Is it the last day of August already?

How did that happen?  This summer has just flown by!  Princess E is at the pool this afternoon with her little buddy, G, so that has given me a few hours to myself.  I love spending the days with my daughter, but I relish a few hours to myself, too.  So, what have I done with myself?  I should have taken a nap, but I didn't. 

All downstairs floors have been swept and vacuumed.  They really needed it!  We recently took a whole load of stuff to consignment and the gathering process had taken over the living and dining rooms.  I'm so glad that stuff is out of here.  I'm taking a break before I go and "oil the floors" as I call it.  We have soft pine floors and they get very dry.  So, I add furniture grade oil to them regularly.

I swept and vacuumed the kitchen, then cleaned the floor by hand.  Sometimes, you just have to get snug up under the cabinets.  I'm thinking I should get the dishwasher unloaded, too. 

I'm plowing through the laundry as fast as I can, too.  Usually, I do laundry on Monday.  King J took off yesterday to tackle some things on his to-do list (NOT a honey-do list...I don't do that), so I spent the day with him instead of doing laundry.  Poor me...not!  I enjoyed having him home for the day.

Tonight is the first night of soccer practice for the fall season.  King J and I are co-coaching the team this season.  I'm definitely stretching outside my comfort zone to coach a sport.  I'm excited for the upcoming season though. 

Next week, we're back to (home)school.  E is pretty frustrated because she says she didn't have a summer.  Her mean parents made her do a couple of math lessons a week, just to keep her sharp.  Funny, she didn't complain about several hours of reading each week.

I hope to be back to posting much more regularly over the coming weeks, once we are back in a more normal routine.  Maybe I'll even post a photo or two.  Ha!

Winner - Walmart Giftcard/Box Tops for Education

And the winner is....

Mari...for her comment
"My favorite is Cheerios."

Mari, I will be contacting you via email. 
Congratulations!!

Sponsored Post - Box Tops for Education

I’ve mentioned Box Tops for Education in some of my previous posts. They are a good way for schools to earn money to buy much needed items for our children’s classrooms. Now, you might wonder why I’d be involved with that. Well, when my daughter was in private school, they collected Box Tops for Education for her school. But, even now, our local homeschool organization collects them as well. Anyway, I encourage you to save Box Tops for Education and donate them to the school organization of your choice.

Some of my regularly-bought products carry Box Tops for Education. We use Scott toilet tissue in this house and it’s a BT4E product. I can’t even begin to count how many Ziploc bags we use in this house in a year. I think the majority of my Box Tops come from Ziploc boxes. Ha!

According to My Blog Spark, “The Box Tops for Education program is an easy solution and this year Walmart is making it even easier! From Aug. 3 - Aug. 31, head over to your local Walmart to find 4 Box Tops on participating General Mills products and earn more cash for the participating school of your choice. As your one-stop destination for all your needs this back-to-school season, Walmart is helping you save more and earn more with the Box Tops for Education brands you love.

With over 20 great brands and more than 40 products participating, here are just a few favorites that include 4 Box Tops that you can find at Walmart this August: Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, Pillsbury Toaster Strudel pastries, Trix Yogurt, Hamburger Helper skillet meals, Totino´s Pizza Rolls snacks, Nature Valley Granola Bars and Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups snacks. Be sure to keep an eye out for Box Tops on great products from Kleenex, Ziploc, and Hefty too!”

My Blog Spark and Walmart are sponsoring a giveaway on my blog. One of my readers will win a $25 gift card to Walmart. Just think of all the participating Box Tops items you could buy with that!! Now, around here, schools don’t start back until next month, so there is plenty of time to use that card for back-to-school, but the contest itself ends very soon! This contest ends Friday, August 27, 2010 and the winner will be randomly selected the next day and notified by email. The winner will have 24 hours to respond or an alternate will be chosen.

So, how do you enter? Simply leave me a comment sharing your favorite Box Tops for Education items. If you tweet about the giveaway as well, then you will get two extra entries. Be sure to leave me a separate comment and let me know you tweeted it.  The giveaway is limited to residents of the United States.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. General Mills provided me, and will provide one of my readers, with a $25 Walmart gift card through My Blog Spark as part of this promotion. They also provided me with the information contained in this post.

Edited to Add:  Please leave your email address in the comment if it is not part of your profile so that I am able to reach you.  Thanks!

Canning

I'm learning something new this summer...how to can.  Each summer, we try to run down our freezer contents so that if a hurricane hits and we are without power for days, we don't lose a whole lot of food.  Well, a month or so ago, a friend of ours convinced me to give canning a try.  I can only can acidic foods, since my pressure cooker incident last year*, but it's been fun.  So far, I've canned:

-salsa
-bruchetta
-antipasto relish
-corn relish
-strawberry preserves
-blueberry-citrus conserves
-tomato juice
-tomatoes

It's been a fun learning experience.  Next project:  spaghetti sauce.

But, first, I have to paint the kitchen.  Princess E's birthday party is less than 3 weeks away, and I want that task behind me.

*I don't think I mentioned it, but my pressure cooker exploded last year.  That's not something I wish to experience ever again. 

Nursing Covers Inspired by Julia

My in-real-life friend has a business I’d like to share with you. This is not a sponsored review and I am not being compensated in any way for introducing her to you. I just really like what she is offering and asked her if I could share her information with you.  Debbie is a homeschooling mom with three sweet children. The youngest child is Julia, for whom the company is named.  Debbie sews lovely nursing covers. I’ve seen quite a few local woman using them, and I only wish I had had something like this when my princess was a baby.

They look a lot like an apron, except there is more coverage at the top to allow baby to nurse without being bunched up in the fabric. One feature I really like is the boning at the top, which allows the baby to remain visible to mom during nursing, while maintaining modesty for mom.

She has a really neat selection of fabrics, including prints that will help hide any spit-up and minimize the appearance of wrinkles that are bound to come along when it’s toted around in a diaper bag.

This would make a lovely gift for a new mom. Please visit Nursing Covers Inspired by Julia and check out her covers.

Sponsored Review: WaterPik Easy Select Showerhead

MomSelect and Water Pik recently offered me the opportunity to review the Waterpik Easy Select Showerhead. Can I tell you I was thrilled when my package arrived last week? You see, I’ve had a WaterPik showerhead in my showers for 20-some years. Even when I lived at home with my parents, we had a WaterPik showerhead. My parents preferred the fixed-mount style, while I have always chosen the hand held models. My current one is about 10 years old, so we were considering replacing it. It works fine, but I like the metallic finishes on the current models. When mine arrived in a nickel finish, I was beyond thrilled! We use nickel finished hardware in that bathroom. Yipee! Anyway, here’s a little information on WaterPik and the Easy Select Showerhead, straight from WaterPik and MomSelect:

Since 1962, Water Pik has been committed to developing and manufacturing innovative personal and oral health care products. They are dedicated to creating products that will not only improve the health and well-being of their consumers, but provide a truly transforming experience. Water Pik showerheads are designed using their patented OptiFLOW technology, to maximize water pressure by increasing water force by up to 30%! This provides you with an enjoyable shower, so you feel refreshed and invigorated.

To me, a luxury showerhead is one of those little indulgences that is affordable for almost everyone. There is a small upfront cost, but the rewards last many years. When I get into the shower, I have a few minutes of time for myself, usually without someone calling “Mama?”. Okay, not always, but most of the time. It’s really not much to ask that those short shower times be enjoyable as well as cleansing, right?

This particular model has five settings, and I’ll tell you about my three favorites. The water-saver mode works just like a regular shower. My daughter particularly likes this setting because the water comes out in an arc. She can rinse her hair without having the spray flooding her face. There’s also the power spray. The OptiFLOW technology allows this to have a bit of force to it. That means, I can use it to scratch the itchy spot on my back, as well as purely utilitarian purposes, like cleaning the trash can. (Yes, I clean the trashcan in the shower.) Finally, my favorite setting is the misting mode. That one is like standing in the pouring down rain. The water is soft but substantial. It reminds me of having my hair washed at a salon.

The showerhead is 5” in diameter. This is a good thing. The handle is a bit larger to keep it proportional with the showerhead. That means it sits farther from the wall and higher than my old one. With the older one, the showerhead fit in the holder at the neck, just below the sprayer part. On the new one, it fits in the holder low on the handle, so it is at least 6” farther away. It’s noticeable how much the water cools in that short distance, so we do have to run the shower hotter when it is not being held. So far, that is the only negative I can find with it.

King J had the responsibility for installing the Easy Select Showerhead. According to WaterPik, “Installing the showerhead is a quick and easy 3 step process- it's so simple, your kids can even assist!” It took him just a few minutes and he was pleased with the installation process. He said everything he needed to install it was right in the package. He didn’t have to pull out his tools at all. There is a special wrench provided that must be kept for moves. Given how long I keep them, I can only hope I’ll remember where it is in another decade. Ha! Yes, he did get to use the new showerhead first.

You can get yours at Home Depot. It is available in Nickel and Chrome finishes.  The retail price is $59, less than the cost of one good massage.

Disclaimer: MomSelect and WaterPik sponsored this post. The opinions expressed are solely my own, based upon my own experience with this product. They provided me with the WaterPik Easy Select Showerhead for use in my home in exchange for an honest review by me. No further compensation was provided.

Hickory Aviation Museum

Earlier this summer, we visited the Hickory Aviation Museum, where we had the opportunity to walk around and explore military aircraft. 

This one is on loan from Great Britain.  It's made largely of wood. 

This one found new life as a Fedex plane.

Does anyone else see this and think of Top Gun?

It seems the back of this one is missing.

Wow! Summer...

The last couple of weeks have been really busy for me. 

We've had Vacation Bible School, and I was up until midnight-ish every night updating the photography website for that.  It's really and exciting time and it's so thrilling to watch the children's enthusiasm as they participate in games, music and crafts that help them learn about Jesus. 

Our family joined the YMCA back in June.  We're trying to get more exercise, but it has been really difficult to fit it in.  Slowly, we're getting there.  We're taking an Aikido class as a family.  Interesting.  It's been a long time since I've rolled around on the floor.  I know it's good for me.  Princess E is going to be taking swimming lessons in August.  She does know how to swim, but it would be nice if she learned official techniques for breathing and specific strokes.  They have an indoor track, so we've been using it, too.  Princess E is "training" because she is going to enroll in a kids mini-marathon next Spring.  King J is most enthused about the weight room.  He and I work out with weights and do cardio exercises in there.  For me, the best part of cardio is I can safely listen to my MP3 player while I work out.  Woohoo!

My family prepared dinner Wednesday night for our church.  I don't quite know how many attended, but there was food for 80 people.  I planned, shopped and cooked for 80 people...with help of course.  That was a first.  I've not been above about 40 before.  Two days later, my back is still tired from all the standing.  I'm thankful for the great help I had.  Princess E worked right along side me for all but about an hour of the nine we worked.  Yesterday, I took her out to lunch as a thank-you for her hard work.  We went to Firehouse Subs because she's been asking. 

Part of me wants to apologize for missing out on the blog world so much.  Most of me is enjoying this active time.  Winter will be back soon enough.  In the meantime, we're enjoying our summer.  I do try to keep up with reading, but I do want to do better on commenting. 

Stay tuned in August.  I've got a good giveaway coming up. 

And the winner is...

The winner of the Cheerios Do What You Love Giveaway was selected using Random.org, based on the entries that were received before midnight on July 23, 2010.  My apologies for the delay in posting the winner.

The winner is mami2jcn!  I'll be emailing you as well.  Please respond within 24 hours.

Sponsored Giveaway - Cheerios Do What You Love

Last week, I received a goodie box from MyBlogSpark and Cheerios. When I heard about this review opportunity, I jumped at it. I don’t do a whole lot of reviews because I only participate when the product being reviewed is something I use, or at least am willing to try. Well, Cheerios is a perfect match for me. You may even remember me mentioning them in previous blog posts. What can I say? We eat a lot of Cheerios in this house.
Cheerios is made with 100% whole grain oats, and we know that whole grains are heart healthy choices. I’m just glad they taste good, too.

Anyway, Cheerios is running a promotion to get you to “Do What You Love”. Here is an excerpt from the information provided through MyBlogSpark:

"Cheerios is partnering with country music superstar Martina McBride and professional athlete Cal Ripken, Jr. for the "Do What You Love" Contest. McBride and Ripken will recognize two lucky people with prizes that will make their hearts race.


One music lover (and a guest) will tour the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum with McBride, hang out with her in her recording studio - the world famous Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tenn. - and even get VIP tickets to one of her upcoming concerts.


Another lucky baseball enthusiast (and a guest) will have the chance to hang out and play catch with Ripken and to tour the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy in Aberdeen, Md., with the "Iron Man" of baseball himself. In addition, the winner will throw out the first pitch at the Cal Ripken World Series and sit in Ripken´s reserved seats at a Baltimore baseball game."

Now, I’m sure you want to know how you might win. Of course, you have to enter to win. But, I bet you knew that, huh? So, here’s the deal. To enter, you’ll need to submit a short story (150-200 words) and photo showing off what it is that YOU love to do. (I wonder if loving to read blogs would make a good entry….hmmmm.) Once you have your story and photo ready to go, you’ll need to visit the official website to submit your entry. Do that by going to http://www.cheerios.com/love and enter. Watch the deadline though. This contest ends July 23, 3010. (I really think they should pick me to meet Martina McBride. Just sayin’.)

Now, only two people are going to win that prize…but…get this…Cheerios and MyBlogSpark are sponsoring a giveaway on my blog, too. That’s right, one of you is going to win a prize package, just for entering here. The winner will receive a package just like what they sent me. Inside will be a box of Cheerios and an American Express gift card worth $25! Maybe you can use the $25 to do what you enjoy most. This giveway will be open to US residents only.

To enter the giveaway on my blog, please leave me a comment and let me know what it is you love to do and how Cheerios can help you “Do What You Love”. That’s all it takes. Now, you do need to make sure I have a way to reach you. If your email is not shown with your profile, you will need to leave your email address in the comment. This contest will also end July 23, 2010 and the winner will be chosen randomly the next day. I will notify the winner by email. The winner must contact me within 24 hours, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Go ahead. Enter both contests. Then, go do something that you love…and don’t forget to eat your Cheerios.

Oh yeah...one more thing...when you buy Cheerios, please be sure to clip the "Box Tops for Education" and give it to your favorite school.

Disclaimer – This giveaway is sponsored by Cheerios and MyBlogSpark. They provided me with my gift package of Cheerios and a $25 American Express gift card. They also will provide my winner with their gift package. The opinions expressed are mine alone. I have received no further compensation for this review.

Bunker Hill Covered Bridge

There are only two public covered bridges remaining in North Carolina. One of them is the Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, in Catawba County, which is named for the farm that once stood nearby. 

This one is the only remaining of this particular structural style. 

It was miserably hot that day, so we didn't linger. However, the canopy of trees provided a brief respite from the beating sun and allowed for a sweet breeze.  I couldn't resist taking a few snapshots of Princess E.



She is a huge fan of Strawberry Shortcake.  Can you tell?

Biltmore

During our recent vacation, we took a day and visited Biltmore, the largest private residence in the United States.  King J had visited previously, but it had been many years.  Princess E and I had never been.
This photo was taken by our server at the Stable Cafe.  They converted the old stables into a restaurant and shopping area, while maintaining the structural integrity of the place.  We were sitting in a stall that we think was originally used to wash horses.  I guess that means we were eating in a bathroom.  The food was delightful!



Here's Princess E standing out front.  She was fascinated by the place.



A view from the bowling green...



The trumpet vine was in full bloom while we were there.  It's a beautiful plant.


King J challenged me to try to capture a photo of this bumble bee.  Not too bad...



...but this one is better.



Pretty flowers


These grapes were growing over the walkway leading to the Biltmore Winery, where we sampled a variety of the Biltmore wines.



Beautiful hydrangeas and a beautiful Princess E



On the way out, we passed this pasture where the sheep were grazing.  See that little lamb in front?  He kept calling for his mama.  We stopped and watched while he searched for her.  The picture doesn't show it, but he was really quite small. 

Ears...

I've still been really quiet in the bloggy world. I try to keep up my reading, and I've tried to (somewhat) keep up on my commenting. We went on vacation for a week, but I was still fighting this issue with my ears.

Anyway, today I went back to the doctor. It's been 3 1/2 weeks since this all started and I was still too far from "well". It turns out my ear infection has not healed. It IS greatly improved from where I was, which I knew simply because I can sleep lying down now and couldn't early on. However, it's not over. So, now I have an even stronger antibiotic to hopefully knock this thing out. I'm tired of it. In fact, I'm just tired. I know that my ears are nothing compared to the illnesses and pain so many suffer. I am thankful it is nothing worse.

On another note, this past week, the younger sister of one of Princess E's friends passed away. She was just 2 years old. From what we understand, she managed to swallow the battery out of a musical greeting card. When the battery disintegrated in her stomach, her stomach and esophagus were burned so severely that it was irreversible. My heart goes out to her family. Please remember the family of little "S" in your prayers.

Some People Amaze Me...

…and not always in a good way.

Recently, we made a trip across town to run some errands. Along the way, we had to cross over the river. Running parallel to our bridge was a railroad bridge with a span of nearly a half-mile. Imagine my surprise to see two people walking across that bridge! What were they thinking?

Had a train barreled through, they wouldn’t have been able to outrun it, and the river below is maybe seventy-five feet down and rocky. The area is known for the whitewater rapids. I simply cannot imagine why they would have taken such a risk.

I did the only thing I could. I called the police. I have no idea if they caught the people walking across. There was nothing on the news about anyone being struck by a train in the area, so I’m assuming they made it across okay.  Maybe they thought it was fun.  I lost sleep over it.

Family Reunion

Today was our family reunion for my Mom's side of the family.  We get together every two years, all who are able and willing to travel to the area where my mom grew up.  We had a good visit.  Afterwards, we drove a little piece and visited several cemeteries where my maternal grandparents and great-grandparents are buried.  Princess E didn't remember visiting before, since it's been 4 years (we missed the last reunion).  She started making connections today with her family roots on my side, and that is kind of nice.  I'm glad to know she is interested in her ancestry on both sides of the family.

It was HOT out today.  At one point, it rained.   I had hoped the rain would cool things a bit.  Not so.  The air became stifling hot after the rain.  No relief at all. 

I'm still fighting this mess with my head.  I'm not contagious anymore, but the pressure in my ear is still causing problems.  My doc says they are seeing a lot of this lingering stuff right now.  I'll be glad when the pressure is down and I can hear well again. 

Be Back Soon

Nope, I haven't given up on my blog.  I'm taking an unplanned hiatus.

A little more than a week ago, Princess E came down with a cold.  Soon after, I caught it.  After a few days, I was feeling better, but over the weekend, I started getting worse.  I saw my doctor this morning and have the right meds to tackle this thing. 

I'll be back in a few days when I'm feeling up to par and don't have blurry eyes. 

If you'll excuse me, my pillow is calling me...

What's Up?

It's been a while since I posted.  In fact, May was probably one of the lightest posting months I've had in a while.  It's been an interesting few weeks.

Yesterday was our annual Homecoming Sunday at church.  It was packed!  We had a special speaker and a joyous time of celebration and worship.  I really enjoyed the service yesterday (even though it was hot in there and the worship center was packed).  One part that was extra special for me is that I had the opportunity to take the official Homecoming photograph!

Last weekend, King J had a long weekend.  He works for a large state university, and the Friday before Memorial Day was a furlough day.  In the days just before the furlough day, he had to work a few long days, since he was on a temporary project.  They have a budgetary policy requiring them to not work overtime other than for emergency situations, so whenever he works extra during the week, he takes off early at the end of the week.  In this case, the extra time off came after the holiday weekend.  He took off the day after Memorial Day, which gave us a five day weekend. 

We decided to take a short staycation for our anniversary weekend.  For the most part, we disconnected from the our electronic tethers and left the internet world behind. 

Friday and Saturday, we spent the days working on a few projects around the house.  It is so nice to tackle some of the ever-present homeowner tasks! 

Sunday, we had the opportunity to serve at our church's first Military Appreciation Brunch.  Active duty and reserve military personnel and their families were invited to our church for a brunch as a small "thank you" for their service.  That afternoon, we had a cookout at our house.  The temperature hit the mid-90s that morning, so we finally gave in and turned on the A/C.  It didn't take long to realize we had just the fan and no A/C.  We were all glowing a little by the time the evening was over.  Princess E had the opportunity to spend the night with her cousin, so King J and I had the night to ourselves.  Being the wild couple we are, we spent the evening sitting in the swing out front, sipping on a glass of wine, watching the lightning bugs glow and listening to the symphony of frogs, crickets and birds. 

Monday, we still had most of the day to ourselves.  After a leisurely breakfast, we decided to take in a movie.  We don't go to the movies, at least to grown-up movies, very often.  We only found one that even remotely appealed to us, and it was a stretch.  We had no A/C at the house, so a movie was a good way to spend a couple of hours staying cool in that heat.  When we arrived at the theater, imagine our surprise (shock?) to realize movies are now $10 for adults!  Frankly, neither of us wanted to see the movie badly enough to pay that much for it.  Instead, we did some of the things we enjoyed in our early years.  We took a long drive on the backroads of some of our neighboring counties.  We enjoyed the quiet time together, just looking at the fields, cattle and horses.  We stopped at a little country store and bought two lottery tickets, too.  We don't often have time to slow down and just enjoy each other's company for a few hours.  It was a real treat. 

Tuesday, we again tackled a project off the to-do list.  With that, our staycation was over.  It was productive and relaxing at the same time. 

We had the A/C serviced later in the week.  Thankfully, it was a relatively minor repair.  Unfortunately, our heat pump's days are numbered.  We are hoping it will last through the summer, but it will surely have to be replaced before winter.  At least we have time to shop around and find the best deal, and hopefully take advantage of the tax credits available until the end of the year. 

I'm really behind on visiting blogs.  I promise I haven't forgotten all my online friends. 

10 Years...

For the last 10 years, we've walked side-by-side.

Happy Anniversary, my King J! I Love You!

I am looking forward to the next 40 years.

Thank You...

Losing Alexander was difficult.  He was such an important part of our daily lives and his presence is missed. 

We planted a couple of hostas over his grave and added a birdfeeder.  He always enjoyed "barking" at the birds he could see from the window.  It really did sound like a little bark, rather than a meow. 

I want to say "Thank You" to all of my internet friends who left words of comfort and encouragement for me, whether here on the blog, on Facebook, the forum, or through Twitter. I have saved each comment for my little scrapbook about his life.  (Yes, I am scrapbooking about my cat.)  I am so grateful for the friendships that have developed through this online world.

Goodbye Alexander

Today, we said "Goodbye" to my beloved cat.

His Royal Highness, Alexander the Cat

May 31, 1995-May 19, 2010

As a tribute to his life, I am repeating part of the post I made in honor of his birthday last year.

*********************************************************************

Alexander entered my life nearly 14 15 years ago. I found his mom hiding in the stairwell in my condo building. She looked like a small kitten herself, but she had her four tiny kittens with her. I contacted a local rescue organization to see what could be done. I didn't care much for cats, but greatly preferred dogs, so I had no intention of keeping one. I did agree, however, to safehouse them until they were old enough to be adopted.

At the time I found them, the vet estimated they were about 10 days old, so their birthday was calculated to have been May 31st. The mama kitty tested negative for major diseases, so the kitties were assumed to be healthy too. Alexander nearly didn't survive his first few weeks. While not exactly sickly, he was not thriving. In fact, none of them were exactly thriving. I've always assumed it was because the mama kitty was still just a young kitten herself. She must have been someone's pet though, because she was litterbox trained from the beginning. She trained her kittens as well, lucky for me.

Anyway, given their weak start in life, we gave them strong names. Mama kitty became Cleopatra. The two make kittens became Alexander and Sampson. The two female kittens became Allegra and Reina.

Once they were weaned, it was time to hand them over for adoption. I had grown extremely attached to all four of the kittens and found it quite difficult to let them go. Cleopatra was not as difficult. She was not a friendly kitty, and was not an especially good mama to her babies. I ended up adopting Sampson and Alexander myself. I couldn't keep four of them in my condo. I didn't want to separate them, either, so I kept both of the boys.

Alexander and Sampson were with me through my divorce. They moved with me to my new home. They were with me when I remarried, and when we moved into our new home. They were with me through the birth of our daughter, Princess E.  Sampson died when Princess E was just a year old.  Alexander searched for him for well over a year.  Watching him grieve for his buddy was terribly sad. 

Alexander spent his final years as an indoor/outdoor cat. In the winter, he stayed indoors most of the time. In nice weather, especially during the spring, he preferred to be outside. 

Just yesterday, Alexander was curled up with me on my bed, purring.  But, I knew something was wrong.  He hadn't been eating much for about a week.  I didn't think a lot of it at first, since he would occasionally go through spells when he would barely eat for a couple of days and I also knew our neighbors had been feeding him as well.  I've kept him indoors completely, so I could watch him more closely.  This morning, I took him to the vet, because it was clear he was miserable and becoming sicker.  After examining him, the vet diagnosed him with late stage kidney failure.  We agreed that the most humane option was to end his suffering. 

I called for my husband to join us.  When he arrived, we spent a few minutes saying goodbye, and then were able to hold him as he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  We brought him home, put him in his bed and buried him with his bowl and toys. 

 

My heart is heavy and I am terribly sad.  I miss my Alexander.