For intense animal lovers like me, as I'm sure it is probably 1000fold for parents of humans, "child" or child sickness is not easy to handle.
The welfare of the cats and kittens I foster for the Minnesota Valley Humane Society weigh on me heavily as well. My latest foster is a black and white pregnant stray cat from Apple Valley. She was on the street long enough to get pretty gritty, her normally bright white tummy and feet now grimy grey in color. She was treated for a variety of parasites before joining our household. And at the shelter she contracted the feline upper respiratory infection nearly all felines get in shelter situations, kind of like kids at school.
Tonight was a moment all other parents, faux and otherwise, will recognize. She ate and drank! I haven't seen her eat or drink, and the litter box is my silent witness, since Friday and it's now Sunday evening. In case you don't know what that's like, when the patient finally willing takes food or drink, you just freeze and barely breathe because you don't want ANYTHING to interrupt the moment.
So, relief, Bella is on the road to recovery and I hope will keep her kittens inside until she's much better. Eat and drink up, pretty kitty!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Autumn
It was a real "duh" moment a few years ago when Alan suggested that instead of buying evergreen branches at the garden store, why not just cut some from our evergreens. Well, duh! So I just finished a fall job, cutting said evergreens for a pot on the front step and some deck pots.
I added some sumac berries, cone flower seed pods, and some red I think dogwood branches (bought at said garden store but saved for years.) It looks pretty nifty.
The deck pots are to keep our cats from leaving the yard. You can see some of the prison yard look of the yard--green chicken wire attached to the fence and in the tree. It looks a little, um, strange but it works. All my cat friends are jealous.
I added some sumac berries, cone flower seed pods, and some red I think dogwood branches (bought at said garden store but saved for years.) It looks pretty nifty.
The deck pots are to keep our cats from leaving the yard. You can see some of the prison yard look of the yard--green chicken wire attached to the fence and in the tree. It looks a little, um, strange but it works. All my cat friends are jealous.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
A visit to the farm
It was a long, hot weekend that extended way, way into Monday.
Our mission was to get Ray ready for a colonoscopy, to be performed on Monday. He is having some memory problems and wiles away a lot of his time, looking for things he has misplaced. Currently on the "lost list" are his TV remote, his left hearing aid, and traditional places to store ones clothes. He's keeping his sox on the couch, seed caps on the dining table, pants under the bed. I don't know what's in his closet.
Our biggest challenge was talking Ray into drinking the gallon of gorp, the stuff that cleans out the system. He couldn't see any sense in that at all. We made it into a game, setting the timer for 10 minutes--"better drink it down, Ray, only 3 more minutes!", adding lemon flavoring, adding a shot of whiskey. He kept up until the stuff was over half gone, then gave it up.
Like most older folks, he's sensitive to cold. And defines cold as any temperature under 80. Fans create a draft. We suffered in short-sleeved T-shirts; he wore two long-sleeved shirst, buttoned to the neck.
Because we were down to one tiny foster kitten, her siblings having moved to the humane society's adoption floor, we brought her with us. The alternative was to leave her to the not-so-tender mercies of our three adult cats. They're not a welcoming crew so she would have been banished to a lonely room in the basement for the duration.
I was surprised (even I!) at how much joy this little creature brought to me as I watched her chase after flies, barrel up and down the hallway, sleep soundly stretched out between us in bed. She'll be gone by the end of the week, following her siblings to the adoption floor. I'll miss her.
The good news from the weekend was that Ray's colon was pronounced to be in good shape. The doctor also did an endoscopy and found some ulcers on his esophagus and stomach which are probably the cause of his anemia. Biopsies were done and more than likely, treatment will be either antibiotics or an acid-reduction therapy.
Our mission was to get Ray ready for a colonoscopy, to be performed on Monday. He is having some memory problems and wiles away a lot of his time, looking for things he has misplaced. Currently on the "lost list" are his TV remote, his left hearing aid, and traditional places to store ones clothes. He's keeping his sox on the couch, seed caps on the dining table, pants under the bed. I don't know what's in his closet.
Our biggest challenge was talking Ray into drinking the gallon of gorp, the stuff that cleans out the system. He couldn't see any sense in that at all. We made it into a game, setting the timer for 10 minutes--"better drink it down, Ray, only 3 more minutes!", adding lemon flavoring, adding a shot of whiskey. He kept up until the stuff was over half gone, then gave it up.
Like most older folks, he's sensitive to cold. And defines cold as any temperature under 80. Fans create a draft. We suffered in short-sleeved T-shirts; he wore two long-sleeved shirst, buttoned to the neck.
Because we were down to one tiny foster kitten, her siblings having moved to the humane society's adoption floor, we brought her with us. The alternative was to leave her to the not-so-tender mercies of our three adult cats. They're not a welcoming crew so she would have been banished to a lonely room in the basement for the duration.
I was surprised (even I!) at how much joy this little creature brought to me as I watched her chase after flies, barrel up and down the hallway, sleep soundly stretched out between us in bed. She'll be gone by the end of the week, following her siblings to the adoption floor. I'll miss her.
The good news from the weekend was that Ray's colon was pronounced to be in good shape. The doctor also did an endoscopy and found some ulcers on his esophagus and stomach which are probably the cause of his anemia. Biopsies were done and more than likely, treatment will be either antibiotics or an acid-reduction therapy.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The State Fair
It's kind of a love/hate thing I have with the State Fair. I anticipate it every year and every year, before we are ready to leave, I'm done. This year was no exception.
DadKat and I man a booth in the Education Building for a 4-hour shift. This year was so hot and so humid, I was wilted, sweaty, feet hurt, done, done, done! Our shift was at least a year long and no amount of room temperature water helped, no amount of looking at the prize-winning jellies passed time. It was truly agony.
Of course, before the shift, we made our annual tour, mini-donuts in hand, through the animal buildings: so many clean cows, darling goats, hilarious chickens. Then, blackberry malt in hand, we sat for a show at the MPR booth--wonderful classical singers doing their Hawaii show in lovely, gaudy shirts and bare feet.
We looked for political buttons of a certain persuasion--all out--a good sign! Cheesecurds in hand, we wandered past what used to be machinery hill. Now the machinery is mostly lawn mowers. Lots of scooters and motorcycles this year. I wonder if scooter/cycle/bike accidents will go up with their increased use. This morning a motorcycle rider got nailed 100-feet from our house. It didn't look good for him/her.
Only a year 'til the State Fair.
DadKat and I man a booth in the Education Building for a 4-hour shift. This year was so hot and so humid, I was wilted, sweaty, feet hurt, done, done, done! Our shift was at least a year long and no amount of room temperature water helped, no amount of looking at the prize-winning jellies passed time. It was truly agony.
Of course, before the shift, we made our annual tour, mini-donuts in hand, through the animal buildings: so many clean cows, darling goats, hilarious chickens. Then, blackberry malt in hand, we sat for a show at the MPR booth--wonderful classical singers doing their Hawaii show in lovely, gaudy shirts and bare feet.
We looked for political buttons of a certain persuasion--all out--a good sign! Cheesecurds in hand, we wandered past what used to be machinery hill. Now the machinery is mostly lawn mowers. Lots of scooters and motorcycles this year. I wonder if scooter/cycle/bike accidents will go up with their increased use. This morning a motorcycle rider got nailed 100-feet from our house. It didn't look good for him/her.
Only a year 'til the State Fair.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
My very first blog
Writing has always intrigued me. A long time ago, I would read the dictionary. And cereal boxes. And of course books, magazines, newspapers. And now, online information. Blogs that I follow fall into two categories: family members and, well, non-family members. I'll be adding a blogroll when I figure out how to do that. There's so much to be learned from reading, whether facts, opinions, a nicely turned phrase.
There's something magic about being able to write something that is of interest to other people. I won't pretend that I can do that but I'll give it a try. The internet world is so big and broad, you never know. Our photo album is now all digital and we keep it on the internet. A few days ago, someone emailed a friend of mine after finding her company referenced in our album. More ways for us to be connnected I guess.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
