For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also--Matthew 6:21

Have you voted?  Mom and Dad voted today!

The cats are going outside every day now.  We go out and count heads every hour or so, just to make sure they have not found a way to escape.  So far the lattice extension on the fence is working.   Usually around 6:00 p.m. we go out to catch them and bring them into the house.  Even after being outside for several hours, Jonesie is hard to catch.  He doesn’t want to come back inside.  But, we have learned not to leave any of them out after dark.  We might never catch them.

I put this out for me to lie down on, but looks like Kaci, Jason and Lexi had other ideas

Dash, in the window, would like to be outside with Kaci, but we can't catch her in the house, much less outside!

We will go off of Daylight Savings Time next weekend, the 4th of November.  That means that the cats’ outside time will be cut down an hour to 5:00 p.m.  I can’t believe this year is almost over.

Jonesie and Mr. Creme

It’s time for Mr. Creme’s fructosamine test again.  Charlie is taking him to the vet tomorrow.  It’s been about three weeks since his last one.  We did a blood glucose test on him the other day and it was 504.  Still high, but coming down.  The vet wants us to only do a test once a week.  She’s afraid we will start adjusting MC’s insulin dosage I think.  We would never do that though.  She told us that some people check the BG and if it’s high they increase the insulin, etc.  That’s a dangerous thing to do.  He still gets 2 units in the morning and 2 units at night.  He’s eating well and he looks good.  I also increased his B12 pills from 1 a day to 1-1/2 a day.  There’s no danger of over dosing on B12.  I noticed that his back legs seemed to be more wobbly, but with the extra ½ pill, they are better.

The vaporizer for Lexi works well.  The pre-moistened wicks are kind of expensive and there are only about 6 in a box.  We bought a bottle of the liquid which is used in water vaporizers.  I soak the wicks in it because it is the camphor based solution used in the pre-moistened ones I was buying.  It works just as well.  At least Lexi breathes better.

Her diarrhea seems to be cleared up (knock on wood) over the past week or so.  I hope it doesn’t come back.  With all the tests she went through, we still don’t know for sure what caused it for such a long period of time.  The vet is convinced it’s food allergies, but we tried changing her food for a couple of months and nothing changed.  I have her back on her original food and I think that may be helping.  We’ll see.

Willie, our boarder cat, will be going home next week I think.  I received an email tonight from her parents.  They are on their way home from West Virginia, leaving before the storm hit back there.  They started driving and didn’t stop until they were out of range of the storm.  After driving for 24 hours, they made it to a hotel in Arkansas for the night.  They are pulling a packed trailer so I’m sure they are not going really fast. 

Willie has been here since May and I know she will be happy to see them.  We manage to give her attention, but it’s nowhere near what she gets as being the only child at home.  She’s a really sweet cat, but she really doesn’t get along with our cats, so we keep her in her own room most of the time.  Sometimes when our cats are all outside, I will open her door and she comes downstairs for awhile.  It works out fine, but of course, when our cats come back inside, she has to go back to her room. 

A couple of years ago we decided to replace the carpet in our family room with laminate wood flooring.  We liked the way it turned out.  That left only two rooms downstairs with carpet, the front living room and the master bedroom.  Last week we had those two rooms done in wood flooring too.  It looks really nice. 

The floor guys were here for a couple of days, so we had to shift our cats around.  We didn’t want any of them hiding somewhere and not being able to get to the litter boxes, so we put Dash, Kodi and Rhody in Charlie’s computer room.  They were fine because they just slept all day as usual.  We just knew where they were.  None were allowed to go outside during those two days except for Lexi.  We never have problems with her being outside.

It was funny, at the end of the second day, after the guys left, we opened the door to let the cats out.  They scrambled downstairs and when they saw the floors, it startled them.  They all scattered in different directions, sliding, as they ran.  Cats are so paranoid.  But, no one was hurt and they quickly settled down.  They just notice every little change.  Of course, this was a big change I guess.

Rhody and Jonesie, the cautious one.

If there is so much as a sock on the floor that wasn’t there the last time the cats were there, they will stop and watch it and paw at it.  If it moved suddenly, they would jump out of their skin.  Jonesie is the funniest one to see when he reacts to something new.  It takes him a little longer to decide that whatever it is, it needs to be slapped at a few times to make sure it’s safe.

More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_

If a flea had money, it would buy its own dog....... Jamaican Proverb

or cat!

Last week we had Terminex come and treat the inside of our house for fleas.  We had to get the cats out.  Since the yard was not being treated, we kenneled Kiki, Dash and Kodi and put them on the back patio.  The others were allowed to be loose in the yard.  We couldn’t get Debby in a kennel, so we had to leave her in the garage and not have the garage treated.  We had to stay out of the house for four hours.

When we were allowed back inside, Charlie vacuumed the floors.  We were told to vacuum two or three times a day for a few days and empty the cannister into a trash bag, seal it up and put it in the dumpster.  I hope it takes care of our problem.

The night before we had the house done, I gave the cats Capstar, which would kill all of the adult fleas on them.  It was supposed to be effective for 24 hours.  While we had them all outside, we applied Advantage II, the topical, for continued protection. 

I feel like we are doing everything we can do to get this problem under control.  It does seem to be better now.  We checked the cats and haven’t found any fleas on them so far.  The weather is turning cooler and that is helping too.

Kiki had bumps on her body.  The vet said it was from an allergic reaction to flea saliva.  We decided one night to give her a bath.  She didn’t like it much, but she tolerated it better than we thought she would.  The bumps were still there, but she seemed to feel much better.  After the Capstar and Advantage treatments last week, the bumps have all but disappeared from her body. 

Ellie’s flea problem was really bad too.  Charlie combed her and we were amazed at the number of fleas she had.  Poor little thing.  She was being eaten alive.  We also gave her a bath.  She didn’t like it any more than Kiki did, but it helped to soothe her. 

When she dried, we combed her again and found a few fleas, but an improvement.  Later, she settled in the cat tree in the family room and went sound asleep.  When it was time for bed, Charlie took her up to her room for the night.  This was before Terminex came, so I had treated the floor for fleas and Charlie said it seemed to be clear.

When I went up to feed her the next morning, instead of being at the door waiting, she was still asleep.  She looked up and yawned as if to say, “Morning already?”  It was good to see her getting her rest.

Sheila was groomed the other day and she received her monthly dose of Comfortis.  I ordered Capstar for her too, just in case.  Charlie has checked her several times and she has no fleas.

We had some trees trimmed in our yard a couple of weeks ago.  It may have been better to wait until the weather cooled a little more.  I miss the shade in the back of the house that the two trees provided.  It made a difference when we were having the 90 degree temps.

Charlie has finished putting up the lattice on the fence and it is working very well.  None of the cats have escaped the yard. 

Jonesie, however, is our little hunter.  He thinks it’s his job to catch birds.  I have been taking the bird feeders down and covering the bird bath when he’s in the yard.  The birds will hopefully stay away.

Mr. Creme went to the vet for his fructosamine test yesterday.  The vet called today and said that his blood glucose was still too high.  We were told to increase the insulin from three units a day to four units a day.  He gets two units in the morning and two at night.  I hope he stabilizes on this.

The B12 pills still seem to be working and keeping his legs strong.  He eats well, but does drink quite a bit of water. 

Lexi is still congested, but eats well and enjoys spending her days in the yard.  We bought a plug in vaporizer for her sleeping area.  When I feed her in the mornings, her congestion sounds better, but when I bring her in for the night, she is congested.  I don’t think that keeping her inside would make a difference and she would not permit it anyway.  She likes being outside and that’s it. 

She still has diarrhea and no matter what food I’ve changed her to, it doesn’t help.  We’ve had blood work done, Xrays done, given her antibiotics, probiotics, and nothing has helped.  I’ve taken her off of wet food and fed only dry food and still nothing changes.  But, she doesn’t act sick at all.

Yesterday was shot day for Jonesie.  We thought he only needed two vaccinations, but he actually needed three.  He just turned two years old and the rabies shot he had last year was only good for a year.  I thought that having three shots would slow him down, but it didn’t faze him a bit.

I took a friend to the airport the other day.  On the way back, I saw two cars go through a left turn light, which had turned yellow and then red.  There is a traffic camera there and at least one of those two people driving those cars are definitely going to receive a citation in the mail.  I know, because a couple of years ago, I was cited there. 

I had picked up Charlie at the airport one night and we were approaching that turn.  I followed a car right through the light.  Charlie said, “You just ran that light.”  There was a bright flash, which almost blinded me.  I said, “I just got my picture taken.”  We didn’t really know if it was really enforced or not. 

Not long afterwards, I received a citation which included a picture of me behind the wheel.  I had joked with Charlie that I would say it was him driving the car.  Well, I couldn’t do that because it was obviously me.  A bad picture of me, but me.  That turned out to be a very expensive drive from the airport. 

More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_

If we treated everyone we meet with the same affection we bestow upon our favorite cat, they, too, would purr.-- Martin Buxbaum

Our lattice work in our yard is almost complete.  It seems to be working.  We let the cats out in the afternoon and they are staying in the yard.

The flea problem still hasn’t gone away.  We are using Frontline on the cats and Comfortis on Sheila.  When the Terminex guy came the second time, he did suspect that with the neighbor’s dogs, we may have a problem until they do something in their own yards.  He may have a point.

Mr. Creme went back to the vet last week for a fructosamine test.  It came back high and his insulin has been increased from two a day to three a day; two in the morning and one at night.  He will go back in two or three weeks for follow up.  He’s eating well and getting around well.  I think he feels better with the increased insulin.

Lexi also went back to the vet for follow up.  She still has diarrhea and congestion.  We got some more Fortiflora (probiotic) and some Metronidazole, which is an antibiotic that is used commonly to treat protozoal infections and anaerobic bacterial infections. It also has anti-inflammatory effects in the bowel.  Since Lexi has had diarrhea for such a long time, we are only trying to find out something that works, I guess.  It’s a liquid and she will take it for ten days. 

Lexi seems normal in every other way.  She doesn’t lie around listless.  She eats, drinks water, wants attention and looks good.  She has lost a few ounces though.

Ellie went to the vet to get her senior blood panel done.  Everything looks fine.  Her white blood cells are up, but the vet thinks it’s due to her neuropathy.  She also has lost a few ounces.  She gets around fine and eats well.

We are worried about Ellie though because she is so thin.  She sleeps in my computer room, but during the day she likes to be outside.  We’re feeding her three or four times a day to hopefully keep her weight up.  I call her my colicky baby because she is constantly meowing and wanting to sit on my lap while I’m trying to work at the computer.  When I wrap her up in a blanket and sit in my rocker and hold her, she falls asleep.  I will spend as much time with her as I can because I know we won’t always have her.

She had an asthma attack last night.  I gave her a pill.  She started coughing and I took her outside for a few minutes where it was cooler.  It seemed to help.    

Mr. Creme, Lexi and Ellie’s mother, Jezibel, seems to be in good health.  She doesn’t have the problems that her “kids” have.  I’m glad.  She is not on any regular medication, but does have asthma attacks occasionally.  

Last week Charlie took Rhody to the vet to get his shots.  He has never been to our vet because when we got him last year, they weren’t open on Sundays.  I wanted to get him in and checked out before introducing him into our cat household, so I took him to our previous vet.  They took care of him through his kitten-hood. 

While Charlie was waiting at the vet’s, the receptionist couldn’t help but say, “So, Mr. Bell, you have another one?”

The vet noted that Rhody was a big boy and was mildly surprised that he was only a year old.  He passed his physical though.

The “twins”, Jason and Kaci, went to the vet today.  It was clinic day and all shots were half price.  The twins have reaction to shots so we have to get only one shot per visit.  They will have to go back for their feline leukemia shot next time. 

We did manage to get away one night to see The Dave Mathews Band in concert.  It was every bit as good as we expected. The Cricket Amphitheater is a great venue with excellent sight lines and a superb audio setup.  We were just to the right of center stage and toward the back of the main seating area, but there is enough elevation in the outdoor arena that we could see everything that was going on.
The opening act was singer Alan Stone. We didn't know anything about him. Charlie looked up his bio online and it mentioned that he began touring about four years ago and sings R&B/soul.  I would have to say that it’s likable music, but not something I'd go out and buy.
The crowd really wanted to get to the Dave Mathews Band.  Stone, several times, had to plead for the crowd to get loud, but without much success.  The sell-out crowd didn't even start to really fill up the place until Stone was two-thirds of the way through his set.
We had seen the Dave Mathews Band here a few years ago.  If anything, the band has gotten even better. He opened with the song "Why I Am," a big hit from his last album, which got everyone on their feet, and they played almost non-stop for the next three hours.
My only complaint was that there was a couple of people who were two rows in front of us who wanted to stand for the whole concert.  People asked them to sit down for awhile, but they refused.  That got a little tiring not be able to see the stage.   I don’t know why some people are so inconsiderate.  We paid for our seats too.
But, it was a warm night and we really enjoyed being there.  We got home around midnight.

I’m still working at the acupuncture clinic.  My back problem is better than it was a year ago, but it still gives me problems.  I went to the chiropractor two weeks ago for my monthly visit.  My muscles were very sore, but he relaxed them and I felt better. 


More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_

Most cats, when they are Out want to be In, and vice versa, and often simultaneously. ~Louis J. Camuti

We went to the Padres’ baseball game last week.  It was nice and warm, even after the sun went down.  That is unusual for San Diego.  Usually, even if it’s warm during the day here it cools off immediately in the evening.  Anyway, I love this warm weather, even with the “high” humidity of 60-80%.

Our Padre season ticket rep, Nick, invited us to stop by and see him before the game.  He was renewing for next season.  After signing on the dotted line, we received a glass of champagne.  (Wait, who got the best part of that deal?)

We also found time to go to the Del Mar horse races.  Their season ended on September 6.  We usually make at least one race each season.  Charlie and I are not big gamblers, but we can manage to put $2-6 on each race.  I pick my horse by where it is bred and by its’ name.  I do read a little to see how many times it has run and how it did.  There were 8 races that day.  I played “Comic Kitty”, to place and “Gypsy Kitty” to show in the 1st race.  I won $3.40 on “Gypsy Kitty” for showing, coming in 3rd.

“Include the Cat” did not win anything in the 2nd race and neither did “Bacardi Cat Run” in the 3rd race.  “You Little Devil” lost for me in the 4th race.  “Princess Ash” showed and won $3.00 for me in the 5th.  “Cat Meeting” came in 2nd in the 6th race.  I won $3.10. 

It was the 7th race that was my winner.  Charlie and I both bet on “Tilde”.  She won and paid us $8.40.  But, we also bet on “Awe’ Some Kitten”, me to show and Charlie to place.  She came in 2nd.  We decided to skip the 8th race, take our winnings and go have dinner.  It was a fun day.  Charlie actually did better than I did, but he split his winnings with me.

I checked the paper the next day.  My horse, which I would have bet on in the 8th race, “Mary Helen’s Storm”, came in 2nd.  I would have bet for her to place so there goes my $3.00!

“Tilde”, the winner of the 7th race, was the first horse to win two stakes at Del Mar.  She had won a race there on July 20.

I’m hoping that we have found a way to keep our cats in the yard.  We thought about making an enclosure within our yard for the cats.  The fence would be 7' or 8' high.  We received estimates and it was more than we felt we wanted to spend. 

But, we like to let our cats outside.  It gives us a break and they enjoy being outside.  We just don’t want them out of the yard.  We started putting 4'2' lattice over each gate.  That was enough to discourage the jumpers from leaving the yard. 

After seeing that this temporary fix seemed to work, Charlie went to Lowes and bought some wood lattice.  He cut it to fit over the gates and the fence in the front.  It looks nice.  He plans on eventually running it all the way around.  It adds a foot to our 6' fence and so far, the cats have no interest in trying to get out.

It’s nice to be able to let them outside and check on them once in awhile to let them know we are watching.  They are happy to sleep and watch the birds, butterflies and bees. 

I took the bird feeders down after Jonesie and Rhody caught a bird one day.  The cats get to stay out until 6:00 or 7:00 p.m., summer hours.  It’s been so warm, they love the cool concrete patio floor. 

We are still dealing with fleas.  We have treated the house again and Terminex has treated the yard twice.  Each treatment is supposed to last 45 days.  I have been using Frontline on the cats and Sheila gets the pill, Comfortis.  The topical wasn’t working for her.  I read that flea infestation may take up to 2-4 months to rid.  We haven’t had this problem in a long time.

Today we combed the cats and it looks like the fleas are decreasing, so we’re hoping that soon they will be back under control.  We will definitely treat all year around now.

Mr. Creme is doing fine.  He’s eating well.  I hope he’s gaining weight.  He will go back to the vet for testing on 9/17.  He is so sweet.  We haven’t been doing a blood glucose test like we had planned.  We would like to do it two times a week.  The vet discourages it because she has clients who give the test and if blood glucose is up, they increase insulin.  That is dangerous because it’s better to have high numbers rather than hypoglycemia (low) levels. 

Lexi is doing better.  She does not like the grain-free dry food I am giving her, but she eats the wet food well.  The good news is, her diarrhea is better.  Her congestion is better too.  She goes back to the vet on 9/17.  The tests at her last appointment were good.  Her thyroid meds are working and there doesn’t seem to be any side effects.

Ellie has changed her routine.  We notice all changes.  We know each one and know when they my not feel well.  Ellie now wants to be outside.  It could be the warmer days, but although she is eating well, she has lost a few ounces.  She used to stay at 9 lbs., and at last weigh she was 8.6 lbs.  It’s noticeable that she has lost weight.  We plan to take her to the vet on Tuesday to have a senior blood panel done just to make sure she doesn’t have a thyroid problem like her sister, Lexi.  Hopefully there will not be any bigger problems with her.

More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_

I hope to make people realize how totally helpless animals are, how dependent on us, trusting as a child must that we will be kind and take care of their needs.-- James Herriot

Mr. Creme’s blood glucose was tested with our home kit on Monday.  He was 438 which is a little high.  We have been giving him one unit of insulin for the past two weeks.  He has been drinking more water and eating more, yet apparently losing weight.  These are symptoms of diabetes that we’ve seen before.   I made an appointment to have another fructosamine test done.  We wanted to see if the vet wanted to increase the insulin.   

The vet did a fructosamine test and also a urine test, to make sure MC didn’t have a bladder infection.  In addition to drinking so much water, he is also peeing quite a bit.  We were told to increase the insulin by one unit, so now it will be one unit twice a day. 

The fructosamine test came in high, just as we expected.  But, the doctor says to stay on two units a day and bring MC back for recheck in a month.  I hope we can get him stabilized again.  We were hoping he would stay in remission, but now we need to make sure he starts feeling better.

Lexi also went to the vet that day.  She is still sneezing and congested.  She had a chest X-ray.  It was clear, thank goodness.  So her blood tests are good, there are no parasites, her lungs and other organs look fine.  We started her on Prednisone and Amoxicillin.  The doctor thinks Lexi might have a food allergy which is causing her irritable bowel syndrome.  Poor little thing still has diarrhea.  But, she is eating fine and as active as she usually is.  I bought some food for her which is grain free.  She’s only been on it a couple of days.  The doctor said to give it a couple of months.  We should see some kind of improvement by then.  If not, I don’t know what to do next.


When Jezibel and her five kittens, Lexi, Ellie, Mr. Creme, (Grady and Toby), were young, Charlie and I talked about how, one day, we would probably be dealing with several of them having ailments at the same time because they are all the same age.  They are 12 years old now.

Jezibel is 13, but she was only about 6 months old when she had these kittens.  She seems to be in pretty good health.  Right now we are dealing with Mr. Creme and Lexi's problems.  Ellie has the asthma, but otherwise is doing fine.     

Charlie and I went to a Padre game last Friday night.  It had been over a month since we’d been there.  We lost to San Francisco 10-1, but it was still fun to have a night out.  It was warm, even when the sun went down.  Usually we need our jackets, but I didn’t even bring one that night. 

We managed to get out of the house again today.  We went to the movies and saw “Hope Springs”.  It was a comedy with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.  It was one of those movies that I had read nothing about, so I didn’t know what it was about until I saw it.  I think Charlie had seen reviews on it.  Anyway, it was very good.  Charlie is not a Meryl Streep fan, but he said he thought this was her best movie.  It was one of those movies that had an ending that made you feel good.

More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_

“Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away.” ― Robert Maynard Hutchins

I made my monthly visit to the chiropractor today.  He said I was doing fine and once a month seemed to be working for me.  I know I’m feeling much better. 

I’m trying to walk every day.  It’s been hot and even humid here and if I don’t get out to walk early enough, I wait until after 5:00 p.m. when it starts cooling off.

When I go to the chiropractor, I usually stop at Miramar commissary, on the way home.  Today, in the produce section, I saw a lady who looked just like my sister, Jennifer.  I mean this lady had the same hair style, same color, same type of clothes, etc.  It was amazing.  I couldn’t help but stare.  She was busy shopping and didn’t notice me.  We were on opposite sides of the area.

I managed to get my fruits and vegetables and go on with my shopping.  But, then I saw her down at the end of one of the aisles and it just struck me again how familiar she looked.  I got out my phone and, without drawing attention, of course, took a couple of pictures.  I will send them to Jennifer, but won’t post them on my blog.

When I got home though, I pulled the pictures up on my phone and showed them to Charlie.  I said, “Who does this look like?”  Sounding puzzled like, ‘why are you asking me this?’ he said, “Your sister.”  Then I told him it was the lady in the commissary.  I guess everyone does have a double somewhere. 

We have an avocado tree in our yard.  It was started from a seed we planted over 12 years ago.  We planted it in a pot and then transplanted it to the yard.  It is a true survivor. 

We moved to Virginia for two years in 2002.  Our house was rented to people who, let’s just say, were not very good renters.  They didn’t water the yard or plants. 

When we returned to move back into the house in 2004, we were amazed to see that the little avocado tree had survived.  It was stunted, but alive.  Over the years it has grown and we’ve trimmed it.  Now it is over 10 feet high.  In May, Charlie discovered that there is one avocado growing on it.  Just one, but it’s the first one ever.

A salad is waiting for you!

We check it regularly and it is getting bigger, but nowhere near big enough to pick yet.  I don’t know how long it takes for them to mature because I’ve never had an avocado tree that bore fruit.  If we’re able to eat it, it is going to go into the biggest, best salad I’ve ever made.

Mr. Creme is doing fine, back on insulin again.  I check on him regularly.  He’s usually lying on the concrete floor in the garage, stretched out.  It has been warm and humid here for the past few days.  We don’t usually have much humidity, but lately it’s been at least 60%.  He’s eating well and looks forward to the attention he gets when he gets his B12 and insulin.

Lexi, still as pretty as ever

Lexi still has some congestion and sometimes she has a sneezing episode.  But, she’s still eating well.  I’m giving her the probiotic for her food.  It doesn’t seem to be doing much for the diarrhea though.  We are planning to take her back to the vet for some blood work.  Because of her thyroid problem, she is due. 

Ellie usually spends her time in my computer room.  Since she has weak back legs, she can’t jump up on things.  A three foot gate is all it takes to keep her in the room.  She can walk and get around, but her legs do give out if she tries to move too fast. 

Ellie, when she used to like my rocking chair

Early one morning I woke up and was surprised to find Ellie sleeping at the foot of the bed.  Apparently she has discovered a way of pushing the gate open far enough to slip out.  She comes downstairs and then she can get up on the bed by climbing the steps that are next to the chest at the end of the bed.  We bought those steps for Rowdy years ago when he started having trouble getting onto the bed.  What we do for our pets.....So now, Ellie can be found sleeping on our bed. 

We bring her back upstairs several times a day so she can get some food or water and go potty.  I usually put the gate back across the doorway so she will stay in her room and take care of things.  But, it doesn’t take long before we see her back on the bed.

The flea problem has subsided.  I applied Frontline to the cats the other day.  They’re not constantly scratching now, so I hope we have it under control.  If not, Charlie would be scratching because if there’s a flea or mosquito within range, it will get on him.

Our new walkway

About two years ago we had our back patio textured and coated.  The coating is stenciled to look like flagstone.  It is a great improvement and we were really happy with the work.  We decided to have the same done to the front entryway and walkways of the house.  The same company was hired and they did an excellent job.  We will probably have the driveway done at a later time.  We have to budget for these home improvement jobs.

No one likes to get weighed!

Charlie has been taking Sheila out for a walk every morning.  Her stamina is improving.  She is a lazy dog and would be happy just to lie around the house all day.  But, she was gaining too much weight, up to 74 pounds.  Charlie weighed her the other day and she was 69, which is much better.

More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_

Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. --Anonymous

Last Friday night, Charlie returned from his vacation.  He enjoyed his visit with the relatives, but was happy to be home again.  We were all happy to see him, but I think Jezibel was happiest.

When he left, I asked him if he could bring me some of my favorite Carolina barbeque when he came back.  My very favorite is from Moore’s Barbeque in New Bern, NC.  My  next favorite is a place called Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar B-Q.  That is a chain which is located in several areas.

When I talked to Charlie while he was gone, I didn’t mention the barbeque to him again, so I was really surprised when he came home and unpacked containers of Smithfield’s bbq!

Apparently it was not easy to come by.  There are no Smithfield’s bar-b-q's in Virginia.  They are only in NC, which I didn’t know.  Charlie said the closest one was about two and a half hours away, in NC.  It just so happened that his brother and girlfriend were going down to NC anyway.  He gave him some locations and they picked up some bbq.

When Charlie got home with the barbeque, it was still frozen.  I couldn’t wait to have some.  It had been over a year since I eaten it, but I had to wait until the next day.  It was well worth the wait though.


I really appreciate Charlie and the rest of the family who helped him to be able to bring barbeque home to me.

We found out that we will be able to order this barbeque and have it delivered to us after October 1.  I don’t know what the price will be, but I may have to splurge once a year or so.

Mr. Creme has started drinking more water and using the litter box more.  That’s a sign that he may be coming out of his remission.  We took him to the vet to have his blood glucose and fructosamine test.  He hasn’t had to have insulin since the end of May.

The vet called with the blood test results.  Mr. Creme’s numbers are higher and he’s lost some weight.  She wants us to put him on a unit of insulin a day for now.  We’ll test him again in two or three weeks.  We are definitely going to start testing his BG with the kit we bought before he went into remission.  It was nice while it lasted.

Kiki is still allowed to have the run of the house.  So far she is doing fine.  We leave her out of her kennel all day and then before bedtime, we put her in to sleep in her cat tree.  She hasn’t been bothering any of the cats and now that the mystique is gone, Rhody just ignores her.  He thinks she’s very boring to watch.  She usually goes to one place to sit and groom and then sleep.  He used to follow her and lay and watch her.  It made her nervous.

Lexi

Last week I took Lexi to the vet.  She was sneezing and was very congested.  She also had diarrhea.  I was concerned about everything, but mostly her sneezing, etc.  The vet was more concerned about the diarrhea.  I was given a couple of medications, Metronidazole and FortiFlora.  The Metronidazole is an antibiotic.  If her diarrhea is caused by bacteria, it will fight it.  The FortiFlora is a nutritional supplement which contains a special strain of probiotic to help the intestines.  Poor Lexi also had to give a fecal sample, she didn’t have a choice, they took it.  The vet called the next morning and the sample was negative, no parasites.

Unfortunately, a week and a half later, Lexi still has diarrhea and she is still congested.  I can’t give her the Terbutaline, like I give to Ellie and Jezibel for their congestion.  She is hyper thyroid and the vet says it could raise her blood pressure.  If she doesn’t get better, she will have to go back to the Dr. 

The flea problem we had seems to be better.  I’m sure the yard treatment helped.  I also treated the floors inside the house and garage.  The cats aren’t sitting around itching and scratching now.  They are due for Frontline next week.

Sheila is on Comfortis.  She hates it and I don’t blame her.  The pill is huge and it smells like strong medicine.  I tried to get her to chew it up, and she wanted to please me, but she couldn’t make herself.  I finally crushed it up and put it in some canned dog food.  She likes wet food and normally doesn’t get it every day.  I watched her eat it and she choked it down.  It seems like they could make it a little more palatable.  I need to remember to give her wet food more often, not just when she needs to take her medicine.

While Charlie was gone, I had lunch with a good friend.  She used to live in Palm Springs, but moved to Encinitas a few months ago.  It’s been quite a change for her, coming to the cooler, sometimes foggy coast, from the sunny, hot desert.  She says she is getting used to it though.

from The Beach House Restaurant

We met at the Beach House restaurant at Cardiff by the Sea in Encinitas.  I’d never been there before.  It’s right on the beach.  We sat on the patio, which overlooked the ocean.  The food was good and we had a really nice time.  I plan on going there with Charlie for lunch one day while it’s still nice and warm.

More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_