Brrrrrrrrr - Again

It is cold.  That's it.  It is just downright cold.  On the good side, I'm inside and the sun is shining!

And wondering why my organic lawn service is spraying today.  I mean, I know it is time to spray the yard but with all the wind, the leaves are falling - along with those bazillion acorns.  So they are not spraying my lawn but spraying leaves.  No wonder I don't think the organic weed pre  emergents don't seem to work unless I do it myself.  After all, I don't put it out when there are leaves in the yard!  I guess I'll be calling them ... again.

 

 I leave the leaves in the flower beds as mulch.  This is one of two Bald Cypress trees in my neighbors yard.  The leaves should help the soil and that makes for some color in the beds.  The mowers get the rest. 

 Oh, I keep forgetting about the balloons from a birthday party that got caught in my crepe myrtle in the back yard.  Maybe I will just keep it as a reminder to laugh throughout the winter.  And then trap and capture it -as Sam would say - when it is warm again. 

I have an organic service because I don't like to do it myself.  I forget when to put what out.  And since Millie thinks it is her right and her personal goal to eat any grass that has grown above the rest of the grass, I prefer organic treatments.  Then She and Sam and me aren't tracking in chemicals in the house.

Sam has Diabetes

Sam is diabetic. 

He went in this morning for 2 days of treatment and a urine test.  Sam wouldn't let them put in a catheter.  period.  no surprise.  They couldn't take his glucose reading from blood either.  They didn't want to give him anesthesia again because getting riled up and pissed just makes the glucose count rise.  So they had me come pick him up.

Millie and I planned an all girl pajama party tonight but we are happy to cancel.  She was a little lost without someone to tease and growl at and rule her little world (yep, it's a given that she's got me wrapped around her little paw).

Sam is on a diabetic diet (Millie is on the same diet by default).  I take him back in January (they get their annual shots then anyway) and the vet will try to take blood again.  If he is still losing weight, then there isn't anything else to try because they can't get good glucose readings.  They have insulin pills just like for humans but they can't give a correct dose if they can't test the glucose.  Low insulin is just as deadly as high insulin.  Sam's kidneys are ok for now and he isn't showing signs of dehydration but some of the minerals and other things in the blood are really low. 

But the long term outlook doesn't look very good right now.

sigh

Sick Kitty - Impatient Mom

Sam has lost almost 10 lbs in the past 2 months.  He is a big cat - not fat but tall - yes he's a native Texan cat.  I thought he started looking a little thin and then when I petted him, I could feel his spine and all the bones in his tail.  He face looks thin now.  

Sam enjoying the great outdoors in August.

We went to the vet early Wed morning and when I picked him up to put him in the carrier, I became really alarmed because he was soooo light.  He acts like he feels good most of the time and hasn't really changed any of his habits.  He still eats like a horse and always tries to get my food when I'm not paying attention.  

He sleeps with his face down - looks funny & check to make sure he is breathing!

He wasn't happy going to the vet but that is normal for him.  They had to give him anesthesia to take blood so we were there a long time.  He was still wobbly when I let him out at home.

The final test result came in this morning right before lunch but after the vet went to lunch.  He was supposed to call me back this afternoon.  I've called several times.  Now I'm really getting worried. I may go camp out in front of the office in the morning.  sigh.

I feel bad because I've been so busy putting Dad in a nursing home and dealing with paperwork and going through all his papers and stuff.  I haven't brushed either kitty in about 2 months so I got out the furrminator and that was part of their Thanksgiving treat.   They enjoyed Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving

A cold damp dreay day made pleasant by a turkey, dressing, gravy and pumpkin pie. Oh, and the family getting together is always a fun time.

Wishing all of you a happy holiday!


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BRRRRRRR

Brrrrrr.  Yes you heard that correctly....brrrrrr.   I do not like freezing cold weather.  It was still in the 30's when I left the house yesterday to get my car fixed.  Car Saga story will not be retold here - believe me - it is in your best interest.

 I never got my feet warm in spite of socks, shoes (yes I had to put on shoes in my house yesterday - I dislike that as much as having to wear jeans instead of shorts) and a few blankets on my feet.  I couldn't convince either kitty to warm my feet either.  sigh. 

And I'm still cold.  The heater is on.  The little space heater was on for a while (it's in the master bathroom that as large as the largest bedroom - well except for the master - and it should be up for the 'Most Wasted Space' award. 

Yes, I know.... The Wimpiest Coldest Award is mine...all mine.  But the kitties were all cozy like it was the dead of winter. 

Heater or Air Conditioner

Weird weather - I never know if I need a sweater, coat or short sleeves.  I've been flipping between the heat and a/c all the time.  And I already have multiple coats & sweaters in the car.  And I leave socks all over the house because when my feet get hot - they get HOT.  Just like the Rock Rose below - it likes hot weather too and it's blooming now because it is hot again.  Yes, in November....

But the temperature started dropping fast.  It was nice when I came in from the store and 20 minutes later, I had to grab a coat from the back seat so I could go to the auto repair shop. 

 Isn't the alyssum pretty?  As you can see, the leaves are still falling from the Texas Red Oak.  They fall in their own timeframe.  That means, yes, I have to mow the leaves close to Christmas Day.

 Here's one of the two white crape myrtles.  The golden leaves have lasted longer than normal.

 The leaves on the purple crape myrtles are almost gone and they were blooming a few weeks ago.

But it has been a really colorful fall this year.  Such pretty leaves and a gazillion acorns from the Texas Red Oak.  I would like to hire squirrels to remove ALL the acorns from my garden and yard in the front but alas... they don't want to cooperate.  So I may have to start throwing acorns at them?

Veteran's Day - THANK YOU

My dad served in the Army and in the Air Force. Instead of finishing high school, he joined the Army to fight in WWII like his older siblings. I was surprised to discover some of his sisters served in the military too. My mom worked for a company that produced products for the war but she wasn't in the military. They met and married in Fort Worth and I was born an Air Force brat at Carswell Air Force hospital.

Dad received the Purple Heart for being shot by a German tank in the Battle of Anzio (Italy). The German tank came up over a hill and was shooting at everything. Dad was shot in the back as he fell to the ground for cover. As the tank guns rotated away, he and another soldier crawled behind a tree where the tank could not see them. He still has shrapnel in his back. The German tank was the largest tank in the world at the time.

At some point he was also involved in the release of prisoners of a German concentration camp. He used to have a book that showed pictures of the concentration camp and we used to look at the book without recognizing the horrors of what we were really seeing. I wish I could find the book so those horrors are not forgotten and the sacrifices of Allied soldiers are neither forgotten nor trivialized.

Dad also had frozen toes from another battle and recovered on an American battleship that was commanded by the British. Yes, they had tea in the afternoon.

I am proud to be the daughter of a Veteran.

Here's my brother Alan before he went to Germany:

One time, he was on an Army troop transport plane ready to go to the 1967 Arab-Israeli War but luckily the transport plane never had to leave ground.  He spent most of his service in Germany and he used to put Coca-Cola bottles in the snow to cool them.

His service was much different than our Dads experience.  And I am grateful that my Dad and brother came back alive and well when so many did not. 

Veterans are special people that served our country to preserve our freedom.  THANK YOU.