2009 Kicked my ass....

I'm glad it's over.

I'm hoping that 2010 will be kind to me.

Wishing you all a safe & a fanstastic New Years Eve!!!

I will be back.

We are still alive & well!!!

Sorry to disappear on you guys! Last week was just one of those first week of the month freak outs. Because May was such a crazy month with Luke getting sick & myself & the shop not being open because we spent a lot of time at the vet office, well... I fell behind on so many things, so I have been trying to catch up on everything around here.

Luke. Oh my baby Luke. He is enjoying his time at home I think. But, our home is very small compared to the shop. We live on a floating home that is only 800 sq.ft. on the Fraser river. Luke just hangs out in the upper part of the house (400 sq. ft.). Because we have a small dog that would be way too much in Luke's face & the dog would probably loose an eye! Because Luke likes things mellow (I don't blame him!). But, thankfully we have a huge upper deck & Luke has been going out to eat grass and enjoy fresh air ans catching some cool breezes in the night. I do get very nervous about him up there though, because he is very nervous outside (he stays low LOL). If he hears something, he is always on guard. But, he does get to a point where he can relax, but he is very aware of what's going on around him.

Luke spends most of his day sleeping in hiding. He had been finding his way under the bed, even though I had filled all the spaces under it with blankets and such. So we gave up & just took the blankets away from under the bed. And since we did that, he stopped going under there!!! I swear I had to take apart the bed 6 times, at least to get him out from under there. It was such a pain. Silly boy.

His evenings are spent jumping over my face many times as I try to sleep. I don't know why he ends up doing this every night. But I always seem to wake up to his belly dragging across my face at some point through the night. LOL!!!

All in all, he seems to be doing better. His weight is holding steady. But, he is not the same weight he use to be. And he is not as small as he had been when he was taken from the 1st vet's office. He's in the middle somewhere. And no more pink ears with a fever! YAY!!!

Administering his medicine has been a whole other issue. The drops are no problem. But, the powder that is suppose to go into the wet food!!!?? This has not been going well. He ate it for a couple of days. But, then became turned off of the wet food again. So, I have just been watering the powder down and putting it in the syringe and giving it to him orally. He is gaining his strength back this is for sure, because he is fighting me on this one. It's terrible. We have had quite the battles together just trying to get him to be still. I really, really hope these two medicines are helping his gall bladder stones. It's so hard to tell. But he isn't getting worse, so something must be going right. I kept giving him the high calorie paste until it was gone, which was just a few days ago. He didn't mind taking the paste. But, the watered down powder... whole other story! Actually, maybe I should mix it with chicken broth! Why didn't I think of that before?!!! I'm going to try that tonight for him.

Luke has had quite a few visitors at the shop looking for him. It's sad to tell them he is not here, but I am glad that he is just at home relaxing on his own terms & not feeling like he is obligated to say, hello to people when them come in looking for him. Not that he doesn't love people... But, it's better that he just rest. I don't know when I will bring him back to the shop.
I guess after we do the x-ray 3 weeks.
I pray, pray, pray those gall bladder stones have disappeared!

Part of me can't wait to have this blog be about visitors with Luke & maybe pictures of Luke WITH the visitors! It will be nice to have him back here at the shop. I am very lonely, business has been very quiet. I think Luke must be good luck! BEcause things have been dreadful with out him here.

Once gain, sorry for being away last week! Don't worry, we're still here and doing fine.
Also we are working on your little packages for the people who did donate to help Mister. Luke out.

I know some of you said, "Don't worry about it!".
BUT
It's just a small token of our appreciation!
AND
We really just want to do it!!!

Thanks so much for being there.

*Hugs*

The results are in!!!

Luke has acute pancreatitis

No tumor. Which is a huge relief to hear.

We went in for the ultra sound and there were 8 other anipals in to get ultra sounds too (4 cats, 4 dogs). I met a sweet 22 year old cat named, Anthony. He was so handsome. He had gone deaf about 3 years ago. He's apparently had a rough 3 years. But 22!!! Wowza. That is amazing! He was in getting his kidney's looked at. I hope he will be okay. His parents were so sweet.

It was hard meeting many others that were there with their babies... So many stories to tell. Everyone was so open, we were all just worried sick over our babies. The love we all have for our animals is so strong. It is clear that most of us would do almost anything for them. Our babies/best friends... life without the is just pure sadness.

Luke went in for the ultra sound & I had to wait out in the waiting room. Thankfully no sedation was needed. He came out & I was hoping we would get the results right away. But, the specialist faxes the findings to our VET. Then our VET contacts us with the results. Which was driving me crazy with the waiting! He finally called me close to 6pm and gave me the low down. It was kind of hard to hear him (my cell phone sucks) So I made plans to visit with him this morning to get all the info of Luke's game plan.

The bottom line is that Luke has an over active pancreas. He also has those gall bladder stones. He will be on a special dry food & wet food. As well as a some holistic medicine (see above picture) to thin out those gall bladder stones so they can be passed, or just break down. We are scheduled to come back to the VET office in 30 days for an x-ray to see how those stones are doing. He offered the holistic medicine instead of the "conventional" medicine, because he said there are some risks with conventional medicine. Being that this is his first case in 20 years of a cat with gall bladder stones, he wanted to do more research on the drugs. He was going to be contacting another VET for a recommendation if these holistic medicines to do not so the trick.

For now Luke is on:
Liquid Hepato: It contains a standardized extract of milk thistle along with full complex of B vitamins and antioxidants to help promote normal liver function. The active bioflavonoid complex in milk thistle, silymarin, increases the uptake of hepatic glutathione and stimulates hepatocyte protein synthesis. It's bacon flavored liquid that is to be given orally. Hope he likes it!

Rx Biotic: Which is just a pro-biotic. It helps maintain normal, healthy intestinal micro-flora and normalize bowel ecology. I am suppose to mix a scoop full of this in his wet food. I am not sure if he will take to the wet food. Since he started eating again, I haven't given him the option of the wet food in a few days now. Hoping he will like the new wet food prescribed. Because, if he doesn't I will have to add water to it & give it to him orally. Fingers crossed he likes the wet food!

(If anyone has an experience with these medicine's for their cat or dog, please comment. I would love to know the out come.)

The out come for Luke is pretty positive right now! I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. His condition can be reversed. We just have to hope that those stones will not rupture anything. That with the aid of the meds they will just dissolve and/or pass.

I am so glad that Luke is going to have more time with us & hopefully be able to come back to work someday. Thank you everyone who hung in with us during the last couple of weeks. It was such a roller coaster ride. So crazy. I think I added 50% more gray hair to my head with all the worry.

I am so glad I listened to my gut & went to the other VET for a second opinion. The other VET had me thinking it was a tumor - because he had no clue what anything was in the x-rays. He had been trying to convince me to put Luke down at more than one visit with him. I can only imagine how many people who would have listened to his advice. Terrible thought. To think that your baby could have had their life taken away unnecessarily. When all they needed was someone more knowledgeable & with proper care. I am curious how long that fellow has been a practicing VET.

I totally recommend Lonsdale Animal Hospital in North Vancouver, BC!!! They are such a great team there. They are super stars in my eyes.

As for Atlas over on Marine Drive in North Vancouver. I am not so sure. Maybe a good clinic for a minor concern. But, if your animal is really sick - seek elsewhere! I hate to kind of bad mouth them, but I know I would not return there. I also did find some questionable reviews online about them here & here. But it was a long weekend when we took Luke there. No one else was open.

I am just glad it all worked out for now.

Thank you so much to everyone that helped get Luke to the ultra sound appointment!!!
His bill for the ultra sound was $400.00. His bill for the meds and food was $107.50!
We had just enough to cover that! It couldn't have worked any more perfect.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!

You all have been so amazing with all your financial contribution, advice & positive healing vibes you sent our way. We couldn't have made it with out you. We give you the biggest hug EVER!!!
We hope that we can continue the friendships we've made here foreverness!

XOXOXOXO

Ultra sound day!

I brought Luke to work today because we have to leave early to get him to his ultra sound appointment. The appointment is officially at 1:30 , so send us some positive healing love at that time! We got a call to come in at12:30 though, to get Luke's little belly fur trimmed.

He was nervous at first to be at the shop, sniffing around at everything. I had moved his beds around and he was giving me the eye roll about his favorite bed not being is his usual spot. I got the hint, and easily placed his bed back where it was. He hopped on in & is very content.

Our neigbour next door from Bruce Eyewear was very excited to see him at his old stomping grounds! I wasn't sure if he would really be up to saying hello to her. But, she called him over & he couldn't resist! He was going in circles around her legs - rubbing his head on every part of her lower leg! He is such a sweety. I love my Luke!

I'm trying to keep positive. I don't even want to think of anything bad right now.

He seems like the old Luke. Just a little thinner.

Thanks for everyones help that made this ultra sound visit possible!
*hugs*

Luke has been eating!

Sorry about not updating yesterday. I was so busy with trying to catch up with work that I let slide, because I was so pre-occupied with Luke.

But 2 nights ago Luke ate dry food on his own!!! I was just getting his wet food ready for him. I offered him the wet food whole. But, he was not interested at all in it. So I took his food to go get it ready for the syringe. As I was doing that my daughter decided to offer him a little piece of dry food. He accepted it! So she got a small handful for him & he kept cleaning up the little pile of food. Slowly he was gobbling them all up. We were all very excited! And he has continued to eat the dry food! YAY! I have stopped giving him the wet food completely, because he just wasn't all that into it. I went to the VET yesterday to tell them the good news & she said that was fine that he was eating the dry food & maybe he is just turned off of wet food, because in his mind it made him sick.

I am still giving him the high calorie paste, he is still on one antibiotic medicine & I give him the B12 shot in the morning. Which is now a total breeze to do! I think he only has one more of those shots to take.

I still haven't heard from the VET office about the time of his ultra sound appointment tomorrow. But, they are just squeezing us in at the last moment. Hopefully they will be calling today. We thankfully don't have to go very far for it. Just to West Vancouver.

He is getting around a little easier. The little bugger last night was trying to get downstairs. We have a gate at the top of stairs and he kept knocking on the gate to pull it open. I don't know where he thinks he was going. Because there is nothing down there for him! Silly boy.

I think he is kind of enjoying life laying around bed all day & basking in the sunshine. Everyone needs a break from work, he had been working non-stop for 2 years at the shop. I'm sure he kind of misses saying hello to visitors at the shop, but he has lots of little distractions at home and lot's of constant love and attention. I love Luke.

I am feeling a lot better about his recovery... but I guess we'll just have to wait and see the results of the ultra sound.

Luke today & yesterday night

Not much has changed for Luke. He still will not eat any wet food on his own & another troubling thing is he hasn't had a BM since he has been home (Thursday night). The vet didn't seem to mind this... I just can't wait till Friday for the ultra sound.

I gave Luke the high calorie paste in the syringe last night. The vet said that he would probably lick it off my finger, because animals find it quite tasty. But he was not interested in the slightest. A little later on I gave him the option to eat the a/d wet food as a meal on a plate. But, he just sniffed it and walked away. Which is so out of character for him, Luke loved wet food with all his heart before. I eventually took the a/d food & wet it down and used a syringe to force fed him. He is so over the force feeding. As am I. I hate doing it. I know he hates me doing it too. He is so wiggly & always trying to back up outta of my arms. I want his inner switch to go off so he can enjoy his favorite meal again.

This morning I was to give him his B12 injection. I chickened out after reading a terrible story on the internet last night. A lady actually made the needle come out the other side of the cats skin! So this morning after I dropped my kids off at school I went to the vet, just to double check on the technique to get it done. The vet is in North Vancouver, but we live in Richmond(25km away) My kids still go to school over in N.Van so it's not a real problem. But after I double checked with the vet I drove all the way home which takes an hour in traffic! Such a long haul, but worth it because I was second guessing myself.

I gave Luke another tube full the high calorie paste when I got in, because I had already fed him the a/d at 6:30am. The paste is so easy. I wish the wet food feeding was as easy. I then went and prepared the B12 shot. I was more concerned about the feeling of going through the skin. Yuck. I hate needles period, so to have to do it to another person or animal just gives me the shiveries. I actually started crying I was so nervous. He was fine though, just purring and waiting for the unknown. But, then I breathed in & did it! I do admit to looking away while I squished the plunger down. But, I did it! It was fine. He was fine. Thankfully it's only once a day. And only 3 more shots to go!

Everyone I talk to seems hopeful that the gall bladder thing will be fine. I'm not so sure. I just don't want him to have to have an operation. Finger crossed it all works out.

Luke had a few people in the shop yesterday wondering how he was doing so that was nice. There are so many thoughtful, sweet & caring people out there. I am so glad to have so many wonderful people on Team Luke!

Thank you everyone so much for all your advice. You are all the bestest cat friends ever!

Also the donations have pretty much ceased. Just wanted to keep you updated on that. I am hoping it will be enough to cover his ultrasound on Friday. I'll know tomorrow how much that will all cost.

Gotta go catch up on work now. Have a good day everyone!!!

The visit with the vet today

Luke went to his appointment this morning at a different vet from the one he was at last week. This vet deals with conventional care & holistic.

Luke was fine for the ride to the vet. We were the first appointment of the day and the only ones there. The visit was brief, but gave me a much better feeling then the other vet. This vet was able to tell me that he thinks that it is his gall bladder that is effected. When looking at the x-rays, he was able to tell that he saw stones. The other vet, just wasn't sure what they were & where it may have come from. So that was a relief to actually be told what things were, rather than being inconclusive. This vet recommended that an ultra sound would confirm what was going on in Luke. I knew that the ultra sound was coming. But, also the vet said he may need his gall bladder removed. I'm not sure the cost of that, but it's got to be pricey. We have raised enough funds to hopefully cover the ultrasound, that will be done on Friday. They are calling me Wednesday to give me all the details of the when, how and cost.

To date we have raised $500!!! Which is a so amazing. Without your generosity, there would be no next step for Luke. I am tapped out fund wise after last week's stay at the vet. I am very thankful that we can get the ultra sound and then make a decision from there. I am taking it one day at at time.

The vet prescribed a B-12 shot for Luke for the next 5 days. I have to inject him with that. (Nervous about that one). We also got the high calorie paste in the tube, that someone had actually mentioned to me in the comments or maybe it was twitter. Also another type of wet food a/d to give to him to force feed him. I really wish that switch would just click in him and he would eat on his own. He loves to eat in real life, it was the best parts of his days.

I do feel better about this visit today at the vet. But the sound of an operation is just something I can not handle the sound of right now. I want to think positively and just hope that maybe he can be cured by medicine? (naive possibly)... I'm going to be doing some internet research on the gall bladder situation.

On the ride home, so many things go through my head about how to deal with this. The sadness sets in... I don't want to have just had 2 years with Luke. I want more time. I really want more time with him. It breaks my heart every time I think of the possible loss. I just now try to stay away from those thoughts.

Yesterday, I bought Luke a little can of fancy feast to see if he would be interested in it. He actually licked it & picked up a couple of pieces, but then that was all. I was so hoping he would just dig in. I also bought him some turkey baby food. It was slim pickings at the Superstore for tasty meat selections. Luke actually put up a bit of a fight when I fed him this. But, it seemed like such a tastier option than watered down wet food. But I am a human... he is a cat. I am just going to stick to the high calorie paste that vet gave us & the new wet food. But I am hoping he will just want to eat someday soon on his own.

I had mentioned that I will be putting a little package together for those of you who have donated. I am sticking to this plan. I will be going through all the donations this afternoon to make sure I have everyone's address! So you may get an email from me today!!!

So now we just wait.

Luke at home day #2

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in today's update. It was my daughters 8th birthday!!!

Well I got home yesterday Luke was hiding. Not just behind the headboard of the bed anymore - but actually under the bed. Remember the picture of him hiding his head under the bed?!! Well some how the little bugger squished his body through that SMALL crack and ended up stuck under there. There are drawers under the bed, so there is some space beyond the drawers where he was able to stand up. So when I looked under the bed... I could see him standing up just sitting there. It was quite the rescue process to get him out, removing the mattress & then a board & then trying to squeeze between other supporting boards. Thankfully cats are so pliable. Poor guy took the longest pee after he was rescued out from under the bed!

Luke was under the bed for so long during the day, that I did force fed him water. Just to be sure he was hydrated. I still have to force feed him his food still too. He was kind of sniffing it out today, so close! I so thought he was going to go for it. But, it was a no-go. I put a little on his nose, he would lick it off - but he had no initiative to feed on his own. Why???!!! Why won't he do it? But, will help himself to water?

I can feel his weight dwindling. I am going to increase his food by one more feeding tomorrow. He keeps the food down & the water (I know this is a good thing). He uses the litter. But, I just don't know why he won't eat wet food. I am getting much better at the force feeding, but I hate doing it. He does not really approve of being force fed. It is pretty cute though, when he lets me pat his chin clean after he eats. I also forgot today to pick up the kitty milk. I really want to get some. Especially since it seems he will go for a liquid.

My poor Luke. I kind of feel like I am taking care of a senior citizen.

We have now filled all around the bottom of the bed with blankets and such to prevent him from getting in there again. Because last night he did try and go behind the headboard and he just sits there. Like he doesn't know how to get out and he has to be pulled out. Poor guy. I actually had forgotten how much he loves to have a little kitty cat den, like at the shop. At the shop he has this bench that we have curtained off with his bed under it, so when he needs to seek solace - that is his "go to place". I made a a little cat den for him now and he is pretty content in it. But, I think he forgets to come out - even to get water it seems. He just isn't himself. He use to come when you called his name, but now he just looks at you. I kind of place him in places on the bed or in his cat den. He'll just stay there until he needs to go to the litter box or the water dish. But, that really isn't the case with the cat den... he will just hide in there. I wonder why he'll jump off the bed to do his business & get water, but not when he is in cat den?

I can't wait to take him to the vet on Monday. I am hoping they will have some answers.

Thank you so much for your continued support. You are all the bestest. I tell Luke that there are many friends rooting for him to get better from all over the world!!! It's truly amazing.

The total in contributions is $400!
Thank you so much.

Hugs to everyone!
Goodnight.

Luke's first night & morning at home

(his unsuccessful attempt at trying to hide under the bed)

Luke's first night home went well.

Last night he slept with me on the bed for part of the night. Which was a nice change for him, compared to the kennel at the Vet. He was non-stop purrs and giving head bunt kisses. He is such a sweetheart.

He got up to get a drink of water a couple of times and to use the litter box. He spent some of the night on his bed on the floor, I think because it was a little cooler down there for him. Then a couple hours before I had to wake up, I brought him up on the bed to sleep with me. When I went downstairs for a shower, he was still sleeping in bed. But, when I came back up he was not there. I was a little worried, but our small home doesn't give him many options to hide in. He has found his way behind the head board cubby area of the bed. He wouldn't come out. I even had his breakfast of wet food ready. He just wouldn't come. I had to pull him out from under there. While I went downstairs to mix up his food with some warm water so I could feed him, my daughter blocked off the passage to under the bed. When I was downstairs, he had lodged himself under the tiniest space under the bed to try and get back to the bigger cubby area under the bed (I think). Fat chance. He's a little to big to fit through there & I think he gave up, because he was quite happy to just lay with his head under the bed. Silly boy.

I had a hard time with my first time force feeding him. The Vet assistant made it look so easy. But she had wasted so much food by letting it dribble every where. I took it slow & wiped his chin off as he needed it. At one point he needed a potty break. I am actually kind of getting worried about all the litter box breaks a bit....

Luke is scheduled for another Vet appointment on Monday morning. We are taking him to another clinic, to get a second opinion. Until then we are hoping he will feel a little better about being surrounded by people who love him & where he can get endless cuddles and kisses.

When I last checked the total amount donated, it was at $380!!! Thank you again to all those that are helping Luke & I out. We appreciate it sooooooo much. You are all the bestest!!!

Luke is home now

Luke is home now. I feel relieved to have him here in bed, resting. 

When we picked him up he was still quite warm with a temperature. You can feel it in his ears. Luke's ears get all pink with this fever. But, as he got more comfortable in the van, the pink started to mellow out. He handles the ride home superbly. He was alert, and was purring when he got some attention - which I guess I was all the way home!

Our next step is to get the ultra sound to confirm what is going on in his liver, possible tumor? Just an infection? It drives me kind of crazy that after close to $900 spent towards Luke and no confirmation of what is actually ailing him. 

He is very content here. He even jumped off the bed & used the litter and hoped back up! I am amazed!!! These are all positive things, I do hold hope that he can recover completely soon.

OH! LIVE UPDATE!

 He is taking a drink of water from the water bowl ALL on his own!!!! AS I type this.

This is so amazing!!! 

(He is still drinking!!! )

This is good news!

Tomorrow we will see if he will eat food on his own.

Oh my baby Luke.

(He still drinking.)

I think him leaving that vet tonight was the best thing to happen to him in 4 days.

Tomorrow I will be getting a quote for his ultra sounds.

I'm going to go cuddle Lukey now.

Goodnight everyone.

P.S: We have raised $294 so far for Luke! Thank you everyone once again for opening your hearts to us.xoxoxo

Luke our shop cat is very sick

My bestest friend is very sick. I made a page for him for those who are worried about his condition.

Please check it out.
http://luketheshopcat.blogspot.com

Morning/Afternoon Update of Luke at the Vet

(Flowers for Luke from my sweet neighbour Nada @ Bruce Eyewear)

Last night after seeing Luke I had such a positive feeling and that he was recovering. I was looking forward to taking him home this morning. Luke is still not eating his food and has to be force-fed. They showed me how to feed him. Poor Luke had dribbled food all over his chest while she feed him. I would definitely put a bib on him he does not need to have food all over himself. They also keep referring to him as a she, and I keep correcting them.
Finally the catheter was removed as well.

My bright hopes were dashed as my morning unfolded; I have been at the Vet's from the time it opened until 1pm.

Luke apparently developed a fever last night. When I was with him I noticed his ears felt a little warm. But the veterinarian on call never mentioned that he had a fever. However, when his regular vet came in this morning he told me that he has NEVER seen a case like this. Where the cat was on two antibiotics still managed to get a fever. Luke originally went in without a fever, but the Doctor thought that he must have had one earlier and then it subsided. He has been at the vets for three days without a fever until last night.

The Dr. recommended we HAVE to do an x-ray because he suspected a tumor. I waited for what seemed like forever for the x-ray to develop. The x-ray revealed that his liver looks like it has some kind of abnormality and his kidney appear enlarged. He also mentioned something about this area where his heart is located. There is some kind of cushion underneath it. Lymph nodes?

At the end I had to leave Luke there again because they were drawing more blood for two blood cultures. The results of those tests will take a few days. The Dr. doesn't think tumors at this point- but at the same time he has no diagnosis, only that something is not right. Once again, the ultra sound would hopefully verify and give us some kind of diagnosis and we can start the treatment. Luke needs to have two ultra sounds one of his chest and another of his abdomen.

I paid Luke's bill to date, to the tune of $852.08.
I had felt relief last night thinking that we were over the worst of it, and that Luke would be on the road to recovery. I feel like I am on a rollercoaster, with lows and highs, and now once again my heart is breaking.

When Luke was getting sick last weekend, I too was in the process of getting sick. I am still sick and this worry is not helping me heal I am sure. I caught this terrible chest cold. Sunday was actually my birthday and I spent it in bed with a fever with aches, pains with a sinus from hell. My head is still congested and the stress of my poor Luke being sick is well not helping. I had a terrible headache, which felt like it was going to explode by the time my head finally made contact with my pillow. I mentioned to some people that it was like I was Elliott & Luke was my E.T. (making 1980 movie reference, for those who don't remember E.T) Maybe I need to get better and then Luke will get better....

Without a doubt I will be brining him home, but now it is a matter of getting the funds together for the ultra sounds. I am going to be calling the local S.P.C.A clinic to see if it is cheaper through them and if it is possible to squeeze Luke in for an appointment. I don't know the exact cost yet of the ultrasounds.

I am so touched by the generosity and compassion from you all. I am in tears just thinking about how many kind people are out there who have never even met Luke or me but are sending their best wishes for his recovery and also contributing to Luke’s treatment fund.
Thank you so much for your help. The cost is still unconfirmed still because I am trying to get the best rate. I will be adding a little widget on the side that lets us know how much we have in the pot for Luke's treatment. Someone had sent me the suggestion for that (thanks - such a great idea!!) I have been outta the twitter loop since last night & know that I have many messages to catch up on. I'm trying to do my best here.

Once again Thanks so much for all the suggestions and advice. This has been all very overwhelming for me but I will keep you updated on Luke’s progress.
I better get on twitter & let you know about this update!!!

Evening update day 3 @ vet

Oh my Lukey. I was able to spend about 20 minutes with him tonight. His little kennel was ground level almost, so I just sat on the floor & gave him love. When he heard me, he perked up to looking for me. Melt my heart. He started purring right away as soon as I pet him. This is such a good sign! He was so non-reactive before not looking at anything yesterday. So to see him respond was such a positive thing. He had to be force fed again today, but I'm sure that is what is giving him his strength again. He even stepped up to walk closer so he could lean a little out of the kennel to be close. He talked to me, when no one was around. He was voicing how he wanted out of there, I'm sure. Oh my sweet Lukey.

The Vet & I decided to just keep him there one more night because I guess it is tomorrow that the I.V has to be out. I just want him to get that extra night of fluids. Luke has even been using the litter box!!! I'm so happy that he has perked up. I actually feel like I will get some sleep tonight. I told him I would be back in the morning to pick him & that he really should try & eat his foodies on his own. If he doesn't go for food, they are going to show me how to feed him, which is fine by me. I really want him out of there. Next step will be the ultra sound. But, I do feel relieved that he is out of that lethargic phase. Thank god.

I love my Luke. 

I swear everyones good thoughts & prayers are working!!!

YAY!!!

Goodnight everyone.

Luke's story

I've created this blog to ask for help for Luke shop cat. Sadly our best employee (ummm... only employee) Has fallen ill. Luke works at a little gift shop in Gastown, in Vancouver, BC. Luke has been with us for 2 years. He loves visitors & gives love to every single soul that walks through that door! He would run out from his bed when he heard people come in to greet them with some loving leg rubs with his head. Some were even so lucky to get kisses if he was sitting up on the counter top of the desk. He gave kisses to many ladies - even some very friendly cat loving men!!!

Luke has been at the Vet since Monday morning. The shop is very lonely with out him. Before Luke went to the Vet, he had stopped eating & was having a hard time keeping any food down. He was drinking water, but he kept bringing up the water. It was clear that he wasn't able to keep anything down & was not himself. He was lethargic and wouldn't come out to see me or any other visitors.

Luke had gone into the Vet on a holiday Monday here in Canada. So when they did the blood work, we had to wait till the following day for the lab to open to even have the samples sent. They put him on I.V for fluids & gave him some antibiotics. He was so still, just laying there. But he would purr when you spoke to him & gave him some love. He purred so loud the Dr. could not even get a clear listen on his heart. The Dr. couldn't believe how big his purr was. He didn't have a temperature, but the Dr. thought he must have and it finally broke. It was so hard to leave him there. The clinic was closing early because of the holiday & I would return in the morning to find out if he improved at all.

He didn't improve come the next morning. He was now hydrated though, but still lethargic. There was a dog barking in the back of the clinic & Luke just laid there, with his little I.V in his paw on the examining table not even phased. Poor little guy. They force fed him yesterday & he was able to keep it down. But, he would not go to the food himself. We were really just buying time until the blood work came back so we could have some kind of answer.

Blood work came back last night & they called to tell me it was his liver. I had to go and talk with them about the next step. This morning when I went they told me, he needs an ultra sound and that that would be the best way to rule out a tumor. Ultra sound is $360 + $68 exam fee. Poor Luke's bill is already close to $500. They also suggested a biopsy of the liver & an x-ray. Plus another round of blood tests once that is done.

I just can't afford more tests. It breaks my heart. It literally feels like my heart is being pulled out. I just need to have some kind of answer to what is happening to his liver. But the funds for the ultrasound are out of my league right now.

I am going in tonight to the Vet after work, to see if I can bring him home. They have to take the I.V out today because you can't keep it in for more than 3 days. I am hoping he will be stable enough to take home so he can get some cuddles & maybe be less stressed by not being around the noisy clinic. But, in order to be sure he gets the right medicine he needs the ultra sound so he can be treated.

I will post once I know more after I run to the Vet this evening.

If you can find it in heart to help luke get the medical care he needs, please find the DONATE button on this page & I promise to send out a little package to you. So be sure to give your address.

I will be eternally grateful as would Luke.
Luke is my everything.

Cutlass

Eggs, hunting, chocolate & Hannah Montana

Easter morning was a wet one!
The Easter bunny had hid goodies on the front deck & on the side & back of the house. Not knowing if the goodies would be safe from snoopy ducks &/or the torrential rain storm. It thankfully all worked out in the bunnies favour. It was funny to watch the girls stumble to run & find some slip on footwear try & beat each other out of the front door. Running outta the house with out a care, the only goal was to find the most treats. It was all pretty even come to "sort time". By the end of the night, they both were saying "The Easter bunny knows me so well". Which I take as a good sign.

I made good on a promise to see the newest Hannah Montana movie. It wasn't all that bad. The girls liked it.

6 more days and my youngest is heading to outdoor school for 3 days. I hate letting them go, as much as I know it's so fun to be there for them. She truly is looking forward to it. I know she will have a blast. This will be her first time away from me though.... Oh sadness on my end. But, it will be nice however to spend time with my oldest daughter alone. I'm sure she is so excited her sister is leaving. Although she did think she successfully talked her sister outta going. But, in the end she really did want to go.

I am excited to start sewing it's been a long time... hopefully I'll have something to show for it by the end of the week!

Have a great day! It's sunnnnnnnnny today. Exactly what I need.

It's been a long time.

I have felt like this beached starfish for the last couple of months. I may have felt like this for longer, but it didn't hit me right away. I have felt little inspiration to sew or to share things with people on this blog. I just needed a break to sort my world out. I have been referring to the last couple of months as my mid-life crisis. I was just letting things go, especially myself. Now with the days getting longer, I feel better about things.

I hope to be back with a little more to say & more inspiring in the next while... I'm trying.

Happy Birthday Mister. R!!!

Happy Birthday Mister Rollins! I can not believe you are 48 today!???

48!!!!???

It's hard keeping up with....

It's getting hard for me to keep up with Luke's twitter account. I can't keep up with my own anymore. The guy has more friends than I do! I made this little video of him last night. Can you believe the cat has a youtube account? I do all these things for him at his request. It's pretty competitive in the cat social climb. Cat's can be very demanding. I find myself slowly slipping away. It's all cat talk now! Nose bunts, purrs, meows & all this talk about catnip, yes, it's exhausting.

Luke's calling, he wants me to update his twitter account. He is such a slave driver!

Sheeesh! Gotta go.

How very Tokyo project

I miss Japan.
Above is James Goggin's Poster called, Athromorphic Metropolis.

Check out this project via Wallpaper.

A little twitter addicted

Oh gosh, I have been bit by the twitter bug/bird!
I am sharing some links with you!

You can even upload photos for twitter people to see at Twitpic
Great pattern background images from Twitterpatterns.
You can set up your latest flickr photo to be your background image here.

I also set up a twitter account for Luke!

Oh ground hoggie...

Whhhhhhhhhy'd you have to see your shadow??!!!

6 more weeks of winter.
Boo-hoooooey!

How many can I get in there yo? 20.

Things are pretty dead around here in Occupied town.

I am addicted to double bubble gum. As I write this I am am trying to see how many pieces I can fit in my mouth at one time. I'm at 4 pieces. I got a big bucket from Costco to fill the candy jar on the desk at work. It's been nothing but bad news from the start. Having it sit there all day, mocking me. I can't help but constantly pop two in my mouth at a time. The flavour only lasts, tops - 5 minutes. It's easy to become addicted. I'm at 7 pieces now. My jaw is starting to get sore. Anyway. I'm at the last few pieces of the candy jar. I figure I better do away with all this gum. It can't be good for my teethies. That's why I am choosing to stuff as many as I can in one sitting. I'm at 9 pieces now.

I think my teeth are going to fall out.

We rented City of Ember last night. This is getting gross....I am at 10 pieces.
I enjoyed it. I love Bill Murray, in everything. He was a crazy potbellied Mayor. I had to talk my youngest daughter into watching it, she was disappointed that we didn't first watch Open Season 2. she really liked it. I am at 12 pieces. You know who was in it? The crazy lady from Taxi. With the super high pitched voice, she was the girlfriend of the of the other guy that spoke funny. Their character names escape me right now. I swear it was her. My, she has aged. She played the ailing grandmother in the movie. I wish the movie was longer...

I am at 14 pieces.
Yes, I have nothing better to do. It's so quiet at work, I think I am going to leave early. I think i am going to have to cap my gum experiment at 20 pieces, because that is the last of them.
I am at 16 pieces...

20 pieces here I come!

My jaw is killing me.

First week of lessons

Well, week one has passed of her first two lessons. First lesson, left me a little bewildered. The instructor asked that I stick around to follow the steps on grooming & tacking the horse up. It was a quick 30 minute lesson. I sadly have no experience with horsies, so I left retaining maybe only 20% of what she showed us. The 2nd lesson required us to arrive 30 minutes before the actual lesson and have the horse tacked and ready to go. I felt the pressure. There was no way after the first lesson would we be able tack that horse up. Not if I was running team. I went first thing the next morning after the lesson & picked up as many books as I could to explain all about horsies for my daughter & myself. Also watched many many videos on youtube! (thank you youtube!) I think it helped, she ended up doing a pretty great job getting her horse Mikey up & ready with a little help from her dad :)

She had her first ride on Mikey & now she loves it. She had been on a pony before, when she was much, much, younger. She is so excited to be on this path of horsie love. I am so relieved she found something to do. Her own thing.

Mikey is the best school horse. He is so patient with her. Mikey is around 20 years old. On the first lesson, he actually fell asleep while she was grooming him. He is a little bit of a senior citizen/narcoleptic.

Gotta love Mikey for being such a kind patient horsie man.

Beautiful

Tonight is her first lesson

She is so excited for tonight! It's her first lesson... she picked up her little paddock boots & some half chaps AND breeches!!! I can not believe she is wearing tight pants. I never thought I would see the day she would get outta sweat pants! She loves them.

She won't actually do any riding this lesson, it's all about getting acquainted with the horsie & the gear. Friday will be the first lesson on her horse.

Exciting times for my little lady! Doesn't she look so cute in her new gear??

Off to the Academy for her lessons!! YAY!!!

Sheesh! EGAD the men in this video!

I can totally picture the meeting the men had to came up with the concept for this video.
High-5's all around, I'm sure.

YA-OWWWW!
Wit-Wooooo!!!

Blushie cheeked crushes

Oh sweet crushes.
Check out these lovely letters to crushes.

The ending is crazy

Misplaced but now found

I had misplaced my love for Ewan Mcgregor. I forgot how much I loved him until I saw Lainey's blog today, about Ewan at Sundance.

She is going to do something!!!

My oldest daughter has FINALLY decided to enroll in something! I am so excited. My mom actually mentioned riding lessons yesterday, when we were talking yet again about getting her into something. I first off was hesitant, because I think what if she got thrown from a horse? My poor baby!!! Terrible! But, the more I thought of it, and after I looked up some riding schools. I knew it would be perfect for her. You totally go ahead of your class time & prepare and care for your horse. She loves loves loves animals & I know she has a special spot for horses. This couldn't be more perfect for her.

I told my daughter about it after school yesterday & she totally lite up. She actually said yes to going. She never says yes! I have tried for so many years to get her do something. Only to be turned down time and time again. She is so excited about something finally!!! I feel so good about this. She was so thrilled about the suggestion. I can't wait for her to start & to get her the cute Paddock boots and riding pants!!! She has taken to wearing only sweat pants & uggs (AKA lazy gear). She was talking about the riding pants last night - asking if she could pass on those pants (she hates anything tight fitting) and if she could just wear her sweats. Ummm.. later to the sweat pants! Hello breeches!

I spoke more about it with my moms assistant this morning. She has just gotten back into riding & she loves it. She had started when she was around the same age as my daughter. I asked her about the falling off the horse. She says it happens. That's just the way it goes - but you just have to get back on. But, she also mentioned that the "school horses" are so chill. Totally tame and use to anything that kids deal out to them, she said the horses are very patient. how cute is that!!?? I love it.

I looked into a couple of riding school closer to where we live, so hopefully we will figure out something soon!

YAY!!!

Lavendar>Lavender?

I noticed many people coming here to check on how to spell lavendar.
I honestly think Canadians spell it with an "ar" at the end & Americans spell it "er" at the end.

It's so funny! You are correct either way!!!

I did find this great link to some do some lavendar projects.

I totally want to do those lavendar wands. They are amazing! I have never seen anything like them before. Wonderful, aren't they?

Tara & Bella

This is so sweet.
I love Tara & Bella.

My little contortionist update

She has started to let me take pictures now! Although she has to "ok" each one after it is taken. I'm okay with that! It's great that she is finally letting me document her progress. We even got to record some video the other night of her stretching routine at home. She is making huge progress & her teacher once again has asked that she join the older group & stay later on her Thursday class. But the little bugger doesn't want to be with the older class at all. She just wants to be with the her teacher doing one on one time. Also, she lets all the other girls watch her train now. It seems that there is always girls that come early to warm-up while they wait for their class to begin. It's so cute, one time I was walking up to the door to pick her up from class & I heard clapping coming from the studio. I just waited a bit to go in & when I went in she was pretty close to wrapping up the her session. It turns out the older girls were clapping, because my little contortionist pulled off a new trick! She was shy about it, but I know she loved it. She said they clapped twice for her that night. I'm so glad she is coming out of her shell. When we hang out with people, she will do a move to kind of share her talent with them. But, she does it in a down low kind of way. We will be talking & then I'll look over her way and she'll be in the splits and kind of give me a nod, as so that I mention to people to look her way. Or she will do that crazy shoulder trick, where she holds her hands together & lifts her arms over her head and brings it back forward.

When school started up last week they were to write about their own New Years Resolutions. Ideya wrote "To do more contortion". When her teacher came around to check the spelling, her teacher added an "s" to the end of contortion on her resolution. Ideya was not pleased about this. Ideya told me, "There is no "s" at the end of contortion!". So when the teacher left, she erased the "s". I asked Ideya how she even knew how to spell contortion (grade 2) . She said she copied her jacket.

Ohhhhhh the jacket. We tried so hard to get this jacket before Christmas to put it under the tree. Her teacher had it & was going to get her name embroidered on the sleeve for her. But, ended up it didn't happen. So I figured we could just do that part, but if we could get just the jacket Ideya would be happy with that. With all the crazy weather just before Christmas we couldn't get the jacket. We were a little sad about that, but we finally ended up getting her the jacket on the 5th. Now this jacket has become and everyday staple for her. We are on Day 10. I try so hard to get her to wear another hoodie or sweater & she refuses. Loves the jacket. I had to ask her teacher if we could hook up a shirt, because Ideya loves to represent obviously. But, wearing the jacket everyday is a little much. EVERYDAY. Forget the shirt, we are going to need another jacket! I wonder if she will hold some kind of record? I can't imagine that she will the jacket everyday for a month???? We'll see.

Hello???

Happy New Year! I know it's been forever!! I had attempted a couple of times to sit down & blog about my world, but so much has happened. How could I possibly catch up with all my posts. Then it got to a point, that it was almost hard to come back here to write.

Christmas was great for all of us. Santa was so kind. It was all about functional gifts, nothing better that being able to actually use what you are given. I only had the one day off, but thanks to the storm I probably just could have stayed home & enjoyed more time with my family then sitting around by myself at work... well I had Luke to keep me company. The weather really sucked ass.

New Years eve was exhausting. I tried soooo hard to stay up & celebrate. The girls this year were determined to stay up. But, we ended up retiring to the bedroom at 11:40 & laid in bed waiting for midnight to strike. We heard fireworks & happy partying people in the marina. Then it was lights out. I was so beat.

New Years day we headed south for the border to go a see our favorite peoples EVER! We spent a night & day visiting. It was too short. I hate short visits. But that is all I am capable of fitting in. Someday, I will get a real holiday with friends & family. I wanted to stay at a cheap-o-motel. It was just for sleeping right?!!! We chose the motel 6 yo! Where they will leave the light on for you! But now i know why they leave the light on...

They gave us some nasty ass smokers room - who smokes in motel rooms still??!!! Well someone does 'cause there was lovely burn holes in the polyester motel 6 blanket covers. My child(ren )were not too impressed with my choice of motel & decided to sleep with daytime clothes on and made sure that their bare skin never touched the surface of that bed. I don't blame them. I was fighting with trying to keep the darn sheets on the bed! The sheets for life of me kept slipping off the corners. How sick would it be sleep on a bare mattress at the 6? YUCK. It was an experience. I also noticed that the sheets on my bed were put on inside out. which made me think, that Griselda the house keeper as the comment card said her name. Did she just flip the sheets? That is really all I could think of. Get an extra day of the use of the sheets? cost cutting??? Poor Griselda is really just working with what she has. There was a bar of soap in the bathroom wrapped up as always.... but this bar of soap looked like it made it's way under someones shoe before it ended up on the freshly folded wash cloths beside the sink.

I wish I wasn't such a cheap bastard. I don't think we'll be staying at the 6 again.

The quilt above is my inspiration for 2009.

I think more and more each day, that I am becoming such an old lady....