New Year, New Cheer…Oh Dear!

Someone in South Carolina went on a spending spree using my credit card number recently. Luckily, the fraud department  spotted the atypical purchases and knew that wasn’t like me at all, and that I live clear across the country from S.C. so they called  last night. The card is cancelled; all will be well.

 

But I wonder how these things happen. Do criminals just pick a credit card number out of thin air and try it out?  How did someone in South Carolina get my credit card number? Very strange, to say the least. No one else has even handled my  card except me (I always put it in a credit card “reader” when I buy anything with it; it had that microchip in it, so unless someone with one of those nefarious wallet scanners got within range of me, I don’t see how it could have happened.)

 

Anyway, I’m glad the fraud department has my back; they really keep an eye out for their customers (and themselves, of course). They called me once before, years ago, to see about a purchase I made that seemed atypical. That one was legitimate; I had made the purchase, and I thanked them for taking the time to make sure it really was something I bought.

 

I will be having my gallbladder removed sometime this month, looks like. All the ducks are being put in a row (paperwork-wise). It looks like the powers-that-be decided that bridge therapy is no longer necessary so I won’t have to give myself heparin  (?) shots in the tummy for five days before the surgery while the warfarin is backing out of my system; that’s good.

 

In Other News

 

Now that my “headline news” is out of the way (the news that provokes the most profound personal response in me at the moment), let’s move on to cheerier subjects:

 

It’s bright and beautiful out my back door this morning, but very cold.  I had to carry warm water to the critters again this morning. It’s also going to be mighty breezy most of the day, as it was most of the night: 30 mph winds peaking to around 50 mph. The goats and chickens couldn’t care less: they’re out having a whee of a time.  The tallest trees on our property are barren of leaves this time of year, so they’re weathering the gusts well.

 

I bathed Patches (my tortoiseshell cat) again last night. She has some kind of skin allergy that I’m working on, using an antibacterial and anti-fungal shampoo. As long as I bathe her every three weeks or so he’s fine, but if I let it go longer than that, it starts creeping back. She doesn’t love the baths, but she doesn’t hate ’em, either. She’s very understanding. Of course, I talk baby talk to her the whole time and massage and scratch her, and I take her out of the water while the shampoo does its job, so she really doesn’t have much need to squawk.  She’s a darling.

 

I should  have Lisa videotape me bathing Patches sometime so I can post it. It would be helpful to other folks who need to bathe their cats occasionally.  Yes, I’ll do that. Wish I had thought of it yesterday. Lisa was right here when I did i. I could also put the camera on a tripod and do it that way…

 

I’ve tried bathing Hunter once so far. (I adopted him back in April or May.) He didn’t like it at all, so I made it a short bath and just quickly washed and rinsed his back. Next time I’ll extend the time and the ministrations. Eventually he’ll take it all in stride the way Patches does (I’ve had her longer, more than two years) but I don’t think he was ever bathed as a kitten so getting wet and washed is going to take some getting used to. He, too, has a touch (just a touch) of the skin condition. I have them both on top quality, nutritious food, but maybe I need to try a different formula or brand to see if that alleviates the skin problems…

 

Someone has reached out to me to do an interview about Star Trek episodes that prominently feature De in them. When that’s finalized, I’ll give you the details so you can tune in when it happens. In the meantime, if you haven’t seen/heard my other De-related interviews, be sure to visit the home page of this website and scroll down to where they begin (below the Amazon offerings).  Also please subscribe at the bottom of the page so I can send you special, exclusive information and offerings as those come along.  Thanks!