Happy Birthday, Maggie!

On April 1 (or thereabouts) our dear Maggie will turn 11.  She came to us at approximately four months old, as a kitten from the PetsMart adoption area.  There was something about that little calico kitten that spoke to me ... I knew she was mine.  It must have been the eyes.

Our first few months with Maggie were fairly normal ... then she started having weird health issues.  Over the course of the summer, our vet ran test after test, (FIV, negative.  FeLV, negative.  Everything we could think of, negative.) but no diagnosis was to be had.  In November 2002, Maggie got worse.  She was listless and refused to eat and we went to our regular vet ... who immediately sent us to the emergency department at Southpaws (a veterinary specialty practice).

Blood tests revealed that Maggie was dangerously anemic and her blood platelet count was only 10% of what is should have been.  She spent two days in Southpaws' intensive care unit, being treated with fluids and large doses of steroids.  Even when I brought her home, I still wasn't sure that she was going to make it.  All she wanted to do was 'hide' in my bathtub ... so she hid, and I sat in the bathtub with her and cradled her and tried to entice her to eat.

After a few more very dicey days, Maggie began to slowly regain her strength.  More tests revealed that Maggie had Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia, an autoimmune disorder where Maggie's own immune system attacked her blood cells ... and she would most likely require steroids and Cyclosporin, an expensive immune suppression drug, for the rest of her life.  (IMHA is very rare in cats.  My vet has only seen one other case in her whole career, and those owners chose to euthanize, so we were operating in almost uncharted territory.)

Maggie responded well to treatment, and life around here was pretty normal ... until right before Maggie turned eight.  I was petting her one day and I found a lump on her neck underneath her chin.  Back to the vet we went ... Lymphoma ... probably caused by her years on immune suppression drugs.  We scheduled delicate surgery to remove the cancerous lymph node (Bless you, Dr. Bradley) and a biopsy to determine where we went from there.  Biopsy results ... Hodgkins' Type Lymphoma, which is rare in cats and was treatable. 

Maggie received six rounds of chemotherapy (CCNU, to be exact) and she has been practically perfect ever since.  So good, in fact, that her oncologist weaned her off the Cyclosporin last year, because Maggie's bloodwork was the best it has ever been.  The doctor theorizes that the chemotherapy probably knocked out both the cancer AND the agent that was causing her IMHA.  Maggie will always be on a low dose of steroids, though, because her immune system will never behave normally.  Half of a methylprednisolone tablet every two or three days before breakfast, and she's good to go.

I tell this story every year to place Maggie's history online, so anyone who has a cat with a similar diagnosis can know that there may be hope and a future with an IMHA cat.  When Maggie was diagnosed, there was nothing out there to read to offer any kind of reassurance.  There IS hope, and Maggie is proof.

When Maggie was at our vet's for her regular check-up recently, her doctor brought a visiting resident student into the room to meet us.  The doctor looked at me, pointed to the student, and said, "She's never going to see another one of these ... tell her Maggie's story."

It's amazing to think that Maggie has been with us this long, considering how much she's been through.  The force is strong in this one, as they said in Star Wars.  If you have visited here, you have met Maggie ... because she greets everyone at the door, demanding attention and begging to be petted. 

There's just something about Maggie that is wise beyond her limitations as a cat ... perhaps she's doing some evolutionary pennance, spending lives as a cat as punishment for some sort of world domination plot in a past life.  I wouldn't be surprised if this was true.

Happy Birthday, my dear Maggie!!  Eleven already?  It can't be.  It was only a few days ago that I was standing in PetsMart, cradling you and trying to shoosh my inner voice that was screaming at me to take you home.  Our home is a richer place because of you ... but you know that already.

Sunday Snapshot ... Getting to Know Ruby

Today is Ruby's seventh day with us.  In that time, we have learned a lot about her, and she is quickly learning what we expect of her. 

Yesterday afternoon, we made a discovery.  In her last house (wherever that was ... we don't know, since she was a stray) Ruby must have been allowed to sleep on the furniture.  She has been trying all week to get up onto the sofa with us, and we have never allowed our dogs on the furniture so we would not let her do it.  Yesterday, in the blink of an eye, she hopped up, settled in, and looked totally comfortable and happy.  I looked at The Husband on the other end of the sofa, he looked at me, we both shrugged and decided that we didn't mind having her there.

It was comforting to have her to snuggle with last night.  My face is really swollen from my dental work on Friday, and all I did yesterday was hang out on the couch, ice my face, read blogs, and watch TV.  (Getting used to this seemingly-enormous gap in my smile, and the stupid little temporary denture tooth is difficult, and I'm trying not to be crabby about it.)  It's as if Ruby knows this and is doing her best to make it better.

The cats are a bit out of sorts with this interloper invading what they think is THEIR territory.  Alice and Maggie are sort of okay with it, as long as Ruby stays on HER side of the lap and doesn't move too much or touch them.  Dorothy is still leery of Ruby, but she's getting better.

"I can't believe you're letting a DOG up onto the sofa," says Alice.

As I sat here earlier this morning, with a cat on one side of my lap and Ruby on the other, I was contemplating a bit of furniture rearranging.  Later today, we'll move things around and see if my idea works.

Happy Sunday, Everyone!  I hope you have someone you love to snuggle with.

A Little of Everything This Morning

There's a lot going on right now.  I have already spent some time this morning gathering my thoughts and trying to put things into their place ... getting a plan in place to deal with what I have to (or want to) do for the next few days.

Later this morning, I have an appointment at the periodontist for a dental implant.  Most folks would run screaming from the idea of this, but I welcome it ... I'm to that point with this loose crown of mine.  It's a front tooth, this is the third crown in this location, and the dentist is pretty certain that it's loose this time because the root is cracked.  I expect to come home later today with my head in a sling.

I know that Ruby will be here to comfort me when my anesthesia wears off.  She is such a love!  I never have to worry about where she is, because she's within a step or two of me at all times.  This makes it been really hard to try to get decent photos of her.  I'm working on it.

Right now, she's snoozing in her crate.  I have never had a dog with a crate before, and it's been a learning experience for me.  It's a great sense of security for me, knowing that she's confined and can't get into things and hurt herself when I'm not around.  Oh the other hand, I now have a new decorative element in my family room bay window.

The cats think that they have a new place to nap.  I have pulled both Alice and Maggie out of Ruby's crate multiple times during the last few days.  Ruby defers to the cats (good dog!) and we don't want the cats establishing territory in Ruby's safe place.

Right now, Maggie is napping in her primary spot ... in the south-facing window behind me, watching the birds outside.

The DC Big Flea is this weekend.  I love this show, but I am not planning to go this time.  There's nothing that I need, it's a bit of a drive, and I'm planning a very low-key weekend ... since I have no doubt that my head will be throbbing. 

I read on a blog yesterday that Eddie Ross is in town this weekend and that he will be leading shopping tours through the show ... at $50 bucks a head.  Am I the only one that thinks it's insane to pay someone to show you what kinds of bargains are available at a flea market?  I don't care who Eddie Ross is or what reputation preceeds him ... I can find my own bargains, thank you very much.  Besides, his first tour starts at 1:00 on Saturday.  The best bargains will be long gone by then.  (Do you think he preshops the place so he can 'find' things when he has his entourage in tow?)

Sorry ... that was catty.  It just bugs me to think that there are folks out there who think they have to follow someone else's lead to do something that they are quite capable of doing themselves.  If you need to shop with someone, grab a friend and make a day of it.  Admission to the show is $8, and you'll have $42 extra dollars to spend on treasures.  (Here's some free shopping advice ... Be sure to visit one of my favorite dealers in Aisle H, Booth #412 under the balloons.  She told me yesterday that everything in her booth is half price.)

A much closer to home place for me to shop for great stuff this weekend is Shumate's Auction in Warrenton (only a half an hour up the road from me.)  If my head will cooperate, I plan to be there on Saturday.  Kathy, the owner and auctioneer, puts together great auctions and there are definitely bargains to be had.  For example, I bought a pair of these beautiful English chairs for a ridiculously low bid at her last auction a few weeks ago.

Our friend Janet scored this dresser.  I wonder what it will look like once she works her Annie Sloan Chalk Paint magic on it?

On Monday, I will be shipping out the first rose orders of the season.  This early spring weather has awakened the nursery roses earlier than I expected, and I quietly put my 2012 rose inventory up on the web site last week.

'Glenn Dale'

Because most of last year's cuttings failed, I have far fewer roses available than I usually do.  This first batch was about 150 plants, and I have about 75 more in the greenhouse that aren't ready for their new homes quite yet.  I usually start the year with about 750 plants, so this year's 225 is pretty disappointing.  The plants I do have are large and healthy ... I'm trying to concentrate on 'glass half full' point of view.

"Caldwell Pink"

I should stop stalling, get up from this couch, and hit the shower to get ready to start my day.  My appointment is at 10:00.  My periodontist is awesome, but I could probably still use whatever good thoughts you can send my way.

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Edited at 1:30pm to add:  I've been home from my appointment for a little while now.  This procedure was almost a piece of cake ... didn't feel a thing after the first sting of the needle.  I have most of the feeling back in my face now.  Earlier, it felt like I was numb all the way to my earlobes, which is a good thing for dental work.  The periodontist couldn't place the actual implant today, so I have a bone graft, some stitches, and a tooth on a 'flipper', just like the little pageant girls wear.  This wasn't what we hoped for, but at least I'm not bothered by that awful loose crown anymore. 

Roses in Bags ... Just Say No!

It's that time of year again!  Just as we are at our lowest point after enduring the cold and darkness of winter, in mid-to-late February, the Roses in Bags arrive to tempt us with their promise of summer.

At $4.57, what's the harm in picking up a few of these babies?

Almost all of these are lovely older varieties ... ones that our mothers and grandmothers grew.  Tempting, so tempting. 

The canes on these look pretty good.  Most of them are green and firm.  I see a little bit of canker and a few dead canes, but not many.  If they stay outside in the sunshine for much longer, this situation will deteriorate really quickly.

The main problem with these roses is the way they were grown and the way they were handled prior to their arrival in the store. These canes that you see have very little root in those tiny bags to support any sort of vigorous growth. In a bare root rose, root mass should AT LEAST equal the mass of the top canes ... and more roots than that are even better.

Careless handling during digging and packaging leads to mix-ups.  Way too many of these labels are meaningless, because the rose in the bag may not be the one on the label.  If this happens, there's no one to contact for a replacement.  (Don't even get me started on how they were displayed out in the open, in the sunshine, at the store.  This is a recipe for failure, and a clear disregard for the quality of their product.)

In this display, there was also a section of roses in larger pots.  Just say no to these, too.  Though the canes on these were a little bit larger than the ones in the bags, I'll bet they also have tiny, hacked off roots lurking in those pots.  The label says the pot is plantable and bio-degradable ... a great way for the packaging to conceal the truth in the pot.

Those of you who have been around here for a while know that I do this every year, trying my best to save all of you some money and some heartache.  Here's my best advice, if you have a weak moment and cannot resist the siren song of these roses ... you get what you pay for.  If you buy these expecting to have a high-quality rose garden for very little money, you will probably be disappointed.  If you want to buy one or two just to see what happens, this is a better attitude.  If you walk away shaking your head, I have done my job.

If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them via comments or email.

Afternoon Snack

The photo below is to share with you what I did when the munchies ambushed me earlier this afternoon.

Girl Scout Trefoil cookies

with Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter (thank you, Karen!)

and Apricot preserves,

and a cup of Constant Comment tea.

Yum!

Meet Ruby!

Yesterday was a long, long day, and our new dog Ruby is here!!  She and I rolled in at about 8pm, and it's almost as if she's been here forever.  When it's right, it's right ... and this looks to be a completely comfortable match for us. 

Ruby's introduction to Daniel went perfectly, and he is so happy to have another dog in the house!!  Her introduction to the cats went exactly as I anticipated.  Maggie and Alice stood their ground, and Dorothy was nowhere to be found.  Earlier this morning, Dorothy was initially skulking around the periphery ... but now she's getting a little bit more comfortable.

"It's okay, Dorothy," said Alice, in the chair, "This new dog isn't as scary as I thought it would be."

I am thrilled with the way Ruby is fitting in so far.  Granted, it's only been a little over 15 hours at this point ... but this little dog is already worming her way into our family and deep into my heart.

Welcome home, Ruby!!

A Friend for Daniel

I have always known that our Daniel is not the type of dog who can be happy as an only dog.  He has been alone since Emma died in October, and I can see a change in him ... and not for the better.  Daniel needs a friend.

Though we have had greyhounds recently, I'm not married to the idea of having ONLY greyhounds.  Our first dog was a Labrador Retriever (I have to tell you about him some time.), and part of me really wanted to go Labrador again with our next dog.

Even though I have thought this out, and searched rescue organizations and breeders, fate has come knocking and it appears that I don't get a say in the choice of our next dog ... you see, I thoroughly believe that your pets find YOU when the time is right ... and a wonderful dog has decided to become part of our family.

She was a stray who obviously belonged to someone at some point, and she is probably part Labrador and part Border Collie.  A kind person sprung her from a shelter in SW Virginia and took her to a Border Collie Rescue volunteer, who is friends with my sister, and my sister realized that this dog's personality should fit into our family perfectly.  She needs a loving home where she can get individual attention and make a contribution, and Daniel needs a friend. 

In a little while, I will hit the road to Harrisonburg (about 2 hours from here, up and over the mountains) to bring our new dog home.  The rescue group named her Rosie.  Considering what I do around here, this would seem like a perfect name ... but we are changing it to Ruby.  (If you watch Nickelodeon TV, you may be familiar with "Max and Ruby", the brother and sister rabbits ... that's where the name came from.)

Here's the only photo I have of Ruby so far.  She was way too interested in my sister's dogs in the next room, and I couldn't keep her attention long enough to snap a good photo.

Trust me, you will get a LOT more photos as we all to get to know Ruby better.

I'm sure Daniel will be really glad to have a new friend.  The cats won't be so thrilled about it ... but I know they will come around eventually.