Diabetes

Last Friday I posted about how I was met at the bottom of my stairs by a puddle of cat pee pee.  I wrote that one of my cats was too lazy to go up the stairs to use the litter box.  Well, I found out that the cat was not being lazy, my poor baby Charlie, is suffering from diabetes AND glaucoma! 


A normal glucose level for cats is around 80. Charlie's was almost 400!!!!  I never even suspected he was sick because all the symptoms of diabetes and glaucoma were traits he has had all his life. In glaucoma, the symptoms are an enlarged eye and cloudy cornea.  Hard to detect in Charlie because he has always had an enlarged right eye, both eyes are covered with blue film and he is partially blind due to a virus he suffered from as a kitten. 

The symptoms of diabetes include: increased consumption of water, increased urination and, urinating outside the  litter box.  Again, all traits that Charlie has had ALL his life.  He has always loved his water bowl.  We nicknamed him "king of the water bowl" because he will lay there for what seems like hours while the other cats line up, waiting for him to move so they can get a drink.  He is the leader of the pack and they would never make him move!  As for the increased urination, I thought it was due to his love of the water bowl.  Now the urinating outside of the litter box has always been frustrating to me.  Charlie missed the litter box more often than he made it into the box but, I chalked this up to his blindness.  I just thought his aim was off!

Charlie now has to get 2 shots of insulin per day to regulate his sugar and, take an oral medication and topical ointment for the glaucoma.  Not fun for me or charlie!  He has made me happy for 16 years.  So now it is my turn.  I will do what is necessary to keep him happy and healthy for his remaining time with me.  May that be a long, long time......

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OH, What a Morning!

I was awakened at 2:00 am by my 2 year old daughter because the cable went out.  My husband and I have a bad habit of sleeping with the television on and have passed this terrible habit on to our two kids.  So, 2:00 am, no cable TV = wide awake two year old!  I finally get her back to sleep at 4:00 am.  My husband's alarm goes off at 4:30 and mine goes off at 5:30.  Needless to say we did not get any sleep.

I make my way down the stairs to the kitchen and find waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs a puddle of cat pee pee.  It seems that one of my cats was too lazy to make it up the stairs to the litter boxes and chose to urinate on my husband's EMT bag, the carpeted steps and the tile floor!  Oh, how lovely.

I put my daughter on the couch with the hopes that the TV would keep her entertained while I cleaned the mess (yes, the cable had returned by now).  But, my hope quickly faded as three seconds after I turned on the TV, the power went out!!!!

How is your Friday going?

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Angel Song Review

One of the books I read this summer was Angel Song by Sheila Walsh and Kathryn Cushman.  I was drawn to this book because of the publisher's description on the back of the book which says:

When Annie Fletcher returns to Charleston to see her younger sister, Sarah, receive her master’s degree, she finds herself riding in the back of an ambulance, watching helplessly as Sarah fights for life. During the ride, Sarah appears to talk to someone who is not there, humming a melody Annie has never heard before.


Neighbor Ethan McKinney lends a shoulder when Sarah unexpectedly dies. And as a carpenter, Ethan volunteers to help Annie get the Fletcher family home into shape for selling. Ethan’s presence is distracting, but what troubles Annie is her neighbor Tammy’s 12-year-old son. Keith has Down Syndrome and the guile to believe he can see and hear angels.


God begins to reveal Himself to Annie – both in her newfound friends and through heart-rending and clearly supernatural events. Annie discovers faith in God, finally experiencing the comfort that His angels really do surround us.

Sound wonderful right?  I just wish I had enjoyed it more.  I love the whole premise of Keith, the Down Syndrome boy being able to see and hear angels and I longed for the authors to delve deeper into this subject.  Unfortunately, I feel as if they just skimmed the surface.  I also believe I would have enjoyed the book more if they allowed Annie to have more interaction with the angels.

I did enjoy the interaction that Annie had with Ethan and the bond she developed with Tammy and Keith.  So, although I did not LOVE the book, I did like it and I am thankful that Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a free copy to read and review. It was a nice, light, summer read.

WTF! Wednesday

As I made my way to work this morning it seemed as if  EVERY bad driver in Brooklyn decided to take the same route as me to work.  I lost track of the number of times I said WTF?!  I began my commute behind a little old man going about as fast as a snail riding on a turtle's back.  I swear, if I got out of my car I could walk to work faster than he was driving. WTF!

Next, I managed to get in back of a woman that had her "right" signal on for over a mile.  After what seemed like an eternity she finally did turn....LEFT! WTF!

Then, I had the displeasure of running into (almost literally) some jerk who was so busy talking on his cell phone that he didn't notice he had a red light.   Once again....WTF!

Oh, the joys of driving in Brooklyn!

What situations have caused you say WTF! today?

Meet Me on Monday. 9th Edition.

Welcome to the 9th edition of Java's "Meet Me on Monday" blog hop!  Hope you all had a great weekend.

Here are my answers for this week:

1. Do you watch any Soap Operas?

I had not watched a soap opera since the whole "Luke & Laura" thing back in the 80's.  But, believe it or not I just became hooked on a Korean soap opera called "Happiness in the Wind".  It is in Korean but has english subtitles on the bottom.  My husband is amused that I have become addicted and DVR it every night. 

2. What appliance is used the most in your house?

I would have to say the air conditioner.  We have been having a heat wave here in NY and the air conditioner has been running 24/7 for the last month.  The electric company is loving me right now!

3. Do you wear make-up every day?

I only wear Maybelline mascara and blush but it makes a big difference in my appearance and my attitude.  I feel naked without it.

4. What is your worst pet-peeve?

My husband works as an EMT.  As such, he is in and out of hospitals all day long.  So, it absolutely drives me crazy when he comes in from work, takes off his work boots and leaves them right near my daughter's toys.  Being the germ-a-phobe that I am, I immediatley bleach everything in sight! 

5. What is your favorite lunch meat?

Being a vegetarian I don't have a favorite lunch meat.  I do like cheese slices though.  American, cheddar, provolone.  WOW, my cholesterol must be through the roof!

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Bad Poetry....GOOD Message

I wake up each morning and watch the news before I get out of bed to start my day.  EVERY morning I am faced with stories of hatred and violence.  It seems to be getting worse.  Men being killed because they are homosexual. Others being beaten because they are Mexican.  When is it going to stop?  When will we learn to embrace each others differences?  You may not agree with the lifestyle someone is living but, should that person be killed because of it?  If you are a Christian who believes in Jesus, would you suggest that Jewish people be killed because they do not share that belief?  I am not suggesting that you embrace their beliefs.  What I am saying is that we should embrace their differences.  How boring would this world be if we all looked the same, acted the same, worshiped the same?  We would never leave our own backyards because there would be no reason to.  One backyard would be just like another.  We should celebrate our differences, not condemn them. 

I have been haunted by the Holocaust ever since learning about it in elementary school.  As a child, I found it sad that a horror such as the Holocaust was allowed to happen.  As an adult, I find it shocking.

Love differently.
Look differently.
Worship differently.
How many more reasons will we find to hate each other?

When will we learn to finally accept one another for the unique individuals that we are?  What type of world will be leaving to our children if we don't change? 
 

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You're ugly, too short, too skinny, too fat

You're different than me

I can't accept that!

You express your love differently than me

So, I'll beat you down and make you see,

That MY way is the RIGHT way to go

After all, the Bible tells you  so.

Well, MY kind is better than you.

With our skin so fair and eyes of blue.

Accepting your kind will never do,

So, we'll round you up and exterminate you.

Whom do you call  upon when you pray?

Someone other than God?

Then I'll make you pay.

We cannot be different

We must all be the same

People ACTUALLY believe this

What a terrible shame.

Meet Me on Monday! 8th Edition.

Hi everyone.  Happy Monday!

Thanks for stopping by for the 8th edition of Java's "Meet Me on Monday" blog hop.

Here are my answers for this week:

1. What is your favorite holiday?

I absolutely LOVE Halloween!  I got married on Halloween and when my son was born I had his christening and party on Halloween. 

2. What color clothing do you wear the most?

Black.

It makes me look thinner AND looks good on Halloween!

3. What is your heritage?

Italian

 Irish

4. What is your middle name?

 I never really like it AND never use it.

Maybe because I never felt much joy in my life.

Things HAVE been getting better so maybe I will now embrace it.

5. What is your favorite cookie?

Rainbow cookies! YUUUMMMMM!!

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