Nancy's Nonsense

2012-01-19T19:29:00.003-05:00

I am back but just for a short post this time! Lots to tell, once I get my pics all together. So much has happened since I last posted. Also, I need to go through my Blogroll to see who is still blogging. I see a lot have moved over to Facebook, like I did, but I am about through with that now.

Anyhow, I am anxious to get back into blogging again!

GUEST BATH FINISHED!

2011-06-14T18:46:00.005-04:00

I have had some blogging friends asking if I ever got my guest bath done. Yes, it was finished in October '09! I had to hurry and get it done then, as I was getting a little 7-year old kitty with asthma from Houston, TX. This was her quarantine room after she arrived, as she had been in a foster home around other cats/kittens that had not been tested for FeLV. I had taken the floral arrangement out to get ready for little Sarah and forgot to put it back on the commode tank when I took these pics, but it filled in that area quite nicely.

I did the wallpaper and floor removal, painting, and tile work myself, as I'm sure you all remember my earlier posts on this project. Now I am into painting my big room...16 x 27 with 13 1/2 foot ceiling! Then I am moving on to the next project after that! Some people are gluttons for punishment, and I guess I am one of those people! Have to keep busy or go crazy! LOL

Anyhow, I think I am back to blogging for awhile again! Seems good to be back, but from what I've heard, a lot have dropped blogging and moved on to Facebook, just as I did. It's good to be back, and I will be by to visit you all soon! ;-)

FLOYD COUNTY, GA SHELTER CATS NEED YOUR HELP!

2010-08-10T05:47:00.001-04:00

I'm Back!!!

2010-01-02T08:41:00.003-05:00

Hello! Remember me??? I have been on a sabbatical from blogging...a much-needed break, what with everything that has been going on in my life. Before the weekend ends, I plan to do a new post about everything, or at least as much as I can recall, anyhow! Just give me a few days to get my pictures together and such. So-oooooo much has happened since I last posted. We have lost a total of 3 of our beloved cats.....Cleo, Miss Cookie and Buster, 2 in August just 2 days apart (mine) and then Buster (my daughter's cat) in October. More on all this in a few days! See you then! It feels good to be back on the blogging screen instead of Facebook! LOL

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T01:45:00.002-04:00

A HAPPY AND SAFE 4th OF JULY TO Y'ALL!!!

Sweet Pea's Final Surgery

2009-06-06T22:24:00.012-04:00

Sweet Pea

I know it's been a good while since I posted, but things have been busy around here. My daughter's beloved little Sweet Pea had to have surgery again. She was clear of cancer at her last checkup on April 6, but on Mother's Day, May 12, I discovered another lump on her shoulder. The cancer had returned! That was 3 times in that same exact spot! So, after discussing the pros and cons of this latest surgery, we had to give her another chance. The oncologist said when this type of cancer returns like this, it comes back with a vengeance! So on May 18, her left front leg was amputated, including the shoulder where this cancer seemed to return each time. This was the only way to get rid of the cancerous tumor, so we had no other choice but to go this route at this time. Sweet Pea had her surgery on that Monday and was discharged on Wednesday. I met my daughter there on Tuesday, the day after surgery, over her lunch hour so we could visit Sweet Pea. I have never heard that cat so much as meow her entire 14 years of life, but that day she actually was communicating with my daughter! Everything Tammy said to her, Sweet Pea responded with a little meow. I was absolutely stunned!

She was confined to a 2x4-foot crate for 2 weeks, but I was there every day with her until Tammy got in from work each evening. We let her out of the crate several times a day to walk a little and gain her strength and confidence. Her appetite was unbelievable! She had no problems at all adjusting to 3 legs...none whatsoever! The first thing she did when I got her home was hop into her litterbox and use it! She now gets around as if she had 5 legs...up and down the stairs and jumping up onto the bed and sofa. Just amazing! She is receiving a new kind of chemo for 6 rounds, given at 3-week intervals. This is the same kind Buster has been getting, and his tumor this time disappeared entirely after only 2 treatments! He has just one more round of chemo to go, and Sweet Pea has 5 more left. It doesn't make them sick at all. The only effect it has on them is that can lower their white cell count, so they are usually put on antibiotics to ward off infections. Their blood is checked every week. Sweet Pea cannot receive any more radiation treatments now, as it has to be 2 years between treatments so that the skin can heal thoroughly. But she is going strong once again! She has gained over 2 extra years of life since her first cancer surgery, so we feel it has all been worth it. We would do this for our child, so why not our pet? I have seen many 3-legged dogs getting around like normal, and cats are no different....they adjust so well, and you'd never even know she had just 3 legs to see her running around. The surgeon was very optimistic about her surgery as he removed as much of the surrounding tissue as he possibly could, and the lab report came back that there was no cancer in that surrounding tissue. Maybe this surgery bought her another year or two...who knows? She's going to be a hard one to let go as she has been just the best cat! But we do know know when to do that last thing for her.

My little feral kitty, Miss Cookie. is doing well! She had 6 more ounces of fluid drawn off her chest 2 weeks ago, but the internist added another diuretic called spironolactone, to her meds, and this is the longest she has gone without having to have fluid drawn off. She is due for another cardiac ultrasound this week which will tell us how her little heart is responding to the heart medication. She really is a great little kitty!

As for myself, I have been battling an addiction. I am addicted to Farm Town, a game on Facebook! It is normal for me to stay up all night harvesting others' farms and replanting my own! LOL I am not alone, trust me! There are many others in the chatrooms on Farm Town who speak of their own addictions! It is really fun, and the hours seem to fly by! Before I know it, it is daylight! So, blogging has taken a backseat lately to it...and I apologize...but I do plan to visit all of you this week and catch up a little!

Miss Cookie's Cardiac Ultrasound

2009-05-05T09:44:00.006-04:00

Miss Cookie

We took Miss Cookie to the specialists' hospital in Greenville yesterday for her cardiac ultrasound. It was not good. She may not live long, or she could live 5 years, I was told. It all depends on how well she reacts to the medications they have started her on. This is breaking my heart....she is just such a loving little cat. The right side of her heart is greatly enlarged and thickened, and the left side is not doing its share of pumping, so she is not getting the proper flow of oxygenated blood to her tiny little body at all. It doesn't seem to be bothering her one bit, but she does sleep a lot lately.

The doctor said, generally, cats with this type of heart condition only live 2-4 months. She has seen them live as long as 5 years sometimes, though. My heart is hurting...she is so sweet and only 3 years old. The specialist there said her condition is more than likely due to the fact that she was born a feral and her mother and ancestors not having the proper nutrition during their own lives. She said these cats don't absorb the taurine in their food as well as healthy-bred cats. She is on 2 meds now...one being lasix, the other for her heart. They drew another 3 ounces of fluid off her chest yesterday, too. 9.5 ounces was drawn off when I took her into my regular vet the first time, and then they referred her to Upstate Veterinary Specialists in Greenville, SC. They only accept referrals there. Thank the good Lord for this wonderful facility!!! They are just super there! It's actually like a human hospital but for animals. They can perform anything there for an animal that our human hospitals can for us. People come there from all over with their pets.

So it was a long day there, as I didn't get home til about 6:30 last evening. She has to go back next Monday for a kidney check to make sure they are not becoming dehydrated from the lasix. Then a repeat ultrasound will be done in one month to see how, and if, her heart is responding to the medication. For being a feral cat, she has tamed quite nicely, and they handled her with ease. She didn't need to be gassed down for the ultrasound procedure or the fluid removal.

I have never had a cat, ever, with a heart condition. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will recall that my son lost his little "Scooter" to a heart condition last October. She was only sick about 4 months before he lost her.

So for now, all I can do is give her the prescribed meds every 12 hours and just enjoy what time I have left with her. Prayers would be welcomed. It hurts to lose a pet, how well I know, as I've had to say goodbye to a good many, but to lose such a young one is just so heartbreaking. I just have to keep reminding myself that she's had a better life, albeit a short one, than what she would have had living outside as a feral.

Update on Cookie

2009-04-27T01:45:00.011-04:00

Miss Cookie

(One happy, contented kitty! And feeling much better, too!)

Just a little update.....I received a call this morning that Miss Cookie had a good night, was breathing well on her own without the oxygen, wasn't eating much at all for them, was hiding under her towel in the oxygen cage, and that she could come home! I have to follow her up with my vet here on Monday, though. What a professional place! I came home with literally pages of printed material about feline heart problems, just so much information!

Well, since I only had 2 hours of sleep last night, I had to take a little nap after the daily A.M. cat care routine was finished. Then I got my shower and got ready to head off to Greenville to bring her home! Again, once I arrived there, I had a long wait. They were so busy with injured and sick animals. One little long-haired chihuahua had gotten into rat poison! He was adorable!!! His name was George and just 2 years old. I don't know why I didn't think to get a picture of him!!! He had the biggest round eyes that actually looked human! Gee, he was soooo cute! Later, much later, when I was leaving with Cookie, I ran into his owner in the parking lot, and she said they had induced vomiting and had brought the poison up but not sure if they got it all. He will be on Vit. K therapy for 14 days and also a good dose of charcoal to absorb any leftover poison in his stomach. I sure hope and pray the little fella pulls through! So many people love their pets and will do anything to save them. This place had technicians everywhere today! One busy place!!!

Anyhow, once they brought Cookie in to me in her carrier, she was one happy little girl! I had to wait for the vet to come in for consult, so I played with her while I waited. She got her tummy rubs, and, oh, how she purred!!! Bless her little heart! She was so happy to see me, and I, her! I could have cried, as she was so happy! I took a few pics of her laying in her carrier...she was so relaxed. Then, finally, the vet came into the exam room. She seems to be certain that Cookie has a heart condition as they detected a heart murmur today, a sure sign in cats. She said the lungs had settled down and were not crackling today, so she got a good listen to her heart. The left ventricle isn't functioning correctly. She said heart problems can be treated in cats with great results for many years sometimes. Our next move is to wait for the cyntology report to come back on the fluid...then an EKG to be done in Greenville one day this week just to see what is going on with her heart. I never anticipated any major health problems in a 3-year-old cat!

She rode in the front seat facing me as I drove home, and we had a non-eventful trip home, except she couldn't wait and wet in her carrier on the beach towel. No big deal! She had quite a time digging away! LOL Anyhow, she was one happy little gal to get back in her own environment! I immediately fed her, and she ate like a little pig! She is now sacked out up on top of the ferret cage. I doubt that she got much sleep at the clinic. She is thin from not eating for the past 3 days, but she will gain it back. She is just the sweetest little kitty, especially for being a feral. So for now, she is back home and doing well at the moment. Thank you, Lord! The other cats growled at her, as they can smell the hospital scent on her. In a couple of days, things should get back to normal as far as them all getting along again.

Well, that's the latest from Nancy's Little Cathouse in 'Dixie' for now!

Miss Cookie's Bad Day

2009-04-26T00:44:00.013-04:00

Miss Cookie and Big Boy

These are 2 of the ferals in my office...Miss Cookie on the left and Big boy on the right. They love it up on top of that ferret cage as they look out the window all day. Notice that their left ears were 'tipped' when they were spayed/neutered. This is what they usually do to ferals, so that if they are released back into the wild to their former life and should ever be trapped again, the authorities would know that they have already been fixed. My cats aren't all pretty cats, but do I care? Nope! I love 'em, anyhow!!! They were kittens outside just trying to survive and needed a home, so I gave them a home! I hate to hear people say they only want a 'cute' or 'pretty' kitten or cat...they're all little creatures just wanting someone to love them.

Well, Miss Cookie is the lovingest little thing! She has really been a darling little kitty for being a feral. She has tamed quite well, but a feral will never be like a normal cat. They always have that lack of trust in humans and really don't care to be hugged or restrained in any way. "Pet me, but don't hug me!"

Late Thursday night, I noticed that her breathing was quite labored. Her little sides were sucking way in with every breath. Next morning, I called my vet and took her in, and I was told that she was definitely in respiratory distress. She was placed in oxygen immediately. I was ready to take her on to the specialists in Greenville, but she wasn't stable enough to even make the 30-minute trip without oxygen.

Once she was stabilized a little, X-rays were taken and revealed fluid outside her lungs in the chest cavity. Her heart wasn't even visible nor her lungs. Bloodwork was done along with other tests. The vet phoned me at home later and said they were going to do a chest tap on her to remove some of the fluid to help her breathe better. I was warned that, as stressed as she was, she could die during the procedure. They prepared her a little at a time, such as shaving just one side at a time, and then placing her back in the oxygen, until they finally had her ready for the tap. They drew just one side at a time, placing her back in the oxygen before doing the other side. The vet said she would have died overnight had I not brought her in! I have had cats all my life, but this is my first experience with fluid build-up like this. Well, altogether, they drew off 275 ml/cc off her little chest! I was told that is equal to about 9.5 ounces!!!

My vet phoned me when it was all over with and said that as soon as the last draw was finished, she actually heard the lung 'pop' back into place and the cat took a gasp and started breathing much better after that! She said the kitty did quite well during the procedure...that she kneaded (like kittens do when they nurse their mama) her towel that she was lying on through it all! Not once did she try to bite them, either! With ferals, there is always that danger when they are being restrained like that. They said she was actually very sweet with all they had to put her through. She was kept in oxygen and under observation until 5:30pm when I picked her up and transported her to Greenville to Upstate Veterinary Specialists' Emergency Clinic for the weekend. This place is really a state-of-the-art facility! There are 3 veterinarians on duty all weekend and also during the week all night from 6pm-8am when the regular vets are closed.

Upstate Emergency Clinic

(the stucco entrance on the side)

Under their care, she was immediately placed in an oxygen cubicle and started on IV fluids to hydrate her a little since she hadn't eaten or drank anything all day. She was also started on an antibiotic. Now we have to wait for the lab test to come back on the fluid, hopefully, that will be back on Monday. They still don't know what caused the fluid to build-up like that. The X-rays showed no tumors or anything.

This afternoon, the specialist phoned me to say that they were starting to wean Cookie off the oxygen and would see how she did during that. She is urinating in the litterbox there, so that is a good sign, knowing that her kidneys are still working. I am getting ready to call them when I finish with this post. They were going to give her an appetite stimulant to see if she would eat for them. If not, I may get to bring her home tomorrow as she will be more likely to eat once in her own surroundings. But then Monday will bring another day for her at my vet here. She will have to be watched closely for awhile until they figure out what caused this fluid problem.

I just phoned to get an update on her. She has been off the oxygen since 9:30pm and breathing well, thus far! She has eaten some canned food, too! So I do hope things continue to improve for her.

It has been a stressful couple of days for me, something I really didn't need right now. I had a heart attack 5 years ago the week after my mother passed away. I had another one on April 5th of this year that lasted 15 minutes and another one this week on the night of the 21st that lasted just 5 minutes. I have had a few light ones before these last ones, too. There is no mistaking the pain...it was the same as the first one, complete with the jaw pain in my lower jaw, pain between my shoulder blades coming straight through to my chest, the tightness to breathe, the nausea and the sweating. So I have been laying low all week, just trying to rest and take care of myself...and then to have a sick cat! My neighbor unloaded my trunk of cat food and litter yesterday for me. My ex has been coming to take my trash for me, and he drove me to Greenville with Cookie yesterday. And we were there for hours! It was 20 to 10 last night when I finally walked through my front door! Prayers would be appreciated for this dear little kitty...she is only 3 years old.

Tile and Pets Update

2009-04-22T18:18:00.009-04:00

Just a quick update! I have received several emails from blogger friends asking how the bath redo was coming along. Well, this was taken April 13th, and, since then, I have only laid 2 more tiles! Yes, I know, I am a slow worker, but I have been experiencing some heart problems again so decided to just take it easy for awhile.

Notice Oliver's tail in the pic. He is on special food to help prevent further kidney stone formation, and I feed him in this guest bathroom. He has his own little litterbox in there, too. This is HIS room and HIS only! He loves it in there! It was kind of funny to watch him the first time he walked in there on the new tiles...he kind of "pussy-footed" ever so slowly as he entered!

Every day this week, my ex and I have planned on getting the new saw set up and to do all the special cuts, but the pressure washers have been washing the exteriors of our homes here. For 2 days now, I was told by this guy that he would finish up. I need my front porch to set the saw up on, and it will be wet when he gets done washing out there...I have outdoor carpeting on that porch. (This is an electric saw, and we don't really wish to stand on wet ground while using it!) So we had to cancel the sawing both yesterday and today. And now today, my front was not washed again! So I suppose he will be here tomorrow, but we are planning on doing the sawing then, anyhow! I am tired of delaying it, and I am ready to get this tile job done!!! Do I need to say more? LOL I am anxious to get it grouted and the new baseboard and quarter round molding down.

Now on to my daughter's cats....GREAT NEWS!!!

Sweet Pea and Buster

We had them to Greenville to the specialists' place last week. Sweet Pea is clear of cancer, and she is now 12 months post-radiation!!! Buster also had his ultrasound and chest x-rays done last week, and he is free of all cancer, too!!! The lymph node that was cancerous is not showing up as cancer now at all! This new type of chemo they are using on him is working! It is called cobalt something or other...I can't recall the proper name right now. It does not affect him in any way at all...he has not been sick one minute from it. His ultrasound was clear after just 2 treatments! And since his checkup, he received treatment #3 last Friday...with just 2 more to go! So that was the best news we could have heard!!! So all in all, things are beginning to look up in my neck of the woods here in Dixie! And now temps are to be in the low 80's this weekend, so who could ask for anything more???

I do want to thank you all for the birthday wishes yesterday! My daughter had a birthday dinner for me on Sunday, but I did not get any pictures. Too much talk and chatter, and I totally forgot! Another year older, another year wiser, and another year more forgetful!!! LOL

Wishing you all a wonderful, fun-filled weekend, too!

Guest Bath Update, 206-Pound Dog, and Button Thank You's!

2009-04-08T22:01:00.033-04:00

Well, believe it or not, I am back to working on my guest bath! I have been putting it off since I discovered that this new batch of tile I purchased is different from the first batch I got for my foyer. That tile was a two-tone, and this new tile is basically all one color, although it is still textured. Same pattern name, just a different batch! But I finally did get the tile started today! Below is a laser square/level, absolutely the best little tool for laying ceramic tile! If you look closely, you will see the red laser line that gets your tile job started straight and square. It's just getting started that I dread! Once I get started, I could lay tile all day long...but my back can't take the bending all day long! LOL Anyhow, I've got it started, so it's all downhill from here on in! Hooray!!!

I think the hardest part of tile laying is getting the bottom of the casings cut off so that the tile can be slipped under it as shown below. This makes for a much neater job than just nipping it to fit 'around' the casing. And that nipper tool is hard for a woman to use, too!

Below is where I laid out just 4 pieces to make sure it would come out right in the doorway. As you can see, I have cardboard laid over the floor so I can keep my feet clean...ha-ha The floor has been scrubbed with straight bleach, but I still don't like to stand on it in my bare feet! I still have 4 more squares of vinyl to remove yet, too, but still using it to stand on, also. My knees are not much good anymore, so I do all this tile work standing on my feet, bending from the waist.

Below are the first 4 pieces I laid! I did a 5th one before quitting this afternoon, and I plan to work in there some more later tonight yet. I am a fussy worker, so this job will take me awhile to complete. Before setting a tile in the cement adhesive, I square each piece and then level each one. I plan to lay all the full pieces before doing any cutting. I bought one of those electric table ceramic saws that you have to hook a water hose up to, so all the cutting will be done at one time, and one time only! I don't plan to lug that thing out to my patio every time I need to make a custom cut. But at least I've got the tile started!!! LOL Then comes the new baseboard and shoe molding...and then the plumber!!! Woo-Hoo!!!

This past Monday, the 6th, we had to take Buster and Sweet Pea back to the oncologist's for their checkups. On days when they have vet appointments, my daughter puts them both in her bonus room when she leaves for work. Sweet Pea is easy to get into her carrier, but Buster is a hider! We couldn't find him anywhere!!! Finally, I looked behind the computer desk and saw a black mass. I knew the cords wouldn't be solid black like that. Sure enough, it was him! Well, he had gotten himself in and under a shelf back of the desk, and with all the cords, it was impossible to pull him out by his back legs. So the only way we could get him out was by moving the desk out. Talk about heavy! Wow! That thing was really a devil to move! And then Buster was a little devil to get out, too! We finally got on the road but ended up being late for their appointments.

Their reports were very encouraging! Sweet Pea is doing phenomenal! Her lung x-rays were clear! Her liver and kidneys are normal yet, too. She is now one year post-radiation!!! Buster just had to have his regular bloodwork done this week to see how his system was tolerating the chemo...and the report came back that he is doing great! So he is on for Round 3 of chemo next Monday!

When we walked in the door, this is what greeted us! This Great Dane's name is "Marcus." He weighed in at 206 pounds, and his owner said he'd lost a few pounds! He has lymphoma, same as Buster. He is 6 1/2 years old. This lady told us the life span of a Great Dane is between 6 and 8 years. He is just one of three great danes in that household! The others weigh 120 and 160, so Marcus is, by far, the largest of the three. He was a friendly guy despite his scary size! He is also receiving chemo but was there that day to be treated for diarrhea. Notice in the first pic below that he is actually sitting in that chair and that his feet are actually off the floor!

Look at how big his head is compared to his owner's! She said they are fed twice a day....2 cups of dry food and half a can of wet food at each feeding.

And this last pic is my absolute favorite! He really was a great dog! He was as gentle as he was big! God bless you, Marcus.....

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And now I need to acknowledge and say "thank you" to these great blogging friends! This first button is from Pea..."Sweet Pea" at Pea's Corner. You are so creative, Pea! You always make such pretty buttons for your readers! Thank you, Pea!

This next button is from Mary at Mary's Writing Nook. This button is adorable and makes me think of you working on your children's stories! Thank you, Mary!

This darling Easter button is from Hootin' Anni. This is just so sweet, just like Anni! She always comes up with cute buttons for all her readers! Thank you, Anni!

And this next one is from Mary of Mary's Writing Nook. You can tell Mary writes children's books, can't you? She is giving us a little of our childhood back when we all believed in the Easter Bunny! Thank you, dear Mary!

And this is the most recent one I received, and it is from Pea at Pea's Corner! Absolutely adorable!!! Thank you, Pea!

And now I would like to wish you all a very Happy Blessed Easter!

Wallpaper Stripping

2009-03-17T18:17:00.010-04:00

This is what I am taking off! I have always loved this paper pattern but have grown tired of it after almost 9 years. It has been quite a tedious job, to say the least! But I am coming down the homestretch now! Below, you can see what little is left to remove yet. Just this partial strip, plus a small piece over the mirror. I have been dreading it all day today, as I have to take the light fixture down next.

Thank goodness, I applied sizing to the walls before the wallpaper hanger hung the paper! Thus, the paper is coming off without any damage to the walls. It's the backing that takes the time. I score it lightly with one of those little scoring tools, and then soak it by spraying it with hot water with fabric softener in it. I just keep soaking it over and over, and then allow it to stand 15-20 minutes, and scrape it off! It's a messy job, no doubt about it! Some of it is actually peeling off so nicely. But then comes the sticky mess....skimming off the softened glue and washing the walls down! This wallpaper was not the pre-pasted kind, so the adhesive is quite sticky!!! And it is also 28" wide! But I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now!

Below, you can see the wallpaper backing that is taking so much time to remove!

I went to Home Depot last night and had my paint mixed up...so now I am just hoping I am going to be pleased with the color! After the painting is done, then comes the vinyl removal from the floor, and then I will lay ceramic tile. I had the commode lifted last Thursday, and so I am moving right along! I am putting all new baseboard down after the ceramic is finished. I figure another 2 weeks, and I'll be finished! I work at my own pace, and I don't rush with anything, anymore! I plan to do my bathroom and dressing area after this. I have to keep busy at night...Believe it or not, I can unwind and relax this way! Plus, every time I open the bathroom door to leave the room, there are all my little 'fur kids' laying in the hallway outside the door waiting for me! What a great reward, wouldn't you agree? LOL I'll be around to visit you all soon!

Below is another darling button from Pea that she was passing on to all her readers! It's a cutie with that little leprachaun perched on top! Thank you, Pea!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

Awards Day Again!

2009-03-09T11:32:00.010-04:00

First of all...I know I am a little late in acknowledging these, and I do apologize for my tardiness. Being punctual never has been a great virtue of mine.

I want to thank Hootin' Anni for this cute St. Patrick's Day gift...she comes up with such cute things, doesn't she? Thank you, Hootin' Anni! I just love this one!!!

And this Sisterhood Award, I received from Winifred of I'm Trying, Honestly! Thank you so much, Winifred! I am a blue jeans type of gal, so this one really struck my fancy!!! I would like to pass this Sisterhood Award on to all of my readers, so grab it and feel free to place on your own sidebar from me!

And here is another one from Hootin' Anni! What can I say, other than another cute one she created!!! Thank you, Hootin' Anni!

And this darling one is from the Fairy Queen of Blogland...none other than Pea herself of Pea's Corner! Thank you so much, Pea!!!

Without these awards and little gifts, my blog would look pretty plain...So I do thank you all for passing them my way! These gals are so creative!!! A BIG thank you to you all!!!

In Like a Lion...

2009-03-02T14:46:00.022-05:00

Edited to include Edie Marie's Giveaway! Go to bottom of post for more info and check her button on my sidebar, also.

We certainly got walloped with snow this time around! This is such an ususual storm for us here in the South. The trees were in bud and daffodils had already popped up. A storm of this size has just shut down most everything here. Closed are schools, businesses, malls, etc. They are not equipped for snow storms here like up north cause snow is a rare thing here. There are downed trees, some blocking highways, and also a loss of power for almost 24,000 people in the city here. My electric flickered off and on 3 different times, but my daughter lost hers for 3 hours. She phoned me at 11:15 last night to tell me that hers was back on. We had what is called 'thunder snow' which was explained on TV...it is like a thunderstorm where we receive heavy rain, and 'thunder snow' is thunder with a heavier snowfall. And it was coming down fast!!!

The interstates are one big mess, but some melting is taking place this afternoon. But those wet roads will be 'black ice' in the morning, as we are to dip down to 17 degrees tonight! Last night there was an accident on I-85 and traffic was at a complete standstill for 7.5 hours! TV later reported it was 9 hours, but I saw it myself when they showed the first car moving and said it was the first to move in 7.5 hours. They told on TV that cars were running out of gasoline while waiting, and that they had to rescue some people and take them to shelters. The Highway Patrol was pleading with people to stay home today and off the highways. There were over 200 accidents reported, also. It was just one big mess!

All day yesterday, they were predicting 5-10 inches overnight. SO......you might know who would wait until the last minute to make a run to the supermarket! It was pouring down rain when I left home. The highways were almost deserted, as the wet stuff had started to come down while I was still out running around. I made another run to the petstore, in addition to the supermarket, and then I had to run by my daughter's home as she had picked up the cats' insulin needles and some other things for me at Wal-M*rt. I got home safely, but the grassy areas were already covered with snow when I drove down my street. Before I got my car entirely unloaded, the street was covered with a layer of that beautiful white stuff.

Below, you will see that the highway was practically deserted on the way into the city...all the smart people had already been out and had their storm shopping all done.

Below is a really big intersection...very few motorists were out at this time.

Below, you will see that my little feral kitty came through the snow to my front door. I will put food out there for her tonight. I had moved the igloo doghouse closer to my back door yesterday for her, so I wouldn't have to shovel a path for her from it to the food dishes, but she never even slept in it last night! There were footprints in the back, also, so I know she had come around to the back to eat, plus the canned food dish was empty this morning. She's got me wondering where she could have found a better place to sleep than in that igloo with those nice warm, microwavable heat disks under the blankets for her...they stay warm for 16 hours.

This is my crepe myrtle tree outside my kitchen window...it was hanging low from the weight of the snow.

This is a scene looking up the street....

And this is the scene looking down the street...you can see other crepe myrtle trees drooping from the snow. We are just not accustomed to this much snow!

And this is my poor cleyera bush, all bent over from the heavy snow...

Below is my office window, so you can see that the office cats have had a great view of the snow...and they were enjoying batting the windows last night when the snow was falling. I usually keep the blinds pulled up a ways for them.

And this is what I found in the kitchen window when I got back inside this morning...this is Precious looking out the window. She was looking at me through the blinds with her snappy little eyes until I snapped the picture! Notice Toby's big fluffy tail in the foreground.

Right now, our street is bare, but wet. We are to be 74 degrees on Saturday! I am SO ready for Spring now!!!

Be sure to check out my sidebar for Edie's Giveaway at Edie Marie's Attic coming up on March 9th! She is giving away some beautiful items for her one-year anniversary in Blogland! Hop on over and check it out! You will just love her blog! She's a romanticist...I tell you, you will absolutely love her!!!

Mews Update on Buster

2009-02-27T10:57:00.008-05:00

DAPHY, BUSTER & CLEO (Kittens in 1994)

Well, we had him back on Tuesday to have his 23 staples removed. His incision was a long one! The biopsies had come back...not good. Both were carcinomas, each a different type. So the growth on the liver and also the lymph node that is wrapped around the blood suppy to his intestines were both malignant, which we suspected, anyhow.

This morning he was started on a different type of chemo, and the GOOD news is that this type will not make him sick at all! He won't even need meds this time. Last time they gave him appetite pills and another type of med, as he had just one day each time that he wouldn't feel well. After they gave us that second med to give to him, you'd never even have known he was taking chemo...he was just like he always was. This will be better for him getting it on Fridays, as my daughter will be home with him on weekends, and he can sleep in the crate and then she can keep him on a leash during the day. He and Sweet Pea can't share a litterbox for 48 hours after he has received the chemo...seems it is excreted through his stool and urine, so Sweet Pea can't be exposed to it. And we must wear rubber gloves when we scoop his box, etc. So he can be a free man again on Sunday at noon each time he gets a treatment. Before, we kept him in her bonus room by himself, and that had to be lonely for him. But I always went over every day to feed him and keep him company every afternoon for a couple of hours.

They are very optimistic with this type of chemo, stating that they are hoping instead of 3-6 months prognosis, that he will have 6-12 months, and the oncologist said they are hoping for 12 months! Like my daughter said, he isn't ready to put to sleep yet...you'd never know he has cancer at all to see and watch him. He's just like a normal cat. He loves to cuddle, he loves to play, he LOVES to eat...just like a healthy cat. So she decided to go ahead with the chemo again. He will get a treatment every 3 weeks, with a total of 5 treatments altogether. He got 8 more months of life this last time, so we are optimistic this time for him, also. He's such a sweetie! I have been going every afternoon to let him out of the crate and feed him and love on him, plus we walk on a leash around the house. But since Tuesday, they said his incision looked great and was healed, so he no longer had to be crated! So he's been a free man since Tuesday! We are looking forward to having him a while longer. But rest assured, when he starts showing signs of not doing well, we will do the right thing by him, but for now we are going to love him all we can!

Latest Update on Buster

2009-02-17T09:01:00.011-05:00

Please be sure to read my personal comment on the comment page....
Wednesday, February 18, 2009...Buster is home and all settled in! He was one happy little man to get home. He went right in the crate with no trouble and spent the afternoon eating and looking around and watching me snooze on my daughter's sofa. He seems very content and is in much better shape this surgery than the last one. He is on pain med every 8 hours for just 5 days and will have his 23 staples removed next Tuesday. We know his days are numbered this time, but then aren't ours numbered, too? We are just happy to have him back again, regardless of how short or how long he has. The chemo is actually easier on an animal than a person. Cats tolerate it very well. The last time he only had one day after each treatment that he didn't feel well, and the last couple of treatments, they gave him 2 different meds, and that eliminated even that one day of not feeling well. He ate like he always did and even played. I'm not sure yet what my daughter has decided to do regarding the chemo this time around. One girl who works at this specialists' place has a dog who was receiving chemo, but then it had to be stopped as his liver values went up. But his tumor has stopped growing so he is in remission the past 2 or 3 months. So chemo is worth a try, anyhow. If it affected the cat like it does people, we would never do it at all, but it doesn't. They really do very well with it. He is comfortable in the crate and has a pillow to sleep on...all the comforts of home. He was very unhappy at the vet's as there was a dog that barked all the time, and he had never heard a dog's bark before. He was growling when they brought him out to us. My daughter said the only time she has ever heard him growl was when he saw a strange cat in 'his' yard through the window.

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UPSTATE VETERINARY SPECIALISTS

Greenville, SC

Tuesday, February 17, 2009...Just a quick update on Buster. He came through the surgery quite well yesterday, but the news wasn't good. The growth that was thought to be in the small intestines turned out to actually be an enlarged lymph node. It could not be removed due to the fact that it was wrapped around the main blood supply to the intestines. To remove it would have meant instant death for him. He has 3-6 months to live with chemo. Without chemo, it would be just weeks. Since the last couple of chemo treatments never bothered him at all, (they gave him meds so he wouldn't get sick from it), he will again receive chemo therapy but not until the staples are removed and his incision is healed.

I received a call at 8 this morning from the surgeon, Dr. Jevens, who said Buster was making himself well heard this morning and could come home! Naturally, we were delighted to hear that he didn't have to stay any longer. Dr. Jevens' assistant also phoned me to set up a pickup time and said that Buster is quite feisty this morning. That is so unusual for him as he's such a quiet, loving little guy. He just wants to get out of there and get back to his own home. Animals know, don't they? Tammy has his crate all prepared for him in her living room, as he has to be confined for the next 7-10 days (no jumping) until his incision heals. She will let him out at night when she's home and walk him on a leash like she did the last time. He will be on pain meds for awhile, and I will be running back and forth to check on him, so he won't be alone all day while she's at work.

I just wish I had better news to tell you all. All we can do now is to love him all we can and then let him go with dignity when his time comes.

Upcoming Surgery for Buster

2009-02-09T14:47:00.014-05:00

" Sweet Pea" and "Buster"

Just a quick update on my daughter's cats. We had them to Greenville last Thursday for their check-ups. These are done every 2 months to keep an eye on the cancer, should it re-occur.

Sweet Pea had a good report, thank goodness! We were told that they have had cats with her type of cancer (fibrosarcoma) in remission for up to 3 years. So right now, things look pretty rosy for her!

Buster, on the other hand, had lost another .4 pound. He has been losing weight quite steadily, losing quite a bit last June when he was first diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. He is now just under 11 pounds, down from 24 pounds before any of this cancer trouble ever started last June. We knew he had some abnormal kidney values, so we thought maybe this was the cause of his weight loss. The oncologist suggested that he have another ultrasound now instead of waiting for the one scheduled in April. So he had another abdominal ultrasound this morning. It showed that there is a small growth about 1/2 inch in diameter in his small intestines. It also showed one kidney was dilated, so some urine was drawn from his bladder to be checked in case he could also have a kidney infection. His chest x-ray was normal, so no cancer there. After consultation with the oncologist, we decided to go ahead with surgery next Monday. His last ultrasound in November showed everything was okay. Thank goodness, my daughter had the ultrasound done now instead of in April! Buster seems to feel well and is eating like a little piglet. He plays with his toys and acts perfectly normal. He just looks thin in the face, plus now he looks even worse after having his tummy and sides shaved off for the ultrasound. Poor little guy, the hair doesn't even get all grown back when it's time to shave it all off again.

I'll be sure to post about him again after his surgery next Monday. Please remember him in your prayers.

Glenn Miller Concert, A Tag, and More Awards

2009-01-27T17:18:00.024-05:00

I was invited to a Glenn Miller Concert this past Sunday evening, January 25, 2009, held at our new Chapman Cultural Center downtown. Stosh invited both my daughter and me to go with him. We had second row balcony seats, which were absolutely wonderful! I was worried if I would be able to walk that far with my bad knee and leg, but I made it! I love music and just couldn't miss this great opportunity. It was a truly delightful evening!

Upon entering the massive lobby, we were thrust back decades in time. In between the shows (after the 3 p.m. show and before the 7 p.m. show), the lobby of the David Reid Theatre was transformed into a classic USO Dance and Canteen. This was a free reception to all ticket holders with huge platters of sandwiches, bags of chips, candy bars and several different beverages. War time music was playing and people were dancing all the old dances. It was just so much fun to watch! The oldsters were having quite a fun time!

A second performance at 7 p.m. was added to this engagement. It was a special show for our military service men and women, both active and veterans. What I found so heartwarming was that some of the older veterans showed up in uniform. One little old guy even had his white Navy cap on. The band leader honored the veterans by asking them all to stand at one point during the show. I felt so proud of my ex when he stood, as he had served his country with a 3-year stint in our U.S. Army! As I looked around at them all standing, I felt a great sense of thankfulness and pride to these great people who fought to keep our country free!

The 19-member band continues to play many of the original Miller arrangements that keep exciting fans who have not heard them played for a while. Additionally, they are also playing more modern selections in the big-band style, carefully selecting only those newer tunes that lend themselves naturally to the Miller style and sound, carefully selected pieces that will stay around for a while. The entire repertoire, which now exceeds 1,700 compositions, keeps the band popular with both young and old. Most of the band’s shows are sell-outs. It has proven staying power, and its popularity has never seemed to wane. Indeed, the Glenn Miller Orchestra today is still the most sought after big-band in the world just as it was in Glenn’s day. If it ever comes to your area, please don't miss it. They had the audience clapping, and everyone really got into the mood and music!

Some of the songs they performed were Chattanooga Choo-Choo, A String of Pearls, Danny Boy, People Like You & Me, Too Little Time, Moonlight Serenade, Moonlight Cocktail, Sunrise Serenade, Little Brown Jug, Stardust, The American Patrol, Elmer's Tune, In the Mood, Bugle Call Rag, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Rhapsody in Blue, A Sentimental Journey, Everybody Loves My Baby, Too Little Time, St. Louis Blues March, At Last, Serenade in Blue, Tuxedo Junction, Anvil Chorus, Runnin' Wild, I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo, Come Rain or Come Shine, Pavanne, Juke Box Saturday Night, Adios, For All We Know, Song of the Volga Boatmen, Perfidia, I Dreamt I Dwelt in Harlem, Begin the Beguine, I Know Why, Tangerine, Tail End Charlie, Caribbean Clipper, Sun Valley Jump, Here We Go Again, Skylark, The Nearness of You, Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree, Body and Soul.

Glenn Miller was before my time, but I grew up listening to his music as my mom and dad loved his sounds. The following is mainly for all you younger bloggers, in case you never really knew who Glenn Miller was.

Alton Glenn Miller (March 1, 1904–presumably December 15, 1944), was an American jazz musician, arranger, composer, and band leader in the swing era. His reign as the most popular bandleader in the U.S. came relatively late in his career and was relatively brief, lasting only about three and a half years, from the spring of 1939 to the fall of 1942 when he joined up to serve our country. But during that period he utterly dominated popular music, and over time he has proven the most enduring figure of the swing era, with re-issues of his recordings achieving gold record status 40 years after his death. He developed a distinctive sound in which a high-pitched clarinet carried the melody, doubled by a saxophone section playing an octave lower, and he used that sound to produce a series of hits that remain definitive examples of swing music. His approach is not much appreciated by jazz fans, who prefer bands that allow for greater improvisation than was found in his highly disciplined, rigorously rehearsed unit. But he brought the swing style of popular music to a level of sophistication and commercial acceptance it had not previously achieved and would not see again after his untimely passing.

The Chapman Cultural Center is a three building campus arranged around a central plaza, the Zimmerli Plaza. It is just a gorgeous piece of architecture! The Chapman Cultural Center, owned and operated by The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, is the community's pre-eminent common ground where the people of Spartanburg County and its visitors come together to discover, experience, and celebrate the performing and visual arts, science and history.

And now on to some other fun things...

Gramma Ann tagged me a week or so ago for a game of sharing six things about myself, and I am just now getting to post it and pass it on. If you already haven't done so, go check out her blog. She has more than one blog for you to enjoy. She is an avid reader and knows all the best books. I thank you so much, Gramma Ann, for including me to play along in this game!

Here are the rules of the game:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Share six random things about yourself.
3) Tag six people and let them know they are tagged on their own blog, but please feel free to play any way you want.

Six things about me:

1) I cannot stand clutter!
2) I LOVE cats and all animals for that matter.
3) I work from home and love both my jobs. Most days I work in my PJ's!
4) I love to watch old classic movies and musicals.
5) I love decorating my home.
6) I am a NY native, raised in the beautiful mountains of PA known as God's Country, and a Yankee and proud of it!!!

Now with all those enlightening (?) things about myself, I will tag everyone who visits and comments on my blog! Please let me know if you participate so I can check out your answers, too!

This above award is called the Honest Scrap Award, and was given to me by Merle from
Australia. I thank you so very much, Merle! Be sure to drop by and visit Merle as she has a great blog and features jokes quite often. So if you ever need a good chuckle, be sure to drop in
and say "Hi" to Merle. I promise you'll leave with a BIG smile on your face!

1) List 10 honest things about yourself.

2) Post the award on your post and also on your blog sidebar.

3) Put a link to the person who you received the award from.
4) Nominate at least 7 blogs which show "honest scrapness."
5) Be sure to link to your nominees in your post. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blogs.

My 10 honest things about myself :

1) I am a procrastinator. I never was until I got a little older. I think they call it 'lazy' these days. LOL

2) I have 2 wonderful children whom I love with all my heart!

3) I have no grandchildren......yet!

4) I am a true night owl...I love to watch TV all night or clean house late at night!
5) I play piano and was church pianist for many years.

6) I studied opera years ago, but since I had throat surgery 4.5 years ago, I cannot even carry a tune anymore. The nerves over vocal cords were damaged during the surgery.
7) I despise going into the city for supplies, as I am strictly a homebody. I have to psych myself out to get out the door!

8) I love to blog but wish I had more time to do it every day.

9) I love to knit and sew, but again not enough time to do either.

10) I love to do ceramics! And I also have to add that I LOVE my cats...all 33 of them!!!

I am not going to name just 7 people to pass this award on to, but I want everyone who reads and comments on this post to please accept this "Honest Scrap" award from me! Please copy it and take it to your sidebar.

And now another one from Merle! This award is called Your Blog is Fabulous.

Thank you so much, Merle! You are such a dear to share your awards with me! I consider you one of my dearest blogger friends!

I would like to pass this award to everyone who reads and comments on this post, so please accept this "Fabulous Blog" award from me! Feel free to copy it and take it to your sidebar.

And still another one from Merle! Again, I thank you, my dear friend! This one is called Friends award. And we all know that we have made so many new friends through blogging!

I would also like to pass this award to everyone who reads and comments on this post, so please accept this "Friends" award from me! Feel free to copy it and take it to your sidebar.

I saw on the news earlier today that some of our blogger friends in the Midwest have been hit by a BIG ice storm and are without power for possibly a week! Let's all pray that these friends are able to cook and keep warm and remain safe from falling trees. I blog with several gals from Arkansas, which was hit quite hard by this latest storm. Thinking of you all at this time.....and hoping that your power is restored really soon! Be safe, my friends!!!

Our Big Snow Day

2009-01-20T20:55:00.005-05:00

We woke up to some 'white stuff' this morning! All day yesterday, the media was all excited about the big impending snow storm headed our way. They had predicted 2-4 inches. Well, this is what we got! LOL They were on the air at 4:30am this morning with updates! They said the brine trucks headed out at dusk last evening to spread salt water on the highways to help prevent them from freezing. There were 68 accidents in our county alone this morning! As you can see, not everyone headed out to work early.

It was a rather cold day here in 'Dixie,' though. And a cold night again tonight. This will probably be the extent of our winter here. We don't get snow all that often, but when the word 'snow' is even mentioned, people get all excited and head out to the grocery stores to stock up. They stated on TV that sleds were a big seller yesterday, too. Unfortunately, schools in our area were not closed today. I do wish we had gotten more snow for the kids' sake, as kids here don't get snow to play in all that often. Anyhow, this is the extent of our accumulation where I live. They are predicting areas of 'black ice' for the morning commute again tomorrow.

Grandma's Pie

2009-01-12T22:22:00.007-05:00

Grannie made such beautiful pies!

One day, I asked her, "How do you get such beautiful pies

with the crimps around the edge so even?"

"It's a family secret," she said.

"So promise not to tell.

I roll out the dough, then cut a bottom layer

and carefully put it in the pie plate.

Then I slowly pour the filling, making sure it's not too full.

Next I cut a top layer and put it over the filling.

Finally, I take out my teeth and just run them

around the edge of the pie crust,

and they make the nicest even impressions you ever did see."

I have had this picture for a little while now but was just waiting for the right time to make a post of it. Yesterday I made an apple pie from some Granny Smith apples I had leftover from the last batch I bought at the apple farm. That's when this pic popped into my mind again, and I just had to share it with you all! Sorry, but I forgot to take a pic of the pie I made. And, no, I do not have false teeth, so my crust was just crimped with my fingers!

Little Christmas

2009-01-06T17:33:00.061-05:00

Today, January 6th, is Little Christmas, so I thought it wasn't too late to post my Christmas pics, after all. I have been experiencing some rapid heart rate problems the past several days, so that is why I am late in doing my Christmas post.

First of all, Stosh, Tammy and I started our holidays off by visiting my Mom's place of rest and honoring her with a Christmas wreath the weekend before Christmas. The banner across the middle reads 'Mom.' She always visited friends' and family members' graves each year and saw that they all had flowers. Now it is her turn to receive flowers. Below is the new name plate I had made for her, having the first letters of her name in larger letters than the rest and also had 'Beloved Mother and Grandma' added across the bottom.

My daughter's birthday was on December 15th, but she was in Montreal on a business trip that week, so we celebrated her special day on December 19th with this birthday cake. Somehow, we managed to mess up the 'B' in the word 'Birthday' while getting it out of the box, but, believe me, it didn't affect the cake's taste one bit. (It was chocolate!)

Below is the new centerpiece I bought the day my daughter and I went to Greenville shopping. I put it on my kitchen table and think I'll leave it there for awhile! I love snowmen! Unfortunately for the snowmen, so do my cats! I found one of the little carrot noses pulled out one day, and so now it has little teeth marks on it!

I don't put up a tree as the cats would just tear it down, so I decorate outdoors to share with my neighbors. One year my tree was knocked down 3 times, so no more big trees until some of these cats grow out of the devilish kitten stage. I have the little tabletop tree that I purchased for my dad when he was at Duke Hospital days before he died, but I forgot to take a picture of it. I placed it on my mantle and then took it down each night and put in a closet.

Below are pics of my outdoor decorations...

My gingerbread train...and deer in the background...

Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread to greet guests...

Below is a pic of my daughter's outdoor "Winter Wonderland" decorations...

This is a picture of her 9-foot Christmas tree. It has 3,000 lights on it!

Gee, I wonder what this gift could be????

Tammy loves her Aunt Jemima frozen waffles plus she loves to cook and bake, so I made her this apron as her gag gift this year. She loved it! I am going to make myself one next.

She had Christmas Eve dinner, and this was her display of goodies afterwards...

This is her Nativity scene. Looks like I blurred the picture when I took it...

This is her village....one year she displayed it even larger on a 4x8-foot sheet of plywood, but this year she cut back and didn't display all the pieces...

And, of course, Buster had to get his picture taken! As you can see, he is doing very well after his invasive surgery and chemo...

And, of course, he had to engage in his favorite sport of the season...removing the bows!

And we can't forget Sweet Pea! She was enjoying the big squirrel I gave her and Buster. She tore right into it! So you can see that she is doing quite well since her 2 cancer surgeries and 19 radiation treatments. She and Buster both are such sweet cats!

This is Sweet Pea with the squirrel. I am posting this pic so you can see where her hair came back all white at the radiation site. You can see the white streak on her back. But so far, both she and Buster have had good reports with their ultrasounds and chest x-rays!

This is a pic of my ex's home all decked out for the holidays! I took this as I was leaving there on Christmas night. You can see the city lights in the sky 8 miles away behind his home! (You can see him standing on his front porch. No, we didn't leave him there...he just posed for the picture. He soon followed to Tammy's for more gift opening.)

This is his Christmas tree and gifts for the kids. They open their packages at his home. We later went to Tammy's to open up gifts there. We have to bend our holidays a little as Tim has to drive in from Orlando on Christmas Eve and never gets in til quite late. (The dates are wrong on the pics....seems when I put new batteries in, it messed up the date thing in the camera!)

This is a pic of Stosh, Tammy and me at his home.

He also loves his village display and plans to do it even bigger next year. He and Tammy share their love of Christmas villages.

I loved the centerpiece of his village....a waterfall!

This is an electric animated ski slope...

A car stuck in the snow with people pushing it up the hill....

I loved the scene below of an old-fashioned sleigh ride....

And I thought this was kind of a cute scene, too...decorating the arbor in the middle of town....

And last, but not least, his nativity scene. We remember the Reason for the Season!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We always enjoy our family times together! Wishing you all a great 2009 with good health, lots of fun times and many blessings! I am so grateful for all the new friends I have made through blogging this past year!

I just now received an email from Michelle about Taylor! It is good news! Please visit Michelle's blog and read the latest update on Taylor!

UPDATE ON TAYLOR

2008-12-30T14:41:00.006-05:00

Taylor

Taylor's mother has posted an update on her condition on her blog, so you can read all about it here. I'm sure she would appreciate everyone's support, as well as the continuing prayers, at this time. Be sure to read my previous post about Taylor's accident, if you haven't already. C'mon, everyone, this little gal needs all our prayers for a miracle!

FELLOW BLOGGER ASKS FOR PRAYERS

2008-12-29T04:48:00.009-05:00

Taylor

I recently received the following email from a blogger friend, Michelle, in FL. She is asking for prayers for her 10-year old daughter. I know we all can pull together on this one! This little girl needs all the prayers she can get right now. We are all mothers and can read this mother's pain between the lines even. Please read on.....and pray for this beautiful little girl!

Nancy, I need your help.

We had a bit of a rough Christmas. Taylor had an accident. She was playing at a friend's house and was shot in the eye with a BB. She has been on complete bed rest since Tuesday. She isn't allowed to read, play video games, run around.....nothing.

We go back to the ophthalmologist on Monday. Her eye has been completely dilated. We are hoping for the best, but nothing is sure right now. She does have the best doctors, and best case scenario, she will keep her sight after surgery, worst is she will lose it. We are hoping that we have done everything right. If she ran around, or didn't follow direction, her eye socket will rebleed and that is really bad. We are also looking at the possibility that she may have a cataract caused by the trauma. That can be fixed with Laser surgery. She 's been so good about it all. I think the Doctor really got through to her how important it was for her to follow his orders.

She's just been my little Tiny Tim. She's bored out of her mind, but she has been a real trooper.

I need as many prayers as you can muster........EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Monday is the deciding factor. We need all the prayers, everyone!

Love

M

AWARD TIME AGAIN PLUS ANOTHER GIVEAWAY

2008-12-21T07:24:00.028-05:00

I received a few more awards this past week...so wanted to get them posted and thank those who passed them along to me! Plus, there is another Giveaway going on!!!

Be sure to drop by and visit Hootin' Anni. She is having a great Blog Giveaway. If you haven't met Anni, you will love getting to know her. She is a wonderful lady with a heart of gold, and she's been blessed with many talents. The deadline for her giveaway is Dec. 31st, so hurry on over and get your name in just by posting a comment! To get to her Giveaway, just click on the button below!

The following is from Hootin' Anni' as her Holiday Gift! Thank you, Anni! I haven't known Anni all that long, but it doesn't take but one visit to her blog, and you'll also be hooked! She is one talented lady and is always coming up with a different new header on her blog!

My good friend Merle at Merle's Third Try gave me this lovely Butterfly award recently...and I am supposed to pass it on to 10 bloggers. I would like to pass it on to ALL of my regular readers since the last time I chose a certain few to receive an award, there were hurt feelings, and I am not out here in Blogland to hurt anyone's feelings. Eventually, everyone ends up receiving it, anyhow. Merle, I hope you understand why I am doing it this way, and I do hope it is okay to do it like this. Merle is from Australia and has the neatest blog. If you're having a bad day and could use a good laugh, you need to visit Merle's blog! You will fall in love with her just as I have! She is one grand lady from 'down under'! Thank you so much for this lovely award, Merle! Your friendship means the world to me, and I love ya!

This Christmas Spirit Award was kindly passed on to me by Mary at Mary's Writing Nook. Thank you, my dear friend.

Below are the rules of this award:

1. You must be a true Christmas lover to receive this award.
2. You must link back to who gave you the award.
3. You must list 5 things that you love about Christmas.
4. Pass it on to however many you like, but to at least one person to keep the Christmas cheer going.
5. Let the recipients know you have tagged them.

Five things I love about Christmas.

1. The spirit of love that surrounds us this time of year.
2. The joy of giving to others.
3. The quality time spent with my children.
4. The shopping, wrapping, and baking days my daughter and I share together.
5. The holiday dinner with both of my children at the dinner table at the same time, a rare occasion now that they are grown and one lives away!

I am passing this award on to ALL of my regular readers. I am tagging you all! Please take it, enjoy it, and pass it on!

This next one is also from Mary, given as her Christmas Gift to all of her readers. Thank you so much, Mary! It is just so touching!

And another Butterfly Award! This one is from Mary. Thank you so much, Mary! I value your friendship so much and love you for the fine lady that you are! Mary has a great blog and a great big Husky dog, too! Her photos will take you all over as she gets around to many interesting places! She is from Canada and I have seen places, through her blog pics, that I have never seen before.

And......two more from Mary! Thank you, again, Mary! You are so generous with your awards to everyone!

In a few days, I hope to post some pics of some Christmas decorations..... If I don't get to them, I will post them right after Christmas. These next few days are going to be kind of hectic for me! Just in case, I am.....

Wishing you all a verrrry Merry Christmas!!!

But let us not forget the real Reason for the Season!

Happy Birthday to my Daughter

2008-12-15T00:01:00.021-05:00

Happy Birthday, Tammy!

This is my letter to my daughter who celebrates her 44th birthday today, December 15th...

Dear Tammy,

Gee, it doesn't seem that it has been 44 years since you came into this world! You were our first-born, and your birth made us a family. Your dad and I were in heaven, so to speak, at that time. We were like two kids with a new toy!

It was during doe hunting season, and I had been helping Grandma Squeek (my mom) with her hunters. I hadn't been feeling very well at all that afternoon, December 14th. I managed to sit on a kitchen stool and do what I could to help. You began to let me know that you were getting kind of restless that day. After supper was over, I told my mom that I thought I was having contractions.

Being December, you might know that it would be snowing quite heavily. Your dad took me back to our home to get my things so we could head out on the 20-mile drive to the hospital across those narrow country roads. But once I got home, I just had to take a shower, shave my legs, etc. Finally, an hour later, I said I was ready to go. By then, your Uncle Jake (my brother) was there, more nervous than your dad. He was going to follow us to the hospital in case we slid off the road. It really was a wicked night to be out on the roads, period. There were several inches of snow covering the roads, and there were no tracks from other vehicles to even follow. The roads hadn't been plowed yet, as the highway department would usually wait til the snow let up before clearing the roads. We had quite a perilous drive up Keating Summit Hill and then down the other side! The final 10 mile-lap was all flat road, thank goodness!

Finally, we arrived at the hospital! They were anxiously waiting for us, worrying about us driving through such a storm to get there. In a small town, where everyone knew everyone, and they all knew Aunt Naomi and Aunt Biddy, knew that I was their niece. There really wasn't any hurry since you ended up taking your good old time to be born! We put in a rough night together, you and I, but then finally, at 5:28am on December 15th, you were born! Your birth brought us so much joy! You were a beautiful baby but bald as could be! I had you by natural childbirth, so I was awake to see you born. We were just happy that you were healthy and had 10 little fingers and 10 little toes! We didn't care if you were a girl or a boy! Back in those days, no one knew whether the baby was a boy or a girl until the baby was born.

Your dad was with me all through the night, getting no sleep at all. Uncle Jake was calling all of our relatives who lived in that town (which we later moved to) telling them I was in labor. Your dad went to your Great-Grandma Jenny's in the morning to get some sleep, but he said he got very little, as her phone was ringing constantly with relatives calling to see if I'd had the baby yet. The day was busy with visitors coming to see you. We couldn't wait to bring you home! Oh, what a fun day that was! We knew nothing about babies, but we learned in a big hurry, thanks to the help of Grandma Squeek (my mom). You were such a good baby and started sleeping the entire night on your sixth night at home.

Poppa Steve, with his Bell & Howell movie camera in hand, came with your dad the day I was discharged. He filmed you and me through the hospital window and then later while leaving the hospital with you in my arms. Once we got home with you, I left you on the sofa while I got out of my clothes and into a robe to be more comfortable. Poppa Steve and Grandma Genevieve were there to undress you, the camera rolling all the while. What a blessed Sunday that was! I watch that video every year on your birthday. Poppa Steve knew what he was doing when he was filming everyone all the time. He gave us all such wonderful memories on film to keep alive forever.

You have done nothing but bring us joy all these years! We have always been so proud of your accomplishments during high school, college and now in the working world. You are the sweetest daughter I could have ever asked for! You have grown into a caring, loving, beautiful young woman. I know you are in Montreal on a business trip this year during your birthday, but you are still right here in my heart, where you'll always be. We will celebrate the big "4-4" this weekend! Happy Birthday, Honey! Always remember how much you're loved! We love you!!!

Grandma's Apron

2008-12-11T18:32:00.012-05:00

An old-timey pic showing bib-style aprons

And this is my Grandma Jenny on the leftGrandma Jenny, Mom, Me, and Rose in hunting season when I was in high school

THIS IS THE STORY OF GRANDMA'S APRON....

I can see Grandma in the kitchen with her apron on... can't you??? What a wonderful memory this is! I don't think our children even know what an apron is. I have always loved aprons. I guess it's because my mom always wore one. These are some my Aunt Naomi made. She loved to sew and knit. These aprons are about 50 years old! I was maybe 12 or 13 years old when she made these for me.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath,

but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and, on occasion,

was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks,

and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy children. And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow,
bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.

After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples

that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road,

it was surprising how much furniture that old apron

could dust in a matter of seconds!

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something

that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER......... Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her granddaughters set theirs on the kitchen counter to thaw.

Awards Day

2008-12-05T10:10:00.045-05:00

First of all, I want you all to know that Abe is home and doing better. He has posted about his illness and has some new pics on his blog. He is a professional photographer and writer and has some really great photos on his blog. Check it out at Brookville Daily Photo.

Boy, am I ever behind! I need to thank those who have sent awards my way. Below are some buttons/awards I received some time ago from Mary over at Mary's Writing Nook. Thank you so much, Mary!!! I do apologize for being so tardy in posting them and thanking you properly. I love and appreciate them so much! I need to learn how to add text to a pic so I can make some of my own to pass on. Mary seems like the type of person who would be there if you ever needed a hand or a friend! Do check her blog out...I'm certain you will enjoy your visit with her! She's really a lovely lady and has a very enjoyable and interesting blog!!!

How true the one below is!

And I am so late in getting these in a post, too! These are also from Mary! I just loved this one with the black cat! She has the cutest things up her sleeve over there at her blog!

And we all know Halloween just wouldn't be Halloween without a witch riding her broom!

And then this Thanksgiving one is also from Mary! I just love this one, too! I always have loved the story of the Pilgrims and love anything in the theme of Pilgrims! Thank you again, Mary! And I promise I'll not be so late next time in getting things posted on my blog.

And then I received more just this week....

Here's the lovely "Proximidade" award given to me by Gramma Ann of Ann's Quotes and Things. I received this one from Merle of Merle's Third Try a while back, too, so I am properly thanking you, also, Merle at this time.

This award is a fine one because it focuses not on the glory and fanfare of blogging, but in the PROXIMITY to one another through online-world. Thank you, Gramma Ann! I sincerely appreciate the award and your thinking of me. Visit Gramma Ann, and you will see first-hand just what a wonderful lady and friend she is!

"Blogs that receive this award are 'exceeding charming,' says its author. This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

I am to pass this award on to 8 people. I find it very, very hard to choose just 8, and I see some of you that I would like pass this on to have already received it. I am very pleased to pass this award on to the following 8 blogs:

Do Drop Inn

Home on the Range

Lib's Private Paradise

Below, Lib at Lib's Private Paradise had these awards posted on her blog and said to take them if we wanted them....I thought they were cute so I took them. Thank you, Lib! Pay Lib a visit as she posts some really great recipes and is quite a crafty lady!!! She makes some really lovely things!

I will look at this one, longingly, throughout the winter months while I wait for Summer to arrive!

And this one describes ALL the blogs I read!

Have a great weekend, everyone! My daughter is taking me shopping to another city tomorrow, so I'll see how long I can walk. I love to get out and shop during holiday time, but the legs and back don't allow me to do much. So I am so happy that my daughter is taking me and will be with me. It should be a fun-filled mother-daughter day!

P.S. I've had some blogger problems today...spacing, text color, etc., so please excuse the mess of this post! I've been working on it off and on all day since 10:10 this morning, and it is now 6:04pm! LOL

PRAYERS NEEDED!

2008-11-27T09:19:00.017-05:00

UPDATES and recent hospital photos of Abe on their daughter's blog. Click here.

Patty and Abe Lincoln

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! But for everyone, it isn't a happy day, not really. You see, one of our fellow bloggers from Ohio is in the hospital with a collapsed lung. Abe Lincoln is spending his Thanksgiving holiday in the hospital! His lung had collapsed back in 1981 and then again a few days ago. If it happens once, there's a 50% chance of it happening again. If it happens a second time, then the recurrence of it happening yet another time is 80%! He had a new lung procedure, a very painful procedure, yesterday that is supposed to kind of patch the bad or weak spots in the lung, and he seems to be doing much better now. Their daughter has some pics of Abe posted on her blog with a more-detailed explaination of his lung problem.

I'm sure the family would appreciate all the prayers they can get at this time. So please add his name to your prayer list, and pass it on so that he'll have a mutitude of people praying for him. Prayer does work, we all know that, so please pray and remember him and his family in your daily prayers and also your Thanksgiving Day prayers today.

Some of you may already frequent his blog or his wife's blog. If you haven't, you need to, as they have theeeee best blogs! Patty and Abe celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary this past July! I have met some wonderful people through blogging, and this couple is on the top of my list! To know them is to love them!

Punky's Battle is Over

2008-11-23T01:54:00.014-05:00

" PUNKY" (1991-2008)

Yesterday (Nov. 22, 2008) in Orlando, FL, Punky had her last ride. Her battle with oral cancer is over, and she is now at peace. She had started to bleed from the tumor again, so it was time for her to go to kitty heaven. Her Pops had given her radiation therapy two different times, once in March/April and again in September. Each time, the tumor shrunk entirely away for a few months, but then it eventually returned each time. She even purred as my son placed her carrier in his car for her last ride, with her probably thinking that she was going back to her home in South Carolina. She loved to ride! She was a well-seasoned little traveler. He said she never took her eyes off him during the entire ride. She traveled with him everywhere he went, as did Scooter.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will remember that Scooter, age 15, lost her battle with heart disease on October 6th of this year. It has been very heartbreaking for my son to lose both of his beloved little girls less than 7 weeks apart. It was a very sad day for our family again, but we know that Punky and Scooter are frolicking together once again.

" PUNKY" in July 1991

Punky was a shelter kitten when he adopted her on July 5, 1991. She was a pitiful little thing with an infected eye with puss running out of it and down her little face. We took her straight to the vet for a checkup and medicine for her eye. She was given a bath to rid her of fleas, as she was loaded with them. Her coat was so thin that we could actually see them crawling all over her bony little body. The vet said her eyeball was even swollen. Our shelter has come a long way since the 90's and has a great staff now. Dogs seem to get priority at our local shelter, though, so we adopt the little cats no one would ever choose. We have found that they are all beautiful on the inside.

Below is a pic of where she slept...right next to Tim's pillow. He said that she actually got on his pillow with him the night before, something she had never done. He took that as a sign that she was telling him something, maybe that she was ready to go. We have found that usually an animal will let you know, in some manner, when they are ready.

As I told my son, she loved him, and she knew that he loved her. They had 17 great years together. We have videos of her that we can watch to keep her alive forever in our hearts.

As my vet wrote in a sympathy card one time when I had to have my beloved Duffy put to sleep in 1996, also, due to cancer: "You have given Duffy one last gift...his release from suffering." So I passed those words on to my son:

"You have given Punky one last gift...her release from suffering."

My last words to you, Punky: "I know you are in a better place now, but you will be sadly missed, my little Punky, and you will always have a special place in my heart....Grandma loves you!"

Cold Day in the South

2008-11-18T14:15:00.005-05:00

Just a little note today....that's about all I have time for at the present. I am still among the living. I have posts I want to do but need to find the time to do them. I usually spend hours on some of my posts with so many photos, so I am looking to do some shorter ones soon. I have some good stories my son wrote when he was managing editor of his college paper at Clemson University in Clemson, SC, but I have to retype them in order to post them. Plus, I have some awards from Mary I need to thank her for yet, too.

We had a cold front move in on us, so today is a bit nippy with a little wind. I kind of welcome the cooler weather myself. I have to run out this afternoon to do a few errands, and then I am taking time to visit my good friend, Wanda, who fell a week ago last Friday night and broke her lower leg and ankle...a total of 4 bones broken! She had surgery the next day and had to have a rod and pins put in. So she is now at home, recuperating. I made her some homemade rolls, so I plan to stop by and visit her for a little while. My work is taking the backseat today! LOL

A BIG "Thank You"

2008-11-04T16:08:00.008-05:00

I want to thank Gramma Ann for this lovely award!!! Thank you, Ann, so much!!! I really do appreciate it!!! She knows how much I love animals, especially cats. She, too, is also a cat lover and has recently taken in a newcomer to her home by the name of Mr. Jones, and he's a cutie! Hop on over to her Ann's Quotes and Things and check it out....you'll be glad you did! Her other blog where she posted this award is called Ann's Reading Corner. She has a photo of her reading corner as her header, and it looks so-oooo cozy and relaxing! She is a great blogger and publishes some very interesting posts!

I know it's been almost a month since my last post, but work has been crazy working with "snowbirds" every day who are looking for winter homes in the Orlando area. I am going to try and do better. Usually, by the end of the day, I am so tired that all I want to do is grab a quick bite to eat and head on to bed, which is usually around 2 or 3am. I hope to get around and visit you all soon!

Yesterday took me to Greenville two times with my daughter's cat, Buster. We had to leave him there, and then they called when he was finished. He was due for his one-month post chemo checkup and ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that there is no reoccurrence of his bowel cancer, thus far. I just received a phone call from the specialists' facility with his bloodwork results. Everything is the same as it was the last time. He has had an elevated kidney value all along. His BUN is at 54, whereas normal is in the 14-36 range. This indicates that he is experiencing some kidney failure, but it hasn't improved, nor has it worsened, since his last bloodwork was done. All cats by the age of 15 experience some kidney value problems. Anyhow, we are very pleased with the good news, both yesterday and today! He has to go back on December 1st for another checkup and chest x-rays. They keep a close watch on them after they have received chemo and/or radiation treatments.

Our leaves are turning, but I don't think the colors are as vibrant as they have been in previous years. They are more muted in color this year, and there are a few leaves falling! We are expecting temp of 77 on Thursday! The nights have cooled so nicely, though. And then also the holidays are quickly approaching....something else added to my "To Do" list! LOL

I'll be around to visit you soon! Thank you all for being so faithful in leaving me comments and sticking with me. I want to also thank those of you who have emailed me with little notes! It's so nice to be remembered when I have been such a poor blogger lately....I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart!

P.S. Does anyone know why Blogger won't allow me to separate my paragraphs??? I have to copy and paste everything into a Word document and space it there, and then copy and paste it all over again and place on my blog. Strange, huh? But it works!

"Scooter's" Last Ride

2008-10-07T10:53:00.022-04:00

"SCOOTER" 1993-2008

My son had to let Scooter go yesterday. Her little heart had just worn out after 15 years. She had been suffering with a bad heart for just the last couple of months and was on 5 different meds for it. She was a wonderful little kitty and had a great life with her "Pops." She loved my son so much, and he loved her.

She was a little stray kitten he found outside a diner one night in Augusta, GA. The waitress told him that she'd been there about 5 or 6 days and that she had been bringing cat food from her home each day to feed her. She also told him that her husband, who owned a reptile shop, was considering the kitten for snake food. Well, that did it! My son asked if the kitty would be okay there til the next morning. So at 6am the next day, with a pet carrier and a little litter box, food and water dishes, he headed out on the 2-hour drive from his home back to Augusta to get this dear little kitten.

She made kitty #2 in his household. Scooter and Punky got along so well and played all the time. They were buddies....actually, sisters in their own little world. After my son took them home from my home on September 21st, they did get another trip to Florida. Scooter had a lot of miles on her! But she had her last ride yesterday and received that final injection at 4:20pm. This leaves us all with a heavy spot in our hearts, but we know that she is now all well and waiting and watching for her master so they can someday cross Rainbow Bridge together.

Below is what my vet gives to his clients when they lose a pet....

"There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge, there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass.

When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt and maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent; her eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly she begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster to you. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge......together, never again to be separated.'

P.S. By the way, Punky, the kitty with the oral cancer, is doing quite well at the present time. And Buster, my daughter's black cat, had his last round of chemo on Monday. He is doing well, but he has to go back in a month for a checkup and another ultrasound.

Some Good News plus a Fun Tag

2008-09-17T22:38:00.014-04:00

I want to thank Jessica for the Friendliest Friend Award! Thank you, Jessica! Hop on over and check out her blog! She is a busy young Christian mom with an adorable little girl! They are a wonderful family!

Some good news! Punky's tumor is shrinking and is almost gone! She is back to eating on her own and seems to be enjoying life once again. We are hoping for another 4 months with her before she has to be put to sleep. The cancer will return, and when that happens again, we will say our goodbyes to her. She's been a tough little trooper! Her 'Pops' will be coming to get her and 'Scooter' the end of this week. Then they will be off to Florida again!

'Scooter' is doing better, too! She is eating much better and loves to walk around the house. She is weak yet, but now that she is eating much better, it's just a matter of time before she can really get around. We love them so much, so this is really good news to us!!!

Also, some other good news! I heard on TV weather this evening that we are in for some below normal temperatures! We will welcome them, that's for certain!!! The mornings are cooler now, but then it heats up during the day. We still have the humidity, so the AC is still running. I, myself, am waiting for those cool nights for better sleeping!

Also, I was tagged by Pam, and I just noticed that I have not done it yet. Sorry about that, Pam.....but here goes!

1. What were you doing ten years ago:

Well, I was just 8 days away from my final divorce court date . At that time, I was working at a large hotel as Administrative Office Manager, a job I thoroughly loved, until the place was sold! I had purchased a new 40-foot Fifth Wheel RV (complete with washer and dryer and dishwasher) and was living in it at a local campground in this area. I loved it, and had bought it with the thought that I would never have to pack up everything if I should ever decide to move again. Crazy, huh? But it was very roomy and had all the conveniences of a house. It had triple slides, and the living room opened to 15 feet wide, so I was quite comfortable in it. That Fall and Winter, I lived next door to Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus! No, I haven't lost it! I really did live next door to them! They were on contract at our local mall for the holiday season. I only lived in it about 7 months when we had a horrible ice storm, and my big awning came down, trapping me inside until the fire department got me out at 4am! Of course, I didn't leave, but at least I could get my door open once they removed the awning and my screen room. That was enough of RV living for me! 10 days later, I had moved back into the new apartment complex where I had previously lived. Then I bought a townhome in a new community, where I am today! I still have the RV...it is parked near Orlando, FL at this time.

2. Five things on my to do list for today: (or I should say tomorrow since it is too late to do much today now!)

1. Go to my daughter's home again to check on Buster and feed him. He had his 4th round of chemo this past Monday. He's on an appetite stimulant for 5 days, and he is hungry all the time!

2. Go to Hobby Lobby for fabric for some Christmas projects.

3. Make pizza crusts.

4. Clean house and work on my jobs

5. And naturally, care for my cats!

3. What is your favorite snack?

I really don't snack. If I did, it would probably be Ritz crackers and sharp cheddar cheese and a diet wild cherry pepsi OR maybe a yogurt.

4. If I were a millionaire, I would:

1. Donate money to help with the pet overpopulation and build catteries to save more cats. Dogs get priority at our shelter here, and the cats don't have much of a chance, especially the feral cats. They aren't even given the chance for adoption...they are put to sleep right away. I do understand that there aren't enough people to foster them and tame them, but they DO tame. I have tamed a LOT of them. Sick dogs receive medical care, whereas sick cats are just euthanized right away.

2. Give money and food to the poor.

3. Buy clothes for poor children so they feel equal to the other kids.

4. Make sure every child in our area has a wonderful Christmas.

5. Make sure everyone in our area is warm in winter and cool in summer!

5. Places I have lived:

1. Buffalo, NY

2. Costello, PA

3. Port Allegany, PA

4. Laurens, SC
5. Muncie, IN
6. Spartanburg, SC
7. Moore, SC

6. Five people I'm tagging:

1. Michelle

2. Shannon

3. Diane @ Diane's Place

4. Jessica

5. Sammy

There you have it! Have a great week!

Saturday Surprise!

2008-09-13T15:18:00.012-04:00

Edy and George on their honeymoon in 1947

Today I decided to call our former neighbors back in Pennsylvania, as they have a son who lives in Houston, Texas, with his family. I had been up watching the Weather Channel and CNN News during the night about Hurricane Ike hitting that area. I had to know if he and his family were safe. We had lived next door to this wonderful family for over 16 years...16 years 4 months and 6 days to be exact. We saw their children go through high school, college and get married. Those were some of the best years of our married life...living next door to people who were as much family to us as they were friends. So, I was kind of caught off guard when I heard a voice, different than the one I was expecting to hear, answer the phone today. It was their older son, Dana, the one who lives in Houston! They are safe, their home was not damaged, but they did lose some fencing, and their pool had overflowed during the hurricane. He told me he is now retired, as is his wife, and they have been spending the summer months in Pennsylvania with their folks! What a nice surprise to actually get to talk to the person I was calling to inquire about !!! Anyhow, we chatted a while, catching up on each other's children, etc. His parents aren't into email, so he said he would show them my blog this evening when they return from an outing. Dana and I decided that we are going to keep in closer touch from now on.

While I am on the subject of these very dear friends, I must tell you all that this is the lady from whom I have acquired probably 99% of all my recipes throughout the years! Edy was always into baking, canning, cooking, rug hooking, quilting....you name it, she did it!!! And she did it well, too!!!! She has made some beautiful things. She taught me so much! We used to sun together, swim together, shop together, sew together, pick apples together, and have a cool drink (or two) together under the shade of her big birch tree, too! Edy was always ready to travel whenever I took the kids to visit the orthodontist in another town, too. We shared some fun times together! She was like a second mother to me. I can remember having surgery one time, and she provided suppers for my family and came to visit me every afternoon. One day, she laid down on my bed with me and actually fell asleep! As I said, she was like a second mother to me.

Her hubby, George, was our local postmaster in our town there. Everyone knew George! And everyone respected his opinion, too. We depended on him so much, being young marrieds starting out in our newly-constructed home with yardwork to do that we really knew nothing about. George got us started on the right track, that's for sure! He knew how to do anything and everything, and we knew how to do...well, not too much! He taught us right, no doubt about that! We could never thank him enough if we tried! We were truly blessed with this wonderful, happy, fun-loving couple as our next-door neighbors! We shared a lot of laughs and fun times during those 16 years 4 months and 6 days!

George and Edy now

They had 3 children...a daughter and 2 sons. Their younger son, who was in high school at the time, was the best babysitter we ever had! The kids didn't give him any trouble at all. We always felt good leaving them in his care, and knowing that his parents were right next door, too. We had the best of all worlds while living there. My mother's family all lived in that town, too, so it was really a great life for us.

Edy and I had such a close relationship that we could pop in at each other's home for coffee whenever, or just sit on the patio and chit-chat anytime. Some nights we would combine our leftovers and share supper together on our patio. Other times, wrap up warm and sit by the fire and roast hotdogs and marshmallows. Those were just the best times!

Then, one day my husband came home and asked how I would like to live in South Carolina. I couldn't believe my ears! All I could think of was having to leave our home that I loved and my family and friends that I loved. It was just a total shocker, believe me! We knew we had to accept the job offer as we had a daughter just finishing up her second year of college, and our son was just a few weeks away from graduating from high school, who also would be attending college that Fall. If you have ever had to move and leave your loved ones behind, then you know the inner turmoil we felt. It made for many sleepless nights and many teary-eyes days, not to mention that we worked the entire summer sorting and cleaning out 16 years' worth of "stuff" that we had accumulated! I started selling furniture, as after we made the trip to South Carolina and had found a new home, we had ordered new furniture to be delivered when we got moved. It was a hectic summer, but these wonderful neighbors were there for us every step of the way. They were, and still are, a great family!!!

After they retired, George and Edy spent their winters in Florida and would always stop and spend some days with us on their way back north. George liked to walk alot, so Edy and I would head to the movies or go shopping. I have truly missed the fun times with this wonderful couple.

Some days, I wish I could go back in time 25 years ago......we have been here in South Carolina now for 24 years this past August. Now that I am alone, I don't get home often enough. I was talking to my son earlier this afternoon, and he said, "We need to go 'home' again, Mom." I agree. I guess he gets as homesick as I do.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2008-09-07T10:56:00.046-04:00

1911-1995

This is Dad with his beloved Spooky. He thought the world of his cat.

Today would have been my dad's 97th birthday. He was born in Wharton, PA on September 7, 1911 and passed away in Spartanburg, SC of brain cancer on January 7, 1995. This is my loving tribute to him.

He was born to Mary Agusta and Ephrem Robinson. His father left to find work logging when my dad was just 5 years old and never returned home. He died in Tupper Lake, NY and was buried there. We have no pictures of him at all. Below are a couple of pictures of Dad's mother.

My dad's mother, my Grandma Gustie

Grandma had just the 2 sons, Milford and Maynard, who was my dad. She had quite a time trying to raise them on her own. She moved around and did housekeeping and finally an older gentleman by the name of Art Robbins took her and her sons in and gave them a home. In return, Grandma cooked and kept house for him. Art lived to the ripe old age of 93. In later years, Art became an invalid and unable to live alone, so my dad moved him into town and let him live in one of his rental cabins across from our hotel. My parents looked out for him right up until his death. My dad told me one time that Art had been like a father to him and his brother and was the only father figure he could ever remember. Art read the Bible all the time and said it was the best book he'd ever read. Without him, I don't know how Grandma could have ever fed and clothed those little boys and kept a roof over their heads. People were poor back in those days, and neighbors were always there to help one another. My dad grew up loving this wonderful old man just as if he had been his biological father.

Art Robbins

Below is a picture of my dad with his brother, Milford, and paternal grandmother. Dad is the smaller one of the two with the big grin on his face.

Milford, Grandma, Maynard (my dad)

Below is a picture of his maternal grandmother....

Grandma Graham

And below is my dad's uncle, his mother's brother. His name was George William Graham, and we called him Uncle Will. He was a deaf mute from the age of 5 when he fell off a bridge and broke both eardrums and damaged his voicebox. He attended special school in Philadelphia for the deaf where he learned to read and write and all the other things than normal children were taught in school. Dad also took care of him as he grew old. Uncle Will used to work in the stone quarries for my dad, so he had a steady income. He could work circles around the younger guys! He taught me sign language when I was a child and taught my little girl the hand alphabet and how to spell words with her hands when she was only 3 years old. He was always there for my dad and his brother, too, while they were growing up. Uncle Will was a sweet old man. He never married.

Uncle Will

This is a picture of Dad when he was a young lad in school....

Dad finished 8th grade only and later went on to work in the CCC Camp. I can't recall now what the letters stand for, but it was some kind of Conservation Corp. He said it made a man out of him in a hurry, as they worked hard there. Below is a picture of the CCC Camp. Looks mightly cold to me in the wintertime. They lived in barracks much like our servicemen, I guess. He used to tell stories about the mess hall, too.

Then later, he met my mother and they fell in love...

Young Sweethearts

They moved to Buffalo where they both worked for Curtiss Wright during the war, building airplanes in a factory. After the war, Dad decided to buy a business as he always said you never get ahead when you work for someone else. He wanted to be his own boss. So they bought the old hotel. They got their state liquor license and also started a restaurant. There were 2 gas pumps in front, too, plus a little country store inside the hotel. They also started boarding fishermen and hunters. Pic below:

Here is a picture of my dad taken for the first state liquor license. I think he grew up to be a good looking guy!

My dad had been married before and had 4 children by that marriage. Then he had my brother and me by my mom. He was the father of 6 children. I believe the only time all 6 of us had ever been in a room all at one time was at his funeral. I have a picture of the 6 of us that day but can't put my hands on it at the moment, wouldn't you know?!!!

Dad was a likable guy. He got his nickname from talking all the time. "Windy" was his nickname. He and Mom would receive mail with just Windy and Squeek on it and then the name of the town where we lived. Everyone knew them! He had the personality for running a bar and hotel. He loved it! It was hard work and long hours. Sundays were spent cleaning, mopping, and waxing those big floors. There was a shuffleboard room with tables set up in there for customers, too.

An afternoon with some friends.

L-R: ???, Roy Logue, ???, Ross Spear, Wormy Wolfanger, Dad

If anyone back home knows who the other 2 guys are, please let me know so I can add their names.

Below is a pic of a New Year's Eve celebration they held. They were young and having fun while making a living, too!

One day, Dad decided that he wanted to quarry stone out of the mountains. Mom went to work in a factory, and Grandma Jenny moved in to take care of us kids, and Dad went climbing the hills looking for stone. He had to uncover several mountaintops before actually finding a good quarry. It was quite costly to pay a bulldozing bill and then discover that the stone wasn't any good. If he found a good quarry, it could last a long time. They would work it til the stone was gone. Then on to open a new quarry. During the cold winters, the stone layers would be covered with hay or straw, then the dozer would push dirt over it, and the quarry would be closed until Spring.

The first 3 pics below show custom cut stone for patios and sidewalks. It is a true art to cut a big piece without breaking it down the middle or a corner snapping off. The rattlesnakes lived in these mountains, and they had to watch their step every minute! The snakes loved that warm stone to sun themselves on. The guys would kill one every now and then. My dad was a hard worker...he worked right alongside his men every day in the heat.

I remember when I was just out of second grade for the summer, my mom was working in a factory, so I had to go with my dad to the quarry every day. Grandma Jenny had her hands full without having to keep track of me every day. My brother was almost 4 years older so he could take care of himself pretty much. It was a good hour's drive one way. The days were hot and dusty, but lunchtime was always fun with my dad, and the workers would always have candy bars, cookies, and lollipops for me, too. I loved being with my dad.

The stone machine for cutting veneer stone was always covered at night in case it rained, as you can see in the background. It was a $20,000 machine, a lot of money back in the 1950's. It's a lot even today, so you can imagine how much it was back then!

The pic above shows the forklift needed to load the pallets of veneer stone onto the truck.

This pic shows the pallets of veneer stone strapped onto pallets, ready to be loaded and delivered to customers. He sold stone in the eastern states and also in Canada. He would make some of the trips himself, leaving at 3:30am and not getting home til close to midnight that night. Sometimes I would ride along with him, and sometimes Dutchess, our boxer dog, would ride with him. She absolutely LOVED my dad!!!! He was an animal lover, as was his mother, so you can see where I get my love for animals.

"DUTCHESS"...she was such a wonderful dog!!!

And this was the truck we rode in! It was a rough ride...poor ole Dutchess would lay and sleep for 3 days after a trip! This was a brand new truck back then but looks kind of ancient now. Dad also had a couple of drivers who would haul for him, too.

Here's another pic of Dad with Dutchess. Prior to coming to live with us, she had had a bad life, living on a 3-foot chain in a cold garage in PA, with not even a rug to lay on. The night we went to see her, it took my dad just long enough to get the words out of his mouth that yes, he would take her! She had a good life after that, a real cushy life! She had a real people bed to sleep in! She and Dad had such a bond.

This is the home Dad had custom built, using his own veneer stone. This was a blue-green colored stone. Once the stone is washed, this is what it looks like.

With the quarries closed for the winter, that was when we'd get our vacation. We'd head to Florida every year on December 20th, just as soon as hunting season was over and the hotel was all cleaned. One year they even put us kids in school there. It was fun having Christmas early at home and then having it all over again in Florida every year. Below is a pic of Mom and Dad together in 1958 in Florida...Dad looked sharp in his shades! They certainly earned this vacation every winter!

I have always said my dad was a saint. Anyone who could put up with this crew and take them on vacation HAD to be a saint! Notice my brother sticking his tongue out. LOL Yep, my dad was a saint, for sure!!!

Mom, Grandma Jenny, Jake and me

My dad was a 32nd Degree Mason. He joined the Coudersport Consistory. He was a highly respected man and a wonderful husband, father, and friend to so many!

Coudersport Consistory, Coudersport, PA

When we had to relocate to South Carolina in 1984 and leave our parents behind, it was just heartbreaking. My folks came to SC every winter, sometimes staying for 3 months with us. The day they had to head back North was heartbreaking, as well, for all of us.

Mom and Dad ready to leave for home

I do believe this is my favorite picture of my folks together. It was given to me by my sister-in-law.

And this is my dad's final resting place. He'd be here in SC next to Mom, but the quote I was given was $15,000 plus another $8,000 for the mausoleum. Mom said she wanted to stay here and said it really didn't matter where they were buried, as their souls would be together and that the body is nothing more than a shell. Her words. He is there close to his mother and Uncle Will. There is a bulldozer engraved in the middle of the stone as Dad had his own and loved it, and also the masonic emblem is engraved on it, too.

This post has taken me hours to do, as it is now 5pm, and I started around 11am this morning. With tears flowing, I want to wish you a Happy Birthday, Dad! I miss you, and I love you so much!!! Rest in peace until we meet again.

Update on Punky and My Son's Car Accident

2008-09-04T16:45:00.004-04:00

Just a little update to catch you all up on the latest. I have been so busy with caring for all the sick kitties here. I start at 6am and never finish until the last med is given at 10pm. It's been one thing after another, or so it seems. I am sorry to say that I have had no time for blogging these past few weeks, and I really have missed that so much!!! I keep hoping that I will be able to read, but then I am so tired at the end of the day, I literally pass out when I finally hit my Lazy Boy chair!

Punky finished her radiation just last Friday. Well, today we had to take her back for a re-check to see how much the tumor had shrunk, if at all. She has lost a little more weight, and the tumor measured somewhat smaller, but we were told to bring her back again next week, that the radiation needed a little more time to do its work. At that time, we are to meet with a surgeon to discuss the risks of the surgery to remove the outer portion of the tumor. We were told that since it is radiated tissue, she would undoubtedly lose a considerable amount of blood during the surgery and would no doubt require another blood transfusion. Then there is also the question of it healing, as radiated tissue usually does not heal well. They feel NOW that the cat should be euthanized! The oncologist said we needed to consider her quality of life. We KNOW that!!! But WHY then didn't they say this before even starting the radiation???!!! Once they get their money, which, by the way, this time was just shy of $3,000, they say the cat should be put to sleep just 6 days after finishing radiation!!!!

That kind of angered me, and if any of you know me, you know I speak my mind. So I told this oncologist that THEY need to know when to draw the line, too!!! I had asked her before the radiation was ever started if it was the right thing to do. She replied, "Oh, absolutely! Punky responded so well the first time, that we need to go ahead with it again." So then, even after the 3rd radiation treatment last Wednesday, I asked her about moving forward. Again, her reply was the same since we were already halfway through the treatments, we should proceed, but that euthanasia is always an option. I know that if she had told my son the cat should be put to sleep in the very beginning, he would have done that. So needless to say, I am a little ticked off at the moment!!! She said it didn't have to be done right away, since Punky is eating okay, but in the very near future. To tell you the truth, I am really infuriated! Had I not questioned her in the beginning before the treatments were ever started, I wouldn't be so upset. But I DID question her!!! I have come to the realization that everything today has to do with money!!! The more anyone can "take" a person for, the more they try to get!!!!

So for now, I am going to continue to feed Punky as often as she wants, and watch and see if her cancer shrinks like it did last time. If it doesn't, and I feel that she is suffering, then it will be time to take her for her last ride to the vet. I have done this many times and will not allow her to suffer.

My son's other cat, Scooter, has lost the use of her left rear leg due to an aortal blood clot that cut the blood supply to that leg. She will never regain use of it. It is of no use to her now, but amputation is out of the question as she would never survive the surgery with her bad heart condition. During the weekend, I noticed that her leg felt kind of cold. So Tuesday, I called this specialists' facilty, but they wouldn't be re-opening until Wednesday after the holiday. So my own vet took her in. Not much can be done for her except add Plavix to her list of meds to try and prevent another clot from forming. I brought her home and caged up the 2 of mine who are on Buspar for overgrooming and took them to visit the vet! They have been on Buspar for a month now and I cannot see where it has helped them one bit. So they were started on dep shots, which is a steroid shot. They will have to receive them as long as they overgroom....maybe a shot once a month or maybe a shot every 2 or 3 months. We just have to play it by ear and watch them closely. They both have licked all the hair AND skin off their bellies!!! So I got them tended to the same day, too! This is how my days are going, so you can see why I haven't been to visit you all. I am trying....hopefully, after I post a birthday tribute to my dad this coming Sunday, Sept. 7th, I will have time to visit and comment. I am waaaaaaaay behind in reading them!!!! I apologize to you all....just please bear with me. I'll get there just as soon as I can!

Another thing, my son was involved in a 3-car pileup Labor Day morning at 3am in Charlotte. We had just finished the newslettters on Sunday for the apartment complexes and had the ones delivered in Columbia and all the others had been mailed out a few days before. He went to Charlotte to get those dropped during the night when traffic is lighter. A woman stopped as she was to merge onto the interstate and he rear-ended her car, and the car behind him rear-ended him, spinning his car around with the back end hitting the concrete divider, placing his car in the 3rd position instead of 2nd where he was initially! He was so fortunate that the cars didn't explode as he had just filled his gas tank. It totalled his car. So the policeman took him to the airport where he got a rental and then he had to go back to the tow yard to empty his car out. Newsletters were thrown all over, and the backseat had come loose from the impact, so the boxes of newsletters in the trunk were all over, too! He finally arrived home for Labor Day late that day. His dad and he shopped for a new car for him, and he got it on Tuesday then. It's been a rough time for all of us here. I just thank God that my son wasn't killed. He was cut up and bruised some and was complaining of his muscles hurting him. He had a hard time getting up out of a chair at the table.

And now tonight, I am invited to my ex's home for dinner again, as his cousin is here from California. He was there last week and then flew into Florida to visit his brother and is flying back here today. I need to do a post on that, also, as I did get a pic taken last week. I thought it has been 40 years since we saw his cousin, but he said he was at my father-in-law's funeral in '88, but I don't recall seeing him then. Eddie was quite the lady's man in his younger years! These 2 cousins have so much in common, it's just unbelievable!! My daughter is able to join us tonight....boy, she doesn't know what lies in store for her! Whenever any of my ex's family get together, they have such a fun time! Always lots of laughter, so I am looking forward to an enjoyable and relaxing evening!

STOSH AND EDDIE

I have rolls raising and need to finish my strawberry cheesecake yet! Anyhow, I just wanted you all to know that I haven't forgotten you!!!! I hope to visit and catch up soon....verrrry soon!!!!!

(((((( HUGS ))))))

MORE MEWS NEWS

2008-08-25T00:32:00.034-04:00

Wednesday, Aug. 27th....Just a little update: Punky had to have a blood transfusion yesterday. Her hemoglobin was 18 on Monday and down to 11 on Tuesday, after a hemorrhage from her rubbing her tumor on the corner of her litterbox the night before. Normal is 35, so she was in bad shape yesterday. The worry was that she did not have enough red cells to carry oxygen. Today it was up to 22, so she may have to have another transfusion Friday. She stayed overnight at the specialists' hospital. The emergency staff there look out for the animals spending the night there, so she made out okay. I could not get there to pick her up due to tornado warnings here with the sirens sounding just as I was ready to head out the door to Greenville. There were funnel clouds spotted...thus, the sirens sounded. TV reports were telling people to abandon their cars and mobile homes and seek stronger structures to ride out the storm. It was quite scary!

Buster is doing well after his chemo 2 days ago. I went to his house this afternoon and released him from his quarantine today. He has to be isolated from Sweet Pea for 48 hours following each chemo treatment, so he lives in the bonus room for those 48 hours. Yesterday he was kind of dumpy and didn't feel too well, but today he was just fine! He is eating verrrrrry well!!! So things are back to normal with him for the time being until his next round in 3 weeks.

I am behind with my blogging and reading, but I do hope to visit you all over the weekend. This is "crunch-time" week with my job so no time to blog right now. The job and caring for these poor little sick kitties is keeping me quite busy! But I do love you all and will visit as soon as I can!

*************************************************************************************

Please read to the end, as I have something for all of you there!!!!

Upstate Veterinary Specialists, Greenville, SC

We are heading back to Upstate Veterinary Specialists today! This place is state-of-the-art!!! The doctors there are all specialists in various fields. I haven't written lately about the cats and their ongoing saga with cancer. Well, Buster, my daughter's male cat, will be receiving Round 3 of his chemo treatments this morning. He gets one every 3 weeks for a total of 5 treatments. He seems to be responding to the drug, thus far. He's back to his usual old self, playing and eating anything that is put in front of him. He's on a medication for appetite as the chemo would make him stop eating. Actually, cats do much better on chemo than humans do. They really don't get the horrible nausea that people do. Their chemo "patients" are given an injection of Zofran and are sent home with an anti-nausea med plus an appetite stimulant. It was just 2 months ago today, to be exact, that he had his cancer surgery, which I did a post or two on at that time. Below is a pic of Buster (he's the black cat) and Sweet Pea, his live-in girlfriend, who also underwent cancer surgery for a fibrosarcoma twice and received 19 radiation treatments back in April. She is doing well at the present time. Her latest chest x-ray showed her lungs to be clear! That is where her type of cancer will most likely return, if or when it does.

"Sweet Pea" and "Buster"

And I'm sure all you regular readers will recall Punky, my son's cat. Punky had received 5 radiation treatments for osteosarcoma, cancer of the jaw, at the same time Sweet Pea was undegoing her treatments in April. They only do 5 treatments for her type of cancer as it makes the site so terribly sore. I am sad to say, Punky's cancer has returned. We were told it would in 3-6 months, and this is month 4 now. So she is starting radiation treatments again today, too. She was the sweetest little kitty when she was young. She loved to play more than any cat I've ever seen. But I think her playing days are coming to an end. She's one tough little cookie, though, as the radation makes her mouth ever so sore for about a week, but she keeps on eating. The tumor actually shrunk entirely away and was completely gone until just a few weeks ago. She was back to her old self and enjoying life in Florida. She is now spending some time with me as she did before, until her treatments are completed again. Her Pops had to return to Florida today. She was such a cute little kitten but now is 17 years old and looking her age, as you will notice in the second pic below. We will part with her when this cancer returns the next time.

"Punky" a few days after he got her from our local shelter

"Punky" taken when she was receiving her first round of radiation treatments

It doesn't end there! The drama continues! My son's other cat, Scooter, who is 15 years old, is having some very serious heart problems. Her heart is enlarged and is working too hard. She is so frail and has a blood clot in her left rear leg. She had an ultrasound of her heart and also an EKG just this past week. She is on 4 different medications, and the vet informed my son that her condition is considered guarded. So she is also here staying with me. Her Pops will return over Labor Day weekend to get them.

Scooter was a rescue from Augusta, Georgia. Tim was coming back from a wedding late one evening, and they stopped off to eat, and there was this tiny little kitten behind a bush by the restaurant. He inquired within and was told that she had been there 5 or 6 days, and the one waitress said she'd been bringing cat food from home to feed the kitten every day. She said her husband was considering taking it for snake food for his snake! The next morning at 6am, with a pet carrier and a little litter pan and some food and water for her, he headed back to Augusta, a 90-mile trip, one way, from where he lived at that time. He named her "Scooter" as she was just so fast! We always take the ones no one else wants, and they've all made great pets! This little gal is pitiful right now as she's lost so much weight. She is weak and her one rear leg slips out from under her at times when she walks. The vet explained it is much like how one of our limbs feels when it has gone to sleep. She's her Pops' girl...has to be right in the middle of things!

"Scooter"

Then I have my Butch and Bootsie on Buspar, as they are overgrooming to the point of licking their bellies raw! They are wearing the large Eco-collars to keep them from getting to their bellies, but they still do! Plus, I have two 15-year old diabetic cats (littermates and sisters to Buster) who I give insulin shots to twice a day. I have another one with allergies who I give half a children's Benadryl tablet to every 12 hours. I also have 3 other cats on Cosaquins for bladder irritations, and then about 6 weeks ago Oliver had a serious bout with kidney stones, and he is supposed to be on urinary acidifiers twice a day, but I can't get them down his throat. He will not cooperate at all! I have to give him 30cc of extra water every day! Seems everyone is on different special foods and different meds, etc. , all at different times! So I had to make myself a chart to follow in order to keep it all straight! Right now I am caring for 35 cats, so you can see that my life is hectic, to say the least.

And now, this week starts my really busy time with my jobs, too! For the past week or so, I've been planning a different post but haven't had time to get my pics taken yet. So, I am hoping to squeeze a little time out for me so I can get it posted one day this week. I thought it was kind of cute and interesting. I've got this new hangup in my life.......BUT.......I'll say no more! You'll have to return later in the week to find out what it is! Going through all those old pictures has done something to me!!! LOL

OH, BY THE WAY.......LAST, BUT NOT LEAST!!!

I have received several new awards which are posted on my sidebar. I would like to say "THANK YOU" to Lisa, Pea, Train Wreck, Grams, Mary, Donna, Stephanie, and Heidi for the latest ones! I do appreciate each so much! Drop by their blogs for some great reading and fun posts!!!

Now....I would like to invite ALL of my regular readers to please take these awards to your own blogs! You all are so deserving of them! Blogging takes a lot of time, and I want to pass them on to each and every one of you because I love you all!!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2008-08-14T14:22:00.107-04:00

Today would have been my mom's 85th birthday. She was born in Austin, PA on August 14, 1923 and passed away in Spartanburg, SC on March 1, 2004. This is my loving tribute to her.

Her father, Ray, and her mother (Grandma Jenny) on their wedding day

This is my mom's grandmother, Lily McLeod. This is Grandma Jenny's mother. My mother loved her to pieces!

Mom was the youngest of four children born to Raymond and Jeanette Blanchard. Her father died when she was just 7 years old, but her mother lived to the age of 105 years 4 months. Mom had a good life, although they were dirt poor during the Depression, but Grandma managed somehow to raise them on her own. She took in washings and did dry cleaning to make money. She also took in a couple of boarders. Plus, Gram had an admirer by the name of Wardie who helped her feed and clothe her children during those rough years. I posted about Grandma and Wardie's love in the previous post, in case you missed it.

Mom at age 7

My mother was a tiny little girl, ever so frail. Her nickname was "Squeek." She went by that name right up to the time of her death. She was called that as she had this tiny little squeaky voice. She proved them wrong, though. When she grew into a young lady, she had a beautiful voice for singing! She performed in high school plays and played Little Bo Peep in one of them. Grandma had made her costume entirely by hand for that musical. Mom played piano "by ear" and even played for local square dances when she was young, too.

Mom as Little Bo Peep

Mom finished her high school education, graduating with her small class. This was considered quite a feat back in those days, as most children had to quit school to help support their families. The one thing Grandma insisted upon was that her children get an education and graduate from high school.

The girls in her graduating class (Mom in center front)

Mom in her cap and gown

She grew up with 2 sisters, Naomi and Vivian, and 1 brother, Kenneth. He served during WWII and was stationed at Pearl Harbor on that dreadful day in 1941. The stories he told of that day, you would never believe. There is just one sibling left now, and that is my Aunt Vivian, but we call her Aunt Biddy. She will be 89 next month!

Vivian, Mom, Naomi, Kenny Grandma Jenny

Vivian, Mom, Grandma Jenny, Naomi

Young sweethearts

Her Wedding Day

Later, my mom and dad married. He was so good to her! She had 2 babies, first a son and then 3 years 4 months later, me. My dad had 4 children by a previous marriage, so those kids lived with us from time to time, too. My parents lived in Buffalo, NY where they both worked for Curtiss Wright, building airplanes during the war. Grandma Jenny lived with them and took care of my brother, Jake.

Mom with her new step-children, Mary, Arlene, Bill, and Jack (in back)

My brother Jake and me

My brother Jake and me a couple years later

When I was 3 months old, they moved from Buffalo back to PA where they purchased an old hotel. They worked hard at remodeling it from top to bottom. They opened their own business...hotel, restaurant, tavern, gas station, small grocery store. My mother was almost 23 years old at that time.

The old hotel a few years after they purchased it. Dad had the shingle siding put on it as it was just bare boards before.

The old hotel as it looked undergoing some porch remodeling, but mostly on the interior at the time this photo was taken.

A side view of the hotel as it looks today. This was taken from my mom's driveway.

Mom, age 31

She started keeping hunters and fishermen during the hunting and fishing seasons. That was quite an undertaking for such a young girl with no experience cooking for so many. But she was a hard worker and did quite well. It was hard work for her, as that was back in the days before there were clothes dryers. And at first, she used a wringer washing machine, too. I can remember her hanging all those sheets and blankets and spreads on the lines, and then bringing them in frozen stiff as boards. Dad bought her a new automatic washer and clothes dryer when they became available and also a dishwasher.

The old kitchen, complete with wood cooking stove, when they purchased the place. This is Mom and her friend, Anna Cooney, and a hunter who came to check out what's cooking!

Dinnertime!

Another dinner table!

Acting up for the photographer!

No, they didn't sleep 6 in a bed...they were just posing for the camera!

When I got older, I helped at mealtimes. I don't know how she did it...getting up at 2:30 each morning to start breakfast preparations. She had a system, and things went like clockwork. She always served homemade cakes and pies for dessert, too. I can remember helping pack sometimes 100 lunches every afternoon! Each lunch consisted of 2 meat sandwiches, 3 cookies, and a piece of fresh fruit, plus we filled their thermos bottles with fresh hot coffee each morning. The daily cleaning and bed making happened after the breakfast mess was all cleaned up and the hunters had all left for the woods. After the morning chores came the dinnertime preparations. 80# of beef roasts, or whatever the meat choice for the day was, went into the ovens. Huge canners of potatoes were prepared. Can after can of vegetables and applesauce or some other fruit were opened. Individual salads were prepared, too. Closer to mealtime, bread was stacked on plates and the gravy made. Mom could make theeee best gravy!!! I forgot to mention the planning and shopping she had to do beforehand!

Kitchen help L-R Grandma Jenny, Mom, Me, Rose Ripple

(Note the pop beads on Grandma! And also the aprons! Never see them worn much anymore.)

Mom worked hard her entire life and paid for it with health problems for many years. She and Dad made a great pair...they loved people, and they both worked hard! She was always cleaning or painting something!

The same hunters returned year after year, then the second generation came, then the third. Even after my folks sold that business years later and started another hunting lodge, the same hunters returned! I helped Mom even after I was married. It was like a big family get-together every year when they returned. My mom was really a great cook and served homestyle meals and never ran out of food and had very few leftovers, too. She just knew how much to prepare.

New Hunting Lodge

This is the place they bought after they sold the old hotel. This home was originally built for Mr. Costello, who the town was named after. He owned the tannery there in town, which at that time was the largest tannery in the world. My parents turned this into a hunting lodge without the tavern and gas pumps, though. The third floor of this home was a huge ballroom. I imagine they held parties and balls there during its prime. The woodworking in this home was something you can only imagine!

Mom was active in her church and received a 50-year membership plate one time. She was a member of the Ladies' Aid, and they raised money through bake sales and ice cream socials to buy the velvet fabric for the altar scarves and other things the church needed. We had a little country church with old weathered wood siding. One year my dad pulled his men out of the stone quarry and gave them the job of painting the church. That paint job was his donation to the church. It looked so beautiful! That church is still standing and in operation today due to the efforts of a few faithful church members. This is where I went to church from the time I was 5 years old. I can remember when there were just 4 adults, the preacher and me at Sunday services. In the wintertime, we'd sit around the pot bellied stove in the back to stay warm. I think I loved going to church at that age just for the singing. I always think of that little church when I hear these song lyrics: "There's a church in the valley in the wildwood, No lovelier church in the vale. No place is so dear to my childhood, as the little brown church in the vale!"

Costello United Methodist Church

Another view of the church

Mom was a good mother to us kids. I can never remember her ever laying a hand on us. She worked in a factory for a couple years one time to get ahead so my dad could start another business. She would catch the work bus at a quarter to 5 every morning and get home around 4:30 every afternoon. Then she would work in the hotel and restaurant in the evenings, get us kids' clothes laid out for school the next day before retiring at around midnight. We always had a home cooked meal every night, too. No TV dinners or pizza....ever! No matter how busy things got, we always ate supper together as a family!

Yes, she worked hard...Dad did, too, very hard. My dad quarried PA blue/green stone out of the mountains. He had to buy a big truck to haul the stone and also a stone cutting machine that cut the stone slabs into veneer stone to be used in the building industry same as brick is used. It was also hand cut into patio stones and also for sidewalks. He had a lovely home custom built with 2 huge fireplaces and stone veneer on the exterior, using his own stone. (His birthday is September 7th, and I'll be doing a post about him then with pics of the stone quarry.)

We had more family fun on this side porch!

Mom did get to enjoy life. She joined Eastern Star and loved it! She served as Worthy Matron one year. This is a photo of her and Dad the night she took office. I had never seen my mom look as beautiful as she did that night! Dad thought so, too! He looked pretty sharp himself!

We kids really lucked out as far as parents go. They gave us kids everything we wanted. Yes, we were spoiled, but then every kid is to an extent when you think about it. Now that I look back, I would rather not had everything but more time with them while growing up. Not that we didn't have a good childhood...we did! We went on vacations across the United States and went to Florida every winter over the Christmas/New Year's holidays...we even attended school in FL one winter. But both of them worked such long hours. Sunday nights were our only family nights, and Mom always made those nights special...homemade chocolate peanut butter fudge while we watched Lassie and The Ed Sullivan Show on TV. Dad would flop on the couch with our boxer dog "Dutchess" beside him while parakeet "Petie" would play on the coffee table with his toys. This little bird could talk up a storm!!! He was just too cute for words!!! My mother spent a lot of time teaching him to talk. This pic taken in the old hotel was dated 1959. Gee, has it been that long???

I keep telling my own kids.....take life a little easier...it's only "stuff" that you spend your money on, and someday that "stuff" won't matter one bit to anyone.

My dad passed away in 1995. I think that's when Mom started to give up. She became dependent on everyone, as Dad had always been there for her. I'm sure it was quite an adjustment for her without him in her life. She was bitter at times, and we all must try to understand how we would've felt had we been in her shoes. We will someday. I love this pic of them together!

Mom had several surgeries during her lifetime...I believe we counted 27 one time! She needed surgery again and that is when she came to live with me. I told her I would take care of her but I was working, and she would have to come to SC. So that's when she came to live with me. She had hopes of returning back to her own home in PA, but that never happened. She had 3 surgeries in 3 months when she lived with me. She was in the hospital for 13 consecutive weeks! She had bowel obstructions, one after another, and it is so hard to see someone you love suffer like she did. She lost over 50 pounds, and with a high-calorie diet, I had just got her up to 111 pounds. Then one day I went to get her for lunch and found her lying on her bedroom floor. She'd had a stroke. The EMTs arrived in 5 minutes, but 4 hours later she was gone. I held her ice cold hand when she left me. She had a history of high blood pressure and heart problems, having had a heart attack in 1986 and coding blue 3 times that night! She was just too weak to survive anything more.

I know she loved us kids, and she gave us a better life than she had. I think that's what all parents strive to do.

I love and miss you! I am thinking of you today. You are finally resting in peace. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Below are some pics of where my mom is resting for eternity. This is where she wanted to be. It was the last wish I could fulfill for her.

Front of Mausoleum

If you count the 4 pillars going down the walkway, her drawer is the first one to the left of that last pillar. She is on Level 3. This was taken from where I park my car when I visit her.

Level 3

May you rest in peace, Mom.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Jenny!

2008-08-08T05:09:00.046-04:00

Yesterday would have been my Grandma Jenny's 121st birthday! Her name was Jeanette, but we called her Grandma Jenny. She was born on August 7, 1887. She passed away on December 11, 1992 at the age of 105 years 4 months. (My middle name is Jeanette, named after her.)

She never colored her hair but loved to have it permed. She took great pride in her appearance and her figure. She was clothes crazy and loved to dress up! I can remember her always smelling of perfume, Tabu being one of her favorites. She loved peppermint and carried a little bottle of it in her purse. She was in 7th heaven with a box of bath powder with a big powder puff! The bathroom would be covered with powder dust, but oh, it smelled so gooooood!!! She loved to bake cookies and breads. Guess that's where I got my love of baking.

I can recall the times when she would come to live with us for 6 months at a time, as it was such a fun time! She had this big trunk, naturally filled to capacity, that my poor father would lug up 18 stairs to her room! She had everything a little girl could ever imagine in that trunk! It was so much fun going through her jewelry and trying it on. She and I would stay up late into the night unpacking that big trunk. She always wore pretty, pierced, dangling earrings! She had those 'pop beads' (see above photo...the pop beads are the light blue strand) which Mom would find all over the house long after Grandma had moved on to another daughter's home for a few months! I loved to sleep with her as she used nothing but flannel sheets, and they were so soft and warm! She made my life so much fun growing up. Guess that's what grandmas do.

She always chewed gum and loved Beechnut peppermint gum! She would remove her gum at meal times and stick it on the collar of her blouse, sometimes forgetting it! Then my mom would have a mess in the dryer on laundry day! She always carried a little bottle of peppermint that she got from the pharmacist and would tip it up to her tongue, saying that it settled her stomach. Grandma complained of every ache and pain you could possibly imagine, and ended up dying of just old age. She loved to watch the soaps every day, too. But shopping was her true love! She loved clothes more than anyone I've ever known. I can remember being in elementary school and coming home to new skirts she had made for me so many days! She made them with little pleats and some with gathers. I totally loved it when she lived with us. I could barely wait to get home from school every day! There was never a dull moment!

She always accompanied our family on vacations. My father was an absolute saint to put up with a wife, 2 kids and his mother-in-law! He would have to give her a half hour notice prior to stopping at a restaurant so she could "fix" her makeup! She carried a big hand mirror in her purse. LOL If she didn't like her meal, she would say, "Maynard, you'd better tell them!" If he didn't, she would cause a big ruckus! He would always reply, "Yes, Jen." She always had to go with him when he checked the motel rooms each night, too, and if it didn't suit Grandma, we didn't spend the night there. Poor dad would have to keep driving! We took her to California one year with us and another year to the New England states and Thousand Islands. She loved to travel and shop. For several years, she also went to Florida with us over the Christmas holidays. Her favorite vacation spot of all was New Orleans, though.

We always went to Florida every winter over the holidays. One year on the way back home, we spent a couple of days in Washington, DC. One of the places we visited while there was the Washington Monument. We took the elevator to the top, but Grandma absolutely refused to come down in it! We had to take the steps down.....all 897 of them!!! The next day, my parents were both hobbling around, as well as us kids, but not Grandma. She was up and ready to go again! She loved to have her picture taken so we always had a lot of pictures to get developed when we returned home. Remember getting those films developed when we had to send them in somewhere and then wait a week or two for them to come back in the mail? Well, Grandma was always the one who watched the mailbox on a daily basis for those pictures!

I recall when I was in school when she would move in every year during deer hunting season. My parents owned a big old hotel, and my mother kept hunters and fed at least 100 men every night. My mom always paid her, as Grandma never really had much when she was raising 4 children alone. Mom never expected her to show up in the kitchen at 2:30am to start preparations for breakfast. She had two other ladies and me when I was in high school who worked those early hours. Grandma always loved to sleep in, so sleep in she did! The hunters all teased her about her getting her beauty sleep, and she just ate that up! She really was an attractive ole gal right up to the end!

The hunters all loved her. They had been "regulars" from the time I was a baby, so it was really like a big family reunion every year. There was this one old guy they called "Skins" who kind of had an "eye" for Grandma! One night, he made the wrong turn while up to use the bathroom during the night and ended up in Grandma's room! He scared poor Grandma about to death! She woke everyone up in the entire place, and then Skins' grandson came and led him back to his own room. That was quite a night. After that, Grandma never forgot to lock her bedroom door! But she and Skins sure took a lot of teasing at supper every night thereafter!

She had a pretty rough life, raising 4 children on her own during the Depression. Her husband died in 1930 when my mother was just 7 years old. My mom was the youngest of four children. For years, Grandma kept boarders and took in laundry and washed clothes on a scrub board until her knuckles would bleed, my mom told me. She also did dry cleaning for the businessmen in the little town where she lived in PA. She had a gentleman (Wardie) who loved her for many, many years, but she would never marry him. That is, until she was 72 years old! He bought her a 1/2 carat diamond ring, and she wore it for several years before actually saying "yes." Then they had a lovely church wedding and a reception at my Aunt Naomi's home. Aunt Naomi was her oldest child. Then there was a son, Ken, and another daughter, Vivian, and then my mom, Oliene. All are deceased now except Aunt Biddy (Vivian), and she will be 89 next month.

This is a picture of their wedding reception held at my Aunt Naomi's home. Pictured L-R are Wardie, Grandma, Rev. Karnes, Aunt Naomi and Uncle Bruce.

The wedding was beautiful! Grandma had chosen a royal blue sheath dress, and she had the figure for it, too! She made a beautiful bride. At the very front of the church where they had to stand, there was a heat register in the floor. Well, Grandma's high heels kept getting stuck in it. So, finally, to avoid another ruckus during the ceremony, the minister moved them off to the side away from that register. All went well after that. That is...until Wardie had to say "I do." He was just standing there, daydreaming, and Grandma had to poke him with her elbow several times, telling him to "say it," and he would reply, "Say what?" And she shouted at him, "Say I do." They had everyone in the church literally in stitches during the entire ceremony.

Then it was time for the reception and the removal of the garter! Well, Grandma just was not going to stand for her new husband to touch her leg!!! No way!!! So it was quite a fun thing to watch him trying to get that garter off her leg! The giggling and whooping and hollering from all of their old friends was a real hoot! (I couldn't find the picture of this, but I do have one somewhere!)

Below is a picture of Grandma and Wardie not long after they were married. He was the only grandfather I ever knew, and I loved him just as if he were my real grandfather. Both of my biological grandfathers passed away when they were very young. My dad was 5 when his father died, and my mom was 7 when her father died. Grandma was one lucky woman that Wardie waited so many years for her to accept his marriage proposal. He was sooooo good to her!

Wardie had been there for Grandma all those years while she was raising her children. He had always provided their holiday meals for them and saw to it that they always had food on the table. My mother told the story of how he came one Thanksgiving morning and threw a dead duck right in bed with them. That was for their dinner, he told them. He had a great sense of humor and Grandma's children all loved him. He always provided for Gram and her children. To this day, no one knows why she waited so long to marry him. We always thought it was because she loved taking turns living with her daughters.

Below is another photo of them. I would invite them to my home for Sunday dinner quite often, and this picture was taken on one of those Sundays.

Together, they had a good life. Grandma had taken turns living with her daughters. Wardie had lived in a local hotel in one room for many years, walking a half mile every morning to my Aunt Naomi's home to get the lunch she packed for him every day, and then he would walk another mile and a half to the factory where he worked. He loved to walk, and there has to be some connection to walking and longevity, as he lived to the ripe old age of 96! He never owned a car in his entire life and never had a driver's license. He had a huge garden right up to the day he died. He did all the shopping and housecleaning for Grandma, too. So, you see, they really did have a good life together as they had their own home then. And Wardie was quite the cook, too! He gave Grandma a life of pampering and leisure living! They were so good for each other!!!

One night while I was downtown for something, I went up to her apartment and found her watching HBO!!! She said that man on there didn't have any clothes on under his raincoat! She was in awe!!! I said, "Really?" With her eyes as big as saucers, she replied, "Oh, YES, but don't tell anyone because they'll take that channel away from me." I thought I was going to die!!! Somehow, she was getting HBO for free! LOL Grandma was a real character, to say the least.

Below is another photo taken on a Sunday on our patio. They loved to get out of their apartment whenever they could. We used to take them to my parents' home, also, 20 miles away. Just 3 miles from my parents' home, we would pass through the little town of Austin, where Grandma was born and where they both lived in their younger years. They loved to ride through Austin and always had a new story to tell each time about this or that or someone!

After I was married and had moved to the town where they lived and my husband worked, I would take Grandma 25 miles into NY state to our closest mall. She had the best times shopping and trying on clothes! She would spend a day at my home every week, and we would sew and cook and bake together. Sometimes, on Sundays she and Wardie would join us for Sunday dinner. But Wedneday nights were THEIR nights....we would always congregate at her and Wardie's place with Aunt Naomi and Uncle Bruce there, too. Best nights I can remember!!! Lots of story telling and videotaping! Grandma always had dessert to serve, too. She loved her Wednesday nights! These are the times that will never be forgotten....Grandmas do build memories...lots of them! With tears flowing the entire time, I am writing this post in remembrance of all those wonderful fun times gone by.

People really had it hard back in the old days, but they were hard working folks, and I am so proud that I have had such strong genes passed on to me! Grandma, I love you and miss you very much! I often think of those Wednesday nights with so much joy and love in my heart. Happy Birthday, Grandma Jenny!

P.S. I didn't have time to post this yesterday as I was at my daughter's waiting for hours for UPS to deliver an envelope containing a state-certified copy of her birth certificate which she needs in order to obtain a passport for her new job. The package required an "in-person" signature since it was a birth certificate. I had been working on this post for 2 weeks, trying to find the appropriate photos to add to it and then didn't have time to even finish it and post it on Grandma's actual birthday. So it is a day late. This was rather long, but if anyone ever deserved a long post, it is my dear Grandma Jenny.

The Double Whammy

2008-08-01T13:11:00.025-04:00

I'm so sorry that I haven't had time to visit your blogs since the other day, so please bear with me. I'll get caught up, hopefully, over the weekend. I have been working with a diabetic cat all week, plus this is my deadline week on both jobs! It's been like the double whammy hitting me! There's nothing more I'd like to do than read blogs and leave comments, but Daphy and my work have to take precedence over everything else for the moment.

I really haven't had time to post anything since the other day, as I am still working with Daphy, one of my diabetic cats. She's been a difficult one to get regulated again! I had her to the vet on Tuesday and left her there all day while they did glucose checks on her. Her initial glucose reading that morning was 494, even after her insulin injection. At 4:30pm, it had only dropped to 304, a far cry from normal, which for cats is in the 120-160 range.

Well, then Wednesday my friend Diane came to help me with her. Daphy can be a cantankerous old gal to get blood from unless there is someone to hold her, as she has bitten me before. At 9am, her glucose was 172. After feeding her, I gave her the insulin shot. I rechecked her again at 3pm, at which time she had dropped way down to 45...not far from going into seizures! My vet's instructions were to feed her again and give her some honey or Karo syrup to bring it back up.

That evening I had to go out and buy a new glucose meter, as my pharmacy did not have a solution I needed in order to check the accuracy of the present unit I was using. I was late getting home and then had to get the new meter set up with time and date, get it calibrated and all that technical jumbo they put you through! This new meter is much different from the other one. So it was 11pm before I could even get to drawing blood for another check. I was on my own this time (no Diane here) and had to do another blood draw, which revealed her glucose to be 376! Insulin shot given! I was surprised that the cat just laid there and let me draw blood from her front leg. Maybe she knows I am trying to help her. She really is a dear old cat, but she can be kind of crabby at times. I guess we may be crabby, too, when someone pokes us with a needle so often when we're her age. My chart states 14 years in a cat's life is equal to 75 human years.

Thursday morning, Diane had A/C problems, so I was on my own again. Daphy behaved herself and gave me no trouble getting blood. It was 106 at 10am. Vet said to feed her, but no shot, and to recheck her at 12 noon. It was 288 at noon. Still, no insulin shot to be given! I was told to do another blood draw at 10pm, and if it was under 200, give no insulin. If over 200, give the insulin. Well, it was 297 at 10pm, so I gave her the 6 units of insulin as instructed, which obviously was too much. She'd been getting 6 units for quite a long time, though.

This morning, her glucose was 137, so no insulin to be given as it was under 200! I was told to let her eat whatever she wanted during the day today and to recheck her at 4:30pm and to call the vet with the results. Her glucose reading was 396! So the vet said to feed her at her regular 9pm time and give her 4 units of insulin instead of her usual 6 units. No bloodwork this time as she was already at 396 at 4:30. Diabetic cats can only be fed twice a day, 12 hours apart, and right after they eat, you give the insulin. So she has been fed and given her shot. And I have instructions for the morning and then have to call my vet with her glucose reading before giving her any insulin. I do have a wonderful vet, and he's been so good to put so much time into this dear old cat, when she's only been in his office once this week. But she's been a real nightmare trying to get her regulated this time. I go through this every now and then with both diabetic cats.

It seems as if there is no end to it all! I will have to go through this same thing with the other diabetic cat, Cleo (Daphy's littermate), once we get Daphy regulated! I really have compassion for anyone with diabetes, as I just couldn't imagine going through this myself. Diabetes is a terrible disease for both humans and animals.

I'll try to visit you all over the weekend. I tried to access some of the blogs earlier, and I don't know why they wouldn't open, something about Internet Explorer not being able to access them. So if you don't receive a comment from me, that's the reason why. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Mews News

2008-07-29T14:06:00.025-04:00

Just a little update on the latest around here. We had "Buster" to the oncologist's last week for his bloodwork following his first round of chemo. This will have to be done a week after each treatment. His white count was 4,554 which is good. Normal is 2500-8500 range. It has to be at least 2500 in order for him to receive the next round of chemo. He did beautifully with Round One! The only day he felt bad was the second day. I went by to check on him after lunch, and he wouldn't even come out to the kitchen when I fed him, so I carried his plate to him in the living room where he was laying on his pillow. He was hungry, as he did get up off his pillow to eat then. He just didn't feel good enough to walk to the kitchen to eat. That was the only day he didn't feel well, though. Round Two of chemo is scheduled for next Monday morning. He will receive a total of five rounds, being given at 3-week intervals. As you can see by the above pic, these two cats are inseparable!

We had "Sweet Pea" to the oncologist again yesterday. This visit was for her post-radiation 3-month checkup and lung x-ray. With her type of cancer, if it does return, we were told that it would appear in her lungs first. Her x-rays showed her lungs to be clear!!! So that was wonderful news!!! My daughter was elated!

Then this morning one of my 14-year old diabetic cats gave me a scare! Daphy, pictured above, (short for Daphinia) was acting sick and wouldn't walk to her plate to even eat. I had to put it under her nose, and then she did eat. She was acting so weird. No, I didn't name her...I just took her and her sister, Cleo (short for Cleopatra), back when their owner died of a sudden heart attack 8 years ago. (They were tiny little strays with their mama and 3 other siblings that someone had dumped on our street 14 years ago. I had given these two to a gentleman who loved them so much for 6 years until he passed away.) Anyhow, back to today, I phoned my vet and took her in to leave her there all day for tests and observation. Her glucose was through the roof at 494! Normal for a cat is in the 120-160 range! She had received her insulin shot at 9:30am, an hour and a half before they checked her glucose, so it was probably even higher before the shot! They will recheck her glucose again at 4:30 and see how much it has dropped during the day. The vet called me and said we definitely needed to increase her insulin dosage. She's at 5 1/2 units now. That's quite a high dosage for a cat, and now she's going to have to go even higher!

It's a scary thing, adjusting that insulin. I've had both of them go into seizures before when their glucose dropped too low, and then it was a rush trip each time to the Emergency Vet Clinic here! They met me as I pulled in and had that carrier out of my car before I even knew what was going on! Daphy's glucose dropped to 23 that time, and just as they were getting her out of her carrier, she seized! Cleo's dropped as low as 18 before, and she had a seizure right here under my desk and kept seizing during the entire ride to the clinic that night, too! I thought she would be dead on arrival. The clinic doctor and staff pulled them through each time! So it is a very touchy situation increasing the insulin dosage! Each time we increase it, they drop too low after a few days. So I am going to have to draw her blood a couple times a day here at home and test it until we get her stabilized. Poor old girl! I love her so much!!!

This morning, I received the following from Rose, my best friend for 41 years now, who lives in the state of Indiana:

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You, too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me, PLEASE. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.....ALWAYS!
Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy them, and take good care of them. Life would be a much duller, less joyful, experience without God's critters.

We do not have to wait for Heaven to be surrounded by hope, love, and joy. There's a lot of all three right here on earth....and they all have four legs!

Save a life...adopt a pet from your local shelter!

Baking Day

2008-07-27T00:09:00.011-04:00

Today I decided to make some sandwich rolls. I've been on a chicken and turkey salad kick for the past couple of weeks, and it just tastes so much better on a homemade sandwich roll! These are not like dinner rolls...they are more like large hamburger rolls. So easy to make, too! I have always loved baking breads, all different kinds. I don't do as much baking or cooking as I used to, though.

The recipe for these rolls is just my basic bread dough, same recipe I used for my pizza crusts in an earlier post.

BASIC BREAD DOUGH

1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt (optional)
2 Tbsp. oil
4 cups flour
1 pkg. Fleischman's Rapid Rise Dry Yeast

Heat first 4 ingredients in small mixing bowl on High in microwave for 1 minute. Pour into bread machine pan. Add the flour. Make indentation in top of flour with spoon. Pour dry yeast in center of flour. Set machine on dough setting. 1 hour 20 minutes later, the dough is ready to be made into rolls.

Divide dough in half, and make 6 balls of dough from each half. On a LARGE Air-Bake cookie sheet, lightly sprayed with Pam, form each ball of dough into a roll. Flatten each roll to resemble a hamburger roll. I like to make some smaller for times when I prefer just a small sandwich. Grease tops, cover with wax paper and allow to rise 30-45minutes in a warm place. I heat my oven for just 1 minute and raise mine in it.

Bake at 400 degrees in preheated oven for approximately 15-20 minutes until brown and hollow sounding when lightly tapped. By using the larger size baking sheet, I can fit all 12 on the same sheet. Cool thoroughly on cooling racks. Store in plastic storage bags in refrigerator. They freeze well, too. Yield: 12 large rolls. ENJOY!!!

The Gift of Life - Donor Awareness

2008-07-23T09:34:00.012-04:00

Lib at Lib's Private Paradise shared this. Gill at That British Woman shared it with her.

This is how this award originated: Crystal at Memoirs Of A Mommy created this award in honor of the donor who saved Noah's life. Noah is her son, and he had a heart transplant when he wasn't even a month old. This dear little boy just celebrated his first birthday earlier this month!! Her hopes are that in passing this award around, we will create more awareness of the importance of organ donation.

The rules of this award are: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. All I ask is that you include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same.

If you are reading this, PLEASE take it to your blog and keep it going. We can help save lives by making more people aware of the importance of organ donation. Just one look at this precious little face should be all it takes!!! This little boy lives today, thanks to the gift of life from another mother during her own time of grief.

Two Awards for You!

2008-07-21T10:25:00.008-04:00

I would like to thank Midlife Mom at Home on the Range for the above reward. Below are the rules:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you think deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4. The award-winner and the one who has given the prize must show the link of the “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award. http://arteypico.blogspot.com/

I couldn't pick just 5, so I am passing this award on to all of my regular readers! Add to your sidebar and enjoy this new blog site! I love yarn and knitting, etc. myself, so I am thrilled to add this new blog to my blogroll!!!

ALSO...

I received this award from two different bloggers. So, first of all, I want to say thank you to Jessica at Jessica's World and also to Diane at Diane's Place for presenting me with this award. I am supposed to pass it on to 7 people, but in my case it would be 14 since I received it two times. So I am passing it on to all of my regular readers. Please feel free to pick it up and add to your blog page.

Thank you so much, ladies. I do appreciate the award. I couldn't pick just 7 (actually 14 since I received it twice) so I am passing this award on to all of my regular readers!

Here are the rules:

1. Put the Logo on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you
3. Nominate 7 fellow bloggers for this award
4. Add Links to the recipients
5. Leave a comment to recipients or email them to let them know they have an award

I read close to 50 blogs, so I find it really hard to narrow this down to only 7 recipients without causing hurt feelings. You're ALL winners in my book!!!

Starbucks Outing plus Dear Little Hannah

2008-07-18T09:20:00.024-04:00

Wednesday, my friend, Diane, and I decided to go to Starbucks, but we planned to do a little shopping beforehand. We hit Anna's Linens where I found a deep ceramic pie plate! I just HAD to have it! I always have been a sucker for dishes. All I could think about was a BIG fresh peach pie in that dish and then apple pie later on when apple season arrives!

I am not a true Starbucks fan.......yet! I like my coffee weak, and I have found theirs to be kind of strong for my taste. I need to experiment with their other kinds of drinks until I find one I really like. So I ordered a Chocolatey Chocolate Chip Creme, just a small one in case I didn't like it. It was okay, but I found it to be icy and watery tasting. Not at all what I was expecting. Guess I was expecting it be like a Steak 'n Shake thick milkshake! LOL I also ordered a piece of lemon pound cake, as pound cake is one of my weaknesses! Now, that I did enjoy!!! Anyhow, it was a nice afternoon spent in a quiet atmosphere where we could just chit-chat to our hearts' content!

Then yesterday, I had to get the oil changed in my car. Always enjoy going to this import garage as I know the lady who is the bookkeeper there, and we catch up on each other's lives while I am waiting. As I was paying and about ready to leave, in walks a young lady I know, Tara, with her little 2-year old daughter, Hannah! I used to work as a builder's agent for Tara's husband, Richard. I worked out of a model home and sold his homes. I really loved that job, as I love working with the public!!! Worked there 2 years or so and then quit to take care of my mother rather than put her in a nursing home. This is Hannah below. Isn't she darling? Notice her fake tattoo...she was so proud of that!

Anyhow, Hannah had just come from the dentist from having a couple of cavities filled. Bless her little heart! She is such a beautiful child, as is her 4-year old brother, Richie. Hannah let me snap her picture. Isn't it funny how all kids know what "say cheeeeese" means? LOL She wasn't even walking the last time I saw her! Richard still helps me with things around my home. Tara wanted me to come up to their place yesterday, but I had to check on Buster yet and then had to go to PetsMart for cat food and litter, Wal-Mart for groceries, and CVS for insulin for the two diabetic cats. I never got home til 8:30 last evening as it was. I am going to make the time and just take a day next week to go visit them. I love Tara and Richard as if they were my own! You'd think they lived three states away, but it's only a 15-mile drive! Below is a picture of their new home that Richard built himself!

Just a little update on Buster....he is doing quite well. The second day he didn't feel too well, but he is back to normal once again. He never did lose his appetite. So Round One of the chemo is over...four more rounds to go over the next 15 weeks. It's actually every 3 weeks. He has to have bloodwork done first of the week to check his blood count. That has to come from his jugular vein in the neck so as to save the leg veins for the IV line necessary for the chemo treatments. Poor little fella!

I am trying to get around to visit everyone's blog, so please be patient with me, as I hope to make my rounds again by Saturday afternoon. See you all then! Have a great weekend!!!

NEW CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT

2008-07-17T11:47:00.003-04:00

This is for those of you who may have missed this in my previous post. I want to get the word out for this "write-in" candidate. He would appreciate your vote! Thanks, everyone!

What began as a colorful Internet fluke has blossomed into a full-fledged political movement...one that Republicans and Democrats alike are reluctantly having to acknowledge.

"Buster" News & Other Chatter

2008-07-15T23:45:00.024-04:00

I have a few other things to include in this post besides "Buster" news, so it's going to be a little of a mix this time. Please bear with me...

We took "Buster" back last week to have his staples removed, so he no longer has to stay in a pen/crate. So where does he sleep now??? In the pen!!! He seems to like his new "home." LOL He is quite the boy!!!

Yesterday, Stosh and I took him back to Greenville for a consultation to see if chemo would do him any good. His liver mass came back as benign, but the bowel tumor and lymph node were both malignant. The oncologist said he was a good candidate for chemo, and I asked, "When can he start?" She replied, "How about today?" I said, "Let's do it!!!" So we had to leave him there all day, as he needed another abdominal ultrasound before the chemo could be administered. We came home and then went back to Greenville to pick him up at 5:30.

Cats do amazingly well with chemo, usually no upset stomach or diarrhea as humans experience. He received an injection of Zofran for nausea, as a precautionary measure, and they also sent him home with medication for nausea to be given every 12 hours. This same med will also help keep his appetite strong. There is no guarantee that the chemo will help his type of cancer, but we are praying that it will give him more time. I was over to check on him this afternoon and to feed him again. Nothing wrong with his appetite yet! He has to be secluded for 48 hours and not allowed to be around "Sweet Pea" during that time. They cannot share the same litterbox, and after the 48 hours is over, his litterbox must be emptied and washed with soap and hot water. We were instructed to use rubber gloves to scoop his litter clumps, as the chemo is excreted through the urine and stool for 48 hours. It all has to be double bagged in plastic bags and removed from the home immediately.

Today, he met me when I opened the bonus room door. He cried and cried, as he wanted out. I told him one more day, and then he could come out. Poor little fella, he doesn't understand why he's being kept alone...first the pen and now alone in a room. I stayed there with him for awhile, and he ate quite well and then curled up to take a nap.

I stayed with him last night until my daughter got home from work. Obviously, the vet hospital had kept him in his carrier all afternoon with no access to a litterbox, and when I went to move him from the carrier to his pen, the beach towel in his carrier was wet. So when my daughter arrived home, we gave him a good bath! He smelled nice and clean when we got done with him! I never gave a thought to wearing rubber gloves, so I was exposed to the chemo! So far, so good...no symptoms do I have...yet! The paperwork they sent home stated that more is excreted through the stool than in the urine.

"Buster" and "Sweet Pea" have been bosom buddies since 1995. I'm sure you all remember "Sweet Pea" from previous posts a couple of months ago when she had her surgery and radiation treatments. She is clear of all cancer at this time. Next week, she will have chest x-rays as part of her monthly check-up. If her cancer does happen to return, it more than likely will show up in her lungs, the oncologist said. This veterinary specialists' place is really state of the art! They have a high success rate, so we are shooting for 3 out of 3 now, since "Buster" is the third cat we've had there in the past couple of months. The other two are doing very well yet! I will keep you all posted on his progress. Please keep the prayers going out for him. Thanks!

"SWEET PEA"

A HEAVY RAIN ON JULY 10th

Talk about rain!!! Well, we finally got some last Thursday and then again Saturday night. It rained so hard late Thursday afternoon that the street drains couldn't even handle it all! It flowed down my street like a little river! We certainly could use even more, though! I really do love a rainy day! It just seems to make the earth feel so clean, and everything just looks so much greener and healthier after a good rain. You will notice in the first pic below that the water is covering almost the entire width of the street. In the second pic, you can see how it was rushing up against the tires on the red SUV.

SUPPER WITH MY FRIEND, RUTH

Today on my way to Buster's house, I made a stop at my bank's drive-thru. When I pulled in behind the car in front of me, I saw that it was Ruth! I tooted my horn and waved, and she waved back! Then she gave me the motion to wait a minute. So I got out of my car, walked up to her car, and we chatted a few minutes, holding up the line, while we made plans to meet at 4:30 for supper. We ate at McAlister's Deli...they have really good sandwiches!

You all remember Ruth from when we went to MacDonald's that day for our free chicken sandwich! I did a post about her at the time. Well, today she found a way to get a cheaper coke than the $1.80 they wanted to charge. She questioned them over the price and was told that she could get a child size drink for 90 cents! And we even got free refills! She knows how to save a dollar, that's for sure! LOL

STARBUCKS, HERE WE COME!!!

Tomorrow, Diane, from Do Drop Inn, my friend/neighbor, and I are heading to Starbucks and out to do a little shopping!!! More about that on my next post!

BY THE WAY...

If you haven't checked out the Election 2008 video that I added at the bottom of my blog, you can do so below. You see, my son is running for President as a "write-in" candidate! It started out as a joke but has now blown up into a big thing with the news media! LOL

STILL IN THE OVEN HERE!!!

We are still in the 90's here all week yet. Hot and humid! But now that the 4th is over with, it won't be long before Labor Day is here, and then Old Man Winter won't be far behind! Always something to look forward to!

In Loving Memory of Simon John Yates

2008-07-11T01:20:00.007-04:00

November 22, 1979 - July 3, 2008

Simon was a friend of my son's in Kissimmee, Florida. He was self-employed and did maintenance and carpentry work for a vacation resort community comprised of rental homes. Tragically, he was electrocuted while replacing a pool pump on a swimming pool at one of these rental homes. I never had the pleasure of meeting this young man of 28 years, but I had the opportunity, through my job, to speak with him by phone on occasion. He was a wonderful young man, dedicated to his family and to the rescue and care of exotic animals at a wildlife sanctuary owned and operated by his family.

To Simon John Yates, the entire world was a stage. An expressive, optimistic, and uninhibited individual, he was a performer in the theater of life. To everyone around him, he seemed to be eternally happy and willingly shared that joy with anyone whose life he touched. For Simon, bringing out the best in any situation was as easy as offering a smile, a witty remark or the twinkle of an eye. And with just those simple gestures, he could evoke the most pleasant of emotions. Simon really mastered the art of living and had great fun in doing so.

Simon was born and raised in Liverpool, England until 12 years of age, when his family moved to Florida in 1992. Even as a child, he had the ability to lift the spirits of all those around him. He was raised to be warm, caring and friendly. He couldn't help but capture everyone's attention.

Always a good playmate, Simon was easygoing and fun loving. He managed to lighten the mood wherever he was, even during family squabbles. He seemed to have a knack for bringing compromise and erasing tense situations. Due to a generous dose of common sense, he managed to find a satisfying solution to basic problems. He was raised with one sibling, a younger brother, James, 16.

All of Simon's playful good humor carried over from his childhood. He was possessed with an outgoing personality, a lively imagination and a mellowed enthusiasm for life that allowed him to be constantly on the go. As a result, he experienced a rather active childhood, and this suited him very well. He took part in tack and swimming, and he was also in the British Boys Brigade.

Ask anyone who knew him from school, and they would tell you that he was a class “cut-up.” He didn't do it to be unkind or to garner all the attention. Rather, he simply enjoyed others' laughter and the sounds of his friends having a good time. It could be said that for Simon, grades may not have been the most important thing to him, but he really did enjoy his school experience. Since experience was Simon's best teacher, he enjoyed hands-on learning and applying the “practical” approach to knowledge, rather than getting caught up in “theory.” Simon graduated from Poinciana High School in 1998. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was swimming. He had an A+ in hall passes.

Simon never actually encountered a stranger in his dealings with people. He was drawn to individuals and crowds, using his gregarious, adaptable and outgoing personality to captivate his audience. This quality allowed him to continually develop new relationships, ever widening his circle of friends. Simon delighted in his role among his acquaintances, because he viewed them all as potential spectators for his performance. Whether it was a story, a joke, a song or just plain fooling around, Simon was always right at home putting on a show among his friends. He utilized his interest in others as a great way to connect with them. He loved sharing life and having his home filled with people he knew.

At work, as in life, Simon was a real “people person.” He had a very successful way of dealing effectively with others, and his enthusiasm and energy was often contagious. He liked to see himself as something of a virtuoso. When dealing with various projects and problems, Simon was an adaptable realist, using his common sense and trusting his experiences and impulses to uncover the correct answer. His talent for being a down-to-earth thinker allowed many around him to see him as an excellent problem solver. His primary occupation was in carpentry.

Simon enjoyed his leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. An “arts and crafts” type, Simon liked creating and making things. His favorite pursuits were water sports and working with animals. Simon was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Simon felt excited and challenged by sports. Even if he wasn't the best, he loved to participate and thoroughly enjoyed the competition and the pleasure of being around other people. He relished the opportunities where he could make an impact, and he would often push himself to play above his abilities. A quick thinker who understood the basics, he never seemed to get caught off guard, even when confronted with unexpected conflict. Recreational sports included softball and water sports. He was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity.

Simon was a lover of animals and cherished his pets, enjoying them almost as much as he enjoyed being around other people. One of his favorites was his dog, Hennessey, a Doberman Pinscher. They were best friends for 9 years. His family was rounded out by his 4 large snakes.

Simon brought joy to all of those around him. He had not a mean bone in his body. He loved to have a good time and was an eternal optimist, always looking on the bright side of things. He loved to share his energy, wit, and his zest for all of his activities with his friends and family. Simon John Yates lived life to its fullest and made everyone around him happier just for knowing him. He will be remembered with a smile.

A Fun Supper

2008-07-09T11:06:00.006-04:00

Last Thursday, my good friend and neighbor, Diane, joined me after work for supper. Steve had a class to attend after work, so he wasn't going to be home until later. So I decided on something easy as Stosh and I had to take "Sweet Pea" to Greenville that afternoon for her monthly checkup from her cancer surgery and radiation treatments. Again, she received a good report! Next month she will have chest x-rays to check her lungs.

So early that morning I again made some turkey salad for sandwiches on homemade bread, and when I got home, I made apple crisp for dessert! We stuffed ourselves, but then we only do this every now and then. We had a nice leisurely dinner and enjoyed an evening of "girl time" and got caught up again on what's going on in the outside world. And, naturally, we had to read some blogs, too! LOL And I also sent a turkey salad sandwich and a big piece of apple crisp home for Steve! Couldn't forget him!!!

Below is a pic of our 4th of July desserts! Lemon Pie, Yummy Chocolate Pie, and Apple Crisp!

Then it was "cat time." I have a mama feral, now spayed, the last one I trapped, March 2007. She still isn't tame, barely lets me touch her, which I try to do every day. She had a rather large, tight mat on her back for some time. I asked my vet about it, and he sold me a couple of Ace tranquilizer pills so I could get her in a carrier and take her in for them to clip it off. I hated to give her a pill like that, as we had used that same medication on our 2 cats when we moved from PA to SC. It was awful! They were like rag dolls! Cats have 3 eyelids, and their inner lids came halfway across their eyes and stayed that way for about 4 or 5 days! They looked drugged the entire time, too! I just didn't like the idea of doing that to this dear little lady cat.

Anyhow, I had been trying to comb this mat a little each day, but this feral didn't appreciate that very much. I was afraid that she would bite me, and I didn't need that. I've had several cat bites, and believe me, they hurt! And once you go to a doctor, then Rabies Control gets involved! So Diane and I discussed the situation and thought maybe I could throw a heavy towel over her and get her by the scruff while Diane ran the clippers to remove the mat. Well, we had quite a time for a few minutes! The cat got out of her pen, right through our legs, as I always leave the bottom pen door open. I have one of those tall ferret pens that she sleeps in, as she feels safe in it. The shelf is at window height, so she can look outside whenever she so chooses.

We left the room for a few minutes, and when we returned, she was back inside the pen under her little pink litter box lid on the pen's shelf. I use that lid as her little hide-away, as ferals feel safe when they can hide. Anyhow, Diane held the box up while I stuck my left hand in under that lid and shaved away with the clippers! The cat kept moving around, and with each touch of the clippers, the mat became looser and looser! Believe me, the adrenalin kicked in! I could feel my heart pounding like mad!!! Then finally, the entire thing fell off! That little kitty's back just had to feel better! I had to take the chance of being bitten, but....NO bite! That had been bothering me for some time as those mats just grow tighter and tighter and can actually harm their skin from the pulling to the point where they can become painful and the skin infected under it! I am so glad it is off!!! She may have a bald spot, but her hair will grow back. These mats are miserable things for a cat! You wouldn't believe how tight the hair grows! I don't think a person could even weave it that tight if one tried! These mats are not a soft clump of hair but a hard mass of tangled, interwoven hair, and they only get worse. They do not grow out, as one would think.

That was our day! The recipes for the apple crisp and yummy chocolate pie will be posted tonight (hopefully) on my recipe blog, Cooking with Nancy. They are so easy to make and yet sooooo good! I served the apple crisp warmed in the microwave and added vanilla ice cream on top! Yummy! Now I just have to get some fresh peaches at Strawberry Hill one of these days and make peach cobbler and peach crisp!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

2008-07-04T03:31:00.027-04:00

4th of July! It's here! First, we must take time to reflect on the freedoms and luxuries we enjoy every day in this great country of ours! Is it any wonder that the USA is hated by so many foreign countries? I thank God every day that I live in such a wonderful land! Skip over to Old Lady Lincoln's blog and read her post "From Jay Leno." You'll be glad you did.

Do you remember, as a kid, waiting for the 4th of July? I do, as we were always anxious to see the fireworks! Plus, we used to go to Florida every winter and bring back firecrackers, which we could not buy in our own state of PA. I remember going down the road 5 miles to where the local fireworks were held each year and meeting up with friends and just walking around. Back in those days, parents didn't have to worry about someone abducting their kids, as they do in today's world.

People would sit on the hoods, and even the roofs, of their cars to watch the fireworks display. I remember they always started at 10pm. Dad would lock up the hotel and bar, and off we'd go down the narrow country road to the big field where the fireworks took place! We'd always have a carload of kids from our little neighborhood. Oh, what fun it was!

I don't remember any 4th of July picnics as a child, though, as my parents had a business to run that was open to the public, so the 4th of July was a big weekend for campers to come in from the cities downstate for their summer vacations. I knew the kids from the cities, and it was always such fun to see them each year. With or without a picnic, as kids, we still had fun, and those memories remain with me to this day.

My daughter is having a cookout today at her home, so that's where I am going. Wishing you all a happy and fun day with your family and friends, too!

"Oliver" is Home!

2008-07-01T09:20:00.009-04:00

"OLIVER"

Oliver is home! I received a call late Sunday afternoon from the Emergency Vet Clinic that he could come home for the night! He hadn't eaten anything since he got sick on Thursday, not even his own favorite food that I took to him myself. At the time of the call, I was about ready to leave to go visit him and take him some turkey, so I decided I'd better get my guest bathroom ready for him before I left. I figured he would need a few days rest at home before he mingled in with the others.

When I arrived at the clinic, I was told that they had given him a bath, but that he would have nothing to do with the hair dryer. So he was still wet and looked extremely scraggly. Poor boy! So I paid the bill and brought him home, with me crying the entire 10-mile drive. I was crying because I didn't know what I was going to do to get rid of that smell from his fur, other than to clip him down. It wasn't a very pleasant homecoming for him at first, either, as he needed a good bath, above all else.

He smelled "pithy" from the catheter. They can't really put a bag on a cat like they can a person, or so I was told, so the urine runs out of the catheter, with the cat lying in it, more or less! They had one of those perforated mats under him, but it still holds that smell. His personal vet had shaved his back end on Friday and bathed him, but he was a mess again last night and smelled really bad! So the first thing I had to do was give him a good bath! I used a box of baking soda first, mixed as a paste, and plastered it all over him. Rinsed that off and then gave him a good shampooing with Oatmeal Shampoo for Cats. He allowed me to dry him with the hair dryer on low speed. He smelled soooooo good and looked so fluffy again, once I got him all combed out. Poor little guy, I don't know how he stood the smell himself. His personal vet today told me that they do hook them up to a bag, so I don't know why they didn't do that at the emergency clinic. Anyhow, he is nice and clean now! He also ate very well after his bath. Animals are like people, in many ways...he was homesick!

Monday, it was back to his personal vet. His IV line was removed, thank goodness! And when that sticky tape was taken off, a piece of his skin came with it! So now I have to doctor that with peroxide and an antibiotic ointment. He has to go back for a recheck in 2 weeks and, at that time, will have another blood test to test his creatinine and PH levels again. All in all, he is recovering with pain med and antibiotics at present and doing quite well, thus far. He is on Prescription Diet CD but so far has refused to eat it, canned or dry, so he is eating his regular food yet. I will have to mix the two foods together and wean him off his old food gradually. He spent yesterday mingling in with the other cats, and all went well. Usually, the others smell the "vet smell" on them and they hiss at each other, but guess his bath took care of that little problem. So all went well. He slept with me last night, so he's back to his ole normal self once again!

"BUSTER"

Buster is doing well, too! Today, he was taken out of his crate and walked on a leash around the downstairs for about 10 minutes. My daughter thought it was going to be hard to get him to go back into the crate, but he actually wanted to go back in it. She said he flopped right down on his pillow! He was pooped out from his little walk! I told her it is going to take time for him to get his strength back. He is eating well, and his staples will come out a week from Tuesday, on the 8th. Tammy counted 23 staples. His incision looks to be about 7-8 inches long.

I am so glad this past week is behind us! I know with so many cats that I am going to face many medical crises, but it's something I will just have to face, one at a time.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of you who sent prayers up for these two little fellas! They both are on the road to recovery!

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

2008-06-28T09:33:00.014-04:00

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"

2008-06-27T05:18:00.017-04:00

"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"

2008-06-26T10:37:00.006-04:00

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

2008-06-23T13:17:00.021-04:00

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

2008-06-22T21:01:00.006-04:00

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

2008-06-19T02:23:00.005-04:00

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

2008-06-17T16:03:00.006-04:00

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

2008-06-14T15:17:00.011-04:00

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

2008-06-13T08:06:00.025-04:00

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

2008-06-07T03:53:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-03T09:41:00.000-04:00

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!!!

A Week to Remember

2008-05-31T22:59:00.007-04:00

We have had a busy, but fun, time this past week. As you know from my previous post, we have had relatives visiting from Arizona. They arrived a week ago today. Just to recap the week a little, it went like the following:

Sunday, we were invited to the campground where we had a wonderful time catching up on the past 3 years, as we hadn't seen each other for just a little more than 3 years. Ann whipped up some delicious blueberry Belgian waffles in her new waffle maker. She had a variety of toppings, and I must say we did not leave there hungry!

Monday, Memorial Day, Stosh had us to his home for a cookout of NY strip steaks, grilled baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, baked beans, dinner rolls and 2 different strawberry desserts, both different recipes...one with an oreo cookie crust and the other a graham cracker crust.

Tuesday, we had dinner in a little town north of the city at a relatively new restaurant called Copper River Grill. Now let me tell you, that is quite the place to eat! You wouldn't believe the size servings they brought us! Ann had a grilled chicken salad which looked the size of a half basketball, mounded up, Stosh had a grilled chicken Caesar salad, another huge dish, and Lyle and I both chose the 1/2 pounder burger plates, which were just as huge as the salads! We just had to ask for take-home cartons! I have never eaten such a mouth-watering burger in all my life!!!

Wednesday, Stosh picked us all up about 11am, and we got a tour of the city. The city here just goes and goes in all 4 directions! It takes a good half hour to drive in any direction before you get to the outskirts of the city. It wasn't long before everyone was hungry, so we decided to eat at IHOPS. Another great meal!!! We also hit one of the two local Starbucks for coffee later on.

Thursday, I cleaned all day and cooked a sirloin tip roast with potatoes and carrots. I served it with applesauce and warm homemade rolls that I had made that afternoon. For dessert, I had fresh strawberry shortcakes. It's kind of hard to put a meal on the table at my place, as the cats are always all over the place, trying to see what's cooking! I had to get my squirt gun out and get after them a few times! After dinner, I helped Lyle set up a blog! He will be joining the blogging world soon! They have so much to tell, as they have travelled all over the country, so I'm sure he will do a bang-up job writing about their travel experiences. He wants to wait before he publishes his first post until they get back to Arizona in late June as he has photos at home that he would like to put on his blog page. I'll be sure to let you all know when he publishes, and I will also add his blog name to my list.

Friday, Stosh and I were invited to their RV for lunch. Ann told me 12:30, and I said I thought I could make it by then. (I am never anywhere on time, but I really thought I had it all figured out in my head so I could arrive there on time.) I like to sleep in since I don't sleep much during the night, plus I have 2 hours of work scooping litterboxes and feeding cats every morning. And then I need an hour for myself to get showered and ready. Wouldn't you know it....I was late!!! I had called ahead and told Lyle that I was leaving and would be there shortly, as it's only about a 10-minute drive. Well, there must have been an accident as they were diverting all the traffic from the big highway over to my shortcut! I think I sat through that one traffic light about 8 times before I finally got through it! Then came 2 more traffic lights! I never arrived at the campground until 1 o'clock! When I walked in, they all appeared to be waiting on me. You know how you feel when you're late like that? Well, I apologized for being so late and told them about the traffic situation, and they all started to laugh. Then to my surprise, Ann said I was "right on time." The 3 of them had cooked up a little scheme the night before (unbeknownst to me) to tell me lunch would be at 12:30 so I would be there by 1 o'clock, which was actually the time lunch was to be served! They told Stosh 1 o'clock and told me 12:30! LOL

Ann had made the some delectable turkey salad sandwiches with lettuce on some very tasty natural bread, served with potato chips. My, they looked beautiful!!! They were just so-oooo good!!! I can't believe I ate the whole thing!!! I have never had any turkey or chicken salad like that, ever!!! She said she got it at Costco's. If you get to a Costco, try it. It comes in big cans, brand name is Snow, 4 to a pack....oh, my gosh, it's delicious!!! I think I could live on that stuff alone! I am going out tomorrow to get some myself! Then for dessert, she had a choice of rice, chocolate or tapioca pudding! We were absolutely stuffed by the time we finished, believe me!

Later, we all hopped in Stosh's car and decided to go for a ride. He was going to surprise us with the destination. We had no idea where he was taking us! We kind of thought he was taking us back to Starbucks, but he pulled into the plaza where Panera's is located! So we had coffee there and watched the people using their laptops and just chatted some more.

What a great week!!! We thought they were leaving Friday, but they weren't leaving until today, Saturday. They are in Atlanta tonight for their next trade show. I woke up this morning at 9:20 and looked at my clock and thought immediately of them being on the road already. I felt such a sadness and emptiness in my heart, and I cried. We had such a wonderful week of catching up and reminiscing of years gone by, and it's just so hard to see it all end. And we never know when, or if, we will all get together again. Their daughters and families live in Arizona, and that has been their home since 1969 when they moved there from the Rochester, NY area.

I just want to tell you, Ann and Lyle, that Stosh and I both enjoyed every minute we spent with you. I am praying for a safe journey home for you! We love you guys!!! As I stated on my previous post, "Y'all come back now, ya hear?"