Zebadiah

This morning we had to have our 13-yr.-old kitty put to sleep. It was probably the hardest thing we've ever had to do. Zebbie didn't have any 'company manners', nor was she good with children, but she and I were quite bonded.

This afternoon I went through some of our old pictures to see her in her younger days. Because she was always so small, she could fit anywhere. You just never knew where she would be. See if you can find her in these pictures.

Good-bye, my precious pet. I'm going to miss you so much.

Family Fun

Last week, a good share of our family was able to get together. Tamara's family stayed with us for about a week. Jeff's family and Betsy's family came up for the weekend and stayed at Josh and Kate's. We had a lot of laughs. As usual, they had me laughing to tears. We have a certifiably whacky family. This is a picture of some of my daughters:

My husband and some of my sons (and one grandson):

Oh, the temptation is so great to post pictures of my adorable little grandchildren--but I will resist as long as I am able. The little munchkins had a great time decorating gingerbread men and playing together.

My philosophy has always been that kitchens are perfect for huggin' and smoochin'. Looks like my kids agree.

We played some long-dragged out games of Clue (because we weren't staying focused) Karen claims she doesn't have a good system for keeping notes, but she beat us.

Some of the guys went fishing Saturday morning and had a Murphy's Law kind of time. Needless to say, we did NOT have a fish fry for supper.

Saturday evening, the girls and I went 'shopping' at Kohl's. The girls decided to try on outfits that they would never consider buying. Hilarious!

And I'm sure you're wondering about The Snake. Here's where Kate found it--in her lotions in her massage office. Good thing she found it before she had a client.

Garden Update

The horseradish that someone swore that they had completely removed last year:

Sweet Alyssum

Final Herb Garden picture:


Tall Sunflowers



Sedum:

Another view of the sunflowers. Aren't you excited???


One of my goals this summer was to reclaim my flower bed from the weeds and grass. It's almost accomplished! Sure looks better. Yesterday I did some transplanting. Does need more mulch, though. Next year, I hope to make it pretty again. It's been a while since it's actually been beautiful. Here's hoping!

More Flowers

Perennial Sunflowers

Zinnias

Marigolds



Hopefully, the big sunflowers will be ready for a picture soon. They're really getting tall.

If I Were Not An Honest Person

That pile of black dirt across the street in the school parking lot would be transported a wheelbarrowful at a time by the light of the moon :-)

Traumatic Day

Poor Zebadiah has been having some problems lately. Among other things, her abdomen was really swelling, so we took her to the vet this morning. I was almost certain that I'd be bringing her body home to bury; sure dreaded it. The x-rays showed a large mass, and the vet thinks it's liver failure. So now Zeb is on one pill every day for the liver, and a diuretic three times a day to get rid of some of the swelling. Zebbie does not like taking pills. Neither does she like being manhandled this way so I can cram the pill down her throat--especially when her stomach is painfully swollen. The liver pill has to be taken on an empty stomach; the water pills with food, so we get to go through this 4 times a day. Oh, well, at least I have a cat that is still living and able to hiss.

She sure is a little cat. Even with all the swelling, she is only 6 lbs.

Further Adventures of THE SNAKE

Here's where The Snake surfaced most recently...under Jeff's pillow in their camper. (I stole this picture from Karen's Facebook)

My, he does get around!