"Buster" is Home but "Oliver" Isn't

BUSTER'S "CASTLE" FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS



A CLOSER VIEW OF BUSTER (He looks contented, don't you think?)


Yesterday was another busy day for me! I had NO sleep the night before, staying up all night, as I was afraid I wouldn't get up in time to get Oliver at 7am.

First, I had to pick up Oliver at the Emergency Vet Clinic at 7am and take him to his own vet for the day to keep the IV fluids going in him to keep his kidneys flushed. Okay, he was set now til 5pm! (The Emergency Clinic is closed during the day.) So it was back home for me to take care of all my other little fur kids and get myself ready to head to Greenville to visit Buster. I like to visit every day so they don't think they've been abandoned.

At 9:30, Buster's doctor phoned and said he wanted to let him go home. He said they tend to do better once they are home. So we arranged a time for picking him up early afternoon. I then called Stosh, and we made plans to get one of my big pens out of my storage room and take to Tammy's for Buster. He is under strict exercise restrictions for 2 weeks. No running, no playing, no stairs, no other pets around him, on a leash if taken out of the pen at all, under human control at all times, etc., etc. (They had the word "strict" in bold print on his discharge letter, too.) So we got that all set up in her living room for him.

Then, off to Greenville we headed! It was another very hot day in the 90's with dark clouds rolling in. (I never did get to see the TV weather to get the actual temp, though. Too busy and too tired to even care!) So we arrived there and met with Dr. Jevens, who is just theeeeee best, and he went over all the discharge instructions and meds with us. I wish they treated humans there as everyone is just so loving and compassionate, plus all the doctors are just "top notch" in my book! (They have 13 specialists there and are looking to hire 2 more! Guess that says a lot for their reputation! People from all over the South bring their pets there.)

Buster had a quiet ride home. As instructed, I gave him his pain med upon arriving home, and his antibiotic wasn't due until 8pm. He wasn't allowed food for 2 hours after arriving home, probably since he was excited from the trip and all. So I took a little rest on the sofa and watched him adjust to his new "pen/castle." (I call it a pen, others call it a crate.) He checked it all out, believe me! It was really quite interesting to watch him. Poor little guy, he's been through so much this week. Finally, he decided to accept it all and laid down on his pillow. I, myself, could have stayed right there on that plush leather sofa all night! It felt so good to get off my feet!

I had to leave him to go get Oliver at 5pm and return him to the Emergency Vet Clinic for the entire weekend so he could keep receiving his IV fluids. Then.....I headed for home. It was 7:15pm when I finally turned the key in my door...another verrry long day! It was so humid, as there must have been a rain shower while we were in Greenville, from puddles we noticed along the streets. It felt like a sauna outside! I was so glad to get in for the night! I was dragging with no sleep the night before, really whooped! And.....I had all my cats waiting to be scooped and fed, which takes me from an hour to an hour and a half at night to do.

My daughter, Tammy, got home from work shortly after I had left there and said Buster had removed his wrap from his IV line all by himself as it was laying on the pen floor. We usually leave that wrap on until bedtime whenever they have had an IV line removed. She said he cried and tried to get out of the pen when he saw her. He hadn't seen her since Monday! So she laid on the floor beside him and stuck her arm in to touch him, and he loved her arm all up, kept rubbing his head all over her. She said it was as if he couldn't get enough of her. They have such a strong bond....I have never seen a cat so attached to anyone in my life! She then fed him, and he ate it all, she said. Later, she noticed he had done a little poo-poo in the litterbox! So guess the surgery in that area was a success.

I phoned to see how Oliver was doing this morning, and he, somehow, had torn his IV line out during the night! So the vet on duty said they were going to leave it out and just see if he would drink water on his own. He's there to receive IV fluids, not a few laps of water! So I phoned Oliver's personal vet who will look into that matter. The vet who took care of Oliver at the emergency clinic Thursday night will be on duty again at noon today, so I believe he will put in a new IV line. How that cat could even get to that IV line is beyond me, as he had on that big rigid plastic collar! He wasn't even able to see that line! I worry so when I have to leave them overnight like that!!!


OLIVER


I also called to check on Buster this morning, and he had put in a good night. So guess things are moving in a positive direction there! Now if I can get Oliver back home and healthy again, we will all be happy! That is, until the next episode comes along! Back to the emergency clinic Monday morning at 7am to get him, and then my running starts again!!!

Update on "Buster" and "Oliver"

"BUSTER" (June 26, 2008)




(L-R) DAPHY, BUSTER, and CLEO (1994) (Strays someone threw away! There were 5 kittens and the mama cat. Can you imagine that? I took them all in and found them homes. Just pitiful!!! I took Daphy and Cleo back at age 6 when their owner passed away in August 2000. Weren't they beautiful?)




"BUSTER" (1994) Those eyes of his just stole our hearts!




"BUSTER" (2008)


First of all, I want to thank all of you who have been praying for Buster. He's had a bad week, a really bad week! We have lost a lot of sleep over this little guy.

Sunday, my daughter was here and said that he wasn't looking so good this past week. She said she has noticed him losing weight the past month and that lately he wasn't eating much. Since his siblings, Daphy and Cleo both are diabetic, we thought maybe that was his problem, so I told her I would call first thing Monday morning for an appointment and take him in for a checkup.



"BUSTER"


He weighed in at 12.8 pounds, down from his normal 20+ pounds! He also had a full exam with bloodwork plus a urinalysis. Bloodwork showed his liver and kidneys to be within normal range. Upon examination, the vet felt a large mass in his abdomen. So she referred him to Upstate Veterinary Specialists, located in another city 25 miles away. This facilty accepts patients by referrals only. We have used this place many times before, most recently for radiation treatments for Sweet Pea and Punky, which I wrote about in earlier posts in March and April. They told me July 10th was the earliest appointment they could give me, and I said that the cat would be dead by then! She said she would see what she could do and get back to me. So the next morning, they checked with the vet here, (I imagine to see just how serious his condition really was.) The vet hospital here called to tell me that Upstate Veterinary Specialists would see him just as soon as we could get him there THAT morning. This was Tuesday. We were elated that they were working him in!!! (It may have helped that my children just spent close to $12,000 there on Sweet Pea and Punky a couple months ago!)



UPSTATE VETERINARY SPECIALISTS, Greenville, SC (13 Specialists, 55 Technicians)


His bloodwork, etc. was faxed to them, so they evaluated the results, and then did an ultrasound on his abdomen. Bad news. He had a large mass on his liver, a bowel blockage (a tumor), dilated and diseased kidneys, and enlarged lymph nodes! So they planned to do a kidney dye test first thing Wednesday morning and then surgery after that. Well, he had vomited overnight, so they couldn't give him the dye for that test. So Wednesday afternoon, they did the surgery. The top surgeon, who founded and owns this wonderful facility, performed the surgery. He called me from the operating room to tell me what he found when he got him open. He said he didn't know if he would be able to remove all of the mass from the liver, as some of it was in a place that was hard to get to. He wasn't very optimistic. He wanted to know if I wanted him to proceed with the surgery anyhow and keep rolling, and I said, "Keep rolling."

Well, I am glad I made that decision now as he did get the entire mass removed, he resectioned the intestines, removed a lymph node for biopsy, and said the kidneys are diseased and dilated, but he thinks that problem can be controlled with antibiotics and a special diet.

In 2002, I had my Tuffy put to sleep on the operating table there, as he was full of cancer, and no hope for him as he couldn't remove all the cancer. This was before they started doing chemo and radiation at this place. This same surgeon had called me that day, also, from the operating room to tell me what he found once he got Tuffy open. Rather see Tuffy suffer anymore, I made the decision to have him put to sleep right there on the table. He was thin and weak and wasn't eating, so I knew he wasn't feeling very well even before his surgery.

It wasn't my place to make that decision for Buster, as he is my daughter's cat. It looks like he may have a decent chance now! If the mass on the liver had not been entirely removed, he said Buster would have 4-6 months to live. Maybe chemo is in the future, but we won't know until the biopsy reports come back. Surprisingly, cats do very well with chemo, I was told. They've had some in remission for 3 years!




"SWEET PEA"


Also, today was Sweet Pea's monthly checkup for her cancer/radiation. She checked out negative still! Next month, they will do chest x-rays as that is where her type of cancer is more likely to show up....if it returns.

While we were waiting on Sweet Pea to be examined, we got to visit Buster while we were there. When I said his name, he talked back to me like he always does. He looked better than we expected. He actually lifted his little head up for us. He may be able to come home today! But he will have to be caged to restrict his movements for awhile. I have a couple of large 2' X 4' pens that we will set up in my daughter's living room for him. He is not to do any jumping or stair climbing, so we have to cage him. Looks like I may be cat sitting for 3 days, (M-T-W) next week, and then she will be taking 12 days off, as she will be starting a new job on July 12th, I believe.




"BUSTER" (notice his eyes as you will see that he lifted his little head up)


NOW.....there is still MORE! I had an emergency tonight with one of my own cats! I noticed "OLIVER" wasn't acting like himself today when I got back from Greenville with Sweet Pea, but I thought it was because he and Teddy Bear had had a little scuffle, which has become almost a daily thing. So I really thought nothing of it.

So I went to my daughter's tonight and then stopped at the supermarket for a few things, arriving home around 9:30. I found Oliver in my bedroom laying, and then I saw little spots of blood all over my white carpeting. I checked him, and it was coming from his little neutered man part. I put him in my guest bathroom while I hurriedly fed the diabetic cats so I could give them their insulin shots on time. Then I put him in a carrier and off we went up the interstate to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic, which is open when the regular vets are closed. He received a thorough exam there. Diagnosis: a blockage in the urethra tube! So he had to have an emergency procedure right away. I came home around midnight, and the vet called me a little after 2. He managed to unblock him without any complications. This can be fatal for a cat, especially if the bladder ruptures.




"OLIVER" (2008)


So, I am staying up all night, as I have to be there at 7am to get him and then take him to my vet at 8am, where he will spend all day, and then back to the emergency clinic for the entire weekend! He has to have fluid therapy as now he has post renal failure caused by the stress of the bladder being overloaded. He said he is hoping to turn that around with the fluid therapy. I'll keep you posted!

So now Oliver needs your prayers, too. I've had a real "cat week" this week, and I am about worn out from it all, emotionally as well as physically. But this is all part of pet ownership...you have to take the bad along with the good. I am just so thankful that we have such a wonderful emergency clinic just 10 minutes away! They have saved quite a few of my cats over the years.

And to top it all off....it was 98 humid degrees here yesterday and 93 the day before, according to TV weather!

"BUSTER"

I have been receiving emails about my daughter's cat, "Buster." He was sent to a specialists' facility in another city on Tuesday, where they diagnosed his problems. He made it through the surgery yesterday afternoon, which was a miracle in itself as he was so weak. The specialist called me at 8 this morning to let me know that he made it through the night and had a good night. He will remain on the IV line yet today and then will see what tomorrow brings. I planned on doing a post with photos of him last night, but I collapsed after I got home from my daughter's around 10pm. This has been a busy week with cats again, and we are getting ready to head back to Greenville shortly as today is "Sweet Pea's" monthly checkup after her radiation treatments, plus we will get to visit "Buster," too! She has been "Buster's" companion since 1995, so hopefully, she can sneak a little peek at him today, also.

I can't wait to get there so I can see my little guy! I haven't been sleeping well at night, as I keep waking up, thinking of him. He must be so scared being caged, with tubes coming out of him and one of those plastic cloth type collars around his neck so he can't tear out his IV. What must the little fella think? That we have abandoned him? That he will never see us again? My heart just aches for the little guy. The surgeon removed ALL of the tumor off his liver, which he didn't think would be possible at first, resectioned his bowel where he removed another large tumor, and took an enlarged lymph node for biopsy, also. Now we have to see how his kidneys are going to do as they are dilated and diseased, too. How is a pet owner supposed to know that this is going on inside their pet? You don't. It just happens almost overnight. So we are praying for him every minute and would appreciate if all of you would send a prayer up for him, too. He is 14 years old and has been a wonderful pet for my daughter. He was her very own first pet when she finished college and bought her first home. He is like her child.

I will do a post all about him tonight. Please pray for the little guy......we love him so much!!!

Strawberry Cheesecake

This is sooooo easy to make...yet so doggone good!!!! It can be halved, too, for us single gals! This recipe and all future recipes will also be posted on my other blog, Cooking with Nancy.

INGREDIENTS

2 graham cracker crusts, unbaked (I use store bought kind)
2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened (I use 1/3 Fat Free kind)
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 envelope Dream Whip

2# strawberries (frozen, but 3 cups of fresh ones are even better!)
3 Tbsp. strawberry Jell-O powder

1 large Cool Whip
2 fresh strawberries for garnish

LAYER 1 ~ FILLING

Whip the envelope of Dream Whip according to directions on the box. Set aside. (No need to wash beaters.) Whip the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners sugar, beating well. Then fold in the Dream Whip, using low speed, til well blended.

Spread filling over crust, making a little ridge around edge, as shown in pic below, to keep the berries from running down into crust.



LAYER 2 ~ STRAWBERRY TOPPING

If using fresh berries, make sure you have sugared and juiced them prior to using. Drain strawberries, reserving about 3/4 cup of juice. Heat juice to boiling, remove from heat and stir in 3 Tbsp. strawberry Jello, stirring until well dissolved. Cool a few minutes in dish of ice water. Then add berries to juice and refrigerate about 15-20 minutes til it sets up a little. When set up, spread over top of filling, being sure to keep it inside the ridge you made around the filling edge, as shown in pic below.



LAYER 3 ~ COOL WHIP TOPPING

Refrigerate til ready to serve. Spread with Cool Whip and garnish with a fresh strawberry on top! Can also use blueberry or cherry pie filling. Freezes well, too. ENJOY!!! (And don't even think about the 600 calories in each piece!) (My Cool Whip wasn't as firm as it should have been to spread, but it didn't affect the taste one bit! I usually mound it right up in swirls!)

A Quiet Weekend

It has been a quiet weekend for me. I do believe I am all caught up reading everyone's blogs! I have added a couple new ones to my blogroll on my main page as I had a couple of newcomers visit my blog.

I am a procrastinator! I put off all day yesterday going into the city for groceries, cat supplies, and stuff from Lowe's. So I finally got my shower and got ready and took off last night about 7:30. (I would rather shop at night anyhow!) I took some trash to the dumpsters and met a friend who lives on that end of the street, and we stood there and chatted for about an hour! This retired couple has only been here for a year. They pulled into their parking space just as I was getting my trash out of my trunk, and she walked down to say hi. Well, after we had been talking probably a half hour or so, her hubby came out to the end of their sidewalk to see if she was okay! LOL We waved at him, he waved back, and then he went back inside. He knows how we talk when we get together! They are such a lovely couple. They, too, love cats and have two of their own. I finally got home around 10pm and got my car unloaded....and boy, was it humid! We had a short rain shower while I was getting ready to go, and it was like a sauna when I opened the door to leave! By the time I got things put away and all the cats fed and scooped and ready for bed, it was 1am! Typical shopping night for me!

Today my daughter came to take my trash for me, so I fixed us a quick supper of leftovers...roast beef, etc. When she called and said she was coming over, I hurried and mixed up a carrot cake and some cream cheese icing! It was soooooo good!!!! She has put her 2-week notice in at work as she has accepted a new position in another city about 25 miles from here. She is a CPA and has a resume I can't even understand! She is involved in SEC reporting and all that stuff I don't do! LOL I always hate to see her leave, even though she only lives 4 miles from me! I get to see her during the week when I am in the city if I choose to go by her home that evening. Looks like this week is kitty checkup week for both of her cats, so I will be busy a couple of days taking them in. Both of her cats are rescues (by me), and she loves them dearly. "Buster" and "Sweet Pea." Buster has been losing weight and is the brother to my Cleo and Daphy, so he could be diabetic now, too. I hope to get him an appointment for tomorrow so he can be checked out thoroughly, complete with bloodwork. We worry over them just as we would if they were children.

Not much of a weekend, but it was a quiet one for me, and I kind of like it that way. My phone rings all hours of the day and night with the business, so that is enough excitement for this ole gal! LOL

Oh, my dear blogging friends...Lyle from On the Road Again with Lyle will be posting again very soon! They have returned to their home in AZ, and he is working on his next post. So I will be sure to let you know when he publishes it!

I'll be posting my strawberry cheesecake recipe tomorrow, complete with photos! So be sure to stop back! You won't be sorry!!!

An Award for You

I received this award from Pea over at Pea's Corner a week or so ago and have been meaning to pass it on to all my blogging friends! You are all 5 Star Bloggers in my book!

(((HUGS)))

Company from PA

On Father's Day, my ex had a cookout at his home as his sister and his niece from another sister were here from PA. I tried my best to get there early....but, as usual, I was late! I am never anywhere on time. I just have so much to do to get out the door! Cats to feed and scoop, the scoop pails to gather up and put all in one big pail and double bag it all, kitchen bag to tie up, then to get it all loaded....after I got my trunk unloaded from my visit to PetsMart the other night! Then back into the house to scrub my hands, again, and then get the cheesecakes out of the fridge and boxed up, gather up my purse, sunglasses, and shoes, and THEN out the door! Oh, yes, I also made a dish of brownies for Stosh to use for the brownie delight for another night's dessert, so I also had that dish to carry out. By the time I got the trash disposed of and headed up the street, I was already whooped! And, oh, was it hot!!! And humid, too! So....that is why I am always late! It's a habit, I know, but a hard one to break....I just can't stand to go anywhere and leave any trash behind in my house! It's just got to go with me every time!

Well, now back to the company and cookout....It was sooooo good to see Arlene again and reconnect with Sharon after so many years! Arlene is my ex's sister, and I hadn't seen her in a little over 2 years. I hadn't seen Sharon for literally years! Here she is a beautiful grown woman with a grown son!!! As a little girl, Sharon always entertained the family with her twirling and dancing, and, I must say, she hasn't lost her charm. She's still just as sweet as I remember. Arlene and I were friends in high school, although she was 2 years ahead of me. I remember our lunch table in the school cafeteria every day as being the best part of going to school! She has two daughters, so her family has now grown to include grandchildren and even two great-grandchildren, so we had a lot of catching up to do. It was a delightful afternoon, with many laughs, some over my cat tales. We had a great meal, a wonderful host and cook, and no one left the table hungry, that's for certain!

Arlene and Sharon are leaving tomorrow, so there was not enough time for me to prepare for a company dinner. The next time they come, I'll invite them to come share a meal at my place. I took a bad fall the other night, so I have been moving quite slowly, plus, with arthritis of the spine, it takes me days to get my house just so, shopping done and things together for company.

Did I get pictures? Again, no, I didn't! We were all showing pictures we had on our cameras but then didn't take any! I am still not 100% into this blogging thing, as I swear you all must carry your cameras around your neck all the time! You always seem to have photos of just everything! I need to get with it, wouldn't you say?

With or without pictures, it was a fun day for everyone...at least for me it was! I love seeing friends and family from back home since I don't get to PA very often.

Oh, a little message to Arlene and Sharon...."Y'all come back now, ya hear?"

I hope you all had a great Father's Day, too!

A Father's Day Memorial

MY FATHER ~ "Windy" and "Spooky"
(1911-1995)


MY FATHER-IN-LAW ~ "Steve"
(1913-1988)

Naturally, these two men are my children's grandfathers. They grew up together and so, therefore, knew each other their entire lives. When you live in small little towns just 3 miles apart, everyone knows everyone! Steve would always stop by my parents' home on his way home from the cemetery each week, and sometimes they would have coffee, and sometimes they would just sit in lawn chairs outside and visit and watch people go by.

I do believe my children are well-molded young adults due, in part, to the genes they received from both of these great men. They got their love of animals from my father and their love of God and the Church from my father-in-law. Both grandfathers had a strong work ethic which was also passed on to my children. Their influence played such a big role in my children's lives for many years, even still.

All we have now are the memories of them etched in our hearts forever. I know they are reading over my shoulder as I write this, so I want them to know that they are missed by so many who loved them. Happy Father's Day, Dad and Dad! We miss you!

Some Much-Needed Girl Time

Wednesday was a fun afternoon spent with my good friend, Diane, from the Do Drop Inn. We try to get together as often as we can but have to squeeze our fun times into our busy work schedules. Diane is a neighbor about a minute's walk, maybe 30 seconds, down the street from where I live, so it is really nice that we live so close to one another. We have so much in common...our love of cats, our love of sweets, our addiction to computers....well, you get the picture.

Diane was feeling down about her old elementary school being demolished. So I thought we needed to have a little "girl" time. I had a feeling that what she really needed was a little chocolate to cheer her up! So I mixed up some turkey salad for sandwiches on homemade bread, served with chips, and made some fudge brownies for brownie a la mode, plus diet pepsi and a good ol' pot of coffee!



After lunch and dessert, we played around with our blogs, adding a few new things to our pages. We are both new to the blogosphere this year, so we have a lot to learn yet. Somehow, it seemed more fun to work together. Before we knew it, the afternoon was gone, and it was after 5 o'clock! So we decided we needed to hit the road and go shopping the following day, mostly to walk off the dessert calories, and that is exactly what we did yesterday!

We headed to Greer, as we had heard that the Super Wal-Mart there had a much better selection than ours did. We didn't really find anything that excited us too much, but we did find a couple of things worth buying. Actually, our Wal-Mart is larger than that one. I think next time we'll head down to Laurens, as that's where Wal-Mart's Regional Distribution Center is located. They always have different things in the store down there than what I've ever seen in any of our 3 local Wal-Marts in our immediate area.

Oh, I must tell you this....when we got there and got our shopping carts, which are called "buggies" here in the South, I saw Diane messing around with the child safety belt. She went on to tell me that she always buckles her pocketbook in, making it harder for a purse snatcher to grab. Made good sense to me, so I buckled mine in, too! Never too late to teach an "old dog" a new trick! LOL



By the time we got back from Greer and a stop at Ingles supermarket, Diane had to get home for Steve, and I had trash to take down to the dumpsters. Then about 6:30pm, I headed back to the city for cat supplies and a few groceries at Wal-Mart. After that I headed north on I-85 to Stosh's as he had picked up 4 more pails of strawberries at Strawberry Hill for us gals! I just didn't have the energy to do them up last evening as I didn't get home until about 9pm, and I had my trunk (packed to capacity!) to unload, plus, there was even more cat supplies in the backseat! So guess what I'll be doing tonight? I wonder how much help Toby will be??? He's a mama's boy!



Oh, by the way, below is a picture of my thermometer showing 102 degrees in the shade this past Sunday!

A Scorcher of a Day

Michelle over at "What Was I Thinking" has asked for a new post from me and some others, too. So this is going to be a mish-mash of a little bit of everything, since I haven't really done anything too interesting to write about!

The week started off with more strawberries! I did up another 2 gallons for the freezer. I plan to do a few more yet before the season is over, too. Then it will be peaches next! After that comes apple season! Nothing like strawberry shortcake, peach pie, or apple pie in the wintertime!



Yesterday was extremely hot here! High 90's, but my car thermometer actually read the outside temp as 103 in the afternoon! I was out running errands and shopping at Costco. By the way, those turkey salad sandwiches I mentioned in a post one day are made from the canned turkey meat, brand name of Snow's. I thought it came already made up, but it doesn't. You have to make your own turkey salad. Ann made it for lunch last Friday, and it was just so-ooooo good! I should have known it was too good to be store bought. She said she used mayo, celery, a little onion, and a teaspoon of lemon juice with the turkey. Let me tell you, it was delicious!!!


It's too hot to go anywhere or do anything outside, so I've been thinking that I really need to get busy and finish a big project I started last June! I used to work for a builder, and he came one Saturday and helped me tear out the hardwood floor in my foyer (I have never been a fan of hardwood floors) and also an area of carpeting in front of the foyer closet. I've always wanted ceramic tile in that entire area. I hate having workers in my home with their dirty shoes on, so I decided that I would tackle it myself. I went out and bought a tile cutter, a pair of nippers, a mitre box and saw, etc. and went to work! Richard, the builder loaned me his laser level, and it was a breeze to keep the tile joints straight and square using it. I laid my son's foyer when he built his new home quite a few years ago (when I was much younger!), but I forgot what a job it was! His dad did the cutting, and I did the laying. Sounds easy, right? Wrong!!! It's a lot of back-breaking work! Stosh helped me with some of the trim, but he is having trouble at the present time with one of his knees, and Richard said he would help me, too, but I can do it....all I have to do is set my mind to it and just do it!

My foyer is 12 feet long and 7 feet wide at the widest point. One day I laid 14 tiles, and then other days I would just lay 2 or 3 tiles, and some days, I didn't lay any! I went 3 weeks one time without laying any at all! It got to be quite a chore, especially when you have a bad back. I finally got the tile all laid, but I am still working on replacing the baseboard and shoe moulding that I damaged tearing the hardwood out.

These townhomes are relatively new. Mine was only 8 months old when I bought it and was like new. Just a young mother and her son lived here, and then she was transferred with her job. I replaced the carpeting and pad throughout, as I wanted continuous filament carpeting, which doesn't show wear or a traffic pattern. I made the big mistake of choosing off-white! I love it, but it's really not practical. There is just me, so I don't wear shoes in the house, so it stays clean, but it's always a worry when a cat decides to give me a hairball surprise! At that time, I only had 3 cats...no problem, but that has changed since I added more to the household since then.

Anyhow, I still want to lay a 3' x 3' area of ceramic tile by the back door yet, and when I get that done, then I can get the carpet guy to come in and tack down the carpet where it meets the tile. It will be a year on June 10th that I started this project! The tile is all laid in the foyer, but I just need to put down a few small pieces of the primed baseboard and then paint it. I think it's about time I got busy and finished it! That's easier said than done! Someday I would like to tackle my kitchen, but geez, that will take me 2 years to get that done! I think I've been watching too much HGTV, as they make everything look so simple! LOL

This is a pic of the first day when I laid 14 tiles. What a mess I was in! I can't stand for my house to be torn or messed up like this!



Making progress...slow but sure!

I had lots of help in the background....notice the cat eyes a-shining!

Below is how I got my corners cut perfectly...I made paper patterns, allowing for joint allowance and baseboard thickness, and then traced them onto the tiles.

In this one, the inspector, Miss Bootsie, is checking out my progress. ("What's this? My hiding place is not done yet, Mom?") The cats about drove me crazy when I was doing all this!

When I get it all done, I will post a pic of it. It looks really nice, now that I have the grouting all done! I could finish it in a day if I would just set my mind to it. Seems the older I get, the less ambition I have, yet the more ideas I get! Please tell me I'm not alone.....

Sunday Surprise

Lyle and Ann left Saturday for Atlanta for their last trade show during this trip. We said our goodbyes Friday, and that was really hard for me. I love company and always hate to see anyone leave. We didn't talk at all on Saturday, but I called them Sunday to see if they had arrived in Atlanta okay. Lyle said they'd never made it to Atlanta on Saturday. He went on to tell me that once they got on the interstate, the wind was so strong that it made it difficult to haul their fifth wheel and that they had to pull into another campground about 20 miles from here. I thought, oh, my gosh, they are still so close! They were getting ready for church when I called, and he said he had a few questions about his blog, so we decided to talk more after church. Later, we worked on his blog a little more, back and forth by phone.

With severe thunderstorms forecast for the day, and the wind still quite strong, they had decided to wait it out and leave for Atlanta Monday morning. I asked him if they would like to come and join us for Sunday supper that night, as Stosh and Tammy were coming. I told him I wasn't going to fuss, that it was just going to be pot luck and leftovers, as I had so much stuff in the fridge, and if they wanted to come and eat, to just come along.

A little while later, Ann called and asked me what time supper was going to be. I told her 5:30 and asked if they were going to come. She said yes!!! I couldn't believe it!!! What a surprise!!! I was just ecstatic that we were going to get together one more time! I told her I would call and tell Stosh, and she said no, that they'd surprise him this time. (Remember what they did to me on Friday, telling Stosh 1 o'clock and telling me 12:30 for lunch, knowing that I am always late and would surely be there by 1.) So this time the joke would be on Stosh! Anyhow, they arrived a little early, and I was glad. I had baked a chocolate cake, so to give me a hand in the kitchen, Ann jumped in and whipped up the cream cheese icing just like an old pro! They used to own and operate a restaurant out in AZ when they were younger.

When Stosh pulled in, he was surprised to see their big diesel truck parked in front of my place, but he wasn't quite sure if it was theirs or not, as he thought they were in Atlanta! What can I say? It was just like a reunion all over again with hugs, laughter, and more chit-chat!

Well, we had a not-so-bad meal of Thursday night's leftovers of roast beef, potatoes and carrots cooked together, applesauce, sliced homemade rolls, and chocolate cake with cream cheese icing and also strawberry shortcake with freshly-picked berries! I don't think anyone left the table hungry...at least, I hope not! I guess I'm still not quite 100% into this blogging thing, as I should have had my camera wrapped around my neck and taken pics of the group around the table and the desserts, etc. as Lyle had chocolate cake with strawberries on top of that cream cheese icing! It made a very pretty dessert!

Lyle brought his laptop along so I could show him a few more things he needed to know so he could post next time by himself. You can see by the pic above that he is deep in concentration, and then in the pic below, he looks like he is very satisfied that he accomplished what he wanted to, by the looks of that smile on his face! Welcome to blogland, Lyle!

All said and done, we squeezed in one more supper together and more time to chat before they actually left for their last trade show before heading back to AZ. We probably won't all get together for another very long time. We hope they enjoyed the week as much as we did! It was a fun, fun week!!! Only thing is, it didn't last long enough!!! We just wish they lived closer!!!