About Anna L

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  adopted cat

  0 0 I have dealt with cats spraying. A nightmare. I have tried what feels like every product. The two that have worked the best are Anti-Icky Poo and F.O.N. (Feline Odor Neutralizer). My vet (Greenlake Animal Hospital) sells the Anti-Icky Poo, and I've bought F.O.N. online. I do not know where to find these two products in Seattle otherwise. (Maybe Mud Bay?) Still, they are much more effective (in my experience) than the products found at Petco. (If you cant' find these in stores, you can buy both the Anti-Icky Poo and F.O.N. on Amazon for a resonable price.) I also recommend getting a black light so you can find all the patches of urine. Treating all of the urine will greatly increase your chances of eliminating the spraying behavior. So that will get the smell out. Neutering might not prevent the cat from spraying, sadly. My neutered male and spayed female occasionally get into territorial spats, i.e., spraying. So if neutering doesn't fix the problem, you could try Feliway. It works really well to stop the spraying. I have the diffusers all over the house, plus I use the spray on areas that have been trouble spots in the past. It hasn't completely eliminated the behavior, but now it's a Once In A While occurance, instead of Every Freaking Day. P.S. Feliway is crazy expensive in most stores (Petco, Mud Bay, etc.). You can get it for half the price on Amazon, either through Amazon itself or one of their Marketplace sellers. Anna L answered in Cats 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

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  Why aren't my psychiatric medications working for me?

  1 0 Finding a good psychiatrist is tough. I've seen some terrible ones and had miserable experiences with poorly prescribed drugs. But when I moved to Seattle, I discovered Dr. Shereen Morse. She's fabulous. Seriously. I've had trouble with getting the right drug at the right dose in the past, and she was able to help me find what worked for me. She really knows her pharmacology. She also is a great therapist. You get 45 minute appointments. I have never felt rushed or ignored. She helped me with cognitive behavioral therapy, plus medication, so that I'm now at a comfortable baseline. So that's my advice. Dr. Shereen Morse, MD, best psychiatrist ever. Contact: 1914 North 34th Street Suite 401, Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 353-1150 ‎ Anna L answered in Mental Health/Addiction 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 9 more answers »

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  is there anywhere to buy Moroccan furniture or anything outside of the modern crap they offer at Kasala, Dania and Area 51, besides Moes?

  1 0 I don't know about Moroccan furniture, but there are a few places with a nice "not modern crap" selection. David Smith carries Southeast Asian styles, and some of their stuff is really beautiful. (http://www.davidsmithco.com/index.php) Glenn Richards carries a nice selection of Japanese and Chinese furniture. (http://www.glennrichards.com/index.html) If you want something that's amazing and will last forever--and you've got lots of money--McKinnon Furniture is a great choice. If I had the money, I'd totally go wild in that store. At Slab Art in Ballard, you can find some lovely pieces made from salvaged wood. And if you're looking for a sofa, chaise, or arm chair, I highly recommend EcoBalanza (http://www.ecobalanza.com/). They make sofas and chairs with all natural materials, so are great for people with chemical sensitivities. They aren't cheap, but the finished product is something that will last. Plus, you can customize to your needs. The owner (who is so nice and adorable!) worked with us to create our dream couch and it is fabulous. Anna L answered in Household Goods 11 months ago Answer and comment »

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  post-antibiotics help

  0 0 Three suggestions: 1) Ask your doctor about the possibility of yeast overgrowth in your gut. If you do have a yeast problem, your doctor will probably tell you to cut back on sugars for a while and might prescribe something like Nystatin or fluconazole. 2) You could try more intense probiotic supplementation than you'll get from yogurt or kefir (which might cause problems if you do have a yeast issue because many yogurt products are sweetened and yeast loves sugar). I've been through the antibiotics wringer due to Lyme disease, so I've tried many, many different probiotics. I would most highly recommend the following: - HLC Intensive by Pharmax, available locally at Pharmaca (located in West Seattle, Wallingford, Madison Park, and Redmond) - A high quality probiotic containing Saccharomyces boulardii. S. boulardii is different from other probiotics in that it's a beneficial yeast that lives in the gut. (So if you do end up taking anti-yeast meds, you'll want to take the S. boulardii apart from the anti-yeasties.) Florastor is the best-known brand, but there are many good brands out there. - Natren Healthy Trinity. This stuff is crazy expensive compared to many other brands, but I have found that it works better and faster (for me, at least). I don't know where to find it locally. I've ordered it from iHerb.com, which typically has very competive prices on all kinds of supplements. 3) When I have digestive issues of any kind, I find that a combination of peppermint, ginger, and licorice can be a nice, gentle cushion. I always have Nausea Ease (Vitanica brand) on hand. It's sold as a morning sickness aid, but it's good for any sort of angry stomach. A couple capsules of Nausea Ease plus some licorice (ask for DGL, which stands for Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice). You should be able to find both of these at PCC, Whole Foods, Pharmaca, and even some branches of Fred Meyer. I hope you find something that helps! Anna L answered in Drugs & Supplements about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 7 more answers »

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  keeping floors clean - long hair everywhere & dose swiffer work?

  0 0 The best way to keep floors clean is to keep up basic maintenance. If you let it get really bad, then it's a huge pain in the ass to clean. If you vacuum on a regular basis--even if only once a week--it will be easier. If you have long hair wrapping around the vacuum beater brush, you can typically just use scissors to cut it out. Most brushes can be removed from the vacuum head for easier cleaning. Again, this is one of those things that's way easier to do if you keep up on it. Maybe every month just clean the brush and it won't be so bad? As for Swiffer, yeah, the products work. But they're pretty wasteful unless you replace the disposable cloths with reusable ones. If you are asking about the dry Swiffer cloths, I find it's easier to vacuum with the beater brush turned off or with the "hard floor" attachment of the vacuum cleaner. If you're talking about the wet Swiffer cloths, well, I think they're kind of icky. They do clean the floor, but I dislike the residue of cleaning fluid they leave behind. You could use reusable cloths in the Swiffer stick and just wet them down with water or whatever cleaning solution you prefer (I am a fan of the Bio-Kleen All-Purpose cleaner--a little goes a long way). Regarding steam mops--I must say I am in love with my steam cleaner. I saved up and sprung for the Ladybug steamer. It's way more expensive than the typical Shark model, but I've had it for nearly two years and have never had a problem with it. I use it to clean eveything--it does so much more than floors!--and I love love love it. It's easier than mopping! You don't need to use anything but water! It's amazing! I know I sound like an infomertial here, but it's just that awesome. Anna L answered in Clear the Clutter about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 9 more answers »

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  Where does one find slightly high waisted jeans?

  2 0 I just bought a fabulous pair of jeans at Nordstrom. The Cookie Johnson bootcut jeans are amazing. They are fun and stylish, make me look taller and slimmer, and they don't show my ass crack when I tie my shoes. I am not the kind of girl to spend $112 on a pair of jeans, but these were awesome enough for me to make a one-time exception. Anna L answered in Style & Beauty about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 4 more answers »

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  Cost of a Housekeeping Service

  0 0 Last year I used Care.com to find a housekeeper. It's mostly individuals on there, and I think $15 - 20/hour was a pretty standard rate. Care.com itself charges $30/month (but you'll only need to buy one month if you find someone you like in the first month) to access the contact information of all their service providers. Your final cost will depend on how long it takes to clean your place, and that will depend on how particular you are. I am a bit OCD regarding cleaning, and my 1500 sq foot house (with three shedding cats) took 6 hours to clean. Most people would probably be happy with less attention to detail. Because, like I said, I'm a bit neurotic. So at $15/hour x 6 hours, we paid $90 per cleaning. Later we upped the rate to $20/hour because the housekeeper was awesome and worth it. I would recommend finding an individual, rather than a corporate service like Merry Maids, because you can develop a relationship with an individual. If you want more of X and less of Y, or if you want the ceiling fans dusted next time, it'll be easier to work it out with an individual. A note on hiring an individual--you may end up having to pay household employee tax, or witholding taxes for your employee. (IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc756.html) Unless you are both happy to agree to an "under the table" arangement, which is illegal and bad and I could never ever recommend doing something like that. Ever. Right? Anna L answered in House & Home about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 4 more answers »

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  Bindweed vs. morning glory?

  1 0 Morning glory is a very broad name that can refer to hundreds of plants. (Wikipedia claims 1,650 species.) Within the family, there are numerous genera. And then each genus gets broken down even further until you end up with a particular species. Each species is going to have its own propeties, but the general rule in the PacNW is that bindweed is (as you know) evil, but most morning glories are fine. They are generally annuals and don't become a problem like bindweed. If you want to plant morning glories, just check the seed packet to make sure it's an annual. Anna L answered in Pest Control/Weeds about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 3 more answers »

• Comment on Lissamphibia's answer…

  0 0 You are welcome to come over and sample some slime mold delicacy, if you like. I'll stand by with the phone to call 911 if necessary. Anna L commented about 1 year ago

• Comment on Lissamphibia's answer…

  0 0 Fnarf, never fear, mushroom has been given! I had little hope that anyone would be able to identify this from my admittedly very poor description. Questionland FTW! More specifically, Lissamphibia FTW! In other news, I've been terrorizing my husband with these slime molds. Last night I chased him around the yard, threatening to pop one and spray him with pink ooze. I am a very loving wife. Anna L commented about 1 year ago

• See all of my 6 Questions , 22 Answers and 7 Comments