Wednesday - Friday, Jan. 25 -27
Wednesday Jan . 25 -- Sun Harvest Citrus
Today, I am checking out a citrus store in Fort Myers called Sun Harvest Citrus. It’s kind of a destination location, like “Orange World” in Kissimmee. It’s also at one end of a bike trail that I want to check out for a future bike ride. I arrive there, and the place is packed with tourists and locals alike. They give out all the free juice samples you want (orange, grapefruit, and a couple of juice drink combos). They also pack the fruit right on the premises in a huge warehouse facility that you can view through windows, so they are actually a couple notches above Orange World in terms of their sophistication. They have a postal substation right on the premises, so you can ship your citrus at cost, which is a pretty good deal. They also have soft-serve cones and a nice little bakery with many tasty items, including the best key lime pie I’ve ever tasted. So I buy a slice to go, and take it with me to a Starbucks back by the condo, where I enjoy the pie with a nice cup of Pike Place Blend.
I notice Phoebe is limping again on her left leg, so obviously the pain med is wearing off, and I think the followup visit tomorrow will be a good idea. I do see and feel some bumps on her left leg now that she will let me touch her leg.
Kind of a low key day today. I hang out by the pool, watch a little TV, do a little reading, and then off to bed. I am a little preoccupied with Phoebe. Hope all will be well.
Expenses today: Pie and coffee: $5.
Bruce
Thursday Jan. 26 – Phoebe Back to the Vet
Phoebe continues to dominate the majority of my focus. But first, I have two eBay lots that ended last night, and the buyer has paid, so I go to Office Depot to print out my labels (67 cents) and then to the post office substation which is just up the street from me at College and Winkler. I had trouble finding this post office earlier because I was looking for a stand-alone building. But it’s actually inside this office complex, and shares its space with a coin shop, of all things. Anyway, I get my watches shipped off to my customer in Hong Kong, and also send a bunch of repairs to my watchmaker.
My 2:20 appointment at the vet rolls around, and the doc does an examination. Her temperature is down to normal, which is good. He feels her leg, and pulls a cat nail of out of her flesh that is embedded deeply. In human terms, it is approximately at the elbow joint. It takes two techs to hold her down while the doc yanks it out, and Phoebe screams in pain. This runs me an additional $36 for the exam. I get her back to the condo, and I am so exhausted myself I must take a nap. I am hungry for some more BBQ this evening, and so return to “Sonny’s” on Winkler Road for a takeout dinner.
Expenses: copies, $1; postage $14; vet visit, $36; dinner $8. Total: $59
Bruce
Friday Jan. 27 Flea Market and Three More Cat Nails
I need a little diversion today, so I had back to the Fleamaster’s Flea Market. I get there around lunch time, and so start my visit with lunch of an Italian sausage sandwich with peppers, and that served with a side of fries, and I have a Dr. Pepper to drink. I invite a group of three people to set down at my table with me, and it turns out they are from Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls) so we compare notes on weather, and I tell them about my condo rental. One gal is already more or less a permanent resident here (or at least owns property) and the other couple is thinking about moving down here more full time, as I am. I chat with them a while, then leave them to the pleasure their own company.
Next, I hit a booth where the lady sells used DVDs, $3 apiece, or 4 for $10. I find four that I want to see: The Great Escape, I Spy, Running with Scissors, and Road to Peridition. I also stop and see Chris the book guy, and buy a copy of “The Great Santini,” by Pat Conroy, which I have never read.
From there, I go to Sun Harvest Citrus and have a slice of orange cake, and a coffee. The orange cake is good, but the key lime pie is still their best item in the bakery case.
I get back to the condo, and notice that Phoebe is limping pretty badly, so I call the vet and ask if they can squeeze her in so I can hopefully avoid some type of emergency intervention during the weekend. They get her in a 4:30, and honest to God, the doctor proceeds to pull out three additional cat nail fragments from the same left leg. That cat just have had one hell of a hold on Phoebe. Dr. Gatof says that should do it, but if I see no improvement over the weekend, I am supposed to fast her on Sunday night, and they will anesthetize her and do X-rays on Monday to see if there’s anything left in there and/or evidence of abscess, in which case they will open up her leg, drain the junk, seal her up, and probably put her on a secondary antibiotic. Damn, I hope it doesn’t come to this. There is no charge for this visit, which I thought was decent of them.
I have a light supper of some pita bread, veggies, and hummus. I watch one of the movies, the Great Escape. This is one of several “WWII epics” that were done in the mid 1960s, and included The Dirty Dozen, Stalag 17, and Bridge Over the River Kwai (among others). This one stars Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and others. I forgot how long this movie was. The darned thing ran almost 3 hours, but it was good. They just don’t make them like that any more!
Expenses: Fleamarket, $11; Sun Harvest, $5; groceries: $20. Total: $36
Bruce
No comments:
Post a Comment