Caseys Bloodwork

This just in...

 

Caseys Lipase counts are at 2000+.
(Normal is around 300 for chronic pancreatitis patients).

 

Pray.

 

Amylase counts are elevated to twice normal values.

 

http://www.medicinenet.com/pancreatitis/article.htm

 

 

The "F" Word...

The "F" Word

image stolen from here

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G-g-g-g-Good M-m-m-m-Morning!

That "F" word applies as "freezing"...

As I look outdoors, I see such beautiful sunlight relecting off my fields of white; making everything seem so very beautiful.
Unfortunately, looks are deceiving, and that statement is the Alpha and the Omega in Flintville today.

I awoke to 3 below zero...
(And we must be having a veritable heat wave as it is now 5 above)!!!
Ooooh, lucky us! And still another "F" word too...

Casey is still asleep, and after having had such a terrible day yesterday I will not be waking her.
We still have not heard back on her lipase counts, but know if they come back elevated (or doubled, as was the case yesterday with her amylase count), she will be admitted to the hospital.

Yesterday morning started out with more than panic after Roberta said she would be here by 7... And not getting here until after 7:30. I knew the roads were pretty slick from the lake effect snow we had gotten. And I also know she does not have a cell phone. (A long half an hour for me).
But all was well for those moments. She dropped off Gabriel, (and some meatloaf she had made), and was off to her job. Slowly but surely.

A little while later to have Casey come down. A bit of a headache, and didn't want any breakfast.

I was doing my dishes when all of a sudden she was once more in terrible pain.
WTF????????
A quick call to her doctor, and he wanted to see her immediately. Along with orders to take some of her dilaudid (sp) as soon as possible.

Start the car to warm it up.

Re~dress, and pack up my funny little cute man.

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Peek~a~Boo Gabie~Baby!

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And we were off...

...Within minutes of getting to the clinic, she was all hooked up to the IV, (the first attempt not so good in her right "too oft abused" veins). And to quickly have received some phenergan (sp) for her nausea too.

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And looking a far cry better than earlier when she was at home
curled up on the bathroom floor
almost blue from barely breathing
and in absolute agony...

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Gabriel, (being much like his Mama when the needles come out), decided that while Auntie Casey was getting her IV was a very good time to fall asleep (pass out ?), in my arms.

After he began to snore, I settled him down in the corner of the room; to nap on all of the jackets we had thrown there.

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Happy that I had brought his blanket in too!
And that he had brought his orb.

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Casey has been asleep for the most part since we got back home in the afternoon. Up for a few hours on and off last night, and wishing that sleep would come. (Thank God it finally has)...

I promise to keep you all updated as soon as I know more. But maybe to ask for a few more prayers should you think of it?

Each pancreatitis attack she has destroys a little bit more of her pancreas...
Pray that this ends for her before a transplant is needed.

In the meantime, please also check out my blogs about Organ Donation.

Please feel free to copy all of those links and to send them to all of your family and friends.

The very best Christmas gift ANYONE could EVER receive would be the gift of life.

>CLICK HERE< for those two earlier blogs. Please.

For right now though I am so cold and I just want to find something warm to drink.
(No, not Caseys very special eggnog)! hehehe

Have a great Thursday. Keep those prayers and thoughts coming in!

And please also DO make sure you let your family and friends and doctors KNOW your wishes regarding organ donation should an untimely worst happen to you.
I thank you for that.

Love to all!

XOXO
Anne

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Originally posted on 360 Thursday December 6, 2007 - 11:04am

December 4th~ Part Two

~December 4th~ Part Two...

Daddy shaving
He used that straight edge 'til the day he died.

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...continued from prior blog.

(Please >CLICK HERE< if you haven't read part one).

*Once again, please bear with me, as I copy from my journals; and remember.

Written December 17th, 1984...

...I felt his presense...

Mom returned to me the gift I have given to him on his 71st birthday. A silly little red quartz timepiece that he had carried around in his pocket.
"A memento," she said.
I took it, and cried. The idea alone.

Mom with such pain and great loss; and I of virtually no use to be able to comfort her.
I was SO tired.
I only wanted sleep to come.
So drained of everything.

Mr. Pfotenhauer called at 11:45, and was everyone alright, and when could we talk?
And I wanted him just to hang up, but he was kind.
So to have him call back in the morning.

For me to lie down again.

My Aunt Alice called for Mom.
Mom in such shock, still acting and talking so well; (but only because of that shock).
Something guiding her to talk, and to act, and to speak, and to eat...
And sleep came slowly for me.

I lay upon the opened sofa.
It was the last place Dad had been before the Rescue Squad came early that morning.
Mama had opened it to comfort him.

A sound sleep for me, but I remember it being a haunting one too.

I awoke at 5:15 and fixed the fire, filling it with wood.
Mary called from the airport in Wausau, and was on her way back.

I began telephoning friends and family at 7:00.
It took every ounce of strength and courage (and then some).
Slowly, I got through it.
An unenviable task for me.
That awful repetition of hearing myself say this over and over and over again,
~ what I had to say.

Kay came out. (My Godmother).
Aunt Florence.
And later, my sister Mary.

I left then to pick up my girls.

With driving into town alone, came my first (and only) question of my own Faith.

It faltered, only for a moment, as I asked...
Angry too...
"What if there is no Heaven???"
"Then where is he now???"

And I remember how horrified, and scared, I felt with those thoughts.
I switched on the radio, hearing the song, "I'll Go to My Grave Loving You"...

And the tears came all over again.

...I remembered hearing Sinatras' "My Way" at St Marys Hospital the day before...
How hearing that somehow made me feel proud.
...He was yet in surgery, but somehow I knew then how that day would end...

And so, over to Laurie and Jims, and to tell my children.
My babies gathered around me, (bright-eyed, and unsuspecting as children often are).
And I told them.
Quietly.
"Grandpa died last night."

Bobbe (at 4 and a half), immediately put her arms around my neck, and spoke.
"I know Mom. He told me. But now he is watching us all the time."
And I had to admit to myself once again that he had so peacefully prepared, not only himself, but also his youngest "Pooperina" for his death.
I was stunned by her words at the time, but I can understand and accept his acceptance of his own death...

I stopped at Barbs after that for a moment.
Then on to Blazeis for Mom; then back to the farm.

All was well when Mr. Pfotenhauer came to make plans to write the obituary.
We went to the funeral home for that.

It was surreal...
My fathers name.
A short life story.
A brief outline of his history.
And ours too.

This was Wednesday.
I went home in the evening, for Mary and Aunt Florence were with Mom.

Dennis came over; and it was good to be held just close.
And quiet.
And compassionate.
...quite unexpectedly.

I knew Lisa had called him.
(He didn't have to come, and yet, he did).

Thursday morning, I had to be brave...
...alone again.
But it was OK.

Out to Moms then to prepare for the wake.
By 3:00, we were at the Funeral Home.

No funeral prior to this...
No coffins or caskets anywhere could have prepared me.
To see him lying there.

And it really hit home with me.
And also for my girls...

The first time, for them
and coming to see Death.

Grandpa 'sleeping' over a satin bed.
Satin pillows.
Ruffles.
Roses.
And so still.

Their eyes held fear...
...and many questions.

And with the courage and strength and wisdom that grandmothers possess, Mom took them one by one...
Zoe.
Then Jennifer.
Then Roberta.
To pray.
To see.
To touch.
And to understand each what God allowed them to understand.

They saw him sleeping at first.
And they spoke to him.
No response came...
They touched.
He remained still.
And when they touched and felt his skin, it was hard, and it was so very cold...

For this, they cried; for they didn't understand.
(Only time will teach them that he is gone forever)...

Me, waiting in the wings then for each little girl.

The wake was one expression of grief, followed by repeating almost the same words, over and over again.

The St Francis of Assisi prayer came to my head, in parts...
"Lord grant that I may not seek to be consoled as much as to console."

"And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life"...

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Never had I so fully realized the extent of peoples lives that my fathers life, and heart, had touched.

So many, many people came.
I could not grasp the extent to open both chapels that evening just to accomodate...

And then, it was over.

The next morning was a mess of emotion, and things to be done.

A short prayer service at the funeral home, followed by the last time I would ever lay eyes on my fathers body.

All the other people (save for his pallbearers), having been instructed to leave the building, and to wait in their cars while our family paid our last respects...

It was the hardest part of the whole thing...
Mary barely able to look at him, let alone touch him.
Mom only wanting to hold him and to never have to let him go.
...Never mind the cold and lifeless state of his body.

This was her husband.
The one and only love of her life.
She only wanted him back so badly.

The tears.
The grief.
And the overwhelming love in my own heart.
I slipped a picture of my 3 little girls into his breast pocket...
~for him to have and hold for all time.

And for a moment or two I literally lost my (good) 'hold' on my emotions...

A frightening scary sense of being all alone.
And lost.
And hurt.

The "rock" upon which I had built my life, my attitudes,
(and even that damned irrefutable sense of pride and determination)...
He was always standing behind me; and to lose that, or any part of it, confused and confounded me.
(As still it does)...

How peaceful he looked.
His rosary.
His suit.
How good he looked.
So ... 'asleep.'

But he was there.
The presense I'd felt by the coffin the night before, was overpowering then.
He was all around us.

And that, that final goodbye, was the very hardest of all...
The culmination.
One last desperate hope.
A word.
A prayer.
And so very many torn feelings.

His presense, once again, SO overpowering.
So stunning.
And so real.

And the casket was closed.
Sealed away from our sight.

From the funeral home; an endless drive out to the church.
Dad was first.
Mary, Paul, and Mom were second.
Then me, with all the grandbabies.

I can remember looking in my mirrors and all I could see were the processional headlights...

Arriving at the church; the lot there was full too-
(I was once more filled with a sense of awe).
So many, many cars.
The procession itself so very long, but so many already at the church...

A church bell ringing so closely.
A moving, sad tolling.
And in waiting for all to enter the church, it tolled 168 times.
I have no recollection of why I'd counted.
Perhaps because there were no other sounds.
A cold and yet a crisp, and sad, ringing of the bell.

But it rang FOR him.

And on then as his service was to begin.

A stunned silence from the overflowing church.

And the organ began to play...

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to be continued...

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~December 4th~ Part One...

~December 4th~ Part One...

My Dad, (and my "Heidi~Dog"), in the back forty...

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*Please bear with me, as I copy from my own journals; and remember-

Written December 17th, 1984...

"It's been a while- A long, long while.
And I have chosen NOT to write because I cannot trust in my emotions-

This entry to be a collective one, as best as I can remember the events of the last two weeks

My father died on the 4th...
...and I want to recall every possible detail- from that day forward.
This entry promises to be one of my longer ones...

...And I haven't even written that Dad got his deer this year.
A doe, 163 pounds, GUTTED.
And he was SO proud of this huge deer!

So began the events leading to his death. For it was in moving the deer to get it cut that he threw his back out, (or so he/we believed it to be his back).

But then, as we have come to learn, somehow HE knew-
And so he prepared to die-
In so very many ways- (and more that I am sure that we have not come upon even yet)...

For a week he had bad pain in his back...

On that Sunday- A beautiful warmish day after the first collective, snowfall, we'd watched the Packer Game together- As always we had done. We didn't miss a single one. (Oh how he hated Lynn Dickey)!
But we sure had fun.

At halftime I built an enormous snowman...
Dad went to the kitchen to make us dinner. Venison steak. But he had to hurry because I needed to leave. (We were supposed to get an additional 7" of snow, and I didn't want to be in the middle of it all).
That was the very best venison I have ever had; and I am not just saying that because he is gone now. I told him so even while we ate.

Monday was a normal day.
Mom called at night. I was tired; and we didn't really talk too long.
I'd cut out patterns for Rita and Sara; (bibs and teddy bears for them both this year)...

Tuesday morning I was getting dressed when Mom called; she was at Saint Marys Hospital with Dad.
Dad had gotten up at 5:30, fixed the wood furnace in the basement, and had gone back to bed.
At 7:15, they both got up.

He fell to the floor downstairs -
And couldn't get back up. Slowly, she helped him.
With moments of intense stomach pain and trying to get him comfortable on the sofabed - (a bit of coffee)- and he threw up.
More pain.
Mom called the Rescue Squad. They were there within ten minutes- to St. Mary's then.
She called me... Zoe and Jenne were both already at school.
I then called Lisa who came and got Bobbe in seconds. (Bobbe was still in the tub, playing).
I called Mary.

When I got to the hospital, Mom was with the priest-

The ER doctor came in, and told us Daddy was going to die.

His heart had stopped for a few moments en route to the hospital. They did everything they could have known, and got it going again.

His abdominal aorta which had ruptured (aneurism)-
They had to operate to save (prolong) his life.
Due to his 'shock' they had to wait for his blood pressure to come back up.
Slowly.

And that damned waiting game began.

Dr. Bishop was called in, (a vascular surgeon), as they prepared an operating room.

Mom and I were allowed to see him.
Pale.
In obvious pain.
Leather warming pants.
A manual respirator.
An IV or two; I can't recall.

I saw pain.
I saw death...
...And I held his hand.
Mom spoke, "We're here Lawrence, and I love you"...
... He nodded and tried to smile even through the respirator.

I told him "I love you too, Dad."
" Mary and Paul are on their way"
...And I told him he was "going to be alright"...
He squeezed my hand - and it meant/MEANS so much - an acknowledgement.

Together; with Mom's nod and smile he still knew and understood...

And they took him to surgery.
Mom and I went to the chapel... A silent prayer to two, then up to the waiting room.
9:30am.
I called Aunt Florence. She came.
I called Anita. She came.
Jim Kurowski came; having heard the initial squad call on his CB. Friends Mike Kobielak, Kurt Kobielak, Koreen Kobielak. Father Dave. Mary and Paul. All there.

News of progress (1-ish).
...Graft was in place.
By 3:30pm he had received 29 units of blood, and was (miraculously) still alive-

Every emotion in the world, every possible feeling, every conceivable sense, was felt that day.
Love.
Anger.
Hurt.
Hate.
Surprise.
Rejection.
Denial.
Deception.
Pain.
Happiness.
Turmoil.
Pride.
Fear.
Hope.
And so on down the list- and in every conceivable mixture of emotions.

Yet for the larger part of the day I felt numb- an overwhelming of conflicting emotions.
The day was so long.
Yet everyone stayed.
Aunt Lu came. Joanne, Linda, Joyce.
Patti Ryan.

He was out of surgery.
Dr. Bishop came in 5:30ish and said he had no explanation how Dad survived- but he did...
(That's my PA)
And then to take him up to ICU.

The surgery had taken its toll.

The death that had begun so long ago, no longer able to be denied.
Still, I faced him with disbelief.

Cold.
Hooked up to Life Support.
IVs in every possible vein.
Respirator-
And unconscious.

His kidneys had failed.
(Having died in the ambulance that morning, he'd had no output since they had catheterized him prior to surgery).
His color was wrong somehow.
He looked uncomfortable.

Still.
Disbelief.
And I left the hospital-
Home.
More disbelief.
Patti drove me.
And back to the hospital to see him again.

Puffed.
Bloated
White.
Colder.
More disbelief.
Nausea.

And Mom clinging to her undying, unfaltering Faith.
Hope.
A promise or two of tomorrow.
...Of the Christmas we had planned for.
Paul, so torn.
So hurt.
So crumbled and disheveled

By 7:30pm, Dad had received 37 units of blood.
They'd run out of A+ (which I have and no one told me); and had switched to the universal Type O.
Blood pressure still nowhere (40/0 and not getting better).

At 8:00pm, we were summoned in to pay our last respects...

Mom, Myself, Mary, Patti and Linda (his two Godchildren).
We were helpless- hopeless- all of it abandoned...
... to watch powerless
as he died.

His monitored heart rate slowly stopping.
From the mid 70's, and then lowering slowly each moment...

I thanked the Lord for giving me the ability to speak, "Dad, we're all here now"

(heartrate to 8),

"Dad, and we all love you so much"

With that he died.
Heartrate 0...

...I was holding on to Mom who was near to collapse as we watched that awful monitor. (As I was being held up by something- not someone).
...That I'd found my voice to speak aloud was nothing short of a miracle.

Mom went to him and touched him "Oh Lawrence." ... "Oh, I love you."

And with those words came that one last significant gigantic heart beat.

Heart rate: 127.

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Heart rate: 0.

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Intense disbelief.

And over and over again in my head- echoing- echoing- over and over. 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil for Thou art with me'
And it went over, and over, and over, in my head.
But no one spoke.
No one.
Silence.
Death.
Disbelief.
Horror.
Belief.-
'Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me'.

No one spoke.
Just that awful silence- and those echoes in my head with this horrible truth settling in.

With this overpowering closeness and still of death I ran from the room. I was stopped at the elevators; led back by a schoolmate who had been working, heard the news, and had been waiting too.

Laurie was there, and held me when I couldn't stand; for in sitting there was no comfort either.
To my side, I saw Paul absorbing the whole thing; alone.
And I couldn't go to him either, for it would have been to be sharing my own pain- (And it was all too personal then).

Dad was gone?
...The only mans love for me that I have never had to question.
...The only man whoever loved ME, without question.
(Such were my thoughts of that moment).

I was taken back to a large room then, filled with so many caring and loving people...
(For some reason I didn't really want them there, but they were needed there too).

Shock.
Agony.
Pain.
And each one SO intense.

A nurse brought me a cold rag that cleared my head for those few seconds.

Phone calls I made, in a dazed state.

And slowly, people were leaving... us.

Mom and I went in for a last good-bye. So darkened in that room, which only moments before had been a frenzy of nurses, and hospital staff, and machines, and people, and raw emotion.
Now so darkened.
So cold.
So empty.

A silent prayer from me.

And yet, my mother still spoke to him.

My recollection after this point less clear in my mind, but I remember Mom wanting to stay with him, and the nurse telling her "no."
(Mom had only wanted to stay until the funeral director came). Harold Pfotenhauer.
But so we left. (And I know I drove her home).

Catatonic.
Almost comatose.
We spoke little; each in our own private pain, with memories.
And yet, each feeling more pain for the other.

I recall how it struck me that I didn't know how to deal with Mama.

And driving in the yard, Kurt Kobielak followed us in.
I told him Pa had died. Having left the hospital earlier he didn't yet know.
He hurt, but came in, (and rebuilt that damned fire in the basement that had gone out sometime during the day).

A significant point, that.
...It too, dying slowly.
The same fire Pa had made that morning, strangely dying along with him.

And Heidi-dog "knew". With real tears in her own eyes, showing us human sorrow. I felt for her then too.

Mom picking up Pa's clothes that had been laying around.

And I felt his presense."

to be continued...

CLICK HERE

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Catching Up!

Catching Up!

My "Weeds" ~in Wintertime~
hehehe

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Good Morning All!

I am late once again; having (finally) begun my Christmas cards very early this morning.

I have so much 'catching up' to do, not only with this Christmas preparedness, but online too.

First of all to let you know that, for the most part, we are shoveled/plowed out. Sam (my little Miss Valeries' daddy), got here around 3:45 with the plow and only got a bit stuck once! hehehe
But it is safe to be going out and coming back in the yard anyway... He even plowed out the mailbox; (the mailman is such a wuss if there is snow anywhere there)...

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Every time Casey tried to make a snow angel, the dogs went and messed it up.
hehehe
Here she is giving them a stern talking-to about staying put.
(It didn't work)...

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Milly had to go to her kennel, and Punk indoors before it was "safe" to make another angel. Casey will have to blog about her snow angel!

But before that, Miss Millys kennel needed to be shoveled out...

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I have never seen this much snow in there; and all the way in.

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Miss Milly has a roof on her kennel, and it is enclosed on 2 sides.
There was snow on the sheltered side of the roof of her house!!!

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Milly watched from a distance, and Punk watched close enough for a picture.

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Wishing she had opposing thumbs to help me shovel I'm sure...

(How CAN that possibly be warm enough to lay on anyway)???

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Milly decided that she didn't want to be back in her kennel and promptly took off for the woods. (Punk impatiently watched her go).
But she came back soon enough...
Too much excitement in the yard I guess; (if you're a dog anyway)!

Casey shoveled and shoveled- It was SO heavy. She dug out in front of the garage for me... All that is hard work, and now we are wondering if anyone is hungry?

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Unlike you Folks in Texas that can actually locate your grills year round,
I was having a problem finding mine!
hehehe

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But all is not "Snow~News" either.

My niece, my RubyBlue, had her baby boy last Wednesday morning! He is absolutely most gorgeous. Babies never cease to amaze me that something so very tiny is so very alive and already has personality plus! How precious is that!!!

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Please CLICK HERE to congratulate her! Her hubby, Peter, is still in India, but had sent a package to arrive exactly on time for Tanya and the baby!

Master Harman arrived exactly to the day of their first wedding anniversary!
Perfect!

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CaseyAnne and I went to the hospital to meet Tanyas new son. And I even got to hold him!

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He is not even half a day old yet!

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Sadly, I had to hand him back too...

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hehehe

Well, soon as he started fussing!

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Just kidding!!! He wasn't fussy one little bit; but the nurse insisted he was hungry.
Darned nurses...
My own motto is such that if a baby is asleep, you leave them that way!

Of course I gave birth to 4 of those noisy little humans; so it came as no surprise that by the time Casey, (my #4), came along, she slept on the couch for 8 hours before she awoke. That, when she was less than a day old too.

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Hmmm... Come to think of it, she STILL sleeps just fine on the couch.

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As does Miss Punk!
hehehe
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Hope you are all having a wondrous Monday!
***Don't forget to visit RubyBlues page!
CLICK HERE! (Well, after you say hi to me)!

Love to all!

XOXO
Anne

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Originally posted Monday December 3, 2007 - 11:12am (CST)

It Came...

It Came...

Good Sunday Morning All; (At least I think it is)?

Even though it is still dark outside, I know that it is much too white for me...

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What began as a smattering of flakes around the door...

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And on Caseys car...

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Quickly turned to TOO MUCH!!!

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From the front yard... (Pictured at top)

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Through the back yard...

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And to the garden...

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Old Man Winter has combined with Mother Nature;
(and between the two of them, they haven't missed a single spot)!

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Sing with me now...

"It's beginning to look a lot like "White~Out"...

...la la la humbug...

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I am off to shovel.

The coffeemaker has just gurgled, telling me it is done brewing. I shall fix a thermo cup (with an added spoonful, or three, of hot cocoa too), and bring it out with me.

Casey went to bed real late so I shall let her sleep a bit.
The dogs have offered to help, (they just don't know it yet).
And now, all that is holding me back is the willpower needed to psych myself up and get out there already.

And yes, Miss Beep, I know I should have done all that changing out on the Cub Cadet a while ago...
But I didn't.
(And I still haven't)!
Please refer to my use of the word "shovel" above. Sad, isn't it?

Need I say "UGH"???

Have a good one... And do think of me every once in a while. (Especially those of you that live south of that good old Mason~Dixon Line)...

Love to all!

XOXO
Anne

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Originally posted on 360 Sunday December 2, 2007 - 06:32am (CST)

Dogs. Cats. And Poisons.

For Your Furkids...

Bark Softly and carry a BIG Stick!

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Good Morning Everyone;

I had fully intended to have this up long before this hour of the day... Didn't work out that way though... I was going to expand on what I had written last year. CLICK HERE for my previous blog...
And to link to ANNIES BLOG too about these sad animals. CLICK HERE

And to always reiterate that ANIMALS ARE NOT PRESENTS!

(I will get back to that idea in a later blog)...

As I tried to get my thoughts and reference pages together this morning, those same web pages screamed out to me that I must be a horrible person.
~I have been heartsick ever since too.

As I was reading about all of the toxic things, (foods, plants), that can harm/kill your pet, I realized with a sinking feeling that there is new info out there this year; and that info NOW includes garlic.
I give both Miss Milly and Punk a sprinkle of this, knowing full well that there is garlic even in store~bought dog treats for Petes sake.
I will not be doing this any more.
While the sites do NOT list amounts, I have read that this can actually build up in your dogs system and harm them anyway. Since neither dog seems to be ill, or showing any propensity to be ill, I will just hope that they are fine; and that they would have to ingest a LOT bigger quantity of it too...
I almost immediately dialed up the vets office~ They had not heard of this; but like I said, I will NOT be sprinkling their food anymore.

Please say a little prayer for my pups?

Have a wonderful weekend!
Love to all.

XOXO
Anne

PS
Yes, our snowstorm is coming... Casey will be heading into town shortly to get a few groceries and such. Randy called a few minutes ago willing to do a grocery run for us. YAY!

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http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_poisonsafe

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet
- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol

Warm Weather Hazards
- Animal toxins—toads, insects, spiders, snakes and scorpions
- Blue-green algae in ponds
- Citronella candles
- Cocoa mulch
- Compost piles Fertilizers
- Flea products
- Outdoor plants and plant bulbs
- Swimming-pool treatment supplies
- Fly baits containing methomyl
- Slug and snail baits containing metaldehyde

Medication
Common examples of human medications that can be potentially lethal to pets, even in small doses, include:
- Pain killers
- Cold medicines
- Anti-cancer drugs
- Antidepressants
- Vitamins
- Diet Pills

Cold Weather Hazards
- Antifreeze
- Liquid potpourri
- Ice melting products
- Rat and mouse bait

Common Household Hazards
- Fabric softener sheets
- Mothballs
- Post-1982 pennies (due to high concentration of zinc)

Holiday Hazards
- Christmas tree water (may contain fertilizers and bacteria, which, if ingested, can upset the stomach.
- Electrical cords
- Ribbons or tinsel (can become lodged in the intestines and cause intestinal obstruction—most often occurs with kittens!)
- Batteries
- Glass ornaments

Non-toxic Substances for Dogs and Cats
The following substances are considered to be non-toxic, although they may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in some animals:
- Water-based paints
- Toilet bowl water
- Silica gel
- Poinsettia
- Cat litter
- Glue traps
- Glow jewelry


Dogpack. com http://www.dogpack.com/health/poisonplants.htm

This may not represent a complete list of all poisonous plants.

Alphabetical listing of poisonous plants by common name

Poisonous Plants by Category

• Bulbs: Amaryllis, Autumn Crocus, Daffodil, Day Lily, Elephant Ears, Gladiolas, Hyacinth, Iris, Lily of the Valley, Narcissus, Orange Day Lily, Tulip
• Ferns: Aparagus Fern, Australian Nut, Emerald Feather (aka Emerald Fern), Emerald Fern (aka Emerald Feather), Lace Fern, Plumosa Fern
• Flowering Plants: Cyclamen, Hydrangea, Kalanchoe, Poinsettia
• Garden Perennials: Charming Diffenbachia, Christmas Rose, Flamingo Plant, Foxglove, Marijuana, Morning Glory, Nightshade, Onion, Tomato Plant, Tropic Snow Dumbcane
• House Plants: Ceriman (aka Cutleaf Philodendron), Chinese Evergreen, Cordatum, Corn Plant (aka Cornstalk Plant), Cutleaf Philodendron (aka Ceriman), Devil's Ivy, Dumb Cane, Golden Pothos, Green Gold Nephthysis, Marble Queen, Mauna Loa Peace Lily, Nephthytis, Peace Lily, Red-Margined Dracaena, Striped Dracaena, Taro Vine, Warneckei Dracaena
• Lillies: Asian Lily (liliaceae), Easter Lily, Glory Lily, Japanese Show Lily, Red Lily, Rubrum Lily, Stargazer Lily, Tiger Lily, Wood Lily
• Shrubs: Cycads, Heavenly Bamboo, Holly, Jerusalem Cherry, Mistletoe "American", Oleander, Precatory Bean, Rhododendron, Saddle Leaf Philodendron, Sago Palm, Tree Philodendron, Yucca
• Succulents: Aloe (Aloe Vera)
• Trees: Avocado, Buddist Pine, Chinaberry Tree, Japanese Yew (aka Yew), Lacy Tree, Macadamia Nut, Madagascar Dragon Tree, Queensland Nut, Schefflera, Yew (aka Japanese Yew)
• Vines: Branching Ivy, English Ivy, European Bittersweet, Glacier Ivy, Hahn's self branching English Ivy, Needlepoint Ivy
• Misc/Uncategorized: American Bittersweet, Andromeda Japonica, Azalea, Bird of Paradise, Buckeye, Caladium hortulanum, Calla Lily, Castor Bean, Clematis, Fiddle-Leaf Philodendron, Florida Beauty, Fruit Salad Plant, Golden Dieffenbachia, Gold Dust Dracaena, Heartleaf Philodendron, Horsehead Philodendron, Hurricane Plant, Mexican Breadfruit, Mother-in-law, Panda, Philodendron Pertusum, Red Emerald, Red Princess, Ribbon Plant, Satin Pothos, Spotted Dumb Cane, Sweetheart Ivy, Swiss Cheese Plant, Variable Dieffenbachia, Variegated Philodendron, Yesterday/Today/Tomorrow

Note: I have always heard that pointsettia plants are harmful to our animals.
Oddly enough there is a difference of opinion on these pages about that this year...

XOXO
Me

Not sure which plant is which?  Most plants above should be clickable!

B~12. Blindsided. Bruised. And Battered.

B~12. Blindsided. Bruised. And Battered.

Photo stolen from here

Good Morning Everyone!
I am, by NO means an armchair quarterback; (coulda's, woulda's and shoulda's really have no place here now anyway). But I do have a few comments about my Pack.
Am thinking it wasn't enough that our defense has been ailing a bit, but now our offense, and most specifically Brett Favre?
Dang. And Double DANG!
Not surprisingly though, "Mr. Rodgers" stepped up to the plate, and surely was amazing. What a neighborhood we had on the field! hehehe

Surprising to me though was Mr. Romos' great sense of humor when interviewed afterwards. When asked something about what his thoughts were about playing against such a great quarterback, he replied, "I thought Aaron Rodgers did a very good job." (It was midnight, and I was laughing out loud in the living room).
Guess you had to be there...
hehehe

And about your ability to watch... (Miss BEEP <<click there<<, watched it on her computer). I am not sure how many households were affected by the blackout of this game, but I think these words sum it up perfectly...
"It's a shame most of the country missed seeing this game because it sure was worthy of a bigger audience than the NFL Network can provide."
Quote stolen from HERE

After coming on here this morning I was intrigued by a blog from the UK. Written by a man; and with a mans chronicled perspective on his diagnosis and treatment for hypothyroidism.
I too have been hypothyroid since Casey was born, and forgive my language, but it's a b*tch to treat correctly.
He has written many interesting tidbits of info since learning of his hypothyroidism.
>CLICK HERE< to read his blog. He is a great writer!!

~~From there, (and after reading too many medical pages), I went to another website to find out a few things about Vitamin~B~12...
SO MUCH INFO there. (For a site that just wants to sell B~12 skin patches).

>CLICK HERE< to read about B~12 deficiency...

What I'd found most interesting was the possibility of not only my thyroid being affected by such a deficiency, but perhaps even Caseys chronic pancreatitis disease as well. (And it would make sense that we would share a common dietary deficiency as we eat the very same things).

Here are just a few people who need a bit extra B~12 in their diets.

Vegetarian and vegans

People over the age of 60

Individuals with pernicious anemia

Individuals with Chronic Fatigue

Gastric bypass, and gastrointestinal disorder patients

Athletes

Autoimmune disease patients

Chronic pancreatitis patients

Crohn's disease patients

People with Malabsorption syndromes

Thyroid disease patients

Individuals with symptoms suggesting multiple sclerosis (ms4a)

Containing many articles of research from Canada, Colorado, Wisconsin, Turkey, Australia, Maryland, Sweden, New York, and Belgium, it also has lists of BOTH physical AND psychological symptoms, and exactly what can be relieved/allieviated by getting an adequate amout of this in your diet.

>CLICK HERE< for those research columns...

"There is little question that many patients exhibiting symptoms of Alzheimer's actually suffer from a vitamin B12 deficiency. Their symptoms are totally reversible through effective supplementation. A low level of vitamin B12 has also been associated with asthma, depression, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, tinnitus, diabetic neuropathy and low sperm counts." (Quote from above web page).

'Diabetes, ulcer meds, (and acid suppressing drugs), breast cancer... gastric bypass, vegans' and others absolutely need to know this all. Please read and forward these links on to your friends/family who may be suffering needlessly.
And yes, on my last trip to Bay Natural Foods I did pick up a bottle of the sublingual tabs. I have NO idea WHY I picked them up either...
I have not begun to take them yet, but I sure will today! As will CaseyFace.
(Sublingual, under the tongue, because this is a very difficult vitamin for your body to process if eaten).

OK. Off my soapbox now...

And on to shoveling... Wait, WHAT????
My windy, cold, and blustery forecast came complete with a Winter Storm Watch this morning. Blah. Blah. Blah.

• They are still unsure of how much snow we will get, but they guess anywhere from 4" to 10" by the time all is said and done.
  It is to start tomorrow.
  Methinks knowing this all, that I should be outside getting the little plow on the Cub Cadet, and putting those chains on the tires too.
  Damn anyway, it is only 13 degrees...

• And so, I am gone to freeze my fingers off!

Love to all!

GRRR...I can't make these stupid bullets go away.

XOXO
Anne

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Originally posted on Yahoo 360, Friday November 30, 2007 - 09:38am (CST)

The Dope Sheet! ? !

The Dope Sheet! ? ! ?

Green Bay Packers Fight Song

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stolen from here

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Go! You Packers Go!

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Hail, hail the gang's all here to yell for you,
And keep you going in your winning ways,
Hail, hail the gang's all here to tell you too,
That win or lose, we'll always sing your praises Packers;
Go, you Packers, go and get 'em,
Go, you fighting fools upset 'em,
Smash their line with all your might,
A touchdown, Packers, Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight!
On, you Green and Gold, to glory,
Win this game the same old story,
Fight, you Packers,
Fight, and bring the bacon home to Old Green Bay.
- - - by Eric Karll, 1931

stolen from here

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Good Game Day Morning to ALL!

Yes, this top picture is of our hallowed ground of Lambeau.
Somewhat akin to "The Frozen Tundra" this morning as we have all of TEN degrees here.
The sun is shining, but sure isn't doing much good (save for the light).

How I wish the Packer game was in Green Bay tonight... hehehe

This 'wait' for kickoff will be a long one... And I shall have to nap before the game, as I have been up since 2, with not too much sleep before that...

.-With a win this past Thursday over Lions, the Packers are off to their best start since 1962, when the team also started the year 10-1. That season, Vince Lombardi led Green Bay to a 13-1-0 record en route to its eighth world title in franchise history. The best start in franchise history came in 1929, when a 10-0-1 record led Green Bay to its first NFL title under team founder Curly Lambeau.

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How do you like me now?

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And so, without further ado...

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.The Packers and Cowboys represent two of the proudest and most popular clubs in the NFL.
They have combined for 17 NFL championships (Green Bay 12, Dallas 5) ~and eight Super Bowl titles.

.-There is no disputing the most memorable game between the two clubs. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Ice Bowl, the 1967 NFL Championship, played between Lombardi's Packers and Tom Landry's Cowboys. It is widely considered the greatest NFL game of all-time.

Love to all!

XOXO
Anne

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If you would like to read a bit more about my title, please CLICK HERE !

Two years after he co-founded the Packers with Curly Lambeau, George Calhoun began writing a piece called The Dope Sheet, which served as the official press release and game program from 1921-24...

Do the click above, it's all a great read about both teams!!!
(Lots of links too).

**** All italicized is also stolen from there.

Originally posted on Yahoo 360, Thursday November 29, 2007 - 08:37am (CST)

Ours

Ours

Good Afternoon!
Thankfully Miss Kelli has called and woken me up from a nap or I swear I would have slept 'til the New Year...

Am thinking I spoke too soon yesterday. (Hence the title today; to follow up from yesterdays' blog title).
I woke about 2 this morning. Casey was up til after 4~ She put Punk out and says, "Mom, it's snowing!"
(And even in that wee hour I had the sense to grab the camera)...

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Punk.
Not too sure what to make of it all;
'cept that her paws were a bit cold and she made hasty~waste to get back inside!

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Yes, well you get the picture...
(And I shall never again blog about someone elses snow if we have none)!

And what a day yesterday was...
Still fuming mad about how it began.

On these colder days, I always leave my dishes 'til the next morning because doing said dishes then always warms me up. I have been dumping my kitchen sink water because the darned drain never works right. And have been doing this for a couple weeks now.
Not too sure how it is all connected, but when I dump my sink water there are times that it comes back up through the drain in the back entrance; and gets that laundry room floor all wet.
No biggie, but I was tired of carrying my water either outside, or down the toilet.
The drain was plugged and it was high time to fix it again.
And so I rolled up my sleeves and got busy.
I pulled the drain in the back entrance, poured about 3 gallons of boiling water down it. (If you heat the drains/pipes up, the drain cleaner works much better). I also poured a bunch of boiling water down the kitchen sink drain...

Going to the shelves over the basement stairway to get my magic bottles of drain cleaner, I hear a noise in the basement...
(NOTE: This noise fell under "wtf" when I realized I was hearing water, dripping).
(Knowing full well that I wouldn't like whatever I saw, I went down there anyway). And I had a little puddle of putrid water that I did not want to contend with...

So the heck with my little project. I will deal with it later; (and 'til then I shall carry my stupid dishes water outside).

Just about that time, the oil man came, (leaving me grasping my heart and staggering like Redd Foxx)...

There was a time (in the not too distant past I might add), that I could heat my entire home for less than $500.00 season.
That time has passed. (Thanks GW).
With this heart~attack~bill I realize it is already 30% higher for this first fill alone!

So now I have half my dishes done, and a huge oil bill. (At least my hands were warm).
My plumbers wife was diagnosed with MS and he has little time left over to be putting new pipes in an old house. I hate that it is cold (and that I hate plumbing in the first place).
And I especially hate knowing how messy it will be to pull those pipes apart and to replace them all. (That and the fact that my house was smelling like 'drain' after I had dumped that hot water down).

Give me a damn break already!!!

And with that, the phone rang...

A perfect breath of fresh air as that call was friend of mine from this wonderful 360~World! Visiting Chicago, and told me she was on her way up here.

But NO!!! My whole house stinks! ...(That ain't gonna work).
YOKES!
hehehe

She didn't have the time to get here, visit, and then get back to Chicago; so Casey and I met her halfway!

Whew...

How cool is this???

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What a wonderful 'break' we got from this stinky house!!

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We had a grand time visiting, giggling like a bunch of schoolgirls, until she had to get back to Chi~Town.
(Much too short of a visit, but plenty wonderful too)!
She is wonderfully warm and ever so funny!
We even chattered long enough for my Xanax to wear off. And I had a nasty time getting back home, but absolutely worth every second of that too!

Didn't sleep too well last night, but at least got a few hours in. And with Kellis call earlier came a favor to run down there and to check on the water for the horses. Seems her tank heater decided not to work last night and she was trying her level best then to get them water for the day. Casey and I will go check that out shortly for her.

Life. ~Ain't it grand?!? ... (even if your home is a little stinky)...
hehehe

XOXO
Anne

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Originally posted on yahoo 360, Tuesday November 27, 2007 - 02:27pm (CST)