KpacoTa CnaceT Mup-Beauty Will Save the World

(Quote from Fyodor M. Dostoyevsky's THE IDIOT, 1869)


Thursday, July 30, 2009

PS- Kippy Update

Kippy feels like he has lost another pound or 2 in the last 3 days. He is as light as a feather. We are very worried. But, he has been drinking a little, and using the litter box. There was excitement when a one inch piece of p--p was deposited into the litter box after force feeding him liquified food and Protocel today, via syringe.


He has also been washing himself and continues to growl when we 'man handle' him. He is just so skinny. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he was anorexic, getting ready for some kitty cat model shoots. Actually, you cannot see how skinny he is, but you can ceratinly feel all of his bones,etc.. He is still so gorgeously fluffy and handsome. His eyes are still beautiful, but today looked like they were inside a very skinny body.

Please eat, Kip. Please heal him , Lord.xo

The Man I married 25 Years ago....HAPPY BIRTHDAY.(29 July)

In 1983 I married this very handsome, 6'2" tall guy. Don't know what the picture was taken for. It was probably a picture taken at work or for a visa or something.


And no, youthful blog readers, this is NOT a mullet- it's the tennis pro look, and 80's style. Mullets are generally short on the top and long in the back. The tennis pro look is HOT, don't you think? :)

So, hubby turned 55 today-well, actually yesterday, the 29th, as I am posting this after midnite. It still feels like 'today'.. Happy Birthday to my Honey. You may be older, and have gone through a lot with the cancer, but I still love you, differences and all.

We had a surprise birthday party for him on Saturday. We had very , many, amazing people in attendance. Just- WOW!

Have you ever had a surprise party? I've had 2. One for my sweet 16th, and one for my fiftieth.

This is an Art blog...I think I've heard that line before...

Emma.

Some random, cool, vintage, Christmas bulbs washed up and put inside this neat black & yellow pitcher. Alex found the pitcher antiquing, and my sister, Nina, got the bulbs from a friend and gave them to me. She's always on the lookout for neat vintage items, and has quite a good eye. Just thought that the picture and its colors looked nice with the fabric items. It is totally random.
Sewn notebook cover.
Bag with vintage , big a-- button from an old lady , boucle coat. Couldn't salvage the coat, but could save the buttons.
The lot.
Tag,(w/my business name, etc.), printed and ironed onto vintage pillow casing fabric, then backed with the same fabric as the bag. I like the fringe.
The bag with all the items stuffed in.Back of pillow. A very nice green- the color doesn't quite show up correctly in the picture.

Front, (or back?), of the pillow. There is a set of 2.Front of the bag.

So Emma is like family. And when she graduates and moves away and needs things for her new apt. in another state, well, we told her to come shopping at our house. We gave her a few nice things for her new place- some furniture, lamps...cool stuff.


For the party got her some gifts, and I made a little set of goodies out of this cool, retro looking , bark cloth type fabric.

So I made her a carry bag, 2 pillows , and a notebook cover. The tag on the bag picture is not so clear, but you might get the idea. It's sewn into the bag. Now Alex wants one of the bags. What do you think?

...and here's a picture of the beautiful, and ever so helpful, kind and sweet Emma-kins. Isn't she a doll? Alex and Emma have been friends since they were babies.Jeff is her Dad, and he went to school with Ken growing up on Long Island . Ken and Jeff work at the same facility/club for about 21 years.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

So much to post about!!!...
















...for starters , here are some neat pictures that Serge took for our local 4th fireworks, in our neighboring, local park.


So much to tell! I had a very long phone call with my 95+ year old Great Aunt Betty....and my great Aunt Betty is GREAT!!! I didn't want to say anything until after the surprise party for hubby.Yes, surprise party- very , big surprise party that we had for him this last Saturday.

Hubby never reads the blog, except for once in a blue moon. So I couldn't take the chance of spoiing it, now could I? hahaha... It was a complete surprise! Yeah!!!!! Alex's idea.(My daughter is phenomenal- Have I ever mentoned that before?) :) Family and friends came from California, N. Carolina, Long Island.....It was simply amazing.

Then, Serge and I just came back from helping to watch my adorable and smart and very happy grand niece Natalya, for 2 days. Did I mention that she is cute?? Oh, yeah, she is so cute!!!!! What a love...and her parents are so unbelievably good, loving, and generous individuals .

They go into the inner city every Christmas Eve as Santa and Mrs. Claus and give out so many toys and gifts, and dinners to the very poor. Jason has been doing this for years on a fire truck(his idea), and Tina has joined since their marriage. They drum up, wrap, and donate the countless donations themselves, along with working.....and all the hecticness of contemporary life in today's world. xo

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

"Ura !!! Ura !!! Ura !!!

It's like the wow of fireworks (c. SA-G 2009) on the fourth!
Or the beauty in the simplicity of the clover (c.LA-G2009).
It's amazing that this little guy......reacted so immediately after Serge & I gave the first dosage of the Protocel Formula 23.


So the Protocel came today. Kip did NOTHING today !...that is, until we gave the Protocel. Now, understand this, the pancreatitis is life threatening. And I don't know what will happen, but...right after I gave him the 1/8th teaspoon and some distilled water, he went up on my bed , and we pet him to make him feel loved after putting syringes of liquid into his mouth...

...we gave him some Feline Greenies, and he ATE them!!!!! YooHoo!!!! Then he went to Ken's side on the quilt, and proceeded to wash himself normally for a good 10 minutes!!! He hasn't done this in DAYS!!!

Serge gave him some more water later, and he said that he seemeed to accept it more readily:)
Praying for the best.xo Thanx for the boost in spirits, she said, looking upward:).

She also got wonderful gifts in the mail.Yoo Hoo:)

Then she went to her comfy chair, and sewed a little while watching the news. Unfortunately she wanted to 'barf' , (pardon my French), but she kept on sewing. Ahhh...a little reprieve.

The Kipster...Protocel's In

On our bed- not the clearest picture, but he's so cute. Look at his mug.
Also not a great picture, but he's just hangin' out in the bathroom with the matryoshka container-odd place.All fluffed up.
So I forgot, that right when he came home, I had to go out. Serge fed him and he gobbled it down. So at least he ate yesterday.


His skin is still holding out today. Serge brought him to me on the bed and we just hung out together for about 20 minutes this morning. He doesn't want to be touched much. He's scared I'll give him the syringe, which I will. But, have to love him up and give him confidence again. Poor little guy. He suddenly feels even more skinny than before. ..so weak feeling.

Protocel came, so I will give him one dosage today. Pray that he eats for us.
Wish us well:)

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Kippy Update

Some beautiful gladiola pictures to say thank you to all of you leaving me such nice comments with all that we've had going on. Aren't they just gorgeous? Sevan gave them to Larissa after her accident. They are from her garden.
We love this deer painting. Got it at an old special haunt in Howard County. Don't know if Ingrid has a site yet, and haven't been there in a while. We have a deer theme going in different areas around the house.So I checked the elasticity of Kippy's neck last night . He was getting de-hydrated. Started to give him bolied , cooled water in a syringe with a spray of Rescue Remedy. He ate a little something yesterday, then nothing. He went downhill. Today I was calling and missing the Dr. and she was calling and missing me.


Finally told the office gals about his hydration situation, and they spoke to the Dr. who said to bring him in so she could see him. I opted to bring him in and get hydrated, and to save on the exam. But the Dr. came out to see me anyway because she wanted to talk with me about Mr. Kip. Have to bring him back in by Thursday if there is no improvement.

I'm awaiting another formula of Protocel , a natural supplement similar to Ken's for his cancer, which is good for certain cancers and can be used with children and pets. It heals many things. It costs less than hubby's formula, and we get a discount on both when bought together. It lasts a very long time. The customer service distributer gal who calls checking on Ken used it on her teenage daughter who had Mono. The Mono was gone in 6 days! It will save lots of money that would be spent on testing, etc.. It's kind of hard to find out the cause of the pancreatitis, without expensive testing, so I've got to be proactive in my naturopathy.

I noticed an immediate improvement , but he's still pretty weak. Although, he came for dinner, but didn't touch anything. Ken said it was a Pavlovian response to my kitty cat food call, which is quite unique. Growing up, my Mom would always call my cats to dinner with a very quick 'gudyee-gudyee' sound repeated very quickly multiple times. Only it is trilled into the air and every cat that I have had, and others that I have met come to it. They are very attracted to it very quickly. (Duh, they get food with it!:) ) Actually, I have had outdoor stray cats come to me with it without food as well. Of course, a good meow never hurt either.

Then Kippy hung out under the living room couch, and finally went back to Larissa's room. But , I think that he used the litter box which is good if he did.

It was a hectic day, and in my travels I saw a little kitten by the Chick-Fil-A dumpster area. He was hiding out underneath. There were no scraps to be found on this hot day. After finding out that no one fed him, (in fact they didn't even know that he was there), I went and got a little kid's meal, chopped up the nuggets very finely and gave it with a dish of water to the little guy. He was so scared, but I saw him eating as my car rolled away.

Alex texted me that I was 'lamee' for not taking him home. He was way too scared, poor little guy.

We have lots going on and there will be more on things very soon.:0)

But, with Kippy and all this 'hecticness' I had to miss an awaited art play date with a new friend, Julie , who I met at the Greenfest show I did recently. Boo, hoo ! Next week for sure!!!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Lydia & the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day


Kippy is not feeling well. In this video he is not talking. Kippy ALWAYS talks. I met Mr. Kippurrs on the console of a 4x4.


We moved to our new home in 2005. We came with one kitty named Kiska. We wanted to get a little kitten for Christmas. On a major road going to our chiropractor, doing 65 mph, my daughter put her foot up to the window stretching her very, long legs. She barely touched the windshield and it shattered!...doing 65!!!!! I pulled off, a bit upset, found some little bit of tape in the car, and kind of taped my windshield. (How do these things happen?)

So I'm a little upset at this point, concerned for our safety. But we proceed on to the chiropractor's, where we are able to tape up the window inside and out with clear tape. Going home I want to de-stress and stop in an antique place. My 2 kids who were with me would've normally complained, but knew not to say a word. We continued going home, and what should appear, but a natural products place that sells soaps, etc.. I'd always wanted to stop in, and so I did. Once again, my kids dare not say anything.

We get out of the car and there is a 4 x 4 with the window slightly open. It was the fall, so it was not too hot. And there sitting upon the console is this beautiful fluffy, tall, orange and white kitty. He immediately told me that he wanted to go home, whereby I told him that I would tell his people who were most obviously inside.

We went into their little shop, and we see a frame with all these pictures of the beautiful kitty in the car. I say," The cat in the car"... and before I can finish what I was going to say, they responded,"Oh, is he yours?" Whereby we all 3 looked at each other with great interest in the beautiful kitty.

Well, they found him and were tired of shoveling dead kitties from the well traveled road, so they took him in. They couldn't bring him home because they already had a few kitties and it was too much, so he stayed at their shop. He was taking a break in the car, but was normally inside with them.

So we got to meet this gentleman, who was quite a talker, and oh so very sweet. They were looking for a good home for him. They'd done some research, and were 98% sure that his name was Kit, and that he was living in an empty home with his calico sister for 2 years!!!

It seems that there was this woman named Mrs. Punke, who with her husband had planned to build their dream home. They started, but the husband passed away and Mrs. Punke finished the home on her own. Mrs. Punke never got to have any kids, and so loved her kitties.

The owner of the place said that they found out that the sister of the woman who had the cat, and her daughter , took care of the 2 cats. They fed them. Mostly it was the sister's daughter who did. But they kept them in an empty home! When they realized from their conversation with the shop owner that it wasn't quite copasetic to do this to animals they clammed up. The elderly sister was about to come and identify the cat , but never showed. They knew that Mrs. Punke's cats went to a certain vet.

Well, next came hubby to visit the kitty, and the last person was my Alex. Everyone wanted the kitty, and knew that there would not be a kitten under the Christmas tree if we got him. There was another family who wanted him, but they wanted to declaw him, so the owner was anxious to find someone who would be better for the kitty. (BTW- they had seen a calico nearby but could not entice her to safety). They believed that Kit was looking for his sister.

So we get to the car and Alex asks, "Did you tell them that we want him?" "No. Do you think that I should?" "Yes!!!" So we go inside and tell them. We discussed that we were very interested in him, but that we would have to check him out at the vets before bringing him home to our wonderful, and very much loved Kiska kitty, and would like to do it after the company left from Thanksgiving as it would just be a bit much to have company with a new kitty in the house.

Well, we got a phone call from the owner that they had to leave town and could we please come get him sooner. We tried to get an appt. w/the vet that they mentioned so that if it was him we wouldn't have to pay so much as Mrs. Punke's kitty was all up on his shots, etc. .Well, the vet had no openings and we had to act quickly, so we brought him to a local vet. We never found out if he was that kitty, Kit.

Company came and the kitty, now called Kippurrs,( because Kit was too blah, and if he was 'Kit' then Kip would not be a big change for him) was put into another room for the holiday.And then we had to give him a more dignified kitty name, so his official name is Kippurrs. My Russian grandfather always said that you had to name a cat with 'shepyavshiye bukvi'- meaning with letter sounds that have sh, ch, sch, ps, ts sounds in it so that the cat will come to you when called, because they are attracted to these sounds.

Well, the first day home, Mr. Kippurrs and I were all alone for most of the day. This gentleman talked non-stop for the first 2 hours that he was home. "This is not my home-Humpf! And there is another cat in this house. Humpf! I'm supposed to be the head kitty.Humpf!!And why can't I go where I was?! Humpf! This isn't right and that isn't right and ................................ 2132416563748945387513`41212!@#$%^&$#@!!#$%^" ... on and on he went that I was absolutely drained from him, and was actually having a bit of a hard time with him- me , THE CAT WHISPERER!

Nothing pleased him. No, NOTHING!!! He constantly complained his head off and did not look very happy with us. Everyone started saying, "We should've waited for a kitten. He doesn't like me/us"..and on, and on. Well, I'd had enough and put Mr. Kip into our large laundry room where the litter boxes are. I was upset. Nothing was going right. I went into the laundry room, sat on the floor with him, and cried my heart out.

I told him how I was so sorry that he was missing his home, but that I did not know where it could be, that we had a super , loving kitty home right here, and that I'd like to make another start of things. "He came and pushed and replied that he was quite sorry, that he was a bit naughty and rude, and that it wasn't necessarily all us, but that life stunk badly to him at this time. I told him that I understood, and we decided to be BFF's (Best Friends Forever, for those who may not know the acronym).

Well, life started changing for the better. It hasn't been all smooth sailing , mind you. Kippy has got to be the naughtiest kitty that I have ever had. He scratched the wood, he chewed some wood on legs of kitchen chairs, he shreds cardboard, he massacred some furniture, he is quite the humpfer, and he is feisty with Kiska. They would lick one another, then Kippy would have enough and attack Kiska. This upset Kiska big time, and seemingly out of nowhere he would then attack Kip, getting back at him, and they would go back and forth. Only now Kip isn't doing much of anything.

But, he is quite a personality, and greets everyone at the door, realizing that they must be coming to visit him, of course. One time a service tech came to service our gas fireplace, and he sat on the floor to work in the fireplace. Kippy kept on pushing with the man. The man didn't say anything to him, or pet him, but didn't mind, he told me. The man was HUGE, and it wasn't exactly pleasant seeing what his pants did not quite cover when the man was servicing the fireplace. Well, Mr Kip walked up the man's leg, talking all the while! It was the funniest thing!! The man still said nothing.

Well, Kippy comes to us in bed in the am and other times and asks us questions like, "Is it time for breakfast? Because Serge hasn't fed us yet, and how about that fresh water, and well, if you rub me I might be persuaded to stay with you a bit on the bed..." ...and he gets so jealous when Kiska is there first. We ask questions, and Kippy responds. I have always wanted to tape these conversations and post them, because they are simply hysterical! This kitty is so unbelievably a character.

Well, he's lost a couple of pounds, and is quite skinny now. He didn't eat yesterday, and barely today. He went to the vet before our trip, and we found out on Monday that he has pancreatitis, only they don't know exactly how to treat him without more expensive testing , and things are a bit tight.

We gave him some of the medicine, but then he stopped eating. So we don't know if it's the medicine, or the new food they gave, but the guy is suddenly looking pretty bad , and I thought last night as he lay in his bed, that he might not make it one day. So this morning I was petting him, and the feelings were welling up. I cried last night, and I cried this morning, and I cried looking at my little baby in the picture above. Life is so precious.

I have grown to love this little guy so very much. And with hubby's cancer, and all the pressures we have had and have, and L's car accident 2 weeks ago, and kids not being too respectful today, I've just about had enough. And then I was not too nice today either.

Job hunting and vet bills, and Kippy's life, and hubby's life, and L's life have all just mounted up too much. Lord, it's not exactly a great time to have Kippy so sick. If you could , please, grant him complete recovery, complete health, I would greatly, greatly, greatly appreciate it. I know that all is in your hands, and I know that I have been giving you much to take from my hands, and I know that you gave us our Larissa 2 weeks ago, but I really need some help here. I'm not liking much on my plate here.

...and so that is how it is Lydia and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, today..... ................just a little, itty, bitty, string.....holding me up some days. Boy, do I pray for a better tomorrow.

Oh, yeah, and did I mention the economy and the whole world is flipped upside down? It must be we've gotten ourselves into a parallel universe. I'm just saying...




Thursday, July 16, 2009

Happy Birthday Seryozha !










14 years ago I gave birth to an 11 lb. 12 oz. baby boy....naturally...almost died giving birth. He said that he completed the family, and that he did. At a year and a half he was drawing crocodiles with teeth, and Christmas trees with different color ornaments, and sitting down to 'read',(listen to Mom read w/a British accent), Barrie's original Peter Pan for extended periods of time.


If there was a pencil or a stick around, or anything long and slender, as a toddler he would give you one, and take one for himself, and start sword fighting. He was into Peter Pan and Hook, Wallace and Gromitt, and a Russian cartoon version of Winnie the Pooh, (Vinyee Pukh). He never watched regular toddler shows like Sesame Street,etc..

If he told you information, you could write a police report by him. He is so nearly often accurate. He was starting to read at 3-4 years of age, wrote and illustrated a book in Kindergarten, and is VERY independent. If you recommend one thing, you can almost be assured that he will choose another. He can be pretty darn stubborn.

He is a classic younger brother teasing and bothering his older sisters. While younger he was my bosom buddy, but about the age of 10, he and Dad became tight. He plays tennis, draws, reads, does art, games, plays ping-pong, mows the lawn, and grudgingly does the weeding. He feeds the cats, including vitamins, and takes care of 2 of their 3 boxes. He bakes and can make a few dinner items.

Girls love him, although he doesn't see it. He was on TV for 3 years at his middle school for the morning news., and is still constantly recommended for special programs for gifted students.He loves the camera taking shots in sports mode while jumping, and making his brand of humor on I-video.

He loves his cats and little ones/babies/and especially his brand new cousin Natalya. One day he will make a loving, nurturing, but no nonsense,tough Dad. He pays his own way, and pays people back before he's been asked. He says "No" a lot and needs a bit of prompting a lot, but he also does so much at other times, when push comes to shove, or when someone really needs the help.

I love this boy so, and miss the way he was as a little one, yet enjoy seeing him mature. His humor and intellect are active and refined, and is an astute observer of politics and the world.

Happy Birthday, 'crater dimples'-aka-yamochki boy. xo Love, Mom.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

If you think...


"If you think that life is tough, try living a day without it."



Sorry- stuck in my head, but can't remember who said it.

c.A-G2009

Larissa's bug on flower pics...& a journal

Click for a better look. These are untouched photos that Larissa took a couple of weeks ago . Ocean City was nice. We got in, they all went to the beach, and I sat on a couch w/my legs up to check out my magazines. It was so nice and quiet. I just sat for a good 20 minutes in silence. So nice.


Worked on some scrap book pics, and hand sewing finishing up stuff. No pics yet.

The journal doesn't come out well because I didn't scan it in. ..but it goes with the flower pics:).

The car is a total loss , and waiting to catch up w/the very nice adjuster to pass on the title, and to pick up the check.

And tomorrow is Serge's 14th Birthday! Boy, does life go by quickly. Hugs to all:O) Lydia

~~~later alligator (c. LAG 2009)




C.Lydia,Oh,Lydia! Art 2009