Morning sky Beautiful!

Around 0700 in the cool morning air,the sky is amazing to see! I love the feel of being outside when no one is up but me and as I take in the pink,white,gray-blue scope above me I can hear the birds coming awake and preparing to begin their busy day! Nothing is quite like the feel of this creation!

tailgate party!

The girls are in the back of my van! they love to jump in for a "treat" after their morning brushing outside! this has become known as the Tailgate Party! Kate is on the right and sissy is on the left!

Grandson

Such a special word,and as I ran across this pic one of my favs I thought of the fun we always have had with Corey! He was always with us as a baby and toddler,camping,car shows,beach,wherever we went he was there.This young man is especially loving and funny at the same time,he works hard is kind and aspires to be the best person he can,he calls when I least expect it,but most need it!He cheers me like no other! I am not guessing Corey will see this,he "skates"skateboarding,is his passion in life aand he is at it every free moment,he is GOOD! Just thought I'd take a moment to let the world know my Grandson! He is with his "pop"here at Disney a few years ago.aren;t they the cutest??!!!

The Abby Rose!

This rosebush is for Abby,and my saga planting it Saturday morning! I love flowers of most any kind BUT! Roses are my favorite,and my wish to have a rosegarden is great,since our house has been for sale almost since we built it I was reluctant to plant any,and I have never attempted to grow them ,after not selling for so long i gave it up and planted 2,and guess what? THEY GREW..AND BLOSSOM..A LOT!!! Now i am no expert I really don't know why they bloom soooo much,but i am trying to learn,and so I decided to plant a pink bush for Abby,I have a red and a yellow also. Any TIPS would be welcome ! This Bayer rose care product was recommended by the folks at Home Depot,and I have been using it and have been happy with the results,the Home Depot garden staff is also great and supportive!!

My Shadow!!

I got it! Since joining the Shadow shot Sunday group I have either been working,and sooo! tired I can't keep awake after I get home 8:30 to 9 pm or just home and TIRED! So this is my shadow! literally!! it was so sunny Sat. morn I got a few pics!

Seriously though,tired is my middle name,I have Fibromyalgia,something I have not blogged about,but it very much affects everything I do...or don't do!The fact I remembered is great as I worked the 2 previous days,one of the symptoms I experience with my condition is "fibrofog" or forgetfulness,which is not bad for me unless i am very,very tired and/or stressed. Sat morn i had a good reason to remember,as I was looking to plant a Rosebush for Abby...another story.Any way,i hope to keep it up..thanks to everyone who take wonderful pics I enjoy just looking and thanks to "Hey Harriet" and her wonderful Shadow Shot Sunday

Now where did that lizard go?

A poor terrified lizard is hiding somewhere under that table,Tucker never did find him and neither did I....at least not yet! If you live in Florida you can sympathize with this dilemna,I only hope I do not discover him amongst the towels in the linen closet! Our cats love to chase them,bat them around a little,then sit and watch them try to get away,hopefully we intervine and set them free out the door,you gotta be fast though,they run under furniture fast,then you don;t sit ! Did I mention the frogs? NO? how about snakes? Just keep your doors shut,your windows well screened ...or down, sometimes you just wish for a nice cold winter day when you know all critters are hibernating somewhere!!!

Days of Old !!?? Summer Fun !!

Really! Do these kids look happy? Most everyone will realise this pic is "staged" Taken at a place we went often as the kids grew up.Busch Gardens Virginia,I hope everyone had a nice summer despite the economy,these are my "kids" now grown,I found this pic amongst my husbands old family pics! Perhaps he misfiled it!
We went to Virginia a lot when vacation came ,combining a learning experience with fun,if anyone reads my husbands Blog they will know history is one of his best and favorite subjects,as such trips combined a "learning"experience with fun,as this was!Busch Gardens is in Williamsburg,an early colonial settlement,with many learning opportunities,including many Civil War sites as well,my personal favorite!
From left to right is Becky,Dan is sitting ,and Jennifer is beside him,they "suffered" ! thru many a "learning"experience after which thet went someplace FUN!! as here,Busch Gardens itself is an experience,a multi country themed park,visitors will be given a nice cultural view of each country represented with rides or coasters in each area ,food that is delicious and a great family destination,one of my very fav places to go! i miss those days! The "kids are now grown with families of their own and although this summer is past,start thinking about where your family can combine and plan learning with fun,if you do not live near virginia,there are opportunities all over our country!

Abby,resting on my quilt

Abby gets tired more easily these days,her fibrosarcoma continues to grow,and she has a more pronounced limp,our vet originally gave us an antiinflammatory called Metacam which we could give her once a day,and it helped,however for the past 2 weeks she has an added med with a stronger medication for pain which she can have 4 times a day,she has recently been "hiding away" in the closet,we found her there making small "squeeky"noises and not wanting to come out,we knew she needed the stronger med. Her days are not all bad,or bad all day,when the medication is working we play,she loves a string used for crafting called "rat-tail" it is slippery and she loves to catch it in her paws! I made her some catnip fishies which she loves,I try to keep happy around her ,play as much as she is willing and love her a lot,she is so silky and soft,and her big green eyes so very expressive! I have noticed that she "thinks" a lot,silly some might say,but i know my cat and I believe she knows she is very sick and it is not going away,what I don't know is if she wonders why we are not making her better,and that is very sad not to be able to "fix" her,sometimes I look at her and I just love her soooo much I feel like I could just will the cancer out of her little body,but I know I cannot and it hurts! I watch my husband,whom Abby most adores,she is his 24 hr.shadow, he sits with her and I catch him crying,as he watches her,his faithful little companion,she sleeps beside him.She has awoken him up many a morning by licking his eyes open! He protests but has never stopped her!
Are we unusual? Not to people who love cats,ours are our family,and they know it,I wish I had known the risks of vaccination and what questions to ask our vet at the time,there is so much for now I will sign off as it is late and I never seem to get to my blog,if you have a cat you love please find out all you can about vaccinations ,If you are interested contact VAFSTF
Vaccine Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force.
I will try! to do better! after 12 hr shifts at the hospital,"housework"!!! I spend most of my free time with Abby and our other 3 "kids" Tucker,Kate and Sissy,they are all aware something is amiss with Abby. Till next time ,take time for the pets you love and remember the ones that have no home,Animal shelters are so ful now and they will take donations of anything you have to give,from your time,to a can or bag of food,or old towels,drop something off at your local shelter! Love Nana !

update Abby

We have been extremely busy,while trying to understand Abby's cancer and why she has it,reading every available website on feline fibrosarcoma ,we have as most people who love their pets been "grasping at straws" After our usual vet wanted to do surgery "immediately"; and telling us it would not be "pretty" to see or tend to. Well we left that office to go for a second opinion!
The pain I felt at the next appt.was like a knife in my heart,that vet,suggested Hospice Care and to love her as much as we could,it was now sinking in,we would not have Abby much longer[how could I bear not to have her?,my quiet,softfooted,beautiful cat,I had rescued ?
While reading websites,I saw surgeries,numbered up stats in my head,calculated "margins";I do after all ironically have some experience with SARCOMA!! My youngest daughter has synovial sarcoma! Yes, and so much is the same,it's eerie!! A website suggested an expert,and so I managed to find one nearby,pleaded my case,hoping for a miracle...Yes Yes Yes !!! I could and would accept Abby with one leg,if she were able to function,and they could get a "good" margin.Sooo! on to the x-rays.Abby is a quiet cat ,but high strung! They got the lateral views but no front(you could hear her way down the hall)
As the vet looked over the pics he was not very vocal, and when he spoke he said"suspicious" as to being present in her lung.But he would do surgery,and gave us the price.which wasn't bad at all but what about that word"suspicious"
We thought for hours into the night I cried and begged God to come and take "IT" out of my baby,anything so I did not have to loose her!When morning came we called our trusted vet of "hospice care" ran to get the x-rays from the expert and as "Mc Kelvie" looked at them and then at us I saw the answer,sad,but he went through the "margins" again and just what would be removed,Abby would not be able to stand to feed herself,or lift her front body,and the threat was still there,he would expect recurrance very quickly,she would never have enough time to heal from the surgery.We cried,took our pics and with promises to love her and keep her comfortable,as long as was good for her,we went home to hold our beautiful,soft greeneyed Princess,and here we will be as long as we have left.
We will keep you updated,get some info in about VRS vaccine related sarcoma,their support group,and as much help as I can possibly dig up!!!

shadow shot of Abby

Princess with a secret

A true little princess lives here she walks on 4 feet,has a demure quiet way of walking through the house,and the regal way she carries herself is quite the sight to see,Yet she had a secret that hid deep within her,some knew it most of us did not,and no one wanted to tell.We found that secret out one day as we stroked her silky fur,a small nickel size bump was under that fur,and we did not think much of it at first,she could have gotten bitten by a "bug" you know mosquito,such things fly in the moist Florida air,a routine trip to the vet told us otherwise,it was already too late,the very care we had taken to protect her would soon take her small,much loved special life
The veterinarians who cared for her knew,what I want to know is why I wasn't given a choice.the choice to vaccinate her or not,yes that's right,the very vaccines our cats are given which all the vets I know never told me the risk that lie within those prepariations,but they had known for years,the research is all over the internet,there are ingrediants in the feline vaccines that allow a deadly cancer to attach itself to our beloved pets,that grow like a spider web and branch out,attaching as it grows,invading.the tissue and spreading like a spider web,making it nearly impossible to remove as an option,without maiming and disfiguring,the risk of spreading is too great the margins too wide 2-3 cm beyond the tumor.
So what is this deadly killer of our beautiful felines? It is called feline fibrosarcoma ,it comes from the additives or ingredients in the vaccine and attaches itself to scar tissue,the tissue the needle scars as the injection is given ,after that it is a matter of time,surgery may be an option if it is not so invasive as to include vital organs.radiation may be used ;and much like human sarcomas,which incidently my youngest daughter has,chemotherapy can be used but is not terribly effective
Abby has a 2cm x 3 cm tumor under her right shoulderblade at the injection site,that to operate would take her leg,shoulder and any tissue it had been found to have invaded,plus the now palpable tiny spots you can feel branching towards her left shoulder,maiming any life she would have,oh the vet was quick ,he tried to convince us he needed to operate that day before we could go home and let this shock sink in,we left and did our research,taking our beautiful green eyed Maine Coon mix with us and cried as we read what no one gave us a choice to decide for ourselves,indoor cats seldom need the vaccines that outdoor cats need,in fact I never knew but my sister and mom have purebred Ragdolls and their vet and opted not to be administered ,except for the Rabies required by law where they live,which by the way is also a risk,but the numbers are less without the other vaccines.
Abby looks well right now you can see the swelling at the tumor,and she has a slight limp,for which we have an anti-inflammatory,that our NEW vet gave us.
I am not suggesting you all stop what your vet recommends,but that you question and read ,research as you would for your family,because our cats and dogs are our families!they cannot decide for themselves !,make an "informed" decision,and one you can live with.
Right now I have known for 4 short days and the shock ,fear and blame that is in my heart for failing a small bedraggled kitten I,,"rescued" from a "mall" pet shop,with eyes swollen from infection and a small,smelly, furry body; it took $300.oo to make well,the shop was closed down a month later[another story] I'll do the best I can when the tears stop and get more info out ,there is a support and research group,please ,please be informed,new vaccines already exist,QUESTION YOUR VET!!! if they do not share info find one that does! Abby has pics on here,but I will post more as the days go by..Love to you all who care for the creatures that cannot care for themselves nanna

Miracles!!

A new baby is truly a miracle! When you stop to think so much has to go "right" for a healthy baby to come into this world.I see both sides of the spectrum in my profession.While laboring a happy couple last week I learned their nephew had died of "ALL" Acute lymphoblastic leukemia nearly 18 mos, ago,the parents had a second child born only 2 months "after"he was diagnosed.While the cure rate is nearly 85% this child had a mutation of a specific gene,making the outlook very grim.neither parent was a match for bone marrow,it took a while before one could be found,then sadly his little body "rejected" the transplant. Timing here could have made a difference,but families are seldom planned for such catastrophic events.Now this wonderful brother to my pt, was "gifting"his sister's baby with the potentially life saving cord blood collection and storage,for their first child. A simple proceedure,this can mean the difference to a sibling with life threatening condititions.
I have helped parents through thr process many times,however it is not affordable for a great majority of the parents out there,but if you can do it ,it can mean the life of your precious child should he or she need it in the future.I urge parents to research,there are a number of "banks" available and payment plans. I will get further into info in future blogs,but must now run or I will be late for another "miracle"which certainly awaits me today!

Finding Time!

Seems like it would be easy doesn't it? We all have 24 hrs a day, Vera is doing much better after another round of chemo taht left her so weak she needed to get 2 liters of fluid to replace what she had lost,and correct the dehydration,she isn't going out much ,as her white blood cell count is low.In the meantime we have news of 2 other friends who recently found out they too have cancer although oyher types,every day there is a new challenge for friends and their families.While reading one of my favorite magazines "Sew Beautiful" Martha Pullen writes an inspiring message in every issue in the most recent she quoted a scripture Luke 12 25-26 it is about worry.Stating "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing,why do you worry about the rest" I have made a promise to myself to try,I know it will be difficult for me,but those who have faith are so lucky to know when burdens get us down we can just turn that "worry" over to a higher power,keep up our prayers for those in need and trusting as a child can bring a much needed rest and peace to our lives. love and prayers to all,

Update Vera

Just a note,some meds I need to research,but will try to get this week-end along with some pics,I visited Vera yesterday,she looks"good" actually,a litle slow moving, the sores in her mouth from the chemo had gotten much worse,of course there are medications,one is 700.00! Works well enough,she got some samples from the MD,to order takes at least a week here! Makes me wonder how many pt's can afford it,there are old ones of course,the "lidocaine" mixtures which "nomb"so pt's can eat,and drink,she said a straw helped with the water,which she needed to drink to help 'flush the chemo from her system.If the breakdown products stay in the bladder too long you can get "cystitus" which she did,mildly,however mild,it's painful!
The smile on her face told me she is doing better,she put on her make-up and sat on the patio talking about family and a new grandchild expected,such a positive attitude! more later gotta go to "work"

Side effects

Not much really after this first "round" of chemo a little nausea,diarhhea, nothing that she needed any medication for, she did complain of feeling "weak" like her legs were "rubbery" and she couldn't keep up. There was that "smile" even in her voice you could hear it,as she assured me she was OK ! Her family is much support to her at home and keeping up the housework for her. One thing Vera "loves" to do is iron her clothing! which they did give her "permission" to do she was so happy!! Imagine that ?! Some things are theraputic,especially those which we are used to doing and anything that can help is important,even IRONING!!!

First Chemo&Chanel

Well the first chemo has begun,although the "infection/cellulitis" is not completely gone the chemo Dr.felt it was safe to go on.Unfortunately or perhaps as was meant to be her beloved'Chanel" died during the night before.
Let me tell you about an amazing man I have watched "step up" and become a caregiver,not only to his wife but of everyday life in general "Pete"heard a noise about 1230 am and got up to see the small cat struggling to stay on her feet,her legs were "like rubber" as Pete put it.He picked her gently up and held her as he sat with her fragile little head tucked into the crook of his elbow he sat until he felt the last heartbeat ,then knew she was gone.
The task of telling Vera was not a small one ,especially on this day of "firsts",and as her day began I knew that like so much involved in Veras' life for the past 8 months,that strength I never knew she posessed;would kick in once more to get her through the first of many treatments to come that hopefully will "overpower"the invader in her body.

Vera

Behind again,my intent was to follow her "care",sort of journal for someone I care about very much.Vera went for her first "chemo"treatment only to find that it couldn't be done,she has an infection .apparently from one of the 4 drains that kept the fluidaway as she "healed".
As to this date she has had 3 doses of IV rocephen,with little improvement,another check-up put her on 3 doses of Levoquin,both powerful antibiotics.Without the infection gone they cannot start her chemotherapy,her immune system will be compromised and the healing she needs to finish would be compromised ,Vera is in very good spirits I have admiration for her ability to "smile" Vera has a very small cat who is 17 human years old,a beautiful green eyed Persian,who as i pet I could feel her bones,and watched her take shakey steps,quite aware of the pain she was in,the vet suggested they "put her down" to release her from the pain of her afflictions,as yet Pete and Vera have been unable to do so,they love her so much,as we get closer to Friday we will know more about the effectiveness of Vera's antibiotics and her special pet,they also have 3 small dogs they are Shitzus I think,hope I spelled it right! adorable and they provide such a theraputic love for Vera!

Trying!

Well trying but falling behind! for the past few months I have been very involved with my friend and co-worker,actually my boss!,but my friend! She discovered she had Breast Cancer,not just on one side,but both,it is a long story,frought with incompetance,and lack of thought on her "first" Dr. treatment,things are on the right track now but it has been difficult and emotionally frought for all who care for her! I hope to continue this on my blog and perhaps help other women to reaslise they can question,get second opinions and direct their own care and destiny through knowledge and research .

Let's Try This !

I will try once again to try to make an effort to get going here,I enjoy my blog,however life seems to get in the way!responsibilities.time etc... I did enjoy all the wonderful people,opinions and TALENT!! I found here,so I'm going to take the time to reorganize,reevaluate and compose my time to . ,relax and enjoy,share and learn from the blogosphere of family within this medium !! i do hope you all will support and share!! nana

All Wrapped Up!

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A lovely,if I say so myself,!'"pea pod" necklace inspired by "distressing delilah" aka Jenn but made by me! maybe more to come! nana1