Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

Well, Teka, I don't know how I missed your beautiful cat.  Main Coons are extraordinary.  All are larger than other cats and I think in general all the males are bigger than the females.  Wonderful temperaments too.  I'm always torn when I see some of the truly fabulous varieties of cats but I think since I recue mainly....there won't be any in my life. 

I have been fortunate to have actually "rescued" a couple of really GOOD types as we had a Turkish Van and a Japanese Bob-Tail along with a Siamese.  They were all great cats, but we have always had multiples since we rescue -- so after a while you sort of forget about some of the "specialness" as they become just felines in need of love, care and a home.

Carole, that outing ( though I wouldn't care for the heat either ) at the Wooden Boat Show sounds like a lot of fun.  Of course, I'd be sneaking over a lot to the craft fair booths.  I so admire people who can do things with their hands.  You must be good at it -- helping with the small boats the kids make.  I have sort of short stubby hands and fat thumbs that have always gotten in the way of arts and crafts -- so when someone can do these things....I'm just well, envious.  I bet those kids have a ball. 

Blondie -- I think I wouldn't care much for that weight gain either.  Guess we are always trying for that delicate balance between doing enough to help without enhancing the se's of what we take.  Hope you get some good sleep.  I'm thinking of you.

Blessings

Jackie

Mimi: I was anxious for a couple days when IR wasn't returning my phone call, and I hadn't talked to a person to explain my concerns about which should come first, the kidney procedure or my rads, and that they'd made my appt for Wed next week without asking me if I was even available on that day and time. Finally connected with a person and they got me in Thursday in a cancellation spot. Feeling better now that there's a plan that IR doc has approved. Throughout all of this I've told myself "you just do what you have to do"

Camie: like Mimi, I've been reading your name as Cami Legal too!

Wren, I got my Turkish Van from a friend when she was just a tiny kitten.  One parent was a Van and the other parent -- who knows???  Bunny though had most of the Van attributes and really, really had the look -- with the tri-color head markings as well at the tail. 

For those of you who don't know about the Vans -- they are ( usually white med length hair with three different  ( I always called then dots ) patches of color around the head.  The same three colors would also be in their very pretty tails.  So, they can be really attractive.  Bunny was somewhat standoffish, but spent most of her time with me.  If not with me.....she often was hanging around in the bathroom hoping someone would take a bath or shower.  She would pace around the shower door till you opened it and usually run in -- hoping for a SLOW drain that day.

Vans are water lovers and will happily swim in your pool or bathtub too.  Bunny really adored the water.  She went to the Rainbow Bridge some time ago, but she was and has been a very unforgettable girl.  Friends used to say, that she looked like when it came time to get her tail God just grabbed the first one there without looking -- but it is/was a very outstanding feature with Bunny.  We still feel fortunate that we got to care for her all of her life. 

Our Japanese Bob-Tail was mainly white  as well with some gray patches.  Their hind legs ( not quite as pronounced at the Manx ) are slightly longer than the front legs and rather than a tail ( there can be two or three sizes ) Shorty had more like a tiny hard spot that protruded slightly.  There are also nubby and stubby tailed ones.  Shorty was a small very gentle cat who never met anyone else feline or human that he didn't instantly love.  He went to the Bridge just a few months ago.  He was about 16 or 17.  We found him wandering alone as a kitten and being tormented by some kids in a park here.  

We also homed a couple of Bengals -- very expensive high breed cats.....they are beautiful cats and very loving.  They cost around $1,000.00 for one cat.  They did not work well in our household.  A bit high-falutin' and so  though they stayed to themselves, they kept the rest of the other cats in the house-hold stirred up.  I finally ( when the other cats started fighting among themselves -- fairly unusual ) had to re-home them but found them a truly wonderful situation where they would be the only two cats in the household.   Had a feeling when I took them that it may be trouble.  They were truly gorgeous cats.  Nuff' of my cat stories. 

Jackie

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that
 everything in life has purpose.  There are no mistakes, no
 coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.

Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross

I'm off to the Wooden Boat Show to work all day.  Once the kids start to arrive, the day passes quickly.  For the first part of the day yesterday, I wrote the child's choice of a name on the hull of his or her boat with a marker.  I got so amused because several little girls named their boats a girl name that wasn't their name!  The moms stood there looking mystified, without any clue about why a little girl named Sophie wanted to name her boat Kayla! 

In the afternoon I helped the children who had masts on their boats pick out sails from a choice of about 10 different colors.  The little boys usually wanted at least one black flag with a skull and cross bones.  Their next choices were gold with the Saints fleur-de-lis or purple and gold for LSU.  The little girls loved a pale aqua color and pink and purple.

I feel guilty about being so busy this weekend because the father of my niece's two older children (girl-9 and boy-11) will be taking them to MS some time today to live with him at his mother's house.  I know nothing about what the arrangements will be as far as sleeping quarters, etc.  I won't have the opportunity to say goodbye to them.  The youngest child (girl-5) won't be going because she has a different father.  I have heard from my mother that Olivia is sad about being separated.  She will probably spend time between my sister's house and her mother's house.  My sister (the grandmother) thinks that my niece left home as a way of forcing the father of the older children to take over rearing them.  My niece has two many mental problems to cope with all the demands on a parent.  The new home environment for the kids will not be ideal but it won't be any worse than living with their mother.  It's a sad situation.

Wishing everyone the best possible Sunday.  Gentle hugs for Blondie and everyone else needing a comforting hug.

Good almost afternoon all ... hoping everyone has a touch or more of joy today.

Carole, the kids are in my thoughts.

Aw GEEZ!  I missed your Bday Puffin????  I'm sorry.... I was so screwed up this morning, trying to post, and then I finally got my iTunes re-installed, and my Library of ALL my songs, so it has turned out to be a great day.... Hope your Bday was too!  

It's raining and cold here....  Kind of hate for Winter to be here, but I should be used to it!    Born and raised here!  Well not in this HOUSE, but close enough...

Beautiful cake from a beautiful woman, TO a beautiful woman!

Happy Birthday, Puffin!

"I heard it was your birthday. Hope it was happy."

For those not in the know about birds, those are Puffins that Sandra posted. Aren't they darling!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes, I had a wonderful day. Good thing my appetite is back and food tastes good again, we had breakfast at Denny's and I had the free Grand Slam, and tonight we met friends at a Mexican restaurant, and my meal there was free too. I am SOOO full.

Tomorrow is first rad at 10 AM, looking forward to getting this next step of treatment done.

The awareness we experience in solitude is priceless for the peace it can give.  It is also the key to true loving in our relationships.  When we have a part of ourselves that is firm, confident, and alone, we don’t need another person to fill us.  We know that we have private spaces full of goodness and self-worth, and we grant the same to those we love.  We do not try to pry into every corner of their lives or to fill the emptiness inside us with their presence.
 
Kent Nerburn

Happy Birthday, Puffin.

Happy Birthday, Puffin!!!!!!   Thinking of you today.

Happy Belated Birthday Puffin.  Glad your birthday was yesterday and not on the first day of radiation.  Nice to separate special days from other momentous days.  

I have not posted for a few days, instead  allowing myself to wallow in my sadness but today I got a hold of my boot straps, pulled myself up and said enough.

Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, the one day in Pinktober that we hope that MBC will be acknowledged and recognized as a disease that takes the lives of 40,000 women and men every year.  Again this year, our local paper did not publish my letter to the editor trying to make people aware of the disease and the small amount (only 2% of all Cancer research money goes for research for a cure for MBC).  They did email and might publish it  some time later.

The hand and foot syndrome from Xeloda is making its presence known after a short walk around the block on a beautiful fall day.  No more walks for awhile.

So today after I gave up feeling sorry for myself,  I called an acquaintance whose husband died in the last few months and called two other shut ins - if I am feeling alone, they must be feeling it even more.  A friend told me years ago, if your feeling sad and down, do something nice for someone else

After all that  complaining, we are under a tornado watch and will face our first possible tornado without a basement.  It might get very cozy in the shower.