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alee_grrlLong post is long. Short of it is that we are all settling in and doing ok.
Z is settling in. Her name is still Zena (it's on all her paperwork and her microchip registration), but we call her Z. She is very anxious and nervous and clearly has had some trauma. Thankfully none of her issues involve cats. She and Artemis, our cat, pretty much ignore one another. We are learning her language and cues. So far we have figured out that she is scared of the dark (so cover came off the crate and that was much better for her), she thinks the kennel run out back is just a really large crate and doesn't think she should go potty there. Thankfully we bumped the run out into the grass a little, so with a little coaxing she'll urinate on the grass. But she won't evacuate her bowels out there so we have been doing short walks (with pick-up bags) for that.
My sister, E, worked from home Monday and Tuesday to help Z adjust and get comfortable with us (and her). And then I was home Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday thanks to head cold/migraine combo (bleh). So Z didn't actually spend a long period in the crate at our house (she had been crated during the day at her foster mom's) until Friday. She was really upset at first, but calmed down before I left for work and was calm by the time E got home. I will say that I don't think I have ever gotten dressed and downstairs so quickly because I was way too tempted to let her out of the crate if I stayed upstairs. I did go in and give her pets and made sure she had comforting toys and things with her.
Z has really bonded to E, which is good as E is the primary caretaker. I would love to be but must realistically accept that my job and spoon level make it very difficult for me to be the primary caretaker. E is the one with the energy to work with Z on clicker training, loose walking, and so forth. E also has the bigger room where the crate fit. :) Z is more slowly bonding with me and Em (niece). Because of her history it is going to take some time for her to settle down and feel comfortable and confident. I can definitely empathize with this.
Friday afternoon E took Z to the pet store and fitted her for a Thundershirt (and got her some more durable toys, she is a very aggressive chewer when it comes to her toys). The Thundershirt made a world of difference. We also got her some calming spray and lavender paw pad salve (basically beeswax and lavender) to help prevent over drying of the pads.
As to the state of the Manda, well I'm doing a bit better. My anxiety levels have been through the roof the past few weeks and my depression and brain weasels were cycling through pretty badly. My monthly hormonal cycle did not help things much. I am working on being kinder and more understanding with myself and reminding myself that this last year has been one long series of changes and challenges and I haven't quite managed to find my balance yet but that does not mean I won't. My incredibly bad anxiety lead to a rather funny discussion of Thundershirts for humans, and realized that a properly fitted and correctly worn corset might actually work in the same manner. My sister and I are about the same size, so I might try one of her short-waisted underbust corsets for a bit and see if it helps or not.
Right now I'm enjoying the fact that it is cool enough to have the back door open to only the screen and let the breeze come through. E is doing homework, Z is sleeping as is Artemis, and Em has gone to her dad's for the summer so the house is bizarrely quiet. Our house is usually quiet and calm, even when Em is home. We're a low energy household, which is probably really good for Z. I know its good for me. :)
On a whim I decided to put all the music I have on my computer into a single playlist and hit shuffle. I left out audio books and Christmas music. It's an accumulation of almost two decades. I got my first cds at 16, and I've ripped all my favorite cds to digital file format over the years. The list is over 5,000 songs and about 343 hours worth of music. An interesting variety. It's kind of fun to just hit shuffle. I had completely forgotten about some of these songs.
I did all the stuff I had to do yesterday. So today I can just relax. Hope everyone else is having as relaxing a day possible.
Z is settling in. Her name is still Zena (it's on all her paperwork and her microchip registration), but we call her Z. She is very anxious and nervous and clearly has had some trauma. Thankfully none of her issues involve cats. She and Artemis, our cat, pretty much ignore one another. We are learning her language and cues. So far we have figured out that she is scared of the dark (so cover came off the crate and that was much better for her), she thinks the kennel run out back is just a really large crate and doesn't think she should go potty there. Thankfully we bumped the run out into the grass a little, so with a little coaxing she'll urinate on the grass. But she won't evacuate her bowels out there so we have been doing short walks (with pick-up bags) for that.
My sister, E, worked from home Monday and Tuesday to help Z adjust and get comfortable with us (and her). And then I was home Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday thanks to head cold/migraine combo (bleh). So Z didn't actually spend a long period in the crate at our house (she had been crated during the day at her foster mom's) until Friday. She was really upset at first, but calmed down before I left for work and was calm by the time E got home. I will say that I don't think I have ever gotten dressed and downstairs so quickly because I was way too tempted to let her out of the crate if I stayed upstairs. I did go in and give her pets and made sure she had comforting toys and things with her.
Z has really bonded to E, which is good as E is the primary caretaker. I would love to be but must realistically accept that my job and spoon level make it very difficult for me to be the primary caretaker. E is the one with the energy to work with Z on clicker training, loose walking, and so forth. E also has the bigger room where the crate fit. :) Z is more slowly bonding with me and Em (niece). Because of her history it is going to take some time for her to settle down and feel comfortable and confident. I can definitely empathize with this.
Friday afternoon E took Z to the pet store and fitted her for a Thundershirt (and got her some more durable toys, she is a very aggressive chewer when it comes to her toys). The Thundershirt made a world of difference. We also got her some calming spray and lavender paw pad salve (basically beeswax and lavender) to help prevent over drying of the pads.
As to the state of the Manda, well I'm doing a bit better. My anxiety levels have been through the roof the past few weeks and my depression and brain weasels were cycling through pretty badly. My monthly hormonal cycle did not help things much. I am working on being kinder and more understanding with myself and reminding myself that this last year has been one long series of changes and challenges and I haven't quite managed to find my balance yet but that does not mean I won't. My incredibly bad anxiety lead to a rather funny discussion of Thundershirts for humans, and realized that a properly fitted and correctly worn corset might actually work in the same manner. My sister and I are about the same size, so I might try one of her short-waisted underbust corsets for a bit and see if it helps or not.
Right now I'm enjoying the fact that it is cool enough to have the back door open to only the screen and let the breeze come through. E is doing homework, Z is sleeping as is Artemis, and Em has gone to her dad's for the summer so the house is bizarrely quiet. Our house is usually quiet and calm, even when Em is home. We're a low energy household, which is probably really good for Z. I know its good for me. :)
On a whim I decided to put all the music I have on my computer into a single playlist and hit shuffle. I left out audio books and Christmas music. It's an accumulation of almost two decades. I got my first cds at 16, and I've ripped all my favorite cds to digital file format over the years. The list is over 5,000 songs and about 343 hours worth of music. An interesting variety. It's kind of fun to just hit shuffle. I had completely forgotten about some of these songs.
I did all the stuff I had to do yesterday. So today I can just relax. Hope everyone else is having as relaxing a day possible.
no subject
Date: 2014-06-15 09:24 pm (UTC)As per human thundershirts: I think this is one reason I like a snug-fitting sports bra. Sorry to hear the anxiety is prompting exploring the option, but I hope if you give it a whirl, it helps!
no subject
Date: 2014-06-15 09:28 pm (UTC)I hadn't thought about a good snug-fitting sports bra. I'm fairly busty and I used to have the hardest time finding good sports bras. I imagine there are better options out there now. I shall have to take a look.
no subject
Date: 2014-06-16 02:29 am (UTC)The 'play all' and 'shuffle' modes are great, especially for road trips, since you never know what sort of music is going to come up next and that keeps your mind active so you don't get 'white line fever'. That said, it would be nice to find a way to put entire pieces of classical music into one file instead of each movement having a separate file, otherwise pieces get split up here, there and everywhere. Which reminds me, I need to find a file sharing site so that I can upload a few playlists to share music.
Hmmm... You know, I never thought about the idea of a corset as possibly being like a Thundershirt for people. Please post if it works and I'll pass the idea long! Hang in there and don't let the Brain Weasels bite. *sending lots of positive, supportive vibes & virtual hugs*
no subject
Date: 2014-06-16 12:01 pm (UTC)Thank you. I will definitely post about how corseting works after I try it. Didn't quite get around to trying it this weekend.
I've used Grooveshark to put together playlist (their free version doesn't allow uploading or downloading, but you can search the site and put together streaming playlists. They have a paid service as well I just haven't explored it. The only downside is that they do not always have a song. Another service I've seen people use to put together and share playlists is 8tracks. I have no idea how it works as I have yet to use it, but I have seen a lot of fun fanmixes and playlists shared that way.
no subject
Date: 2014-06-17 11:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-06-17 11:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-06-16 04:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-06-16 05:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-06-17 12:33 am (UTC)So awesome to hear that Zena is settling in, too.
<3