I managed to accidentally delete today’s main entry just before it was ready to publish and right before our 6 a.m. walk.

Don’t ask how.

I saw it happen with one of those, “Oh, no!” moments.

I’ll be able recreate it, but not until I get into town later this morning.

Since getting back from the walk, I’ve been going through my twice-a-day routine with Duke.

He gets a dish of canned food and encouragement to eat, which sometimes just involves an encouraging word, other times requires a few strategic strokes with brush or hand. Usually we’re in the bedroom with the door closed to keep the other cats out. They don’t get canned food in the morning and are not happy about the discrimination.

In any case, after Duke eats his fill, I sit down with the brush and groom him. He likes his face brushed, and his head, and, well, all body parts. He usually starts purring right about now.

With luck, he just settles down. While still brushing, I pinch a place on his shoulders, reach for the syringe with his dose of insulin, and manage the injection in one smooth stroke. Most times, he doesn’t notice the needle. He does notice the disruption of the brushing/petting.

After he’s gotten his insulin, I wrap up the grooming session. He usually finishes cleaning and then goes to sleep. I can open the door and let other cats in to clean up any leftover food.

All this isn’t hard, but it takes some time. Twice a day. We’ve been at it for several weeks. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, though, it takes precedence over necessary blog rewrites, as this morning.

So have patience. The rewrite is coming.