A WIN FOR THE KITTIES...

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies.

Today's post is about a serious matter.  While I do not actually KNOW the reason I came across this beautiful kitty, I do know there are far too many instances of people dropping animals off somewhere where they believe "Oh, they'll be fine.  There are plenty of things for them to eat and water nearby.  They can fend for themselves."  The ultimate shame on those who do this.  Don't EVER let me catch you doing it.

So... early Monday morning I headed out on my daily walk.  I was looking around and thinking about the blackberries I would be picking shortly.  Yum!  I noticed something in the road ahead.  For a brief moment, I thought "That looks like a cat's back."  I continued to watch it but there was no movement.  I then began to think perhaps it was a bag with some trash in it that just was on the road in such a way that it appeared to be an animal.  When I got close enough to really see it, I saw it was indeed a small cat.  I thought perhaps it had been hit by a vehicle as it did not appear to move.  I really didn't want to have to deal with this kind of sadness the first thing in the morning... but I had to check it out.

Just as I was close enough to kneel down and get a closer look, it raised its head just a bit.  Its eyes were open but it still did not move.  Now I was extremely concerned as I feared it had been hit and seriously injured.  I did not move quickly but I settled down in the road next to it.  I slowly extended my hand which it viewed warily but without moving.  I finally placed my hand on its back to gently stroke it and determine if I could tell whether it was injured.  It sat quietly allowing me to touch it.  I could feel every single vertebrae along that cat's back.  Several vehicles drove by, probably wondering what the HELL a grown woman was doing in the middle of a lane on a two-lane road.  They did all slow down and go by as far away from us as possible.  The cat did appear frightened with each vehicle's approach but simply did not move from under my hand.

I called the spousal-unit (bless his heart!) and told him to get a box, a towel, and come quickly to our aid.  He assured me he would be there as soon as he could put some clothes on!!  (Poor man.)  I told him I thought we were probably going to need to take it to the vet to have it put to sleep as I feared it was injured.  Before he arrived, the little cat actually stood up, took a few wobbly steps (proving that all four legs were in good shape although weak), then collapsed against my leg.  I was certainly encouraged by this movement.  Seems the poor kitty was simply too tired for fight or flight and just wanted something that didn't frighten it... and that was apparently me.

The Man arrived in short order with the box and towel requested.  I picked the little thing up and placed it in the box.  Its legs just collapsed underneath it as though it knew it didn't have to be concerned anymore.  We drove to the vet's office.  We found some water and I tried to get the little thing to drink a bit but it just didn't seem interested.  I was very concerned about this little kitty.  After a glaring lack of customer service by the young lady at the front desk (I will be talking to the vet about that once this situation is resolved), we did see the vet.

The vet (whom I love) checked it out, told us it was a female, between 6 months and a year old, and was emaciated... which I already knew.  A quick sit on the scale showed her to be 3.5 pounds.  After a brief conversation about it, he said he would see how aggressively it went after some food before making a determination.  When he put that open can of food pulled from the refrigerator in front of that cat's nose, that little girl absolutely DOVE into it!!  She shoved her face into that can and just started woofing it down!  He put two tablespoons full of food on the exam table and she just inhaled it.  That was all she was allowed as she would have made herself ill eating too much after nearly starving.  This certainly improved her prognosis.

So... we left her there for a Feline Leukemia test (which has been run and is negative) and to be wormed and bathed (glad I'm not doing that!).  She was full of burrs in her long hair so there is going to be a lot of grooming necessary!  They are going to keep her for a couple of days to make sure she recovers in a quiet environment.  Then... I will retrieve her, pay her bill, and present her to her new owner!  There is a gentleman we know at the local airport who loves cats.  His house cat died recently and he does not have a replacement... until now.  :)  She is definitely going to a good home!!  I'm so glad.

I typed this on Monday afternoon but have held it until now as I wanted you all to see how she is after all of her trauma and recovery.  She is still very weak but ate heartily at the vet's office.  They are quite comfortable she will fully recover and be a beautiful, small cat.  I wish her a wonderful life with The Colonel!!

Remember that the way you treat animals reflects on you as a person.  Be a bright light.

Until next post...

WHERE Y'ALL FROM?

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Pals!!

The title today is to let you know the direction we are taking.  The post is about the South and some of its best things.  Those of you who are already true Southerners won't need the introductions... but those who aren't could benefit from a little "edjimication" on a couple of things Southern.

"Where y'all from?" typically follows an introduction to anyone you don't know.  (By the way, "y'all" applies to one individual or an entire stateful.)  While it is not truly important where the other party is from, it does provide an immediate conversation-starter without having to think too much.  :)  Additionally, it provides one with a bit of information that might be helpful in guiding further conversation (or at least letting one know what NOT to discuss!).

If "y'all" is from somewhere nearby... or at least within the confines of the state boundaries... the next standard question is "Whoor your people?"  Yes, I intended to spell it that way.  Both of these questions don't actually require a true verb but a semblance of one is provided in the second question.

With that information in your toolbox, let's talk about a couple of things that make spring a GREAT time to be in the South!  (They could also come in handy if you find yourself hiding in the woods after accidentally landing in the South finding yourself afraid of the natives and not understanding the language!)

The following pics show you a honeysuckle vine in full bloom.  The pure white blossoms are the newest.  The slightly beige ones are older.

The name "honeysuckle" is perfect for these vines.  You can, indeed, wrangle a drop of the sweetest, honey-tasting liquid from each blossom as long as you know how.  Most young'uns raised in the South learn it from parents who were taught by their parents or from peers who have been taught.  If you aren't from around here, check out this YouTube video for proper honeysuckle etiquette.  While it is a lot of work for just a little reward, I still recommend it.  It's like eating crawfish.  There are easier things to eat... but they just aren't quite the same!

Another wonderful thing about spring in the South is the appearance of wild blackberry vines!!  We used to pick them by the bucketful as kids, eating as many as we captured (proven by our purple fingers and lips), to be made into homemade blackberry cobbler.  YUM!!  Top that with homemade ice cream... well, I don't think Heaven is going to be quite as good.

First come the bright, white blooms, alerting one to the areas where one should return for the harvest.  Next, small, hard green berries appear which nothing seems interested in eating.  After that, the green turns to a bright red where some berries are lost to creatures of the forest that apparently do not mind a VERY sour taste!  (Don't make that mistake yourself.)  Finally, the berries turn nearly black, fat, sweet, and ready for picking.  The tricky part is that every stage of berry is present on a given vine making it necessary to pick by hand.  My morning walks provide me with a couple of handsful to enjoy as I continue on my way.

I hope those of you who have yet to enjoy some of the simplest yet sweetest pleasures of life will have (and take!!) the opportunity to do so at some point.  While you are working to extract that drop of sweet liquid from the honeysuckle or carefully stepping into clearly snake-territory to capture some blackberries, you won't have time to worry about all of those things that keep you from enjoying your life.  Live a little.  And think of me while you are doing so!!  :)

Until next time...

TIRE GARDEN TIME AGAIN!!!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!!  Welcome!

Well, it is that time of year again... when sad, discarded tires are revived with fresh soil and compost in preparation to become the bearers of wonderful goodies from the vine!! Hooray!! A few photos for you to check out as the garden begins its 2013 season.

 



Two tires are planted with flowers this year...



... to allow the soil to "rest" from tomato crops.





The Persian Lime tree budded out beautifully!





Satsuma bloom detail... all five trees are loaded!!



One month later, the flowers have shot up (as has the fennel planted with them to deter squirrels!) and it is warm enough to put the 'mater plants in the ground!!  Trying out the latest from Gardeners Supply Company called a "Tomato Halo" to see if there is an increase in crop this year.  Will let you know!



Flowers and Fennel



Happy Tomato and Sweet Pepper plants with red mulch




Cherry Tomato plants close enough to munch anytime!

 It looks like we're ready to grow!  Hoping for lots of sunshine and proper amounts of rain...

Until next time...

JASPER AIR SHOW FUN!! - PART TWO

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!!  Welcome back!

I wanted to provide you with a few more photos from the Jasper Air Show.

For those of you whose parents were at early adulthood in 1941 (my parents married on February 1, 1941), you likely heard from them at some point  how they were affected when hearing about the Japanese attacking Pearl Harbor.  It may be similar to how you remember so vividly the events around the assassination of John F. Kennedy although you may not have understood it all at that time.  At any rate, I am mentioning this as there is an airshow staple simply called "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (meaning Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!).  Here is the link to the history of the reenactment.  It is worth the time to read and I urge you to do so at some point.

While the Jasper Air Show was not large enough to support the full-blown, pyrotechnic reenactment, the Commemorative Air Force did provide a modified, smaller show that still brings folks to a halt as they hear the warning sirens, the sounds of bombing and machine gun fire, and the recorded statement of President Franklin D. Roosevelt declaring war on the Japanese on December 8, 1941.  The Jasper Air Show had six T-6 aircraft, four painted as the Japanese "Zero", a Mitsubishi plane that was fast and maneuverable  and two painted up as U.S. fighters, only a few of which actually made it into the skies after the surprise attack began.  Here they are:




The "Japanese Zero" fleet with the Rising Sun flag waving.



The planes took off and set up for the show.  These pilots practice the choreography constantly.  The planes weave in and out and around, separating and coming back together with much flying in between.  The first two shots below are the "U.S." planes with the last two shots the "Japanese" planes roaring past.

This concludes the Jasper Air Show posts.  The moment I am taking now is my soapbox.  If my soapboxes have annoyed you in the past, feel free to click "close" for your browser or "delete" for this email now.  :)

While you have likely heard variations of the quote, George Santayana wrote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" in his book, Reason in Common Sense.  Many of our parents had Pearl Harbor as a defining moment in their lives.  Many of us have September 11, 2001 as the most chilling moment of our lives thus far.  Over 2300 souls were lost on December 7, 1941, with nearly 3000 gone on September 11th.  Both events took less than two hours to actually occur.  While both took place for apparently very different reasons, remember that we should never feel "safe" from those who would do us harm.  Both attacks were well-planned surprises with the intent of killing Americans and bringing us to our knees.  With some sense of pride, I say we only were on our knees briefly, mostly to pray, before rising up and fighting back long and hard.  But don't think something similar can't happen in the future.  Make sure your children and your grandchildren know about both of these events.  You do them no favor by "shielding" them from something difficult to remember.  Forewarned is forearmed.

Thank you for sticking with me if you have made it this far.  I try to simply inform and entertain... but there are certain times I feel compelled to provide you with a little more.

Happy Spring!!!  Enjoy!!

Until next post...

JASPER AIR SHOW FUN!! - PART ONE

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!  It appears I have been remiss (again) and did not post at all during the month of March!

While I have no real excuse, I ask your forgiveness.  This post is to provide you with some of the fun we experienced at the Jasper (TX) Air Show the weekend of March 16/17.  Unfortunately, the T-6 Texan aircraft I mentioned previously cancelled its appearance so there was no exciting ride to share with you this year.  There was still plenty of fun to be had so take a peek!!

When we arrived, there were plenty of displays to see.

An A-7D Corsair II cockpit tour and photo was available.  We watched a couple of kids get "suited up" and climb aboard.  While it's not a ride, it does expose the young'uns to a little bit of history.

There was a section of RC (Remote Controlled) airplanes that looked like a little airport all its own!!  We watched some of the owners flying these little guys and it was great fun.  They were very fast and very aerobatic.

There were a number of planes there that were strictly on display and not flown during the show although they obviously fly as they flew in and would fly out when the show was over.  A couple of these caught my eye.

There were a couple of Birddogs there including one owned by my Stearman pal, Mr. Bonnie Lee "Swamp" Smith.

At Noon, the actual flying portion of the day began.  We were treated to a lot of excellent aerobatics.  A few of the acts we saw...

A little Acrostar mini jet, used when filming a James Bond movie, just raced through the sky!!  It screamed when flying by and was incredibly maneuverable.

There was a gentleman who did things with his bi-plane that you just couldn't believe!!  Flying straight and low is one thing.  Flying with the nose pointed at the sky and the tail nearly brushing the ground... well, that's just amazing!

Do NOT miss going to this link to read about Gene Soucy and his wife, Teresa Stokes, who together flew a wingwalker show!!!  It was insane.  Even knowing she was firmly attached to the plane did not change the amazement as the plane went through all manner of aerobatics with her standing (attached) on the TOP of the plane!!  Yikes!!  He has been flying airshows since 1968 so we aren't talking about a 25-year-old with a need for speed!!  Check it out!

Is she still on top?  Oh YES... she IS!!!

Back on the ground receiving due applause!

I still have a few more photos but will share them with you in another post.  I hope you are encouraged to attend an airshow whenever you have the opportunity... even if it's a small one in a small place.  It can be a lot of fun for the whole family!

Until next post...