Loki, our neurologically-challenged kitten, is in Virginia Tech’s Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, undergoing tests to see if they can determine why he cannot walk without falling over.

Loki is a loving kitten but appears to have trouble seeing, falls frequently and suffers from seizures. At first our vet suspected feline epilepsy but it now appears the problem is much more serious, possibly fluid buildup or lesions on the kitten’s brains.

Hello, my name is Doug and I’m a workaholic. It’s been far too long since I just said “no.”

A reader correctly pointed out Saturday that the typos in Blue Ridge Muse are increasing. He’s right. It is, I fear, a byproduct of trying to do far too much in way little time.

I should be in bed at this hour but a series of events conspired to keep me away from bed and rest. I will collapse into bed shortly but have to be up super early for a series of appointments on Friday.

It should not be a shock to my battle-worn, 58-year-old body that I’m no longer a young man capable of endless 18-hour days and a whirlwind schedule. Wasn’t supposed to work out that way when we decided to move here to the mountains. This was to be a time for relaxation. That was the plan.

For a small town, Floyd can offer an interesting gauntlet during any visit to the county seat. When I head into the studio on any given morning, my first stop depends on mood. It might be for a cup of strong black coffee at Roger Hollandsworth’s Village Mart on north end of town where I can add to my cholesterol count with a good ham or sausage breakfast sandwich. Or it might be Sally Walker’s Cafe del Sol for some more exotic java and a stromlette (a cross between breakfast burrito and an omelette). Sally’s place is closed this week so I’m in stromlette withdrawal.