Gypsy Kitty

The Kitty I've talked about has been renamed Gypsy. He continues to be the neighborhood traveler, though a new bigger cat has moved in. I haven't seen him but I hear new cat is larger, solid black and has yellow eyes making him look like a minature panther.

So Gypsy has been showing up to eat and sleep and drink water. He appears to be more tired, has a few hairs out of place, a little rougher. Yet, off he goes after a few hours of rest, we don't see him again for a day or two. He stays away particularly long if we have sunny weather which we have had though rain is predicted by the weekend.

Friends are visiting this weekend and I expect they will be able to meet Gypsy.

What a Cat!

Have I Gone Crazy?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Road to Recovery

Well, after all that poor Manny had to go through emergency surgery January 9th. A tumor was discovered, burst inside and caused infection. The path report came back Sarcoma.

So, after ICU and lots of care he is on the road to recovery, not sure he can say the same about his parents. Hefty bill, there is a 50% chance of recurrence, and so I am going to try holistic medicine. I certainly can't afford close to $10,000 in total costs, October to now. I love my doggy and it doesn't bother me one bit that I have this bill to pay.

I am just glad that he is alive, we have bonded like never before, and I hope that I am able to stay with him each day until the end. I am also hopeful that the Frankincense will be what changes the odds we have been given. I am hopeful that he will live years instead of months.

I'm sad but I am realistic, I've had the bad news of cancer and I'm still here. If I have to say goodbye, then it will because I will not let him suffer anymore than he already has. My love for him is strong and I will let him rest in peace if that is the road he must take.

We all end up on that last road too when our time comes.

Frankincense

Manster is finally going to an Internal Medicine Veterinary Specialist. We are suspicious of cancer. Frankincense will be the oil that gets applied. I just need to know where the cancer is. Am I jumping the gun with his diagnosis, Dr. F and I are worried because we have exhausted every possible diagnosis for basic stomach problems? Manster continues to lose weight and more over, he appears to be in pain and just not feeling good.

I may go ahead and apply Frankincense just because I see that he is feeling poorly and his little body hurts. He is small enough I can apply a small amount all over. I will consult JP at my massage today.

The Reference book states "apply Frankincense at the site of the cancer", but it is not specific of the amount to use on a small dog. I figure a lot like a small child. More research today as I recover from my back, will read "healing oils, healing hands, discovering the power of prayer, hands on healing and anointing".

To any friends or family that have enjoyed the introduction of these oils by me: don't forget to use them and let me know if there are problems you need additional or different oils for. My bro continues to report sobriety from the use of oils and his amethyst crystal.

PanAway Oil saves my back

Young Living Essential Oils continue to be a saving grace for me. Decorating my home for the holidays has been fun but I was really dumb about getting up and down and pulled muscles in my back.

I knew as soon as I did it that I would end up with increased pain, probably pain killers too. I was stepping off my kitchen counter, on to a chair, foot slipped and I jerked myself at the lower back area. Interesting enough, my neck and upper shoulders became more flexible, as if I jerked them into place.

OK, so enough of my stupid acts and more about the wonders of Herbal Oils. PanAway has allowed me to function the last two days, I finally get a massage this morning but already feel better. I admit, I had to use Vicodin for pain but it was the PanAway that took the edge off the sharp pains, Vicodin alone was not doing it. Rest, warm blanket, firm bed, and PanAway and this morning I'm already better. Glad I have the massage but not necessary. Yesterday was a full day of pain but I could function because I put the oil on and kept moving so that the stiffness would not set in.

Heal thy self has been my motto this year. I find that I have been able to provide myself comfort as much as I do to my Manster who remains sick and experiencing pain. I rubbed him after applying the oils on myself and saw him relax and sleep soundly, not something he can do for himself these days.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

This week it seems things just didn't feel right. Most of the week felt a little on the tilted side, the weather (NW) was more reasonable but it appears the people weren't. Drama of all types and all levels. My friends report the same thing....odd enough we weren't the only ones having a peculiar time of it. Below are some of the headlines that helped me see that it wasn't only ME!

Woman, 75, douses alleged thief with gas

Drunk invents mugging to avoid wife's wrath

Guinness guzzling camel crashes Xmas party

Man picks wrong time to use bogus check

Call Him Grandpa Flo

Received the call tonight that my hubby's eldest is pregnant. I was surprised but I shouldn't have been, barely made it to the one year wedding anniversary last month!

The feminist in me feels that a long hard road is about to begin for that young couple. Planned was to sell the small house they are in and buy a larger one, with a better yard before getting pregnant....blah, blah, blah...

I figure now they have to stay there cause they are having a hard time just getting this one repaired due to tight financial bind. An equity mortgage has already been taken, "to repair and sell", oh my, oh my.... on Black Friday they purchased a new TV. Wasn't needed, but what a deal!!!

Oh, how I see the writing on the wall. So sad, so sad, just wait and see.....

My buddies know where I'm coming from

Kitty Spends the Night

Kitty, the old cat that adopted our neighborhood, befriend Manster and worked his way into our home. Manster's Daddy absolutely refused to let Kitty be part of our family. So Kitty spent most of his days outside, coming around for love, eating cat food two doors down because he refused to become a Garage Cat.

The weather changes, cold and rainy and finally last night freezing rains, finally made Kitty throw in the towel. He came around, he got pork meat left overs and made himself at home on Manster's old beanbag bed. Happens that the bed is in the garage at the top of highest shelf, it is furry and comfy. So Manster's Daddy comes home and we give up the fact that Kitty is in the garage for the night.

This morning, Kitty is up and in the house, of course Daddy is in the bathroom and unaware. Daddy comes out of to go to work, Manster's is trying to tell Daddy about Kitty, and then Kitty lets out the old, "Mmmeeeeoooowww" in his deep gruffly voice. Daddy thinks its coming from the garage and we pretend that must be it. Just as he is opening the front door, Kitty makes himself known and we cover by saying, "he must have been looking for a way out"......

Manster was relieved that Kitty is out. He likes him but really, Mom woos over him too much and I think he scares Manster a bit.....You know how those Kitty's can be!

Blood Type Diet

So I pulled out the book I bought a few years ago called, "4 Blood Types, 4 Diets, EAT RIGHT 4 YOUR TYPE"...Adamo and Whitney. I've been reading the book most of this week and finding that many of the foods I am told to avoid, based on my blood type, are ones I don't really like. This is true for almost all the food groups except in the seafood section.. I really like my shelled seafood. I really like my Halibut and I really like my Calamari.. I think I'd rather suffer a bit and not avoid them altogether.

Why the dieting? Diabetes has hit my home, hubby is feeling much better as we shifted to eating seafood, green veggies and very small portions of rice each night this week. Dinner has been delicious and so pulling out cookbooks and diet books has been the task of the week in finding how to cook Salmon and Halibut. I packed his lunch each evening and he appears to be better balanced.

I am hoping that I can avoid Diabetes if I make the dietary change along with him. In fact, I enjoy cooking and using spices and herbs for flavoring and avoiding fats for taste. I am actually enjoying the shopping, from the planning to the preparation, cooking has been quite fun. One of my friends called and told me to get out of the house if I thought cooking was fun. I'm just in another place right now, not being out in the world is A-OK!

Planning for TDay and hope to make it a tasty one!!

Jack - The Girls Can Get Wild About YOU!

Have you been considering a Dog? Well I recommend a Jack Russell. Ask the ladies that own one and they will tell you they agree.

Look at Mariah's baby...if I had that kind of money my MDog would be traveling in style too. He doesn't do too shabby riding in the RX8 but those are rare rides.

Love my baby and I may have to write a short novel about why he is the best pal I've ever had. I've had many dogs in my life time and by far he has been number 1!

Ok, enough bragging and enjoy Mariah's dogblog.

Dog Smelling like a Hippie HoHouse

The MDog has now been accused of smelling like a Hippie Whorehouse. What does one smell like? Well absolutely not at all like a Dog. Amazing that the essential oil he got applied took all the dog smell away.

MDog visited his cousin dog, Fro. Feeling better a road trip was in order and so the dog seat was placed into the car and away Shinka and MDog went. It was a good day for a drive and visit to Oregon. Shinka's brother was celebrating his BDay by taking a day off work. MDog needed to visit his cousin to see if he would be rejected because of his new scent or if he would be accepted as a Dog.

Fro dog found MDog to be quite delicious. Humping was the activity of the afternoon. Both males having been fixed before they got to experience sex with a Bitch have resorted to playing the Humping Tag game. MDog wins most of the time because he is able to lock his front paws around Fro's hind leg and hanging on, being slapped by the massive tail as Fro twists around and gets loose. They got to run in the backyard and pee all over. Fro got a little carried away and pooped as close to the back porch as possible.

Dogs, they get excited and poop and butt are such great things. MDog's butt was especially nice with all the DiGize oil I had applied the night before. It certainly made the difference in getting his tummy to settle down. I'm not sure if Dr. F should be told about the naturopathic methods I've been using until I'm sure he is really better. Dr. F still worries that MDog has stomach cancer. MDog is really too young but it is possible. So the visit to Fro's house was essential in evaluating if MDog really was feeling down or just bored without other pets around. Looks like he is better. He ate his dry food, managed to get some of Fro's and the yet it didn't appear to hurt his tummy. We report to Dr. F tomorrow.

So, maybe a bath before we see Dr. F again because going into the office smelling like a Hippie Whorehouse could become embarrassing for MDog. Mom will see what she can do...

Manny's Healing Oil

Manny Dog has always enjoyed his toys, particularly if they squeak so that he can spend his days tearing them out. He, chews and chews and finds the right seam that is weakest. He pulls the stuffing and spits it out. On occasion he swallows a piece of the stuffing, gags and coughs until he manages to throw it up.

A month ago, Manny Dog began itching his butt! Literally chewed the hair off and made the skin read around it. Dr. F thought it might be an allergy, I wasn't so sure. Medications did not work, but a mixture of Lavender and Melaleuca oil (into a topical gel) massaged in two to three times a day did work. The itching stopped and the throwing up and diarrhea began. Back to see Dr. F, food allergy, change in food, meds to help the throwing up, and here we are a month later completing the second day of barium x-rays. We are still dealing with the "butt" per say and it seems all because he has a bunch of toy stuffing.

The Barium has helped pushed the stuff through and tomorrow he goes back to Dr. F for another day of filming and watching the stuff slowly move through the large intestine. He eats about three tablespoons of food a day, drinks water, gets tummy aches and sleeps.

This morning he awoke me at 5 a.m. with a tummy ache. I got the Peppermint oil and placed in in my hand so that the would get the aromas of it. I then massaged the tummy lightly and he fell asleep.

Those healing oils come from Young Living Essential oils and though only a drop is needed for him, it amazes Dr. F and I how well he accepts them while fighting medication. Manny the wonder Dog, the Shaman Dog, he lets his nose help him heal.

No more tearing toys, particularly because of the bad habit of barking at dogs that walk by and causing most of the stuffing to arrive in the tummy as a result. Good thing his chew balls have always been to large to swallow otherwise there would be one inside too!

Lost and wondering not wandering

At last November is here and the fall didn't really seem to happen. We had warm rains in October and heavy rains as November came about.

I've been lost and wondering what each day will bring. Will I ever get to the point where I can begin to start what I so desperately want to create? A new life, a new career, or just a new job. I start and I stop little projects with little incentive to stay on task and complete the entire piece.

Travel, I keep thinking I just need to get the hell out of here! Where do I go? Where do I go that I don't have to come back? Is that the answer, not coming back? Is it time to move on and not look back?

I need a change, very desperately, I need to get away and get pampered. My best pal is depressed and I barely have an edge on her...can't miss one dose of the Proz...

I don't feel the holiday spirit, I want to avoid hearing the world news though there are a few headlines to cheer about, and yet life is really pretty good when everything is accounted for. Too bored and too privileged to bitch and yet here I am going on and on. My bestest pal, let's get the hell out of town, get a massage, have some pampering and forget the world for a day! That's my Christmas wish.

U2, Green Day join to reopen Superdome

U2, Green Day join to reopen Superdome

volunteer

My signals today are taking the direction of volunteerism. I've looked at the National Missing and Exploited Children site and the Habitat for Humanity. I already support HfH and so I went ahead and signed up. The NMEC is out of Virginia, clear across the country from where I am. I can't afford to travel there and yet the help they need caught my attention while reading my Yahoo news. The first child to get his photo on a milk carton is back in the news. The photos on his website are disturbing.

http://www.johnnygosch.com

Matas-Mota-Music hand-in-hand

Today on KBOO Radio Station, a featured band during the Latino program that is one I simply had to write a bit about. The band is Los Marijuanos.

If you love Mota then Los Marijuanos are a band to support. Their view of use of daily mota, their driving force to help the general public understand that it is not the "evil mata" most make it out to be, and their music that supports their views are something to watch.

They have a website that is something to check out:
http://www.losmarijuanos4life.com/index2.htm

Legalization of mota is absolutely a movement to support. So many are using and needing it to subside their aches and pains, to subside daily neurological nausea, and could provide so much more for others who do without it. My Mom would drink the tea, as my Grandmother did, if it was not illegal. My elders came to this country to become Americans and support its government so staying inside the law was important to them. Thank God for the Boomer generation that wants their Mota and wants it to be legal.

Take the case of the 2.5 million worth of Marijuana discovered in Lane County Oregon. If that crop was legal and was taxed, WOW the money the state of Oregon would make. Think how many jobs could be provided on the up and up, and how many could make their living farming again if they didn't have to hide this crop. I pray that they will be able to restore their crops even though this bust was hurtful. Oregon is a state that is closing schools, has high unemployment, has been hurt in many ways because of the number of Meth addicts, Heroin addicts, and Cocaine addicts and yet the truth be known it is the pure Mota smokers who are the leaders and providers of what money is in this state.

Mota smokers don't overdose, they don't get DT's from withdrawal, they only get in trouble when they mix it with alcohol or other drugs. The true Mota smokers doesn't cross that line and lives among us everyday, appearing to be the "average Joe citizen".

How sad for those that would have benefited from the Lane County supply, and thank God for the other farmers that keep it growing.

World goes to hell

Everyday I wake up hoping that our world will have a better day. It seems everyday its the same old terrors and tragedies and just another day.

Damn, its hell when you are depressed and the world around you is going to hell. Hell, hell, hell, we live in and the only thing left is dying and going to hell. Maybe it will be heaven upon death since living seems to be hell.

I can't seem to handle things well these days and glad that I have a blog that I can bitch on....

Bonnie, Keb'Mo and Curtis

WOW!!!!

Wow is the only word that we could utter after hearing this fantastic concert. Keb'Mo opened the act at 630 sharp, played for an hour and then came back out for one more song, with Bonnie. Little did we know the rest of the night would be more of the same from these great performers.
Bonnie only did one song from her new album but her oldies were so good too. Buy the CD if you haven't yet.

So, after a few songs, Bonnie surprises us by bringing out Curtis Salgado!! Did a great job singing with Bonnie, but his harmonica was absolutely the best. At 9pm Bonnie finishes her concert and then she comes back out. This time she brings Keb and Curtis out. They do another three songs, she says goodbye, and comes out again. Keb and Curtis in tow. It was so GREAT!!!!

Finally finished all the sets at about 945pm. The venue was great, the weather was great, even the parking and traffic were well managed. Great place to see a concert, Troutdale McMenamins Edgefield. New beer that is a cross between the Terminator and Ruby called the Rubinator. Didn't get a chance to try one but heard many raving about it.

S and I had a really great time and left feeling privileged to see such great musical legends.

Faith

The strength that Faith can bring you is the greatest strength of all. So many in my life have been an example of how Faith plays a big part in their everyday lives.

My maternal grandparents had Faith when they crossed the Rio in the 1800's. They had Faith that the two World Wars would not affect their families, members served and returned. They had Faith that the Great Depression would pass and their Faith would get them through it. They had Faith that the Cuban Missile Crisis would not harm their country and its people, they had Faith that their hard work would create a better life for their families.

So it has come to pass. Faith and the strength they got created the opportunity that I live today. I don't forget this but most often don't think about it either. Instead, I think about what could make me happy in this life. I don't have that spiritual strength that my grandmother had, she taught me and yet, I haven't been able to hold on it.

Grandmother, come to me in my dreams, lead me by my hand, and help me to go down the path of Faith. You affected so many during your lifetime including my Mom who hurts every stinking day of her life and yet has all the Faith in the world. I want her to be near me, I need her and she needs me. I just can't go there now.

I'm being selfish, I'm being selfish, I'm being selfish......

Labor Day

What is the meaning of Labor Day? For most of us it is a long weekend, the end of the summer, the beginning of school. For the most part, Labor Day is a time point that brings change.

On Labor Day weekend, 1999, I met and dated David Flores. We married in 2001 and are happily together still. We celebrate this weekend more than our wedding anniversary simply because it has the most meaning. It like many others before it and after, has been a weekend that brings change to our lives.

On this weekend in 2001, we celebrated life. Our lives but in particular mine. I was diagnosed with cancer in July and began radiation treatments in September. So this weekend, I celebrate five years of being cancer free, another milestone as they say.

So why am I up, not sleeping, and blogging. My soul needs its, I guess. My health is still poor some days so I have to celebrate the good ones. I slept in yesterday and have to assume that my mind is just not ready for more sleep. I should talk myself into trying again as I did at midnight. It is 330 a.m. on Labor Day.

Ok on to better subjects...