In Memory - Neelix, Sinda, Bella & George

 I have wanted to do a post in memory of the furry friends we've lost here over the past years. 

I'll start with Neelix - we got this sweet boy from the Humane Society and he was very tiny and very sick - in fact our vet said they shouldn't have released him to us - but we were so in love with him - we "fixed him up" and he was the best farm cat ever. And he grew and he grew - at one point he weighed 17 pounds!   He used to find The Shepherd when he got home from work, demand a piggy back ride on his shoulders and help him do the chores every evening.

He loved lambing time and could always be found checking out what was happening in the barn. 

 He was also very laid back and could often be found sleeping on his back in the middle of the living room - so secure in his position. 

He went to the rainbow bridge in August 2008 -
He's still at the top in number of posts - only "from the garden"  and "Shetland Sheep" out do him. 

This is my Sinda - affectionately known as Sissy -   I got her from some friends when she was 8 or 10 weeks old in the Spring of 1990

A little bit quirky and a lot-a-bit fun - 

On February 5, 2011, at the age of 21, she succumbed to kidney failure, leaving me "catless" for the first time since 1975.  

 This Handsome Boy is George - We got him and his little sister Gracie in July 2011.

They were just the sweetest pair -  you can read more about them if you click on the label - "The Mrreows"

 
 And then came Bella - who I laughing have called our "transgender" cat - Bella "migrated" here from a neighboring farm - well we fed her, and they didn't... "Her" I say - she seemed so feminine - but when I took "Her" to the vet for something, She was pronounced to be a "He" - so what can I say - we left the name Bella - as he was quite a beautiful cat, and you know, Bela Lugosi -

Bella disappeared the spring of 2015 - I kind of think he might have gotten trapped in The Shepherd's work trailer and then jumped out along the way, as we heard that a cat looking very similar appeared at the Water District office a couple miles away.  Didn't go check though - he had already made a new home there.

George disappeared last August - not a good month for us and kitties - 8 years almost to the day that we lost Neelix to the Bridge.

I keep hoping that George just got waylaid and will come home some day, but he was pretty much a momma's boy and never stayed out more than a day.  Gracie and I miss him a lot - she's pretty lonely since both of us are gone all day long and she's here by herself.  Thinking about adopting someone new, but we'll see. 

You can read more about our furry friends by clicking on their names in the "Labels" on the sidebar.  Thanks for indulging me on my memories. 

It's Time -

Sinda
April 21, 1990 - February 5, 2011

Sadly, Sinda's health and spirit have plummeted in the past week. I made one of the hardest decisions in my life yesterday as I called my friend who has a mobile veterinary service to arrange for her to come out this afternoon and help Sinda cross over the Bridge.

I was thinking of the words to Jim Croce's song "Time in a Bottle" this morning

"If I could save time in a bottle, The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day Till Eternity passes away Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever, If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then Again, I would spend them with you"

Sinda has been my companion for almost 21 years - I can't imagine life without her - I will be catless for the first time in 35 years.

You can read about her birthday last year by clicking here
or click on "Sinda" under labels to see more.

Hold your loved ones close today and Thank you for your kind thoughts. T.

You've asked about Sinda

My snoopervisor is still hanging in there - some days are better than others - about every 10 days I shove her in the PTU (that is - Prisoner Transport Unit) and we take a drive into town to get her Sub-q infusion.

She's still eating, tho not very much, so she's getting very skinny - but frequent trips to Pet-Co have provided some new tasty foods that she likes -

And she's drinking water - and everything is "coming out ok on the other end" so to speak - so, we're just going day to day at the present time.

She and I have had a couple of "end of life" discussions - (she continues to tell me it's not time yet) - but, unlike my friend's mother who said she was "ready to meet her maker" and checked herself into hospice, I have not been able discern how to make that call for her . I guess it's going to have to be a "quality of Life" issue -- -you know what I mean ...

I have made a small blanket from my handspun yarn as a "shroud" to wrap her in - and The Shepherd and I have talked about where to bury her (he is the undertaker of our "Pet Cemetery")

At almost 22 years old, she's older than some of my co-workers. She's had a pretty good run and I just treasure each day with her.

A quick update

Sinda has started to drink water again and ate most of her dinner last night (well she ate about 2-3 tablespoons out of the bowl - which is a bunch for her lately) -

I realize that she is not going to "get better" but this buys us a little more time, huh? Thenks to everyone for their kind thoughts, purrs and purrayers. T.

Oh, dear......

Sinda here - I haven't been feeling particularly well lately - so Mom stuffed me in the PTU (Prisoner Transport Unit) on Thursday and took me to see Dr. Perry.

"Mom" here - Sinda wouldn't eat ANYTHING I put out - stuff she has been eating for years - chicken baby food, which she loves - she just turned kind of queezy looking and walked away - then I realized that she wasn't drinking very much water either - and had gotten very dehydrated (which kind of caught me by surprise because I watched her so closely all summer to make sure that didn't happen) - yes, you who've been here before know that her kidney's are failing.

Todd said that when animals get dehydrated, they sense of smell and taste goes off and everything makes them queasy, in turn they don't eat and get worse. He suggested that they do a Sub-Q re - hydration - actually, that they do two - so I left my baby girl at the V.E.T.'s office and "with a heavy heart", went to work - They did blood tests before and after the re-hydration and the numbers changed so much that he was really encouraged - and when I got her home, after first using the kitty box, she acted very hungry - so I made up some ocean whitefish with tuna and she chowed down. same Friday and Saturday she ate some chicken & gravy - so I was encouraged - but today again, she won't eat and doesn't seem to be drinking much water either -

She's 21 1/2 years old - I can learn to do the sub-Q hydration - but will she stand for that every three days? I practically have to call out the National Guard to give her a pill -

My heart and mind are not on the same page with this - I thought I was prepared, but apparently not.....

Finding her place in the sun...

These pictures of Sinda were taken a few weeks ago when sunny days were few and far between - so she decided to make the best of it.






















































































Oh that sun feels so good on the tummy.

More Random Thoughts....

It's cold out - probably as cold as it was two years ago when I took this picture from our front door. It's 36 degrees out, but gusty winds out of the north east (we're talking Arctic winds here - brrrrrr)

It's 'sposed to stay cold (low 30's & 40's for a week - but sunny - yay for sunny)







Here is another good book to read - Louise Erdlich "The Painted Drum" - The simple plot: The story of an Ojibwe drum- it's tales and travels, and how it makes its way back into the right hands.

The complex plot: how Native Americans were/are treated - sometimes hard to read - hard to justify how people could act that way towards others.

I haven't read any of her other books, but I understand that this is her 11th novel. It was well worth my time.

A co-worker has loaned me the CD's of "Three Cups of Tea" written by by David Oliver Relin (my co-worker's nephew!) about Greg Mortenson's program to promote peace in the world by building schools - starting in Afghanistan. I will listen to it while I spin.

I think I need to spend more time out taking pictures of the critters - this is the only picture I could find of H.B. and it's almost a year old.

The girls must all be settled because "The Boys" are getting restless - banging on things and on The Shepherd (bad Cooper!) - Anyone want a handsome HST ram? He needs a home so The Shepherd can transition the yearling's into the ram pasture. Rams - can't live with 'em, can't leave them by the side of the road...



Meanwhile, Sinda is MAD at me - she needed a worming pill and today was the day to do it.

For such a small cat, she can put all 8-9 lbs. behind NOT taking a pill.

I had her wrapped in a towel to try to keep her front claws from tearing us apart - could NOT get her mouth open - She is so very stubborn about taking pills - and the last time I checked worm shots cost about $40 - We tried one of those Pill holders - but my vet tech assistant (The Shepherd) was only able to get it into the side of her mouth where she would tuck it in and then spit it out! Finally, bruised (Sinda) and bloodied (The Shepherd and myself) 10 minutes later, I finally scooped out some Gerber baby food, chicken flavor - her favorite - and enticed her to open her mouth. I don't know - maybe that $40 would be worth it...

Finally, I've had 24,917 visitors to my blog over the past couple of years - I'm thinking maybe I should have a contest for the 25,000th visitor. I get between 15 & 30 visitors a day - but you're going to have to leave a comment so I can figure out who it is - may be two prizes - one who guesses the day & time and the one who is actually the 25,000th visitor. I'm thinking some nice artisan chocolates from Chocolate Necessities - our local gourmet chocolate company might do the trick - if I can't get people to comment on content, I'll bribe you with chocolate.

I hope you are having a good weekend, where ever you are.

Soon it will be time to "Fall Back"

Labor Day might be over, but the frost isn't on the pumpkins yet - It is supposed to get into the high 70's this weekend!

Our spinner guild meets this Saturday - we are going to be "Spinning on the Sidewalk" down town in front of NW Handspun Yarns (my favorite LYS) - should be fun - We'll see how my Ashford traditional wheel fits into the trunk of the new car.

Speaking of which (new car, that is), I have to come up with a name for the Fusion - The Shepherd was the one who came up with the Jelly Bean for the Festiva. Hmmm - any ideas?








The Shepherd found these pretty Black Eyed Susans last weekend at an "end of season" sale at one of the local plant nurseries.







He'd been looking for some "color spots" to put on the driveway - I think they look quite nice.

By the way, did I tell you that I volunteered to be the newsletter editor for our Spinner Guild? I'm kind of torn between "What was I thinking" and "This could be fun".

My friend Kathy says it's a "self-inflicted" wound... But you know what "they" say - if you want something done, ask a busy person. And of course, I started a blog for the group.

You can find it here and eventually I'll get around to putting it on my blogroll so you can check to see what we've been up to. We have such talented members, I thought it would be fun to take pictures during our show and tell times as well as documenting our events.




Back to the farm - The Shepherd found several different pots of cheery fall flowers that he planted out in the driveway - it looks very fallish/festive driving into our place now.

Sinda thinks so.

Got some catching up to do......

Ta Da - got the new camera to download to the computer. Not the easiest software to use, but, I guess I'll learn - you know that story about "old dogs and new tricks????

Meanwhile this shiny blue balloon heralds the arrival of Cooper - or as The Shepherd calls him "Hurricane Cooper" or HC for short.




The craziest thing is that The Shepherd went back to the pictures of the very first lambs we had born here - guess what they looked like???

Little black fuzzy guys with black & white spotted heads. Hmmm - the more things change, the more they stay the same.




And this two headed monster is Vern/Galloway - checking out the dirt on the other side of the fence. They are goofy little guys -








And here is Sinda posing in the sun for her latest portrait.

I made our reservations for our hotel room for Black Sheep tonight. Almost screwed up - I thought it was the LAST weekend in June - nope - it's the third weekend in June - Luckily I realized it before I made the reservations, etc. Now I have to remember to change my days off at work too. And start cleaning house so the house sitter won't think I'm such a slob...

Hair today, gone today

Sinda has heard that the vishus sheeps were getting their furs clipped today - she has come out to snoopervise.









Life as you know it is about to end H.B. - you will suddenly be a scrawney looking rascal.








Whoa, I was right!











Our friend Margot came with her son William and daughter Emily, who is our goddaughter.









Marsha Adams has been shearing our sheep for many years. This was her last shearing for us. She is retiring. We are sorry to have this happen. She has become a good friend.




Margot is trying out her new video camera while the kids looked on.

It was really sweet, when Marsha was shearing Moni, who is very pregnant, she stopped and asked the kids if they would like to feel Moni's belly. She thought the baby/babies had been kicking at the sound of her shears - but they apparently had stopped - just soft and warm tummy to be felt.




While The Shepherd was otherwise distracted, our friend Diane, who had also come to watch, snuck into the feed bin and offered H.B. a little handful of sheep kibble. He gladly accepted - she now has a friend for life.






















Marsha is showing off Violet's fleece. It is really beautiful and incredibly soft.

Eight fleeces - two of them are pre-sold. Pearl & Luna were just 6 month fleeces, so they were very small and will be combined with the rest of the white alpaca that we blended their fleeces with last fall. Taylor's fleece will be featured at the Spindrifter's Sheep to Shawl at the Skagit Highland Games in July and Moni's fleece was sold last fall at our spin-in.


Danny's fleece will be blended with an fawn colored alpaca cria fleece that he bought last fall from our vendor neighbor - they are very close in color and it should make for nice spinning.





Hope you enjoyed your little slice of a "day on the farm"

Looking Back Sunday

Taking a look back at pictures taken around the 14th of the months in 2007 -

The 14th of January found us in a snowy winter scene - the red rose hips are so cheery -

It doesn't look too much different from today - not so much snow though - we tied a record cold of 19 degrees last night (it is only 23 degrees right now) but with the wind chill (wind at 40 mph all night) it is down in the teens and single digits.

The boys are snug in their little barns - The Shepherd locked the girls in last night -more in an effort to not have the barn fill up with the icy bits of snow that were blowing around - they are not happy about it, but, oh, well - when you're a sheep, The Shepherd makes the rules.

This cheery bunch of tulips bloom in April - this bed is right by where I park my car, so I get to see their virtual bouquet every day for a couple of weeks.










Miss Sinda is missing having another kitty around, I think. She is pretty good for a 19 year old cat, but lately, she has taken to sleeping in the linen closet in the bathroom - it makes a pretty snug nest.













The middle of summer always finds all kind of greenery on our deck. The Shepherd finds interesting flowers to add, like these little mini yellow and orange trailing petunias -














We got last year's fleeces back from Gretchen's Wool Mill last week (pictures coming up) - The Shepherd wants a couple of sweater vests - I have a lot of spinning to do!


Hope you enjoyed this look back at 2007. If we don't blow away in all this cold wind, I'll be back in a couple of days.

Sleeping spots...

gri·mal·kin (gr-môlkn, -ml-)n. 1. A cat, especially an old female cat

Saw this word on a "Word a day" calendar many years ago - funny how some words stick with you. Sinda is definately a grimalkin. She has gotten a little ecentric in her later years (she was born in April 1990 at the home of a co-worker - the result of a tryst between their little lady cat and the good looking Siamese lad next door). Although she and Neelix didn't really see eye to eye - I think she misses having another feline around, and has been crying a lot lately. She doesn't want for food, or water, (sometimes for clean kittybox - oops) - but really likes to have constant company. I have to be careful, because she picks the most unusual places to sleep - recently it has been a spot on a counter in the dining room right in front of the telephone answering machine.


Last month she decided that she liked a spot in the very corner of our bedroom. I didn't always look there before I left and one day, I locked her in the bedroom for the WHOLE day while we were at work.

She showed her displeasure by doing something she has never done before - She peed on our bed - MY side of the bed, to be exact, and because it didn't look messed up, I didn't realize it until I went to bed at 12:30 a.m. - by that time The Shepherd had been asleep for three hours - Luckily she didn't pee gallons - just enough to dampen the sheets a little - so I ended up putting a thick bath towel over it - I'm not one much for sleeping on the couch - next morning all the bedding got stripped right down to the mattress and transported to the back of my car. Strangely enough, I had an "appointment" at about 3:00 that afternoon - and left work to go to the laundromat & wash all the sheets, blankets and matress pads off our KING size bed. Nonetheless to say, I check in that corner now before I leave the room in the morning.


She really liked this spot on top of some boxes in the dining room for a while - she could lie here and look out the window. She seems to have abandoned that spot, although I noticed her jump up there this afternoon. I'd much rather have her in this spot than on the dining room counter - but what can you do when that's where they want to sleep, and they are (just a little) spoiled.

She also seems to be a little bit of a seismograph - Wednesday night she talked and talked and talked and talked (remember she is part Meezer) and tried to get into closets - very strange behavior - but turns out that Thursday a.m. there was a 6.1 earthquake northwest of here off the north end of Vancouver Island. And by Thursday night, she was all calm, like nothing was wrong. Gonna have to keep a closer eye on her - maybe she'll let us know when "the big one" is on its way...

Christmas in July

A wonderous package arrived the other day from our friends Kathy & Ralph from Arizona - It was Christmas & Easter all together - a great little package of cards, little pink catnip socks and (their favorite) treats for the kitties, little chocolate sheepies,





a great community cookbook and the 7th season DVD's of America's Test Kitchen, some candles, some HOMEMADE blackberry jam, some very interesting cranberry relish, called Cranberry Fool,











and this beautiful Laurel Burch scarf. There was also a gorgeous pottery mug for The Shepherd, but he hadn't opened his present yet when I took these pictures, so I didn't get a pic of it.








Somebody took immediate posession of the little pink socks and will not share with her brother!

Thank you Kathy, you brightened an otherwise frustrating week.