"Draft"

I developed the habit a while back of starting a thought on blogger and putting it in draft to finish up later. Now I realize I never did anything with those posts. Ooops. I'm going to publish them to my blog now, but they may not seem that relevant anymore. Oh well.

Blog Block

I feel like I've forgotten how to blog. I find myself thinking about my blog at odd moments of the day, wondering if what I'm doing would be blog worthy. But even when I find something worth mentioning, I can't seem to find the words to set it down. Is this blog-block?!

Crooked Cat

After suffering a serious respiratory illness, Midnight, aka "Wheezer" now views life at a somewhat cockeyed angle. The illness probably resulted from a secondary bacterial infection stemming from a chronic viral respiratory condition. He had a tendency to sneeze and sniffle from the very beginning, but I couldn't afford vet bills for what seemed to be a mild chronic condition, so I just ignored it. It didn't seem to bother him, and I figured it would get better. I even thought it might be allergies.

When he got the secondary infection, we thought he was going to die. He lost his equilibrium, couldn't walk, and would fall to the floor in a splayed fashion every time he sneezed. The vet eliminated feline leukemia as a possibility. After a few weeks of antibiotics he was able to walk, but his abilities had been much reduced. He was disoriented and lacked balance, although the vet said there was no evidence of hearing loss. The vet was willing to do as much testing as I wanted to pay for in an attempt to identify the virus, but couldn't offer a cure. We opted for a 6 week round of antibiotics, and hoping for the best.

Today Midnight is a very contented cat. He is warm and affectionate, and seems quite happy. He still sneezes, wheezes and coughs, but he doesn't appear troubled by his disability. His balance has continued to improve over time; he'll attempt a jump after viewing things with his angled stare. I guess, in the end, there's nothing wrong with seeing the world from a crooked point of view.

Old Faithful Geyser

After my Dad died, we spent a few quiet days in my hometown.

My mom arranged a great place for us to stay in a friend's remodeled barn loft apartment. It was so comfortable, and so removed from everything we had been going through (we had been caring for my dad at his home, an hour's drive from where I grew up).

While in Calistoga, we did touristy things like wander the tourist shops, picnic with brie, bread and home bottled wine, and visit the Sharpsteen Museum, a place I had loved since I was a kid.

The kids really wanted to see the Old Faithful Geyser of California. I had never been there, although it was minutes from my childhood home, and I had probably ridden by the place on my bike hundreds of times (you can't see they geyser from the outside).

It was tourist trap expensive, and somewhat hokey, too, but still worthwhile for me, since it's a piece of the past of the place I called home. The kids enjoyed it, too. It erupts like clockwork every 25 minutes or so, and went off shortly after we arrived. It's an interesting and impressive geothermal phenomenon; they had posted little informational tidbits around the site telling about the history of the place, which has always been privately owned and exploited as a tourist attration. I loved the old photos of turn-of-the-century visitors.

Now I have a yen to visit the big Old Faithful, in Yellowstone.

Side Trip

On our way home from the zoo, we had a little car trouble. The result: an extra day of vacation while we waited for the 'burb to be repaired. Total cost: $850 for the fuel pump, plus the cost of a motel stay and meals out for another day.

On the bright side, we got to spend an enjoyable family afternoon exploring the falls near our breakdown. They were breathtaking. It's amazing how we can put off visiting some of the sights so close to home.

Ferry Ride

We took the ferry on our recent trip to visit Clint's dad. We had such a great time! The weather was brisk, but not unpleasant, although no one could stay out on deck for long. The ferry moves along at a fast clip, creating a strong, chilly wind. The force of the wind makes walking on deck an effort. At first it was a little frightening, so we explored the rest of the ferry, bought cocoa and coffee from their cafeteria-style snack bar, and watched our passage from the safety of a booth. But eventually, curiosity and a sense of adventure won out; there was nothing left to do but brave the elements. The views were breathtaking, the trip relaxing.

Clint's dad lives so close to Seattle! Not counting the ferry ride, he's within 5 miles of the wharf, and we can take the ferry from his side over for free. We're already planning our next trip! We always have such a great time when we travel; we should do it more often.

Excuses, excuses

Sorry for the long absence.

I've attempted to blog several times, but something always seems to come up. I wanted to show off some of the great pictures we had of our most recent family vacation, and I ran into problems uploading photos. Another day, I had lots to say, but no time to blog. Then, I had time to blog and couldn't figure out what it was I had planned to say.

Oh, and did I mention the dog ate my blog[homework]?!

I don't have any time to blog today, or much to say. But I guess I can at least say that much!