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