Coyote Howl

What a fine time everyone had in the pasture at John and Meg's Saturday night......down in a hollow protected from wind we gathered around a huge bonfire for a night of stories and treats. Meg's friend, Chester, brought his cast iron pot for some popcorn poppin' on the open fire......sprinkled with sea salt it really was a treat. Hot dogs, brats, chips and cider were also on the menu. Sharon's moist brownies were yummy.....and what fun making S'mores.....what could be better on a fall evening around a toasty fire.
The coyotes came to howl....responding to Joni's yips as she worked to bring them closer to the human pack. This was a first for me.....I don't think I've ever heard them howl before....maybe they wanted a toasty marshmallow!!
Lots of funny stories were shared...spooky real life experiences and late night dreams made for an entertaining evening. I enjoyed spending time with everyone......I don't think Katie or Andy had been to a Howl before so it was great to share it with them!! Many thanks to John and Meg for planning such a fun party! Next year..........be there or be a pumpkin!!
ellen

hot air balloon

Red Bird

I found this poem in a poetry book by Mary Oliver. The name of the book is Red Bird. Red Bird is also the name of the poem. Every time I think of Dad, I remember how he loved to watch the birds at the feeder in the back yard. He would get excited whenever he saw a finch or a cardinal. This poem made me think of Dad, and of his passing on October 30, 2002. It is hard to believe he has been gone 8 years.

Red Bird by Mary Oliver

Red bird came all winter
firing up the landscape
as nothing else could.

Of course I love the sparrows,
those dun - colored darlings,
so hungry and so many.

I am a God - fearing feeder of birds.
I know He has many children,
not all of them bold in spirit.

Still, for whatever reason_
perhaps because the winter is so long
and the sky so black - blue,

or perhaps because the heart narrows
as often as it opens_
I am grateful

that red bird comes all winter
firing up the landscape
as nothing else can do.

Busy Weekends

The last two weekends have been busy ones for me. Last week the Cancer Council of Ellis County hosted a fundraiser called The Day of Caring. It was spectacular. Women gathered to celebrate the lives of breast cancer survivors! The event consisted of a brunch, a speaker and a fashion show. Humor was plentiful. Here is the introduction for Lady BraBra, who opened the show.

She is a double D ... dazzling and delightful...
She will LIFT your spirits and ... SEPERATE those with a
sense of humor from those who do not.
She is always supportive
Never droopy... always perky
Put your hands together for LADY BRABRA!!!!!

Lady BraBra was a torch singer who pulled multiple items out of her bra while she sang. This vivacious cancer survivor gave a stellar performance as Lady BraBra. I had no idea a bra could hold so much stuff!!

Then the serious stuff! Our speaker was Dr. William Smith, the section Head of Breast Imaging, at the KU Medical Center. He encouraged women to do self breast exams often. He urged women over the age of fifty to have a mammogram every year. Why to both questions? It is easier to treat a stage one cancer than a stage four cancer. Advances in medical technology are allowing doctors to find and treat breast cancer early. Dr. Smith talked about treatments that will be available to breast cancer patients in the near future. It may be possible to treat breast cancer without surgery in the years to come. Of course, how soon the cancer is detected will determine the course of treatment. Dr. Smith's presentation was inspiring and gave the audience members a sense of hope.

The models for the fashion show were breast cancer survivors. They ranged in age from 41 to 85. About half of them detected a lump during a self breast exam. These women whirled and twirled on the runway, while modeling clothes from local businesses. The 85 year old model was elegant. She wore sophisticated evening wear with style. A local spec. ed teacher showed her spunky, fun loving side while modeling sports wear. There were 15 models all together. Most of them modeled two different outfits.

The community really came together to make this fundraiser a success. Every aspect of it was wonderful; the food, the clothing, the speaker, and the people.

Yesterday (Saturday) I drove to Lincoln, Kansas for a double baby shower. Doug's sister Cindy and her husband, Kerry, became grandparents on September 11th of this year. Their daughter, Carla, gave birth to Colton Renyer on that day. Their daughter-in-law, Amy, is due on Christmas Day. Both gals look wonderful. Little Colt is a handsome treasure. Cindy and Kerry looked very proud of their adult children and new grandson. Not to mention Grandma Betty!!! The shower was well attended and the the two guests of honor received many wonderful gifts. The party was a fun, casual get together and it was good to see everybody. One sad note. Virginia, Kerry's Mom, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and thyroid cancer. Virginia is having a lung removed this coming Wednesday. The surgery will be in Salina. Thankfully, Virginia lives in Lincoln, near Kerry and Cindy, so she has family close by. Please keep Virginia in your prayers. She passed her tea pot collection to me a few years ago, and she told me at the party, that she has one more to give me. What a woman!!!! She has had other health issues in the last couple of years which required surgery. She has been strong so far. But right now she is in shock and still reeling from the latest diagnosis.

Beth, Cindy said to tell you that the baby clothes you gave Carla have been a life saver. Carla really needed them, so Carla is grateful to you.

I know that there is a lot going on in KC, Emporia and Wichita. When someone gets the chance, write a bit on the blog and catch the family up on what is happening. I miss everybody. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Nora The Piano Cat: The Sequel - Better than the original!

new job

I have a new client who is difficult. Yesterday he needed a hair cut and he finally agreed to go. We went to pro cut on one of the days when they had more people getting their hair cut then they could keep up with. We were there 2 hours, six people were ahead of us. Eventually my client became board and decided to ask me why I was growing a mustache. He really wanted to discuss it in front of all these people. I had nowhere to go nowhere to run I just sat there hoping the earth would just open up and swallow me whole. It seems funny now but, at the time laughing was not the reaction of choice. I just said thats what happens when you get old. omg!

Blessing of the Animals

The feast day of St. Francis of Assisi fell on Monday, October 4th. In Hays, St. Michael's Episcopal Church celebrated that feast day on Sunday with a special outdoor service. That ceremony was the blessing of the animals. The public was invited to bring their pets to the church Sunday afternoon. The officiant, Rev. Linda English, said a prayer for each animal and blessed them. I attended the event and prayed for all the Fiddler kin pets. I had no pet of my own to bring, but I enjoyed interacting with other people's pets. Most of them had been adopted from the animal shelter in town. In fact, one lady had just picked her new puppy up at the shelter and brought it directly to the service. Six dogs and one cat attended the ceremony. (Hopefully more animals will attend in the future.) Three pups were shih tzus, one was a yorkshire terrier, one was a lab mix and one was a shepherd mix. They were all very well behaved. The cat was in a crate, so the dogs did not pay any attention to her. She was a large black and white long haired creature named Bobbie. I think her owner said Bobbie was 12 years old. Bobbie is a very reserved female and so I was not formally introduced. I was impressed with her regal bearing. A short reception for all the guests, 2 legged and otherwise, followed the blessing and a prayer for homeless animals.

Here is the blessing. Rev. English used. Each pet owner can say the prayer for his/her special companion.

Blessing of the Animals:

Bless O Lord, this your creature, (name). Keep( him/her) safe from all harm and illness that (he/she) might continue to bring delight to the hearts of those who love, guard and protect (him/her), through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

snickerrooters

Matthew recorded the sound of the snickerrooters and believes it is actually toads. He says there are toads that can sound like a chicken or one that can scream. Maybe we can boost the sound, put it on a cd and hand it out for halloween doorbell ringing music.

Jacob's Haircut

Mom wanted me to share a pic of Jacob's new haircut with everyone. Here it is, he looks like a totally different child.

Good Care

Hays has an animal health center run by Dr. Jessica Brown. The center cares for domesticated animals, but it also cares for injured wild life. We learned about the challenges of providing care for wild life at our last fostergrandparent meeting. The organization meets monthly at the Sternberg Museum. One of the staff at the Sternberg, Theo, presented this month's program. Theo is a wild life rehabilitator. She works under the direction of Dr. Brown. Theo has had extensive training and can apply bandages, give shots, tube feed, figure the # of calories an animal needs, etc. She brought four animals in recovery with her to the meeting. Theo brought a box turtle, a baby squirrel, a Mississippi kite, and a brown bat. They are all interesting creatures.

The box turtle had been hit by a weed wacker and lost part of it's face. It is healing nicely, but suffered extensive nerve damage. The baby squirrel's mother disappeared and the babies were starving to death. There were several babies but now there is only one survivor. Theo bottle fed the squirrel at the meeting, and it was sweet to watch the interaction between squirrel and caregiver. The Mississippi kite was hit by a car and injured it's wing. The kite should be ready to fly soon. The brown bat's wing was also injured. In fact, Dr. Brown thought the creature was dead when she wrapped it in gauze and placed it in the trash can. She lives at her facility. The Dr. was taking a bath when she heard a commotion outside the bathroom. When she emerged after the bath, she realized her children had discovered the bat and it was ALIVE! Dr. Brown called Theo and told her, "I have the perfect patient for you." Theo loves bats. She loves snakes! She loves spiders!!! Did you know a brown bat can eat 6,000 mosquitoes in a single night? Theo will lovingly describe what her special friends do for our environment if you ask. And even if you don't!

There are some animals that are extremely hard to save. Deer is one such animal. Their injuries are usually far too extensive and it is kinder to put them down. The same thing is true of baby bunnies. Humans cannot duplicate what the mother bunny feeds her babies and the bunnies usually die. Most creatures, though, are in good, loving hands, if they ever need medical care in Hays, Kansas. The main objective when treating injured animals is to keep them pain free. Morphine is given, if necessary. And if an animal can be saved, everything will be done to save it. If an animal cannot return to the wild because it's injuries are too severe, that animal will be cared for by humans.

Theo has spoken to us at other meetings. She always gives our group good information. She is an educator at the museum as well as a caregiver. She is an interesting woman who leads an interesting life. Theo is very attached to the brown bat. She named him Lazarus because he came back from the dead. The bat will probably always have to depend on humans for his care, because his injuries were so debilitating. Lazarus is lucky there are Theos in this world. Loco Puppy and Trixie are lucky because there are Fiddlers in this world. The cat population in Emporia is fortunate that Carol and Tom live there. I am proud of my Fiddler kin, and I am impressed with veterinary medicine in Hays, Kansas.

Recommendation

I checked a book out of the library and I really like it. The name of the book is Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar. The publisher is Reader's Digest. The reason I like this book is because there is a lot of current information about how food affects the body in it. Recipes and menus are also included. The recipes sound good, are affordable, and the correct portion size is given for each recipe. A person does not have to be a diabetic to use this book. Everyone is affected by blood sugar whether they are diabetic or not. "High blood sugar after meals can, over time, damage the body, even if it Never causes diabetes states the author. What are the health affects of an unhealthy diet? : Memory loss, low energy, weight gain, diabetes, mood swings, fatigue, heart attacks and cancer. Clearly, it is important for all of us to learn to eat right. Check the library shelves for Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar. I bet the librarian can locate a copy, even if he/she has to borrow it from another library. I think you will be impressed with this book.

snickerooter

While looking for the snickerooter Tom found a 6ft long black snake with a yellow stripe down its back. Harmless. It's not the creature we are hearing. The only snake that makes a sound is a rattler. It may be an alien. It does have tiny green eyes. It's less afraid of us now so I was able to get all the way to the pond and just stand there in the dark and watch and listen. Then Tom found this snake and I decided to stop going out there. We were able to find similar sounds of animals on the internet and it maybe a prairie dog. Not so scary now it just seems cute. It will probably remain one of the great mysteries. All of this going on in our own backyard, who needs tv?