I don’t date often, to put it mildly. In fact, until recently I hadn’t been on a single date in more than EIGHT YEARS. In large part, it just didn’t seem worth the bother – awkward dinners with someone I barely know, struggling to make small talk? Not my idea of a great time. In larger part, I don’t think a woman my age with a LOT of cats is considered much of a “prize” in the dating department.
I’m still hooking (crocheting)! Latest projects:
My cinnabar cardigan (design by Doris Chan). I struggled with this, and it turned out a bit too large – but I’m still rather proud of it. I made Doris’ “in-line-links” for a closure.

My cinnabar cardigan
Posted in Knot misbehaving | Tagged crochet | Leave a Comment »
I have four cats. Most people consider that a LOT of cats. People react to the information on the size of my furry family in many ways, including comments like:
- “You must spend a LOT on litter/cat food!” (Yes, I do.)
- “Wow, do they all get along?” (No, they don’t. They’re like kids, sometimes they squabble.)
- “You must have to clean your house a lot” (Only if I don’t want giant cat fur tumbleweeds)
- and simply “You must really like cats!”
Most of the time, I do really like cats. But you know, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes the cats drive me BONKERS.
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, Life of the Lintee Bean | Tagged cats, hungry | 3 Comments »
The big news in Chicago is our loss of the 2016 Olympics bid. I’m sure you’re all wondering what my personal feelings are on the subject – so I decided I’d write my column on SHOPPING!
I’ve lost over 50 pounds this year. Obviously, that means buying new clothes. What may be less obvious is it means buying a LOT more clothes. People fail to realize you can’t just start out in your old larger clothes, then buy a new wardrobe when you’re finished losing weight, and wear clothes that don’t fit in between. Cinching clothes with belts and safety pins only gets you so far – and by the way, you have to buy new belts as well.
Posted in Life of the Lintee Bean | Tagged clothes, diet, shopping, weight loss | 5 Comments »
I know I complain about my commute a lot. Well, that’s because I hate it a LOT.
Growing up, I felt really bad for those people that had to drive 50 miles every day for their job. They spent 45 minutes in the car, each way, just for work. Well, that sounds pretty darn good right now – as instead, I spend 45 minutes each way on a train with hundreds of other people.
There are a lot of things about my commute I just don’t understand. Like why does it have to smell SO bad? I mean, we all just got up for the morning and are on our way to work. Didn’t we all just shower, apply deodorant, and brush our teeth? WHY is the stench of bad breath and body odor SO overwhelming on the train in the morning?
Posted in Life of the Lintee Bean | Tagged commute, odor, train | 1 Comment »
When a caregiver contacts me regarding a cat having difficulty breathing, coughing fits, and/or wheezing – my first guess is asthma. My second guess would be heart disease. Then again, it could be as simple as an upper respiratory infection (the cat’s version of the common cold.) There’s not a lot you can do for a cold – but if it’s progressed to bronchitis/pneumonia, an antibiotic would be appropriate. Obviously, the first step is to get the cat to a vet. Any cat having difficulty breathing should see a vet IMMEDIATELY! I’d start with a chest x-ray.
Posted in Feline nutrition and health | Tagged asthma, cats, Studley | 1 Comment »
Feline triaditis is actually three conditions occurring simultaneously: pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), cholongiohepatitis (inflammation of the liver), and inflammatory bowel disease or IBD (inflammation of the intestines).
There may be no known “cure” for triaditis, though I would argue that proper nutrition is the absolute BEST method of treatment and prevention. By proper nutrition, I mean a raw diet or a canned diet – and most definitely no dry food/kibble of any kind.
Posted in Feline nutrition and health | Tagged cats, cholongiohepatitis, feline, IBD, Latifah, liver, lymphoma, pancreas, pancreatitis, Rumpelmintz, triaditis | 2 Comments »
I love nature. I really do. I love the plants and the little critters and the sunshine and even the rain. Unfortunately, nature does NOT reciprocate. Nature seems to hate me.
Perfect example was our visit to Dad’s ranch. I was telling Dad I was going to put a piece of tape with my name on it on the ranch. (My sister and nieces have started putting tape with their name on it on my parents’ belongings that they want when my parents pass away.) I was joking with Dad that I’d have a little cabin on the ranch with just me and the cats, and it’d be great for me.
Posted in Life of the Lintee Bean | Tagged bugs, frog, nature, spider | 3 Comments »
Posted in Knot misbehaving | Tagged crochet | 7 Comments »
I was walking home the other night when I saw a dog – a poor lonely, lost dog. I am NOT a dog person. I like dogs, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve never had a dog and know next-to-nothing about interacting with dogs. This, however, was a really friendly dog, and he came right up to me and introduced himself. He had on a collar, with tags, and they said his name was “Sandy”.
So, as Sandy-the-dog was so VERY nice and friendly, I was able to look at his tags and call the phone number on them. It was disconnected.
Posted in Life of the Lintee Bean | Tagged dog, found, lost, microchip, pet | 4 Comments »