KpacoTa CnaceT Mup-Beauty Will Save the World

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


Wednesday, August 26, 2009

No I-Photo, No I-Tunes, No JavaScript (VOID)0...computer archiving and Installing...

So suddenly in the last week things disappeared on the computer. Still had some pictures on the desktop saved, so I finally called Mac, dreading a massive job if my wireless would go out, which could happen.


They decided that I should archive and install. Now it is like a new computer. But still no I-Photo. It seems that it is on an original bundle, but to put the previous computer on, as I had recently upgraded, would not be good for my Leopard system, so they are sending me a new cd.

In the meantime, we don't have much on, as they want to lead me through everything, in case there is still a problem, as when I opened the 'new computer' up, it had an error report. Anywho, I have to wait for the cd. But, while I was on hold one time, as they were checking into the best case scenario for my computer, I recalled that the pictures I might lose might be the last pictures of my kitty, Kippurrs , who just passed away on the 3rd...and the beautiful pictures on the new camera of him- that we could never replace.

That's when I broke down crying. I was sobbing while on hold. Of course, I don't want to lose our pictures, but what will be , will be. But, it was the thought of possibly losing the last shred of my Kippy, Kip, Kippurrs, that tore through my bones, and stabbed at my soul.

Huh, I can't even use spell correct in this blog. Wonder if it has to do with holding off on installing I-Work which has Pages, etc. on it. Apple wants me to do very little here 'til the cd arrives.

So , forgive me dear readers, as I cannot upload my pictures, etc. 'til I have a place to put the pictures. Baby steps, ...so much to do... it all feels like baby steps. My hubby started his chemo again, and is not doing well with it. That means that paychecks are down. But, I worked 2 interpreting jobs today, and they might just lead me into a permanent position in another area.

Please send up a prayer or two, if you don't mind.

xo Lydia

PS- Brought hubby to one of our churches in DC that was recipient of a visit from a miraculous icon weeping/bearing myrrh from Hawaii. The church was mobbed, as one could imagine. We all got blessed with the oil from the icon. Already, some wonderful things have occurred this week. Am praying for much at this time. Thank you all for your kind comments, thoughts, and prayers- both publicly, and privately.

PPS- And while all of this is going on I am filling up the kitchen with artwork in the middle of paint, Mod Podge, collage, and wax. Alas, I am sorry to not be able to show pictures. And as the show gets closer, I become much more frantically busy. Hope that I will be able to have the time to post, but I don't know.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Computer Strange-ossities...and my Dad's lousy doctor MILLER from L.I.




So we can't find our photos or i-tunes., and Java script is void???.. Have a few photos on the desktop that I can post from the party for hubby, but have to rectify the computer glitches. Why does everything important happen at the same time??? Arghh!


Hubby restarted his chemo on Wed., and is not doing so well. Chemo & radiation s_ck! Luckily, no radiation. I think that he has had enough of that. My Dad died from too much radiation. Lousy doctor- did I tell you about him?- he said to my Dad going through Hodgkin's Disease in 1979-80, "You took a mortgage out for your house, a loan out for your car, I'm not waiting for Blue Cross/Blue Shield- Take a loan out to pay me!" Dr. Miller on Long Island. Don't mind saying his name. Believe that he has passed away. Can you believe that!?

I used to take tour groups around the world in my 20's. Have traveled quite extensively worldwide. Had a group of doctors, ( I took professionals for continuing education credits), from Long Island. The lead doctor had worked with this horrible doctor & told me that they didn't talk badly about fellow colleagues..."But, I will tell you this. I worked in a hospital with Dr. Miller. All the other doctors signed a petition to remove him from the hospital".
He told me this after hearing about my Dad.

My Dad thought that he was doing well, and was feeling great. Dr. Miller made him do back -to-back radiation. (He was doing chemo, then radiation, then chemo, radiation...).My Dad died of Fibrosis of the lungs, not from the Hodgkin's.

Fibrosis of the lungs is when there is so much thickening from too much radiation, and there is no room in the lungs for the air to go through to breathe,as in my Dad's case. The radiation killed him. This jerk, oh, pardon my French and 29 years later , but he essentially killed my Dad. The doctors told me to sue. Doctors! But, suing would not bring back my unconditionally loving Dad now would it?

Anywho, that's the story of my Dad's lousy doctor.

Now for the posted pics.

The cake was so yummy,thanks be to Carlos.

And so what, I removed a 'few' wrinkles from hubby's photo with a top girl that he coaches, Lauren ,(Lourne??- I am told this is the spelling??).

And it is so typical for the event photographer, My Larissa, to take a picture of her cool shoe. Isn't it' perty'?

And she's doing the fashion show again at Vibrant Artwear during fashion week . This time her vivacious good friend, Krissy, has auditioned and is doing it also. Did I mention that Krissy is outgoing? She can talk to anyone. What an absolute sweetie.:) They will probably have her dancing in the special dance routines.

Have a good day.

PS- Oh, yeah, I have artwork all over the place , but have to fix the computer before posting, as I have no I-photo at this point to put them in!!!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

How Cute are These?...and, Thank you , Jenny.

Aren't these simply adorable? Click to get a better view. Deborah from Chew Gum and Walk just listed these in her Etsy shop. Her crochet work is impeccable. The colors are so tasty, and what a neat & useful item! She has long handle and short handle ones. She also has many colors.


Isn't it just amazing what creative and wonderful items one can find on Etsy?



...and thank you to Jenny for the prayer request for hubby that she put in for blogland. I always thought that the commercial for cheese..."The power of ..." would be a great one for God.................................................................................................................................................................... "The power of Prayer."

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Time...and holding on to God

Hubby had his Dr's appointment today. The lung cancer (Stage IV since diagnosis in 2006)), has progressed a little into the pancreas, and into some other areas. Also, the areas affected have increased. Some have stayed stationary. Some areas are still not affected.


He will start chemo again next week. Then he is off for 2 weeks. If he feels less pain, he may just continue with the Protocel, and no more chemo. Or he may take 1 or 2 more treatments. Either way, he will continue with the Protocel, as it has been helping.

So, the pancreas is not a good area. But, I'll be damned if I give up hope for someone who I love. With God all things are possible. I just hope that emotionally he can make it through, because that will dictate a lot of the physical.

I want to crawl into a ball and cry, out of fear. Will I have my hubby? Will I hold onto the house if he doesn't make it? Will I be able to care for my family? I know that he is scared. Who wouldn't be?

It's bad enough going through all of this, but to have so many other things on the plate just make all so much harder . Why can't I just cry, and be by myself, and do artwork, and try to muddle through and heal?The situation does not allow this.

But I have to put on my big girl panties. I just hope they work. No time for tears.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

My sister, Nina, just sent me this picture of Kip

Kippy, Kip, Kippurrs...Running to Heaven...(..and the Russian word for the day on the side bar is:plakat', which means to cry)





Unbeknownst to Larissa taking the pictures and videos below, you can see it in his eyes, these were his last moments. In the video I can hear his rapid breathing. I was downstairs when she was going to get him to give his medicine and some food. I wish she would've gotten me. I was right downstairs.


But even in the end, he was talking and telling us "No". He did not want the medicine and food. I wish I'd thought to give him some whipped cream. He loved whipped cream. Doctor said not to give him anything fatty, because the pancreas was not digesting it easily, being inflamed. (He had pancreatitis).

You can't see how very skinny he got, because he was a mound of beautiful pouf. But, my poor baby did not look very good here. He liked to stay under Lara's bed.

I didn't post the pictures and videos that showed too much. If you pause the playlist at the bottom, you can hear him telling Lara, "No".

We met Kippurrs on the console of a 4 by 4. The window was partially open, and he said,"I want to go home now"., very matter-of-factly. I told him,"OK. I'll tell your people inside that you want to go home". When I entered the shop, I asked about the cat in the car. They asked, "Oh, is he yours"? We all looked at one another, me Lara, and Serge. I posted of this meeting in more detail, just a few posts earlier.

We got Kippy Thanksgiving of 2005, right after moving in to our new home. He was none too pleased to be coming into a home where there was another kitty already in charge. The first 2 hours at home, he talked non-stop. I got so tired of his complaining, me the cat whisperer. I worried that he would not adjust. I'd never had that experience with a kitty.

He was quite naughty, scratching the furniture, shredding cardboard, starting some fights, complaining about everyone, complaining that this was NOT his home, and that there was another kitty here. We had quite a time, and the kids were starting to wish for the kitten that they'd given up when we all decided upon Kippurrs. Well, I put him in the laundry room for a time out, so to speak.

I then went inside, sat on the floor next to him, and poured my heart out to him. He had gone through quite a bit, and was very displeased. He told me that everything was quite wrong. I apologized for not being able to know where his home was, and that he had been saved, but he was still so stubborn.

I cried and told him that we were a house with a tremendous amount of kitty love in it, and that I would like to make another go of it. He agreed, and right then and there we became BFF's.

We had some rough times, but Kippy asserted himself within our home and family. Everyone eventually fell head over heels in love with him, for you see, he was quite the conversationalist! You could talk the weather, or dinner preparations, or gift giving, or about your sadness or joy, and Kippy would have something to say. He loved to ask questions such as,"Is it bedtime yet? Because I want to go on your chest and push with you right now, and I want to beat out Kiska from getting to your chest in bed first." ...or,"Is it breakfast time yet? because I really am starving"....he also said. "Humpf!" alot.

or..."I don't know what they are doing in the government these days, there seems to be no common sense." If you asked his opinion, he always, well, almost always had a response.

Kippy and Kiska had a love hate relationship. Kiska tried to love him, and Kippy just hated any competition. Well, almost. Usually he would wash Kiska in the middle of the night, then attack him so that he would leave the king size bed and have us all to himself. There was just NO ROOM on that bed for 2 kitties, according to Kippy.

As we grew together, we grew to love this poofy little guy, (actually pretty tall), so very much. And when we got Puma, he and Puma became fast friends, taking turns grooming one another.

Just a few weeks ago, right before our Ocean City trip, he got another UTI, or what seemed to be one. This time however, it was not a UTI, but pancreatitis. The doctor didn't know what caused it so she wanted to do more testing, but the bills were way too expensive, and we'd already spent a little bundle, which we already could not afford. When we came back from the trip, she gave him a different food, and added 2 minor medicines. That's when he stopped eating . Then he stopped drinking. It all happened so suddenly, just in the last couple of weeks. So we stopped the new stuff, but he didn't return to his normal self.

So we had him hydrated and force fed him, and got him Protocel, a powerful natural supplement that could heal him , if it wasn't too late. He was between 10 and 16 years old. I'd bet he was the latter.

Last night the kids were fighting about giving him his Protocel. I told them to leave each other alone, that I would do it. I was so tired, and was hoping for them to give him the Protocel, and I would give him his food. We had to force feed him liquified food. They didn't hear me. That's when Lara took the picture and video in this post. She came for his food. They still argued. I was upset that Kippy would get upset. He didn't need this stress in the house. Kippy went to the hallway in the state in which you see him here. He threw up.

Larissa brought him to my bathroom where we always fed him and gave him his natural supplement. All this time, she didn't call me. I can see here that his breathing was bad and rapid. His voice was weak. Ken helped to give the Protocel. Ken had already gone to bed, and needs his rest with the cancer, but he came downstairs and told me that he thought that Kip wouldn't last the night. In the morning /afternoon I was thinking this might be a turn for the worse as he was a little wobbly, but still drinking and using the toilet. But he did not want to eat and said,"No." I couldn't give him much.

All of this which I am telling you happened in such a short period of time. I called Alex, who is away on a trip, and told her the update. I got off the phone, and Ken called me upstairs. I said that I was coming. 20 seconds later he told me that I wasn't coming quick enough. I grabbed the healing candle and icon with prayer, ( given to me in church by some visiting ladies who had gotten them at a special church in Moscow. We have used it for Ken.)

I came upstairs to Kippy in his last breaths. We got Serge, and called Alex. We were all with him in his last moments, praying, sobbing, petting and kissing him, then trying CPR a little, but it was too late. His warm body soon was cool to the touch. Even the other 2 kitties came to see him.

So, we were blessed that he passed away at home, and without needles and tubes in him. He had us all around him, praying. We wrapped him up and left him in the bathroom over night. We were all to awaken at 7:30.

I couldn't sleep, between all the tears and the pounding of my heart. It seems that we were all tossing and turning. And then we all awoke before the alarms. For me, the night was long, after I'd finally drifted off to sleep. To Larissa it was too short. We all really slept very little.

We had the funeral with candle,(citronella kept away the gnats, too), icons, and prayers. The other 2 cats looked on from the Kitchen French doors. Kiska had been wanting to go out , scratching at the door. Kiska and Puma have been together and quiet all day. Everyone is heart broken that our Kippy, Kip, Kippurrs is gone.

He was with us for just under 4 years, and I know that they were blessed ones. We gave him a good home when he had none. We overcame a lot in the process. He was the naughtiest kitty I have ever had, but also one of the most precious. Are they not ALL precious? He met everyone at the door, and all who hear about his passing say that they really liked him. He was so very personable.

He was taken from us too quickly, but I am so glad that he could die in peace and comfort with all of us around him. We had the absolute best conversations. I had wanted to tape them with the new camera, to post, because they were so hysterically funny. But, alas, we had not the chance.


They couldn't feed him anymore. He kept saying, "No". They brought his bed into the bathroom, and put him in it. He then got up and fell to the ground. He could not hold himself up anymore. Larissa said that he made all kinds of noises and meows and that his legs looked like they were running, while he was collapsed on the floor. I told her that he was running to heaven, that he was going through the tunnel that takes you to God, seeing his whole life before him in an instant.

He was running to heaven, and is in pain and discomfort no more. "Vechnaya Pamyat' Kippurrs!" Memory Eternal !!! ...you are with the angels now, in heaven.xo Love you baby....and we miss you so very much. Amen.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

"We're here to pump you up!"...Some Amazing People ...(from the surprise birthday party)

Never even saw this picture taken. Sarah, Lara, Alex, and Emma holding 'The Serge'. KG in background to right.
The proud parents of the beautiful baby, (pictures below), Jason and Christine,(my niece). (These two gorgeous people are very, very special :) ).
Serge's best bud since 1st grade.
Half of a twin set, the smart and darling Conor, taking a break from the food:).Laura and Linda. Linda owns the cafe where we received so much help and goodies. What a generous soul.

A Ridgewell's Strawberry Shortcake. This is simply heavenly. Thank you Carlos.
Sevan's & Greg's flowers, Russian Tea Cakes by Serge, and the cake. It was the bomb!
Ken, ( the cancer has aged him a bit, but he is looking good:) ) , and Lara.Beautiful and loving Linda.

Abby and her Mom.
Donna and girls.
Tilson, Aleshin, Stansbury, Patton crew.
My very 'delicious'-ly sweet, good, and very happy grand niece. Oh, do we love this child. Her parents are anxiously awaiting little cousin friends for her. None are in the oven yet, though.
A little teething going on here.
Serge loves his little cousin.
Jeff F. and honey. Notice Ken with cool shades pic. in background. Alex blew up a bunch of pictures and put them up, did a slide presentation on the laptop with Ken's favorite , Leo Kotke playing in the background. How many times have we seen him perform and get his autograph and speak to him???...about a gazillion. :)
Linda, Abby, Christy, and Donna.
Ken, Uncle Neal, Mom and Camilia.
Ken's family( well, part of them).
Super terrific Mark:).
Steven and John.
The photographer. (Kevin Neeland, (of SNL), in blown up picture with Ryan and Ken -Ken's pic. is cut off in the photo. White House . Great American Workout, 1990's). "We're here to pump you up!"Sweet Sarah.

Sarah and beau Joe.
Tennis ball container vases with beautiful flowers, (by Alex), and runners with way cool bows, (running late, so the very talented cousin Elinor came in in a pinch to help us out- what can't she do???).
Kissing cousins.

A very fine tennis player.
Francis and her beautiful family.
Tilson, Stansbury, King clan.

Rita & Jen.Mike & Chris.Donna, Alison, Stewart, and Mom (Ken's)
Jeff with wonderful cookie maker friend, Nancy. Nancy makes the very best mocha brownies, and cut-out cookies every year at Christmas. Ken got her mocha brownies. Yummmmm! These go so quickly in our house, with everyone fighting over them:) .

The guys.