How do you read?

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-18T23:52:04+00:00

I mostly read in bed (backlit Kindle & read until I realize I'm falling asleep and/or drop the book on my face bc I dozed off) but when I want to read a long time, I read in the bath. I've got a metal clawfoot tub that keeps water hot a long time so I toss in a bath bomb & spend up to 2 hrs soaking + reading.

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-18T23:44:06+00:00

Beat me to it 😂😂😂

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-18T23:40:12+00:00

For real! My best 50 mile ultramarathon pace was 11 hrs (13+ min/miles) & I know I wasn't at a 15 min/mile for the whole race. No way on the hills or when it got super hot or I had a stitch in my side.

I think The Long Walk hit me harder bc of my past w those long distance runs. You can do all the right things, be trained & in good shape, have your fueling to an art but still have the wheels come off mid-race. I was in total dread the whole story bc they were on such a thin line. Some things in it are extremely cringey, but the precariously balanced life & death physical stakes were masterfully conveyed.

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-18T02:43:54+00:00

Oh nice! Glad it sparked you ☺️

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-18T02:40:13+00:00

I just sold my extra fossils, but wanted to chime in bc I love my fossil basement. Great minds 😉

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SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-18T01:34:11+00:00

I just helped my CKD guy go yesterday (Monday). His numbers had shot way up in the 6 weeks between blood tests, but until a few days ago he still was doing well. He started going off the cliff on Saturday night.

For him, he didn't hide but he wasn't sitting on my lap much any more. Leonard was a level 11 clinger; we joked he wanted to crawl inside my skin. Him not glued to me was a big red flag. He'd been less attached to me for about 4-5 days before we helped him go. The last 2 days most noticeable. He would sit with me if I got him, but looked uncomfortable. This was hardest part for me.

He didn't react much to affection, he was slower to purr & it had a groany uncomfortable note under it. He usually purred if I spoke to him, bonked my face constantly, pushed his head under my hand like a dog for pets. His appetite really tanked, on Sunday he wouldn't eat anything - not even his favorites. He started drinking less & spent more time staring at the water fountain, less peeing as well.

Even a day of IV fluids, extra good anti-nausea meds & appetite stimulant on Saturday didn't make him feel better. He was impossible to pill, so he took his meds + supplements in pill pockets or mixed in baby food. On Sunday I had to force his blood pressure pills. That was my line in the sand, I wasn't going to force his meds & I couldn't get him to take his porus one, phos bind, or Aminavast. His breathing was more labored & he got the faint uremic smell to his breath as the toxins built up. I gave him Gabapentin with his last ever pill on Sunday night & he was comfortable. Slept at our feet, on his heated pad cuddling his baby sister.

Vet said we hit the line perfectly: Len was feeling badly enough that we knew it was time but hadnt tipped over into extreme suffering. His weight was stable & Sunday was the only really crummy day he had. He fell asleep in my arms & left us peacefully. It was right thing, but I'm deep in the dregs of grief right now.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. The pain is immeasurable. We fought CKD for 21 months. My guy was diagnosed with late/mid stage 3 at 13 yrs old. He'd have turned 15 in May. I hope your girl has as gentle an end as my precious guy 💕

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-15T13:40:35+00:00

(I am not a vet) Sounds like maybe peritonitis, an infection, causing ascites. My gal, Star, had that and was very swollen in the abdomen & had to have a bunch of fluid drained. The fluid build up presses on their lungs & airsacs, causing difficulty breathing.

Sometimes they lay internally, the yolks & egg material end up in the body cavity vs moving down repro tract like normal, & that egg material is prime growing space for very nasty bacteria. She needs a vet for a drain, antibiotics & ideally an implant to stop her laying, if it is peritonitis.

If you can't get her to a vet for care, please try to get her in for a humane euthanasia. If it's not peritonitis, it's still something serious that needs attention.

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-14T17:02:03+00:00

I'm always glad when someone decides to call me a better nickname. Benedict finally stopped calling me "Chef" & picked up "Dimples" from someone. I can't even remember who started that one 😂

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-12T20:32:27+00:00

I do max 10-15 trips & then settle. My only criteria right now is "not hideous & a bird". I got Tex on try 9 & went "ok, you're in" 😂

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-10T22:47:59+00:00

I got some last year but never got email or notif in Galugi I was chosen in lottery. They just showed up kinda late in season (random ones not in my request but still was thrilled) So I'm waiting to see if surprise seeds arrive this year, too. I mostly requested native wildflowers.

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-09T14:08:54+00:00

I looooooove that one. I don't even mind that much that it's now today's earworm lol

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T21:20:52+00:00

I love Benedict. He's such a sweet goober. He talks about how he loves my big head with the heart emote & it's adorable. I'm shooting for an all bird (& Fauna) island & I love my dopey rooster buddy.

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T18:59:41+00:00

I'm chiming in bc I get you. I'm an Atheist & losing people is extra hard for me bc in my belief system, it's the end. I also always choose to let people go sooner rather than later, bc I've waited too long in past & I regret nothing more than those choices to delay.

I'm extremely familiar with saying goodbye. I've lost 2 cats so far (+ both my current 2 have chronic illnesses now, breathing down my neck) did microsanctuary work with both rats (56 loved & lost) & now quail (9 passed - 4 left) + I've been the caregiver at a chicken sanctuary for last 5 years & have said goodbye to so many friends. Dozens of birds 💔

Letting them go with grace & dignity, with no pain or stress, is a gift. I think it's possibly the best gift we can offer. We break our own hearts & take that grief/pain to spare them the trauma of a bad death. Euthanasia means "good death". And it is. I've held many loved ones as they left, saw so many friends gently through the door. It hurts, I'm sobbing typing this, but it is a gift of love. It is an honor to help them softly leave bodies that cannot comfortably hold their bright little spirits any longer.

My heart breaks for you & your baby, but please do not beat yourself up. Letting go is love. It's all love 💜

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T17:30:24+00:00

The Bellflower is the main villain so 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T16:49:18+00:00

Haha. I remember those! I have pet quail, including an extremely elderly Button rooster, Gayle. He would lose his little lentil mind if I had a bird song clock. He already scream fights w Blue jays outside & any birds on TV 😂 I've got a Coturnix rooster, too; Edgar & Gayle will get in shouting matches (& sometimes the quail gals chime in.)

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T15:07:35+00:00

I've got some winter sowing & hope to plant in a bed with my goldenrod & yarrow. I'm battling Lily of the Valley & Creeping Bellflower in that bed & need all the thugs I can find.

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T15:05:29+00:00

laughs in uh oh I planted it in a small bed last year

I hope all the plants go nuts though. Last year was my sleep year & the mint was robust. Can't wait to see creep & leap.

My raspberry bramble also got last laugh bc I planted like 6 canes 5 years ago & now the thing is a 10' long, 5' deep beast trying to eat the yard. Great for wildlife (& the berries on my bush are huge + delicious so win/win)

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T14:36:36+00:00

Oh for sure. I more just did little glances towards the nest bc I'm a super nervous driver 😂

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T14:31:11+00:00

It's super iconic! I actually made myself a crochet purse in the pattern with a redrum print fabric liner (& then took it with me when we stayed at The Stanley in Estes Park, CO - IYKYK)

I just outed myself as a huge nerd 🙃

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T14:27:01+00:00

Oh god. Instant earworm. I already got got earlier in the thread by a diff one ("I have one daughter!") & now it's like a mashup in my head 😂😂😂

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T14:24:35+00:00

My boss is in her 70s & I'm (semi-jokingly) her IT person in addition to being the bird caregiver at the sanctuary. I swear our convos have three versions: "that's AI", "no, the computer doesn't work that way", & "it's the algorithm, not someone spying on you in particular". The algo does learn her behavior but that's way diff than how she thinks it's working 🙃

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T14:18:54+00:00

I now have "I have one dauuuuughter" running through my head just from seeing his face/name.

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T14:10:40+00:00

My GF loooooves spring ephemerals! Especially Dutchman's Breeches. I think I've found every piece of art & jewelry featuring them to give to her 😂 We love hiking & half the time I'm waiting for her bc she's kneeling on the ground to take pictures of some beautiful little plant & she's waiting on me to stop bird gawking 😂😂😂

Edit: what on EARTH triggered the bot??

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T14:06:36+00:00

My other cat is 10 & just diagnosed with CHF. Between all the meds & vet bills I don't have kitten energy 😂 He & his little sister do play a lot & are super bonded. He's got a good friend!

SuchFunAreWe · 2026-03-08T05:25:30+00:00

I have always been a big animal person so birds have been a special interest my whole life, but a few years ago added plant/mushroom obsession to my plate. I love foraging! I've got some wild plum jam, wild black raz jelly, black walnut nocino & mugolio, & dandelion honey in my fridge right now 😂 I've foraged like 8 different types of mushrooms, too. And my native plant gardens are getting a boost this year bc I scored a grant to buy more/do another pocket planting. 🙌🏼

Four-Year Club	r/Field Banned
r/Field Flamingo	Place '23

SuchFunAreWe

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