The Friday Forum - September 23

Poor Charlie had a horrible week. While he was recovering from bacterial gastroenteritis, he got a "secondary" infection that turned into a much bigger problem than the first. I don't want to give you all the gory details, so let's just say that his rear end is raw, draining, and painful.

During the week at one point, he had to wear one of those hard cones on his head to keep him from licking the wound so much. Cat tongues are like sandpaper, and he didn't know he was making it worse. He was just trying to clean himself up. The whole 24-hour cone experience was horrendous. For the first two hours, he did everything he knew to get out of it, including backing up and walking in circles (which was kind of funny, if any humor can be found in the week). Then he turned into sad sack Charlie. It was so pitiful that I took it off when we went to sleep, knowing I could sleep lightly and awaken if he started to lick. After four hours of sleep, he left the bed. I followed him into the guest bathroom (his bathroom), where he got in the tub with a towel I had thrown there for him. I thought he planned to sleep, but I put the cone back on since I couldn't see him. He really had escape in mind. He did it very quietly. I never heard a sound, but 30 minutes later when I went to check on him, he was licking, and the cone was sitting next to him. Back on it went! I forced him to spend the rest of the night with me, as I lay awake until about 6:00. You night owls may have seen me on Twitter. I still haven't recovered from that sleepless night.

His cone stayed on until we went back to his vet that day, where the wound was treated and his glands were flushed and cleaned. He came home with a cone dispensation - "unless he licked too much." He got another check-up the next day. He's taking antibiotics, and he seems to be feeling a little better. He's still trying to lick too much. Every time I move his head away from his rear, he complains. Bengals are talker cats, and he is not shy about expressing his opinions.

I have been a wreck, worrying about my best friend. He does seem to be improving (with antibiotics), even though the wound still looks awful. We have another doctor's appointment for him on Monday. Did you know that medical care for our furry kids is more expensive than our own?

In the midst of all this, I've been out trying to save animals and plants from a developer's bulldozers. Last weekend, we spent the better part of two days on the site, trekking through the woods, and tomorrow a team goes back to try again. We found a lot of plants, which were dug up and moved to a nature preserve. Our reptile rescue specialists found two toads and one frog - no turtles - and they were moved nearby into our conservation easement. I hope they will be safe. I exacerbated an existing spinal problem, working my way through thick understory growth and jumping over fallen trees, and I'm a mess. I'll join the urban foresters on the site today to survey trees, but I doubt I'll be able to join the rescue teams this weekend. There have been many wonderful volunteers who have been generous with their time. I'm always humbled by the number of caring people who are willing to help animals and rare plants at risk - at a moment's notice. We share a passion.

It's time for The Friday Forum, our open chat. I need a diversion too! What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist this week? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By early the next week, most (not all) readers have moved on.

Yesterday I received two of the three Missoni for Target items I had ordered. I tried on the olive green sweater, and it looked nice. I had worried about the size, and I was pleased that the small works as long as I don't wear a layer under it. I fear the dress may be too form-fitting. I'll try it today. I heard on the news last night that Target shoppers are furious, not only about the initial situation, which we discussed last week, but also Target's failure to deliver on time. I suspect we haven't heard the end of the debacle. Some customers are vowing to boycott Target - forever. I think that's a bit extreme. After all, Target has great prices on Pounce treats!

On a happier note, I ordered two of the Guerlain Belle de Nuit Collection pieces yesterday at the curated site AHAlife.com. They had the privilege of offering the collection before it arrives at the department stores. I selected two pieces (for now): the Météorites Perles de Nuit and the Parure de Nuit Pressed Powder & Blush. I'll wait for the collection to arrive locally before I purchase more. If you haven't seen Belle de Nuit, scroll down for a preview.

I hope you entered this week's giveaway contest, which ends tomorrow, September 24, at midnight. The winner will receive the NARS concealer of her choice.

Photo by Best Things in Beauty