Loss of a pet...

This week we lost one of our kitties. Sissy, the one on the right became very sick last Saturday. I noticed her hanging around in the bathroom of all places. She was laying in front of the toilet. As I got ready for church on Sunday morning she was still there in front of the toilet. I noticed a small puddle on the bare floor next to the rug. I cleaned it up and knew I had to take her to the vet. Only they were closed on Sunday and we were on our way to church. When we got back from church she was still there in the bathroom. She did move around a little and she was wobbly on her back legs. I thought maybe she had been injured somehow. I couldn't imagine how since she was an indoor cat and there wasn't much inside that could injure her. As the day went on I recalled how early Saturday morning I found a leaf on the floor that one of the cats had chewed from a Chrysanthemum plant that my brother in law purchased for me a few days before. I got to thinking, maybe the plant is poisonous to cats. I can never have fresh flowers in the house without having to place them somewhere high up that the cats won't get into them. These were not up high. In fact my sister in law placed them on the floor next to the television for a splash of color. They were so pretty and instantly made the room look like fall. As soon as I got home from church I looked on Google to see if it could be the plant. There it was, high toxicity to cats. Oh, no. Monday morning I picked her up and she felt cold so I placed her on my lap to warm her. She stayed there for a long time (not like her at all) The Vet's office opens at 8am so I called them as soon as I could and they said to bring her right in. I did, when they took her temperature it was below normal and they placed a hot water bottle next to her. The doctor came in and looked her over. I told her I suspected it was the plant and she wasn't entirely convinced that was the cause of her illness. She was 12 years old and that is pretty old for a cat I guess. I thought they lived to be 20 or so. Anyway, she said that they would keep her and hydrate her through an I.V. and do a blood test. I left and about an hour later the doctor called and said her kidneys had shut down which wasn't good. She said why not keep her on the fluids and see if the kidneys started to work again. I agreed. First thing Tuesday morning I got another call from the vet's office. They said she was no better and that in all honesty if she hasn't responded by now, she most likely wouldn't.

Well, this isn't how I expected my week to start. So sad. We all are missing her little face. Molly, our other cat keeps looking in closets and around doorways for her. But I think she has stopped now. She seems to know she is gone and isn't looking anymore. We aren't going to get another cat to replace her. Needless to say, the chrysanthemum is outside now where it isn't a temptation to our other cat Molly.

I'll be back......

I haven't been on here all week due to having a visit from my hubby's sister and her husband. We've really enjoyed their company and while they were here we all came down with colds. Yuck!! I just got over one a few weeks ago. I'll catch up with everyone's posts after they leave today and also try to get over this icky feeling.

Out with September.......in with October

This month just flew by for me. It must have been all that I did that caused that sensation. Starting with my birthday on the 3rd, and then my brothers and their wives came to visit. After that we went to the coast for crabbing and salmon fishing. Now we are preparing for another visit, this time from my hubby's sister and her husband. This must be vacation central this year. Just kidding, we love seeing our siblings and enjoy their visits.

When I got home from the coast I felt as though I had gained 5 pounds or more. I stepped on the scale and it was up 2 pounds. I got back on it this morning and that 2 pounds was gone. I am still amazed at how I am maintaining weight instead of gaining it. After years of slowly gaining back what I had worked so hard to lose, this just is so cool. I do love this band!! But, I haven't lost any weight in six months. I had my last adjustment (fill) in February. They say as you lose weight you need to get a fill because the fat (ugh, what a word) around the band goes away and then the band becomes lose again. I was reading one of the blogs I follow this morning and it's a fellow lapbander's blog. She wrote what she ate in a day and I was stunned. I realized then I am eating way too much a day and that is why I am not losing but just maintaining. Think I need to call the surgeon for an appointment. I mentioned it to my DH a couple of weeks ago and he said, "no you don't! You have to sleep sitting up now!" But I do that to keep my reflux from causing me to cough or aspirate during the night. Since I started propping pillows up behind me I sleep so much better. It's working so why shouldn't I get an adjustment. I wonder if I told the doctor how I am sleeping, would he say no more fills. I am torn. Then the other day my friend and I were talking and she said she thought I didn't need to lose anymore weight. My husband agreed. I don't want to be rail thin, I just want my BMI to be out of the obese category. How can I be "thin enough" if the charts say I am still obese? Lately I have had several people mention that I have lost even more weight. I haven't. I think your body just redistributes the weight and that is what they're seeing. Also, I am at the gym 5 days a week working out and that causes muscle mass and fat loss but I think I'll call and talk to the nurse at the surgeon's office and see if she recommends I come in.

He finally caught his salmon.............

My hubby has been fishing for 6 years and finally caught a salmon. He was beside himself happy. Grinning from ear to ear. It was only 17 pounds but it was his and he is so proud. I am so excited for him. Now his life is complete. Now I have to wrap it up and put it in the freezer.

Winchester Bay Resort

We went to the coast on Sunday and spent three days there with some new friends we've recently met. They had never gone crabbing before. We took them crabbing in our boat. The catch was plentiful. The first day we used chicken parts for bait. You can only keep the males and they must be a certain size to be legal. After our first days catch, 17 of them, we heard about a business there in town that would cook and clean them for you. We took them to be cooked and it saved us the trouble and mess of cleaning and cooking them ourselves. Then we just had to remove the meat from the claws and bodies. The second day we caught more still but the cooking place was closed when we got there so we had to cook them ourselves. Here are a few pictures we took of the process. This resort was sure nice. 3 days wasn't long enough to be there and I definitely want to go back again. The space we had was large enough for our motor home, our boat and our truck. And it's right on the bay of the Umpqua River and the ocean. I like to have melted butter with garlic in it and to sample it while removing the meat from the shells. MMMMM good!!

A visit from my family........

We went to Crater Lake on Tuesday. We rented an 8 passenger minivan. It was lots of fun. We went to breakfast and then headed off to the lake. Once we got there we had lunch and took pictures. We got home around dinnertime. I had made the chicken in the crockpot. It turned out very delicious but a little too spicy for my one sister-in-law and my great niece. Here is the recipe I used:

Jamaican Chicken

chicken thighs and breasts

Adobo seasoning

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

4T soy sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/2 habanero chili chopped fine ( I used a jalepeno and seeded it)

chicken broth

Rub the chicken with the adobo seasoning and brown in frying pan. Put in crockpot and add other ingredients. I cooked it for 8 hours on low. It could have been cooked a little less because the chicken was falling apart but it wasn't dry. I made rice to serve the gravy over.

Wednesday we decided to drive to the coast and show our guests some of the sights along the beach areas. After driving for about an hour and a half we got to our destination only to have one of my sisters-in-law become very sick. She was stricken with a case of the flu. We decided to head for home since she was so ill. It took us four hours to get home because we had to stop every so often for her to use a bathroom. Poor thing looked so miserable. She also felt terrible that our plans were ruined but that is not a big deal. We were just concerned about her. She started feeling better that evening and today feels great again. We're hoping none of the rest of us catch what she had.

Last minute touches

What is going on with me. I woke up at 4am and laid there for almost an hour awake. I decided I would just get up. Now it's almost 6 and I am getting sleepy again. I got most of the things done yesterday so today I just have to dust a little and put a roast in the slow cooker.

Bob and his friend came home with no salmon yesterday. But they said they had a fun time anyway. I guess that's what it's all about anyway.

When we were camping in July a couple we know came camping also and we all had dinner together a few times. The time she made the main course it was a chicken dinner made in her slow cooker. She said it was a recipe given to her by a friend from the Caribbean. She gave me the ingredients. I thought that would make a good meal while my bros are here but I don't know the amounts of anything. I wrote her an email and asked for the recipe. She called yesterday and said she couldn't find the recipe and would call her friend for it and email me. Well, I haven't heard anything from her yet. So.....I figure either she couldn't reach her friend or she really doesn't want to share the recipe so I may have to improvise. After all I do have the ingredients. Only hitch is one ingredient is Goya Adobo Seasoning and my brother is bringing me that since I couldn't find it anywhere in my town. He found it in a Mexican market in Nevada. So I will be making it another night this next week.

The weather is supposed to be better the next week. It's been raining for two days off and on. I'm not ready to have cold and rainy weather yet. Well, I think I may go back to bed for a couple more hours. Have a Blessed Day everyone!