I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

Blue, Just catching up and read of your sweet Virg. So sorry for your loss. I have my Angel, a wire fox terrier, buried beneath our bird feeders and after two years still speak to her every morning. She was 13. My heart is sad for you.

Blue, I laughed OUT LOUD watching the clip you posted.  THANK YOU.

Does everyone know the name SCOUT TUFANKJIAN.  She is the photographer for Obama for America who took the FAMOUS picture of Michelle hugging the Prez - most tweeted pic ever, caption: Four More Years.

WELL - if ya wanna smile forever, and forever, and...check out her BOOK:  YES WE CAN. Story in photographs of the first campaign....I am off to the store to BUY IT.  After I email the clip Blueposted to everyone I know.

YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST, JUST THE BEST, BEST, BEST....

Blue - more hugs, no words, more hugs.  Wish I could find the GORGEOUS piece Al Hunt, then Washington Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal wrote when they had to say goodbye to a member of their family, her name was Amanda, the the article was titled: Amanda, Farewell.   Years ago, when it was time for someone in my own family to say goodbye to a loved one, I called Al's office, and apologized to the woman on the phone, explaining I couldn't even remember the name of the article, but it was about the family saying goodbye to a beloved furry one, - and she immediately said: "Oh, you mean Amanda Farewell, we get more requests for that than anything else."  I've googled, but still can't find it.  My copy is probably on one of the old computers which didn't make it with me to this part of the world...alas, I'll keep looking.

Meanwhile, if anyone finds Al Hunt's "Amanda Farewell" -  and it's online, please link us to it.

Happy today to all....

Blue....I loved it.  Thought coffee would come out my nose.

Sunflowers....I don't have my gifts yet.....I'm going to be patient though as I'm sure they will come.

I so loved the picture and read every work of the accompanying article.  I am so proud of our President and Michele along with Vice President Biden and Jill.  What courageous and fantastic people.  Much like Scout.....with the last three debates as well as the election, I did not think about anything in advance.  I did not want to put any negative energy out in the universe and was able ( I did have to work each day so that helped ) to keep my mind clear.  At each juncture we had solid, easily identified strong wins. 

So, I am and remain so proud of my leaders as well as so proud of all my friends and some family as well as the American people who in the end would not stand for lies, and losing so much that was fought for and won through the years.  Not one of them wanted to go back to the Dark Ages where we would have surely been headed.  TRUTH stands tall and proud and always will. 

Jackie

If the Carlos Gutierrrez who is quoted is the one who was Bush's Commerce Secretary, then I know him, through our sons. He is not a thug or regressive. He is the type of Republican that the Tea Party will drive away.

I think he is truly one of those people who does believe that the economic policy of the Republicans could work. I don't agree with that but I do know there are good people that I disagree with. I flew back form DC one time with his wife and daughter when he was Commerce Secretary, in coach.  That said a lot to me.

The Republican party made a deal with the devil (big money, extremist religion) and found out too late that the reasonable among them would be the first victims.  I have some sympathy ... but it is up to them to undo what they have unleashed upon the rest of us.  If not, they will go down with them.

Breaking the unions will drive down wages and benefits everywhere.  That's the plan ... they want good employees to have no other place to go.  Middle management, administration, accounting, etc. are next.  Meanwhile prices never go down ... the savings are just pocketed by a select few.  And the gap between our prevailing wages and cost of living continues to grow wider. 

It's not that a lot of the companies attacked by the 'vultures' were not profitable or viable.  They were deliberately destroyed for the vultures to feed.  Every creditor who got hosed by their bankruptcies is a victim too. 

Linda ... I watched part of the Dust Bowl show.  I did not really comprehend just how hellish it really was!  A reminder that whether you want to 'believe' in climate change or not, Mother Nature is not to be messed with.  Considering the droughts last year that particular story should send out a warning to take climate seriously and do whatever we can to mitigate the potential bad stuff.

Athena

Did you not know global climate change is a liberal plot?

I just took my two tuxedo cats to the Vet (left Emma there) and someone brought in a Virgil type of dog while I was sitting there.   Very small country vet, so the odds of that were slim.  xox to Blue ..... I left my Emma and I'm scared silly.  I've put off vaccinations as long as possible as the last time was not good.  We're hoping a shot of benedryl and some steroids will ward off any reaction, and breaking them up into 2 parts and leaving out the leukemia. Rabies later.  I was crying as I left.  They say they will watch her like a hawk, but if she goes into shock....gonna be a long day.  She is truely my baby.

((((Blue)))) You lost a family member. It takes a while. We never forget our furry children.

I've been reading up on solar activity lately - don't ask me why, because there is no real reason... Anyway, I came across this article which I found to be most interesting about solar activity, greenhouse gases and climate change.  http://www.aip.org/history/climate/solar.htm

and this is another one...  http://www.aip.org/history/climate/20ctrend.htm#Mann

Kam - thinking about you and your kitty. 

Oh, Kam, how scary! I got home from work last night and found my kitty Lucy puking and puking, and she was very hot and cried and then growled when I tried to feel her belly. I was scared silly and took her to the emergency vet. No bowel obstruction (my fear, since that was what killed my last kitty, Imp and the same symptoms), "just" a GI virus and a temp of 104. She got IV fluids, and a shot to boost her immune system and another to settle her tummy. She slept a few hours and woke up perkier, affectionate and cooler, so huge sigh of relief from me. I'm having more trouble enforcing a kitty bland diet - pureed meat baby food mixed with rice or rice cereal, and/or cottage cheese as a protein. She wouldn't touch it, but my other kitty, Swiffer, did and promptly puked *headdesk*. I gave in and put down some of their regular wet food mixed with rice and they both ate some of that. Just a bit ago, I remembered Lucy LOVED kitten milk replacer (a staple when she was a very sick kitten), so went to PetSmart and bought some. She was downright enthusiastic about that and head-butted my leg when she was done.

But I hear you about the fear. I was crying all the way to the vet and home. Lucy helped me get over the death of my previous kitty, Imp, and I also sat up with her when she was a wee sick kitten with pneumonia, struggling to breathe. I am so attached to her as a result that the fear of losing her makes me sick. She's my dainty, feminine baby. My other kitty, Swiffer, is an über-alpha tough, rowdy tomboy who makes me laugh, the little knothead.

Keep us posted on how Emma is doing, OK? (((Kam)))

Thanks Riley...it was good Lucy could be treated the way she was.  I've heard of other outcomes with that situation, including a doctor that chose surgery "for a mass"  to find out the cat had gas!

Emma is 15 lbs of love, but with a lousy immune system. Like you, my other cat is pure alpha. She's tough, but only 8lbs. Emma will rollover on command, hold conversations, and loves to crawl under the covers with me.  She is so easy to hold, any which way.  Oh, the $$ I've spent on trying to make Emma's life better (allergies), to no avail (don't ever do the blood tests for allergies...they don't work!).  She overreacts to everything (medications, food, herpes etc.) and the last vaccines gave her a 106 fever and they weren't sure she'd make it.  Why am I doing this to her...it just kills me to think if something happens to her, I'm responsible for this decision.  This time she's just getting the upper respiratories with benedryl and steroids and a Vet taking her temperature all day. Shock would be the big fear.   I will probably still skip rabies (as well as leukemia), given her habitat, and that is legal in California, but if she ever bites someone (unlikely) she would have to be quaranteened for 6 months.

Ok, paralyzed with fear at the moment......

As far as politics, I think we need to have a Senate Select Committee on why these partisan politicians are suggesting conspiricy theories surrounding Benghazi.  First off, how would saying "Al Quieda" or "terror" make a difference.  Wouldn't have changed anybody's vote I know of.  It's just paritisan yapping.  There's no upside to witholding these words, unless they did it for Intelligence reasons, and those reasons alone.  Never understand this made up contraversey.  Certainly demonstrates that they don't really have much to be upset with, with Obama.

Since we are doing a furry retrospective, I thought I would re-post a post from 18 months ago on this thread about my dearly departed daughters. Text and pictures follow:

Here is a picture story of two of my family home dogs, Camilla, a German Shepherd, and Athena, a golden labrador. They were sisters, both having arrived on the same day, purchased from two different breeders within hours of each other. Camilla was feisty, emotional and playful. Athena was quiet, tender and cerebral. Camilla was probably stolen by someone and we know who it was. Athena died of this dreaded disease (although the cancer location was never determined because I didn't think there was a point in doing a full autopsy).

Meet Camilla. She was ADDICTED to sticks...

...and she loved to pose....

This is Athena, whose beauty and eyes are not done justice to in these pictures:

As much as Camilla loved sticks, Athena loved to play "fetch" with tennis balls....

Final post:

Athena and Camilla enjoyed playing together and used to chase each other around in circles. In this picture, Camilla is flying through the air as my sister's former husband wields a stick. Camilla never let go of sticks, even if it meant clinging to them by the skin of her teeth. Athena, with her inimitable smile, joins in the fun....