Happy Valentines Day to all my friends

A Valentine Poem for my friends

Valentine treasures are people who
have often crossed your mind,
family, friends and others, too,
who in your life have shined
the warmth of love or a spark of light
that makes you remember them;
no matter how long since you’ve actually met,
each one is a luminous gem,
who gleams and glows in your memory,
bringing special pleasures,
and that’s why this Valentine comes to you:
You’re one of those sparkling treasures! 

By Joanna Fuchs

The photo above is of Smoky and Sabrina cuddled up
when they were kittens

Happy Valentines Day
You are all very special to us and we are glad you are in our life.

Fay, Bob, Smoky and Sabrina

Inspiration House, Hilton Head, Daufuskie Island, Gullah people, Parties

Inspiration House is an 11,000 sq ft. new home (8000 sq. ft. living space plus basketball court) being built for a young family.   The family in cooperation with the builder and many contractors opened up the house to the public for 8 days.  The proceeds of all the tickets ($10 each) go to either the Humane Society (a charity Newcomers is supporting) or Susan B. Kormen Cancer fund.  Newcomers volunteered to be docents one evening of the tour.

Take your own guided tour through the house.   It’s really something, especially the 3000 sq. ft. basketball court with sky box. They would not tell us the price except to say “north of $2 million.  The home has 3 laundry rooms, a locker room to go with the basketball court , home theater, huge family/bar room and of course a swimming pool.   Enjoy the tour. http://www.ihomesc.com/mobile/

Before you can start the tour in the three boxes put in you name, email and  zipcode.   I’ve registered several times and so far haven’t gotten any emails from them.

So of course you want to know my favorite thing.   Because they donated money to the Humane Society I guessed they had animals.   They have at least one cat and dog.   This is why I know that.   They have a cat room. They have a room the size of a regular coat closet that has an opening for the cat so the cat can get away from the dog (who is too big to go through the hole) and this cat closet has a bunch of perches where kitty can feel safe.   I’m guessing that’s also where the litter box is.  Only problem I see is it’s dark and away from the family.   Don’t think my two fur children would hang out there but I don’t know their cat.   Anyway, an unusual space in this big house.

Last Tues., Wed., Thursday we met our friends Lynn and Bob in Hilton Head where they were using a week of time share at a Marriott property.  Lovely resort.   We had drinks at a waterfront bar and watched a beautiful sunset.   After a delicious Italian dinner cooked by Lynn and Bob we walked down to sit by the outdoor fire.   It was dark, the ground was uneven and I took a nasty fall.   We were all pretty worried about the bruise on my knee and the sore shoulder I had but after a couple days I improved dramatically.  Only a little sore now.

On Wed. we took a boat trip over to Daufuskie Island, home of a small community of Gullah people (only 17 left on the island) and private resorts and golf courses.  There is no bridge to the island so people come by boat from Hilton Head and Savannah.   The Gullah people are descendents of slaves who came from Africa and kind of got “forgotten” after the Civil War.   They have developed their own very distinctive language and culture and are on several of the barrier islands along NC, SC and Georgia. It is a real struggle for the people to preserve their culture.    We took a bus tour of the island so learned lots of history going back to early Indians at least 5000 years ago.  Before we left we had some famous Daufuskie steamed crab cake.  Lots of crab and not fishy.   We all said yummy. All very interesting.   I hope their museums and people can preserve this culture.

It was a beautiful day.   Both at the dock and on the boat trip we saw lots of dolphins and that is always a treat.   We sat outside at the dock and had some drinks and lunch and then being exhausted from such a day of fun most of us caught a nap.   We ended the evening with a nice dinner.   All in all a very pleasant way to spend a few days.   We know Lynn and Bob very well so there is no shortage of conversation.

Hilton Head is about 4 1/2 hours from our house and we had a fun book on CD that kept us entertained in the car and made the time fly by. The book we are listening to is  The Cat Who Lived High, the 11th novel in the Cat Who series of murder mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun.  We have read several in the series.   It features a millionaire bachelor and his two Siamese cats Cocoa and Yum Yum.   They all manage to get into some kind of murder mystery trouble.  Cocoa is also quite a little sleuth.  Since we are cat lovers we thoroughly enjoy the antics of the two cats.   Good character development and the plot isn’t too complicated to listen to in the car.   If you have ever read any of the “Midford” books by Jan Karon, these have a similar style.

Last night we went to a dinner party at the home of one of our Newcomer friends and the six of us had a great dinner and exchanged a few Christmas gifts.  Of special interest were a beautiful paduka tree ornament made by our host, a black bottle of wine in the shape of a cat and a great wine book.  Pictures to come later.   We need another memory card for our new camera so we can take more than 10 photos before unloading them.   Tonight is Cocktails R Us with probably 50 Newcomers at the home of a member in a very nice subdivision here in Greenville.

Sunday we will go swimming and then to “Miracle on 34th Street” at Centre Stage which is being done as a radio show.   Should be interesting.

Other than that we have been busy making Christmas gifts.   Pictures to follow.   There are a couple new things this year that I think you will enjoy seeing.

An interesting day with a beautiful ending

Bob and I went to the Riley Institute and Furman sponsored program on the “Disparities in the Legal System” and heard from a public defender and an attorney in the juvenile justice system.  I left the program both encouraged  and depressed.  Budget cuts and no new taxes take such a heavy tole on those most vulnerable people in our society.   We heard a similar story  last week when the topic was education.  While MN may complain about high taxes, living in a state where they are low is nothing to be proud of.

On a positive note, the 95 degree temp and high humidity have left and I am enjoying 80 degree weather out on the screened porch watching a stunning sunset with black sky contrasted with beautiful pink, red, orange colors.  The fan on the porch makes it very comfortable.   Am I becoming a southern girl?

The two cats seem to not care about the hot temperatures but I worry about them and only let them out for a little while.  I have to carry them in or push them inside.   Smoky loves to lounge on the cement in the garage where it gets very warm.  Goofy cats.

Miss Sabrina and Mr Smoky have such healthy fur

A post from the cats Sabrina and Smoky

For quite a few months Fay and Bob have been giving each of us a little bit of fish oil on our nightly treat.   Smoky is especially excited about the results so he gets to tell his story first.

Mr Smoky says “My fur has never been very nice.   I shed a lot and my grey fur was dull, not shiny and worst of all I had lots of dander.   Fay and Bob brush me and tried treatments to make it better but I don’t like being brushed very much and only sit still for a short time.   Now after getting my fish oil for months my fur is nice and shiny and I have almost no dander any more.  I look so handsome.”

Miss Sabrina says “I have always had really pretty fur.  My short black coat is shiny and smooth and I don’t shed much.   Now my fur is not quite as shiny but is it every fluffy and soft.  We aren’t quite sure if it is the fish oil or my summer fur coat or both but I sure like it when Fay pets me and tells me how soft I am.”

Fish oil also has many other benefits for dogs and cats, just like it does for humans.   Here is some information from http://www.judyshealthcafe.com/fishoil.htm.   Fay gets our fish oil from the Vet.  She pokes a hole in each capsule and squeezes it on our treat.   She sure would like to find it as drops, it would be so much easier.

Fish Oil Can Help Keep Your Dogs And Cats Healthy

Fish oil has shown positive benefits in helping dogs and cats with disease. Omega 3 fatty acids are among the most commonly used nutritional supplements used in treating pets. Fish oil helps keep your dogs and cats healthy! Veterinarians first used omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil to treat canine and feline allergies but now recommend it for a wide variety of conditions ranging from kidney disease to arthritis and high cholesterol. Adding fish oil to your pet’s food provides anti-inflammatory effects, can help relieve itching and scratching and allergy related skin conditions.

Fish Oil and Healthy Pets

In research studies, fish oil has shown positive benefits in helping pets with disease. Fatty acids are among the most commonly used nutritional supplements used in treating dogs and cats. Fortunately,they have been used successfully long enough that most conventional veterinarians include their usage in the treatment of at least some diseases. Though some pet diets may include Omega-3 fatty acids, virtually none include satisfactory amounts of the most important Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Many pet foods contain primarily Omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oils resulting in a highly unbalanced ratio of Omega-6s to Omega-3s. Research has shown that a ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 of 5:1 to 10:1 is optimal for dogs and cats and therefore supplementing with a high quality Omega-3 fish oil supports pet health.

Omega 3 oils support heart, vision and joint health, provide important nutrients for proper immune function, and nourish the skin and coat. First suggested for use in treating allergies in pets, they are now advocated in cases of kidney disease, elevated cholesterol, and arthritis as well. Veterinarians are discovering that fatty acids can be valuable for a variety of conditions. Fish oil supplementation may be helpful for pets with inflammatory diseases including allergies, arthritis, kidney disease, heart disease, and cancers. Pets with any type of inflammatory disease may benefit from fish oil supplementation. In general, more severe disease requires doses higher than those commonly recommended.

Fish oil is very effective in some pets with allergies and skin disease. It is easy to administer (via gel caps or liquid) and can reduce the amount of corticosteroid or antihistamine needed to control itching. Most pets take either form well. For pets that are difficult to “pill,” the liquid form is quite popular. Owners of dogs and cats 20 pounds and under find the liquid form more cost effective than the large bottle of fatty acid capsules that we prescribe. The response is variable in other diseases (such as kidney disease) but fish oil appears effective in research studies. In pets with some types of cancer, fish oil has slowed down the growth and spread of the cancer. While more studies are needed on other types of cancer, the general recommendation is to add fish oil to the diets of all pets with cancer.

As with other supplements, the use of fatty acids often allows doctors to lower the dosages of drugs such as corticosteroids or antihistamines. Choosing a high quality Omega-3 fish oil supplement with exceptional purity and freshness, as well as, high levels of Omega-3s is key to supporting pet health.

Fish Oil Benefits

Now it’s time to give our pets the benefits of the tremendous healing properties of fish oil.

We know intuitively that our pets enrich our lives, so it is not surprising that a growing number of scientific studies are demonstrating the positive effects that animals can have on human health and development. Here is just a partial list of the health benefits of pet ownership, as reported by the Delta Society, a non-profit foundation that promotes research on the bond between humans and their animals:

• Pet owners have lower blood pressure. (Friedmann, 1983, Anderson 1992)
• Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than non-owners. (Anderson, 1992)
• Pet owners have better psychological well-being. (Serpel, 1990)
• Seniors who own dogs go to the doctor less than those who do not. In a study of 100 Medicare patients, even the most highly stressed dog owners had 21 percent fewer physician contacts than
  non-dog owners. (Siegel, 1990)
• Contact with pets develops nurturing behavior in children who may grow to be more nurturing
  adults. (Melson, 1990)
• Having a pet may decrease heart attack mortality by 3%. This translates into 30,000 lives saved annually in the U.S. alone. (Friedman, 1980)
• Children’s cognitive development can be enhanced by owning a pet. (Poresky, 1988)
• Children owning pets are more involved in activities such as sports, hobbies, clubs or chores.
  (Melson, 1990)
• Children exposed to pets during the first year of life have a lower frequency of allergic rhintis and asthma. (Hesselmar, 1999)
• Autistic children with pets are more highly socialized and are less self-absorbed. (Redefer, 1989)

Given the strong emotional bonds between humans and animals, it is not surprising that many of us will do almost anything to secure the health and well-being of our pets. According to estimates from the most recent National Pet Owners’ Survey, Americans in 2005 will spend $17 billion on veterinary care and medicine, and those costs are rising sharply.

It is an accepted medical fact that the same treatments are often found to be equally effective in both humans and animals. In fact, the US Food and Drug Administration reports that, since the passage of the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act of 1994 (AMDUCA), it has been legal for veterinarians to treat pets with human drugs that have not been approved for animals. Fish oil, of course, is not a drug. Adding it to your pet’s food may very well be one of the best things you can do to help your animal companion to fight infections and to defend against debilitating chronic ailments. With fish oil, you will also know that the benefits you see are real.

How Quickly Will My Pet Benefit From Omega 3 Supplements?

While the pet begins benefiting quickly, you may not notice a difference for 3-4 months. The pet’s body will change from the inside out—first the individual cells, then tissues, then organs. Gradually you’ll notice the coat and skin become more radiant. When you see this, you’ll know the internal organs, including the kidneys, liver, heart, and brain, are also experiencing more radiant health.

Because fats are an expensive component of pet foods, many commercial foods do not contain high levels, especially of the Omega 3 fatty acids. Most pets benefit from fatty acid supplements.

Fish Oil Purity

We have no one but ourselves to blame for the toxic contaminants found in fish oil. These toxins include mercury (from the burning of coal), PCBs (used in electrical insulation), and dioxins (the active ingredient in defoliants used in the Vietnam War). Although production of PCBs and dioxins has long been banned, they rarely break down and thus accumulate in the marine food chain that ends with fish. These toxins are known carcinogens and neurotoxins. In fact, the levels in the Eskimo population, who consume large amounts of fatty fish rich in EPA and EPA, are well above the safety standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), and recent studies indicate that they are approaching the upper limits of safety in the Japanese population.

Here lies the dilemma - how to remove these toxins to obtain all the tremendous health benefits of EPA and DHA. The solution was the development of a new manufacturing process for producing ultra refined EPA/DHA concentrates.

Buyer Beware!

If you or someone you know is using a fish oil that is not tested by an independent laboratory for concentration, purity and stability, it’s buyer beware. Ask the manufacturer of that fish oil what it is trying to hide. It’s one thing to print pharmaceutical-grade on a label, it’s quite another to actually make a truly “pharmaceutical grade ultra refined” fish oil.

Fish Oil Manufacturing

It’s very difficult to remove the toxins out in fish oil. That’s why most fish oils sold in health-food stores and supermarkets should be considered the “sewer of the sea.”  Since the contaminants in fish are oil-soluble, all the toxic contaminants are concentrated in the crude fish oil. Not a very appealing thought if you are taking fish oil for its “health” benefits. Obviously, all crude fish oil is highly contaminated. If you do some minimal processing, you can get rid of the mercury, but not the PCBs and dioxins. This minimally processed product is what you get when you purchase inexpensive brands of fish oil. In other words, you will also be ingesting a good dose of PCBs and dioxins. Slightly more expensive fish oils are given a “touch-up” via crude distillation to remove some of the cholesterol and slight amounts of the remaining toxins, but the EPA and DHA concentration is low. Therefore, to get an adequate dose of these critical long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, you have to consume large amounts of fish oil and, thus, large amounts of toxic contaminants. If you break apart the fatty acids to make ethyl esters, then it is possible to concentrate the oils to higher levels, but the PCBs and dioxins still remain.

Smoky learns something and gets new things

Smoky says:

Fay just explained something to me.    She told me that when you go to some fast food restaurants they ask you if you want to “Super Size” your order or get something extra big.  She said that when her other kitty Tanya died she asked the Universe for another super kitty but she thinks she didn’t ask the question properly and while I am a super kitty I also got “super sized”.   That explains a lot.   I am really cuddly but I am sort of really big.

Fay got me a new bed because I outgrew my old one.I really, really like my new bed.   I knead it for a long time before I sleep in it and I sleep in it several times a day.   Sabrina knows it is mine and has never showed any interest in it.  Here is me in my new bed.  I heard Fay say she had to get me a dog bed because I didn’t fit in any of the cat beds.

Sometimes I do like to stretch out and then I look like this but don’t worry, I still sleep really sound.

I also got a new scratching place.   It is pretty heavy and I can stand on it and scratch it really hard and it doesn’t move.   You can also turn it over and there is carpet like stuff on the other side.  I am good about using it and Sabrina uses it to but not as much as me.  I still use my scratching boxes.   I have three of them now and two of them are on the lower level because I like to be in the workshops with Fay and Bob and like to scratch there when I am not rolling around in the sawdust on the floor.   I have so much fun!

Now that it is warmer outside there are bugs for Sabrina and I to chase.  I can climb really fast and far up the screens in the screen porch.   I get scolded when I do that but it is so much fun to play.

Fay just ordered a new kitty mansion for Sabrina and I.   The other one started to fall apart but we can still sit on it.   The new one is supposed to be very sturdy to handle a big fellow like me.

I don’t remember if I told you I also got a new brush.   I shed a lot and my fur isn’t as shiny as Sabrina and I have white flakes so now I get brushed every morning and night and get some stuff squirted in my fur to make it shiny and my skin better.   It seems to be helping some.   I also get a fish oil at night that is supposed to help my skin and fur from the inside out.

Merry Christmas from the Chobans

Smoky and Sabrina wanted to help in sending out our holiday greeting to all of you.  This is a very special time of year and we hope all our family and friends are enjoying the season with their loved ones.

Sabrina and Smoky say:
We don’t have that big tree with all the balls this year so we had to find other things to play with.  Fay had a wreath propped up against the wall and somehow it fell down.   Smoky really likes it but didn’t hurt it.

When we were kittens last year Fay gave us catnip but we didn’t like it.  Now that we are older we really like it.  Sabrina especially likes to roll around in it and stretch out and scoot herself across the carpet. We also got some catnip pellets which make much less mess but so far we don’t like those so much.

Fay and Bob have chairs at the table and when they sit there they eat food.   We figured if we sat on the stools too we would get food.  Sometimes it works and we get little cat treats but we rarely get human food, even though Sabrina begs REALLY hard.

We like to play outside all day long.  Often we don’t get much farther than the deck but we still like it.   There aren’t so many bugs to chase now but we have fun with leaves.  Fay and Bob are worried about us because there are some new neighbors renting just a couple houses down from us and they have young teenagers who are walking around with bb rifle guns and there have been some problems in the neighborhood.  They want us home before school gets out.

Sabrina got something new that she really likes playing in.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

Smoky, Sabrina, Fay and Bob.

Smoky and Sabrina Entertain Us

Ever since we got Sabrina we have noticed that she likes to hide.  Remember she hid so well the first three days we had her that we couldn’t find her?  Her usual hiding spots are under either of the two beds or at night when we are getting ready for bed she hides behind the clothes in our closet and waits for Smoky to come find her.   Really funny.  The most entertaining thing she does is hide under rugs.  She roots round on the rug until she is all covered up and then peaks out just a little.   If you look closely at this photo you can see the tip of her black nose on the left and her tail on the right.  Bob and I can’t help but laugh out loud when we watch her do this.  She will stay hidden like this for quite some time.  We have a couple rugs in entry ways and we have to make sure we don’t step on her.

Smoky continues to be our big curious fellow.  He is a big cat, not just a little chubby, but long, heavily muscled and big boned too.  As you can see he doesn’t quite fit in his bed anymore but that doesn’t stop him from taking his nap.

I have mentioned before he loves explore any open door and  gets into cupboards, closets and drawers and we have to be careful he doesn’t get locked in.   Here he is exploring a new sitting spot.  He is sitting there watching us watch TV.

Smoky is cute, cuddley, curious and clumsey.   I don’t know if it is his big jelly belly that gives him a bad center of gravity but he is like a little bull in the china shop knocking over things, missing the chair when he jumps, etc.  He also loves water.  Rember the photos of him sitting in the bathroom sink and he plays with water dripping out of the faucet? This morning I woke up about 4 a.m. and heard this thump and saw Smoky walking out of the room where we have the bathroom toilet.   I got up to investigate and there was Smoky sitting on the rim of the toilet trying to drink.  He must have fallen in a few minutes before because there was water all over – on the toilet seat, two walls and the floor.  Obviously falling in didn’t scare him because he jumped right back up for more. I shut the lid and went back to bed.

They are certainly both so much fun to have around the house.  I wonder if we do things that entertain them?

Little Lizard Lady

Sabrina has a new nickname.   Little Lizard Lady.   Almost every day she brings us a lizard, interspersed with mice and an occasionally bird.

We have bright green lizards, also I think called skinks-really ugly, little light green ones and brown ones.   They are alive or dead, on the porch, deck and even twice in the house.  I thought the brown one was a twig I dropped until it ran off into the bookcase.   The brown ones seem to surive and when Bob catches them, with gloves on, one tried to bite his finger.   Bob is such a good sport to come and take care of whatever Sabrina brings home.  We don’t know if lizards have teeth or not.  Sabrina doesn’t seem to eat her critters, just hunts them and brings them home to her family.

Such is the life when you have carnivores living in your house.

I rescued a human today

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY
  
Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.  I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. 
  
As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage.  I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today.  Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them. 
  
As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past.  I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life. 
  
She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me.  I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.  Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. 
  
A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.  I would promise to keep her safe.  I would promise to always be by her side.  I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.  

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor.   
So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors.   

So many more to be saved.  At least I could save one. 
  
I rescued a human today.

Sabrina and the wasp

Well, now I know how Sabrina got stung last week.   This weekend she was playing outside and I heard her come into the family room and she was making funny noises.  I thought “Oh no, she brought something live in the house again.”  I was hoping it wasn’t another live mouse or lizard.  Turns out somehow she carried a very alive BIG wasp into the house and was batting it around.   How she did that without getting her mouth stung is beyond me.  I stepped on it and killed it.  She gave me a dirty look.  I see her playing out on the grass continuing to chase more wasps.

It was only a little more than a week ago I took in both cats for their annual checkup and I asked the vet what to do if the cats get bit by those awful fire ants.  He said he has seen plenty of dogs with snake bites and insect bites but never a cat.  Sabrina proved him wrong because two days later she was in the emergency room with an insect bite.   What am I going to do with her?

Can you see the little pink tinge to her feet from our red dirt?