The Vet Update

Took Hunter and Amos back to the vet for a re-check.  Hunter is 100% better and Amos will remain on antibiotics for the remainder of his life.  But giving a couple of pills a day is nothing.  I remember having to give IV fluids to a couple of older cats for a long period of time........Even our Schnauzer had to have fluids for a short time. We have had two pets that were diabetic and had shots twice a day.   All our friends used to kid us that we were running an animal hospital annex.  Even now there's a bag of fluids hanging on the wall in the kitty room.

My car got dropped off at the Shell station on Mill plain in Vancouver.  I can't run the heat or the air without the idle dropping and almost killing the engine.  Hopefully I will be able to use the heat on the way home from there.  By the time I got the car there today my nose was below zero.  It was super chilly today.  I don't think we got above 42 degrees.  My husband followed me there and then we took the cats to the vet.  After the vet we went to BI-Mart to get my hair coloring.  I came out of the store and was looking for my Trailblazer until it dawned on me that it was a red pickup I was looking for.  I must have looked really dumb standing there with a blank expression on my face.

This week I start cooking for Thanksgiving. I'll be starting with the corn pudding.  This dish was created during the depression as a meat substitute.  For anyone interested here's the recipe:

Grease a 2 quart oven proof casserole dish.

In the casserole dish empty

1 can of cream style corn
1/4 lb butter melted
1 small jar of chopped pimento's
1 can pitted black olives sliced
1 pint tomato sauce ( 16 fluid ounces)
1 cup yellow corn meal
2 eggs beaten
1 1/4 cup milk
1 medium onion minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika

Stir all ingredients until blended.

Cook at 325 degrees until the center is firm ( a knife should come out clean when inserted into the center)
If you make this ahead of time....don't let the center set.  On the day you wish to serve this dish just put it in the oven again at 325 degrees and cook until the center is set.  This dish will also freeze well when fully cooked.
This is a big favorite in our family...I hope you enjoy it with your family as well.
Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

I'm still here...They haven't beaten me down yet

Sorry......I've been busy with dentist,  doctor and vet appointments all through October.  I'm still not done.   I'll be doing doctor and dentist appointments all through January.  Amos and Hunter have been to the vet several times.  Hunter had a Urinary infection which he must have had for a very long time since he decided to urinate on the carpet in front of me to show he was sick.  There was blood in it.  He just finished a two week round of antibiotics.  He had lost weight and had a dull look in his eyes.  He is now pretty well back to normal and is eating like a little piggy.  Amos, we have determined, must have a growth in his nose.  We have tried every antibiotic we can find and the infection keeps coming back.  We can't afford to have a cat scan on him (at his age) I think we need to just make him comfortable.  I hate to think about saying good bye to another fur child but I know we don't have too long.  The hard part is that Hunter is actually older than Amos.  Though neither one is young...like older than 13 years........It's still too short of a life for my animals.  My cats usually last close to 20 years.  Anyway...I don't want to think about that now.

Thanksgiving is coming very fast.  I shopped  today for all the goodies to cook on Thursday.  I'm not looking forward to all the work but I sure am anxious to see my grand daughter and her significant other Randi.  Misty assured me she would be here for Thanksgiving dinner this year.  Then there's Christmas.....
Oh Lord!  More worry about what to get for everyone and lots of work to do both in decorating the house and yard and then cooking the meal again.

I have my husband's family gifts bought. Now a couple of gift cards and I'm done with buying.  Well maybe not...I still have to get my husband a big fat gift.  It's so hard to buy for someone who hates everything you get for him.  I can even purchase something he said he wanted and he would never use what ever it was because I gave it to him.  I swear I'm not making this up!  Well enough of that.......

I'm hoping for Snow close to Christmas this year.  I love the Christmas lights with snow all around them.  I'm not crazy about the new LED lights though.  They aren't as bright and showy as the old ones.  My husband is going to put them up tomorrow morning I think.  That means this week I will have to put up the huge wreath on the front of the house and the lights, ornaments and topper on the Blue Spruce in the front yard.  Oh, I almost forgot....the air-blown Snowman on the side yard too.  I never got out all the decorations last year so I think I'll start early this year.  I always feel guilty when I don't put them all out.  I don't feel guilty however.....when it's time to put things away because it's a lot faster without all the extra stuff.

I went out to lunch with an old friend of mine last week and we had the best time.  She gave me some advice about our current flea problem.  She uses Cedar chips in her dog run and it keeps the fleas to a dull roar.  I think after the holidays we need to do the same thing.  Our two girls are both California girls and DO NOT like to go potty in the muddy dog run.  It's bad enough that we have made them come to a colder and wetter climate....but now we expect them to use a muddy bog instead of soft green (dry) grass?????  How uncivilized!  I'm hoping that the cedar chips or shavings will entice them into using the dog run again.
Have a pleasant one today
Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place's

Chocolate Cake and Cherry's Wheels

Tomorrow we go to the dentist.  Both my husband and myself.  We are supposed to have our teeth cleaned but I think I'm going to change the procedure.  I have a toothache and it needs to be addressed asap.  At this point I don't care if they pull it out as long as it stops hurting!

I just iced the cake I made today...... so I completed everything I said I was going to do except the weeding.  It's going to rain tonight and tomorrow so gee whiz.....I can't do any yard work.  Awwwwwe I feel so bad *sniff*

mmmmmm the cake is good!  It's chocolate and has vanilla frosting with just a touch of fresh lemon zest in it.  I had to put it in my convection oven on the counter to cool because Hunter likes to just help himself to the top of cakes and muffins left unattended.  I remember one time I left out a pizza with a cellophane shrink wrap on it.  I went outside for about ten minutes while the oven heated up and when I returned there were holes all over the cellophane and a few of the pepperoni pieces were missing.  There he was.... happily cleaning his face sitting in the living room as though nothing had happened. The least he could have done was look guilty.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it but when we went to the beach a few weeks ago we went to a puppy boutique on the Prom in Seaside.  Cherry got herself  some wheels.  We bought her a doggy stroller.  That was wonderful because we didn't have to stop and pick her up when a big dog approached us on the sidewalk.  Everyone thinks it was a ridiculous purchase, but it even has a place to store purchases underneath her seat.  We were able to walk without the extra weight of the packages, Cherry pulling on her leash and both of us managing our walking stick and cane with ease.  It wasn't a frivilous purchase at all...it was very sensible.  Our friends just laugh and think we're spoiling the dog but we know the real reason for the purchase so they can just think what they want.

Good Night from Muttzncatz's Place

Another Rainy Day In Oregon

It's been raining off and on for most of the day right into evening.  I love it!  That means it's too wet to sit on the ground and do weed pulling Yea!!!!!  A day off is a good thing.

So...what to do with my time?  How about dragging out the watercolors and giving a kitty portrait a try?  Let's see....who should I paint?  I can guarantee it won't be a black kitty so that lets Homer and Moosey off the hook.  Maybe miss funny face (Fina)  Her cute little one nostril, cleft lip might be interesting to paint.  Tanner has beautiful markings even though he has a scaredy-cat attitude.  Most of the time when I'm trying to get a photo of him all I see is his rump moving away ASAP.  Hunter won't get away from in front of the camera so it's hard to get any distance to get a good picture of him.  Paddy is usually sound asleep or has his head in a just emptied can of cat food. (That's why we call him can-face.  He has a permanent circle cut around his face from the cans which wouldn't be too awfully wonderful in a portrait anyway) Lamont might be a good model but he is presently not a happy camper from being confined to the back room.  Victor doesn't care as long as he can be Velcroed to Lamont.  Maybe someone else has a cute and cooperative kitty that would like to be a subject of a portrait?  You would think that out of eight cats at least one would be a good subject, wouldn't you?

Maybe I could do one of the birds we had appear at the feeders last month.  We had Orioles, Tanagers and Evening Grosbeaks.  What a treat it was to see them. Here's a picture of one of them.

We always have Black headed Grosbeaks but once in a while these beauties come through and visit for a couple of days.  During this time the birdwatching society at the sliding glass door was a standing room only situation.

I think I'll get busy now and do one of my bird photos.

Good night from Muttzncatz's Place

Now For The Dog Days Of Summer.......

Thank God the fourth of July is over.  We did well though.  Everything turned out pretty well and we only had one glitch.......The Turkey had to go from the BBQ to the oven to get done in time.  I understand the Vancouver, Washington fireworks display was nothing to shout about this year.  I was told they were low to the ground and only 25 minutes instead of the old 45 minutes.  Nothing stays the same I guess.

I'm working outside when I can ...weeding the flower beds. This is a bit of a sore spot for me since we pay extra in our rent so they do our yard work.  We live in a mobile home park and we are in a section that is supposed to have yard  maintenance included. Watering, weed control, edging, trimming are all included.  Ya, right!  I have worked harder in this space than in my old one where I was responsible for all the yard work.  The only thing the park does is mow the very front lawn because it shows from the street.  After I'm done with the weeding then I have to start the trimming of the trees and bushes. Is it any wonder that I like Winter better than Summer?

I'm still looking for a watercolor class to attend.  I did find my last teachers phone number though.  I'm going to call her this week and see if I could maybe go to another one of her classes somewhere else.  I need some inspiration.  If I could go out and take pictures of flowers and birds.....I would possibly become inspired.

We are having a very cool Summer so far.  I do understand that we will be in the oven soon. 

On the kitty scene.........I now have Moosey, Victor, Lamont and Homer in the back room (Due to spraying issues).  Victor has to be watched very carefully because he has pain shots for his inflamed gums about every 6 weeks.  (He was allergic to the enamel on his teeth and had to have them pulled). When
he hisses it sounds reeeeeeally wet.  He hisses every chance he gets because he's still very feral. At least HE thinks he's still feral.  He loves to be petted behind the ears and under the chin but then suddenly realizes he's being handled by a human and hisses and trys to look almost vicious.

In the main part of the house we have Fina, Hunter, Paddy and Tanner.  Tanner is trying so hard to make up to Hunter but the best he gets is a whomp on the top of his head.  Since we did a major shift in the fur people that live in each part of the house things have not been boring.  Lamont is lamenting, Victor is glued to Lamont (no change there), Moosey attacks Homer relentlessly, Tanner keeps getting beat up by Hunter, Paddy is afraid Hunter will eat all his food and Fina is attacking Hunter Paddy and Tanner.  Ahhhh, life is good....well, maybe not good, but interesting.

Good night from Muttzncatz Place