Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, in English) is a Mexican celebration of one's ancestors on November 1 and 2.  It is believed "that the gates of Heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and the spirits of all deceased children are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours.  On November 2, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities..."  source

I bought this little figure at Target last month.

I take time during Day of the Dead to remember and celebrate the critters that have been part of our family and have passed on.  Each is precious.

Murphy, the gentle giant who taught me to love dogs.

Cindy.  Still my best Christmas present ever.

Amy.  Barn cat, turned house cat, born deaf ... and she never knew that that was supposed to be a handicap.

Emma.  The precious soul who started my journey into the wonderful world of Greyhounds.

Maggie.  My miracle survivor cat.  The friendliest cat ever.

Daniel.  The dog who picked me.  

Kimba.  The Queen of Hartwood.

... and Winnie.  What can I say about this wonderful little dog ... I adored her.

I gathered these photos of some of my precious critters, and each of them made me smile.  Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.  I remember each of them with love, and joy, and I am grateful for their presence in our family.

On this final day of Dia de los Muertos, take a moment to remember your precious loved ones, whether they're human or otherwise.  Be still, and I'll bet you can feel them nearby.
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If you'd like to read a lovely, short article about Day of the Dead, click HERE.

Not to be Outdone by Her Sister

Alice found her own toasty place to relax ... on my laptop.

Yes, she's on the kitchen counter ... but it's the tall bar counter, so we look the other way most of the time.  Beside her to the left is a contraband hair tie that she has obviously stolen from the dish in my bathroom. 

Oh, I just noticed that you can see the finished crown molding in this photo, too!!  (As soon as I get some decent light in here, I'll take photos and do a true reveal on the molding ... it looks SO GOOD!)

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This post edited to add:

After I hit 'publish' on this post, I walked away from the laptop for a SECOND, and I found THIS when I returned:

lousy photo quality, but you get the idea.  Bad kitty.

How Dorothy Fights off the Chill of Winter

Dorothy has figured out how to stay warm when the weather outside is cold and damp and house is chilly.  We regularly find her napping on the radiator in our foyer.

I'm so thankful that my camera was in my pocket, so I could carefully capture the scene without disturbing her. 

Queen of All She Surveys

Visitors here are usually greeted by Kimba, our outdoor cat.  I tell folks that she conveyed with the house, when we bought it in 2002.

She was very wary of us, and all other humans in the beginning ... for a long time, in fact.  It took two years before I could get close enough to her to touch her.  I would sit quietly on the porch, beside her food dish, so she became comfortable with my presence.  Gradually, I could get closer and closer to her ... until she would finally let me pet her.  It was such an accomplishment!

I was told by the previous owners of our house that Kimba came here in 1996, and that "she was old then" ... whatever that means.  I take it to mean that she was an adult cat at the time, a minimum of three years old.  Doing a quick bit of math, we calculate that Kimba has been here for 15 years, which makes her at least 18 years old!  Our veterinarian concurs with this estimate.  What a ripe old age this is for an outdoor cat!

She spotted me, and she's coming over for a hug.

Until a couple of years ago, Kimba was quite a hunter ... she didn't care for the heads of her prey, though, and I would find random severed heads around the house from time to time.  Her hearing is pretty much gone now, so hunting really isn't an option anymore.  I think she did it mostly for sport and because of instinct, because we have always kept fresh food and water out for her at all times.

Kimba is a fixture here at Hartwood Manor.  She has shelter with a heated bed to stay warm and dry in the winter, and access to our cool garage in the heat of summer.  Bringing her into the house to live has never been an option, because the outdoors is her domain and it is where she is happiest.  She sleeps on the porch most of the time now, but I catch her prowling around from time to time ... as if she's checking up on the subjects in her kingdom. 

At her age, we know that every day with Kimba is a gift.  Her health is incredibly good considering how old she is.  (She had surgery to remove a mass on her face in early spring, and she handled both the surgery and the recovery like a cat half her age.)  Everything has a lifespan, though, and it just won't be the same here without her when her time comes.  Fortunately, it looks like we won't have to deal with that anytime soon.

Sunday Snapshot.

Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready to go to the Richmond Rose Society's Christmas Brunch, I rounded the corner into the dining room and I saw this ...

There were Alice and Dorothy, sitting contentedly, sharing their precious paper grocery bag.  (Doesn't everyone you know store a pile of molding in their dining room?)

I immediately thought, "Please stay there till I get my camera!!"

At eight months old, they almost look like big girls now.  That's Alice's fluffy tail curled around behind Dorothy.

"If we don't look at her, maybe she'll stop this and go away."

This was too cute not to share.  I hope you had a good weekend.

Sincerely,

Connie

Maggie Marks a Milestone

I first introduced you to Maggie in THIS post from October 2009.  She is my miracle cat, and the miracle keeps getting better and better.

Sweet Maggie, relaxing in a sunshine puddle.

Today is the 7th anniversary of Maggie's first visit to South Paws Referral Clinic, a day she would have died if she hadn't received the specialized care the staff at South Paws gave her.  (My post about South Paws earlier this year, with a look at their comfortable, homey decor, is HERE.)  She was a very sick kitty, requiring two days in intensive care, and 24/7 care at home for days afterward.

Test after test after test was performed on Maggie, and we found that she has Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA), which is an autoimmune condition where her body's immune system attacks and destroys her own blood cells.  When we first went to SouthPaws, she had less than 25% of the red cells she should have had ... and was down to 10% of her platelets.  To control this, she has lived on varying doses of steroids and cyclosporine (a human anti-rejection drug) to control her rogue immune system.  Contrary to the expectations set forth by her doctors, she has thrived and is now looking forward to celebrating her 10th birthday.

Over the years, Maggie has spent many an afternoon in this carrier going to and from veterinary appointments.

Last spring, probably as a result of her prolonged use of cyclosporine, Maggie developed Hodgkin's Lymphona (which is very rare in cats).  She had surgery to remove a large cancerous lymph node in her neck, and received 4 rounds of CCNU chemotherapy.  Again, contrary to the expectations of her doctors, Maggie is in remission, and is as healthy as can be.

If I'm sitting still, Maggie is probably in my lap like this.

For the past year during her oncology check-ups, Maggie has had blood tests done to monitor her IMHA.  Each test has come back completely normal ... something that had never happened since she was diagnosed in 2003.  At her last check-up a month ago, her oncologist told me that she theorizes that Maggie's chemotherapy treatments may have destroyed the rogue lymphocytes that were causing her anemia.  She also told me that she wants to wean Maggie off of her medications, and see how she progresses.

"Mom, can you stop taking my picture and let me sit in your lap?"  (Yes, these are Desert Storm-era fatigue pants that I'm wearing.)

This week, I gave Maggie what we hope will be her final dose of cyclosporine.  I will continue to give her steroids twice a week for the next month, when we will do blood tests to make sure everything is still stable.  If her bloodwork is good, we will reduce her steroids and try to get her off of them, too. 

Can you tell that Maggie really wants me to pick her up?

Maggie looks and feels wonderful now.  Her eyes are bright, her fur is soft and puffy, and her attitude couldn't be better.  She is my miracle cat ... the cat who picked me ... and I am thankful every day that we made the decision to treat her when she was so deathly ill seven years ago.  It has been an emotional (and very expensive) ride, and she is worth it.

Weekend Hodgepodge

I almost always have a camera in my pocket.  The weather was beautiful today, making for quite a few photo opportunities to share.

It has been a while since I shared roses with you.  (It's also been months and months since I participated in Garden Bloggers Bloom Day over at May Dreams Gardens.  Follow the link and run over there once you finish here, and you can see what other garden bloggers have blooming in their gardens today.)  We have had frost here most mornings for the past week, but there are still roses to see.  Some of the ones still blooming today are ...

This is 'Awakening'.  It is a sport (mutation) of New Dawn ... the flowers have about twice as many petals as New Dawn, which make them very full and romantic looking.  It is a rose which deserves to be better known.  I'm doing what I can to make that happen.

I am fascinated by a climber that I bought a few years ago as 'Heidelberg'.  (It may not be.)  This rose is blooming like crazy ... with bright red flowers along with ripe orange hips.  The combination is intriguing and beautiful.

Another climber that is putting on a show is the fabulous 'Compassion'.  I cannot say enough wonderful things about this rose ... look at this spray of flowers.  It's a ready-made bouquet!  I wish you could smell the sweet fragrance.

Today was Day 5 of working on the garden of English Roses by the barn.  Yesterday, my friend Robert came over and we sorted through the roses and placed each one in its correct spot.  He dug all the holes, I planted half of the roses, and I felt like we made great progress.  Today, I finished planting the roses, I raked out the extra soil from the holes, and The Husband began to cut the timbers that will border the beds.

The harsh, low-angle, late autumn sunlight makes it a challenge to photograph outdoors.  Tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy, so perhaps I can get some better shots then.  (Look how tiny the roses are!)

As I walked back to the house, I loved the long shadows and the sunlight on the side of the house, and the contrasts between the blue sky and the brown bricks. 

The late afternoon sun lit the brown leaves of the large oak tree in our front yard, making it glow.  These leaves will probably all be on the lawn by the end of next week.

While The Husband and I were working outside, the cats were in the house doing what cats do.  Amy was holding down her position on her quilt on the church pew in the dining room.

Alice was keeping watch from the family room window sill.

Maggie and Dorothy napped together on the down throw on the sofa.

We will spend the evening watching hockey (Did you know that I am a serious hockey fan?) and having Vinnie's stromboli with beer for dinner.  It's a perfect way to end the weekend.

Did you have a nice weekend?

(written by Hartwood Roses.  Hartwood Roses blog.)

Chilly Morning

Fall is definitely in the air!  The temperature the past few mornings has been below 50 degrees (that's 10 for our friends who are accustomed to the Celsius scale).  Yesterday, as the temperature in the house fell to 64, I caved and fired up the boiler.  This old, solid brick house is a huge thermal mass, a lot like a Thermos bottle ... it stays warm when it's warm, and it stays cool when it's cold ... and I'm cold. 

The chilly temps make it hard for me to get motivated in the morning.  It's great for sitting under a down throw with a cup of coffee, working (or playing) on the computer, and cuddling with cats ... and bad for getting dressed, heading outside, and getting outdoor stuff accomplished .  So here I sit, on the couch in the family room, surrounded by sleeping animals.

Daniel is sacked out on the bed in front of the TV, and Emma (who I can't see from here) is sleeping on her bed in the bay to Daniel's right.

Dorothy is curled up beside me.  I can't believe how much she looks like a big kitty now!

And Alice is sleeping next to Maggie on the other end of the couch.

It's time for me to get up from here and try to accomplish some real work today.  Saturday is my last Open Garden day for the year, and I'd like to have my garden look better than it does when visitors arrive.  Sunday, I'm hosting the first meeting for the Old Dominion Heritage Roses Group, with very special guests who have never seen my garden ... I'd better get my butt into gear and stop wasting time on the computer. 

Love you guys, but I gotta go.
Connie

A Little of This and a Little of That

The weather this morning is totally spectacular!!  Bright blue skies with wispy clouds, and temps in the low 60's.  Fall is definitely in the air, and I like it!

Dorothy and Alice have been allowed into 'population', with minimal supervision, for the past three days.  They're getting used to having run of the house, and things are going as I expected.  Maggie and Amy don't like it one bit, however.  Whenever the babies invade one of the older cat's space, there's a lot of hissing and growling ... until one of them retreats.  I still keep them in the guest room at night, so I don't have to worry about what they're getting into while we are asleep.

I think the baby sisters must be especially tough for Amy, since she's deaf.  I try to keep watch for her, so the babies don't startle her too badly.

Having the kittens around has required quite a bit of an adjustment on my part.  See what happens if I walk away and leave the laptop open?  Alice is sitting on the keyboard, and Dorothy is waiting her turn.

Even when I remembered to close it this time, Dorothy was there waiting patiently to cause mayhem as soon as I return.  (Mayhem is what kittens do best.)

On a completely different subject, this is the rug I scored on eBay over the weekend.  I LOVE oriental rugs ... especially weird ones with mistakes or inconsistencies in them.  Look at the two-headed whatever-those-animals-are!!  How charming is this!  I got it from the same dealer as most of the rest of my eBay rugs, and I can't wait till it gets here.  After a quick vacuum and bath in the driveway, it should look great in the hall in front of our basement door.  (speaking of eBay, my auctions are getting some decent traffic.  I'm pleased so far.)

It's time for me to go outside and get some things accomplished.  Today should be a good day to take cuttings to try to replenish my stock of next year's roses.  Wish me luck.

Happy Labor Day, Everyone!

Connie

(written by Hartwood Roses.  Hartwood Roses blog.)

Reality Check

I was outside today, rearranging and assessing the cuttings on my propagation bench, and things are not looking good.  For some reason I cannot explain, I am having catastrophic loss of cuttings ... with only about a 25% success rate overall.  I have some varieties, most of which I have rooted successfully in the past, where every single cutting has died!

After I finished sorting, I had 4 flats of dead cuttings, one flat of live not-yet-rooted cuttings, and half a flat that had roots.  Percentages like this will NOT make for a good inventory next year.

I had hoped to have a good propagation this summer, so I wouldn't have unrooted cuttings to heat in the greenhouse over the winter (like I did last year).  This, obviously, is not going to be the case.  I guess the only thing I can do is to take more cuttings and see what happens.  If I knew what went wrong, this would be a whole lot less stressful.

Alice, looking out the window.

On a brighter note, the kittens are settling in very nicely.  I began their transition into the rest of the house on Monday evening.  We sat in the family room watching TV, while the kittens explored and I reminded the dogs not to make eye contact with them.  Emma and Daniel have always been supremely cat safe in the house, but I feel it's important to reinforce this.  We don't want their instinct to chase taking over as a kitten goes flying through the room, like kittens do.

Dorothy, scratching on her cat tree.

We had them out again yesterday evening, with run of the family room and kitchen/dining room.  The dogs are doing fine ... it's our other two cats who have their noses out of joint.  We've had a bit of hissing and spitting, which is to be expected.  Eventually, they will work out the house rules among themselves.  As long as we take it slow with the introductions, things shouldn't get out of hand.

Thank you for all of your kind comments and emails about Emma. She had a really bad couple of days on Sunday and Monday, and she began to show signs of improvement on Tuesday. Our vet figured that she got herself all worked up and totally over-stressed when she was staying at our friends' house last week while we were out of town. Today, she is much better ... eating well, walking better, and is definitely on the road to being her old self.


(written by Hartwood Roses.  Hartwood Roses blog.)

Kittens are the Best Medicine

I would like to present to you the cutest kittens in the entire world ... who now have NAMES!!!

Drum roll, please.

Introducing . . . . .

Alice

and Dorothy.

Their personalities fit their names perfectly.

Alice ...

Alice in Wonderland ...

brave, practical, funny, adventurous.

Dorothy is using the wastebasket as a cat fort.

Dorothy ...

Dorothy Gale, who was swept away to Oz, and made success of the situation ...

resourceful, friendly, and kind.

Dorothy (sitting) and Alice (laying down) on the bench at the vet on Tuesday.

These kittens are the most wonderful things that could have appeared here right now. No one can be stressed or depressed when there are kittens around. I wish I could show you the Mini-WWF battle that's going on between them from the middle of the bedroom floor to the bathtub. Dorothy just jumped up from behind the shower curtain, and shoved Alice off the edge of the tub.  They sound like ponies as they run back and forth.

Dorothy (left) and Alice (right) snuggling on the cat tree.

The babies are both working to develop their computer skills. I absolutely have to close my lap top if I'm not right here, because I never know what I'll come back to. Within the past few days, one or both of them has (1) changed my screen resolution, (2) turned off the wireless connection, (3) edited a blog post, (4) typed a whole row of Question Marks (think about that one ... it requires the shift key), and (5) tried to send email. I'm fairly certain that they would figure out how to download Kitty porn if left to their own for too long. 
[edited to add ... I had to scramble to fix this post a  few minutes ago, because Alice published it while it was still a draft, before I could add any of the photos.]

Alice wants to help.

Alice, gnawing on my knee.

 

I'll get back to writing about the garden and all of my renovation projects tomorrow.  Thank you for indulging me this time to show you the kitties.  This is a big deal around here, and I REALLY wanted to share it with all of you. Expect to see more antics with Alice and Dorothy from time to time, with lots of photos, as they grow and become full-fledged members of the menagerie. Maggie and Amy are NOT going to be happy.

Dorothy in the sunshine.

I visited a friend's rose garden on Thursday, and I have pretty pictures to show you. I think I should have them up tomorrow. Till then ...

Have a great weekend.
Connie

(written by Hartwood Roses.  Hartwood Roses blog.)