Mewsings, Feline and Other...

Meowy Christmas...

2011-12-25T00:01:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas from Teri and the cats of Curlz and Swirlz!

Tis the Season...

2011-12-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

A cute Christmas Jingle from the Animals of You Tube...

2011-12-16T15:33:00.000-05:00

Simple Ideas to Simplify Life...

2011-12-11T14:47:00.000-05:00

Ideas to Make Life Easier

Hull strawberries easily using a straw.

Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.

Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or computer screen with WD40.

Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box by securing with a rubber band.

Overhaul your linen cupboard, store bed linen sets inside one of their own pillowcases and there will be no more hunting through piles for a match.

Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone & iPod in a bowl. The concave shape
amplifies the music.

Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags.

Add this item to your beach bag. Baby powder gets sand off your skin easily.

Attach a Velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys.

Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the floor.

Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a stocking over the vacuum hose.

Make an instant cupcake carrier by cutting crosses into a box lid.

For those who can’t stand the scrunching and bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.

Use magnetic strips to store bobby pins, tweezers and clippers, behind a vanity door

Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty soles rubbing on your clothes. And you can find them in just about every hotel.

A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy. Magnets hold the plastic cups down to make them tip-resistant.

Bread tags make the perfect cord labels.

Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones, so much more fun and easier for kids to eat.

Microwave your own popcorn in a plain brown paper bag. Much healthier and Cheaper than the packet stuff.

Install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles.

Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough over the top and voila,
you have cookie bowls for fruit or ice-cream.

Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothing sunburn relief.

Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.

Use egg cartons to separate and store your Christmas decorations.

Happy Holidays from Bergdorf Goodman...

2011-12-10T13:12:00.003-05:00

My new Cat Bed?

2011-12-01T23:03:00.004-05:00

I have an eMac on my desk, just waiting for me to gut it and make a cat bed out of it...

then I saw this and so wish I had a techie friend who would make one for me!

eSleeper from Sam Cox on Vimeo.

Amy MacDonald...Music that makes my heart sing...

2011-11-29T22:26:00.004-05:00

I had not ever heard of Amy before, but my sister sent me a link to a cute cat video, and her music was behind the video...so I spent the next hour searching youtube for her songs...Love them!

Here's the cat video link:

http://www.dogwork.com/trkch8/

and with the German Philharmonic Orchestra...

Happy Thanksgiving...with a smile!

2011-11-24T09:26:00.001-05:00

Veteran's Day...Always Remember

2011-11-11T07:32:00.001-05:00

When I was 14 years old, my favorite uncle was shot down in Vietnam, and the missing him is as strong today as it was when I was a child.

He will always be young in my mind, playing the trombone, driving a turquoise and cream Chevrolet Bel Air and taller than any adult I had ever seen. He left behind his wife (my favorite aunt) and a son and daughter, too.

When I moved from Oregon to Virginia, one of the first things I wanted to do was visit the Vietnam Memorial and find his name and put a picture of the car he had, as I had no photos of him. The memorial is the most moving place to be, and my favorite, if that is the right word, of all the monuments I have visited, because it is so evocative...black, somber, that feeling of going underground. But also such a wonderful tribute to those who never made it back to their homes, their families, their lives ahead of them...

I had never googled his name before, but I did one Memorial Day, and this is what I found...

Name: Ralph Carol Balcom, Jr.

Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force

Date of Birth: 24 December 1933

Home City of Record: Seattle WA

Date of Loss: 15 May 1966

Country of Loss: North Vietnam (see text)

Loss Coordinates: 171200N 1064000E (XE100100)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 1

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D

Other Personnel In Incident: None Missing

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.

SYNOPSIS: Ralph Balcom Jr. was shot down over North Vietnam about 20 miles north of the Demilitarized Zone in Quang Binh Province. A radio signal indicated that Major Balcom had parachuted to the ground, but because of zero visibility at the time, search planes were not able to locate and rescue him.

Two months later a propaganda film appeared with a man Ralph's parents immediately recognized as their son being paraded down the streets of Hanoi. The U.S. Government later identified the man as a returned POW Kyle Berg, also from the state of Washington.

In November 1973, the Air Force discovered that Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) in Nakhon Phanom was carrying Balcom as a Prisoner of War while Defense Intelligence Agency carried him as Missing In Action. The Air Force directed JCRC to delete any reference pertaining to POW status in Balcom's files. Balcom's status was changed from Prisoner of War to Missing in Action, although analysts say today that JCRC records were the most accurate and complete because of their close proximity to the region.

JCRC also lists Balcom as being lost in Laos, not North Vietnam. The loss coordinates, 171200N 1064000E are in North Vietnam about 20 miles north of the DMZ. Grid coordinates XE100100 are located a few miles northwest of the Ban Karai Pass in Laos. It cannot be determined why there is a descrepancy in loss locations between agencies.

Today, over 45 years have passed since Ralph Balcom's last flight over Vietnam. His family is still not sure whether he is alive or dead. Over 10,000 reports of Americans still held captive have been received by the U.S. Isn't it time we brought these men home?

Ralph C. Balcom was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period he was maintained a Prisoner of War and Missing in Action.

To my dear uncle...I will never forget.

This is wonderful…sit back, relax and enjoy!

2011-09-17T15:35:00.003-04:00

If you can't view this movie, click on this link:

http://thebutterflycircus.com/short-film/

Nine Eleven...Tens years, millions of tears...

2011-09-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

May this memorial, as with the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial Wall, bring healing and solace to all of us. I know I will be there on my next visit to NYC...

Heaven has a new Sax player...

2011-06-19T18:10:00.001-04:00

RIP Clarence...You always gave me goosebumps...that'll never change even though you are gone...

Always Remember...Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T07:54:00.007-04:00

When I was 14 years old, my favorite uncle was shot down in Vietnam, and the missing him is as strong today as it was when I was a child.

I had never googled his name before, but I did on Memorial Day last year, and this is what I found...

Name: Ralph Carol Balcom, Jr.

Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force

Date of Birth: 24 December 1933

Home City of Record: Seattle WA

Date of Loss: 15 May 1966

Country of Loss: North Vietnam (see text)

Loss Coordinates: 171200N 1064000E (XE100100)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 1

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D

Other Personnel In Incident: None Missing

Ralph C. Balcom was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period he was maintained a Prisoner of War and Missing in Action.

To my dear uncle...I will never forget.

...The Owl & the Pussycat!

2011-05-13T21:41:00.000-04:00

The Power of Words...

2011-04-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Easter Lilies Toxic to Cats!

2011-04-18T22:09:00.001-04:00

All parts of the lily plant (leaves, petals, bulbs, even the pollen!)are considered toxic to cats and consuming even small amounts can be life threatening. Within a few hours of ingestion of the lily plant, a cat may vomit, become lethargic or develop a lack of appetite. These signs continue and worsen as kidney damage progresses. Without prompt and proper treatment by a veterinarian, the cat may develop kidney failure in 36 to72 hours.

I continue to be surprised at the number of people who do not know that the Easter Lily is one of the most toxic plants to cats, and how the plants are not labeled with warnings! This time of year, every grocery store has huge displays of Easter candy, baskets, egg decorating kits and yes, Easter Lilies...all ready to be put in the homes of unsuspecting cat owners!

There are many nice alternatives to having lilies in the house (most lilies are toxic to cats, but not seen inside homes as often). Orchids, Easter cactus and violets are options, as are lovely artificial silk lilies.

Here is a link to more info:
CLICK HERE

Abandonment...puts it in perspective

2011-04-14T14:02:00.004-04:00

Chipmunk in Slo-Mo

2011-04-03T22:36:00.001-04:00

I promise to get back to my human blog soon as my basement is in order...til then, this will make you smile!

Adopt the Internet Day at Petfinder.com!

2011-03-15T00:01:00.003-04:00

More than 320,000 pets are waiting for homes on Petfinder.com. Help Petfinder Adopt the Internet today and find forever homes for as many as possible!

One of them is Rudy, a special needs Cornish Rex, that is seeking a furrever home!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HIM!

To help the animals in Japan...

2011-03-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

For those of you on Facebook, there is a new group, Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support, that is reporting new about the animals affected by the earthquake. Animal Friends Niigata, HEART Tokushima, and Japan Cat Network are working as a team to try to get as much help to as many animals as they can. Here is a link to their page:

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support

Here is a link to their Chip In:

japanearthquakeanimalrelief.chipin.com

For those of you not on Facebook, there is a group in the USA that is posting updates, too:

Cat Galaxy

If you are looking for worldwide organizations to donate to, here are 2 recommended by PetConnection.com:

WorldVets.org

SearchDogFoundation.org

and one I donated to during the Haiti earthquake:

International Fund for Animal Welfare

My heart aches for the pets there, who depend on us to be their caretakers and advocates. One sad story posted on Japan News Network told of a petshop caught up in the flood in Sendai. It showed a kitten in a box on a table crying while the shop owner closed the sliding door on the shop saying, 'I'm closing it now in hopes it will keep more water from getting in.'

Remember the Lambada?

2011-03-05T01:04:00.006-05:00

J-Lo's new video...and the original from 1989, and another fun version, too...'d rather be on the beach, wouldn't you?

A little humor from Orygun

2011-02-26T23:51:00.000-05:00

February 22, 2007...

2011-02-22T00:01:00.013-05:00

Have four years passed? How have I survived losing you, my love? I have survived because knowing you has helped me be strong.

I have come to where I look forward to the future, from time to time, because I know you would want me to be happy to be alive.

I, like so many who knew you, say 'What would Mike do' when the going gets tough.

How can I stay in the home you and I shared? Because here, we were kind of separate people. You knew I had a laundry list of things I would like to change in you, but when I asked about me...you'd say 'Nothing worth mentioning'...

It was when we traveled and sought out French restaurants, the smallest English Pub and brought along things to make our trips 'exciting'..that is when I truly miss you, Mike. Who else, when in front of the White Hart Pub in England, would joke while I was filming it, say 'Here we are at the White Fart...

I have found a wonderful therapist (through my cats, that would make you smile) and she has helped me be happy here, to treasure what we shared...and knows I can make a life for myself, even when I don't want to move on...

and know that whatever memories I make in the future, that a part of you will be there, too. I can't sit out on my mom's deck without feeling you there; I can't make that drive back and forth to work each day without remember us doing it together, me dozing-you driving; I can't hold a kitten in my hands without thinking of you sharing that joy with me...

When I see myself now, I see me...not me and you as I assumed my future would include. Funny, part of me married you for security...and 2 months later, you lost your job...

I see the cats, and I see you with them and the friends who, even those who never met you, feel as if they have, because you are here, with me...

You bought me my dream car, a Jaguar XJS

and then we went to Coventry together; You bought your first Canali suit at Harrod's and we were at the Helston Furry Dance together...because we loved each other, we shared the good and the bad, and were stronger for it...

You said I was the best cat breeder you had ever met, still it took me many years to add your name to 'my' cattery...when we passed the 5 year mark together (as long as any of my previous relatiionships had lasted), I thought we would grow old together...

You surprised me with a trip to NYC for Christmas, and every time I visit there, you are there with me...and I am trying to make new memories of things we hadn't shared, or I wish you were there.

We made a snow cat, we traveled around the country, making a show cat, we were made for each other and others saw that in us, too...

Here is the blog page that a friend made the week that Mike died...One page speaks volumes and friends shared about the man they knew.

Mike's Memorial

Mike will always be 58 to me and as I turn 59...I think of how we all remember Marilyn Monroe as young and of that song, Forever Young...sometimes I feel old without you, Mike...

I will love you, always...I will miss you by my side always...I want you to know that, I know you knew that...

I didn't do a post on this day last year...

but did in 2009 and blogging is a journal and shows me to where I have come...

Love is What's Inside...Set it Free

2011-02-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

...They say Valentine's Day is the day for lovers. Perhaps we need to rethink what Valentine's Day is all about. Just open your heart and let the love out...you and whoever you share that part of you with will benefit from it!

Caring for Animals...Caring for People

2011-02-12T11:41:00.006-05:00

After the past few weeks, learning of some very sad stories involving animals,

Airlines, young pets and the travel conundrum

Anatomy of a sled dog massacre

...when a friend told me of this film, Buck, I went to the website and watched the trailer. I used to have horses when I was young, and was around people who mistreated them, too. But here is the story of the real Horse Whisperer, and it is uplifting to know such people do exist...

New Years Eve Wish...

2010-12-31T00:01:00.008-05:00

If this doesn't get you out of your seat, not sure what will...May your new year be full of things to get you excited!

and for something completely different, but still full of good vibe...another of my wishes for 2011 is Good Vibe!

Jolly Christmas to all my friends

2010-12-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

Count your blessings, we all have some, one of mine is blogging...To all my blogging friends...May your Christmas be Merry & your New Year bright!

5 minute of fame?

2010-12-22T11:01:00.005-05:00

The Holiday Photo Contest has started at Brighton's Yule Tide Auction! This contest runs through December 26, and all you have to do enter is to make a $5.00 donation to Brighton’s Emergency Vet Visit Fund (you can use the donate button on the kitties blog, Curlz and Swirlz) and send the photo to Gracie the cat at gracie1915 at frontier dot com. You can enter as many times as you like as long as you make a $5.00 donation per photo.

Show something that your cat (or dog or guinea pig...any of your beloved pets photos will be accepted) especially enjoys doing during the holiday time. Real photos or photo shopped photos will be accepted.

The winner will be announced New Year’s Eve and they will receive a $20.00 prize picked out by Gracie the cat (that's her in the photo above). Help make this a successful photo contest, and help Brighton out, too...Tell all of your friends about it.

Here's a link to more info:

http://furriendsofcb.blogspot.com/

Wishing you the Joyful Fun of the Season..

2010-12-16T10:17:00.003-05:00

Budweiser Commercial "Snowball Fight"

Tis the Season...Simon's Cat!

2010-12-12T17:03:00.000-05:00

Brighton's Yule Tide Auction...

2010-12-04T15:16:00.010-05:00

The Cat Blogosphere is having an auction to help me cover some of the vet expenses I had when Brighton was hospitalized for a urinary blockage in June. Whether you pitch in $1 or bid on a knick knack you don't really need...at least you know who your donation is going to...

The Furriends of the Cat Blogosphere hold at least one auction every month, and I like donating and picking up little things here and there like at TJ Maxx or even The Dollar Store, and saving them up for a future auction.

I am gathering things to donate to my Brighton's auction, too...especially as my therapist is having me 'simplify and only keep things that are useful or have sentimental meaning to me. I have been having GoodDonor.org make pick ups on things about twice a month the past few months, so I am making headway...

Here's a link for more info, and be sure to visit again after the auction starts, or if you think you might have an item you'd like to donate to his auction.

http://furriendsofcb.blogspot.com

City Danger for Dogs...

2010-11-30T22:04:00.002-05:00

Did you know your dog could be electrocuted by metal panels on sidewalks?

Lisa McKibbin had her dog Sammy out for a walk in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood on Thanksgiving when Sammy stepped on an electric plate near a Seattle City Light lamp post. Lisa McKibbin had never heard of the term “contact voltage” until her German shorthair pointer was electrocuted Thanksgiving Day.

“We were doing our daily walk,” she says about Sammy, the 6-year-old, 68-pound dog. Then he just started screeching and yelping in pain. I thought he had stepped on something sharp. Then he just started convulsing and collapsed. I reached out to help him, and he was in so much pain that he bit my thumb. I was screaming, ‘Somebody help me! Oh, my God, I don’t know what’s happening with my dog!’

A man performed CPR on the dog’s chest, says McKibbin, and someone else opened Sammy’s mouth to try and help. There was enough electricity still in Sammy that the person got a shock from inside the dog’s mouth. The same thing happened to McKibbin. “It was a good shock, like when you plug something into the wall and you get jolted,” she says.

McKibbin has started a blog SAMMY'S BIG HEART and has posted photos of Sammy and written, “He was my best friend, my soul mate.”

If posting this can help save another pet or a child...please visits Sammy's page and learn more about this and what to watch for as you are out walking your dog.

Busboy in iconic RFK assassination photo pays his respects, 42 years later

2010-11-21T15:11:00.003-05:00

Photo: Busboy Juan Romero, 17, kneels by mortally wounded presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel on June 5, 1968. Credit: Boris Yaro / Los Angeles Times

Read full story here:

Busboy in iconic RFK assassination photo pays his respects, 42 years later

Always Remember...Veteran's Day 2010

2010-11-11T10:25:00.011-05:00

When I was 14 years old, my favorite uncle was shot down in Vietnam, and the missing him is as strong today as it was when I was a child.

He will always be young in my mind, playing the trombone, driving a turquoise and cream Chevrolet Bel Air and taller than any adult I had ever seen. He left behind his wife (my favorite aunt) and a son and daughter, too.

When I moved from Oregon to Virginia, one of the first things I wanted to do was visit the Vietnam Memorial and find his name and put a picture of the car he had, as I had no photos of him. The memorial is the most moving place to be, and my favorite, if that is the right word, of all the monuments I have visited, because it is so evocative...black, somber, that feeling of going underground. But also such a wonderful tribute to those who never made it back to their homes, their families, their lives ahead of them...

I had never googled his name before, but I did on Memorial Day last year, and this is what I found...

Name: Ralph Carol Balcom, Jr.
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Date of Birth: 24 December 1933
Home City of Record: Seattle WA
Date of Loss: 15 May 1966
Country of Loss: North Vietnam (see text)
Loss Coordinates: 171200N 1064000E (XE100100)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 1
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D
Other Personnel In Incident: None Missing

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.

SYNOPSIS: Ralph Balcom Jr. was shot down over North Vietnam about 20 miles north of the Demilitarized Zone in Quang Binh Province. A radio signal indicated that Major Balcom had parachuted to the ground, but because of zero visibility at the time, search planes were not able to locate and rescue him.

Two months later a propaganda film appeared with a man Ralph's parents immediately recognized as their son being paraded down the streets of Hanoi. The U.S. Government later identified the man as a returned POW Kyle Berg, also from the state of Washington.

In November 1973, the Air Force discovered that Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) in Nakhon Phanom was carrying Balcom as a Prisoner of War while Defense Intelligence Agency carried him as Missing In Action. The Air Force directed JCRC to delete any reference pertaining to POW status in Balcom's files. Balcom's status was changed from Prisoner of War to Missing in Action, although analysts say today that JCRC records were the most accurate and complete because of their close proximity to the region.

JCRC also lists Balcom as being lost in Laos, not North Vietnam. The loss coordinates, 171200N 1064000E are in North Vietnam about 20 miles north of the DMZ. Grid coordinates XE100100 are located a few miles northwest of the Ban Karai Pass in Laos. It cannot be determined why there is a descrepancy in loss locations between agencies.

Today, over 44 years have passed since Ralph Balcom's last flight over Vietnam. His family is still not sure whether he is alive or dead. Over 10,000 reports of Americans still held captive have been received by the U.S. Isn't it time we brought these men home?

Ralph C. Balcom was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period he was maintained a Prisoner of War and Missing in Action.

To my dear uncle...I will never forget.

Cheerleaders for a Cure...

2010-11-09T07:50:00.004-05:00

The Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, teaming up with over 130 NFL Alumni Philadelphia Chapter Cheerleaders and UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania, invite the world to help "Team Ra-Ras Kick Breast Cancer."

To encourage viewers to share the video with others and increase breast cancer awareness, UnitedHealthcare will donate ten cents ($.10) per view to The Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure up to a maximum donation of $100,000.

Their goal is to get a million hits, which will lead to $100K raised. Please can you take a moment to watch the video – and, just as important, pass this link onto your network of friends, family and colleagues? It benefits a very important cause!

www.KomenPhiladelphia.org/Video

Something to smile about

2010-10-03T19:40:00.004-04:00

Found this video link on ModernCat.org and smiled:

and I found this on another blog I follow, UNDER THE PAW

Winnie's Wish

2010-09-22T15:19:00.012-04:00

If you or someone you know would like to adopt a kitty in need (after all, this IS Petfinder's 'Adopt A-Less-Adoptable-Pet' week) or can find a way to make a small donation, even $2 helps (I make a couple of $2 donations to help cats in need each month and skip a Caramel Macchiato) then this 'campaign' is something that is worth looking into...

Winnie's Wish

""To the world you may be one person, but to one cat you may be the world.""

...Memorial Day?

2010-08-22T16:33:00.037-04:00

Well, here it is almost Labor Day and I never got around to posting the photos I took while I was in Oregon over Memorial Day, helping celebrate my mom's 80th birthday...the trouble when you only post once every 3 months, posts turn into chapters, and not everyone has time to read a book!

My mom in her garden

Some of my procrastinating may be due to the fact that she and my sister got into a an argument over a dessert, complete with expletives on the part of both parties 'better halves' and well...to me it kind of felt like what it would be like if one was too close to a hand grenade going off (the term 'shell shock' comes to mind), or maybe it was a 'stink bomb'!

This happened on Day 3 of my 5 day visit, so it was difficult for me to get past that, still is... as they aren't speaking even now and they live in the same town. I have tried to talk to both of them and my mom just says 'if that's how she wants it' and my sister says 'I can't go back into that house and pretend that didn't happen'.

My sister thinks her husbands outbursts were 'great' and my mom thinks the more 'mature' couple did nothing inappropriate either. My therapist says neither one will get past this without therapy and change. And I don't see that happening...sigh. I came across a quote on a thought-filled blog I follow and wish everyone involved in the arguement had thought of them before they spoke..."Before you speak, ask yourself: is it kind, is it true, is it necessary, does it improve upon the silence?" - Shirdi Sai Baba.

But in spite of that, I enjoyed 99% of my time with family. Had a day at Aveda Day Spa with my mom (only the 3rd time I have ever had a facial and I would have to say that given the choice of a massage or a facial...hands down the face wins! My mom went off to her room with the pierced, purple haired girl and me with the one I think my mom would have preferred (she isn't 'comfortable' with such things) and I thought about asking to switch so my mom would enjoy herself more, but wasn't sure if that would be in bad taste...

We both enjoyed ourselves (in fact it felt like my birthday instead of hers). We went to lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant and amazingly, the same bartender was there that worked there when Mike and I used to dine and dance there. He didn't recognize me til I spoke, but then it was all hugs and picture taking and sadness too, as he didn't know Mike had died in 2007. But seeing Jorge sure helped make that day a real pleasure.

(Jorge and me--he said he has grey hair, too)

My mom lives in a lovely home, right on the Rogue River and the smell of the pines, the sound of the riffles and the call of the osprey nesting in a snag on their property felt like 'vacation paradise' She has kind of a wild garden with lots of perennials in the yard, which made for some nice photos, too.

Made for an opportunity to get bitten by a deer tick, too, so when I got back home, I went to the doctors and got on Doxycycline right away. Although the Lyme test did come back negative, I just wasn't sure if the tick had been embedded 36 hours or not (it wasn't there Thursday morning but was on Friday). I have enough aches and pains without wondering if I have Lyme's disease, too.

One night, before all the relatives arrived, we had a great meal at TapRock, right on the river and I had the best potato pancakes ever~~with bacon from some special place in Montana! Here's some photos of the restaurant sidewalk and front door! And a link to their mouthwatering menu.

TAPROCK NORTHWEST GRILL MENU

Sunday was the day of the big party--a catered Greek meal that was superb! Lots and lots of food, at least 30 family members gathered (minus my sister's husband, but my sister was there, but there was a heavy silence towards her from the other parties to the aforementioned argument). I am sure I wasn't the only one more than a little uncomfortable with that, but we all pushed it aside in honor of the reason for the party--mom's birthday. It had rained for most of my time there, but on the day of the party, it was sunny and cool, and really nice being outside as there was a breeze that must have blown the mosquitos away! Nice!

Family gatherings can sometimes be stressful...more than one movie has been made about what can go wrong when families 'speak their mind' but usually they are comedic, probably because we can walk away and say 'Wow, glad I wasn't there for that!' or 'You can pick your friends, but not your family'...

In spite of everything though, it was good to see some cousins and nieces and nephews and brothers and aunts I hadn't seen in years, and to say our goodbyes with 'Let's not let so much time pass before we see one another again'...but for me, maybe on a more one-on-one vacation next time...

And, those of you who follow my 'Cat's Blog' know I arrived home to one of my kitties seriously ill with a urinary blockage, something that can come on suddenly. So instead of arriving home at 1 a.m. and hoping for a few hours sleep before work the next day, I spent what was left of the night/morning in the emergency hospital with him...but he pulled through with great vet care and so far, no sign of reoccurrence. I have changed his diet and he is on some 'nutriceuticals' to help reduce inflammation, as it was most likely caused by FIC, the feline form of Interstitial Cystitis.

The kittens born in January all went off to their new homes months ago, and I have 2 little girl kittens born 5 weeks ago (they are promised to a family who are taking both of them...that'll be fun!) and am on baby (yes, just one expected) watch right now as my other 'momcat' is expecting today. I have 3 people waiting for that one kitten, so tough decisions ahead.

And I have been busy working on getting that albatross of a basement whipped back into shape and had a friend over a few weeks ago to jump start me (moral support!) and while she worked on cleaning up my computer and TiVo, I cleaned up piles. My therapist said to 'Handle something once' don't move it from pile to pile. She also said my issues with cleaning up my basement were coloring my whole life, kind of preventing me from 'moving on'.

It's true--I told myself I can't have people over (because my basement's in a mess), and I can't go into DC and go to a museum (because I should be working on my basement) and what could be a nice place to spend some time was like a dungeon for me in a way.

So, I am feeling better about (myself) now and have been doing some gardening. My grandparents would be happy to know that some of the money they left me is going to pretty blue birdbaths, perennials that I hope come back every year, and a prettier front and backyard for me to look out on...

Life is worth living, when you can hear music like this...

2010-08-20T21:55:00.001-04:00

The Fur Trade

2010-08-14T22:04:00.005-04:00

This takes some courage to watch, but may it help even just one of the helpless...

THE WITNESS

TRIBE OF HEART: THE ART OF PEACEFUL TRANSFORMATION

Happy Indepurrdence Day!

2010-07-04T10:41:00.003-04:00

Purrs and Prayers needed..

2010-06-01T23:34:00.005-04:00

I am not sure how many of you follow my 'cats' blog too, but one of my cats is in Intensive Care with Urinary Tract Disease and I am so worried...

Click Here For News and Updates

April showers bring May flowers...

2010-05-02T18:39:00.027-04:00

I was outside in the garden last two weekends, the A/C went on for the first time this year when it got up to 92, and the cats were just lounging around. Then last weekend it was in the 60's and windy but still nice to be outside. Today...50 and rainy.

This is one of my many "garden cats" since my cats don't go outside, there are lots of cat statues in the garden to make it "furrendly"...

I like shopping at this place called Marshall's and always find unusual garden cats to "adopt", real cheap, as well as wind chimes, cute birdhouses and garden tools. In the past couple of weeks, with the weather finally warming up, just like so many others, I visited a couple of nurseries and came away with over $150 worth of plants, that I hope will survive my brown thumb and the first load of paving stones to enlarge the patio off the walk-out basement (yes, that one I am finally cleaning up!)

I mean, who can't grow Hostas--they multiply and people give them away! You guessed it...Me! But I bought some replacements, some more bush roses, a bleeding heart (because I keep seeing them on Cris's header Cris, Artist in Oregon and love them) and a couple of columbines and a few nasturtiums, mint (for Mojitos) and catnip (for the cats, silly!)

I came into a little inheritance from my grandparents and was talking to my therapist about wanting to fix up my backyard a little bit and she said "If it will give you pleasure to look out on it and enjoy it more...then by all means, set a little aside and do it! I should get a nursery to come out and give me a "free consultation and estimate" and see what it would run to enlarge the patio area at least, though I think my wish to have it terraced and rock retaining walls might just use up all of the money I received.

Then I was over at my petsitters Friday, watching Avatar and drinking Mojitos, and gobbling down S'Mores (which we did quite a few times last summer--making S'Mores out on their patio). They showed me the new patio they just put down, in one day, so they offered to help me with mine! They are good friends (helped me big time during my flood in 2008) and so together we'll get it done! I even found a pretty cafe' table and chairs for the patio, although someone mentioned a hammock and that sounds very relaxing!

I had a wonderful time at the Pet Blogging conference, as my multiple posts on my cats blog will attest, and am so glad I went. When everyone sees the photos of me, they say I look so happy, and in my element and yes, it was good to see those pictures of me with a big smile...I still don't seem to do enough of that!

I finally joined NetFlix, since Blockbuster changed their rental policy and have a queue of about 20 movies I want to see, and will look for more and arrange them in some kind of order of what I want to watch first. That's kind of hard for me, as I never know what kind of mood I'll be in, but I'm sure I'll get the knack of it down before long and just be happy with whatever arrives next...

My therapy is going well, I've started working on my basement and I'm feeling like my "down" times are manageable and I let them happen, contemplate my feelings and then they pass. That happened when I was gardening last weekend. At the end of the day, I was hot and tired and not done yet and I sat on my porch steps and just deflated--thought why am I doing this? No one to share it with! And still more work to do, why?!

I thought of the email I had just gotten from my mom, who just celebrated her 80th birthday, where she said 'I am weeding my rockery beds and not enjoying it. I wish I liked gardening more! Whenever it's time to weed the place, I think it would be a great idea to move into an apartment! I am ready to harvest my Grape Hyacinths and will save some seeds for you. The plants really multiply and they are so pretty. My irises are finally doing well this year, after years of not producing blooms.'

So we all think those 'downer' thoughts from time to time, and as long as they aren't too long and too often, and give us pause to consider and learn from them, all in all, life is good. And like my mom's thoughts, that end with joy at the iris blooms and sharing seeds with her daughter, reflection often shows us where happiness lies.

I always enjoy reading Six Senses Sunday on m. hearts blog Secret Notebooks, Wild Pages, because it makes me think and be mindful, and I love the 'I love that, too' feeling I get when I read her thoughts, and all I have to do is read an post from Patti Dighs blog, 37 Days, and it shows me a different way to look at the life I have..."always rent the red convertible". Go to her blog, you will understand :-)

The iPad--a new cat toy?

2010-04-16T14:58:00.004-04:00

I know, this is not my cat blog...but all week I have been busy posting on CURLZ AND SWIRLZ about BlogPaws, the inspiring pet blogging conference I attended in Ohio last weekend. Please visit my "other" blog to be inspired, too!

But I happened upon this video today and just had to tell someone about it, so it's you followers!

and just after i watched that YouTube video, a friend sent me this one...inspiring!

and if you'd like to "Lend a Paw to Help Hospice Patients Keep Their Pets"
click here LEND A PAW

Strange sounds in the night

2010-04-05T21:33:00.006-04:00

photo: kids.nationalgeographic.com

It got up to 82 today and so when I got home, I opened up all the windows and turned on the ceiling fans and it felt warm and almost tropical in the house (nice til I want to sleep...) and the peepers were serenading...

And then, this sound, like a bird? A fox in heat? Or something trapped and succumbing, across the lake, in the dark...Unsettling if you were a creature outside, and being safe inside...

I just wondered "What the hell is it?"

Animal Wednesday?

2010-03-31T00:01:00.001-04:00

I found this video on a fellow cat bloggers blog and just had to share it! Click on the words below to watch the video!

The White Deer of Wisconsin

...to pass the time

2010-03-28T15:22:00.015-04:00

Yes, it's been almost 6 weeks since I posted a 'human' update, so much going on in my head and life that I know that I can't remember all the details...mostly good things, good therapist, good that winter is almost gone, good that the kittens are all happy and healthy.

In a couple of weeks, I will be heading off to BlogPaws --a pet bloggers convention, with a blogger from DC who I "follow" and it will be something fun, still cat oriented, but not like cat shows in the level of stress and unfriendly exhibitors! Carol, of Meir Cats, Chats & Fiber is a fellow cat lover, and so much more! We have chatted and met and I am sure we won't run out of things to talk about on our 8 hour drive up to Columbus! In fact, we might have to feign napping just to hear quiet!

We both love good beer and German food, both are nearby the hotel in Columbus, so once we get settled into the hotel, we may be able to walk where ever we wish to go. The hotel has quite a history itself, and I'm looking forward to staying there. We are both taking cats with us, of course we are, we are getting adjoining rooms to make socializing easy and we are hoping to come away with lots of info and new friendships.

When I retire, I would like to blog more, on a more health and behavior oriented cat blog and some of what I can learn at this conference would be helpful in learning how to 'market' myself and about blogging do's and don'ts, but mostly I am just looking forward to being around like-minded people and learning from the experience, sort of like any ArtFest Art Fest 2010 or Concours d' Elegance Pebble Beach Concours . Not quite like a retreat at Kripalu KRIPALU, RETREAT & RENEWAL but still a step into something new with a feel of familiarity...

Therapy is helping...I am feeling a lot more positive, though nothing tangible has changed in my life! At the recommendation of m. heart at SECRET NOTEBOOKS... , I bought some chanting CD's and a lavender eye pillow and am finding time to enjoy both. On the way to work the other day, I was listening to the Diane Rehm show on NPR and was filled with thought at the writer Lisa Millers interview. I got to work and looked up her book, and might pick up the CD for the trip to Columbus. You can listen to her interview here

DIANE REHM SHOW--LISA MILLER

Two things I heard have stuck with me. One is that heaven is here on earth, in things like hugging your child, and the other meant a lot to me as I am not a member of "organized religion" but feel my faith is "Do unto others"...and while I may fall from the path from time to time. a "heaven" awaits those of any faith who can live by a similar belief, whether that heaven is the bliss you get when you do something nice for someone else or contentment in how you perceive an afterlife.

I am not sure I really said all that I feel there, but I think of those things when I get down, and it helps me put things into perspective, a more positive one, on the road to enlightenment...

Photo from Flickr user Pearbiter

Work is a bit stressful still, but again, it's all in perception and these changes could bring about a whole new year of good things, and it seems the team is pulling together to try and make that happen...that wouldn't have been possible a few months ago, I truly believe that.

The economy is finally affecting the hospital, and we are letting the newest employee go, but what we have left is going to be a team that is going to work at improving themselves and therefore, the practice, and the good things brought about because of communication is going to play a bit part in that...no one likes being kept in the dark and you know what "assuming" does...

Another positive thing, my kittens are doing well, all promised to wonderful homes and my kitty with the behavior issue (urine marking) seems happier and has only marked a couple of times in the past 3 months. I am not sure how many follow my cat blog too, but last year I had more health problems than I had ever had, with upper respiratory viruses, and it was very disheartening.

But a friend said, "Don't give up breeding the cats you love, until you know if that is what is making you unhappy"...wise words, my therapist said. And this year, all is well and I am not ready to give up something I love...yet. And they can make me smile like nothing else, as is evident in this video...

Well, because I don't post often, I am now running out of steam, but have had a good day, finishing a few tasks and can put away the sewing machine that's been sitting there reminding me for months to make pillowcases for the smaller than standard size memory foam pillows I bought at IKEA, rearranged some bookcases to look more like this:

photo by William Waldron

and I am thinking of dinner (Trader Joe's Tarte aux Champignons) Tarte'

a movie (Precious)

and clean sheets on the bed, and sleeping (or trying to) with all the cats tonight.

Sweet Dreams...

Nani's a Winner!

2010-02-26T11:06:00.001-05:00

A Big Thank You to all my CB, Catster and Facebook friends for voting Nani "Best Cat Photo" of the week on PhotoWow.com. We won a super 4 panel Pop Art print valued at $300 and we are purring with joy! What a wonderful way to honor such a sweet kitty and as soon as it arrives, I'll take a photo of it and post it for all her "fans" to see!

This is the photo they used to do the Pop Art print:

And this is a Pop Art print by an artist I found on MySpace:

Digital art by WiLLiAm PoP ARTiST®

Help Nani win a photo contest, pleeze!

2010-02-17T22:47:00.002-05:00

We would like to ask all our blogging friends to help Nani win a photo contest!

Sweet Nani recently became a Angel cat, when at the age of 14 her severe heart problem which was diagnosed when she was only a year old took her from us suddenly, but we have sweet memories of her and lots of photos!

The photo we entered in the contest at Photowow.com is same one of her wearing the pink wig (that is also my avatar photo). We think Nani looks a little like Barbra Streisand in the photo and we are hoping she wins this weeks contest, which runs from Wednesday February 17th at 1:00pm PST and ends Tuesday February 23rd at 1:00pm PST.

You can only vote once from the same computer so if you have multiple computers, Smart Phones etc...just like when all our furrends helped Coco become Cat President in a last minute landslide vote, you could honor Nani's memory and help her win The Best Pet Photo Contest this week and we would win a beautiful digital art painting of her!

Here's the link to vote
http://www.photowow.com/contest/index.aspx
You have to vote for each pet photo to be able to move to the next one, and give Nani a "10" and we'd be furry grateful!

Thanks!

Snow Days Staycation...

2010-02-14T15:03:00.012-05:00

Well, today is my last day of "Staycation" and while I groused about shoveling snow, I enjoyed sleeping in, painting my bathroom vanity, relining the shelves, tossing out some makeup and stuff I've not used in a while, playing with the kittens and watching movies (my favorites for the week were The Notebook, and The Grocers Son). And while I'll have to take some vacation time to make up for my lost hours at work...it's been a nice stay-at-home time for me.

Friends (my petsitters) came by today with Valentine and birthday cards and presents--a Valentine brownie from Julia Childs Cookbood, Coconut and Lemongrass bath gel and lotion and Firefly Raspberry and Peach infused vodka minis, so I know what my beverage will be tonight, as well as dessert! I may just have to have a second shower today, just to enjoy the scents!

I took lots of photos this week and before I head back to work tomorrow, thought I'd better post some of them...you can click on them to biggify.

Bird House

2010-02-11T13:45:00.002-05:00

Til I get around to downloading my snow pix...here's a cute commercial about...a bird house!

Hungry birdies flock to my feeders...

2010-02-06T20:17:00.009-05:00

except when I try to take a picture...

How much snow did we have...not sure, around 20 inches by my inaccurate tape measuring, up past the wheels on the cars, no snow shoveling for me today, but I will have a go at it tomorrow.

We'll see if the snowplows come by and even if they do, I'm still not sure I could make it up my hill to head out to work on Monday...time will tell.

But, here's the snowy scene out my guest bedroom window this morning...I ran out of the seed mix I usually like to feed, but did have lots of suet cakes on hand and the birds are grateful for the bag of backup seed I had in case of emergency. You can hear them tweeting "Thanks!" and I'm sure some birder can tell me what the pretty blue bird in the first photo is ( it's rust and white chest is hidden in this photo).

Falling Whistles

2010-02-06T00:01:00.003-05:00

I learned of this on my nieces blog, HOT ON A DIME.

FALLING WHISTLES is a grassroots group helping fight for peace in Congo, especially for the children. You can read more about them at their website. A truly incredible cause.

What’s really great is the way they are raising money. They are selling these whistles and all of the proceeds go to help fight for their cause, and they are a great conversation piece. They range from $30-$100 based on the finish. What a cool idea right?!

Coats for Cubs

2010-02-05T16:33:00.011-05:00

Well, the snow storm of the decade is about to unleash it's fluffy white stuff on us, and me and the kitties are snug inside, lots of movies to watch and a few honey-do's to do (I'm the honey) and my newest "snowball" cocktail, a gin gimlet, and a post I found on a fellow bloggers blog, Mimi at LOVING FOR A LIVING couldn't have come at a better time---we all need to be snug and warm!

By Sue Manning The Associated Press / February 3, 2010

Got a fur coat gathering dust? The Humane Society suggests the ultimate recycling — putting it on the backs of other animals.

The Coats for Cubs program by the Humane Society of the United States helps orphaned, injured, or sick wildlife by gathering fur coats and using them for nests, bedding, or cuddly replacements for mom and dad. In 2009, 2,687 fur items were donated.

"We use the discarded furs as bedding to give the animals comfort and reduce stress," says Michael Markarian, the agency's chief operating officer in Washington, D.C. "The fur garments act as a surrogate mother. It is a warm and furry substitute."

The coats go to wildlife rehabilitation centers that take in baby raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, coyotes, skunks, and other animals, and has helped thousands of animals since it began in 2005 with the Fund for Animals.

Mr. Markarian says many of the coats are donated by people who find fur to be inhumane — whether the animals are trapped in steel-jawed traps or raised on factory farms. For those who have fur and no longer want to wear it, "This is a great way for them to give back to the animals," he says.

Amber Ginter, 13, from Kingston, Ohio, spent last summer collecting fur coats as part of a community project affiliated with the Humane Society. She put a box in her church, wrote a letter describing the project in the church bulletin and collected 30 coats in two months, she says.

"It was kind of sad to see all the furs because you know they had to kill the animals to get them," says Amber, who wants to be a veterinarian or zoologist when she grows up.

The Florida Wildlife Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has used coats for wildlife babies in the past, but employees and volunteers had to scrounge for donations, twist arms, or scour garage sales and thrift stores. After becoming a Humane Society affiliate last June, the center got three boxes full of furs and are well stocked for baby season.

"It's a remarkable, generous way to make good of a tragic beginning. I know young people are involved in this effort. Bravo for understanding this better than adults and for seeing a positive way to help other animals," says Sherry Schlueter, managing director at the Florida Wildlife Center in Fort Lauderdale.

The center houses what they believe is the largest wildlife trauma center in the United States, Ms. Schlueter says. Of the 12,000 animals cared for in 2009, just over 1,900 were orphaned babies, including about 1,000 gray squirrels, Virginia opossums, and raccoons — those most likely to benefit from the furs.

The center is expecting at least 1,000 additional baby animals in 2010 because a nearby wildlife rehab center closed last year.

The coats are always needed, but they are especially welcome in one of the worst winters in memory, says Erica Yery, president of the Wild Bunch Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Alexandria, Virginia. Most of the baby animals she has now are raccoons who are making good use of the coats.

"They go in and snuggle up. Of course, they might tear it to shreds after a while," she says. But she knows they like the fur — if they didn't "they would just throw it out. They wouldn't keep in it their nesting box." The coats are great, but caps and hats are even better, she says, because she doesn't have to cut them and they are already rounded like nests.

The current Coats for Cubs coat drive technically ends on Earth Day, April 22, 2010 but the Humane Society will accept coats any time of the year, Markarian says. Donations can be shipped to the group or turned in to any Buffalo Exchange, which has stores or franchises in 14 states.

What Kind of Furs do People Donate?

The boxes of fur shipped out to wildlife rehabilitators contain common types of fur like mink, fox, rabbit, and raccoon. Occasionally we receive rarer types of fur, such as lynx and seal fur. The strangest coat of all was a vintage monkey fur coat, now fortunately illegal under CITES. The donations range from full length fur coats to accessories such as stoles, capes, hats, and handbags, and fur trimmed items such as gloves and jackets.

How Do I Donate?

The HSUS is partnering with BUFFALO EXCHANGE , a vintage clothing chain with 25 stores across the country, to collect all kinds of fur, including coats, trim, and accessories. Now through Earth Day, April 22, 2010, you can bring your fur to any Buffalo Exchange store and let the staff know it is a donation for The HSUS. For a list of store locations, CLICK HERE

How Will I Know That The HSUS Has Received My Donation?

If you want to receive a letter of thanks, please include a note inside the box stating your email address or your mailing address requesting an acknowledgment. If you've requested an acknowledgment, you will be sent a letter of thanks 2-3 weeks after the fur has arrived. Please save this letter if you want to claim a tax deduction.

What Do I Need to Do If I Want to Claim a Tax Deduction?

If you itemize deductions, you can claim the fair market value of your donation. The fair market value is the amount for which you could sell the fur today—not how much it cost to purchase the fur. This is a judgment call that you will have to make, based on the condition and type of the fur. If you value the fur at $5,000 or more, the Internal Revenue Service will require a "Qualified Appraisal." You must have this appraisal performed before you donate the fur. You may need to include the letter of receipt from The HSUS in your tax returns. If you have any questions, you may want to consult your tax attorney.

To claim a tax deduction for your gift, please mail it directly to The HSUS. Simply pack up the fur in a sturdy box and send it to:

The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L. St. NW
Washington, DC 20037
attn: Coats for Cubs

Please make sure to include your full name and address so The HSUS can mail you a letter suitable for claiming a tax deduction. For more information on the program and claiming a tax deduction, click here CLICK HERE

I Am a Wildlife Rehabilitator—How Can I Participate?

As more people hear about this wonderful way to aid wildlife, fur donations to The HSUS increase. We are always looking for wildlife rehabilitators who will give the fur back to the animals. If you would like to help, just send an e-mail to furfree@hsus.org, call 301–258-1490, or write the above address.

More Snow Days...

2010-02-03T20:44:00.033-05:00

Ok, do any of you remember that about 6 weeks ago...I was on vacation? Finally, I am getting around to posting notes and photos about my Christmas in Oregon...and you will have to bear with me if you read on, as I am under the influence of a "Snowball Martini"... mine was with Ketel One Citroen Vodka, a splash of Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth and a huge snowball...garnished with lemon zest.

Ok, last things first..

I read today, on a fellow bloggers blog,

THE COSMOLOGY OF REYA

about the very seasonal Vodka Snow Martinis that she and some friends concocted, and it led to a trip to the ABC store (those in other states may not know about the "package" stores that law requires in some states) and to Safeway to get a lemon (forgot the zester, though).

I have had 4 sessions with my therapist, and already my boss says she sees a positive change in me. With my therapists help, I have come to the realization that being a "veterinary nurse " is my calling, not only at work, but in my "private" life, too and that affects my interpretation of others behavior. It also may explain why sometimes I feel like I don't have any "down time". She told me of a quote from Confucious, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life" and that explained a lot to me, too.

While I may work with people who do not want to make this their career, realizing this helps me look at things that stress me out from a different perspective, and that actually lessens my stress by about 80%...really. I have a friend who is an palliative care nurse and those words have already helped her look at her stressors differently.

My boss said she sees, on a scale of 1 to 10, an 8 in terms of my "happiness factor" at work; my therapist says if I only have 3 things on my list of aggravating experiences during a week, that something good is happening, and while I never seem to get as much accomplished during a day that I hope for...I am happier! Am I ready to marry myself...not yet.

Anyway, back to Oregon vacation-time, December 21 thru January 1. I had a hell of a time getting out of town. The DC Metro area had it's first big snowfall of the season, 22" and when I called to reserve a taxi for the ride to the airport Monday morning, I got told, 3 X, that they weren't taking fares until noon, or to call back 2 hours before I needed to leave home!

Once again, friends came to my rescue! My petsitters husband drove me to another friends (90 minute round trip) late Sunday night, where I spent the night on an aerobed, she made me dinner, as I hadn't eaten since I had been shoveling snow all day in hopes that I could make it up the hill and out of my housing development--that didn't happen!

I shoveled 2 days, nary a snowplow in sight, took a Tramadol and 3 Advil that night so I wouldn't be "stove up" on the aeroplane the next day and a cabbie friend of hers (from Minnesota--the land of big snows!) drove me to the airport Monday morning, where I got out of town but then managed to get stranded in San Francisco for 7 hours and considered myself fortunate as it was obvious that many people had spent the night, maybe many nights, there waiting for a connecting flight!

But I arrrived in Orygun about 10pm Monday night and had a nice 2 weeks there and somehow, problems at the beginning of a vacation are better than at the end...

I so wished I would have had about a month off, so I could have met fellow bloggers,
CRIS, ARTIST IN OREGON
and Cory and his family at
CORY CAT BLOG
but you probably know how one kind of lets family commandeer your time when you are with them, so I didn't get in visits with them, but maybe on my next visit I can try again.

I did enjoy my visit though...got at least a full 8 hours of sleep in (something I only get at home, on the weekends) and got to play on the computer a lot, though I overheard my mom saying "Well, I don't want an 80th birthday party if all she is going to do is be on the computer"...sigh. My therapist said, wouldn't it have been nice if my mom could have come to me and said "I have so been looking forward to your visit, and it seems like I don't see enough of you" and if I could have said "Mom, I overheard you saying that you aren't seeing enough of me, let's go shopping or out to eat or for a walk..." Yep, that would have been nice, but as it was, we both ended up miffed at each other...

I shopped, mom fixed some of my favorite things-Portuguese Piri Piri chicken and cheesecake. I took out a few bottles of Casal Garcia Vino Verde, my mom's favorite Portuguese wine. We ate out often, breakfast and lunch and dinner...one experience out of this world at Aja, a superb Pan-Asian Restaurant owned by a couple who met in Hawaii while working in a restaurant there, AJA (Named after a Steely Dan Album...).

Kudos to you who know what a Steely Dan is...that was one of the trivia questions at Mike and I's wedding fest, including what was the original name of the band, Buffalo Springfield?

I thought maybe when I got back home, that I would feel that post-vacation depression, but that didn't happen and I think it is because I have a whole year ahead of me to "make things right" for me and that's an adventure...that is how I explained it to my therapist...

And for you that follow my other blog (my cats blog)
CURLZ AND SWIRLZ, LIFE WITH CORNISH REX CATS
you know that there are new kittens to keep me entertained and that feels right, too. Before they arrived, I found myself thinking I wasn't too excited about their arrival, but realized that those feelings were due to some of the health issues the last litter had--upper respiratory infection in a kitten I had sold that infected the whole cat family of this wonderful couple who already have one cat from me.

The kittens are a week old now and doing great and if you'd like to see photos...
WARM KITTEN WEDNESDAY

Here's some of my vacation photos, for your viewing pleasure...

Photo for Mom (the bird silhouette on the window behind me is so birds don't fly into the window)

Me in front of one of my favorite shopsMy mom's cat, Bella, sheltered from the rain
Me, at the Grants Pass Grange Co-Op
Fog and Rain..almost every day I was there, I love what it does to the mountains, all layers of clouds and mist...
After Christmas Feast clean up, courtesy of Iona
Sugar Plums, my contribution to the Seasonal Feast...that and Mojitos!
Birdhouse in the Pines...
Christmas Tree lights, taken with the "Fireworks" setting on my camera...thanks, Larry! LARRY'S PHOTO A DAY
My sis and her hubby...have another Mojito!
Bella, under the tree

Is it cold where you are?

2010-01-02T15:14:00.005-05:00

It's 27 F outside at 3:15pm; supposed to get down to 19 F tonight. I just got in, from two rainy but lovely weeks in Oregon (I'll post pix soon), to my Heat Pump on the fritz! But after a visit from the happy repairman, finding it was a bad breaker, even though my wallet is lighter, it's better than the flood I arrived home to after my last Oregon vacation in 2008!

So, as my house gradually warms up (from 52 to now 62 in 2 hours, soon I will be warm and toasty again (as long as I don't go outside!). But I found this video on another friends blog, 60 GOING ON 16, and well, if you want some more warmth...just watch this!

Merry Christmas to All!

2009-12-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

Get One At - Friendster Comments

Christmas Time's a' Comin'

2009-12-24T00:01:00.003-05:00

and here's a bit of holiday silliness...

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

If you're wondering where I am, I'm taking the photo, of course!

Wishing you and yours, the very Merriest Christmas and a New Year filled with lots to Purr about!

Warmfelines, Teri and Disco and Brighton and Kiki and Coco (and Sammy, too...there's always someone missing in a family photo!)

Holiday Goosebumps

2009-12-22T15:33:00.001-05:00

May we all experience something that gives us "goosebumps" this season...like this video :-)

My Favorite Christmas Light Show...

2009-12-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

Music Box Dancer 2008 - Holdman Christmas Display from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

No Snowman for me...

2009-12-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-19T12:26:00.007-05:00

I always say "I'd hate to be a weatherman (or is that weatherwoman? weatherperson?) but this time, they were right on with the prediction.

18 inches overnight, started about 9pm last night, and still coming down. Yes, I should have gone in to work last night before it started to do payroll instead of waiting til...tomorrow, hopefully. I am heading off to Oregon on Monday, and by then the weather here anyway is supposed to be partly sunny and no more snow, but we all know how snow anywhere can "snowball" into problems with flight delays etc.

I leave D.C. at 8:30am and have a 3 1/2 hour layover in San Francisco, and arrive in Oregon at 4:40pm. I usually don't sleep the night I leave on a flight, by the time I get done doing stuff, it hardly seems worth it to sleep a few hours and have to get up, and I can sleep on the plane when I am that tired.

I am so looking forward to 10 days away, sleeping in and reading and shopping and being with my family. I will have time to catch up with blogs, and even post to mine, though posting photos may have to wait til I get back home. I look forward to visiting Ashland and Jacksonville, always decorated so festively at Christmastime. And there are some new restaurants I will have to try, as well as some old favorites, GEPPETTO'S and OMAR'S and BELLA UNION and visiting some old friends, too.

I won't feel guilty because I am not getting to chores that need getting to at home (because I won't be at home!) and making a resolution to dig in when I get back, welcoming in the new year with some changes. I met with my new therapist and am looking forward to what we can do together, getting me through this sadness, which I have let isolate me too much, like a fog that rolls in even after a sunny day...

So, today I am enjoying the day, being inside, packing for my trip next on my list, drinking green tea and watching the birds enjoy the seed and suet I put out...oh, and digging my car out while the snow is still fluffy, tomorrow it might be harder!

We Elf'd Ourselves...

2009-12-18T23:12:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Snow Day

2009-12-05T14:06:00.039-05:00

So quiet, so peaceful, so nice to be inside and look out at it. I bought some new bird feeders and seed mix and tried my best to get a photo while the snow was falling, but of course, every time I tried to snap of photo, the birds flew off! And it was beginning to get dark! So these photos were the last ones I took, gave up on getting one of the birds ON the feeder!

The past couple of months have been a little stressful for me, and I have started to compose a post numerous times and then just think "I don't have the time or strength to go into details" so post nothing...but that in itself somehow weighs on me, so time to write and lighten my heart.

I did have a wonderful visit with my mom and the love in her life, in Philadelphia in November. They are both nearing 80 and we had a scare when he was diagnosed with colon cancer in October and I thought that maybe this planned trip from Oregon would have to be cancelled. But his surgery went well, no evidence of mets in any of the lymph node biopsies and his recovery very smooth, so they flew out to a week long Elderhostel Arts and Music seminar and I was able to join them for symphonies, museums and great food as their seminar came to a close.

They are both near 80 but in great shape and health and are very active, traveling the world, going to film festivals, motorcycle meets and have a trip planned to France in the spring. But this scare has me worried and pondering what it will feel like when she is gone, that the presence, the feeling that knowing if I needed her if I was in trouble...would be gone.

The night that Mike died, she was on a plane in hours and was here for me, helping me through those first couple of terrifying weeks, and gave me the strength to carry on. I lay awake feeling anxious and sad sometimes, and am so glad we have these times together now.

Here's some photos of some of what we shared in Philly (click on them to biggify)

Outside the Barnes Collection Museum-lovely crisp fall day and memorable museum. THE BARNES FOUNDATION

One of the many murals dotting the city, all unique and telling a story of the city. MURAL ART IN PHILADELPHIA

The area reminded me of Portobello Market neighborhood in England!

Old City Hall, love the swirly clouds in this photo

How they light up downtown at night!

The Reading Terminal Market, had to have a real Philly Cheesesteak, of course.

Phillies fans getting face painted on the streets by an artistic entrepreneur.

Mom and I in a beautiful arched entry to a church.

Inside the Masonic Temple, my second favorite place we visited, after the Barnes Museum. GRAND LODGE OF PENNSYLVANIA

You might remember me talking about Sunny, the kitty I got back from a home for "inappropriate urination", how I had found a new home for him that after all, couldn't adopt him. Well, a family here who recently had to put their Cornish Rex to sleep because of a mediastinal neoplasia (a tumor in the chest) was willing to give him a try. They had no other cats and loved the breed and missed their kitty deeply. Unfortunately within a few days, Sunny was spraying and not using the box again, even though they followed my "introducing a new cat" instructions to the letter, so I took him back in.

I had so hoped he would be happy in his new home (his third--forth, including me) with no other cats around, but it wasn't to be. I did not want him to spend the rest of his life in a room by himself--that is not living but existing but he was fearful with other cats and I already have issues with one of my cats spraying, so having him have run of the house here wasn't an option either. All the medical tests proved it not to be a medical issue but a behavioral one and he was on Paxil even.

I made the difficult decision to euthanize him, not wanting him to go from home to home, feeling anxiety with each. He is at rest now, and I think it was the right decision, but still very hard for me to let go of.

Mike's birthday was November 3rd, and he would have been 61...funny, but he will always be 58 to me, ageless like Marilyn Monroe or Paul Newman. I have mentioned this before, but on those special days, somehow it slips by without me actually celebrating that day...but he is always on my mind. For a moment, I feel guilty about that, not remembering on the day, but there are reminders of him here everywhere, not sad ones, just sad he is gone...note: those headphones were so I didn't have to listen to the WOW babble, sweet guy he was!

And work...I'm still having some problems with frustration and irritability and my boss talked to me again. I think Mike was a de-fuser for me and enabled me to cope with the stressors at work. I remember hearing at a seminar one time that "The best way to be happy at work, is to marry the right person" which you can take to mean Happy Relationship, Happy Workplace...no matter whether that relationship is with yourself or a significant other.

She said some of the staff are afraid to come up and help me because I "bark" at them. She said to let go of having everything perfect or done "my" way. She said it was devisive to teamwork, and yes, she is right. But the texting, the gossip, the time wasting is what frustrates me the most, not the quality of their work when the are working...but I am not managing this practice and do need to let go of that (is it snippy to add...if the boss is ok with it? Yes)

Much of it may have to do with the fact that I am in my 50's (for a little while longer, thank you) and they are in their 20's and well, I will never be able to change that...so "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference".

I have talked with two close girlfriends and they say I have been having this conversation with myself and them for the past 6 months or more, and need to change to get through this. So I made a call to one of these friends therapist, and have made an appointment to meet, and that is a step in the right direction (see flow chart below--which I found on another blogging friends blog and then couldn't find where--what did we do before Google?). Just remembered, it's one one of my favorite blogs (got to buy the books!) 37 DAYS

Another funny aside, I downloaded the flow chart and then couldn't find where I put it...ever happen to you? Turned out, I had made it my desktop picture instead of downloading it TO the desktop...so I just left it there to remind me everytime I am at the computer...which is often!

I think we will be compatible, see things from a similar perspective, as she lost her husband and is in the midst of caring for a beloved dog with serious health issues. The year after Mike died, I had a good friend calling me daily, getting me to accomplish one task at a time and not letting me flounder in quicksand. But as needed, he cut me lose after a year and let me try to fly on my own. And I did, dealing with the responsibilities of home ownership on my own (believe it or not, before Mike, I had rented the same house for 18 years and had never owned a home), replacing the roof, the HVAC system, the Flood! And just recently the Prius' battery died (the big, expensive one) but luckily it was under warranty still.

This past year I have felt like I have been dog paddling in a lake with the shore quite a distance away, grasping onto flotsam floating by, catching my breath. Not that I haven't accomplished anything. I have kept to my goal of downsizing the cattery, placing kitties with friends and have gone from 13 cats to 5; cut back on cat showing and breeding; have made time to visit family and friends knowing that some things you will regret in life if you put them off for a "better time".

But I sometimes find myself feeling like "Is this all there is" and trying to find direction again, not really knowing how, worrying it will be the wrong direction, and on and on. I used to feel like this sometimes (pre-Mike) when I was younger and single and scraping by to make ends meet, and wondering where I'd be when I was 64...and that's not too far away now and while Mike did "provide" for me, and I have been able to stay in my house, pay off my debts and put enough food on the table that I've gained 15#, it's still daunting.

The cats and my job give me a lot of pleasure and satisfaction. I spend a lot of time counseling clients and even fellow bloggers on how to take better care of their cats. I'd love to do that full time, have a cat healthcare blog, but manage to squeeze things like that in someplace! One friend said I need to diversify, but I don't know if that would make me happy, either, so I am hoping that seeing a counselor will help me put things in a perspective that will work for me.

Some friends say I am too hard on myself. Some say my frustrations come from wanting to accomplish everything in a day and not taking it a "corner of the room" at a time. I think that is true, too. There's that basement that I can't break up into little accomplishments so never get anywhere with it. I need some direction and guidance...a guidance counselor, teehee...I am fortunate in so many ways, I need not wallow in my misfortune. I compare what I feel sometimes to nail biting, regretful and mad at myself for biting my nails, like I wanted to feel bad.

So, December is starting out to be a good month for me. I will be in Oregon for Christmas with family, bringing in the New Year with them, hopefully rested and ready to get on with it! Family gatherings can involve their own stress sometimes too, but just the change, the shedding of the responsibilities I have at home for a little while, will be a gift, just like the travels I made to friends over the Thanksgiving holiday, being with people who care for me. So think of me, in front of a warm fire, sipping Holiday Cheer and smiling a lot.

Happy Halloween...Kitten Style

2009-10-31T12:14:00.003-04:00

It's been too long since I posted, lots going on, have to catch up...but when?
Til then, here's a sort of seasonal photo. If I go out tonight, think I'll be...
The Crazy Cat Lady!

Dream Boat?

2009-10-04T11:09:00.002-04:00

Now this is some houseboat!
Can't you see it docked on Blogland Lane?

Almost October...

2009-09-28T14:54:00.032-04:00

and I am happiest that fall has begun to arrive--falling leaves (which I am actually enjoying getting outside and cleaning up after...); cooler nights (and open windows) and thoughts of corn chowder and flannel sheets. I am feeling a bit less stress as some put off tasks have been completed (no, not the basement, yet) and I have some goals both at home and at work to meet before winter arrives and with it shorter days (which could mean depression for me if I am still floundering and frustrated).

The trip to St Louis was both a nice getaway from cat care and work, even though it was to attend a computer training seminar for work (remember, at a cat hospital) it's just nice once in a while to eat out, have someone else make your bed and not have to scoop litterboxes. Three of us went, one doctor and one assistant and me. We were compatible and amiable travel companions. One never knows, even when you work side by side, if sharing a hotel room will bring out the worst or the best in people. Both of them smiled when I told them I brought candy, air freshener, and everything needed to make gin and tonics when we got to our room, including the lime!

We stayed right downtown and had a view of part of that amazing arch from our 17th floor room, so we actually left the curtains open so we could enjoy it all night when we were restless. The seminar took most of our daytime hours, but we did get in a little walking, looking for a nail salon to have a treat of a pedicure--no luck there as at least we found downtown SL to be hotels and the ballpark with not the usual traffic, pedestrians or businesses that cater to them.

We ate at the hotel mostly but did go out one night to a nearby brew pub (not too memorable) and on our last night in town, for "Pan-Asian" food and were pleased to see a full bar (not of people, of liquor) but after a bit of back and for queries, found out they had no bartender that night. Gee, I would have been more than happy to make us a gin and tonic! So, at the hotel, I offered to buy us 3 girls a round of nightcaps and we all sat down at the small bar in the front of the Hilton and had the most outgoing, interesting bartender named Carrie Ann (it's what's your game, not what's your name, she told us--guess guys always started with that line...).

Turns out she has tended bar there for 25 years, and when I asked for a Amaretto Sour, saying one of the young girls I work with called it a Grannie drink, she said she loves making drinks like Gin Rickeys and Manhattans and thanked the TV show Madmen for bringing them back. She said all the young bartenders know how to make are--and I can't think of what she said, but Flaming Monkeys Balls comes to mind. She says she scours places like Goodwill for old brandy snifters as the new ones just don't "roll" the same, and with that, put on a nice show of making our drinks with said snifters.

She also told us she is renovating a hundred year old victorian house they bought for $85,000 and I asked if she had photos and out they came. Wide verandas, intricate gingerbread and a lovely wild garden. She said it was on the tour of homes at Christmas and I can see why...I just kept thinking of relaxing in a rocker on that wrap around veranda!

And we should have stopped at the bar the night we arrived instead of the last night, because she also told us about a couple of places we shouldn't miss eating at--an oyster bar that makes a muffaleta sandwich by hollowing out a loaf, filling it with goodies and "corking" it back up!

MUFFALETTA SANDWICH

And right across the street from the hotel was an expensive Italian restaurant but she said the secret was to eat at the little bar downstairs and get the same great food for a bargain. If I ever go back, I know where I'll be going first! Oh, and did we learn much? Well, yes even though it wasn't hands on, we came back with proceedings that are far better than the manuals the system came with.

I took a few extra days off work and that felt good too, not to have to get right back to it. I slept in, bathed all the cats, did some yard work--weed eating, sucking up and mulching leaves; had another fun S'Mores evening at my petsitters house (White Chocolate with coconut, and strawberry marshmallows are scrumptious as are ones made with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups). While we were sitting out on their patio, we all looked up to see this bright light in a mist of fog in the sky (which was clear and starlit). Turns out it wasn't a UFO, but some sort of weather rocket launch. At least that's what the government is saying.

I rented a couple of movies--no to Goliath, yes to Enchanted, and then this weekend, in between rain showers, managed to get the car washed and waxed and vacuumed out--one of those tasks I never seemed to have the time or the energy to do. I used to be so diligent about taking care of my car and used to give Mike such a hard time about not taking good care of his, but I have been more than lax about even going through a car wash. Trying to turn a page here...

I am hoping getting those things done will help me get back to being the "Old Teri" my boss and friends know is inside me somewhere. When my boss (who is also a very good friend to me) came to me and said "I need to have dinner again with you and see how you are feeling and see why you are not so much yourself lately. Just relax and be like the old Teri who is the cat expert that let's our clients know they have brought their cat to the right place." Maybe it's time I sought therapy, I don't know but do know that procrastination affects both mind and attitude. FlyLady.net recommends "Go shine your sink" and that worked for me and I'm trying to keep up the routine...it's a start.

I'm also currently petsitting one of our clients elderly diabetic cat. He is a bit of a pill to medicate, what we call "cage brave" work, and for 3 days, he was a perfect angel but I think he now either knows what's up or feels as though the large cage I have him in (4ft high x 4ft long x 2ft wide) is his territory now. It's a bit of a manuever to surround him in the large cat bed (think Cat Burrito) and give him his twice a day insulin injection, but luckily he loves Greenies Pill Pockets and gobbles down his blood pressure pill in one bite. But he is doing well, so his owner can relax and have a nice vacation. I am thinking I'd like to take the petsitting money and get some more slate stones to put in the garden out back, around the plants to both protect them and to slow the weeds growing (another thing that's been on my "to-do" list for months!

And you might remember Sunny, the kitty I got back from a home for "inappropriate urination" back in April. He has been doing 98% better with his behavior, had met and been spoken for by a nice young couple in Delaware (he owns an Eco-Friendly surfboard company) but just after they met, he came down (the human, not the cat) with a respiratory infection that landed him in the hospital and now he is having problems with asthma. So until that subsides, his doctor says "No Pets". Poor Sunny, he is lonely and needs just a home like they were offering, so he could be a happy only cat. I don't have anyone else interested in him at the moment, so I'm kind of thinking it's like he's on lay-away for them...hope it works out, as he's a lover and needs that second chance at happiness.

9/11...Always Remember, Never Forget

2009-09-11T10:38:00.004-04:00

That day did change all of us, forever...after that I never left my husband without saying I love you, never hung up the phone without telling a loved one the same...because that sad day showed us how you never know if it might be that last time you see someone you love.

That day, filled with observations that speak volumes, from people all around the world. For me, Mike had moved out to Washington DC in July, I had to stay on in Oregon until October due to work. I didn't know much about where he worked except that he could see the White House from his office.

My sister woke me up and asked if I'd heard from Mike and to turn on the TV. It was a horror to watch, and I remember later hearing the sounds of so many firefighters alarms on their uniforms going off, that sound was overwhelming when you knew it meant lives lost.

Mike was fine, I finally heard from him in late afternoon after he was able to get out of DC and 3 days later I flew out to him and spent a few days. We just had to be together...just had to. Memories are all that are left for some of us, but we will never forget...

What I've been up to...

2009-09-05T14:19:00.027-04:00

How have 49 days passed since I posted a "Goings On" post?? Last time I went a month without posting an update, people were calling and emailing to make sure I hadn't died. Now, I guess they just assume I'm

1) Boring
2) Buried in cat litter
3) In the witness protection program

and just as I would, people have gone looking for more fertile blogs to enlighten and stimulate them.

Just as before, when so long went by without me "journaling" I really have to concentrate on what I have been doing to even remember some of it. AND, these lapses really negate the positive effects that journaling is supposed to do for oneself. No wonder I feel stagnant a lot of the time.

Since mid-July, four kittens have grown up and journeyed off to their new homes. That is pleasing to me and I am happy that they are happy, too. Toby has settled in to his new home in Iowa, with no spraying behavior there! And Sunny has been spoken for, but as I just changed his and Disco's anxiety medication, I would like to wait a couple of weeks to see if it's helping so he can go off to his new home with a prescription to ease his transition. I am getting frequent updates on them and photos, too...here's a couple of Henry Oliver, Jasper and Clover, and Toby:

I had a mini-vacation thanks to one of the kittens. I flew down to Charleston SC to deliver a kitten to a couple who have one Furrydance cat already and they have become such good friends, I feel so fortunate to have them in my life. The weather gods smiled on us and it wasn't terribly hot or humid and I was grateful for that. We did a carriage tour of Middleton Place, a plantation, which was both interesting and peaceful. Middleton Place The grounds were lovely and I took lots of photos. Here's a couple of my favorites:

just to give you perspective, the mansion you are seeing is just what is remaining of the place--the main house and left flanking wing were destroyed by fire and then an earthquake!

Saturday, we did our own little walking tour of Charleston, ending up getting thoroughly soaked by a downpour, but it was warm and we dried off before long (thank goodness for gauze shirts and tencel pants). I did have squishy sandals for a day or so afterwards, though. We went by a new rescue & adoption shelter and I was very impressed with the facility and how warm and welcoming it felt. I didn't take any photos there, but here's a link to them PetHelpers.org and here's some of the photos I took around Charlestown (that lovely street with the pastel painted houses is called Rainbow Road and as a side note, the shelter had their cat cages made to look just like them!

We ate at a wonderful "Low Country" restaurant and I had to have Yellow Grits and Shrimp and it was divine! Kristynn and Tommy told me I had to have Boiled Peanuts, too Goobers and I am not sure what I thought a boiled peanut would taste like...but it was like any other legume that had been boiled--mushy and bland.

That being said, after the third peanut they sort of grew on me and as we drove along back to the house, all of us were digging into the paper sack on the console of the truck! Tommy goes to The Citadel College and we drove around the campus and managed to be there right as the afternoon parade began, and then the downpour began and I got the funniest video of the cadets marching in the rain, didn't slow them down one step, as they had to end the review and head back inside--heads up, pace even, uniforms soaked!

We rented movies, ordered Chinese take out, BBq'd steaks one night (and I found a new favorite liqueur--a Sweet Tea infused Vodka called Firefly, which made a nice Southern version of a Long Island Iced Tea), had a big breakfast one morning of Tommy's great french toast and I got to sleep in and not have the worries of home/work/life in general. I am so glad I got away and got to enjoy the company of friends and see new places, and knowing my cats were in the care of my wonderful catsitter, made getting away possible.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to meet a friend of theirs they have been telling me about for months...a laid back, birkie wearin' Doctor who lost his wife to cancer about the time that I lost Mike. We'd corresponded a little and even if we didn't "spark", I was looking forward to seeing if he was as warm and friendly as Kristynn said he was. But after initially saying he'd love to come over for a BBQ, he begged off at the last minute due to... a flea infestation (that's a new one) and then said he was shy around women and could we meet up for coffee (and then never responded to Kristynn's page)...sigh. Must not have had time to read Miss Manners...

Henry Oliver, the kitten my friends were adopting, settled in amazingly fast, even getting used to their dog and sharing the couch with her after only 4 days. I think he will be quite a different personality than their first kitty from me and that will be fun for them--he is clingy and a purrbox, where Teddy is more of a restless teenager. Here's a couple of photos of Henry and Teddy:

Work at the Cat Hospital has been frustrating due to ongoing new computer software issues, but we are making headway and in a couple of weeks, three of us are flying to St. Louis for a 3 day training seminar. Hope I come away with lots of shortcuts and new ideas...and can then relay them to those who couldn't attend (that's the hope anyway, that nothing's lost in translation...)

And as this is Labor Day weekend, I also get an extra day off (I'll need it since I've been on the computer most of the day) and am invited to a BBQ out in the country and with the weather being fantastic right now--cooler and almost like fall--I am going to relax, eat and drink (and am taking along my sleeping bag just in case I have to "sleep over", sharing floor space with Silly and Tango in their little abode...

No time to post...

2009-08-22T00:23:00.001-04:00

but I just took a trip down memory lane with this one..."I still have some love to give.."

You'll find me at 57 Blogland Lane...

2009-08-01T15:59:00.021-04:00

I should be cleaning up my basement, but instead...I'm surfing the web looking at "small homes" to put on my dreamspot on Blogland Lane. This endeavor was begun by KJ at #9 BLOGLAND LANE and it's been fun looking at what my bloggie friends dream about when thinking of retiring to Blissville...So, maybe life can begin anew at 57, so I'll reside at #57 Blogland Ln.

To me, it would be a small space and that "two cats in the yard" ala CSNY (although mine would still be housecats with maybe a kitty arboretum in the yard, so they could see the birds, sniff the air and lay in the sweet sunlight outside but be safe).

This small space would give me time to be with friends (something I am missing and not finding time to do in my current abode); to be out enjoying nature and life (I'd get a bike with balloon tires and a bell); having time to volunteer at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab Utah BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY... and blogging more...

And with this "Dream Home", I could even pick up and visit friends on the road, but think I'd want to have someone else drive, so I could nap ( I miss napping in the car as a passenger, too). I'd like to park it by water...by a riffle on a river, or where I can hear the waves of the ocean. I'd have lots of bird feeders and sweet peas and nasturtiums growing wild, and blueberry bushes, lots of them to share with all those friends, served with lemon sorbet. And of course, a hammock in the yard, and time to read!

I would watch the stars from that little loft window and snuggle with the 2 cats under that luxurious comforter. Ok...I'm sighing now.

Note: all of the photos of the Lodge on Wheels are from this site
LODGE-ON-WHEELS.COM

Simply Sunday Morning

2009-07-19T11:51:00.025-04:00

...In a way, I envy the people who post every day...just a little something, like Tango does at Tango's Goings On . I post so infrequently that I forget all the good, the bad and the ugly of what has transpired that keeps me going, in spite of the "uglies".

But this morning, while looking out on my patio (which I never sit on---it would make a nice party space though one would have to get through my basement to get there...tricky) I saw my first cardinals this year. Of course, that makes sense since I just started putting seed out again and got a mix that cardinals are supposed to like.

I love cardinals, mostly because of their cute perky caps (I like California Quails little headpieces, too) and the fact that I never saw them on the West Coast. So like fireflies, they are a real East Coast special thing for me. I want to get a couple of those "shepherd crooks" to hang my feeders on, so the seed and bird poop isn't right above where the Adirondack chairs are, but wonder if they would be strong enough to stay upright with all the squirrel activity my feeders also bring. Maybe I should just move the chairs...

I remember the first time I saw a black squirrel, in Golden Gate Park. Well, here I have a "Blue Point" squirrel and without seed being out, I missed seeing him, saw him way up the road in more fertile territory. I snapped some photos of him before he scampered off.

I have been treating myself to renting movies every weekend, trying to relax and "escape". I am following a new blog, and have picked some of his picks, which saves some time wandering round Blockbuster if I have my list with me. I am still looking for Sunshine Cleaning, but this weekend enjoyed Vicky Christina Barcelona and Wall-E. I have a big screen TV in the basement, but you all know what that looks like, so I've been watching movies upstairs in the bedroom and have the laptop, eat dinner and get to nuzzle the baby kittens, all while watching movies (and pausing them a lot). Sounds so...single and spinsterish when I put it in words, but really, quite enjoyable!

Movies yes, Music no...I still find myself missing Mike too much when I listen to music we enjoyed together. I think that, and dining out alone, are the two hurdles I haven't managed to get over yet. That being said, the guywhowrites this, over at Astoria Oregon Rust turned me on to a band that is new to me, so not the shared memories there (other than dancing, sigh) and I am liking the "vintage funky hip hop" that is their signature. Here's a video, think you will enjoy...

Work (at the cat hospital) has been filled with exasperation and some successes lately. We got a new computer system and the doc most familiar with it has been out for 90% of the time due to family and personal crisis and we all feel like we are dog paddling and circling the drain at times. But little by little we are teaching ourselves and while what should only take 3 keystrokes takes about triple that, I've been telling everyone that it's job security---it'll take about a year or two to get it all down the way we want it...

The kitties are all doing well. Another month and Coco's babies will head off to their new homes, and Kiki's 3 babies have been spoken for now and are 3 weeks old already! Cute as buttons and just learning to bobble about and do the "bitey", as this video shows...

Toby, one of the kitties I got back last November, has his flight reservations to fly off to his new home on the 24th. I so hope he is happy there and ceases his spraying behavior. He is 99% rehabbed but with the other cats in the house that he can hear and smell, I will never know if he would be good unless he is in a home by himself. I usually try and place kitties like him locally so I can get them back easily if they are "bad" again. But this woman really wants to try him and even came down from Connecticut to meet him, so I am full of hope right now for his successful transition and future happiness.

Not so happy news for Sunny, the kitty that was spoken for by my SC friends. Not long after they visited, I added a second cat to his bedroom to see if he would be happy with a companion and he started spraying again. So he had to back up a step in his rehab and has been in the bathroom alone for a week and is doing fine. When Toby leaves, he will get to move into that room and see how he does alone in there. But he probably needs a home as an only cat, and my friends have 3 cats and a dog...so they will adopt Buttercup instead (his new name will be Oliver, cute!)

(that's Oliver on the right)

I haven't gotten back in to cat showing, but do have a couple of shows I have to attend, as I am in charge of the breed display setup, and the other show I am a club member of and have to be involved with that. Funny, how after doing something for so long that I enjoyed, I have sort of just turned off the switch and don't miss it like I thought I might. I do miss seeing the two good friends I have that are still out there showing, and keep thinking I'll get back into it...maybe when my basement is cleaned up?

The same switch will probably be turned off when I decide to stop breeding these Cornish Rex cats that I love. I work full time, taking care of them is full time and so there isn't much down time for me. Oh, there's movies and blogging and photo sessions to edit, which tends to mean I am up way too late during the week and then sleep half my weekends away trying to catch up with sleep. There are a few friends I'd love to take long weekends and visit and I keep looking for those $98 round trip fares, but they never seem to be going to where I want to go, though maybe I should let the fares dictate where I get away to?

I am heading down to Charleston SC in late August for 4 days to visit friends who are getting their second kitty from me. Then I am going up to Philadelphia in October to spend a few days with my mom and Stephen after they finish up with an Elderhostel seminar there. Then it's Christmas in Oregon and before I know it, it will be 2010. I know the first part of this year has passed by, quickly now it seems.

If it weren't for my blogging "journals", I might forget where I was and were I've come to in the past 2 years. Journaling is good for that. And while I started blogging to keep my family in touch with me...well, my family aren't even following me but I certainly have found some wonderful new friends out there in the blogosphere and when I read of bloggies meeting, moving closer, planning vacations around getting together, I think that would be a fun thing to plan sometime...

Independence Day...

2009-07-03T11:33:00.010-04:00

That sounds good, on so many levels!

I still am pondering the emotions I felt this past Memorial Day, to think of the battles one fights to gain independence, all wars whether they are in ones mind or on the battlefield of life...including the heartwarming effect of hearing from someone who has the MIA bracelet with my uncles name on it and is passing it on to me...

THE MIA BRACELET STORY

And then, to relive each year, the joys of Sparklers, hot dogs, potato salad and S'Mores...that is what I am looking forward to on this 4th, spending time with friends, kids around to spark the fun...

And I have plans to get to my basement, really! I started, and have the bathroom put back together...

More Lovely Awards! and more to come...

2009-06-22T23:29:00.003-04:00

KJ...over at OPTIONS ASSOCIATES: FOR A BETTER WORLD
picked my blog to be one of her Biggest Heart honorees. That means so much to me, as I just know her heart and capacity to love is huge and what a difference that caring makes...that feels so much like the long distance love she sent with her very first comment on my blog.

No rules came with this Heart, so I picked a few of the blogs that have made my heart smile...

BEELIEVE

DAISY, THE CURLY CAT

OASIS WRITING LINK

WE THREE, GINGER CATS TALES

Mewsings 3rd Award!

2009-06-22T22:21:00.010-04:00

I've been so busy, I am just now crowing about this lovely award that ART4SOL bestowed upon me. Hope she knows my slow speed in getting this up doesn't indicate that is isn't important to me! I love her dolls, how they remind me a little of babuska's and forest fairies and madonnas. They always make me smile, and I know if you visit her blog, you will leave smiling, too.

I have to abide by a few rules when accepting this award, and spread the word about eight bloggers I feel aim to find and be friends, are not interested in self aggrandizement and help propagate more friendships when the ribbons of these prizes are cut.

Please give these writers and artists a visit, you will be inspired, just as I am!

RIVERDAZE

ADVENTURES OF MR SLUG AND FRIENDS

ASTORIA OREGON RUST

BIRDCHICK

CREATING PICTURES IN MY MIND

JENNIFER LORTON

STACY HURT

THE GOLD PUPPY

4 Weeks...

2009-06-12T20:54:00.020-04:00

I have friends concerned I have passed on, since I haven't posted in almost 4 weeks. Yep, got a worried phone call a week ago, and it's nice to know someone's checking up on me, now I am heading into "Grey Panther" territory (not to be misconstrued as Cougar Country!)

All it takes for me to get behind, is take off a weekend to go to the beach, then another to play tourist in Washington DC with visiting friends. Well, it's time to get back into the saddle (aka Desk Chair) and try and catch up or I never will (sort of like getting to my basement!)

The kittens are now almost 10 weeks old and have free run of the house while I am at home. A week ago, so I could get some sleep at night, they and their mother stayed in the bathroom (cozy with heated bed and all the accouterments a fine hotel would provide). But now they can sleep where they chose (usually with their mom or each other in a sleeping bag on top of the "birthing tent").

They had their first vet visit last week and they didn't all get an A+ from their vet (who is also who I work for, but no bias there!). All four have very slight heart murmurs (Grade 1 which they will hopefully outgrow) and one has a scratch on the eye and he is on meds for that, and another one has "cradle cap"--well, really folliculitis, possibly from them wrestling and rabbit kicking each other! So, add cat nurse to my list of duties!

And it's been so long since I posted, I am having trouble remembering the details of how 30 days have passed and what I filled those days up doing! Well, I spent part of a Saturday couseling the new owner of a Cornish Rex they got through rescue; I went to Wild Casino Night at the local Scion dealership (no, I am not a gambler...not in the least) because the new owner of one of my kitties works there and I met some of her car club friends and got free food and soda but didn't even win anything in the raffles).

I gardened (and luckily took photos before the wind, rain and heat took their toll); I had 2 visits from the adoptive family of two of my kittens and met another couple on my waiting list...all positive experiences, from helping educate them regarding cat health care and in finding out about our fondness for Meryl Streep movies and Jackie Kennedy's fashion sense;

I also had houseguests for a long weekend (not long in the bad sense) from friends who are adopting a second cat from me. Kristynn and Tommy are those kind of friends you can talk to about anything, call at anytime, and just be yourself around. I am fortunate that my cats brought us together! They were coming up to visit the kitten they had picked out and ended up falling for Sonny! He is now know as Sunny Bunny Bear aka Furrydance Sennen Cove.

Of course, it helped that they had to share the guest bedroom with him, but he is the most affectionate, demonstrative cat...he hasn't met a person he didn't faun all over! No, I take that back...when he came back to me about 2 months ago, he was all hiss and growls and swats, but that only lasted a few days and that behavior hasn't returned! I think it's because he knew he was back home and he could heal his emotional issues.

We did a lot in four days--had an awesom bbq the first night (lightly blackened flatiron steaks), and Tommy's special french toast and lots of bacon and real maple syrup one morning and ate at one of my favorite restaurants after spending the day playing tourist in DC, riding the Trolley Car Tour round the city. And while it rained hard the first two days they were here, it was temperate and the rains held off the day we toured the city. They told me that my guest room (all antiques...used to be my bedroom furniture before Mike and I got together) overlooking the lake, up on the 2nd floor at tree level, combined with the gentle sound of the rain reminded them of time spent at grandparents house. So sweet a memory.

The only down side to their visit was quite a big deal...on day one, when Kristynn went in to visit Sammy, my stud cat, by herself and he must have perceived her as a threat and lunged at her and bit her. I am so familiar with interacting with cats and watching their body language that I did not think to tell her not to go in to his room without me. She was just thinking of him as her sweet kitty's father, not as a hormonal tomcat.

He is not usually aggressive, but being a tomcat, just like any unneutered animal whether it be a dog or a horse or a cat, they are very territorial. She spoke to her doctor right away and while she wouldn't go to the emergency room as I had recommended, she did get on antibiotics right away but in spite of that, did have to have some followup care after she got home. This occurance has made me change how I interact with Sammy, I am a bit more wary around him and I will not let anyone go in his room without me.

When I go away now and have my petsitter watch the cats, he will need to be in his big floor to ceiling cage with lots of food and litterboxes so they aren't putting themselves at risk, though he may never do this again, it's another consideration for me as to do I want to retire from breeding cats and just neuter Sammy and let him retire too..

I have done a little gardening, and am pleased that the hedge rosemary and the white clover I planted are thriving (thanks to the rain most have been complaining about) and I am hoping that by next summer I will have my clover "lawn" that doesn't need mowing and waist high rosemary blooming with their pretty blue flowers and giving me more branches to liven up my BBQ's (soak dried branches in water and lay them on the coals or lay fresh branches on the grill and the meat or veggies on top on them).

I cleaned and filled up the bird (aka squirrel) feeders and already word is out that Teri's got treats out again, after everyone moving on to more fertile ground. I used to have a visitor often of a "blue point" squirrel and finally, after spotting him way up the hill at someone's place that will feed him...I decided I wanted to woo him and the birdies back! I hung out my cat prayer flags and just felt at peace again, funny how that works...

And to end the 4 week hiatus, tonight I have clean sheets on the bed (no, not for the first time in four weeks, thank you) and that is a nice way to end a weekend (although some may say otherwise). What follows are some photos of my month...

What I have been up to...

2009-05-25T16:49:00.013-04:00

Not all of you follow both my blogs, so here's my "news" from the "Cat" side...

Seems I'm always busy! Today I set aside for blogging, leaving the cats to entertain themselves.

Kittens are growing up...they are now eating kitten food and using the litterbox (well, most of the time...they are still learning that one has to stop playing before one gets the urge that they gotta go, NOW!)

Mamacat Coco and her 4 flowerchildren spent 10 days in the care of my petsitter as I went off for four days, to the seaside to a Street Rod car show with a friend. I let them stay there for a few extra days as they get lots of attention and they changed from chubby little kittens into svelte and racy CRex...that was the biggest change I saw when I picked them up on Saturday! (Oh, I stayed for a while and visited, munched on Guacamole, Salsa, chips and S'Mores along with a few Mojitos with mint fresh from their garden!).

Once back at home, I settled Coco and her kids into the master bathroom as they've outgrown the tent and this is the next step, while they purrfect their litterbox skills. They're eating canned food eagerly, playing like kittens do-crabwalking, racing hither and yon, and learning kitten social skills.

Disco continues to "Behave" and while he did spray once (right next to me while I was sitting on the couch, talking on the phone--which means not paying attention to him!) otherwise he is much improved over his previous behavior. He is on anxiety medication, Buspirone, and he seems quite content. Well, not really...he had to start his diet (so that means just because he's tubby, the rest of the cats have to diet too!).

When he was a showcat, he weighed about 11# and being confined due to his spraying, he ballooned up to over 13#. I got him down to 12# feeding him only canned food (The Catkins Diet) but hoped that once he had free run of the house again and 3 levels to exercise in, that he could go back to eating dry food free choice again.

Nope! He has become very carb-intolerant and got up to 14#, so now he gets canned food twice a day and a few kibbles of dry a couple of times a day. And in a week he has lost 8 ounces so the diet's working!

Sonny is being the purrfect Rehab cat, has moved out of the Rehab cage to the guest bathroom, is consistently using the litterbox, not yowling, digging, scratching or otherwise acting out, so in another week, he will move into the guest bedroom.

That is the routine at the Rehab clinic here at Furrydance and I am happy with his progress so far, based on how bad he was at his previous home especially! The other cats will be a bit upset they won't be able to lay in the sun on the bed in the guestroom--it's the sunniest room in the house and the cats love it...but one has to make adjustments when it comes to the well-being of a kitty with a problem.

Zephyr, the newest arrival at the Furrydance Rehab Clinic, has only been here 4 days, but seems to be resting and not showing any of the anxiety issues that were reported in her previous home, which included eating holes in clothes, vocalizing, frequent vomiting, and separation anxiety.

She is a very sweet girl! As you see in this photo, she is in the cage that Sonny was in a couple of weeks ago (of course, all disinfected and deodorized with her own personal bedding and fresh litterbox). She is relaxed, friendly, not vomiting-vocalizing-or eating her cat bed, so I am very pleased that she seems so at ease now.

When Sonny moves into the guest room, Zeffie will move into the bathroom and I hope that after a couple of weeks, I can start introducing Zeffie to Sonny and maybe they will become friends and keep each other company...that's the best case scenario while I evaluating them and then seek the purrfect home for them...maybe even together like Nacho and Peachie did! That would make me very happy!

I've had a busy weekend, updating blogs, making photo albums for expectant parents, playing with the kittens, Sonny and Zeffie, with time for a picnic (good thing it was yesterday since it's raining today!) with a smidgen of housework and getting ready for the week at work--gotta iron those uniforms still! In between, thoughts of Spot keep coming to mind but I am glad he isn't hurting anymore and that gives me peace. I ordered a special remembrance bracelet and it arrived on Thursday.

It's sterling silver and has birthstone gems on it, capping the ends of the bracelets hollow space for ashes. so I decided to have one stone be for Spot and one stone be for Bo, my beloved Cornish Rex who went to the Bridge in 2005. Spot was born in June, so his stone is a Moonstone and Bo in August, so his is a Peridot. I also got a pretty Cherry box just like Bo's Oak box and put Spot's photo in it.

And, if you'd like to see more kitten pix and their newest video...wander over to Curlz and Swirlz and take a look...

Reflections this Memorial Day...

2009-05-25T13:02:00.009-04:00

When I was 14 years old, my favorite uncle was shot down in Vietnam, and the missing him is as strong today as it was when I was a child.

He will always be young in my mind, playing the trombone, driving a turquoise and cream Chevrolet Bel Air and taller than any adult I had ever seen. He left behind his wife (my favorite aunt) and a son and daughter, too.

When I moved from Oregon to Virginia, one of the first things I wanted to do was visit the Vietnam Memorial and find his name and put a picture of the car he had, as I had no photos of him. The memorial is the most moving place to be, and my favorite, if that is the right word, of all the monuments I have visited, because it is so evocative...black, somber, that feeling of going underground. But also such a wonderful tribute to those who never made it back to their homes, their families, their lives ahead of them...

I had never googled his name before, but I did today and this is what I found...

Name: Ralph Carol Balcom, Jr.
Rank/Branch: O3/US Air Force
Date of Birth: 24 December 1933
Home City of Record: Seattle WA
Date of Loss: 15 May 1966
Country of Loss: North Vietnam (see text)
Loss Coordinates: 171200N 1064000E (XE100100)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 1
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D
Other Personnel In Incident: None Missing

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.

SYNOPSIS: Ralph Balcom Jr. was shot down over North Vietnam about 20 miles north of the Demilitarized Zone in Quang Binh Province. A radio signal indicated that Major Balcom had parachuted to the ground, but because of zero visibility at the time, search planes were not able to locate and rescue him.

Two months later a propaganda film appeared with a man Ralph's parents immediately recognized as their son being paraded down the streets of Hanoi. The U.S. Government later identified the man as a returned POW Kyle Berg, also from the state of Washington.

In November 1973, the Air Force discovered that Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) in Nakhon Phanom was carrying Balcom as a Prisoner of War while Defense Intelligence Agency carried him as Missing In Action. The Air Force directed JCRC to delete any reference pertaining to POW status in Balcom's files. Balcom's status was changed from Prisoner of War to Missing in Action, although analysts say today that JCRC records were the most accurate and complete because of their close proximity to the region.

JCRC also lists Balcom as being lost in Laos, not North Vietnam. The loss coordinates, 171200N 1064000E are in North Vietnam about 20 miles north of the DMZ. Grid coordinates XE100100 are located a few miles northwest of the Ban Karai Pass in Laos. It cannot be determined why there is a descrepancy in loss locations between agencies.

Today, over 43 years have passed since Ralph Balcom's last flight over Vietnam. His family is still not sure whether he is alive or dead. Over 10,000 reports of Americans still held captive have been received by the U.S. Isn't it time we brought these men home?

Ralph C. Balcom was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period he was maintained a Prisoner of War and Missing in Action.

To my dear uncle...I will never forget.

What I'm Up To...

2009-05-08T17:50:00.031-04:00

I've been trying to make time for a few weeks to post something besides videos that make you smile, and somehow, writing keeps getting pushed to the "I'll-do-that-next" list.

In fact, I keep in touch with most of my friends by phone, on my 45 minute drive home from work, because that seems like the only free time I have, because once I get home, my other responsibilities take priority.

Not to say I don't waste (fritter, kill, procrastinate...) time. I do spend a lot of time blogging, emailing cat "clients" and sleeping half the day away on the weekend because I stay up too late during the week, so I end up only have 1 & 1/2 days off instead of 3!

So, what I've been up to since my last newsy post...

Helping care for 4 little kittens...well, my part entails weighing them twice a day, putting them through their paces with Early Neurological Stimulation and keeping the momcat well fed and happy.
Here's a link to their blog and also to info on ENS, which you might find interesting:
Furrydance Cattery Blog
Early Neurological Stimulation

Working 40 hours a week, not including 90 minutes of commute each day (which is when I get my phone calls done, lol)

Sleeping about 5 hours a night during the week and about 10 hours a night and half the morning on the weekends (I need to change that routine, but it's always been an issue with me...if you could ask Mike, he'd agree, haha)

Taking time out to go to 2 "singer/songwriter" concerts at Jammin Java, a cozy little place that is a nice, small club about an hour from me. I saw Steve Forbert, and Pierce Pettis. I had a nice time both concerts, the first sitting with friends (parents of a girl I work with, lol) and the next time going alone but still enjoying the show as I had a nice little corner table and could people watch, too.

Here's three links to info about Steve, Pierce and Jammin Java:
Steve Forbert Videos
Pierce Pettis Video
Jammin' Java

Gardening...yep, me who can't grow stuff that grows next to a freeway! The rain all week certainly helped the grass reseeding I did between the sidewalk and the curb in from of my house. While everyone else was complaining about it, I was happy :-) and watch the fuzzy new green stuff sprout up in the bare spots. Another week and I should be able to tell if it'll fill in or if I'll have to surreptitiously take plugs of grass from a "hidden embankment" and fill in the patches after all. Now if my neighbors can let their dogs piddle someplace else...I might have grass out front that doesn't look alopecic!

I also bought some red clover to plant in the backyard, in hopes of having a mowless lawn, but that just might be wishful thinking. I read about clover lawns and thought it would be at least worth once chance. I also purchased 3 hedge rosemary plants to replace two that died in my backyard. I have one variety that did great and is a bush now but the other two of a different kind, died. I love to use rosemary when I bbq and just lay the branches on the grill or put the twigs right on the coals after I have soaked them in water.
(no, that's not my hedge, but from this nice informative website
Mountain Valley Growers

Had the guy who did my drywall repairs after the cat-caused flood in August 08, come back and do some more work-minor repairs and painting and he is almost done (he does it in between his real job and family stuff, so he's not fast but he is good).

I splurged and bought some new light fixtures too, and am pleased with how nice they look.

Took my oldest kitty to the vet (just for his yearly exam) and then to the cardiologist because his grade I heart murmur had worsened to a grade IV and his BP was 244 over something. This new finding was a surprise as he was doing and looking great after being diagnosed with IBD and severe pancreatic abscesses a year ago.

We started him on Norvasc, and it has helped, his BP is now normal and the murmur is down to a 2, and we have adjusted his meds for his IBD and I'll see how he does. He is sleeping more and has lost some weight this week, mostly because we stopped his Prednisolone til has heart exam and his arthritis and spondylosis was bothering him a lot. If he continues to not improve, I will be saddened to see him decline. Time will tell.

Actually, Spot was Mike's cat, a Turkish Van--one of the kitties he and his ex raised, and you know how it is, love me--love my cat/dog/gecko etc, so Spot was part of the package when I let Mike into my life, just as my cats where to him. Somehow, when I nuzzle or smooch Spot, I'm telling Mike I am still taking care of his kitty...

Was excited to find a home for Disco, my Sphnyx cat, with one of my co-workers, only to get him back 2 and 1/2 days later because they were both having anxiety issues and I couldn't see his new owner being able to handle letting the typical 2 weeks of adjusting to a new home it can take when an adult cat goes to a new home. Sigh.

But on the bright side, I have a woman from Connecticut who is coming down to visit another adult kitty I got back from a home because of behavior issues and he is doing well and ready to seek a new home.

On the down side, (yes, life is a rollercoaster) today I am getting a 4 year old cat back for the same reason (urinating outside the litterbox) so I have another Rehab challenge on my hands, but I take on that responsibility when I bring cats into this world, to be there for them if anything goes wrong like this. I could talk on for hours about how I feel about irresponsible breeders, pets dumped in shelters and the satisfaction of success in rehoming a previously unhappy cat...but here's a link to my latest blog on Disco and Soze (I need to change his name! Bad voodoo there...how about Latte?)
Disco, Phone Home
Being Responsible

... and you know, the rest of the usual stuff-cleaning house, doing laundry (need to get to the ironing) and get the car washed, as it looks like I'm not going to find time to do it myself again this weekend! Oh, gotta watch a movie and some kind of favorite beverage or two...Hurricanes and Red Beans & Rice sound good!

We all need a soft landing...

2009-05-02T18:22:00.002-04:00

and someone to watch out for us...

...Growing old together

2009-04-27T22:46:00.002-04:00

makes me kind of sad Mike and I won't...

Ps: My nephew Colin is in the yellow jersey!

Mewsings 2nd Award!

2009-04-26T11:35:00.005-04:00

This lovely painting by Studio Lolo, is her way of recognizing fellow bloggers who visit frequently and raise our spirits with their kind words of encouragement, their beautiful images and their wonderful outlook on life. They make blogging a positive experience and continue to make our life richer.

She passed it on to the very worthy, Auntie Mim, who has gifted me with this lovely award! I am honored and realize these friendships are a gift, a treasured one!

I will pass this award on to...

The Rabbit Hole

Words Flow and Stuff L

Art4Sol

In Good Shape

Blissful Bohemian

Small Doses of Wonder

Spring Fever...

2009-04-24T19:40:00.001-04:00

Ok, I know I must be feeling better...cuz I'm listening to music again! Spring...renewal...dancing round the living room alone? Well, not quite there yet but I am going to see Steve Forbert tomorrow at Jammin' Java and I am well, excited!

Steve Forbert.com

My front yard is full of violets--not really a yard, too shady to grow grass, so I have put down slate stone and transplanted violets from a neighbors yard and kyped moss from anothers and well it looks kinda nice, green--cool-- and mossy!

And I have a new friend...someone in a caregiving field, like me; who has suffered the death of a spouse, like me; who writes prose and poetry and knows about dreams never realized, like me. Somehow that feels like Spring...a kind of rebirth, just by saying Hello...

Spring Flowers, be gone April Showers...

2009-04-10T13:11:00.019-04:00

I tell people that I don't have a green thumb and that I can't even grow stuff that grows next to a freeway! So, I resort to plastic, silk and otherwise artificial forms of greenery. Inside the house, it's mostly because the cats would eat, spill, destroy anything alive. Outside, well, I nurture my cats well, but just don't have the time to nuture plant life.

So, I may be the only person you know who has plastic herbs in her strawberry pot, and fake Aloe Vera in her bathroom, and very realistic Chickens & Hens in her living room, and realistic flowers in her kitchen windowsill. Before this sounds so trashy, or "plastic doilie-like", I do get high end fakery, and here's some proof...

Ps: I do have a few living plants outside...Rosemary, bush roses, mint and catnip, but they are very low maintenance, hence they survive me ignoring them. They haven't come to life quite yet, so the last 3 photos are of honest-to-goodness real, springtime daffodils, grape hyacinth and forsythia in other peoples gardens!

Ps: I am not a gardener, but have many gardening bloggie friends...you will enjoy this site, A Blog of Note!
Mr Brown Thumb

Moving Forward...

2009-04-05T18:23:00.012-04:00

Kate, over at Blogging is my Only Vice had two posts on her blog today that got me thinking and then writing. The first one was an old journal post from 2002, shortly after her husband died. Their life together was rough, but not without it's good times. I can tell from her words, that we all must go through that period after losing someone.

We gather, change, hope and as I often say, slog on. I was very touched by her final words "I like to post these old thoughts for those that might be lacking in hope".

I guess I have thought I was doing ok, because I didn't feel hopelessness...but I will have to say, I am lacking in hope...That being said, today I did make some headway in digging into the disarray in the basement, but only because I was forced to. I had some painting going on upstairs and was more or less prisoner in the basement...so i sort of got my ass kicked into doing something (and I'm happy to say, it wasn't just sitting in front of the computer this time). Then I bbq'd a steak, had all the sour cream and bearnaise sauce I wanted, along with a nice Portuguese Red wine (my folks lived in Portugal for many years, so Portuguese wines are very sentimental to me somehow).

I sat out on my deck (nice, as it's before the skeeters come out in droves), at my new little tiled cafe table I found on sale a few weeks ago (and the guy at the register said "Oh, I wanted to get that...it so said "Summer!"...that's what I thought.

Those moments are bittersweet for me...I thought of the conversation Mike and I might be having. And I thought of a conversation me and some dreamed of new love in my life might have sometime in the future. But I did sigh a lot and just decided to enjoy the food and the wine and the view and leave it at that.

The other post on Kate's blog made me smile. That was a "lively' video performed by Christopher Walken! I just had to laugh, because, for one thing...he sort of reminds me of Mike. To which Mike always used to reply "I hope that doesn't come back to bite me in the ass one day!" That was me, saying "I'm not really attracted to you" when we first started dating.

Christophyer Walken is like that to me, sort of too craggy, a little intimidating, not soft like I used to like my men. And when I saw him dancing...I just had to grin, as he has some of the same moves as M did...all the while me saying "Why can't you Cha Cha" instead of taking up the whole dance floor...

So, with Spring here, my motivation having kicked in.. I recently read on someones blog, how clutter really affects us emotionally and I have finally had enough of feeling that way! I hope to make April a good, full, fruitful month...that's how I feel this Sunday anyway.

Ps: We have babies (kittens) due on April 15th...new life and love will abound!

Smiles on Sunday

2009-03-29T18:12:00.005-04:00

By way of Laurie at Creating Pictures in my Mind, I visited Katie Grace's blog K. Grace Bears and found this video that just made me smile, and who doesn't need more smiles!

why should i be sad...

2009-03-27T22:37:00.004-04:00

when there is so much be be happy for...like this

Thank you CurvyGirl for turning me on to Naturally 7!

Odds and Ends

2009-03-14T13:47:00.011-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted much besides photos...I'm in a slump, both in getting the house back in order and making plans for things to accomplish.

I visit friends blogs and see something that attracts me and I think I will do something along those lines...but then I don't write it down and I can't remember where I saw the idea (and I always like to give credit)...but this week I did make some notes and thought I'd start there.

On Faith's blog, STONES FROM MY HEART, she posted a photo of her kitchen window and it got me to thinking of all the places I've lived and what was in my kitchen window. I have lived in places without a window over the kitchen sink and somehow it's relaxing and a little pleasure to gaze out a window while you are washing dishes, isn't it? And I have always had a collection of something in my kitchen windowsills, never in any other room does it look right to me...

In Oregon, I lived in a small '50's bungalow with a kitchen window looking out over the porch and front yard. I could see the flowers in the brick planter and the flowering trees. I had some of my favorite cat christmas ornaments hanging from the window valance and some vintage salt and pepper shakers (my grandmothers), and egg coddlers (that my mom brought me from England) on the sill.

Here in Virginia, the kitchen window overlooks the backyard and the slope down to the lake. There is always something to see--wildlife, changing seasonal colors and the lake itself, which changes with the weather. In this strip of 5 townhomes, three kitchens face the lake and two face the parking spots...I am glad I have the view I have from the kitchen, even though the master bedroom overlooks the street--I'm mostly asleep up there!

In this kitchen windowsill, I have two little cat statues I got on one of our trips to England, as well as some herbs and flowers, which are in pretty Italian pots. The curtains are actually pretty napkins I found at Williams Sonoma and the valance is also napkins that my mom brought back for me from France (just noticed you can't see them in the photo, but they are lovely, yellow and greens, with an olive and leaf pattern.

So, for me...kitchen window sills are filled with sentimental memories and little special things that make us smile...what about your kitchen window?

Mews 1st Award!

2009-03-05T21:22:00.013-05:00

My fellow blogger, and vodka sipping friend, Jennifer over at In Good Shape thinks my little blog award-worthy and that feels really good, I'll have to say!

I think the sentiment behind this award is what makes blogging what it is, at the end of the day...sharing and caring.

"This Best Blog Thinker award (also known around the Blogosphere as the Premios Dardos or Dart Award) acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write.

Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It’s a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.”

I try, in some small way, to make each message say something that can help someone think, laugh, be brave, not feel alone in their problems and that is also what I get from each of the blogs I follow and look for. I get something back from each of you and hope you do from me, too.

Thank you again, JBA at In Good Shape. I am supposed to pass on this award to anywhere from 5 to 15 worthy recipients of the "Smoking Typewriter" award, so here goes, with five...

29BlackStreet

Adventures In Nature

Blogging is my only vice

Dut Duts and Gonuts

Looky Here

Hair...not the Musical!

2009-02-28T22:56:00.011-05:00

Friend Tango Baby posted her new do and it got me to thinking of my hairstyle and what I envision...So here's a few of me from 2001 to 2008, and one of my 18 year old niece...who has the style I want NOW! (in Schnauzer salt and pepper, of course!)

February 22nd, 2007...

2009-02-22T20:12:00.007-05:00

This is the day, by the calendar, that I lost Mike. Though, in 2007, it was a Thursday and as I was sitting at my computer and glanced at the calendar and realised 2-22 was today, a Sunday.

I recently posted about, and therefore relived that day recently. Maybe I did that in case this day slipped by without me remembering, like happened on our anniversary and on Mike's birthday.

But I also have many new blogging friends, too many that have gone through devastating losses in their past that they share. I thought it only fitting in honor of Mike and also in letting others know they are not alone in grieving, anger, repression of their feelings and realization that life does go on without that loved one, just in a different way, not always good but not always bad either.

I know of one friend, she has a kitty from me, who because of that is a lifelong friend to me, but she had been through her own life-changing event herself in the past few years and while we hadn't kept in touch much, we "re-found" each other on facebook and are now back in touch again. She did not know Mike had died when she emailed me asking how life was. That was a difficult email to write back to her, knowing she had been there for our wedding celebration and that she got back in touch, not expecting sad news.

One thing that blogging had shown to me, is that everyone who lives suffers loss. I remember one of the first times I went out of the house after Mike died, my mom and I went to the grocery store. As I rolled the cart through the aisles, with my mom saying "That looks good", I just wanted to scream out "My husband, my love, just died...doesn't anyone care!" But then I looked around me and realized that any one person passing me with their shopping cart could be going through the same loss and who would know? We put on a strong face and while it was very hard at the time, going through the motions of living when I felt dead,

I am not really happy right now, do not have the hope for the future that I once had but also remember having these same feelings before Mike came into my life and I could have "survived" another 40 years. And I remember having these same feelings right after Mike died. What I need to do now, is not just survive but live. I am not there yet.

I know I do not need a "Significant Other" to live and I can be a tough person to live with. In many ways, being alone again gives me the freedom to not have to make adjustments one makes sharing your life with someone. But it also makes it harder for me to have goals and plans for the future. Maybe I am just not there yet, but it sort of scares me that I may be falling back into the the day-to-day surviving I did before Mike.

In a way, the community of bloggers that have befriended me are a force that may help me move forward, in a way sort of a peer pressure but also someone gently pushing me to push myself. I have a good friend in Oregon that really did that for me during that first year after Mike died, but either he has gotten tired of pushing me or has his own set of problems he is dealing with, but he knows that when the going gets tough, he is the first person I call for advice.

I am not sure where the next year will take me. I am thankful I have a job and that does not seem in jeopardy; I worry a lot about my finances and watching my savings go down each month and hope it will last til Mikes pension kicks in; and I also know more now about the trials and tribulations of being a home owner, alone, than I wish I did, but I do have a roof over my head, something that I wasn't sure I'd have after Mike's death.

So, I am ok with where I am, two years after Mike's passing...Yes, but I hope I am not in the same place...two years from now.

In the Stocks...

2009-02-21T13:21:00.013-05:00

My blogging friend Kate recently posted a cute photo of her daughter, in the stocks at The Enchanted Forest.

It brought to mind ones of Mike and I took at Warwick Castle in England.

Mike, looking a little like Igor, don't you think? And me, looking so young!

I used to be sort of embarrassed by the faces he made when I tried to take his picture, now I'd give anything to see them again...

It was my birth day yesterday

2009-02-17T18:20:00.011-05:00

and today we were really slow at work, so when the alarm went off, I called in and left a message saying unless you really need me, I'm going back to sleep. and I did, til 10am. Nice vice.

I wasn't on the computer all day, did some work-bathed 7 cats, and wandered around the blogosphere, visiting blogs from other peoples pages.

I like doing that. and I came across some thoughts for the day after my birthday that I thought I would put here for others to think about, too...but you need to take that extra step, and follow the link below...

Trust in Life

Love is What's Inside...Set it Free

2009-02-14T16:05:00.013-05:00