Equal time

Marmaduke is a camera hog. Maggie is not. But I thought I'd better post a picture of the other fur-covered child, in the interest of fairness. Maggie came to us from a friend; she was one of about 20 kittens born on their farm in spring of 1992, and we needed a kitten. (Does one ever need a kitten? Of course. Ask any kitten). So here she is on her first day at home, June 15, 1992.

When we brought her home, age 3 months, she weighed less than a pound and fit into Saint H's hand. At 14, she weighs just over 6 pounds and is a little larger, but not much. She's definitely got the tortie personality - a little standoffish, very bossy, but quite willing to be fussed over. And you can guess who rules the roost - no contest between 6 lb and 19 lb; Maggie wins hands down.

The heat wave is finally over here, for the time being - no doubt we'll see more but perhaps not in week-long blocs. I've been blaming headaches on the weather, but on my trip to Columbus yesterday found out that my blood pressure had soared to 172/94, from its usual 130s/70s. Now I'm back to monitoring, reporting to doctors, and weighing my options on medications. I can increase my current dosage of Hydralazine, or might end up on yet another prescription. I'd like to avoid adding another pill to the mix, if I can - we'll see what the recommendation is on Tuesday.