Many longtime readers of TFBOMGG know that the Queen's Outside Kitty, Nog, has quite a menagerie of critter friends that come to dine with him on a regular basis. Birds in the morning, possums at night, and squirrels throughout the afternoon.
Recently, we've seen a new friend among Nog's squirrelfriends, a solid black fellow, just like Nog! Queen G is not sure about other parts of the country, but around here, squirrels are pretty much grey, so when you see one that's a different color, it's pretty noticeable.
Of course, the most frequent visitors are given names, so this little black guy has been dubbed "Herman", after Herman Cain, the squirreliest black guy we could think of!
Miss G had to get the Boy out early today to clear the snow off the roof before it collapses!
NOT!
This was about the worst of the "crazy winter storm" that Miss G found on the grounds of Chez Ginger! A little bit of ice accumulated at the edge of the steps leading from the kitchen.
Of course, the Houston Chronicle, always known to be the voice of reason in the face of crisis, combed the city to find the most compelling photo ops of this hysteric occasion!
Many friends and readers have expressed concerns for Nog, and Miss Ginger wants to assure you that our little fella is snug as a bug in a rug on his little heated palette, just outside the back door in his little outdoor room. As you can see on the left of the photo, his electric blanket is plugged in and blazing warm! He keeps asking for high speed internet, so Miss G is thinking of getting him one of those little netbooks so he can keep in touch with his friend on catbook! Miss G will have to block Twitter, however... cats and birds don't mix!
Best part of it all? Miss Ginger gets a "snow day"! For realz!
Once again, Boy G hits the friendly skies and head to the mother country, NOLA, for several days of partying and work!
As all hardcore GingerSnaps® know by now, it's Carnival Time, and the ball season is in full swing! This year, the Ginger's, along with the rest of the ball committe from the Krewe of Olympus, have been invited to be guests of the Krewe of Petronius in NOLA for their annual ball masque! Since Boy G needs to go for work anyway, he gets to go, and Miss G is staying home. He's really excited, because he has not attended Petronius before!
In other news, Miss Ginger is going to take Nog to the vet tomorrow, since he doesn't seem to be eating, and she can't manage to get any Benadryl down his little throat. They can make sure he's not dehydrated, and hopefully can give him something to stimulate his appetite and maybe something to reduce the snottiness! At least he's grooming now, so he must feel somewhat better. And even at his sickest, he's be still SUCH a little love bug! Lately, he's actually been sleeping in his carrier, which Miss G never thought in a million years he would do! I do think he knows she's trying to help him feel better! Poor little thing- Miss G knows how miserable she is with a sinus infection, so I can only imagine how he feels! Miss Sonna is going to look after him while Boy G is in NOLA, and she's great with animals, so I know he'll be in good hands!
Still lots to do to get ready for the Krewe of Olympus's 40th Ball, Olympus XL, Ports of Call. One of the reasons Boy G is going to NOLA Friday is that he has a TON of work to do to get the backstage agendas, schedules, and layouts prepared, and he knows he won't do it in Houston with that half finished costume staring him in the face!
So, if you follow Boy G on facebook, you know he and Nog took a trip to the emergency vet clinic last night! We are lucky to have a 24 hour clinic here, and it's right by the Galleria, not too far from the house!
Nog showed up around 9pm, still snotty and wheezy and sounding like a sleestack!
Miss Ginger promised to God that if he came back she would take him to the vet right then and there, so after a little bit of a kerfuffle she got him into a carrier (only the 2nd time in his life!) and off they went!
The folks at the clinic couldn't be nicer! The lady at the desk, Tootsie, was SOOOO sweet, and when she heard Nog's breathing she had a tech come out right past all those pukey dogs to take a look! For us cat people, puke is a way of life, but apparently dog people get all freaked out at the first little pile of vomit. Titty babies! Anyway, the lady heard his snotty breathing, and we went right back for more inspection.
She listened to his heart and lungs, and thankfully they both sounded clear, reducing the likelihood of pneumonia. Then she took his little temperature, butthole style, and he didn't even scream or flinch! That process makes my inside kitties howl like banshees! Maybe Nog is a "friend of Toto!"
Anyway, temp normal, so we waited a bit for the Dr., who looked not unlike Santa Claus in the off-season! The kind and gentle Doctor gave Nog a good look over, and said that he thought he would be okay, but I was smart to bring him in when I did. "No," thought Boy Ginger, "I would have been smart to have brought him in YESTERDAY when I first realized he was really sick! But that's not for here!" So I just averted my eyes like humans do when they are ashamed of themselves!
So we got home at 2am, and Miss Ginger sat up with him for about 1/2 an hour to make sure he got settled in. Then we all went to sleep for a few hours! Jackson and Shelby were up at 7am, and Nog showed up for his breakfast shortly after, so things are looking good.
He decidedly did NOT want a dose of Benadryl® when Boy G got home from work with it, and stormed off in a huff when Miss G tried to give it to him! I think he'll be back for breakfast in the am, though! Positive thoughts!
By the way, it's not exactly a "consumer" product, but Miss G MUST do a quick CPR® on Convenia® injectible antibiotic by Pfizer®! Anyone who has ever given a cat a pill knows that it's virtually impossible, and liquid drops are not much easier! Convenia® is a 14-day single injection! As long as he doesn't get worse, Nog is good to go for 14 days, and after that, if he's shown improvement but is not better, we can go to our regular vet for another! Whomever invented that must have been a cat lover, and it definitely gets 5 lipsticks from Miss G!
Thanks again to everybody for your prayers and good wishes! Your sweet comments here and on facebook definitely talked this old girl down off of a couple of ledges!
Hi evwybody! Thank you fow aww the pwayews and weww wishes! I fewt tewwibow and aww I wanted to do was hide undow the house. Daddy took me to a pwace cawwed a "vetewanawians" and they gave me medicines and even gave me a littow steam faciaw to help cleaw up my snotty nose! Daddy wiww teww you aww about it tomowwow... I think he is vewy, vewy, tiwed! I wuv you aww vewy much!
A very observant Auntie Flame noted Nog's bobo in a comment she made! Nog told Miss Ginger he snagged his shoulder on a nail while he was making rounds under the house, but she's pretty sure he lost a turf battle! It's a nasty open wound, so Miss G has been keeping an eye on it, and sure enough, yesterday he showed up with nasty yellow pus oozing from it!
Now, Nog is a gentle sort, and LOVES his Momma Ginger, but he's an outdoorsy sort of fellow and just a step away from feral, so the thought of a trip to the vet is not happy for he or his Momma!
Ginger decided to attempt home treatment, figuring at this point there wouldn't be much the vet could do for the wound that she couldn't do at home. So, she got some peroxide and antiseptic, and some antibiotic ointment and cotton balls, and set up a little "clinic" for him right there on his back porch!
She thought cleaning the wound and getting the antibiotic on would be a right kerfuffle, but as it turns out, he was very trusting and patient as Nurse Ginger dabbed away the nastiness with peroxide, cleaned it up with antiseptic, and patted on the the antibiotic. He was such a brave little boy and he didn't cry or struggle at all!
He seems to be doing much better today, so Miss G will keep an eye on it and keep treating it. Hopefully it will heal nicely and his shiny black fur can grow back over!
But, she does worry about her darling outside boy, Nog!
Nog's outdoor heating source has served him well for the past few years, but it has distinct limitations. First, it can't go on the deck. Secondly, it has to be constantly "stoked" or it will burn out rather rapidly. And, finally, the smoke makes Miss Ginger's frocks stink to high heaven!
So, this leads us to the 2nd of Miss Ginger's promised Consumer Product Reviews, hereforeto dubbed Miss G's CPR's!®
Miss Ginger has had her eye on the "Mr. Heater" product since she first saw it at Lowes last year. But, at over $200, she couldn't really justify it's cost, especially considering last years particularly mild winter. But this year, after it was marked down to 139.99, and then to 104.99. she decided the time is right.
It's really a pretty remarkable product. According to the manual, it is appropriate for heating enclosed shelters, such as barns, outbuildings, and garages, and for temporary emergency heating of residential structures. Perfect for South Texas, because if a "hard freeze" turns into an "ice storm" we could be without power for weeks!
The Mr. Buddy uses (2 ) 1-pound propane tanks, available at any home improvement center, and even Sam's Club! The unit is self lighting, and has 3 heat settings. On the lowest heat setting, the manual claims 220 hours of warmth. Miss G hasn't had the product for 220 hours, but she can tell you that on "high" the yield was probably more like 8 hours. It has an oxygen sensor and self-monitored pilot, along with a gravity sensor, so the unit shuts itself off if the pilot goes out, the oxygen level drops in the vicinity, or the unit is tipped or moved.
At first Nog didn't feel particularly safe around his new heater,
but once he became confortable with it's features and benefits, he told Miss Ginger he gives it "4 kibbles"!
That equates in GingerSpeak to 4 lipsticks! This product is worth it's price for the flexibility and safety it offers, while keeping her little boy warm and toasty!
So, this leads us to the 2nd of Miss Ginger's promised Consumer Product Reviews, hereforeto dubbed Miss G's CPR's!® 
but once he became confortable with it's features and benefits, he told Miss Ginger he gives it "4 kibbles"!
