A Fiend Curtailed

Several of you have asked about Fiend, which is kind and sweet of you. I haven't mentioned him in a while, because there hasn't been much to say. The following picture sums up our relationship over the past six months:

We feed him, he eats. Refusing to come inside for more than a few minutes at a time since we introduced him to our cat Maggie, he hangs out on our front stoop and roams the neighborhood. (Maggie was nonplussed, but Fiend wigged out.) We bought a bed for him, and he uses it when it gets cold. Sometimes. We still don't know where he sleeps at night, and sometimes he'll disappear for a day or two, and then return hungry. He's very protective of his food bowl, and will still hiss, lunge and swipe at us if we take it away to fill it. But if we bring food out and fill it on the stoop, he purrs and is our best friend. Tom has taken to calling him Norman for this behavior.

Then, this past Saturday, we were leaving the house to go to the library to pick up a book, and he appeared underfoot. The right side of his face was a bloody mess, so off to the emergency vet we went instead. Surgery ensued, and it was discovered that he had an abscess, under which was scar tissue, under which was another deep, deep abscess. He now has a drain and a huge staple in his jaw, several more visits to the vet in store over the next two weeks...AND the Cone of Humiliation.

We're keeping him inside while he heals, which is going much better than expected. He's doing well - eating, taking his antibiotic and hurray! using his cat box. (Hey, he's been outside for 12 years, and I worry about these things.)

He's also dreaming of freedom. Soon, little guy, soon.

In between feedings, hot compresses and cat box cleanings, I'm knitting away on Tom's Cobblestone.

I've mentioned it briefly before, but, like Fiend, there hasn't been much to say about it. I've knit 6" of the body, and am already thrilled that the finishing will be minimal. I'm really enjoying the Queensland Kathmandu Aran Tweed; it's very soft and the perfect color for Tom. A few nights ago Tom came up as I was working on it and said, "That's a nice blue." Did I feel smug? You betcha.

Here's a close-up of of the other stitch markers Patty gave me for Christmas. Another skull - this one's all business - and matching red and black seed beaded markers complete the set. So cool.

In other news, Shedir is done! I'll post about it later this week. Now it's time to administer the afternoon hot compress and knit a little more with that lovely blue yarn.