Goodbye June...

 

This is it for June 2025.  I can't say it was a great month.   The weather hasn't been pleasant & we lost another cat.   No, this wasn't a fun time.

I wish I could say something more positive about this month but I don't have the words for that.  It wasn't the worst month, but there are so many ways it could've been better.  Maybe that just doesn't happen anymore.

The back crepe has finally started blooming, the side crepe looks to soon.  I haven't seen any dragons or hummers.  We do have what appears to be a resident groundhog.    I see it in the mornings & evenings.  We don't have a garden, so there's nothing for it to hurt.  They're cute in a pudgy, squirrel kind of way.

That's all, goodbye June.

Cya...

Sticky Sunday...

 

The final Sunday of June is going to be hot & muggy.  It's already very warm & humid.  Of course the season couldn't ease into into things.  It went from dark & awful to sweltering.  Like most things around here, the weather sucks.  

There isn't much going on today & I hope it stays that way.  This week will be the 1st of the month & a holiday.  That'll make things cramped.  

That's it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Last Of June...

 

June is almost over.  This is the last weekend.  It wasn't the worst month, but it had a lot of unwanted surprises.   The worst of which was Machen no longer being here.  It's the 3rd day since he made his last trip to the vet.  Like so many things, he was beyond my ability to help any more than I did.  

For as long as I can remember things have rushed through my life without regard for me.  So much of it was out of my control.  I thought that would lessen as I got older.  I was wrong, the chaos increased & I have even less ability to influence any of it. I'm tired of being the rock in the sea of chaos.   It's exhausting.

Enjoy your last bit of June.   Take care.

Cya...

National HIV Testing Day 2025...

 

It's National HIV Testing Day again.  You can find more info & sources at HIV.gov's page for Testing Day.  NIH also has a lot of info.  These sites have the hows, whens & wheres for you.  Give them a look & pass the info on.

That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Adapting...

 

The house is quieter.  There were no random messes.  Some things have returned to where they used to be.  The place is slowly returning to what it was pre-Machen.  We altered a lot for him.  He could be a challenging kitten.  It's weird to not see him.

He's not the 1st cat that we've lost.   But, he was the youngest.   The vet said worse things about to happen to him.  I'm thankful he didn't have to go through that.  

This is about as much of a post as I can muster this morning.  Take care.

Cya...

Machen, Who's Machen...

 

Machen came into our lives on November 21, 2023.  He'd been left outside our home & was soon part of our life.  I've posted about him some here.  He wasn't the smartest cat.  I don't think he ever learned his name.  He was easily our most obstinate cat.   He had a lot of qualities I was hoping he'd grow out of.  That won't get to happen.  

I feel like I should've noticed more, but I didn't.  Several months before, he stopped playing as much.  I put it up to him leaving kittenhood.  Then got weird about where his food was.  He wasn't as social.  Lately he'd developed a lot bathroom issues & just seemed off.   We called the vet & made an appointment.

The vet thinks he was most likely inbred & suffering from neurological issues that would only have gotten worse.  She asked about seizures & said if he hadn't them, it was just a matter of time.  She noted his eyesight was going.   He'd had a lot of small illnesses in his short life & a serious incident that we took him to the vet for last September.   Considering all this, the vet thought it best for Machen to be put down.   When she tried to administer the final meds she couldn't find the kidney on the left side.  He may have missing a kidney & that would've been more issues sooner than later.

When it happened, Machen exhaled a final breath & was gone.  I know this was for the best, but I hate this.  He wasn't even 2 yet.  He would've been 2 on October 11, 2025.   This was the best option, but it still sucks.

Machen you will be missed.  You were loved.  May your next life be joyous & secure.  I'm so sorry if we could've done more & didn't know to.  Best journeys my grey & white cat named Machen.  May you get a name you can learn.

The 1st pic is from a day or so after he got here.  Here are his final photos.  He was only in our 583 days, just a little over 19 months.   He made quite the impact.  I was the 1st person in our home to hold him on 11/21/23 & I was the last person to hold him on 06/25/25.  I'm glad I was there for you as much as I could be.

Leaving the vet's office with an empty carrier is the worst thing about having a pet.

PS - Please be kind to strays & ferals.  They didn't ask for that life.  People did that & only people can help reduce the numbers of in-need animals.  Whether a stray is 4 legged or 2, if you can't be kind at least don't do them any harm.

Last Wednesday In June...

 

This should've been a normal midweek for us.  The trash would go out & we'd run a couple of errands.  I still need to go by the pharmacy & check the mail, but there's been an addition.   The boy cat has to go to the vet.  It's not good.  I might know more later.  For now, I have to get around.  His appointment is soon.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Annoying Mornings...

 

For the last few weeks, mornings have been more difficult than usual.   Besides the normal stuff, there's been extra cat stuff going on.  This last week, the boy cat has ramped up the difficulty of that matter.  I don't know what's going to happen.  I do know I'm wasting half an hour or more each morning on cat issues, before I even get to brush my teeth.  This has got to end.  I simply can not do it.  I'm spent before I get my face washed.  I'm not sure what the answer is.  I'm frustrated & spent.

Cya...

Another June Monday...

 

Other than shopping, we don't have much planned for today.  I called for a med refill & got that started.  The rest of the month looks to get hot with little chance for more rain.  Here's hoping June didn't the Summer's worth of rain.  I think we're done with big stuff for the month; bills & appointments.

That's it for this morning.  Take care.

Cya...

Article Drought...

Articles have been scarce ever since the orange stain reemerged.   What few are out there have been about aid cuts, that idiot RFK, long acting injections & a lot of rehash.  It's like a whirl of fallen leaves.  It looks like something might be there, but it's only old things milling about. 

It's not supposed to be quite as hot as yesterday.  That's not saying much if the humidity is up.  Hopefully, the moisture will burn off.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Steamy...

 

Yesterday wasn't the easiest day.  As usual, the weather around here refused to slide into something new.  No, it went dark, soaked & border line chilly to bright, hot & steamy.  As much rain as we've had, it'll take any sunny, bright days quite a while to burn off this humidity.  Yesterday was far warmer & muggy than I was used to handling.  It was rough.

I can get used to it.  Considering this is late June, it wasn't that hot.   Summer is here & it brought all the humidity.  That's not fun.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Summer Is Here...

 

June has traded dark, dreary & wet for bright & steamy.  The temps aren't really that high.  But following all that rain, it's muggy as hell.  The high humidity could be with us for a while until the heat burns some of it off.

Here's hoping Summer is light & easy.  I'd like it hot & dry enough to kill bugs & grass.  That generally doesn't happen any more, but it'd be nice if the bugs died off.

I hope your Midsommer went well.  Happy Summer.

Cya...

Getting Around....

 

I'm trying to get around a little quicker this morning.  I don't know if that will work or not.  My roomie has an appointment.   I still need to get around & cleaned up.  Here's hoping it doesn't rain anymore for a bit.  It's steamy & bugs are everywhere.  

The FDA formally approved Lenacapavir for use in the US.  This could be a game changer, especially if they do something about the price.  Too bad they probably won't.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

June Has Brought...

 

The month of June has brought with it the dreary ending of a dismal Spring.  It's dark again this morning & it rained nearly an inch since last night.  It's supposed to rain all day & into the night.  I hope it's over by then & doesn't cause a lot of flooding.  My roomie has an appointment tomorrow. 

The tiger lillies & crepe myrtle began to bloom this week.  The rose of sharon's started the beginning of the month.   I'm half surprised all this rain didn't drown everything.

The lawn guy came yesterday.  He probably should've been here last week, but it was raining.  The lawn was so high, it took him longer to cut the grass. 

I keep meaning to write about something but it irritated me.  I had to respond to Social Security about my disability for review last August.  I remember I mailed it back on Monday the 19th.  Normally it takes a bit for them to respond & sometimes they don't at all.  I got notification that there was no need for a review at this time last week.  That was nearly 10 months later.  With the orange stain office this will only get worse.

That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Costs...

 

Regulators have been trying to get pharmaceutical companies to reign in prices for years.   This crap with the orange stain & his funding cuts has made it even more imperative.  This piece is about Gilead's Lenacapavir.    

This med is currently to be marketed for between upper 30K & lower 40K annually.  Research found the med could be made for as little as $40 annually if 2 million doses were sold yearly.  If the more of the drug was produced the price would fall.

It could, be made for only $25 (£18.40) a year – including a 30% profit margin – analysis from the University of Liverpool and others suggests.

At the original price, even affluent nations couldn't afford the medicine.  Estimates have 1M+ people in the US using PrEP.  The numbers are there.  Then include the nearly 40M living with HIV & this drug, or meds like it, could be made very affordable.

Unfortunately as long as conservatives, religious bigots & greedy people exists, HIV & other illnesses will never be cured or eradicated.  They're just too profitable.  Corporate avarice & political corruption are the illnesses we all suffer from.

That's all for now.  

Take care.

Cya...

This Weekend...

 

These last few days have been rough on me.  The drear & weather left me achy & off.  The aches are settling, but my nerves are still twitchy.  I was really hoping for a better Summer than last year.  Last Summer seemed so short.  I hope this time, it's brighter.  I think I'm trying to catch up from a few years back.  Dealing with HIV is hard, but sometimes I wonder if SAD isn't just as rough.  They play into each other & my meds can lead to anxiety & stress issues.  

Spring is almost over & other than rain, it was about useless.  My sleep & SAD feel like I'm just getting into March.  I can only control what I can & that's not the weather.

That's all for now.  It's time to go shopping.  Take care.

Cya...

Soaked...

 

We've doubled our monthly rainfall totals.  The rivers & lakes are overflowing.  The ground is saturated.  We could still get more rain.   Besides the abundance of moisture right now & is it's potential damage, bugs are thriving.  The yard looks like a pasture, but it's too wet to mow.

Now, watch it get hot & instantly steamy.  It'll be our luck, we probably won't get much rain for the rest of the Summer, which is in 5 days.  Hard to tell, with all the drear.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Haze, Humidity & Aches...

 

We've passed the monthly rainfall average for June.  It's a little brighter, but still hazy this morning.  A problem is that all this humidity & higher temps is making me ache.  I haven't had a full gout flare up in years, but I can feel my foot  aching from this.  I can control what I eat & how I much I do.   I can't control the weather. 

Maybe this will be a quiet Saturday for us.  It'd be nice.  That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

More Haze & Storms...

 

Stormy mornings are bad, but waking to haze is awful.  Everything's a blur & it's like wading through thick air.  Even if it does stop raining, it'll be cloudy all day.  Spring 2025 has sucked.  It's been stupidly dark & dreary.  I'm surprised anything got enough light to grow.  Except for the grass & bugs.  I think they could thrive in a polar midnight.

Maybe the rain will pause long enough for me to get shopping done & not get soaked.  That'd be nice.   It's hard to feel anything more than meh when the weather's like this.

Take care.

Cya...

And The Drear Returns...

 

After sleeping decently, it was a little disappointing to see how dark it was this morning.  Get over it June, it's nearly Summer & you're as dark as February.  A friend's coming by today & that's about all we have planned.  Hopefully storms don't make this a bad day.

That's it, take care.

Cya...

Some Left...

This bright reprieve will be short lived.  The rain could start by 2, but definitely by this evening.  It probably won't stop until next week.  That sucks.  Whatever little gains I've made, will probably be washed out by another system of crappy weather.

I tried to do better yesterday.  I made until later in the afternoon when my stomach decided to be difficult.  It wasn't bad, but it was a thing that didn't need to happen.

We have errands today.   It's not much, but somethings that need handled.  Take care.

Cya...

It's Been A Bit...

 

It's sort of a red letter day.  I actually woke up well this morning.  I slept well & didn't wake up achy or dehydrated.   I woke easily & there were no cortisol jolts.  It's reasonably bright outside.  I managed to get my morning things done & not feel wiped out.  It's been quite a while, since I actually had a decent morning.

There's going to be more off weather this week, but at least I got this.  Maybe I can make it hold for a bit.  I need to feel better for a while.

Most of the articles were about research projects a ways off or being impacted by cuts.  I have no plans for today.  Hopefully, that holds.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Sun's Still Here...

 

It could actually stay sunny for a couple of days.  It's been a bit.  The storms could roll back in Thursday & last most of the week.  Until, I'll try to get in what light I can.  I shouldn't be dealing with SAD issues nearly til Summer.

Articles were mostly about interrupted research, vanishing grants & pride events.  None of that was of much use to this blog.  I'll keep looking.  

This is for now, take care.

Cya...

There's Light...

 

It's sunny this morning & it could get warm today.  Maybe it'll burn off some of this humidity.  We could get more rain late tonight.  There are still a lot of chances for storms before mid-month.  We're nearly to our monthly rainfall average. 

Articles were lacking & mainly talking about cuts by the orange stain.  This is it for this morning.   Take care.

Cya...

More Morning Storms...

 

Again with the sunrise storms.  It's hard enough to sleep & wake up well without all the weather uproar.  There was over an inch of rain.  Now there's a lot of people trimming across the street.  It'd be nice to wake up to a quiet, sunny morning.  I guess that's asking too much.

That's about it for now.  There were no articles.  The household stuff is handled for a bit.  So that's that.  Take care.

Cya...

Dark,Wet & Spent...

 

It was storming when I woke up.  It's dark & there's been nearly an inch of rain already.  It's still raining & there's more in the forecast until mid month.  That'll mean more flooding, grass, bugs, allergens, etc... all the things we didn't want.

Even though, it wasn't my appointment, yesterday was exhausting.  It was mostly due to lack of sleep the previous night.  My blood pressure also ran low all day.  Between those things & the running around, I never felt well yesterday.

I slept better last night, but waking up to dark storms isn't helping any.  I still have to go shopping & pay a bill.  I'm going to get wet even with an umbrella.  June isn't being any better than May or April.  Spring sucked this year.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Hurried Morning...

 

It's stopped raining for a bit, but it's hazy.   The cats decided to be assholes last night & make sleep almost impossible.   It's very muggy & there's been lots of outside noise.

I have little time before I have to shower & get out of here.  We'll be gone for a bit, due to an appointment.  Here's hoping things go smoothly.  

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

It's Returned...

 

After a couple of days of being sort of bright outside, the gloom has returned.  It's been raining & is supposed to stay cloudy all day.  This could be how things are until the middle of June.   It's too dark to be good & warm enough to stay muggy.   

There's some final info needed & things gathered for tomorrow's appointment.  Other than trash, that should be it for today.  That's about it for now.

Take care.

Cya...

It Begins...

 

Due to how days landed & appointments, our schedule is going to be a little off this week.  Will handle some of the bills & our Wednesday stuff today.   I don't like it when appointments land during the 1st week.  I know it can't be helped sometimes, but it throws the whole week off.

Last night was rough.  It was humid & the house was muggy.  I woke up very dehydrated.  This may be the last sunshine we get until mid-month.  June aims to be wet.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Busy Start June...

 

This is going to be a full 1st week of the month.  Between normal errands, bills & appointments, we'll have little down time.   If possible, we'll make it go smoothly.  It'd be nice if no unknowns stick their heads up.  There's enough on the plate as it is.

Today's bright & tomorrow should be.  Then it could be clouds & storms until mid-month.  It might keep us cooler, but it'll make things muggier & bug ridden.  

That's it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

June's Here...

 

A new month is here.  We're nearing the Summer Solstice on the 20th.  We should have a couple of sunny days & then thunderstorms until mid-month.  Didn't want that.

This week will be busy with beginning of the month errands & appointments.  We'll try to control the outings, so we don't wear ourselves out.  The Thursday appointment is out of town & will take a bit.   This could be a trying week.

That's all for this 1st day of June.  Except for anyone who happens to HIV+ or +adjacent & voted for the orange stain, drop dead.  That idiot is a stupid wrecking ball to everything keeping some of us alive & making sure there are less + people in the future.

Have a great June as the seasons change.   Take care.

Cya...