Friday Again

Suddenly it is hot and dry after all those weeks of rain.  Plants actually need to be watered for the first time in quIte a while.

Little Violet has improved dramatically as expected.  She has a lingering cough, worse at night but has been several days now without a fever.  No more constant cuddling for this little girl.  She wants to be out and going.

Their household is home to two cats, one found them one winter day but she was hardly free.  After several days the cat still hung around their doorstep so they took her in the veterinarian right away to see if she had a chip and to check her for any disease or parasites.  (They already had one cat.)  When their first cat died they went to the local shelter to look for another.  There was a trembling little kitten who was days away from being euthanized.  She was a tiny little thing born with neurological disabilities and considered un-adoptable, so they truly rescued her.  The little cat has improved dramatically as she has learned to accommodate for her disability.  She is rather shy.

But the cat who found them immediately figured that she had a new responsibility the day they brought Violet home from the hospital.  She is never far from Violet and Violet adores the cat right back.  She gave Violet a lot of comfort while she had croup.

Hair a mess from feverish sleep, Violet confers with her friend.

There are times when it seems Violet is patterning her life after the cats.  She loves to crawl behind curtains, hide in boxes, and climb in baskets.

What?  I like it in here.

This is a photograph my son took with his phone while a photographer was taking a picture of Violet.  So I don't feel obliged to credit the photographer since she did not take this particular photograph.  My son did.

I had a little mouse who gave brief thought to building a nest in the back of my car's front passenger seat.  Two days. That's how long she was in there.  That's all.  Two days.  While it appears to be no more than two tiny slits in the leather and pulling out bits of foam, the little devil was also chewing wires.  The cost of the repairs is unbelievable and the length of time I will have to wait makes me long for fewer electronic devices.  Almost.  The dealer will actually have to completely replace both the seat and the back and then re-wire and re-program the computer.  All because of one little mouse in two days.

That is a preamble that due to car repairs plus several most welcome visits, I will not likely post for several weeks.  I finish my last chemotherapy treatment in two more weeks and then undergo another round of blood work and scans.  I feel good, but we do remember what a dreadfully sly bitch cancer can be, especially the ovarian branch of the family.  But I will return.

I will leave you with a couple of my favorite quotes about survival.  I have already survived (and well, thank you very much) beyond initial hopes at my original diagnosis and surgery so I say, 'why not keep on keeping on?'

Aristotle said:
"The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival."

And this one from Marcus Aurelius:
"When you arise every morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive---to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

HAVE A WONDERFUL MONTH, EVERYONE

REMEMBER HOW TRULY PRECIOUS LIFE IS

AND LIFE IT TO THE FULLEST