Cold and Flu Time--Gesundheit!

HI All,

It's been a little while since I sat down at the PC. The power button is tiny and I just couldn't push it with my paw. My person was sick and I didn't want to bother her. When I would look in on her, she was either sneezing; coughing or blowing her nose. Today, she's feeling a little better and so here I am.

It's good to be a cat around this time of year. We don't catch colds or flu from humans. I'm sure my person would have appreciated being a cat around now. My human just read this sentence and agrees. She said if she reincarnates, she wants to be a cat owned by a loving human. Life would be eat, sleep and play. Who wouldn't like that? Of course, Ra; SQ and I have a few more duties helping in the Internet business, but we do reserve time for those other important jobs. SQ dearly loves his mid-morning siesta. He feels it makes him more productive. He's probably right.

I've done some research for my person and you on how not to catch colds or flu. Humans need to cover their noses and mouths when they sneeze or cough, wash their hands frequently and not touch their eyes, noses or mouths without having washed their hands first. Also, that antibacterial hand cleaner gel is good for cleansing your hands when soap and water are not available. Using some hand lotion will help with the dryness that results from washing your hands so often. It must be hard to follow these rules because so many people get sick this time of year. I'm sure people get caught up in what they're doing and forget.

So to everyone who is sneezing, coughing and blowing their noses, here is a hearty Gesundheit (it means health in German) and get well soon from Ra, SQ and me! Drink plenty of fluids and rest. My person says people feel pressured to go into work or school when they're sick. But, the best thing is to stay home and take care of yourself. You'll get better faster and not spread your germs around making other people sick.

On another subject, we've added an item to Celestial Paws that benefits C.A.R.E. (Cat Adoption and Rescue Efforts, Inc. in the Richmond, Virginia area). It's Gato's Tote Bag. Original mosaic art (Gato's Mirror) by Donna Parsons (Maiden Studio) is screen printed onto a very useful tote bag. A picture of this marvelous tote bag is at the top of this post. Just click the picture to see more details about the tote bag. My person bought one for herself and she loves it.

There are so many people and animals in need. All the causes out there can make your head spin. My person, Ra, SQ and myself believe we just need to get in there and help as many as we can. We're hoping you will do the same.

Take care and talk to you soon. Sylvia

Getting Back to Normal

Hello!

The household is getting back to normal. Ra, our person and I decided to just relax around the house as much as possible this weekend.

It's very windy outside today. The electricity has gone off and on about a half dozen times. Even though it doesn't affect Ra and I very much, it really annoys our person. I think she was using the computer some of those times and we could hear the exclamations.

As you probably know, it's not good for you PC data if the computer is just turned off. If it only happens occasionally, everything is usually OK. But you risk damaging your operating system and corrupting your files if you make a habit of just turning off the PC as opposed to shutting it down properly.

SQ called. He asked if it would be OK to come over until the wind calms down. He said his tree is swaying so much it's like a thrill ride. So, he'll be over shortly and maybe we'll all watch a movie. He said he's bringing peanuts and sunflower seeds to snack on too. As cats, Ra and I would rather have a little tuna or kitty treats. But our person will probably enjoy SQ's munchies.

Oh, my person helped me put the Google translator on my blog. We all like to read other peoples' blogs. Sometimes, it's frustrating when you come to an interesting looking blog that's in a language you can't understand. So now my blog can be translated into a few languages.

Take care. Sylvia

Don't Ignore Symptoms You Haven't Had Before

Hi All,

It's been a little while since I wrote. My person's 81 year old mom (Grandma) was in the hospital diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm). It was a scary time but everything is OK. Grandma is back home and doing well.

We all wanted to tell you not to ignore breathlessness (with very little activity), general weakness and a "weight on chest feeling" symptoms. My person says the danger of "a fib" is bloodclots forming in the heart because it's not pumping properly. Go to the Emergency Room of a hospital and don't wait-- better safe than sorry.

Hope all is well with you and that the sports fans among you are enjoying Super Bowl 42! We don't have football fans in our family and Grandma is watching a "Murder She Wrote" (with Angela Lansbury) marathon.

My person's been pretty busy running back and forth to the hospital and hasn't found the peanut butter treat for the birds yet. But if you can't wait, you can probably find a recipe on the Internet.

We're lining up some new products for our little Internet company too. Try to check us out when you have time-- www.celestialpaws.com.

Well, talk to you later. Sylvia