think this was meant to be more a good news post.
kindness
At some point during the pandemic I started feeling guilty about what I fed my dogs. Typically it was kibble (good kibble) with meaty snacks a couple times a week. So I started buying the chicken Freshpet stuff for them instead. It was probably 2 or 3 times pricier. I also switched to one of the high end Blue kibbles. Pups loved it but after a few months they started taking it for granted and my lil girl pup started having the flaps of her ears blow up like balloons. Turns out she was allergic to the good stuff. Not sure which of the two it was but after I switched back to regular stuff her ears are now fine (after a considerable vet bill, but they’re our kids, right?).
Wag
What happened with OTR today?
good luck with the allergy testing
Steeplejack
@Alison Rose :
Live the dream!
Steeplejack
@TaMara:
Okay, I see what looks like a giant tongue. I don’t see a dog anywhere.
Kelly
@Alison Rose : I had my back covered with test allergens and a gigantic sheet of tape. Twice. Neither test determined the source of my mystery rash and my eyes swelling up. The Allergists said it was a Dermatology problem. The Dermatologist said it was an Allergy problem. I was in my 50’s and had never had much trouble with allergies. I noticed on my own the problem seemed to relate to alcohol consumption. Docs all said “No alcohol allergy doesn’t work like that.” It gradually went away after I quit alcohol.
WaterGirl
@Geminid: I can assure you that I am totally wist-free!
I may leave the UNSEAT Rodney Davis magnet on my car until the end of time so that I can smile every time I see it and be grateful that he is gone.
Steeplejack
@Wag:
I’m guessing WaterGirl set it to autopost and it didn’t. And she’s away taking care of valued pet Henry.
Starfish
@TaMara: Thanks for fixing this post by insisting it needed a photo.
WaterGirl
@Wag: oops!
I schedule with the 4 posts I have and then Bill sends me his OTR post and then I schedule that one. Apparently he didn’t send one this week and I didn’t notice.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@TaMara: Master Chef? Project Runway? Survivors?
Geminid
Quinerly has been very scarce here lately. I think that her new home was out of the path of last month’s terrible New Mexico wildfires. Moving 800 miles from her long time home is a big step, though, and I hope Quinerly is ok.
WaterGirl
I am (obviously) back from the vet – they say the testing takes about 2 hours and they will call me when I can pick Henry up.
When one pet can’t eat, then nobody gets to eat. Is that how you guys do it, too? So the kitties just got breakfast and I got the eat the oatmeal i made earlier.
Thanks to TaMara for adding the photo. I don’t know what I was thinking… putting the Henry post up without Henry!
MisterDancer
@WaterGirl: Wow. Good luck!
Baud
@WaterGirl:
eclare
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I would love if she was on with Project Runway! The old one with Heidi and Tim “make it work” Gunn. Loved that show.
eclare
@Geminid: I have thought about Quinerly too with the fires in NM. I wish she would say hi.
eclare
@WaterGirl: Keep us posted!
TaMara
@eclare:
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Match Game – which was my favorite game show as a kid, was rebooted in the early 2000s. I went with someone who really, really wanted to be on it – and I got chosen instead. Awkward! But I had a great time. And took home a lot of loot, too.
Nicole
@eclare:
You’re so right; they looooove to chew, and she was also so good about it- other than one small plastic toy of my son’s when we first got her, she kept only to her own chew toys. I don’t know how she could tell the difference, but she could. I tried buying her some senior chew toys, but she doesn’t like them.
@WereBear:
While she’s always needed grain in her diet (I tried grain free when we first got her; she pooped 5 times day, consistency of pudding and her farts would peel paint), I have moved from all dry to half dry and half wet (because she’s much more enthusiastic about eating) so she’s getting some meaty chunks now, too. She’s always been picky, but now she’ll go two days without eating if it’s just the dry food.
@TaMara:
I will email you. I would very much appreciate the vendor’s website.
Thanks for the thoughts, gang. She was a whiner when we first got her, 9 years ago, but as she settled in the whining stopped (unless she needed to go out or something like that). It’s hard watching the old girl suffering and not knowing what to do to help.
catclub
I have started to think that the sensor starts reading lower the longer it is in.
I still have felt nothing with low numbers down to about 40. some cramps when it was lower than that. I did not die from those.
So i think there is variability in response.
kalakal
@Alison Rose :
I went for insect venom tests about 4 years ago. That’s nothing like as bad as what you had, just a straight blood draw. In my case the perp was easy to identify, a paper wasp ,it put me in an ambulance and epinephrin saved me .
Paul in KY
@Ohio Mom: Glass of orange juice is what we give my father when his BS goes low like that.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@TaMara: Loot is good!
kalakal
Good luck to Henry, may his results be good.
It’s been a great week for me regarding allergies. I have a fatal response to wasp stings without epinephrine and have spent the last 4 years unable to go outside without being on hyper alert. As my chief relaxation was gardening this has not been fun. I’m 4 years into a 5 year immunization course and every 8 weeks they slam the venom of about 100 each of wasps and hornets into me ( sounds a lot worse than it is) AND it finally got home to me that if I survive that I ought to be able to survive my back garden. I have actually been relaxed gardening for the first time in years. It’s wonderful!
So I do hope Henry gets to enjoy the world and not shelter away
Paul in KY
@catclub: Must be a variability, cause if my father’s went to 40, he’d be a babbling, not-able-to-stand wreck. Of course, he is 97, so that factors into it.
lowtechcyclist
@TaMara:
Way to go!
I hadn’t thought about that game show in eons, but as soon as I read that, I could hear the theme music going through my head.
Yesterday was a good day, we’d ordered a new bed for our son from Ikea: he’s about to turn 15, and the twin bed he’s been sleeping in has gotten a bit small for him.
The new bed, a queen, arrived yesterday afternoon, and we were up until about 10:30pm assembling it, with the kiddo doing the lion’s share of the work, and my wife and me helping and making sure everything was done properly.
It’s fun to see him develop new capabilities: he hadn’t done much with tools before, but he did just fine.
Quiltingfool
@WaterGirl: I bet the cats were “talking” to you when you got home!
BillinGlendaleCA
@WaterGirl: As WG knows, I was confused about the scheduling.
gvg
@Alison Rose : I have done the shots in the back and it was nothing. They never did anything on my arms. My arm skin is a lot more sensitive. I think that might actually have bothered me wheras the back did not. I think you may have been better off doing the back from the beginning.
WaterGirl
@kalakal: Holy shit!
zhena gogolia
I hope Henry is okay!
mrmoshpotato
@Steeplejack: The tongue that wags the dog.
Leslie
Henry is adorable. Fingers crossed for his test results!