Question Mark Butterfly

"There are four questions of value in life... What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love."

-Johnny Depp, as Dob Juan DeMarco

Being able to visit the butterfly exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers, has been so good for my frazzled nerves. Elvis has regained some strength, and the wheezing coming from his nose is a lot better, and overall things are a lot less turbulent then they have been in months, but I am still a little on edge, and a lot tired. With the rising gas prices, I don't know if we will be able to go across the bay to see the exhibit all summer. It costs $4 to cross the bridge, on top of the cost in gas.

I have to put Elvis's medical bills, and our own basic living costs, first, then if there is anything reasonable left over we can think about recreation. Sigh. These are sad times in our country, but I will save my frustrations over that for another entry. Right now, I am focusing on how happy these little spirits make me. How when I visit the exhibit, I am actually stepping into another world... a world of sanctuary and peace. Aren't they lovely? Little question marks floating on the wind. I could watch them all day. Some questions are easy to answer... Are these butterflies beautiful? The answer is... Yes!

-OndineMonet
"Question Mark Butterfly"
Conservatory of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
April, 2008
Afternoon

Steven's Feline And Furball Friday: Elvis's New Hat

Kathleen Kelly: Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today I saw one. It got on at 42nd, and off at 59th, where, I assume, it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake, as almost all hats are."

-Meg Ryan, as Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail

Elvis has a new hat! I was in Target the other day, looking for a flea comb, and there it was. There were elephant hats, and monkey hats, and even bunny hats, but of all the hats there were to choose from, I thought the giraffe hat suited my boy best of all! Elvis looks good in hats, and he loves wearing them. I, however, do not look particularly well in hats. Well, except for newsboy hats and berets. I look good in those types, but as Kathleen Kelly said in the quote most other hats are a mistake... at least for me.

I would love to find a fedora for Elvis. Kind of like the one worn by Indiana Jones. LOL. Couldn't you just see my Elvis dressed like the handsome archaeologists? Elvis could be known as "Berkeley" Jones, action-adventurer. LOL. He would travel the world looking for rare feline artifacts, you know, like the Holy Salmon, or maybe the Temple of the Golden Mouse. LOL. As my good friend H.P. says, "Elvis is an awesome little dude!" :)

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Have you played Steven's meme, Feline and Furball Friday? You should... it's fun. Friday is the day for celebrating our pets. You can find all the info you need to play, by visiting the link below.

Steven's Feline And Furball Friday

-OndineMonet
"His New Hat"
Berkeley, California
May 22nd, 2008
Afternoon

My Adventures With Purchasing A Pushy-Sucky

"Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy."

-Unknown

Vacuums are a fact of life, especially if you own a pet. I love my kitty, but another fact of life is that cats shed, and lately Elvis has had some problems with agitation, due to some mean aggressive fleas, and that has equaled enough excess cat hair that I am thinking of either knitting a new cat, or making a toupee for Elvis to cover his bald spots. LOL. Poor kitty. Poor Mommy. LOL. Poor Alan! LOL.

I have a small, sweeper type vacuum that I had used for years. It works well, since we don't have a lot of carpet space, but the problem with the small sweepers is that they don't last forever, and they can't handle the bigger jobs that come up with much efficiency, so, it was time to get a newer model with a little more lift power.

That's how I spent my Wednesday, shopping for a new vacuum. Alan and I went to both Wal-Mart and Target to do a little research. Lot's of models to choose from, even those cute little robots. I liked the idea of one of those, but Alan thought that it might scare Elvis. He has never been able to tolerate loud noises too well, so, we decided against the cutting edge in home maintenance, and instead we concentrated on the more traditional vacuums.

After looking through about 100, at least it felt like 100, we narrowed it down to the ones you see below. There was a really pretty one, which cost several hundred dollars. Sigh. Alan quickly said "no." LOL. How come vacuum manufacturers can't make a pink model in a more reasonable price? I mean, I am the one who is going to see if most often. You know? Yes, I know, the color isn't the most important feature to consider when purchasing an appliance, but heck, do they have to look so guy-friendly?

Anyway, we finally decided on the Dirt Devil Purpose for Pets upright vacuum, in a lovely shade of slate blue! :) It is especially rated for dealing with pet hair, and actually has a pet brush attachment. I love the super long cord, and as I used it this morning, I was pleased with it's suction power. It seems we found the right one for us. The only thing I am not crazy about... there is a picture of a puppy on the canister of the machine. I think this is discrimination against felines. I think I might need to add a photo of Elvis to the vacuum, after all, he is why we bought it in the first place! LOL.

Oooh... a Robot!

Yummy, good price, and it reminds me of limes. But... nah.

Nope, I love the cranberry color, but it's not quite right.

Yep, that's the one!

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My Dirt Devil's Baby Picture

So tell me, what kind of vacuum do you own? When did you buy your last one? What was most important to you when you made your purchase? Price, Color, Dirt Elimination Ratings, Upright vs. Tank. What is the next home maintenance appliance you are considering buying? Do you do some research before purchasing? Tell me all about it!

-OndineMonet
"PushySuckys"
Emeryville, California
May 21st, 2008
Late Afternoon

I Want A Monkee And A Monkey

"Without music life would be a mistake."

-Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

I have researched all kinds of music quotes to go with my entries about my great love of music, but somehow I keep coming back to this one. It sums up how I feel about music completely. It is also how I still feel about Micky Dolenz. If you have been reading me for long, you know I have been hopelessly in love with Micky Dolenz for about... oh... 43 years or so. LOL. Some of you probably remember my great excitement a few years ago, when I got to go to one of his concerts on the beach in Santa Cruz in 2005. It made my year, and fulfilled my lifelong fantasy of finally getting to see him preform in person. He came into town, broke my curse with Santa Cruz, and hasn't been back since. And I just checked, and he is not on the list of scheduled performers for the summer concert series. So, is there a new curse? Will he ever comeback? Or is it actually that the curse wasn't broken, and that is why he hasn't been back since? LOL. Micky... I miss you!

Give me your opinion. Will Micky ever comeback to Santa Cruz? Do you have a favorite Monkee? And what type of animal monkey is your favorite. Personally, I love chimpanzees. I would own one if I could. How about you? Would you prefer a monkee or a monkey?

The Monkees

-OndineMonet

Dude... Where's My Fur?

"It is foolish to tear out one's hair in grief, as though sorrow would be made less by baldness."

-Cicero

LOL. I mentioned in an entry last week, that Elvis has been pulling his hair out. Needless to say, it was a long weekend. We had no clue why he was doing this. I looked on the Internet for possible reasons, among them was that he was perhaps sensitive to the chemotherapy drug, Doxorubicin, the first does of which he got just last Tuesday. In humans, it causes body hair to fall out, and it causes skin irritation, and can be some pretty nasty stuff. In felines, it has a lot less side effects, but it can also cause the skin to become itchy and hot. The thought of my kitty possibly having to live with this side effect hurt my feelings like you wouldn't believe. Just when I think I love this guy to the limit of human love, I find myself ever deeper. I love him more then anything. So, I have been more then a little stressed over the possibilities. Fortunately, Elvis had an appointment with Dr. B today, and instead of hearing the worst, I got some really good news. Happy news.

Elvis isn't pulling his fur our because of the chemo, he is pulling his hair out because of an aggressive case of fleas. A few weeks ago, when Elvis had visited the doctor for his first dose of steroids, Dr. B's nurse, Mary, gave Elvis a dose of Advantage, along with his medication. We thought we were good to go, but unfortunately, the oil glands in his back, which help distribute the Advantage, are not working properly, probably due to the cancer. As a result, Elvis didn't get anywhere near the full effect of Advantage, and he had a nice collection of fleas eating at his lower back. He has never had a flea problem before, so for the first time in his 11 years, he was being irritated to a monumental degree. Of course he started pulling his hair out! It would be like someone suddenly threw itching powder all over me! I totally understood! Eureka... problem solved!

Elvis got a nice dose of Advantage, and a shot of antihistamine, and now we have a happy, content kitty once again. I need to make a stop later today to pick up a flea comb, to add to our grooming sessions, but we have fun with grooming, so I know he will appreciate a little added time and effort. Elvis has always been so good about such things, tilting his ears so I can clean them out with a Q-tip, sitting very still for toenail maintenance, and keeping his mouth wide open for toothbrush time. I should probably do an entry about our sessions with physical appearance. LOL. He's is such a cool cat, I hold the brush, and tell him to "brush your face," and he rubs both sides of his nose against the brush. He is so suave. LOL. What a looker! And guess what the best news of all was today... look at his nose. No blood. The chemotherapy is working! :)

That's my boy! :)

Elvis is happily playing with his new catnip mouse! I think I will take a nap now!

:)

-OndineMonet
Elvis
May 20th, 2008
Afternoon

Weekend Assignment #216: Fire!

"Remember in elementary school you were told that in case of fire you have to line up quietly in a single file, from smallest to tallest? What is the logic in that? What, do tall people burn slower?"

-Warren Hutcherson

Weekend Assignment# 216: Tell us a story or anecdote that involves fire in some way. It can be a forest fire, a house fire, a campfire, logs in the fireplace, or even a lit match, a tale of comfort or destruction. Whatever comes to mind, if it's interesting and fire plays a role, we want to read about it!

Extra Credit: Is the area where you live subject to dangerous wildfires?

Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

In September of 2007, two fires were burning here in the Bay Area, that kept the skies lit up for days. The Lick fire and the Acre Coe Park fire. The smoke was heavy, turning the sky an eerie shade of orange, as in the above photo, and there was that smell... I hate the smell of smoke. It brings back the terror I felt as a child, watching my father run in and out of a neighbor's house, which had become fully engulfed in flames.

It happened a little while after midnight, on hot night in the summer of 1965. I was only 3 at the time, but you never forget seeing the only father you have, run into a scene so scary. As a result of what I saw that night, nearly 43 years ago, I have experienced a life long paralysing fear of fire. I have never even lit a match. If I want to put some romantic candles out... Alan lights them for us. Maybe someday I will conquer my fear, then again, maybe not. The Berkeley firestorm of 1991 was another experience with fire I would rather not speak about. It served as reminder in my adulthood that fire commands a respect like no other fear can. Enough said.

Extra Credit: Yes, California is prone to forest fires, and this year we are at a higher alert then in most years, due to the lack of runoff from the Sierra. :(

Note: The photo in this entry hasn't been retouched. That's how it looked outside at 6:10 PM on September 6th, 2007. Click the photo to view it in a larger size.

-OndineMonet
"The Glow"
September 6th, 2007
Early Evening

Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge: E Is For "Eclipse" And Egrets"

"It's only during an eclipse that the man in the moon has a place in the sun."

-Unknown

Time for the letter "E" to have it's moment! I usually only post one reference to the letter we are currently playing, but I couldn't resist showing off my two favorite "E" words. Eclipse and Egret. The egret is my favorite bird, and I love photographing the moon during an eclipse, so how was I to choose? This eclipse is from last August. It was so much fun to cuddle up with Elvis, and the opossums and my trusty tripod, to watch the show in the sky. It was a clear, hot night, and my imagination was running completely wild with memories and notions. I can't wait for the next one!

As for the egret photos, well, that was a delightful afternoon in autumn of 2006. I found a lovely little pond with leaves of every imaginable color floating in it, and among them was this beautiful snowy egret. These birds are amazing to photograph. At first they seem a little awkward and silly, with those bright yellow feet of theirs, and then all of a sudden, you see one take flight, and you know in an instant, you have just seen an angel. Grace and beauty describe them best I think. Yes, grace and beauty.

First the ECLIPSE of the August moon...

And now the Snowy EGRET...

"Gracefulness has been defined to be the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul."

-William Hazlitt

Why don't you join me for Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge? You can find all the links for the letter "D" by visiting here.

-OndineMonet
"Dancing with the Moon"
Berkeley, California
August 28th, 2007
Early Morning

Round Robin Challenge: Norwegian Wood

"People love chopping wood. In this activity, one immediately sees results."

-Albert Einstein

Wood. Trees are made of wood, books are made of wood. Toilet paper is sometimes made of wood, and if you have ever gotten a splinter in an inconvenient place, you will know that to be true! Yep. Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep! Thank goodness along with the many uses wood has, comes a deep appreciation for those things. I like trees in autumn most of all, but I also love taking photos along fence lines. I like toilet paper, but I would rather photograph a wooden Indian like the one at Alice's Restaurant. I saw a lizard once, sitting on the remains of a tree trunk, and a couple weeks later, I saw a woman with an artists box made of wood, painting a lovely picture of trees. Sometimes inspiration is everywhere! :)

Have a look...

One of my favorite autumn trees.

The Lone Cypress, Monterey, California.

Trees in a winter mist.

A wooden art set.

The cypress grove in Berkeley, which has become home to some tree sitters, who are trying to save the beautiful old trees from removal, since December 2006.

One of my favorite wooden bridges.

Wooden Indian, which sits in front of Alice's Restaurant.

A fence down the hill from the old school house in Bodega Bay, California.

The view of the Pacific, from down the hill from the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Pescadero, California.

Cute little lizard. :)

The new sign I put in my garden "Welcome Friends."

This challenge topic was suggested recently by Kiva. You know her from her blog, Eclectic Granny. Kiva, You're a gem, and so was this challenge! Thank you so much for your awesome idea! The moment I saw it, I loved it! And I went about the rest of the day humming Norwegian Wood! LOL. Great idea girl! Be sure to follow the list below to all the Robins who participated this time around. I can't wait to see what you have come up with! :)

Linking List

Kiva... Eclectic Granny
POSTED!

Carly... Ellipsis
POSTED!

Karen... Outpost Mavarin
POSTED!

Lisa... Lisa's Chaos
POSTED!

Momma... Sandcastle Momma
POSTED!

Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
POSTED!

Martha... Perception
POSTED!

TJ... TJ's Photo Expressions
POSTED!

Jill... Letting Crazy Take A Spin
POSTED!

Janet... Fond Of Snape
POSTED!

Jan... The Prytz Family
POSTED!

Monica... Family Affair Photography
POSTED!

Vicki... Maraca
POSTED!

Jennifer Robin... Robin's Woods
POSTED!

Angela... Chocolate Syrup of the Soul
POSTED!

Robinella... Not A Stepford Wife
POSTED!

Marie... Photographs & Memories
POSTED!

Kim... Nekked Lizard Adventures
POSTED!

Gina... Gina's Space
POSTED!

Meg... In Quest Of
POSTED!

Steven... (sometimes)photoblog
POSTED!

Jama Hameed... Sweet Memories
POSTED!

Teena... It's all about me!
POSTED!

Pamela... The Dust Will Wait
POSTED!

Sarah... Charish
POSTED!

Wammy... The Ellis Family Cincinnati
POSTED!

Peter... Holties House
POSTED!

-OndineMonet

New Monday Photo Shoot #20: Busy Lives

"You sometimes see a woman who would have made a Joan of Arc in another century and climate, threshing herself to pieces over all the mean worry of housekeeping."

-Rudyard Kipling

New Monday Photo Shoot #20: You're busy. I'm busy. Everyone's busy. (Well, almost everyone.) Show us a photo the represents one of the demands upon your time.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

Sigh. I wasn't going to do the Monday Photo Shoot this week, but because I am wanting to send some support Karen's way, I gave it a go. I enjoy the Monday Photo Shoots, I have for as long as they have been in existence. I participated in nearly every single one offered up by the Blogfather, John Scalzi, and I have played along nearly every week since Karen inherited the meme. Truth is, there have been weeks when I decided to sit it out, and there have been various reasons for doing so. I usually post one entry per day, but lately, I have been occasionally taking Wednesday's off from posting, making it fewer days per week online. Sometimes I have other things I want to write about, other then photography. Alan is home now between Monday afternoon and Thursday mornings. That is his scheduled weekend, so things can get busy. With what you ask? What's got me so busy that I can't find the time to participate in the Monday Photo Shoot?

Well, to answer your question... LIFE! REAL LIFE! UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL LIFE! Housecleaning, spending time together, going out in the world for a little camera time, I have a garden in full swing, and the newest demand on our time, taking care of Elvis, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Feline Lymphoma to be exact. There hasn't been a week, in the past 6 weeks, where Elvis hasn't had at least one appointment with Dr. B. or his staff. I choose to share about the positive time we are spending together, because there is a great deal of it, but there is a lot of negative time as well. For the most part, I would rather not share about that time. That's my business. I will share, however, that one of the new symptoms Elvis is dealing with is the urge to pull his fur out in large tufts. Sigh. I am cleaning it up all the time. Enough said, but add into the mix the same problems everyone else is facing... hell... just making it to the next paycheck... and you spell busy, stressful times.

Karen has indicated that this might, perhaps, be the last Monday Photo Shoot. Personally, I wish she would continue with it. She is doing a good job with it, but ultimately the decision lies solely with her. The thing is, the summer months are coming up, and people will be spending more time outdoors. I can think of a lot of reasons why both readership on blogs, and participation in memes will be down. My readership always falls in the warmer months, and then picks back up in autumn and winter. I think sometimes you have to ride out the slumps, and focus on when things will pick back up. I know how difficult it is, when you spend the time to come up with an idea for a challenge or spend a great deal of time on an article entry, only to have it seemed to be overlooked or ignored. It can hurt. We have all had it happen.

Tap, tap... is this thing on? :(

I had an excellent piece of advice given to me one time, when I was ready to retire all together from blogging, and I would like to pass it along now... "Don't let your ego get in the way." Meaning, you can't take it personally, when your hit counter hits the skids, or your comment or participation levels numbers drop. There are seasons to these things. I have been blogging nearly 5 years now, and I only have a few regular readers who have stuck with me that long. Duane, Steven, and Nancy to name some off the top of my head. I still hear from some folks, but not as often as I used to. On the other hand, I have some new pals which I made since the big break with AOL, who have been with me for at least a couple years now, such as Suzanne, and newer friends like Vicki and Martha. To my delight, I continue to be visited by new folks like Mike, who I met recently by way of the Monday Photo Shoots and Weekend Assignments. He writes a wonderful blog, if you haven't been reading him, you should be. I am glad I began looking at things in a different, less negative perspective, because look at all the fun that has happened since. :)

I am writing this entry from the heart. I wish only the best for Karen. But I want to tell her, with love, to take the hurt feelings, or resentment, or whatever the negativity is, out of the equation. Post a Monday Photo Shoot you are comfortable with, and if no one plays... so what? It is NOT a reflection on you. Not at all. Try approaching the project from the perspective of something to have fun with, and don't force expectations on yourself that you have no control over. All you can do is put the project out there, and hope for the best, but you have to keep in mind, you have very little control on whether someone gets sick and can't play, or life gets busy, or they aren't inspired by the topic, or, or.

Anyway, that is my two cents for what it's worth.

Now, about the rose. It is one of my busy stressful success stories. It is from my garden, which you will see a little more to tomorrow in the entry for the Round Robin Challenge. My garden keeps me busy, chasing aphids, and researching how to prune the flowers, and natural pest control, and planning for new rose varieties. A lot goes into gardening, it's work, but when you get a lovely rose like this one, after really working hard for it, you feel a great deal of accomplishment. :)

-OndineMonet
"The Pink Rose"
Berkeley, California
May 16th, 2008
Afternoon

Steven's Feline And Furball Friday: I 'm Ready For My Close-Up Mr. DeMille

"There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast."

-Unknown

LOL. My cat loves the camera. My cat is mostly ham. My cat is a star. Meet my cat Elvis! LOL. Elvis has always loved posing for photos. I think I did something very right with him when he was very little. When he was a wee one, and I saw how goofy he was, I immediately brought the camera into things because I just knew I would be able to get some good candid shots of him, and I did! He saw me enjoying this action, and he seemed to take to that happiness like a moth to a light. From the time he was about 2 weeks old, we had a regular routine of camera time, followed closely by praise and play. Last night, as we sat on the steps of the storage room, Elvis and I got in a really good session of fun. He's good for me... no doubt about it. :)

Now, about his first experience with chemotherapy. The name of the chemo drug Dr. B is giving Elvis is, Doxorubicin. Apparently it is a very common chemotherapy drug, used most often with the kind of cancer Elvis has. It was given to Elvis by a slow intravenous injection. According to some articles, it takes about 10 minutes or so, to administer start to finish. Elvis did really well. He had no negative reactions to the medication, but Dr. B kept him overnight, from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, for observation, just to be sure all was well with my boy. :) It was. :) We will know soon if the chemo is doing it's job. With a little luck we might be able to see a full remission. I am really hoping for that. I hope you will hope for it too.

A good sign came to me this morning, in the form of my boy causing a small ruckus. Elvis loves to taunt the nearby dogs into barking. He is a bully of sorts when it comes to dogs. LOL. Earlier today, I let him out to play in the yard, and he almost immediately went to the fence all the way in the back of the yard, where he could yet again make poor Mickey the Bulldog crazy with need to "Flatten THAT CAT!" LOL. I watched Elvis sit down very gently, stick one of his front paws under the bottom of the fence, and mew. Over came Mickey, barks a blazin'. LOL. Mickey has a very strange bark, which never fails to inspire the other dogs up the hill to barking. LOL. It was quite a concert around here. LOL. That's my boy.

Elvis a little less dramatic. Puckering up for a kiss. :)

Yes, I am hopelessly in love. I am a true cat fancier. I like looking at websites that deal with cats and cat care. The other day I found a really cute site that lists some signs of whether you are truly a cat owner or not. I had such a good time going through this list, and I have to admit, I saw myself in those descriptions right and left. LOL. I chose a few off the list that definitely describe me as a cat owner...

From Catowner.com

1. You kiss your cat more then ten times per greeting.

You have to understand... he is just soooo kissable!

2. If you are cold, you put a sweater on your cat!

Well of course, doesn't everybody? ;)

3. You and your kitty have matching outfits.

Blush!

4. Poop has become a source of conversation for you and your significant other!

Well, it's important! LOL

5. You celebrate cat events (new cats, cat birthday, etc) by throwing catered parties with lots of people, but ignore your own birthday.

Now to my defense, I also throw parties on my birthday. We love to celebrate.

6. You have a set of towels with "his, hers, and "kitty's."

LOL. Yes, Elvis does have his own towel for after his bath. It says, "I Love My Mommy" on it. :)

7. Your Mom calls and asks how the grandcats are!

Yep, my Mother-in-law does indeed do that! She even has a baby book of Elvis!

8. You snap your fingers, and pat the sofa next to you to invite your guests to sit down.

Ut oh... guilty! ROFL. I do that! I confess. But I only do that if I really, really like you, and you don't shed or give me fleas! ;)

That was a fun list. If you have a kitty you can play along too. You can find the list here. I love participating in Steven's Feline and Furball Friday. You can play too. Just stop by his blog for all the details!


-OndineMonet
"I'm Ready For My Closeup"
Berkeley, California
May 14th, 2008
Early Evening

Elvis Update

"In the middle of a world had always been a bit mad, the cat walks with confidence."

-Rosanne Amberson

For those of you who are new to my blog, I thought you might like to see why my cat's name is Elvis. LOL. There was never any other decision to make, when it came to a name for our boy, see, he was born with his name. I swear my Elvis is the reincarnation of Elvis Presley, because he shares so much with him. Food is my boy's favorite thing, followed closely by his love for women, he has managed to pick up every woman he has ever met, and he takes really good care of his friends. Not to mention the resemblance, and his sense of humor. LOL. My Elvis is a charmer to be sure. To say that I am proud of him would be a huge understatement. I LOVE him, and I always will. He will still have me laughing and smiling about our years together, when I am a very old lady. He is the one you never get over.

After trying the steroids, it has become clear that they aren't working. It seems that the cancer Elvis has is much more aggressive then we once thought. Fortunately, Elvis has a guardian angel, and we are going to be able to at least give the chemotherapy a try. He gets his first dose today. He has to be at the doctor at 9:00 AM, and we will pick him up at around 5:00 or so. Dr. B wants to see how he does with the drug, just to be sure there is no adverse affects. I am really hoping Elvis does well with the chemo, I love spending time with him, and he isn't in any pain right now, but he is uncomfortable. He has a lot of wheezing coming from his nose, and breathing is becoming much more difficult due to the erosion going on in his nostrils.

A good sign is that the bleeding from his nose has stopped, and he is really playful and loving. He is continuing to groom himself properly, and he asks for his meals on schedule. He played outside yesterday, I caught a glimpse of him walking across the back yard, on his way to the lemon tree, where he sometimes plays in the late afternoon. I have come to think of that tree as Elvis's lemon tree. It is so cute when he lays his head on a lemon and goes off to sleep. Over the winter, when he couldn't go out to play, he would steal an onion or an apple from the pantry, and rest his head on it. He makes me smile. And hopefully, with a little help from the chemo, I will have him as long as a year from now, and he will still be making me smile. So far, he is my little trooper, taking his medicine, and keeping to his schedule without complaint. I wish I were as brave as he is! He is my hero!

If you would like to read about the different types of Feline cancer, I found a great website called, Feline Cancer Resources. Give it a look see.

-OndineMonet
"The King's Baby Picture"
May 25th, 1997

Up, Up And Away...

"The president of today is just the postage stamp of tomorrow."

-Gracie Allen

Do you think Gracie is right? Do you think one day we might be licking the back of George Bush's head? Well, I mean to ask, do you think one day George Bush will be on a postage stamp? I wonder. If you ask Bush, he will tell you that despite his ever sagging approval ratings, history will one day show him in a positive light. I suppose that's possible, I mean even Nixon has seemed to improve his own presidential rating, years after his death. I don't dislike Nixon as much as I once did. Comparatively speaking... ahem... we have had to endure much worse in the form of a president, but would that fact alone, make Nixon a candidate for having his likeness on a future stamp?

As far as the current field of candidates goes, I certainly see any one of them on a postage stamp. First we have McCain, he is to date, the oldest person to make a serious run for the White House. On the democratic side, we have Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Clinton, the first female to make it this far, and Obama the first person of color to make a serious bid for the office of president. I wonder if these distinctions make them stamp worthy alone, of if they have to have a certain approval rating while in office. Who knows?

Today, the price of a First-Class stamp goes up to .42 cents. Like everything else, it now costs more to mail a letter. I wonder. As opposed to gas, which goes up in price as demand increases, do you suppose if everyone suddenly began writing snail mail, rather then email, the cost of a stamp would come down? You know, because more people would be using the service? Nah, probably not. Once up, it's a rarity that prices actually come down, which disproves the old adage that "what goes up, must come down." LOL. Nope, sometimes it might hang in midair, or move ever higher, but prices for goods and services, once inflated, almost never touch earth again.

Ok, so tell me, do you ever save commemorative stamps? Is there a past design you have enjoyed in particular? How do you feel about the new price hike? Have you ever used one of the online services which allows you to put your own photo on a stamp? If you could choose the next noteworthy person to grace a stamp, who would it be? Do you think George W. Bush will ever be on a U.S. postage stamp?

Opinions, opinions please :)

History of Postage Stamps

-OndineMonet

My Lost Weekend

"Weekends don't count, unless you do something completely useless."

-Bill Watterson

It's Sunday afternoon, and I am exhausted. It's a good kind of exhausted none the less. Alan and I had a long weekend together, filled with some much needed fun and diversion from all the seriousness we have been going through lately. Next week will be bringing us some reality that I would rather not deal with now, so I am going to live in the moments the next few hours of the weekend, and then get on with things when Monday get here. Enough of that for now, let's see what Alan and Carly have been up to, shall we?

I have been telling Alan that we need to come up with a name for this holiday weekend. Oh, I know that traditionally, most folks know the second week in May as Mother's Day weekend. A wonderful holiday that celebrates that special woman who gave us life. Fair enough. I lost my mother years ago, and Alan's mother lives clear across the U.S.,but you know us, we will find a reason to celebrate, so we have chosen to celebrate the lessor known local holiday of Parade Day.

Parade Day, refers to the second Saturday in May each year, when the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade takes place. Horses, clowns, floats, balloons, and hometown spirit. Yeah, it's a bit cheesy, but it's fun, and it is one of Alan's favorite things to do. Heck, where else can you see state senators walking alongside giant bears and men dressed up as Oakland Raiders? Why at the parade of course, and that isn't even where all the fun begins! It all begins at the Chili Cook-off the night on Friday night! So I guess that is where my lost weekend actually started.

Chili With Fixins

Hillbilly Chillee

Cups of chili, cowboys, a live country band, a hayride, and good eats... fun! We bought enough tickets for fourteen chili tastes. I found my favorite after just the second one. It was called Hillbilly Chillee. It was yummy. Not too hot, but it did have just a little kick to it... enough to be nothing short of delicious. :) The worst part is knowing that I may not ever get to taste that particular recipe again. Sigh. It will be a few more days before I know if they won the contest, my fingers are crossed for them! Alan's vote went to the chili prepared by Frank Bonetti Plumbing. It was pretty tasty as well. Honestly, it was a close second in my book!

Handsome Alameda County Firemen

14 cups of Chili

Alan and I got home fairly early, but then decided to watch the Omen and the Omen II on AMC, followed by Earth vs. The Spider, also on AMC. It was pretty cool to cuddle up and watch some favorite movies, especially with Elvis right next to us. He is a lot of fun to watch movies with. :) I feel asleep before the end of the spider movie, but I slept really well that night, until Elvis woke me around 3:30 for his breakfast. It made me smile to wake up to those soft little paw pads on my face. :)

Then it was off to the parade, I will let pictures show you what we saw...

Miss Alameda County, 2008

A Happy Clown

A Happy Doggy

Miss Rowell Ranch Rodeo 2008

The Castro Valley High Marching Band

San Francisco By Night

Later in the evening, on Saturday, we were off to Treasure Island, to photograph the fireworks from KFOG's annual Kaboom concert. We grabbed a pizza, with a skinny crust of course, and headed to the island. We got a good parking place, and ate our pizza, as we waited for the fireworks to begin at 9:00 PM. Unfortunately, we were just a little too far around the corner from where the barge with the fireworks was sitting in the bay, and all we really saw was half fireworks and the bridge lighting up from the glare of the lights. LOL. Not my best Kaboom year, but at least I now know where the best vantage points are around the bay. It will be either the Marin Headlands, the vista, or Twin Peaks from now on. Live and Learn.

Better Luck Next Year I Suppose!

It was a great weekend, fireworks defeat and all. Now it is Sunday afternoon, Alan is napping so he can work the late shift tonight, Elvis is asleep under the desk where I am typing, and in a few minutes, I am going outside to plant some Stock. I am tired, but it is a good kind of tired to be sure! The weather is supposed to be warming up next week, and that will be good for my sore muscles. There is plenty to look forward to. If nothing else, the sunshine will make me happy.

-OndineMonet
"The Belle And The Bridge"
Treasure Island
May 10th, 2008
Early Evening

I've Got Mail :)

"I get mail; therefor I am."

-Scott Adams

Ut oh. We forgot the mail. LOL. It has been hectic in our house lately, and somehow, in all the drama, Alan and I forgot to check the mail. When it finally occurred to us, almost at the same time by the way, it was already too late. Waiting for us in our PO BOX was a slightly sarcastic note from the mailman, implying that perhaps we really didn't want our mail at all! LOL. I think he must have felt neglected somehow. Here he was doing a perfectly fine job of filling my mailbox with all kinds of treasures such as my vast catalog collection, and an almost personally handwritten mass mailing from Hillary Clinton, but unfortunately, there wasn't anyone coming by to notice his hard work. Poor Mailman. I am sorry.

I think I blame the invention of email. See, 99% of the time, my correspondence seems to be from computer to computer, even with family members that I still keep in touch with. And with those I don't email, I call instead. Sigh. It's so weird. In the mid 90's I had a regular routine. I would grab my box of stationary, or my box of note cards, and head off to my favorite bagel shop to have a little snack and do some writing to friends and family. It was a nice diversion. Some fresh air, and a snack. It did this body good!

Somehow it seemed to help my thinking process, to do my writing in such a relaxing atmosphere. But one day, I am not really sure why, I stopped writing. Maybe it was the cost of stamps, or maybe because something shiny, like the Internet, distracted me. Shrug. Who knows? But the other day, when I retrieved my mail, I found among all the catalogs, special offers, bills, and mass mailings, there was a special little surprise. One that both lifted my spirits, and reminded me of how much a hand written note can make me smile. I heard from my friend Suzanne, who authors the blog, Living... New Suzanne R's Life.

From the postmark, it was clear that she had sent me the note way back at the end of April! Yikes! And accompanying the note, came a little package of cute little post it notes with my name on them! I LOVE things like this. I use post it's constantly, so now each time I reach for one of these special ones, I feel a nice little smile cross my face. Suzanne, your fun little gift is just perfect! :) I am so sorry I didn't acknowledge your gift sooner. It was so sweet of you to think of me. When I look around on my desk, I see that I actually have a lot of little snail mail gifts from pals I have met through blogging.

A pretty little candle, and a box of tea that Slomo sent me. A silver photo in the shape of dragonflies that came from Vivian, which holds some photos Steven shared with me by email. I have a black and white cat magnet, that looks a lot like Elvis, that was sent to me by Mara. I also have a pin that Karen sent me, which looks like Dorothy's ruby slippers. I put the pin on one of my collectible bears that sits on my desk, so I see it often. I consider all these items among my treasures. Someone cared about me the day they were mailed, and that is a nice feeling. I need to send more snail mail to my friends and family. I need to give back a little, to folks like Suzanne, who have taken the time to remind me I am not alone in this life. It's amazing how much we can touch someone with just a simple gesture of friendship, and a couple moments out of our day.



Thank you Suzanne, for making me feel special yesterday! :)

So tell me, do you do as much snail mail writing as you used to? Do you prefer email to snail mail? When was the last time you got snail mail from a friend or family member? Do you still send birthday or holiday cards? I would love to hear your thoughts!

-OndineMonet
"I've Got Mail"
Berkeley, California
May 9th, 2008
Afternoon

I Am Elvis A. Gordon, And I Approve This Message

"I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians."

-Charles de Gaulle

Hello. My name is Elvis Aron Gordon. I am here to speak on behalf of all the house cats in America who support Hillary Clinton For President.

First of all, my mommy, daddy, and myself want to congratulate Senator Clinton, on her latest win in Indiana this past Tuesday. Way to go Hillary! You go girl! I will be crossing my paws for you to experience big wins in the remaining primaries, and we will be right by the TV waiting for all the updates! I am proud of you for not giving up. You are showing just how hard you are willing to work for this country, and that's why I am in your yard. It saddened my mommy to hear about yet another defection to the Obama camp, by someone who had previously given his endorsement to you, George McGovern. It made her sad to hear this news, because she had admired him over the years, and to see him jump ship because it seems as if the odds are against you, makes him nothing but a fair- weather supporter. We want to reassure you, we are not. Especially me, which is why I am writing this blog entry today. Well, I am not typing it of course, but I am dictating it to my mommy, so if there are any spelling errors... that's her... not me. Meow. :)

When I knew that we would be electing a new president soon, I was first of all relieved. LOL. President Bush... GRRRR... But then I talked it over with the two human parents I live with, and we discussed all the problems that need to be fixed. It's a long, long, long, long, list. ME--OW. The war is important, the lack of education is big, humans losing their homes is scary, because where will the house pets go? I saw on the news, that some humans are so desperate that sometimes they simply leave their furry friends behind alone, when they have to leave their homes. They couldn't even take their pets with them. Sometimes their pets were found alive, sometimes it was too late. MEEEEWWW. :( That makes me sad. I am lucky enough to have a place to live, and plenty of toys, and sometimes I am even able to get all the medication I need... I am luckier then a lot of humans are.

Recently, I found out that I have the big C... cancer. My cancer is Feline Lymphoma. Dr. B says it is more aggressive then we first thought. My mommy cries sometimes, and sometimes so do I, but we get up, and we get dressed, and we face the day as best we can. We have a lot to be grateful for, she has medical insurance, and I have the best veterinarian in the whole world, who is doing all he can to make me well. Some cats aren't so lucky, and some humans aren't either. If mommy and daddy didn't have any medical insurance, mommy would not be able to take care of her diabetes as well as she has. She and I both have diabetes, and it costs over $100 a month to take care of me alone, if she were paying full cost for her supplies, it would cost another $125.

What about all the humans without health care in America? From what I have seen by watching, Charles Gibson on ABC World News Tonight, people are getting sick like never before. Did you know that there are 12 million Americans living with cancer right now, and another 1.4 million will be diagnosed this year? Senator Clinton has tried for a long time to help bring affordable health care to American humans. She has a solid plan, and according to Factcheck.org, her plan has been lied about and misleading statements always seem to come out just before the primaries, which isn't fair.

I don't think the next president should be elected because he is something called a "phenomenon." I am sure he is a good guy deep down, but that isn't why humans should vote for him. You should be electing a human president who knows how to roll up their sleeves, and get down to the work that in store for you. Someone who has been working for years to improve the quality of your life. I know from having cancer, that when your health isn't good, it's much more difficult to put your toys away, or to chase butterflies, or even walk all the way to the corner of the yard, to sit in your favorite lemon tree. Mew. :(

My mommy said to my daddy the other night, "Alan, watching Elvis have to go through cancer, is the hardest thing I have ever done, can you imagine what it must be like to watch a human child face cancer? Especially if their parents don't have health coverage?" Mew. :(

I believe that problem can be fixed. And I believe Senator Clinton has the best ideas for getting the job done right. Here is a good article you should read...

Giving Hillary Credit For Schip

I have other reasons for supporting Senator Clinton for human president. And I might write another entry sometime, but for now this is what I have to say.


I AM ELVIS ARON GORDON... AND I APPROVE OF THIS MESSAGE. :)

-OndineMonet
"House Cats For Clinton"
Berkeley, California
May 7th, 2008
Afternoon