{Hey there}

I'm still alive!

Things are slowly getting better  ^^

Busy at work and taking care of lots of paperwork to transfer my nursing license to Texas.

I've been working furiously on my little balcony garden.

I now have 10 different kinds of herbs and a potful of California Poppy sprouts.

Now just to plant the strawberries and tomatoes.

I've got a little second job for 5 hours at the cattery where I got Marie.

Taking care of 23 Norwegian Forest Cats.. if this isn't the perfect job for me than I don't know what is!

I'm all registered for the 2012 Galveston Island Bathing Beauty Revue which is in May.

The week after that Travis and I are seeing Rammstein play at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston.

I've only wanted to see them since high school!

Then in June we are going back home (to my home, California) for my best friend's wedding.

We only get to stay for 3 1/2 days but hey, that's better than nothing.

I've crossing my fingers and hoping that Travis will fall in love with California and want to move there.

I've been away for 2 years now and I am homesick every day.

Plus what with my severe allergies (to pollen), I should live near the sea to enjoy the best quality of life.

Ha.

I've been using instagram a lot lately. 

I like it.

My sister crocheted me this headband.

Dinner at a Mexican food restaurant.

Miss green-eyed Marie.

4 week old Forest Cat kittens

4 week old Forest Cat kitten.

Snuggly Forest Cats.

Orange Forest Cat.

Gatsby being bathed in preparation for his date with the neighbor's female Pomeranian.

1950's dress, silver spoon, veggies & rice.

Breakfast = Coffee & Avocado Toast.

Breakfast = Coffee & Pancakes.

Blood orange.

Flowers behind a shed at work.

{A new soft thing}

I picked up my new kitty yesterday.

She's a 5 year old Norwegian Forest Cat (will be 6 on March 6th).

She's very purry.

{Grey Rain}

I woke up to rain.

Sick today, most likely with a cold.

That means hot coffee, tea and miso soup on the couch while burrowed under wool blankets with my animals and a book.

Later I'm meeting up with a Norwegian Forest Cat breeder to look at a couple of cats.

I'm not giving up on finding Loki, but Wednesday is just so lonely.

And I miss having a Wegie around.

{A cat past}

Here is a cat I used to have, a female Norwegian Forest Cat named Freyja.

{Loki in the snow}

{The apples}

{Memento mori}

Today marks the 1 year anniversary for when my first Norwegian Forest Cat, Bentley, died.
I just got him off of craigslist on December 12th, 2007.
His owner had surgery and couldn't take care of him.
We were meant to be together..
He was from a breeder in San Jose, California (that's where I'm from)
His breed is Norwegian Forest Cat (I'm Norwegian)
His birthday is October 1st (mine is the 11th)
I fell in love with him and took him home with me.
He was my feline-soulmate-child.
Words cannot express how close we were..

In March of 2008 he became ill.
I took him to VCA Animal Hospital in Point Loma.
He received the best care there that a cat could possibly receive.
His veterinarian was one of the kindest people I have met in my life..
Our visits often overran the allotted appointment time because we would get into medical discussions!

I wrote all of this in my personal, hand-written journal:

--March 03, 2009--
About 10 days ago Bentley just wasn't eating so I took him to the vet. He got x-rays and bloodwork done and it was discovered that he has hepatic lipidosis. Pathophysiology: Hepatic lipidosis occurs when a cat doesn't eat for a period of time. The cat's body starts digesting fat which in turn goes into the liver where it replaces liver cells. Bentley has jaundice.. his little nose, ears, gums and skin are yellow due to the inability of bilirubin to go into the liver.. because there are fat cells there and not liver cells. He wouldn't eat anything.. not liverwurst, not turkey, not salmon, duck, venison, chicken or beef. I was force-feeding him for about a week. I gave him mirtazipine (appetite stimulant) for awhile and he doesn't even need it anymore. He eats and drinks all by himself now, but he's still dehydrated so I have to give him kitty I.V. subcutaneous fluids. He only weighs 16 pounds.. compared to 21 pounds in November. Part of his ample weight is his breed. Norwegian Forest Cats are the second largest breed of domestic cat in the world. Males can weigh up to 20 pounds!

--May 14, 2009__
Bentley died yesterday at 10.30. He was only 6 1/2 years old.. and with me for 1 year and 5 months. He had surgery the day before to put a feeding tube in, yet his condition rapidly deteriorated overnight. He had bruising and petichiae.. most likely because his clotting factors were compromised due to the liver disease. He was hypothermic at 94 degrees fahrenheit and 100 is normal for cats. I went to see him at the hospital and he was under heat lamps, not responding to heat. He was on oxygen and pain medication too. Things came to a point where the act of prolonging his life was prolonging his death. And so he died exactly the way I want to: an overdose of barbiturates (I think). I kissed him goodbye. I've been violently ill all day. I have a migraine that no pills can quell and I'm nauseous and dry-heaving so of course eating is out of the question. Bentley is being cremated.. I am planning on getting him a beautiful antique urn so that he can stay with me (in my room).

I am still saving up for this beautiful antique cremation urn...

{Young Loki}

Loki, my Norwegian Forest Cat.