Weekend Photos

Lac Qui Parle State Park

Grandson

Retired Racing Greyhounds: Ruby, Scooter and Renner (in front).

Gophers were plentiful.

Old Clock in Olivia

Blew

I have just lost my Blew Boy to Lymphoma this morning.

God speed my sweet Momma’s Boy, I will carry you forever in my heart. I miss you, I love you.

Vinni Kitty and Blew Bear

Vinni and Blew

Been tough going in the pet department over the last few weeks. First losing Monty two weeks ago today, then when Monty died his buddy Vinni shut down. I have spent the last couple of weeks nursing Vinni and I am very happy to say his is well into a comeback. Eating on his own now, bodily excretions retuning to normal and his strength is returning.

That being said I have another old sweetie, Blew. He is one of my retired racing greyhounds sharing ‘his’ home with me. He has been having problems off and on for the last year at least. Wednesday night he suddenly came up lame. His back left foot causing the trouble all swollen, he could hardly walk on it. I am a veteran greyhound owner, having had nearly 20 of them in the years gone by and generally speaking a greyhound with a leg gone bad is always very scary. I have been caring for him, soaking his foot and so on. He is having Deramaxx once a day and the swelling in his foot is not going down, though he is using it a little more. So this morning we go into the vet to have a look at the problem. My fingers are crossed we can remedy it simply.

True Colors Thursday – Ivory

The color for this True Color Thursday is Ivory.

Our Retired Racer Beebe….Ivory

Cosy snuggles with her favorite Ivory colored blanket.

An Ivory Greyhound Statue

An Ivory colored straw hat

A clown face with an Ivory background and Ivory collar.

A little Ivory statue.

ABC Wednesday - ‘U’

This Week’s ABC Wednesday is ‘U’

Upside-down!

Greyhound Renner in his favorite position.

Grandson in one of his favorite positions.

Ugh! Icky Poopie….Hiking with Greyhounds has its drawbacks.

Crow Wing State Park, Minnesota

Up.

Crow Wing State Park, MN

Urchin: a mischievous and often poor and raggedly clothed youngster.

Minnesota RenFest, 2008

Sea Urchin: any of numerous echinoderms that are usually enclosed in thin brittle globular tests covered with movable spines.

Feed Me!

Just an update on Vinni. He is improving a little. Eyes are still bright, appetite is retuning. He is eating more and I still put a little 'extra' on his tongue when he is done, which he doesn't seem to mind. I was going to call and take him into the vet on Monday (yesterday) but he had started eating again on his own and drinking plenty of water. The vet experience stresses him out so badly that I decided to put it off for a few days (he is purring loudly as he sits next to me right now) to see if his upswing continues. Most likely he will still be going in this week, but if he is on an upward roll I don't want to mess with it! Huge thank yous to his supporters. I know he can feel the love and it is helping.

Vinni Speaks

He seems a little better this morning. Though I am pretty familiar with the rollercoaster ride the health of a senior pet can take you on, I am hopeful. I gave him another sponge bath last night and was a little feistier about it. As I was standing out with the dogs this morning, I heard a “meow” from the other side of the door. I had to take a minute...'was that a meow?'. I came in and Vinni was nowhere to be found. I let the dogs in and looked everywhere on the main floor – no Vinni. I thought well maybe it wasn’t a ‘meow’, but Vinni has a pretty distinctive ‘meow’ being a Siamese. I went downstairs then and found him having some water. He hasn’t been doing that on his own.

Back upstairs now, I’m tending to business, suddenly a couple “rrrowws” behind me and here is Vinni! I make him up a little chicken broth with sugar and a little dish of yogurt. Nothing would have made me happier than to see him walk up and start lapping at them. So thrilled with him just using the stairs on on his own and drinking water AND even giving me his opinion. Haven’t heard his thoughts for over a week now. However, he did not eat, but he did jump on the couch to lay next to me, took two tries and I was set to catch him if he missed the second time, he made it on his own. He is very happily curled up next to me right now. I do believe he seems a tad better. I will be calling the vet tomorrow, as they are closed on Sundays, to see about bringing him in. I know it will stress him out terribly but this has been going on over a week now and maybe the vet will see something we can work on to help him feel better.

Keeping Vinni – Vinni

Vinni Snoozing

Since Monty passed away a little over a week ago Vinni, my other 20 year old cat, has been trying to starve himself to death. Monty and Vinni were very close, being the same age, and both Vinni and I miss Monty greatly.

The things you do to keep a loved pet going are pretty much like grabbing at straws. Dietary restrictions go out the window as he now pretty much is having anything he will eat. So long expensive organic kitty foods. I am trying to keep it healthy as I can, but face it, food can be the healthiest and still do no good if not ingested.

He seems to like egg yokes, whipped cream and vanilla yogurt right now. My oldest daughter said it sounded pretty good to her if I would only throw in some strawberries she’d join him for dinner. Of course Vinni is not into strawberries, so my daughter is out of luck there. I realize these three things are not good for cats in large amounts and I do worry about that, but at this point just getting him to consume some calories are something even my vet stresses.

You now walk into my foyer to find a smorgasbord of items in little glass dishes for him to select from. All laid out side by side next to the water dish. If I seem him moving about some I lay them down, take some and put it in his mouth….see if I can tempt him. When the smorgasbord doesn’t tempt him I bring his food to him where ever he maybe. Sometimes that works, other times it does not. I have to watch him eat because he is no longer cleaning himself so I wipe his face for him, (okay he is not thrilled with that part). I give him baths with a dry cleaning shampoo so as not to threaten him with water.

Vinni Tucked In With Greyhound Tyler

Just hoping he can be turned around, of course he has to want it for himself.

True Colors Thursday - Purple

This Thursday’s True Colors is Purple.

The infamous Purple play sand.

Container says it is ‘fun’, not so fun to clean up.

Purple wild flowers at Isanti State Park, Minnesota.

The Purple wildflower below is from Buffalo River State Park in Minnesota and is Wild bergamot, also known as Beebalm. Perennial plant 2 to 4 feet tall with tubular pinkish or lavender flowers arranged in dense, globe-shaped heads at tops of stems. Blooms July-August. Leaves opposite, to 5 inches long, toothed, lance-shaped. All plant parts have a minty fragrance. Dry prairie, thickets, old fields; often forms colonies. Leaves and roots used medicinally by American Indians.

A Purple squid? to ride on a merry-go-round at Sea World in Florida.

Wait a minute….it’s more Purple wildflowers!

These are from William O’Brian State Park in Minnesota.

And here is our Greyhound Blew checking out the Purple wildflowers.

ABC Wednesday ‘T’

This ABC Wednesday is focused on the letter ‘T’.

Toes!!!

Dressed up Toes.

Greyhound Toes and barefoot Toes.

Causally Dressed Toes.

Tiny Toes.

Kitty Toes.

A Greyhound Tongue lapping up water.

Tigger?

TIGGER!!!

This beautiful Crabapple Tree is in front of our house in all of its Spring splendor.

Wild Turkeys love to hang out in our yard.

I have a very nice Tub in my Turquoise bathroom. White Tulips sit beside it.

And This Towel holder, holds Tan Towels of course. They have Trees on Them.

Renner here is a white Greyhound with brindle Ticking. He is on a rug that lays on my Tile floor.