Squirrel at Home in its Tree

Today on our walk, I finally got a picture of the squirrel in his tree hole.  Our dog, Roxy, sometimes jumps up against the tree to try to reach it, but so far hasn't been able to.  It can usually run out and up the tree before she can get to it.  Today though, she didn't go after it so I was able to go get my camera and come back to get a picture.  I took three, one at regular distance and two close up.  Which do you think is best?

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My Neighborhood Cat Friend - Woodka

This is a picture I took of Woodka today, a very friendly neighborhood cat who comes up to me on its own and lets me pet it.  Its fur is very fine and long so is easily matted.  It's very soft though and I feel honored that it comes over to me.  The yard is about a foot above the sidewalk and the cat stays in the yard for the most part.  I can sit on the wood border along the side of the yard and pet it up easily.  Today since it reached 61 degrees, I was pretty certain Woodka would be outside so brought along my cat massaging shell comb to brush it.  My cat loved it and didn't like any of the other combs or brushes I tried and Woodka liked it too!  I was able to get some of the tangles out of her fur before her owner called her back inside.  I miss my cats so much and am happy to see some outdoor cats in our neighborhood as we walk our dog, but this is the only one so far that comes up to me for petting.  

I highly recommend getting the massage comb from Leospaw.com for any cats you know.  Here is a demonstration so you can see how much cats enjoy it:

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I Want This Spread, Mom!

We have a polar bear bedspread that my dad gave us for Christmas one year that we always use during the winter months.  Unfortunately, our Roxy has developed a habit of jumping on our bed several times a day and ripping it up.  I am not a sewer, but really like this bedspread so tried mending it.  I finally got all the tears sewed up and now see she just made another one!  UGH.  Apparently, she must figure if it gets too bad I'll let her have it for her bed.  I already gave her my old coat to make it softer and more comfy for her, but I think she wants this bedspread.

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I Am Eating Veggies Again!

I like vegetables, but don't like many raw.  For years I avoided getting them because canned vegetables, although good, were so high in salt.  The canned peas in the picture have 300 mg of salt!  My new find, frozen Bird's Eye bags have zero salt!  That's right, none!  And, they taste very good!  I can put the whole bag in the microwave for 4.5 minutes for the corn and peas and 6 min. for the green beans.  Wait 1 minute, then easily tear open and dump them into a bowl.  Each bag has about four servings.  

I am so excited I found something healthy to eat that is easy to fix and that I like eating!  

Since I saw a doctor specializing in kidney disfunction and my health scan last November indicated I was pre-diabetic, I am trying to eat healthier and stay away from pastas, rice, salt and bakery.  I was eating these things every day so now I only have them maybe once a week or less.  I want to avoid Diabetes!  

Here is a list of other changes to my diet that I have made over the years:

When working:                                    Since retired:

had a donut every Friday . . . . . . . . . . Dec. of 2019, had only about 5 donuts

2 big slices of pizza 3 days a week . . . Individual Lean Cusine Spinach frozen pizza less than once a week

                                                                Added an apple every day (kidney advice)

                                                                Added blueberries on my cereal (kidney advice)

                                                                Added pineapple almost every day (kidney advice)

                                                                Cut out Calcium vitamin (kidney Dr.'s advice)

                                                                Cut down to 1 Vitamin D3 a day instead of 2 (kidney Dr.'s advice)

                                                                Cut down on chocolate 

                                                                Replaced protein bars with granola bars (diabetic nutritionist)

                                                                Eating mostly fish (salmon, cod, some tuna), chicken, turkey

                                        Usually only drink Joint Juice and water

Do you follow your doctor's advice?  I try!  

 

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Spunky Doodle Crosses the Rainbow Bridge at Age 17

The hardest thing about pet ownership is watching your beloved pet deteriorate to the point when it's time to let them go and have them put down.  Spunky Doodle was born feral and I took her in as a kitten.  She lived with us for 17 years and 2 months.  Although she was never a lap cat, she was very playful and would sleep next to me in my bed every night for quite a long stretch.  

She threw up a lot during a long stretch and had to only eat special Royal Canine food for renal support, but still was active and acted normal.  We enjoyed her playfulness with our other cats and I loved playing all sorts of different games with her. 
She was quite the entertainer and made me laugh a lot over the years.  I never once regretted bringing her home.  

Over the past year she developed a tumor which we had tested and was told it was not cancerous.  However, it kept growing bigger and bigger.  At first, I couldn't even see it and just was able to feel a slight bump on her right side, but then I saw it.  Her jumping up on things came to an end and so did her sleeping with me.  I lifted her onto her cat tree, carried her up to the den so she didn't have to climb the stairs.  The vet gave her a steroid which helped with her appetite, her eating so she didn't throw up so much and it seemed she had more energy.  She actually did pretty good for about two months until the last couple weeks when I noticed she was walking around less and less, having a hard time getting in and out of her litter box.  Sometimes, she'd even step in her waste and the litter would get caught in between her toes--yuck!  I decided it was time to let her go.  She was not well and not enjoying her days.  

It helps knowing I did the right thing for her, but I still miss her and am heartbroken.  The last trip to the vet for her was Tuesday and I just carried her in the pink cat bed instead of putting her into a carrier.  

This is the shirt I got from Spunky Doodle on Sweetest Day this year.

You can view videos of Spunky (as well as my other cats) on my YouTube Channel here.

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