Happy Labor Day

Not much to say today... it's been largely uneventful. Lexie is still settling in to the basement, though I think we'll be letting her out (under supervision and with all the doors to the bedrooms closed) soon. Hopefully she and Dakota will get along.

She's very, VERY affectionate -- the shelter had reported that she didn't like being picked up, which is completely wrong. If you pick her up, she crawls up on your shoulder and nuzzles your face. DD is loving her to death.

Here's a picture I finally managed to take of her -- she doesn't sit still much:



Had a bad time last night missing Breeann ... she was really MY kitty and I kept thinking about the time I didn't spend with her. You know -- regrets. We always have them. The times she asked to sit on my lap and I was too busy. I wish I could have every one of them back. I really miss her. Never realized how much of a fixture she was until she wasn't around.

Give your pets, your kids, your friends a hug today. It's never a waste of time.

=====================

You Are a Crime Drama

You may seem quiet and withdrawn, but you're paying attention to every single thing around you. You intuitively understand people. You are an amazing listener. You are very tightly-wound. You can get completely wrapped up in your job. You're the type of person who always finishes what you start. You like to wrap things up completely.

What Kind of TV Show is Your Life?

About 75% right...

=====================

Monday!

If there were to be a universal sound depicting peace, I would surely vote for the purr. ~Barbara L. Diamond

First off, I have to update everyone on the cat -- she's doing MUCH better! Thanks to everyone for your healing thoughts, prayers and just plain good vibes. It was a long haul, and I'm sure we aren't through.

On Friday, I called the vet -- she still wasn't eating, and I was out of IV fluids. We talked for quite awhile, during which time he told me that I should pretty much resign myself to the fact that she was dying. He was especially concerned that she wasn't eating on her own. He strongly suggested hospitalization -- but the price was far more than I could afford, and I opted to continue with IV fluids and force feeding which is basically what they'd have been doing in the hospital. He did give me new antibiotics because the other ones made her gag and froth.

Then came the miracle.... just as we were deciding we might only have the weekend with her, Saturday morning she came upstairs and ASKED FOR FOOD. I put a couple tablespoons of canned food on a plate for her and she ate every last bite. Later, I noticed she'd eaten some of her dry food as well AND, after checking the litter box, found that all systems were "go".

By Saturday night she was starting to fight me giving her fluids -- she HATES being held in one place. Hates being held, period. And that gave me warm fuzzies as well because she was starting to act like herself again.

This morning, she's still eating (she ate three tablespoons of canned food this morning!), she's far less wobbly, and is back to being vocal, pushy and occasionally cranky.

I'm thrilled.

I'm not fooling myself -- she'll be 18 y.o. in January. I know her life is winding down. But we get to keep her a little longer... and that's a good thing.

So, thanks again to everyone. I can't tell you how much I appreciated you.

==================

In other news, school starts a week from today. I still don't have everything I need, but we're getting there. She'll have orientation on Monday afternoon, then Tuesday it all starts in earnest.

We did discover that there's a little boy coming in new this year with severe peanut allergies and they have "no nut/seed" areas designated, but for me it'll just be easier to not send DD to school with a PBJ or granola bars with nuts in them. Kind of makes things a little tougher, but I certainly wouldn't want to be the one who makes the poor kidlet sick.

We had a family gathering with in-laws and extended in-laws up at my DH's uncle's lake house yesterday (uncle will herewith be called "UB"). All kinds of people were there, including friends of UB. One of them, a lady named Cathy, came up and introduced herself and then said, "Oh, are you the writer?"

I'm pretty sure I stood there, mouth hanging open like a hungry guppy, before finally managing a "Um, yes."

She said, "I have your book! I can't wait to read it. UB read it and said it was wonderful."

You see -- here's the thing. I don't discuss my writing life with the in-laws. They are very, very, very, VERY conservative and while my writing isn't exactly erotica, it's still not something of which they would approve. UB is a little different -- the black sheep of the family, I suppose, so I have talked to him a bit and to his wife. But I was still taken aback.

Later, I put on my other hat (promotions company owner) and spent a great deal of time talking about promotion with UB's wife, who owns her own business. She's hired a promotions company to "brand" her and to get her set up on all the social networking sites, etc. We talked about marketing herself and so much more.

I really enjoyed them. I could talk for hours with UB, his wife and Cathy. They're well-traveled, very intelligent and interesting people.

How was your weekend?

========================

You Are Blueberry Yogurt

You are fast-paced and energetic. It seems like you have a limitless supply of enthusiasm. You are very mentally and physically healthy. You take care of yourself, and it shows. You are a very open person. You are both open to the world and open about who you are. You are energetic and even adventurous in the face of adversity. You have a lot of inner strength.

What Flavor Yogurt Are You?

Mostly right...

======================

Anniversary and Updates

In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage. ~Robert Anderson, Solitaire & Double Solitaire

In the good news column: DH was able to get out of work a little early yesterday so was home by seven -- we actually got to spend our anniversary together :-)

Fifteen years has flown by. I *know* it's been that long -- I have a twelve y.o. daughter to prove it, it just doesn't feel like we've been together nearly two decades. It's amazing how fast time flies by.

In more good(ish) news: I was able to force feed Breeann a little yesterday. I have a friend IRL who had similar problems with her kitty and suggested using a liquid syringe with baby food. About the time I was going to go buy baby food, Dakota decided HER tummy was upset, so kept eating grass to vomit. I didn't want to leave her in the house (or the car) while I shopped -- I didn't want to come back to a yucky surprise -- so I thoroughly pureed up some chicken with broth and added some of her soft food (it smells like fish). She didn't love me doing it, but she did take about 5 cc's of food. I really need to get more like 40 - 50 cc's into her daily, but I wanted to make sure she'd keep it down. She's acting a little more perky today -- was actually waiting at the basement door this morning and wanted to come upstairs (though I carried her up). She ignore the food I offered and curled up on the dog bed to sleep, but I'll take any positive I can find.

So today, I'll be feeding her four or five times a day with the syringe, jabbing her twice a day with a needle for fluids. Interestingly, she isn't bothered by that at all. Last night, I did it on my own without help and she just laid there and purred through the whole thing. the only thing she really, really hates are the antibiotics. They make her gag and almost vomit, and then she drools for about fifteen minutes after.

Truthfully, I realize this is probably the beginning of the end for her, but we're just not quite ready to give up on her yet. Hey, I have more time with her than I do with my husband!

Thanks to everyone for your support and kind words and ideas. They mean a lot to me.

====================

The Left Side of Your Brain is Dominant

You are a verbally and mathematically adept person. You notice details, and you are very precise. You are analytical and linear. You are able to not get overwhelmed and do things one step at a time. You follow through on the plans you make. You like to have everything neat and finished before moving on. You are a perfectionist in almost every aspect of your life. Errors and mistakes drive you crazy.

What Side of Your Brain is Dominant?

That's mostly right, except maybe the math part -- though I did like math up through algebra. Then geometry appeared and I fell to pieces...

======================

Breeann and a 15th Anniversary

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. ~George Eliot

So ... the vet called yesterday and updated me on Breann's blood work. Looks like her kidneys are starting to fail. I looked it up, and it appears that kidney failure is the biggest killer of cats outside of feline leukemia and accidental death, and it's especially prominent in older cats.

I was given three choices: euthanasia (we said no), hospitalization to get fluids (massively expensive, so we said no) and giving her IV fluids at home (still not cheap, but we might still be able to eat and pay the electricity, so we said yes).

So, yesterday I went to the vet's office and got a crash course on sticking a needle under the cat's skin. :::shudders::: I hate doing it, but you do what you have to, right? Twice a day for probably the rest of her life (which I expect to be measured in months, sadly) I'll be giving her subcutaneous fluids.

My biggest concern now is that she won't eat. We've tried her soft food, cooked chicken and ham so far. She sniffs, then curls up and goes to sleep. A little later today, I'm going to try tuna. I hope that once she starts eating again, she'll eat her regular food. I hope it's just a matter of getting her appetite stimulated.

DD fell to pieces last night. She hasn't had a great last few days anyway, and she's an incredibly sensitive and emotional thing on the best of days, but last night she sobbed and sobbed. And sobbed. And then, when I thought she'd gotten it under control, she sobbed some more.

Kinda puts a damper on my fifteenth wedding anniversary. But then, we aren't celebrating today anyway -- DH has to work from early this morning until the wee hours tonight. Pretty much it'll be, "Happy anniversary, here's your coffee, have a good day."

I never realized how YOUNG DH looked when we got married. He's almost five years younger than me and he looked like a baby.




Neither of us look like babies anymore ... but we're hanging in there!

Have a good day.

=============================

You Are Somewhat Self-Reliant

You rely on yourself most of the time, but you're happy to rely on others and have them rely on you in turn. You are a very social creature. You like having a large network of friends and acquaintances. You take pride in being able to be counted on. You consider yourself to be a reliable and responsible person. You believe that no person is an island. You try not to need other people, but you are glad when they are there for you.

How Self Reliant Are You?

Um ... 50/50, I guess...

==================

Happy Mother's Day

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and surrogate moms out there! For Mother's Day this year, I have a sick daughter and a sick husband! I think theirs is the gift of germs, but I'm truly hoping they don't share...

I was truly blessed the day I had my daughter, and often feel like I'm not the best mom in the world to her, but I do my best.



And I admit, I count these "kids" in as mine as well:




But mostly today, I'm missing my own mom, who's living far, far away:


Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!!

===================

You Are Adventurous

You are quite adventurous and brave, but you are also reasonable about it. You don't have to be on an adventure 24/7. You have good judgment and balance. You like to try new and exciting things, but you also pay attention to risk. You're not the type of person who would throw your life away just to go on a new trip or have a new romantic partner. You like your thrills in small, safe doses. You are gutsy in all aspects of your life from career to relationships.

Are You Adventurous?

That's pretty close to right... I do tend to straddle the fence between adventurous and safe (with a slight leaning toward the safe side).

====================

Fun With Cats and Dogs

Although all cat games have their rules and rituals, these vary with the individual player. The cat, of course, never breaks a rule. If it does not follow precedent, that simply means it has created a new rule and it is up to you to learn it quickly if you want the game to continue. ~Sidney Denham

Thought we were going to get blown away yesterday -- I couldn't believe the wind!! Apparently 14,000 people lost power, including our library and the grocery store where I was shopping. Not for too long, thankfully, but OY. Sadly, there was one person killed -- a teenager who had a tree fall on him.

Today is supposed to be sunny, warm and fairly calm so, yay.

The dynamics between my cat and dog crack me up. From the time Dakota was a baby, the cat let her know who was boss, and now Dakota won't challenge her in any way. The newest "fun" the cat has is standing on the mat at the back door when Dakota and I go out first thing in the morning. When I open the door to let the dog in, she won't go past the cat, just stands and looks sad ("I want to obey you by going inside, but THE CAT is there." :::shivers:::).

The other day, the ultimate happened though. I saw this:



Yep... the cat in the dog's crate. Dakota just stood there, in her "vulture" pose (head down by her feet, should blades up, staring intently), but would NOT go in.

I think the cat spends her days thinking of how to torture the dog.

========================

You Are Adventurous

You are a very broad minded person. You try to avoid judging or even having expectations. You'll say yes to almost anything, and as a result, you tend to live a pretty wild and crazy life. You are a colorful person with a lot of good stories to tell. You are definitely not a wallflower! You have a wicked sense of humor, and you're amazingly funny. You get people laughing in no time.

The Retro Pattern Test

Hmmm... about 50/50...

================

Second Verse, Same as the First

The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald

I was a yo-yo all night last night (in bed at 9, up at 11, back at midnight up at 2 a.m.), topped off by a call from my DH's work at 3:30 a.m. because something went kaplooey and he is the Kaplooey Fixer (among many other titles). I tried going back to sleep, and managed for a very short time until the cat decided it was time for breakfast.

DH and I looked at each other this a.m. and just shook our heads. He said he'd just like one night of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Yeah, me, too.

Even so, I think I managed a higher total number of hours actually sleeping last night than I did the night before, lol...

===============

The cat isn't entirely certain she likes her new food... I think it's partly due to the consistency (I pureed it so it's really smooth). But, she's eating and not vomiting, so I call it a win.

The dog tells me that she'll happily eat whatever the cat doesn't want.

*G*

================

Your True Passion is Your Family

You feel the most alive when you are with the people you love. It's really that simple. You value having family in your life to support you, and you try to support them back as much as you can. You are a loving and dependable person. And you don't just stop at your family or friends. Anyone with a good heart is welcome into your circle, and you will treat them like family too.

What's Your True Passion?

Hmmmm... yes and no....

==================

The Faster I Pedal...

.... the behinder I get.



Yesterday was one of those days that zips past and you look back and wonder what they heck you got done because you can't figure out how you just spent the fastest ten hours of your life.

I feel like I accomplished nothing. I'm sure I got SOMETHING done, lol, but it wasn't a terrifically productive day.

The cat woke me up this morning before the crack of dawn, throwing up. I think it must be the soft food. I'd run out of the stuff the vet gave me, and put her back on her old food. It's the only change... so, today, whilst I make dog food, I'm also going to make wet cat food -- it's similar (cats don't get grain/starch is all)-- and see how that settles in her tummy.

I suppose I could continue feeding her the stuff from the vet, but I have a very real issue feeding her something that has, as its first two ingredients, two kinds of grains and it's only "protein" is chicken-by-product meal (from Wikipedia: Poultry by-product meal is a high-protein commodity used as a major component in some pet foods. It is made from grinding clean, rendered parts of poultry carcasses and can contain bones, offal and undeveloped eggs and from Flint River Ranch: Animal by-products are ground, rendered, and cleaned slaughtered meat carcass parts such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, bones, heads, and intestines ... In many cases, by-product meals are derived from "4-D" meat sources — defined as food animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meat packing plant as "Dead, Dying, Diseased or Disabled." ).

She prefers fish to chicken, though, so I will most likely get her some tilipia to add half and half to chicken and chicken livers (along with a few veggies). Tuna is too high in mercury to feed her on a daily basis, though sardines are also an option.

It's a good thing she's cute.

As a side note, DD and I were watching Animal Planet last night, and an ad for Meow Mix came on. At the end, their big claim as to why you should by it? "contains real chicken and fish FLAVOR" ... I turned to DD and said, "Contains real 'flavor'? Why can't they say it contains real chicken and fish?" Probably because the first two ingredients -- according to Pet Health -- are Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal -- two things your cat really can't digest and actually doesn't need for nutrition.

Okay, I'll step down off my soap box, but pet food companies make me crazy. They are unregulated and, for the most part, feed our animals stuff that may keep them alive, but isn't really good for them.

/rant

Anyway, time to start my day for real... hopefully I'll actually accomplish something today!!

========================

You Are Massachusetts

You are smart, serious, and quite traditional. You don't have a lot of time for junk in your life. It's likely that you're well educated and hard working. You live a very goal oriented life. You are probably socially liberal, but personally quite conservative. You would never be described as wild. But you're more diverse than people give you credit for. You're equally comfortable at a business meeting and at a rowdy sports game!

What US State Are You?

Ugh... I do NOT like Massachusetts. However, the answer is about 75% correct.

=================

It's Saturday

The cat does not offer services. The cat offers itself. Of course he wants care and shelter. You don't buy love for nothing. Like all pure creatures, cats are practical. ~William S. Burroughs

Mary sent this to me last night -- I think it's just perfect, don't you?



Anyway, the cat spent all day sleeping ... she didn't even want to eat, which surprised me. Fact is, she didn't eat for two days!! This a.m., I scooped out a pile of her canned "bland diet" and thought I'd let her eat whatever she wanted since her appetite has been off.

Her appetite isn't off anymore. I finally had to wrest the bowl from her against her VERY loud protestations.

She's back, sleeping in front of the fire. Life as we know it is back to normal.

==================

It's warming up here. I may even take a nice long walk today as long as the wind doesn't kick up. It's in the low 40s and feels like summer. They're calling for rain here tomorrow night, and I hope they are right, because it's a LOT of rain -- and about an hour north of us has a forcast for "a massive ice storm". I really, REALLY don't want a "massive ice storm".

I think there should be two kinds of precipitation: rain and snow. That other stuff shouldn't be allowed.

====================

You Are Mittens

You seek comfort in your life. You want to feel as warm and cozy as possible. You are naturally nurturing and caring. And you always make sure to take care of yourself! Winter is your time to hibernate. You love to curl up on a cold night, even if everyone else is going out. And when you do venture out of the house, you bundle up. You want to feel as warm as possible.

Are You Gloves or Mittens?

Yeah.. that's about right.

===============================

Update on Breeann

I just got back from picking the cat up from the vet. They did x-rays, ran blood tests on her kidney, liver and pancreas enzymes to see if they were elevated, did a physical exam, etc., and there is apparently nothing wrong with her. No tumors, no blockages, no elevated temperatures... nothing. In fact, her kidney enzymes are BETTER than they were during her annual exam over the summer (when they told me it appeared she was in the first stages of kidney failure). I've been treating her holistically, so I guess that is working, which is good.

In the meantime, several hundred dollars, a sleepless night and a lot of worry later, I apparently had a cat with a really, really bad case of heartburn. She's on antacids and bland food.

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts and caring hearts.

========================

Written the Night Before

“The cat has too much spirit to have no heart” - Ernest Menaul

Hey all... I'm setting this up to post, because I don't know if I'll have the time or inclination to post in the morning.



My cat, Breeann, is pretty sick. She's been vomiting the past few days -- only a little though, until today. Today, she's not eating, only drinking and then vomiting after. I called the vet right before they closed, and they said to take up her water and that I could bring her in to stay there overnight, but because she's still active and alert, that it could probably wait until the morning.

But folks, she has many of the symptoms of kidney failure. And it breaks my heart.

So, I'm going to bring her in tomorrow and let them draw blood and urine samples and see what's what. In the mean time, all positive thoughts are prayers are appreciated. She's an old lady, and I know that she'll go eventually, but I'd prefer it wasn't today.

=====================

Happy Birthday Breeann

My DD reminded me that today is our cat, Breeann's, SIXTEENTH birthday -- she's quite an old lady!



Happy birthday, Breeann!

Yesterday...

Now that it's all over, what did you really do yesterday that's worth mentioning? ~Coleman Cox

I locked the cat in the basement last night and laid around like a lazy slug this morning until 6 a.m.!! I think that's the latest I've slept in years (though I was awake at 5 a.m. -- it sure felt good to just lay there in that in-between state where you're fuzzy but not sleeping and not wide awake).

I need to do that every Sunday morning. It's the only day I don't need to be up to load pages for LASR/WC.

I'm still not feeling sick (knock wood). I exiled DD to the room over the garage yesterday for the entire day (except the book sale ... I let her go to that) with some movies. She watched "The House of Dies Drear" and two seasons of "Little House on the Prairie". I really need to buy her season three... she has a GC for Amazon sitting here. Maybe I'll do that today.

Yesterday was a little crazy: book sale in the a.m. (I've decided to rebuy all the "In Death" books. I used to have them, then got rid of them, and now I miss having them -- the book sale had about half in nearly new condition for 50 cents each - woot! I found some books for my mom, and DD found 5 books for herself. I spent $7.25 for everything.

I had to make dog food yesterday, and DD couldn't help which was a drag. So, I boiled chicken, pulled it out of the broth to cool, added veggies to the broth to cook, deboned the chicken.... well, you get the idea. It was an ordeal. And just as I was getting ready to finish that, DH came home from his folks house with a pile of corn on the cob that he'd picked at a field near their house. Since we couldn't possibly eat that much corn over the course of a few days, I had to process it for freezing.

So he shucked it all and I washed, blanched and put it in freezer bags. Half my day was spent in the kitchen, and DH wondered why I didn't want to cook dinner! LOL... I made him barbecue.

DD is still coughing, but it sounds like it might be loosening up a little. I hope so. She starts art lessons this week, too, besides the fair. My DH did say he'd take her to the fair if I was sick, but the problem with that is he doesn't like to do what she does. He likes the tractor pulls and the big equipment sales and the cows. She likes the horse shows and the art exhibits and the rides. And cotton candy. She gets cotton candy once a year at the fair. Besides, I like to go. So am still taking cold bombs, and washing hands and keeping Lysol with me where ere I go.

======================

RE: DD's store -- I found out yesterday morning that Judy and her mad photoshopping skills are gone for the weekend, so no DD store unveiling. Maybe Monday or Tuesday.

======================

You Are Spirited and Spontaneous

You are an energetic, passionate person. You are quite impulsive, and your passions tend to change with the wind. You are lively and fun. You like to stay busy with your various adventures. You are a wanderer and a traveler. You're curious about the world, and it's hard for you to stay still for too long. You get bored easily and tend to shirk on your responsibilities. You don't want to grow up yet!

The Autumn Leaf Test

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

I'd have to say that's almost completely incorrect... but the leaf sure is pretty! *G*

==========================

Thursday Already??

You own a dog but you feed a cat. ~Jenny de Vries

You can keep a dog; but it is the cat who keeps people, because cats find humans useful domestic animals. ~George Mikes

How can it be Thursday already? Where did the week go? My DH wasn't just off last Friday (he works a four day work week), but also Monday AND Tuesday. I am so messed up... *sigh*

First off, Breeann is doing quite well. I'm not sure what set her off on her little vomiting spree, but there were no blockages on the x-rays and her blood tests came back clean. Well... except for one little problem: her kidney enzymes were elevated. Under normal circumstances, the doc would attribute that to the dehydration (and that might be what it was), but her sister (my old roommate's cat) died from kidney failure almost two years ago and apparently that can be a hereditary disease.

Also, we have to deal with the massive amounts of arthritis in her back legs and hips, which will be made more difficult by her kidney problems (some medication can stress the kidneys).

If it's not one thing, it's another. But, she's up and around, asking for food and perky enough to beat on the dog so she's pretty much back to normal.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts, prayers and well-wishes on her behalf.

======================

I got a bit of a jolt in the mail yesterday. My local SAU (school administrative unit) sent me a letter:

"As of this date, we have not received notification that your child will be homeschooled for the 09/10 school year..."

I had visions of the truancy police, the regular police AND social services all knocking on my door. In a panic, I grabbed the letter they'd send the month before, acknowledging receipt of the letter of intent they now claimed to NOT have received and took off for the SAU.

It was all over in a matter of minutes. They found my letter of intent on file and apologized. Still, it took a while for my heart to stop pounding, lol...

==================

Am still working my way through "Stiller Creek" and realizing that I really am not 100% cognizant of the inner workings of the police. It makes me uneasy about writing a story that has the police chief as the hero, no matter how much research I do.

Ah well... I guess I'll find out if I did okay if and when the story is ever accepted for publication.

===================

Your Brown Eyes Say You're Clever and Witty

You are seen as brilliant and irreverent. You speak your mind, and people love you for it. You don't let other people see any insecurities you might have. You like to present a brave front. You are sharp as a tack and very quick on your feet. You're the first to get or tell a joke. You are also clear thinking in a crisis. You are an excellent problem solver.

What Does Your Eye Color Say About You?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

That's ME ... brilliant, sharp as a tack, clear-thinking. How did they know?

===================

Kitty Update

Just got Breeann home... she's pleased to be here. She's not so happy that she's locked up in the laundry room. The vet wants me to keep her well-contained for the next day or two to make sure she's not vomiting where I can't see her. The x-rays show no obstructions or obvious reason for her vomiting. OTOH, they DO show MASSIVE arthritis in her back, hips and back knees, poor baby. The vet says she's probably in a great deal of pain, even though she only limps a little bit. He says cats go into "stealth mode" when they hurt.

:-(

Anyway, we won't have the blood test results back for a day or two, and at this point have no idea what's made her sick, so I just have to watch her, make sure she eats, drinks & poops and hopefully that she does NOT throw up again.

:::fingers crossed:::

=====================

Worried About my Kitty

There is something about the presence of a cat... that seems to take the bite out of being alone. ~Louis J. Camuti

I'm worried about my cat, Breeann.



Yesterday morning, she threw up -- everywhere. All the food she'd eaten, plus about ten times more (where did it all come from?). The basement was covered with her mess... she'd even thrown up IN her food dish. And then she curled up on her fleece blanket and slept ALL DAY LONG.



She finally woke up around 7 pm (usually, she comes upstairs around 4:00 and starts asking for soft food -- she used to take medicine every night, and hasn't decided to forget that, even though she hasn't gotten it in months) and strolled upstairs, then curled up in a chair to sleep again. She never asked for food and didn't touch the little bit of hard food I'd put in her bowl.



I found her in the same chair this morning. She didn't move until about 4:30 a.m., when she jumped down and threw up again -- just liquid goo this time since she hadn't eaten since the morning before. And then she went back down into the basement, ignored the food bowl and curled up to go back to sleep.

She's an old lady ... fifteen years old. I got her as a baby from a lady where I worked. She'd been handed around from house to house since she'd left her mama and no one wanted to keep her (my other cat doesn't like her, she sheds, she gets into my stuff) and they knew I'd taken her sister (who promptly adopted my roommate, lol) so asked if I'd take her, too.

I had every intention of finding her another home. At the time, my roommate and I already had four cats and didn't need another... but, she fit right in and the rest is history. She's a GOOD cat -- a little cranky, but she deals with the dog, doesn't climb on the counters, doesn't shred the furniture.



As soon as the vet opens this morning, I'm calling for an appointment. I hope she just has a bug and everything goes away... but I'm worried about her. A lot.

==============================

A Plethora of Stuff

Sickness comes on horseback but departs on foot. ~Dutch Proverb, sometimes attributed to William C. Hazlitt

This will be short -- what we thought was a cold for my DD is getting worse and she is complaining of severe ear pain, so we'll be heading out the urgent care center when it opens soon.

I'm supposed to be co-hosting a chat with Judy at the WC Yahoo group, but depending on when I get back, she may be flying solo. We (or she ) will be giving away lots of stuff -- A LASR shirt, autographed books, gift certificates. It'll be fun. I hope I can be there.

Also, The Romance Studio CAPA Awards are announced today. They're giving away a $100 Amazon GC to one person who accurately guesses all the winners (or whoever gets closest) plus lots of great books from Berkley and Kensington. I'd love it if "Kitchen Matches" and "Miles From You" would win, but I'm up against some stiff competition. It always sound corny, but considering all the novels and novellas released in the previous 12 months, I'm really just thrilled they were nominated.

Remember, today is the last day to enter MY contest to win either one of my books or "Best of Intentions" by Michelle Cary. I'll hold the drawing tomorrow morning (or at least that's my plan).

In the meantime... though no one thought my dog and cat had anything in common, I beg to differ:




Do you see the resemblance? Also, if you look closely, you'll notice Dakota's tongue is sticking out. It made me laugh.

Have a good day!

Stuck with ME

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. ~Voltaire

No guest blogger today... y'all are stuck with me.

I spent the day, yesterday, doing brainless but necessary work for LASR and contemplating a short story I had begun quite some time ago. In it, I have a heroine who has a mysterious something that demands her attention after work everyday and ... when I started writing it, I had no idea what that was. Yesterday, I sat and wondered what had happened to Millie and Paul from "Miles From You" -- they've been on my brain because Womans World still has my "Perilous Love" story and the last time they had once this long, it had gotten all the way to Johnene Granger before being rejected (with handwritten comments, which I treasured, lol). That story eventually became "Miles From You".

The brain is a funny thing, isn't it?

In any case, and for whatever reason my very odd brain smooshed both thought together and now I know what my heroine from the short story does every afternoon -- it involves her parents, Millie and Paul! LOL...

Now, to find the time to finish writing it. I really like the hero in the story -- he's sweet, but geeky and unsure. I can't recall writing a sweet, geeky and unsure hero before.

So... one more to add to JaNoWriMo?

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Hey, folks... yesterday Ceri asked a question in the LASR Yahoo group that didn't get an answer, and I thought I'd ask it here, because I'd like to know, too!

She asked:

On their guidelines page they list what to send (cover letter, synopsis, first three chapters) but further down the page it says that we can send an email query to the proper editor.

Which is the best way to submit? I didn't seen any addresses to physically mail anything, so I'm wondering if the email is the preferred method.

Does anyone know?

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We did "quirky things" yesterday in the LASR group and it got me to watching stuff around me. Dakota is VERY quirky... lol. Her biggest quirk is this: She always takes the first mouthful of food away from the dish to eat it. She'll go over, fill her mouth up and run to the stairs, spit it out and eat it one piece at a time. Then, and only then, will she go back and eat the entire thing.

And my cat's feet are ticklish, so I love to go and stick a finger in the middle of her pads and wiggle... her entire foot flexes. She'll let me do that once or twice before smacking me in annoyance, lol. I'm the only one who can do it even that many times, though.

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Isn't it amazing how warm 40 degrees feels in the winter? I have my screen door open!! LOL...

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You Should Be a Puppeteer

You are an entertainer - pure and simple. You know how to engage an audience. You are a natural storyteller. You are naturally dramatic, even when life doesn't call for drama. Luckily though, you save most of your drama for your stellar performances.

What Circus Act Should You Perform?

And, DD got her "drama queen"-ness from me! *G*

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Tightwad Tips Tuesday

Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work. ~Robert Orben

Maria Zannini mentioned something in the comments of my post last week about how to shop wisely and get the best prices on food and sundries.

Use a notebook.

I have three grocery stores, two warehouse stores, a WalMart and a Target that I use for my shopping. I have a notebook and a calculator in my purse (for those times when the "cost per..." is different for every brand -- why do they do that? If it's a "cost per gallon" for one, why is it a "cost per each" for a second, and a "cost per quart" for the third? Drives me batty... anyway...) and I am constantly checking prices. This was especially important lately when all the stores boosted prices because of gasoline cost (but did they go back down? Uh.. no. And there is a news story on why here.) because all the "usual" prices went way up.

It's simple to make a notebook. Find a little notepad, make headers at the top with each store, and a sidebar with your products and columns to write prices -- it's important to write the "cost per whatever" because manufacturers are known to decrease the size of a package slightly (anyone look at Breyer's ice cream lately, or your tuna cans?) and keep the price the same. You might want to write the prices in pencil since they are fluid.

I don't advocate hitting six stores in a day to shop, though, unless they're very close to each other. I also keep a list in my storage with what I want on hand, and what I've used to show what I need to buy when I'm at the place where whatever I need is cheapest.

The biggest way to save money is to be an informed consumer. Never make assumptions that WalMart is the cheapest on everything, for instance. Maybe it is, most times. But what about when the usually very expensive grocery store has loss leaders on sale? Do your research. It adds up. I used Rinaldi pasta sauce as an example on my post last week (since I never have enough tomatoes in my garden to make my own sauce). Hunts sauce is nearly always $1 a can, but I don't like the taste... so I wait. I love Rinaldi, but it's usually almost $3 a jar! Every few months or so, though, the store near me puts it on sale 10/$1. They have a limit of ten per visit ... but they're close to me, so I'll go back a few times during the week. Or, I'll go to another store in the chain that's near where Dakota goes to obedience. It's worth it to me. I saved $20 on ten jars of sauce!

So... keep your notes, be organized, know what you have on hand and what you need and always watch the grocery store sales. You'll save hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars a year!

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And a picture of the cat helping us decorate the Christmas tree (just because):

Monday Morning Meme and More

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown



1.What is your earliest memory of a library? Who took you? Do you have any funny/odd memories of the library?

I worked in the library in grammar school -- and I remember shelving books, even as early as fourth grade. That's where I discovered ALL of the Oz books (my absolute faves as a kid), and where I learned what the Dewey Decimal system was. Funny/odd memories? Not really. Just warm fuzzy ones.

2. What two things are at the top of your to-do list? When do you think you’ll get around to doing those things? How good are you at crossing things off your to-do list?

I'm perpetually behind on working the LASR site. I always have reviews to build, pages to update, reminders to send, ads to place ... it's never-ending, so that is ALWAYS on my to-do list.

Second for now would be to finish getting ready for NaNoWriMo -- and, I'm telling you what, I better have words fall from my fingers, or I already don't know where I'm going to find the time. Still, I have faith (gotta have faith -- and an alarm clock!).

When? Everyday. I cross off my to-do stuff, and then start anew. Even when it's the same stuff.

3. Where do you come in the family? Are you the oldest? Youngest? Only child? Or smack in the middle? How do you think this has affected the way you grew up? Would you agree with your birth order personality? Are you happy with your birth order, or do you wish you had been the oldest/youngest, etc.

I'm the baby (awwww....), the youngest of six and am five years apart from my next nearest sibling. I was all but raised an only child, though, because my nearest brother and sister moved out early and by the time I was in sixth grade, I was on my own. Even before that, we really didn't hang out together... the age difference really impacted our relationship as we grew up, IMHO.

So, birth order... hmmm, let's try both.

Last born child traits says:

* Risk takers
* Idealists
* Good sense of humor
* Hard working
* Immature
* Attention seeking
* Secretive
* Sensitive

Okay... yes on most. I don't think I've ever been immature -- I've been told I was born old. But otherwise, yep. What about only child?

* Mature faster
* Get along well with older people
* Responsible
* Self-Centered
* Perfectionists
* Attention seekers
* Use adult language
* Prefer adult company
* Have difficulty sharing

Yes and no... that's about 50% I think. Wanna guess WHICH 50 is me? LOL...

4. If it wasn’t for ________ , I would ________.

If it wasn't for my husband, I would move back west.

But, yanno... he lives here, so I suppose I must. *G*

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Thanks for the well wishes about Dakota. Will check her lump this a.m. and make the determination as to whether it's increased, decreased or (thinking positive) mysteriously disappeared overnight.

DD and Dd had a bit of a slumber party last night. Everyone with cats will appreciate this. My cat decided she wanted to sleep on DD's bed... so she did. Right in the middle. And Dd wouldn't challenge her (cat has her whipped into shape), and DD didn't want to disturb her (yes, cat is queen), so she made a big bed on the floor of her room.

Yes, folks -- DD and Dd slept on the floor while Queen Breeann, cat extraordinaire got the entire bed to herself!



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Today is writing day for me -- which means more work on my NaNo project, and possible tinkering of short stories I have in progress.

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How was your weekend? Do anything interesting?

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