Soup weather again!

And here's my first effort for the season:

Broccoli cheese soup, from this recipe. I decided to try this one because the other recipes I found call for blending the veggies and stock, and I don't have a blender. I don't think the smoothie maker would do a good enough job. I didn't use the Gouda cheese, either, just some Kraft shredded cheddar. It's a variety I hadn't seen before, with sharp, mild and white cheddar combined with cream cheese to melt smoothly. I also ended up adding extra cheese, about two big handfuls, then a big more veggie stock to thin it out a bit.

It's pretty tasty. My only disappointment is that I got only about five servings out of it -- four 8 oz jars to freeze and one to eat today. As I write this, I'm waiting for some bacon to cook that I can crumble for a topping. The house smells really good right now!

Comfort

Only about nine months ago, this cat scared me in my garage one morning, and it was several days before she would let me near enough to pet her:

Doesn't look so feral now, does she?

And, of course, there's Buster.

He's a rescue, too. From some of his behavior, I suspect he was not treated well early in life. 

It's quite a good feeling to have an animal fall asleep in your presence when once upon a time they had no reason to trust people.

Scaling new heights

Last week, I was surprised to see the black & white kitten, who I've started calling Rascal since he's usually the first to get into things or places, had gotten himself up on the top shelf of the walk in closet. Mustache kitten followed within a day or so.

It wasn't until today, though, that I saw how they got up there.

All but the yellow kitten have napped on top of the wardrobe thing hanging on the rod to the right of the first picture. They would merely climb to the top and make themselves comfortable.

Rascal, bold one that he is, took that a step further. He climbs to the top of the hanging wardrobe, then, like a rock climber below a ledge jutting out of the mountain, grabs onto the cushion stored above, swings out and pulls himself up. It was kind of remarkable, really.

To get down, Rascal just jumps from the top shelf to the top of the kennel with a big THUD — not nice in the middle of the night. I might just have to start closing the closet door when I go to bed.

Mustache kitten, on the other hand, gets down by doing the reverse of getting up — getting a hold on the cushion, swinging her legs til she gets footing on the wardrobe and then climbing down. More like sliding down the time I saw her do it, though.

I let them outside this morning — or rather, they let themselves outside this morning. I guess I didn't close the bedroom door securely after I fed them, because when I got back from a walk up the street with Buster, all the kittens and Keaton were cavorting around the tree in the back yard.

It was a nice morning, so I thought what the heck and let them stay out for probably a couple of hours. Keaton kept an eye on them, and Buster "helped." He kind of got tired of herding kittens after awhile though, and would just go lie down in the yard close enough to watch but not be part of the playtime.

The surprising thing about the morning is how unmellow the yellow kitten was. He loved being outside, and when I decided to put them back in the bedroom so I could take a nap, he slipped out of the room four times and got back outside two or three of those times. He kind of yowled the first time I put him inside, too. 

As for me, I'm doing a little better. Our walk this morning was two and a half blocks out and back, and this afternoon I got tired of lying around, so I made some lemonade concentrate and simple syrup for my tea. It kind of wore me out, but that's something, I guess. I keep having to remind myself it will take time to get back to feeling like my old self again.

Cue the 'Rocky' theme (surgery update)

Five days out from surgery and I'm feeling pretty good, really. Getting stronger each day. Fortunately, the doc was able to do the hysterectomy laparoscopically, so I just have three little incisions (one of them near/through the belly button — that's kind of weird to see) to worry about.

I was in the hospital through Thursday afternoon, and mainly they were concerned with making sure the pain was under control, that I got up walked at least once, that I peed three times (although they let me go after two) and that I passed gas. I'm sure glad I don't work in a hospital. Lots of respect for those who do.

I think I slept pretty much through Thursday after I got home, but Friday, I got up and walked around the back yard and half a block up the street with Buster staying nearby. I took painkillers a few times Friday, but was able to get through Saturday with just one, I think. I walked a lot more on Saturday, about 0.3 mile in three trips, either around the yard or just in the house. Mom stayed with me Thursday and Friday nights and helped out a lot with getting meals, feeding the critters and just being around for some support. 

I've been trying to eat fairly clean, too. Not a lot of sweets since Tuesday. I had some pudding in the hospital, and I've had some angel food cake and a couple cookies since getting home, but otherwise it's been a lot of fruit and other good stuff. I had some strawberries and bananas for when I got home, and Mom got some melons and berries the other day. This morning's breakfast is a banana-berry-green tea smoothie: 1 banana, 4 strawberries, a handful each of blueberries, raspberries and mixed greens, then a few green tea ice cubes to chill it. Pretty tasty.

Time to take a little walk with Buster, and then maybe a shower.

Juno is out of surgery already. Doc said everything went as hoped, no surgery. She will be staying overnight for observation. Thanks for all your thoughts/prayers for her. Juno's mom Emilyc

A little announcement

So I'm having surgery tomorrow. It's kind of a big deal. (WARNING: If you don't want TMI, read this summary and skip the next couple of paragraphs). Basically, I went to the doctor for something that was slightly bothersome, had a procedure and after that was done, the pathology report showed I had precancerous cells. Since I've had breast cancer, the doc recommended the troublesome parts be removed. That happens tomorrow, and I'll have to take at least a couple weeks off both jobs for recovery.

Still reading? Remember, I warned you. Here's the details.

The slightly bothersome part was periods that were lasting two weeks. So I saw a gynecologist, who recommended a D&C and endometrial ablation (pretty much what I was hoping to hear). Those procedures, done at the same time back in March, seemed to go pretty well. Except the following week, the doctor's office called and said the pathology report showed I had precancerous cells in my uterus. I had my oncologist look at the report to get her opinion, and she agreed a hysterectomy would be a good idea. 

OK, I'll try not to get too TMI again if you're skipping to here. I'm not too worried about the surgery itself. The GYN gave me a 50-50 chance of having to do it by incision, which would mean several weeks off both jobs. I'm hoping they don't have to do it that way, because that second paycheck is kind of necessary, and that's the one I'd have to take the most time off from if they cut me open.

I think I've got everything done I need to get done before tomorrow morning. Mom knows how to feed the cats, she'll be around for whatever help I need afterwards, and I've got (hopefully) plenty of reading material. I'm just more concerned about being bored than how well I'll heal.

Anyway, whatever good thoughts/vibes/prayers you want to send my way will be appreciated. I'll be at the hospital bright and early Wednesday morning, and will get updates out somehow as I can.

Kitten conundrum

I am torn on which — if any — of the kittens to keep.

They are almost 10 weeks old — old enough to be adopted out, really. I think there is one (the yellow one, mama's boy) who still tries to nurse, but Keaton is just as likely to walk away if there is something else that interests her (food, a chance to go outside) as she is to let them nurse. 

And they are quite rambunctious. Especially about the time I am going to bed and starting about an hour before my alarm goes off in the morning. And several times in between. I can hear them when I go to bed, running and jumping around in the bedroom next to mine. Buster even seems to be kind of tired of them and maybe a little jealous when they get attention. 

Plus, five cats pooping and peeing in the litter boxes (Keaton does spend a lot of time outside, but she will use the litter box once in a while). And eating. I thought Keaton was looking a little skinny, so I started getting her some canned cat food. Now, of course, that's what she prefers. And the kittens always want some, too. 

And then there's getting them fixed (I've made an appointment for Keaton for next week) and their shots and other health expenses that might arise.

So, there are reasons to let them go on to other homes. But they have also kind of worked their way into my heart in their own way, so it will be kind of hard.

I thought early on about keeping one, along with Keaton. And it seemed like early on the one I call the quiet one would be the one I'd keep. It seemed like there was some kind of connection. She looked at me a certain way the others didn't, and when I walked into the room, she was always the first to come running up to me, mewing and trying to climb my leg. If I picked her up, she'd crawl onto my shoulder, and if I was sitting, she would sit on my lap as I petted her.

But lately, she hasn't been that way. I pick her up and she squirms to be let go. I pet her and she moves away a lot of the time.

The mustache kitten, though, has grown more affectionate in the last couple of weeks. She'll sit in my lap and let me pet her and purr loudly. Keaton will purr when I pet her and the black & white boy will purr a little when I play with him, but mustache purrs So Loud. She also likes to play with Buster, taking a swipe at him with her little paws whenever he walks by. He often doesn't notice, though, as he's busy chasing the little black and white one as it runs behind and under everything like he's teasing Buster.

Plus, she's got a pretty unique look.

On the other hand, after I got home from having some surgery last month, mom went to feed the cats and the quiet one came running out of the bedroom and into my room, mewing loudly all the way, right to my bedside as if she knew something wasn't right with me. That's kind of a special connection.

Sigh. Why do animals have to be so soft and fuzzy and cute and funny and full of love?

Backyard visitor

Buster discovered our intruder.

Indoor/outdoor cat worries

My walk with Buster this morning was delayed for awhile because of rain. A nice, gentle shower! I did get up early and feed Buster and the cats. It was already sprinkling, and a check of the radar showed more on the way, so I went back to bed and listened to it pour. 

At least until I realized Buster had gone outside and never come back in. So I ran out the back door in the downpour, and there he was, curled up in his little safe spot against the foundation on the east side of the house, getting soaked. I called him, and he looked at me with a sad face, like I'd made him go out there or something. Poor guy. I got him back in and dried us off and we dozed until a little after 9 am.

Cool but muggy on our walk. As we were heading back toward home, though, I saw a neighborhood cat that had been hit by a car. It made me kind of sad, especially thinking about how Keaton is still very much an outdoor cat. After we got home I went to check on the cats, and sat on the floor watching the kittens play for a bit. Keaton started to walk by me, but I grabbed her and held her in my lap. Normally, she doesn't like to be held. But this time she let me hold her and pet her for a few minutes. It was kind of sweet.

She seems to be a pretty smart cat, but I do worry about her when she's gone outside for a long time.

Photos galore!

junogle's photostream on Flickr.

I'm back to using Flickr. Tons of kitten photos here, plus all my old ones of Buster, Nipper, the flower gardens, etc.

ETA: I've added a Flickr badge on my sidebar, but I don't seem to be able to place it where I want it with my iPad. When I'm back at work on Monday (at a desktop), I'll fix that and see if I can't improve the Pinterest widget and get my Twitter widget back on.

More kittens!

The kittens are now 8 weeks old, pretty close to being able to go to new homes. They probably could, since they are eating solid food more, although they are still nursing. I'd like to hang on to them a bit longer, though. 

Anyway, here's some pics, since I've been a bit remiss in posting them here.

Finding new places to nap ...

Checking out Buster's bed.

The only acceptable fur to wear.

Fruit ninja!

It's no joke

What is continuing to unfold in Oklahoma today — and has happened elsewhere in the past — is why I don't understand why people get excited about tornadoes. Cheering for a storm is like cheering on war. At best, someone loses property — a home, crops, livestock. At worst, people die.

Those who chase storms for scientific research or to keep locals informed are doing good. But those who treat it like a tourist thrill ride or to get on TV make me sick. 

My thoughts are with the people in Oklahoma tonight.

I bent a little, but didn't break

I was going to post this as a reply to my friend Karen's comment on my previous entry, but it started getting long, so I thought I'd make it an update instead.

 I made it a full week without any pop! Even having pizza at Mom & Dad's on Mother's Day (the strawberry lemonade was great!), and eating out a couple of times for lunch, I managed to avoid it.

 In the spirit of transparency though, I did have a soda over the weekend, but it was the Sangria Señorial — no HCFS. I found the little Dillon's here in town still carries it. And there's a brand of root beer and ginger ale at the local natural food store I like that I will probably still drink.

 Breaking that mental trap of "I NEED to have a Pepsi" is the most important thing for me, because I'd fallen into that again and was drinking a 20-ounce bottle nearly every day. That's just not good, for many reasons.

 I think I am past that stage, though, and I'm finding alternatives. Iced sweet tea is one, as well as lemonade. I picked up some green tea bags tonight and will try that iced, as well. It takes a little more work than just going to a vending machine or convenience store, but it's worth it.

Giving it up. For reals this time

I've made a lot of changes in what I eat over the last several years. Good changes, I think. But there's a couple of food habits I have found nearly impossible to break. Sweets, I don't know if I want to. But I have cut back quite a bit on that. The other?

Pop. Soda. Coke (even if it's not Coca-Cola). Whatever you might call it, that sweet bubbly stuff I just have not been able to do without.

But.

Last Thursday I had some surgery (nothing major and not related to my breast cancer; that's about all you really need to know). As usual, I was instructed not to eat or drink anything past midnight. I had some cookies and milk about 10 pm Wednesday night, and a glass of water between 11:30 and midnight.

Mom and I got to the hospital about 9:30, well before my check-in time of 10 a.m. Thursday, and they put me in the surgical prep area right away. And then we waited. And waited. I didn't get in for surgery until noon. Of course I had a hunger headache by now. The doctor had told me the procedure would take maybe a half hour and I should be good to go home about 2:30.

I remember talking with the anesthesiologist about my name in the surgery room, then nothing til I woke up back in the surgical prep area. I was pretty groggy, obviously, but I do remember throwing up, probably because they gave me 2 tablets of loratab and I usually only take a HALF a tablet on my own. Maybe that's why we didn't get home until almost 5 pm.

Of course, I was tired and went right to bed. Mom came back to my house later that evening and made me some chicken soup. I didn't keep that down, either. I just went to sleep after that. So now it's been about 24 hours plus without any real food.

In the morning, Mom made me a scrambled egg, which I did keep down, thankfully. But the rest of the day, I didn't really eat much, just slept. Oddly enough, that evening, I wasn't really hungry, but I was looking forward to eating. So I ordered a small pizza from the local pizza place and a bottle of Pepsi. I ate the whole pizza and drank most of the Pepsi.

And when I went to bed that night, I couldn't sleep. My heart kind of raced, and when I did sleep, I had really weird dreams. I've had those kinds of nights before when I've had too much pop to drink, and I think the sudden infusion of caffeine after having no food in my body for nearly 48 hours was too much. Even the next day, I felt like I was still coming down from it.

So I haven't had any pop since Friday night. And I'd like to see how long I can go.

But I'm going over to Mom & Dad's for a Mother's Day pizza dinner. And I always have Pepsi with pizza. But I'm determined not to tonight. So I've got an alternative.

The last time I tried to give up pop, I realized that what really drew me to it is the taste. There's just not a lot out of alternative out there that have a big, bold taste like soda. Lemonade is one.

I had some meyer lemons I needed to use up, so I juiced those (the rinds from one went in my garbage disposal to clean it; the rest are in two mason jars with vinegar to make some cleaner), added some water and will add a little simple syrup I made this afternoon for a lemonade.

I had mom get me some groceries Friday, including a pint of strawberries. Seems like I never eat them all before they go bad, so this time I juiced them and poured the juice in an ice cube tray. So now I could add a cube or two to my lemonade, or my water bottle, or some tea ...

I pinned a few things to my Drink Up Pinterest board the other day, too, that I'd like to try. As long as I can find things that have a bold taste to them, I think I can finally do this.

Kitten funny

Having a bad day? Watch these

You're welcome.

We are now a House of Fur

I realized recently it's been quite awhile since I've posted. I have a lot to post about, actually, I just haven't gotten to it. So I guess it's time for some updating.

The biggest news is the latest addition to the household of me and my dog, Buster.

Say hello to Keaton (Get it? No??). She startled me Halloween morning in my garage as I was going to my car for work. She wasn't 100% afraid of me, but she wasn't 100% trusting of me right off either. But she would stay in the garage on the colder fall nights and eventually would let me pet her. She wasn't too fond of Buster at first, and would run and hide from him, much to his frustration.

December came, and it got much colder, and being the sucker I am for a furry face, I started buying some cat food and putting it out in the garage for her. It didn't taker her long to figure out the hood of my car was a nice warm spot to hang out after I got home. Smart kitty.

Eventually, I decided why not just make her part of my home, and set up a little place for her in the garage where she could be warm and safe. She seemed to enjoy having a nice, cozy bed on those cold nights.

I thought about getting her spayed (or neutered; I wasn't sure which at this point) and even brought her indoors a few time to check out the house, and on some warm weekends when I had the back door open she would even come in to check things out herself. But about the time I thought I'd have the money for the spaying/neutering, I noticed she was looking a little ... round.

So I decided to wait awhile.

And so, three weeks ago today, I went out to the garage to feed her but she didn't come running like she normally did. I spied her up in the rafters, and realized there would be only one reason she wouldn't come get her food.

Yup. Kittens. Four of them. I fixed up a box with some old sheets and towels for bedding and that's where they were for the first couple weeks of their life. But as they started trying out their wobbly little legs, I decided to move them inside.

A friend has loaned me a pet taxi for a large dog, which is big enough for Keaton and her kittens to all have some room. It's in the walk-in closet of the spare bedroom, and I leave the closet door open and the bedroom door closed so she can get away if she wants to while the kittens are napping. The last few days, I've let her go outside while I'm home. She seems pretty happy with the arrangement.

And how has Buster reacted to the kittens? He's been a very good dog, actually. Since I brought them inside, he can't wait to go see the kittens as soon as I get home or as soon I get up in the morning. He sticks his head inside the kennel, and he sniffs and licks at them, but he's really pretty gentle. Of course, I watch him pretty close and when he seems to be getting too excited then it's time to go. Keaton even seems OK with him being near. She's never tried to move them or hissed or anything at either of us. She seems pretty trusting, which I find amazing.

More cute kitten pics:

These were taken just today:

Come back soon; I'll post more pics, I'm sure.