A thank you note from Salem

Salem and I were so touched that so many of you wished him to get well that he grabbed a pencil and pad and wanted to write a thank you note to you all. He is still having a few problems, however, the vet said it will take awhile for him to fully recover. As you can see from his bright eyes,(click on the picture for the full expression in his face) he is feeling much better and is happy to be home where he is getting lots of love and spoiling. So thank you all for your sweet words. Blessings, Salem and Kathleen

Happy Halloween!

He's HOME!!!

The vet called this morning to tell me that Salem was doing well and could go home. I could barely wait to get to the clinic! As soon as we got home, he jumped onto the bed as if to say"I'm back!"

I patted the bed and he rolled over on his back and stretched his paws out to me. What a happy reunion we have had. Money can never buy love like this. Thank you all for your sweet comments and prayers. It always means so much to hear from you all!

A long, slow road to recovery

The vet called me last Friday to tell me that Salem was not doing well at all. I went to see him, and my heart just sank to see how very ill he was. He was in so much pain and so very sick, that I told the vet I did not want him to suffer any longer and to go ahead and put him down. However, the vet told me to give her one more day with him, to try something different, and if that did not work, she would put him down on Saturday. I got home late Friday afternoon, and was surprised for the vet to call and tell me that while she was working on Salem, she discovered a large clot in his urinary tract. They were able to somehow flush it out, place a catheter in him and the catheter was flowing well. So I had high hopes of bringing him home this Monday. However, here it is, late Tuesday and they are still keeping him. Hopefully, I will be able to bring him home tomorrow as the vet just called to say, he was using the bathroom on his own and he was eating and acting happy. I don't want to even discuss how much$$$$ it has cost, but hopefully, I will have him back. If I do get to bring him home, I have to watch him carefully over the next two weeks to make sure he doesn't have a setback. Thank you all so much for asking about him. Hopefully,tomorrow, I will have a picture of him, here at home with me!{:

I am Sophie and I've been tagged by Smokey at The Fraker Farm

First of all, an update on Salem. The vet called this morning and they are keeping him one more day to make sure he keeps doing well. If so, I will be able to bring him home tomorrow. I miss him so much! Thank you for all of your prayers.

So here goes..... I am Sophie

I'm city born, but country raised,

where blessings are counted,

and God is Praised.

I take long walks to where the meadow ends,

and I share this life

With many friends.
I play ball,

and catch the frisbee too,

I love smelling flowers,

and some....... I chew.

Kathleen says I'm "top dog"and her best friend,

We sit out together and watch the day end.

And as night closes around us, the coyotes sing,

We await the new blessings,

the next morning will bring.

love ya Smokey! licks and smacks, Sophie

Please Pray for Salem

This is Salem. I was going to make him my "poster cat" for my Halloween post, but decided to do it this week instead, because he has come down very, very, sick. I am anxiously awaiting for the veterinarian to call me. I took him to the clinic yesterday, they kept him overnight. The vet called me yesterday afternoon to say that he was doing better,but they still have not figured out what is wrong with him. One day he was a lively ball of fur pouncing everywhere, Monday, he was not able to go to the bathroom and was sick to his stomach and would not eat his supper. As I held him, he meowed as if he were in pain. ..... so here is Salem's very short life story. About a year and a half ago, my family and I were driving in town and saw that all too familiar sign that makes husbands say to themselves"oh no" and wives and children say, "oh,look!" "Free Kittens". Honestly, Sweetie, has become a cat liker(not lover) in his own sense, and knew he just might as well pull the car over for us to go take a look. My daughter picked out Noah, the little cat I have just lost to coyotes and have posted about recently. I see two big golden eyes and one small ball of solid black fluff and Salem is carried out also in my arms. We have been pals since. When I sit in my chair to stitch, Salem is lying right beside me, sometimes testing and approving the floss I am working with. When I am designing a project at the table, Salem is lying in the chair next to me. When I sleep at night, Salem sleeps right at my feet, only after being petted and rubbed for the night. Last night was a lonely night for me without him. So please pray for him to get well. I so appreciate it. I will let you know how he is in a later post.

Having fun with pumpkins

While shopping, my eye caught the cover of Southern Living's October issue. What pretty pumpkin ideas. If you don't get the magazine, you can still make get Southern Living's instructions and templates on line by going to this link. www.southernliving.com. Then click on where it says Pumpkin Carving Primer, then click on templates. You can then print off the templates and on page 3 it tells you easy instructions and how to preserve your cut pumpkin. For those of you who want a more Halloween type design, this link is wonderful. http://www.ehow.com/halloween/templates.html#CarvingPatterns

As soon as I got home, I ran out to the pumpkin patch, and found this smaller lopsided pumpkin that looked just right to me .
I printed off the template I liked, and followed the instructions, ....and I was delighted!

I just love it! It was so much fun to do. Hope you all find one you like.

If you decide to do one, please post it. I would love to see it! Have fun!

Living the Country Life

I awake to the crow of the rooster, I smile, I am living the country life.
I go out and look up at the sky and offer my praise to God that I am living the country life.

I look out across the fields that stretch for miles and miles, I am thankful I am living the country life.

I gather my bounty of the things I am free to grow because I live the country life.

I share this country life with some of nature's sweetest gifts. The many wild birds that come, raise their families and leave.....soon to return to this country life next year.

I am living the country life, where my only neighbor is my shadow.....

And a few sweet fury creatures.....

and a few muddy, noisy creatures.

I am blessed, I am grateful, and I smile because I am living the country life.

Wild pumpkin?

That's right! A wild pumpkin vine has been growing in my woods, just beyond my pumpkin patch. I had blogged about this on my embroidery blog, http://yesteryearembroideries.blogspot.com about a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, a bird must have carried a seed over that way and dropped it right at the base of an old, large mesquite tree. It is very weedy and hard to get right up into the vine, and at this time of year, I am weary of rattlesnakes. So I have admired the vine from a short distance.
A couple of days ago, Sweetie, Sophie and I went on an afternoon walk. I decided to be brave enough to go into the growth and just see if there were any pumpkins. Armed with a big stick, I managed to get through the prickly weeds......and lying right in the middle of the vine was this beautiful large pumpkin! I yelled out with joy, making Sweetie and Sophie to think I had come across a snake. {: It was so heavy that Sweetie carried it home for me. I am giving this one away, with some of my gourds, to my friend who lives in town. I have other pumpkins to decorate with, but this one needs a home with someone who wants to decorate as much as I. What a wonderful surprise to have at the end of my walk! There are a few more pumpkins on that vine, that might make it through the cold nights we are having. The weekend is upon me again, so I will get back with you all next week. Thank you for your comments and all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Pumpkin and gourd time!!!

I could not resist and picked one of my pumpkins to decorate my porch with. Isn't it pretty...? I have about 8 pumpkins, so there is really not enough to sit by the road and sell. I have some friends who will be coming out to pick one and I want to decorate some more. So maybe next spring, I will plant more plants
along with the gourds like these that have done so well for me. If I have a good turnout, and I build my courage up,maybe next fall I will be the pumpkin lady by the road. {: Don't you all just love fall time?

Elmo, One more kitty, a lot more tears

I have reached a time in my life, where along with my children growing up and leaving the nest, the childhood pets that have grown with them have reached an age of illness and death. I gave Elmo up this morning to the merciful death needle of the veterinarian. She had been with us for 11 years and was the faithful companion of my daughter, who has flown so many miles away from home. Elmo entered our life when she was a tiny 8 week old and my daughter was a tiny 8 year old. Some friends of ours saw this tiny cat being tossed out of the moving car in front of them, giving the cat a damage hip. They met us at the local park, bringing this tiny, furry, baby with them. My daughter claimed her instantly and named her Elmo. Elmo spent her days and nights sleeping at the side of my daughter. She never cared to explore the woods, but preferred to stay close to home. When my daughter moved away, Elmo moved herself out to the apartment shed where I had stored my daughter's things. I had noticed the change in Elmo's interest in food, and thought it was due to getting older and the weather changing. Then I noticed her drooling extremely bad. She got to where she could not drink or eat properly. I thought it might be a broken tooth. I opened her mouth to have a look, and that's when I saw a large growth inside of her mouth. Taking her to the vet, made what I feared to be true. Cancer. The vet gave me several options, take her home with antibiotics to see if it goes down, 3 more days of starving and not much water, expensive tests for what we already pretty much know, and the risk of cutting it out, with so many veins, and again, not being able to eat or drink well until it heals. When it comes to these things, I take the coward's way out. I think it hurts me most because Elmo was something of my daughter that was still here at home. This weekend, when my daughter calls, I will have to tell her what has happened. She is much better at accepting things like this than I am. I always get too attached. Our cat family is dwindling down, and there are older cats still here. I know too soon, I unfortunately will be writing about them. A lot of people will say, "it's only a cat", but to me they are companions, comics, and heart melters. Little old ladies and gentlemen in fur coats. Goodbye, my sweet little old lady. I will miss you.