Due to exactly what we were trying avoid, Butterscotch now also has a respiratory infection in spite of the fact that we kept him separate from Leo. We had taken him to Dr. Mike yesterday and he dispensed Clavacillin (amoxicillin trihydrate/clavulanate potassium for cats) he needs to take one tablet every 12 hours for the next 14 days.
And, unfortunately, we had no choice but to reschedule his rather important surgery for which the earliest date we could get with our vet was on July 16th! He was supposed to have this Thursday.
We began giving him his meds yesterday afternoon and per Mr. Mike's orders, continuing to keep he and Leo separate for the time being. We are doing our best to keep him comfortable and pray he gets well and STAYS well in order to keep his NEXT surgery appointment!
The original name for the holiday was Decoration Day.
Memorial Day is set aside to honor those who died in our Nation's service.
Originally started to commemorate the deceased of the Civil War.
Waterloo, NY was declared the official birthplace of Memorial Day by President Johnson in 1966.
Over two dozen towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.
Southern women are said to have started the tradition of decorating the graves of Confederate. Soldiers with flags and flowers.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5th, 1868.
A General, not a President, declared Memorial Day.
Memorial Day was first observed on May 30th, 1868.
Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday in May.
The first state to recognize the day was NY.
On the first, official Memorial Day a large ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery and flowers were placed on the headstones.
Most southern states refused to recognize the day officially until after WWI.
After WWI the Day was adjusted to celebrate the deceased in all wars.
A National Holiday Act was signed by Congress in 1971, ensuring a three day weekend for the Federal Holiday.
Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Tennessee, all have separate days to honor the South's Civil War hero's.
Red poppies are the unofficial flower of Memorial Day.
The VFW was the first veterans' organization to sell poppies nationally.
The "Buddy" Poppy Program sells imitation poppies made by veterans.
Memorial Day parades were once a standard of the day.
In 2000 the National Moment of Remembrance was initiated.
The National Moment of remembrance asks that all Americans at 3:00 pm, pause from any action to somehow honor the deceased of our many wars.
In 1951 the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began the placement of 150,000 flags at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. This tradition still stands.
In 2004 Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.
Memorial Day is the, unofficial, beginning of summer activities.
US death tolls for Memorial Weekend are higher than almost any other weekend.
On Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half staff until noon and full staff the rest of the day.
Hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists descend on Washington D.C. each Memorial Day in a parade of appreciation for fallen soldiers, MIA's, and POW's. This tradition started in 1988 with 2,500 motorcyclists.
Yesterday, we were given a nice little appreciation gift at work. There were dozens of petunia planters (Supertunia Bordeaux) laid out on the front lawn of the building as we entered and we were told to pick one as an Employee Appreciation Day gift. They had pretty purple and pink colored ones - I picked a purple one. I decided since it is coming up on Memorial Day and Arbor Day wasn't too long ago, I would plant it out in front of our house in dedication of my beloved dad who I miss so very much. He loved and respected nature so much and he also served in the Army during the Korean War.
And the saga continues ... the very next night after we had gotten the news about Butterscotch, I noticed Sir Leo sneezing A LOT! I called the vet the next morning and they were able to fit him in with Dr. Lila at 3:05. She examined him and said he has an upper respiratory infection. She did not dispense meds - she told us that it would work its' way through in time. However, now he has to be separated from Butterscotch until next week in an attempt to not compromise his surgery. That is what I was concerned about most and I am glad we could get Leo in to be seen right away. We are currently keeping him in the catio until the end of next week.
Today, my mother called me up to give me a bit of heart- touching news and something which brought tears to both of our eyes. A neighbor of my parents for many years now who also happens to be a member of The Arbor Day Foundation, presented her with a card informing her of the following: "In memory of William Lorah as a tribute, 20 trees will be planted and registered in the Chippewa National Forest. This memorial was given by Mr. & Mrs. Bill Trout from Grings Hill Grooming Salon. With thoughts of comfort, peace and caring, these trees will be a living monument to your loved one." ~ The Arbor Day Foundation
I know that he would have been very honored and extremely pleased to hear that wonderful news as my dad had always loved and revered nature and held a life-long respect for her always. My father touched the life of each and every person who had ever had the pleasure of knowing him and I feel that this is indeed a special way of honoring his memory. It makes our family very proud of my dad, just knowing that so many people loved and respected him so much. He was most definitely one in a million and he will remain in our hearts forever.
Just a quick update on Butterscotch. He had his shots and blood work done yesterday. The vet called today and informed us that his blood work came out normal. Bad news is, he will have to have five teeth removed because his mouth is so bad so he will also have to have his teeth cleaned while he is under anesthesia. And, since he is getting a tumor/cyst removed, they will also be performing a biopsy to check if it is cancerous.
Even worse, since my husband is not working for at least the next three weeks (possibly more, God forbid) and is not eligible for unemployment we are not sure IF we will have the $1,500.00 (yes I said $1,500.00) to go ahead with everything he needs for his surgery next Thursday. Needless to say, after receiving this news last night while at work, I could only cry.
One thing is for sure, this is how I feel about my fur babies none-the-less! ...
Happy Monday everyone - gee, is it MONDAY already?? The weekend always go by too quickly whenever I have to work on Saturday's. In any case, it was a fairly quiet weekend at that. My husband is off for the next three weeks in a row because he and some other of his co-workers were furloughed. Unfortunately, he does not qualify for unemployment as he has not been working at his current job long enough - really sucks. Hopefully, I will be working steady enough! At any rate, at least he will be around to take Butterscotch for his vet appointments today and for his leg surgery next week. We have been keeping Ginger away from him as much as possible until then.
And here are some new delights from Chef Jesenia's menu this past week ...
Blueberry Lemon cake.
Shrimp, Lobster & Crab meat Mac 'n' Cheese.
This week her new dessert will be homemade banana pudding ...
Greetings all on this chilly, but sunny Tuesday morning. Just a couple of pics from Mother's Day ...
Sunday we visited the moms and gave them flowers, candy and cards.
Of course, my mom had to have a pic with her canine kid, Brandi. lol
My MIL with Tulip.
Just a cool little mug I picked up for my mom as well ... says it all.
Oddly enough, we had been trying to get a stool sample for a couple of days from Butterscotch for the vet as we are still trying to get to the bottom of what is going on with him and as fate would have it, he gave me a little Mommy's Day gift in his litter box on Sunday morning! I dropped it off at the vet's office yesterday before work. He had a urinalysis last week and they found nothing. He gets his shots and blood work next Monday and the following week he is scheduled for his surgery on his back leg.
We continue to keep him out in the catio because he is still growling and getting aggressive with the other cats which is completely out of character in regards to him - especially since he has gotten along with all of them wonderfully from the day he was taken in our home a year ago.
Some more pics from the day ...
Ginger
Merlin
In other news, we are in a lot of turmoil here as our esteemed "dictator" of our State, Governor Tom Wolf and his unelected, unqualified so-called Secretary for the Department of Health, has caused a lot of problems for us and has upset (anger doesnot even begin to describe it) many Pennsylvanian's (my husband and myself included!) with his very wrong and messy handling of things here in our Counties. Although I seldom, if ever, post anything political, I feel that this is something that EVERYONE needs to think about as it is something that could happen to any citizen. It has gotten so bad here that some of the other County Commissioner's have actually written a letter to ALL Pennsylvanian's after "Herr" Wolf' extended yet again the stay at home/shut down the State order which was previously mandated by him ordering everyone and everything other than what he considers "essential" businesses/workers (although he allowed his former cabinet business to remain open while other businesses had to force their employees to file for unemployment, mind you - like my husband has now had to do). To better understand where I and others who live here in PA are coming from, I have attached the link to this letter. All I ask is that before commenting on this subject, PLEASE READ THIS COMMISSIONER'S LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF PENNSYLVANIA CAREFULLY!
A Message to the People of Pennsylvania from Dauphin County Board Chairman Jeff Haste
HOMEMORE NEWS A MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE OF PENNSYLVANIA FROM DAUPHIN COUNTY BOARD CHAIRMAN JEFF HASTE
May 8, 2020
To the People of Pennsylvania:
Enough is enough. It is time to reopen the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and return our state to the people (as prescribed by our Constitution) and not run it as a dictatorship.
When COVID-19 first entered our state, we needed to take quick and decisive action to minimize its impact. The state was closed so that we could flatten the curve and ensure that our health care systems and hospitals were able to function within their resources. Pennsylvanians complied.
COVID-19 was an unknown foe. We had a lot to learn and have since gained a better understanding. Make no mistake, to those with impaired immune systems, certain medical conditions and the elderly, COVID-19 is dangerous and can be deadly. Now our citizens understand what is needed to protect themselves and others. We see how to implement these procedures as we go to the grocery store or big box stores. Our smaller businesses, restaurants, realtors, dentists, doctors and more have seen and learned what needs to be done. Data shows that COVID-19 is a critical issue in confined living areas and with our elderly and immunity-impaired populations. The general population can continue to work and function within the “new normal.” Our businesses and citizens have learned this; however, the governor and his health secretary have not, thus part of the reason for the Wall Street Journal giving our governor a failing grade.
In Dauphin County, our health care systems and hospitals sprang into action and prepared for the worst. Overall, the worst did not come. Some of our facilities had more than 40% of their beds empty, not performing routine procedures. As of this writing, 48% of our 141 ventilators are in use; six (4%) are in use for COVID-19-related cases; 62 (44%) for non-COVID-19 cases; and 73 (52%) are not in use. Clearly, our ventilators are not maxed out.
Let's put some of the numbers in perspective, since Gov. Wolf and Health Secretary Levine say decisions will be “data-driven.” As of this writing, Pennsylvania has a total of 54,238 cases, or 0.4% of the state's population. Dauphin County has 764 cases, or 0.274% of our population. Pennsylvania has 3,616 deaths, or 0.028% of the population. Dauphin County has 29 deaths, or 0.0105% of our county’s population.
Here in Dauphin County, 192 (25%) of the 764 cases are in nursing homes, while 24 (65%) of our coronavirus deaths are in nursing homes. If you remove the nursing home cases from the equation, 0.2% of the county’s general population has tested positive. Not 20%, not 2%, but 0.2%.
Since Gov. Wolf closed the state to minimize the 54,238 positive cases, more than 1,793,200 Pennsylvanians have lost their jobs. This decision has ruined the livelihood of millions of hard-working Pennsylvanians in exchange for 0.4% of our population. I have great sympathy for those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. I also have great concern for the families that now have to struggle with financial concerns, mental health stress, addiction and more because of the shutdown. Again, our governor has pitted groups of Pennsylvanians against one another.
And he has not included county commissioners in this process.
This need not happen — enough is enough. We should focus our efforts on making sure our nursing homes have the supplies, staff, testing and whatever else they need to protect their residents and staff. Our health care systems and hospitals have shown they can handle the pressures of COVID-19 and have capacity to spare.
Allow our businesses and communities to reopen. For centuries, our people and businesses have shown they can adapt to changes to survive and prosper. They cannot, however, do a thing when a dictator and an unelected secretary place them in lockdown.
I trust and have faith in the great people and businesses of Pennsylvania to operate in a manner that protects those of our population in harm's way and allows our residents to go back to work, enjoy their communities and have a quality of life. I, however, have no faith in Gov. Wolf and Secretary Levine's ability to do the right thing.
Open the state and return our Commonwealth to the people.
Enough is enough.
Sincerely,
Jeff Haste
Chairman
Dauphin County Board of Commissioners
Just a quick update on our fur baby Butterscotch. As I mentioned in my previous post yesterday, we called our vet Dr. Lila regarding Butterscotch's very strange behavior. My husband took an unexpected half PTO day in order to get him into his appointment at 4:20. I was supposed to return to work but decided to take a PTO day as well and will be going back to work tomorrow instead. I was so worried about him I could not sleep anyway.
So, after a few necessary questions, Dr. Lila took him inside to examine him while we waited in our car. She came back out and told us that at this point she could not find anything on the external exam so she asked us if we could keep him in a separate room from the other cats until we were able to get a urine sample from him using a special cat litter called Kit 4 Cat and a little syringe. She also asked for a fecal if were could get that as well. We were also able to pick up the two flea treatments for our other two cats and a small bottle of Tresaderm for both Butterscotch and Leo to treat an infestation similar to ear mites they developed which they need to take for the next two weeks. At present, he is camping out in Merlin's catio for a few days. Perhaps longer if we can not get to the root of why he is growling at the other cats. I vacuumed, cleaned up everything, gave him fresh blankets and a nice bed of his own. And with the cold weather back again here, we have the space heater going for him ...
She also told us that upon examination, she found a cyst on the back of his leg which needs to be surgically removed and he needs a teeth cleaning as well. So we scheduled both to be performed on May 28th and he will receive his shots and have his blood work done the week before. Keeping fingers crossed that we can get to the bottom of this soon!
Heading back to work tomorrow after a week off shutdown as my company decided to do as "... an abundance of caution." We received an email today confirming our return to work with some added precautions as well - smart move on their part I would say.
In other news, I took Merlin and Tabitha to the vet this afternoon for their scheduled check-ups. Merlin now has his proper meds for the tapeworm problem and now all the cats are treated. Funny story - our vet, Dr. Lila, came out to my car (as we still are not permitted inside the animal hospital) and she informed me that there are actually three types of tapeworms which cats can be infected with:
Dipylidium caninum is the most common type of tapeworm in cats. It uses flea larvae as part of its life cycle, and a cat must ingest a flea to be infected by this type of tapeworm.
Taenia species are less common than Dipylidium. These types of tapeworms use a bird, rodent, or rabbit as an intermediate host. A cat must ingest an infected animal to get Taenia.
Echinococcus species use rodents, sheep, fox, and coyotes as intermediates. They're the rarest of the three types of tapeworm.
Now, the most common type (Dipylidium caninum) is what our cats contracted - both she and I believe that the source was a flea which one of our cats ingested somehow - since they most certainly did not ingest a rodent or anything of the like. When I explained to her that I had sanitized the house and did eight loads of wash, she said to me, "You would not of had to do that with the type of tapeworm they have." LOL! Oh well, at least the house is cleaner!
After both Merlin and Tabitha were checked out $440.00 later, I took them home, finally gave Merlin his dosage and began finishing up the cleaning of his catio ...
Merlin giving me a "kiss" on my hand after we got back home again! As an added precaution, Dr. Lila also dispensed each of our cats flea medication as well.
CAT UPDATE: We must now call the vet tomorrow and pray they can fit Butterscotch in for an appointment. Just this evening he began acting very strangely. He seemed fine and normal all day and tonight we heard him growl and get upset when the other cats tried to approach him (NOT like him at all!) and he has been hiding underneath the sofa refusing to come out. I was able to get him to eat some cat food, but then he began acting strange again hiding and growling and we do not understand why? He reminds me of a cat when they are sick and survival instinct kicks in and they run and hide to protect themselves. We are very worried about him. I pray the vet can see him and help him! 🙏🙏🙏
A little update on one of my previous posts about The Epler School House. When our ""illustrious" State of Pennsylvania pulled out of the funding which was originally promised in order to move my County's slice of history to the not so far away Berks Historical Center (also about a mile away from where I live), a local woman began a movement to save it, Her name is Jane Goetz. The following is an excerpt from one of our local news websites:
'The county commissioners approved $110,000 toward the move, but when the pandemic hit, the county dropped out. But Goetz and fellow members of the group, like Bonnie Schaeffer, didn't give up hope. "I've got friends that have worked in one-room schoolhouses and I have a heart for education and for schools," Goetz explained.
She said this past weekend, another call, this time from an anonymous donor whose late wife was a school teacher, was fitting, as this is Teacher Appreciation Week. "He said he wished to make a donation for the balance of the cost that we needed to be able to move the school," Goetz said.'
When asked, "But what about those who would say, with all that's going on in the world, who cares?", Goetz said, "This will be over and gone and we will get on with our life, but once this school is taken down, there's no hope."
That's all for now, until next - take care!
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SaveBERN TWP., Pa. - A one-room schoolhouse with deep roots in Berks County has been saved...
What's new? Well, I learned a long time ago to "always expect the unexpected" and so it is. On Friday morning, I noticed something which looked like uncooked rice all over the blankets where the cats usually sleep - both in the bedroom and on the sofa. Yup, you guessed it - somehow my totally indoor cats contracted tapeworms - AGAIN! We went through this issue two years ago and we now find ourselves dealing with this yet again. And so we called up our vet, they asked us to bring the "uncooked rice" aka dead segments of tapeworm, and drop it off asap, they would come out to us in the parking lot, take them inside to their lab and place them under a microscope right away to see if they were in fact tapeworms (yes, they indeed were) and they dispense the de-worm meds for all five cats right away. Now, that was fine except the med dosages are measured by the cats weight and they did not have an updated weight on Merlin. So, we took the other cats' meds home and we are temporarily quarantining poor Merlin in the catio and separated from the other cats for now. Not really a big problem since he spends so much of his time out there anyhow. I am scheduled to take both Merlin and Tabitha for their annual check ups early this week before I have to go back to work on Wednesday so they will give us his proper dosage at that time. Meantime, I have been spending my entire weekend cleaning, sterilizing, disinfecting all of the cat boxes, doing eight loads of wash after stripping down everything to (hopefully) start fresh and get rid of these nasty things once and for all, and spraying down all of the furniture, bedding, etc. with pet-safe treatments. Merlin's area (catio) is the only place I did not do this as of yet because I am going to wait until right after I bring him back from the vet and give him his meds. Why do it now and then have to do it again after the vet appointment? A little aside, our cats are pretty good at giving meds to, except for Tabitha who gave me a few battle wounds on my arm while trying to administer her 1 1/2 pills ...
She later told me that she was really sorry ... lol
Our little princess Ginger cuddling up with me later on that evening ...
In other news, a pair of cool earrings I ordered on Etsy.com came in the mail last week. I will wear these with my new steampunk dress I just bought for the Witches' Masquerade Ball this year (hopefully!!) ... They are Phantom of the Opera earrings.
While I am on that subject, this is the other outfit I was originally planning on wearing before I found the dress ...
Well, I finally broke down and decided to take a little break from all that house cleaning and joined my friends Deb and Dave for pizza and a movie yesterday ...
Pizza Time delivery! Very tasty!!! 😄
Oh yes, and their cute kitty Jack, too! (btw, Jack can not get infected by my cats simply by me going to their house - tapeworms do not get contracted in that way at all) ... 😽
And last, but not least, two gratuitous kitty pics -Ginger relaxing at the living room window and Sir Leo (at bottom) helping me load up the dishwasher today. LOL!
