Friday, March 29, 2024
catsessay

Sick Day

ink and watercolor sketch of cats on afghan
“Sick Day”, ink and watercolor, 8.5″ x 5″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

We finally convinced Mama Bernadette to nap with us all day! It was a dark rainy day so maybe that was why she decided to take a break. She was a little messy, though, pulling all the covers around and moaning, and every once in a while she’d wake us all up when she’d leap out of bed to run to the bathroom and make some truly frightening noises, but Mama Mimi supervised her activity and brought her right back. We let her know when it was dinner but she didn’t seem to understand, and when we finally got her down to the kitchen we knew something was really wrong when she gave us scoops of dry food in our bowls and then left. Even though we were still a little hungry and we had other things to do, like short naps in other places and wrestling and playing and monitoring yard and neighborhood activities, even at night, we all had the feeling she needed us to cuddle up with her and purr really hard, so we did, all day and all night. This morning we had a much better breakfast and even a little bit more of a nap in bed. She is getting up but we are all going to nap now. Caring for humans is very tiring work.

. . . . . . .

Despite the somewhat foreboding look of the sketch at the top, I am okay. It’s a memory of all five of them cuddling with me yesterday, Mimi perched on my hip vigilantly watching me and Bean draped over my leg purring loudly while Mr. Sunshine curls up against me on one side and Giuseppe and Mewsette are spooning on the other side of my bent legs, with that comforting wool afghan in the background. They really did stay with me for nearly 24 hours straight.

I had some wicked sort of stomach flu, and I was sicker than I’ve been in my entire adult life. Not even my gall bladder attacks were that bad with just nonstop intense abdominal pain that really did make me roll around on the bed—until that made me dizzy and I had to run to the bathroom. I felt a little uneasy when I awoke and attributed it to an unaccustomed greasy lunch of deep-fried stuff with a customer on Friday along with eating leftover nibbles from an event I’d attended and photographed Thursday night, a certain recipe for stomach upset for me, though it doesn’t stop me. But in short order I went from feeling a little under the weather to needing to lie down, then dizzy and finding it difficult to go up and down the steps. I could not focus clearly on anything, even with my glasses, nothing written, no computer, and all I had in my stomach was a half cup of coffee and my thyroid medication.

I had planned a big weekend of working in my studio so all that I didn’t need in there I’d moved into my bedroom, like boxes of picture frames, packing materials and excess mat boards, and figuring I wouldn’t be in my bedroom too much yesterday I had left only a small path for the cats to get through to the bed and me for laundry sorted all over my bed. Well, that was the path I had to get to the bathroom, but I got there in time nonetheless, and my laundry is all over the room. Giuseppe started out watching me but soon Mimi was by my side, watching,  purring, giving face rubs and whole body rubs. I don’t think she slept much. I couldn’t have had better caretakers.

I never even get colds aside from a few symptoms and I’ve never had the flu so I’m not accustomed to being sick, and as this went on I was more concerned that I’d get too sick to help myself—how sick is really sick? Everyone I know has events or works on Saturdays and many of my neighbors have children and go out to do kid stuff. Feeling kind of isolated without even being able to use my computer I at least wanted to let someone know I wasn’t well. I did find Deb Chebatoris, who on any day is either on the road receiving a pet at a home or veterinary clinic or returning one to a family, or working at her shop in Bridgeville. Her voice was welcome and she kindly dropped off ginger ale and Gatorade and told me to call her if I felt like I couldn’t take care of things.

But my poor vigilant felines! I considered calling a friend to come and feed them, I was that sick, but I couldn’t read to look up a phone number on paper or in my computer. And I was almost out of cat food—one of my Saturday errands was for cat food, and I do have freeze-dried raw food and usually have canned but I just couldn’t face that and pulled out my emergency bag of Halo dry food, which was almost empty. I could barely see and coming down the steps had really exhausted me, so I did my best to divide it among their bowls and went back upstairs. This morning they got the freeze-dried food, which must have seemed like a reward.

So I still have my art exhibit from my poetry reading to take down and pack up, bring home and distribute to where some of the art is regularly hung for sale or with its owners, three pieces to frame and deliver for an illustration exhibit, packages to pack and ship and a start on some of the keepsake boxes and other items I’ve planned to make for sale. I have some writing and design to do for Monday and Tuesday and paperwork and billing from projects finished last week. I stand while I work with nearly everything I do—framing, painting and sketching, packing, even design and writing, when I’m feeling creative I can’t sit down, and I regularly go from one computer to the other in office, studio and kitchen through the course of the day. But today I’m still having a little trouble standing up and I still feel sore and stiff. Guess I’ll have to adjust for a day or two! As for food, for now, a Clementine then a bowl of All-day Vegetable Soup from the freezer is feeling pretty good. I probably have about 10,000 emails and other messages. Mimi wants to go outside and some fresh air might be a nice idea.


© 2014 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Weekly schedule of features:
Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life
Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters
Tuesday: Rescue Stories
Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork
Thursday: New Merchandise
Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy
Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats
And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!

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Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

14 thoughts on “Sick Day

  • Oh my…I hope you have recovered. I do love the sketch, though.

    Reply
    • Thanks, McGuffy Ann. My eyes weren’t quite right yet and it still looks a little scary, but prior to being sick I was studying wood engravings and it kind of takes on that medieval illustration quality.

      Reply
  • I’m glad you’re feeling better. It’s so scary when you’re that sick and living alone. Go easy on yourself and let your body heal for a few more days!

    Reply
    • Thanks, Ingrid! I’m so rarely sick I’m actually surprised how much time I need to recover–I’m being a bigger baby about this than the actual illness.

      Reply
  • Sounds like an incredibly nasty bug, hope you are recovering well. The vigilant felines certainly helped by working their magic.

    Reply
    • Anita, purring is very calming if not also healing, thanks!

      Reply
  • We send BIG purrs that you feel better soon!
    Kitties do make good heating pads and add lots of comfort 🙂
    Purrs Georgia and Julie,
    Treasure, JJ
    and Angels Tiger and Tillie

    Reply
    • Georgie and Julie, I still feel like someone beat me up, but house panthers are telling me to get over it.

      Reply
  • Maureen Chatwin

    I wondered if you were under the weather when I didn’t see any posts from you yesterday. Everyone deserves a day off. Next time, plan one for when you feel fine and can enjoy it!!

    Reply
    • Maureen, I should do that! I was actually visualizing my posts all day yesterday, but even today this is about as much as I could do along with some other things that needed to get done. I miss it, photos are backing up!

      Reply
  • bluemoonalone

    Oh my sweetie..I wish we were closer here in Pa..I would gladly come by and help you with things..Isn’t it wonderful the way our furkids sense that something is wrong and try to comfort us? It feels so good when they snuggle around us..the best medicine..Take care Bernadette..

    Reply
    • Thanks so much, Bluemoonalone! If you were closer I’d gladly take you up on that, but the kids staying with me that long was really wonderful, especially after all the times I hopped out of bed.

      Reply
  • That stomach flu has been wicked this year! So glad your’e feeling better.

    Reply
    • Rumpydog, I say if it takes me down people better stay the heck away, it’s a killer!

      Reply

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