More on Shalimar

It's been three weeks now and Shalimar is still sick.  She's been to the vet now three times as well as the pets emergency.  She still has horrible stifling sneezes and coughs almost constantly.  It is now time to think outside the box.

I read up on everything I could find about asthma in cats and found that she is having a severe asthma attack that even though the underlying infection is gone, her asthma has not eased with that.  This, apparently, isn't unusual.  So the question is, what to do about the asthma.  Steroids do work, but they will stress her already challenged immune system.  Besides, getting a pill down this cat's throat is almost impossible.  And fighting with her for 45 minutes stresses her out even more.

My niece sent me a book about alternative medicine for pets and I'm thinking this is worth a try.  The book that quotes several well known vets, had a chapter in it about asthma in cats and what might help.  So I'm going to try stabilized oxygen which is what is suggested.  I found some at the local GNC store and will add one drop into her tiny amount of canned cat food that I've been feeding her to help beef up her calories.

Shalimar has been due now for her annual vaccinations, but because she's been so sick, I've held off getting them.  If this works, I will take the bottle of stabilized oxygen along with me when we go for her annuals and I will then discuss this with my vet.  

My fingers are crossed.

What a Week!

Now with Shalimar on the mend (finally), this week off work I was able to turn my attention to other things. Last month I determined that I wanted to change some things about the bedroom wing. We started by hiring Dan Emery to come and put up some crown molding in the bedroom, bathroom and the hall in the east wing. I had also determined that since Shalimar doesn't like wallpaper, we would remove the wallpaper from the kitchen and do a paint wash.

Well, Friday, Dan came and put up the crown molding. He was one of the few people we hired to work in the house that actually impressed me. His work was accurate and quick. He was in and out in an hour and I have no complaints. He did offer to do the painting for me too, but I do enjoy that so.

With nearly the entire day left after Dan had gone, we went to the paint store. I had in mind what I wanted since spending last vacation at the paint store trying to find just the right paint. I wanted a gallon of the trim color, Benjamin Moore Pearl Finish, #1024 Tucson Winds. This is used for the trim in the pictures as well as the base coat for the kitchen wall. I also got a quart of #1026 Broken Arrow, again in the pearl finish as well as a quart of glaze. My main purpose for this paint was for the kitchen, but I also wanted to start the trim. The bathroom was where I decided to do the trim since the wall color, though not the Broken Arrow, was nice enough to stay. I was really curious as to how the trim paint would blend with the rest of the paint. I was not disappointed.

I'm taking my time doing this painting. Yesterday I did the crown molding and the picture window above the tub. I was using the tub and a stool and wanted to get off of it asap. I was planning on doing the other window today, but it was such a beautiful day I decided to work in the garden instead. I bought some plants for the last flowerbed at deep discounts and got them into the ground. I got three white saliva for $.75 ea, a 2 gallon daylily I'd had my eye on all summer for $10 and a miniature lilac (Tinkerbell) for $3. I also got a bunch of tulip and daffodil bulbs that weren't on sale. Also in that bed will be another miniature lilac that I must move or lose (Josie) and two roses, one of which is another that I must move or lose, Frimbriata and Red Rose of Lancaster. I will have Bob move all these plants soon, as I am expecting my new little Sourwood tree to make it's arrival in the next few weeks. I will also want a beauty berry but that may not come until spring.

Oh, BTW, we did wash the wall under the kitchen bar. We figured that until we knew what we were doing with color washing, this would be the best choice. It turned out great! It looks very much like the wallpaper we took off. At least there are no seams now that Shalimar can loosen and run through the house with, leaving big gaping rips behind. This always reminds me of when I was a kid. We had two family cats, Marvin and Willy. We had also just moved into a house my parents built. Mom had just had the walls papered. When I would return home from school, I'd find Willy hanging on the wallpaper at the ceiling. He'd see me and slide down the corner, taking long strips of wallpaper with him. Mom was not pleased. She kicked him outside where he lived for about 2 weeks before getting smashed by a car. He had a short life.

Tonight for dinner is Italian meatloaf. Yum. But I'm also trying a new recipe out of my recipe book I got for my birthday. The other night I made the beef barley soup which was fabulous! Tonight I'm going to try the brown sugar oat muffins and serve them with dinner.

More about Shalimar

Shalimar went to her regular vet this evening. It turns out that she has a severe sore throat. This is what has been keeping her from eating and drinking. The antibiotics have helped some and this morning I took her into the bathroom while I took my shower. The humidity really seemed to help her.

When I got her home from the vet, we changed her eating to soft cool food and ice water. She was one hungry, thirsty kitty. I'm to keep her on the antibiotics for the duration but my vet thinks she should be eating her regular food in a day or two. But appears now that she will get better.

What Kind of Emergency Room is this???

It started last evening around 5PM. I noticed that Shalimar seemed to have the hiccups. She gets the hiccups a lot, having to do with her asthma. However, this time they didn't go away in the few minutes they usually do. I began to worry.

This morning, she still had the hiccups and now she could neither eat or drink. The more she moved, the worse they became. By 8am, I simply became scared and decided to take her to the pet emergency. She fought me horribly as I tried to put her in the crate. She seemed strong, but I was afraid that if I left this go, it could get worse and if she became to weak, she may not be able to rebound. So off we went to the emergency.

We were there for three hours. They gave her the works...blood, X-rays, the entire nine yards. They told me her asthma was constricting her breathing, but that she also seemed to have an infection too. They put her on an asthma control as well as an antibiotic and sent her home with a hefty price tag. It seems that pet emergency hospitals are just as expensive as people hospitals without the benefit of insurance. I'll try not to take her back there. Besides, it's just to far away.

Now, she's acting like a little snit. She ran under the bed when we got home and hasn't come out yet. Well, if that's how she wants it. Of course, Tootsie is worried and keeps going into the bedroom to stare at her from across the room. I figure when she gets hungry enough and thirsty enough, she'll come out. But here's the problem. I need to give her medicine this evening and if she stays under the bed, it will be nearly impossible to get her out.

She is still sounding not right, though the "hiccups" do seem to be less. I will be taking her to my vet tomorrow. Oh, she's going to LOVE that! But what must be done, must be done. At least the emergency clipped her nails so she wouldn't nail them. They did tell me she was sporting daggers.

Website Updating

http://www.geocities.com/jsaurbaugh/byjuliesdesignindex.html

I've been updating my card website. This has been keeping me busy for the past few days and will continue to do so into the near future. Check it out. I've been mixing my new cards in with the old so you will have to hunt for them.

I did take note of my prices and am happy to report that the pricing hasn't change yet.

The Destruction of a Tree

Yesterday morning I was getting ready to leave for the office when I happened to look out into the back yard. Everything looked good except for the Sweet Gum tree that took such a long time and consideration before I bought it. This tree also housed those wonderful Orchard Orioles that are rare in this area. Their nest is still there waiting for their return.

I swapped my shoes for boots so I could go out in the dewey grass to see what was going on with this tree. I was appalled when I got there. All the bark on the trunk from about 6" above the ground to about head high was laying on the ground in strips and dust. The ground around it was churned up with some imprints the size and shape of a deer.

I had to be at work, so I left Husband a note to get in touch with our tree guy and ask about this. He returned the call in the evening so I got to talk to him. He said that if this would be any tree but the Sweet Gum, he would say the tree is a goner. However, the Sweet Gum is an ancient and very strong tree and there is a chance, though it be quite slight, that it might survive this rubbing. He told me to protect it from more rubbing and wait until spring to see if the tree survives. If it leafs out in the spring it will surely live. He also told me to protect any other trees with a less than 3" diameter trunk from rubbing. Apparently there is a buck in this area that has decided that my property is in his territory and killing my trees is his way of proving it.

OK, if this is to be a territory battle, I'll show him who owns what here. Where's my gun! At this point, those big boys around here with the 16 point racks don't impress me, especially the one who attacked my tree! But the idea of venison in the freezer does impress me.

I can only wait to see how and if this Sweet Gum survives the winter. In the meantime, today, Husband will be going around caging all our smaller trees until they get to big for the deer to want to rub. We did put coyote pee on all those yesterday to protect them until today. My back yard smells awful!

More On the Bedroom

Last year I had all this work done to the bathroom. Now, I want to finish the entire suite including the flooring, paint, trim, and closet. That's a lot of finishing.

I want to put up a crown molding in the bedroom and am seriously considering a wainscoting as well. I want to get new baseboard that is 6" high instead of 3½". There will be a new oak floor in the room as well. There's a problem with the floor. The flooring we put in the rest of the house is no longer available, so we will have to find another floor very similar. Finding the natural oak is easy, but the manufacturer no longer carries that type of floor. Right now I'm leaning toward a Bruce plank floor about the same thickness. My next time off the job, we'll be heading some distance away to Lumber Liquidators to see what flooring they have. Yes, this will turn into quite a search before we finally find what we are looking for. Then installation will have to wait until we have other time off the job.

I want tile flooring for the bathroom and a new vanity. Then the bathroom will be considered finished unless I decide I want to paint it again.

Last but not least, I want that bedroom closet redone. I want an organizer (a nice one) fitted in so that there is no mess or junked up floor. It is a beautiful, very large closet that is a mess right now. Husband is having a conniption right now because of the price of the organizers I'm looking at. This is my house and I want it the way I want it.

After all this, I want to finish the rest of the house, probably with the same paint colors. The girl at the paint store did give us an idea for the kitchen which will probably be done almost first. We want to color wash the one wall in there and the half wall under the bar. She said we could use our chosen colors to do this with just the cost of a glaze to mix in.

I'm excited about getting started on these projects.

Let's Talk About Paint

OK, now that summer has turned into autumn and the garden is on it's down side for the season, it is time to get ready for the winter projects that will help wile away the hours until spring. This winter, I'm planning on redecorating the bedroom.

"Oh, you say. But you've only been in that house for almost 7 years." Yes, this is true, however, when I first built this house the paint color was one I loved in another house. In this one, it looks drab and gray. It's also been almost 7 years since the 5 yr. carpet was put in and it really needs to come out! The carpet in my office smells like dirty dog and yes, I want it out of here!

So, we are now looking around to see what we can do and can't do with the master suite. I want that room done first since I spend a good deal time. Besides, I already have the new bedroom ensamble.

I have picked out the paint colors which involved two trips to the paint store for paint samples and chips. I think I've finally figured out which colors I want for the bedroom. Of course, the paint will be from a line of the Benjamin Moore paints. I tried the one from Lowe's and am so disappointed with it, I'm ready to give up on that paint completely. I don't care if it's half the price of Benjamin Moore. I have heard from friends that Home Depot's paint is even worse but I don't see how that could be. I guess it's just that if you've used Benjamin Moore once, you're spoiled on it. http://www.benjaminmore.com/ At least I am.

The biggest problem that I ran into is the fact that I have the house already painted in a Benjamin Moore color called Kitten Whiskers #1003 http://www.myperfectcolor.com/PhotoDetails.asp?ShowDESC=N&ProductCode=MPC0005353. It is a an off white taupe and needed something that would blend seamlessly with this color since I was planning on keeping it on the ceilings where it is now. It has a touch of gray in it which makes the entire house look gray and I'm not really pleased with this color. Husband has already told me he wasn't painting the ceiling and because of a problem with my neck, I simply can't. So, I had to choose colors that would compliment my new bed ensamble http://www.boscovs.com/StoreFrontWeb/Product.bos?quantity=1&itemNumber=46660&type=Product Croscill Ashwin Comforter Set. I also got chocolate shimmer drapes to go with this and a valance to finish each window. I have to get the blinds that will probably be custom made from JCPenney and I need to find a chocolate door panel for the french door.

Anyway I regress. After three tries, I finally think I found the paint colors I like. I picked out a wall color called Broken Arrow #1026 http://www.myperfectcolor.com/PhotoDetails.asp?ShowDESC=N&ProductCode=MPC0005378 and a trim color called Tucson Winds #1024 http://www.myperfectcolor.com/PhotoDetails.asp?ShowDESC=N&ProductCode=MPC0005376. Now, I have to decide what finish for each of these paints; Eggshell, Satin or Semi-gloss. That could be another three trips to the paint store. What I like about this paint store is, not only do they sell the paint that I like, they are very helpful with ideas and familiar with the types of paint. Right now I'm thinking Satin for the walls and Semi-gloss for the trim. But, I haven't purchased anything yet. I may change my mind again until I finally buy something.

New Artwork

I've gotten a rare order for cards. So, at least someone likes them. Anyway, since I don't get many orders, I do a lot of custom work.

I've hesitated about putting these on because of friends who've had trouble with folks copying their work and plastering them on other websites, or in once case, the front page of a local newspaper! I've been getting pretty lax at signing these pieces, but for the sake of this blog and my website, I'll start doing that with small pics I put on here.

Anway, with all that said...
For those of you who love Sunflowers. The mirrored sunflowers on the background are flowers from my garden which I deemed not all that good for the main subject.


This rose is Brigadoon. I don't have it in my garden - yet. But believe me, it's one of the few Hybrid Teas that I will be getting. This is such a lovely rose and I understand that it is fabulous in my area. Like Gemini, this rose is a must for my garden. The picture of the rose was taken at Hershey Botanical Gardens and though it didn't place for me in any of the contests I entered it i, it is most beautiful for my cards.

This card was made with a picture I took last summer at Hershey Botanical Gardens. It is also the winner of "Princess" (a court win) at the American Rose Society Photo Contest this spring. To date this is my top win. So, of course, I had to turn this lovely photo into a card as well. I think all of my new cards are lovely. And if you notice, they are all signed.

A Pleasant Evening

Last evening, my SIL and niece with baby Julia came to visit to see the house, garden and for dinner. We had such a pleasant time! The garden was looking fairly nice and dinner was really good. I made meatball subs with salad that was dressed to the hilt with almonds, bacon, croutons, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, and cheese. I think that's everything I put in the salad. It was a quick dinner because everyone was hungry and we wanted to spend as much daylight out in the garden as possible.

Along with Carol and Rachel and the baby, came Rachel's dog, Jazz. He is an elderly Dachson, 10 years old. It was a slower process to introduce him to Bratley, but they seemed to get along quite well. Bratley just wasn't sure what to do with company. Rachel is talking about moving here because it's closer to her family and John (her husband) really likes this area. If she does, maybe Bratley will have company more often. This would be good for him.

It was a great time for all of us. It was nice to entertain my SIL and niece. The baby was a bit fussy, but she'd had a big day and of course, nothing was familiar. We finally put her down on the bed and Shalimar was under the bed purring. Julia heard this and fell instantly to sleep. I was a little nervous about the cat being in the same room with the baby, but Shalimar stayed under the bed and purred while the baby slept peacefully on top. We had the bedroom door open so we could hear her and checked on her occasionally.

During dinner when Julia was in her carryall on the floor, Bratley gave her a curious sniff, but for the most part, left her be. He knows company that small as he's seen a number of the granddaughters when they were tiny like this (well, maybe not quite this tiny...Julia is 4 months old) but he probably figured this was another of those granddaughter things. Besides, Jazzy seemed very acceptable of this baby. Shalimar is used to having small children around the house on occasion as well. She usually spends her time under the bed when the grandchildren are here, and I will tell them not to bother her when she's under there. They don't either, so to Shalimar, this is a safe haven.

All told, this was a wonderful evening. I'd like to do this again, sometime.

More New Stuff

Choke Berries (stabilizing zoom lens)
Beauty Berries (50 mm fixed lens)
Peachs N Cream miniature rose. (stabilizing zoom lens)

Adding to our camera equipment, we got two new lenses. One I wanted and one Husband wanted. Both are exceptional and both are assets to our equipment. There is a lot of difference on how to shoot these, but the results are both very, very stunning.

In all honesty, I see a difference between the two. The Stabilizing zoom lens take very clear, sharp pictures. The 55 mm fixed lens take pictures with more clairty. I'm not sure if you can see the difference here or not, but I can really tell in the full size pictures.

The Book

Lately I've been doing some work for my mother. She has, in her possession, a family Bible from her previous (now deceased) husband. It is a glorious large tome published in 1736. She was thinking she wanted to know what she could do with it.

Keeping it in her house is the biggest issue. She doesn't want to keep it there since she has that house shut up for a good deal of the year. So she asked me to help her goet it appraised which I did. I was able to locate a wonderful appraiser of antiquities and he gave me an honest appraisal and has offered to help my mother try to sell the books if she desires to do this. He has also helped me to understand this world a little better and has patiently answered all my questions.

Personally, I'd like her to see if she could find a museum or public library or someone in these fields who would have the proper facilities to care for of book of this stature and age. Ultimately, however, this will be up to my mother.

It's a beautiful day today, cool for August. Without a lot of plans, I'm thinking this will be a good day to be outside.

Breaking in a new camera

Dublin Bay Large Flowering Climber

Ok, so we can't live with just one camera. We had to get another. This is a test to see how it does. So far, I like it.

Julia Childs Floribunda Rose

Red Hot Returns daylily

Tootsie

As of Wednesday, Tootsie will be with us for 8 weeks. She and Shalimar are getting along much better and will spend time playing now. Lots of ambushing going on in this house, but they do appear to like each other somewhat. Tootsie is still learning the ropes of this household and she's somewhat nervous, but not as much as she had been.

Garden Pictures

Some Daylilies

Pink Hollyhock. I have no idea where this plant came from. I certainly didn't plant it.

Yellow Hollyhock. Another hollyhock tat was never planted.

Daylilies...
Joan Senior

Little Girl

Lori Goldston

Wineberry Candy

Another pink Hollyhock.

Big Purple

Cotillian

Crimson Pirate

Drawf Double Pink

Indian Giver

These are really just a few of them. The others either weren't open yet of the flowers were spent. There are also two mix breed varieties that have begun to grow. I call these Julie's specials 1 and 2.

I had a rather difficult time getting the picture of the Big Purple because I kept being attacked by a smallish bird. Then I saw why...

A baby Orchard Oriole.

I think there's still one in the nest, but it's hard to tell. The nest is very similiar to every other oriole, but it's in a dense tree and hard to see. This little one fledged early this morning and now seems to have pretty good control of his wings. This is a good thing because in a couple of weeks, he must make a very long trip to Brazil with his parents and other siblings. I'll be sorry to see them go. They are such pretty birds and decorated my backyard nicely. I can only hope that they will return next year.

Emergency Room Experience

Wednesday night I spent a good bit of the night in the emergency room with kidney stones. If you've ever had an attack, you know the kind of pain involved. This was my first attack and I had no idea what was going on.

I called Husband about 1:30 at night. He came home from work immediately and called an ambulance. They took me to a hospital of his choice and when we finally got there (it took forever with the pain and dry heaves), they told us emergency was full and I'd have to wait in triage. The ambulance attendants weren't happy about that and argued with the receptionists, but the emergency room would have none of it. They put me in a wheelchair and left me at the admitting desk. I liked the First Responders. They were folks from my hometown and were very empathic and caring. I can't thank them enough for what they did for me.

When Husband found me, he asked why I was there instead of in ER with a nurse? He was disappointed because he'd been at this hospital before and was always impressed with it. I told him that I wanted to go to the Regency because even though they didn't have all the nicest ER rooms, they were less busy and you got better attention. The General Hospital was well known for pushing patients aside, sending them elsewhere, or closing their doors to patients. I was feeling very pushed aside even though I also have very good insurance. (Husband told me later that the receptionists overheard the conversation about the Regency and was on the phone as soon as she heard it).

Almost as soon as I said that, a nurse was by my side asking where the pain was and how I was feeling. I was sitting in a wheelchair with a vomit bag in my lap for the dry heaves. I wasn't feeling good at all. She took me to an ER room and stayed with me, asking questions which Husband answered for me. When she left, I had all the monitors on as well as drugs for vomiting and morphine for pain. Shortly another attendant came in and took me for a CAT scan. By this time the morphine was kicking in and the pain was easing.

All tests were pointing to kidney stones and the CAT scan revealed the little thing. No, I don't drink Turkey-Hill Iced Tea, any tea, coffee or soda. But my mother has had problems with kidney stones for many years. With the morphine working, I was able to get some rest while waiting for the test results. The nurse even told me how much better I looked after the morphine started working.

The doctor came in later with the test results and told me what was going on and that he was putting me on a pain therapy until the stone passed. Then I should go to my family doctor (of course) for a follow up.

I was please with the service and attention once they started giving it. The ER room was nice, complete with a TV for entertainment, though I wasn't interested in it. I told Husband to watch some so he could be entertained. I was mostly just tired after the pain left. I didn't like the IV all that much and am now sporting a nice bruise from it. I thought it was somewhat painful and I kept knocking it whenever I tried to move my arm. I liked my nurse and doctor.

Today, I mostly slept. I was totally worn out from all the pain and everything that it was nice just to sleep. Also, it seems that taking the painkillers the doctor prescribed will knock me for a loop and I will sleep for about 4 hours. They do work, but I think a bit strong. I found that Advil helps just as much without the grogginess.

We got home about 6:30AM, I called my boss to tell him I wouldn't be in and went right to bed, sleeping most of the day. Husband fed me soup for dinner around 3PM and that was it for food. I am definitely feeling better now, but still have some pressure in my flank, telling me the stone is still there. I hope this doesn't become a common occurrence. This was quite enough pain for one year.

Silent Victims

On the evening news a story was done about the silent victims of home foreclosures. Naturally, they are the pets. I've heard stories of them being abandoned in empty houses, left lose outside with the thought that they could get along OK (especially cats), only to be ostrasized by feral cats or taken to local shelters simply because they had no where else to go.

It's a sad situation and these animals are left confused and suffering from separation anxiety. Many of them are considered unadoptable because of their age. To add another nail, pet adoptions are down because people are so uncomfortable with the economy right now.

This is my little "owner surrender". It's been almost a month now since I first brought Tootsie home. She is learning, but yes, she had some issues she had to overcome before she could begin to function in this household. She still isn't as comfortable as you would think she'd be, but she's getting there.

Tootsie and Shalimar, my older cat, still have trust issues to get over, but most of the serious fighting has stopped now. Still, there are a couple of major spots to watch out for. One of those is the master bedroom. Shalimar will do fine with Tootsie in the room except that Tootsie, being a young cat, wants to play and unnerves Shalimar. Then you have the fights.

After talking to a pet hotline from a local no-kill adoption center, I decided to give Tootsie a full chance at becoming a family member. They told me that it could take as much as a year, maybe more for the cats to become friends but should reach a tenative stalemate by the end of 3 months. I was also told that from my discriptions, this could be a good match.

In this one month, this sweet little cat has made friends with the dog; is getting more comfortable with being in the house; fusses with Shalimar less and less. Still, she cries when you leave her alone for any short amount of time. She is always nearby, seeming to feel most comfortable when she can be with someone. She loves the windows, Shalimar's food, visits the community water bowl (the dog's water dish) regularily and finds Shalimar's self-cleaning litter box to be the "cat's meow"!

On the nights I let her out and about all night (mostly on weekends now in case the cats want to keep me up all night), I'll often find the bed toy ridden. Tootsie has her favorites and they are always on or in the bed. I keep a basket toy box of cat toys and I spend a good part of my early mornings locating and picking up the toys that are scattered about.

She's a sweet little cat and though it's taking much longer for the two of them to come to terms, I think this will work out for the best. I think she is a good match here. She still has some issues that we are working on, but she'll be fine. This little "owner-surrender" found a home.

Oil Companies and Their Greed

OK, I've now had totally enough of this spineless president. He should be out of office NOW! I'm not even sure I can wait until November.

He knows he's on his way out, but still doesn't have the backbone to stand up to these thieving oil companies that he gives them the right to kill polar bears in search of oil instead of alternative fuel sources. He is the world's biggest joke.

The oil companies think they have so much power that they can abuse and rob people and now kill the things we love. Are we going to stand for this? Are we going to allow them into our homes and destroy what they wish?

They are no different than that Homeland Security piece of shit that thinks he has the power to destroy whatever he wants and force us into something worse than what we despise just because he thinks he has the power to do that. He hasn't figured out yet that shouldn't or can't be done.

Lining these despots up in front of a stone wall and shot would be to easy. We need to bring back some of the old ways for these folks. Stockades or stoning come to mind.

Well, they'd better enjoy their sadism now, because when we finally break out of this (and we will), their worlds will be completely destroyed without a speck of dust left. I hope it's soon because I'm getting extremely tired of this.

The way people are beginning not to travel or visit the gas pumps less and less, the oil people should very soon have such a stock pile of oil that they will choke on it. Personally, I'm considering going to solar for my home. This looks like a good self-sufficient path right now.

Recent Days

Last weekend was prom night. Since all my children are past that, I don't pay much attention to it any more. However, last weekend, a neighbor whom we aren't necessarily close to, stopped in to ask if he could use our front garden as a backdrop for pictures of his daughter and her prom date. We said sure, but first he might want to look at the back yard before deciding where he wanted to pose his daughter. They did choose the back yard and have promised to soon be by to show us the pictures. I'd like to see them.

Then, this weekend, I invited my mother and step-father for dinner. Because of the heat, I made a spaghetti dinner which was totally enjoyed. During the meal, the conversation came up about the higher wages that certain folks make. Things always turn political with my step-father. He hasn't learned that there are two things you don't discuss -- politics and religion. Anyway, he asked a question worthy of some thought...

"What would you do with a yearly $900,000 salary?"

Would I move? No. I like this property. It's my dream. The house is small enough to easily take care of, the property is pretty because I made it that way. It's also easily affordable but would be paid off with that kind of money.

What I would do is take some of it salary annually and buy up property being sold by individuals or by developers who are going under with the extreme falling of the property values. I would take these vacant lands and turn them into nature preserves. I don't feel we need more housing. The baby boomers are beginning to die off and the next generations have an influx of housing to choose from. We don't need more housing. We've already stressed out the environment enough. What we need is to allow the environment to return itself.

Personally, seeing a lot of empty houses isn't all that nice. I want the birds and the bees and the wildlife. How does the song go? "You paved paradise and put up a parking lot." I'd like to change some of that and even though the amount I could do wouldn't see all that significant, it would be a drop in the bucket that wasn't there before. This would be my way of giving to future generations something they might otherwise miss; a nice stroll in the woods and see wildlife and plants they might otherwise miss.

The Newest Member of the Family

This is Tootsie, the newest family member. Just look at that face! This is how I was looked at every time I visited the animal shelter. I've never been fond of the diluted calico or torties because I thought they looked muddy. But as you can see, she is more vibrant than most with her shimmering white. But it was her personality that won me over. She's been with us since Thursday and is now beginning to relax. She is such a lover and wants attention and to be petted...a lap cat to be sure. Now to get Shalimar used to her. So far, Shalimar has done her hissing but hasn't been aggressive. I will put Tootsie in Bratley's carry crate and allow Shalimar into the room to meet her. Tootsie is being kept in the family room until she sees a vet on Monday. Once I've been told she has a clean bill of health, I'll be gin switching the cats for an hour at a time to get Shalimar used to her smell and give Tootsie a chance to explore the house. The only problem with switching the cats is that Tootsie won't be satisfied with just in the family room any more and will want out all the time. Today, she tried to follow me out. She's starting to feel much more relaxed and is beginning to be anxious to be a part of the family. But the animals need a little more time. Bratley already met her, but she's not sure about him yet. He's fine with her though. Shalimar is more difficult. It's only been two days. For some cats it may take two months. I certainly hope not.

Because Tootsie is such a lap cat, I find myself drawn into the family room to watch TV and stroke her while she purrs. Chloe was like that and I wasn't aware of how much I missed that. Shalimar isn't cuddly but shows her love in a different way. I hope they get along soon. I'm anxious to get Tootsie acclimated into the family. Shalimar is definitely interested.