Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
ICU emergency and going's on
I will post in a few days about more pantry stocking but I have had a kitten emergency from a vet and I have been up for about 72 hrs and I really have not had time to do anything.
My little patient is very tiny, she came to me on the brink of death, (and I am not kidding). It has been several years since I have had a critical ICU, so I had to get to my battle station, and ready the fight.
My patient was very malnorished, and was also impacted (constipated) from bad feeding on the owner's part, and not feeding the right foods for a 5 week old kitten. She was totally dehydrated from no water. The vet made the owners relinquish the kitten to them, and this is when I get calls to do ICU, when patients need 24/7 care for at least 72 hours to a week or two.
I have good news this morning. When I woke up at 4:30 am this morning to check on her, (after being up 72 hrs), she was very vocal in saying "I'm hungry", and she ate for me. This will be a very slow process of introducing soft kitten type food, until we get her very tiny gut straighted out and smoothed out from the huge rock she had in her tummy, which was just plain full of poop period, and I had to slowly put a liquid laxative for kittens in her to get things moving, with the fact that we had to be so very careful to get things moving without strangulating the gut and killing her, and doing this on a very tiny body that weighs less the a pound. She pooped several large brick vat poops yesterday through the afternnoon , and this was the plumbing problem, and when we did this, we got rid of the plumbing problem. I am sorry that I am probably being a little graphic, but for kittens, let alone adult cats and dogs, this is very serious, and this also happens in people, and if it is not handled with kid gloves, you can literally" blow out" the gut from straining.
So, as of this morning, she is showing signs we are on the mend, we are still critical, as we have to be so very careful of this very tiny gut, and keeping it straight and with soft foods, and then introduce strength building foods, and yogurt and other immune building things. I used my chicken broth that I make, and she has really loved this, as it has salts, and minerals to help with the healing of the tummy, so I am so far please with her fight and progression. I will try to get a photo of her, and with much better news on her healing.
Well, I'd better get going and check on my little patient, and get my adult cats and dog fed, and start the day, I have tons of housework now, as I got behind, so, I can't sit too long, I think though, that I will have a nap this afternoon, if this is possible, and then I will be ok. It is so well worth it.
Bye...
My little patient is very tiny, she came to me on the brink of death, (and I am not kidding). It has been several years since I have had a critical ICU, so I had to get to my battle station, and ready the fight.
My patient was very malnorished, and was also impacted (constipated) from bad feeding on the owner's part, and not feeding the right foods for a 5 week old kitten. She was totally dehydrated from no water. The vet made the owners relinquish the kitten to them, and this is when I get calls to do ICU, when patients need 24/7 care for at least 72 hours to a week or two.
I have good news this morning. When I woke up at 4:30 am this morning to check on her, (after being up 72 hrs), she was very vocal in saying "I'm hungry", and she ate for me. This will be a very slow process of introducing soft kitten type food, until we get her very tiny gut straighted out and smoothed out from the huge rock she had in her tummy, which was just plain full of poop period, and I had to slowly put a liquid laxative for kittens in her to get things moving, with the fact that we had to be so very careful to get things moving without strangulating the gut and killing her, and doing this on a very tiny body that weighs less the a pound. She pooped several large brick vat poops yesterday through the afternnoon , and this was the plumbing problem, and when we did this, we got rid of the plumbing problem. I am sorry that I am probably being a little graphic, but for kittens, let alone adult cats and dogs, this is very serious, and this also happens in people, and if it is not handled with kid gloves, you can literally" blow out" the gut from straining.
So, as of this morning, she is showing signs we are on the mend, we are still critical, as we have to be so very careful of this very tiny gut, and keeping it straight and with soft foods, and then introduce strength building foods, and yogurt and other immune building things. I used my chicken broth that I make, and she has really loved this, as it has salts, and minerals to help with the healing of the tummy, so I am so far please with her fight and progression. I will try to get a photo of her, and with much better news on her healing.
Well, I'd better get going and check on my little patient, and get my adult cats and dog fed, and start the day, I have tons of housework now, as I got behind, so, I can't sit too long, I think though, that I will have a nap this afternoon, if this is possible, and then I will be ok. It is so well worth it.
Bye...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Chilly!!!!!
Well Folks, It's 35* this morning. I am sure trying to send cooler air to all who wish it. We did have some frost in our lower lying areas but it was pretty cool and very nice sleeping weather. Then it goes to hot again, with chances of thunder boomers, but generally the boomers aren't (too) bad this time of year. Go figure.
I covered my peppers last night before bed, and just hoped for the best. I also covered some of my houseplants that reside outside in the summer. I need to give some of them a spray of organic bug spray before I bring them in, which is a little early this year. Sometime this week, I will start my greens in my cold frames, and get the plastic ready just in case of frosty mornings, but this is Nebraska. I will go out later this morning to see if anything got nipped, and then start thinning out the frost bit ones, but I can generally, if I cover the most productive and strong tomatoes, I can, and have gotten tomatoes clear into the middle of November with plastic covers, and some blankets. I generally get tomatoes for relishes, which is fine, but I have done so on many occassions, it just depends on the weather and just plain luck.
I am feeling much better this morning, be surprised if one gets a good night's sleep and rest, you can generally feel better. I know what I did too, I just DID too much, canning, drying, cutting, processing, and standing on my feet will generally get to me, but I just do it because I have to. There is no one else to do it for me. Thank you for all who wished feeling better, it helped me, so thank you for the well wishes. I wish I could find a house boy.....Don't think that's going to happen. lol
I still do not have a camera to bring photos to you, hopefully soon. I would like to get photos of snow, if it snows here this year. Though I do not want to scare folks who are in the semi-tropic zones. It might just really spook them. I wish that I had a camera last year as we had the 2 blizzards in October, that totaled over 60'. I could not get out of my house through the doors, both doors were frozen, and the only way I could get out was get the hair dryer and crack the front door a little and then melt the ice around the door, and then take a very long carving knife and slice through the ice around the door enough to push it open. That was somewhat a little spooky but got it done. My house is pretty well insulated but those storms had 60 mph winds pushing snow and it was pretty icy also. Welcome to Nebraska. Not!!!!
Well I need to get to drying some herbs for Farmer's Market. Since I feel a little better, think I'll try it today and see if I can make a buck or two.
So, everyone, please have a great day, and a great week.
I covered my peppers last night before bed, and just hoped for the best. I also covered some of my houseplants that reside outside in the summer. I need to give some of them a spray of organic bug spray before I bring them in, which is a little early this year. Sometime this week, I will start my greens in my cold frames, and get the plastic ready just in case of frosty mornings, but this is Nebraska. I will go out later this morning to see if anything got nipped, and then start thinning out the frost bit ones, but I can generally, if I cover the most productive and strong tomatoes, I can, and have gotten tomatoes clear into the middle of November with plastic covers, and some blankets. I generally get tomatoes for relishes, which is fine, but I have done so on many occassions, it just depends on the weather and just plain luck.
I am feeling much better this morning, be surprised if one gets a good night's sleep and rest, you can generally feel better. I know what I did too, I just DID too much, canning, drying, cutting, processing, and standing on my feet will generally get to me, but I just do it because I have to. There is no one else to do it for me. Thank you for all who wished feeling better, it helped me, so thank you for the well wishes. I wish I could find a house boy.....Don't think that's going to happen. lol
I still do not have a camera to bring photos to you, hopefully soon. I would like to get photos of snow, if it snows here this year. Though I do not want to scare folks who are in the semi-tropic zones. It might just really spook them. I wish that I had a camera last year as we had the 2 blizzards in October, that totaled over 60'. I could not get out of my house through the doors, both doors were frozen, and the only way I could get out was get the hair dryer and crack the front door a little and then melt the ice around the door, and then take a very long carving knife and slice through the ice around the door enough to push it open. That was somewhat a little spooky but got it done. My house is pretty well insulated but those storms had 60 mph winds pushing snow and it was pretty icy also. Welcome to Nebraska. Not!!!!
Well I need to get to drying some herbs for Farmer's Market. Since I feel a little better, think I'll try it today and see if I can make a buck or two.
So, everyone, please have a great day, and a great week.
Monday, September 6, 2010
A good web site to visit for frugal meals and ideas
I visit this site quite a bit. It is a site for frugal meals, emergency planning for meals for lay-offs, or when things get tight. It has a few ads but it is a nice site to get some ideas from. It is http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/
I will be getting back to my blog in a few days. I am feeling a bit under the weather with quite a bit of pain in my spine and hip, so I will be thinking of some blogging tips to add in a few days when I feel a little better.
Everyone have a great rest of Labor Day off, and get ready to hit the salt mines again tomorrow.
I will be getting back to my blog in a few days. I am feeling a bit under the weather with quite a bit of pain in my spine and hip, so I will be thinking of some blogging tips to add in a few days when I feel a little better.
Everyone have a great rest of Labor Day off, and get ready to hit the salt mines again tomorrow.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
catching up
Well, I am trying to play catch-up. I will be freezing my peaches my neighbor gave me. I made beef patties and froze those this morning. Some of my barter beef that I barter for.
It seems from the blogs I read or follow, the weather is into play this year. My garden didn't do too well, but I am getting produce, but it is slow and somewhat strange in its growing pattern. My theory is a combo of the gulf spill dispersant's, and chemicals and the Icelandic volcano. I am not a scientist, but I am old enough and have some brains to tell me that the weather is changed and it is maybe not for the good. I also think that a possible shift in the Earth's orbit from some of these earthquakes may have shifted things around some. This morning it was 48*, which is great, but I recall last year, we had 2 30" blizzards in October and quite a bit of snow to total over 70+ inches last year alone.
From my last posted blog, I was going to touch on the stocking of the pantry for winter. I keep a full stock pantry most of the time, and I keep a tally in the pantry to replenish what I have used. I look at the sales flyer's that come out, to re-stock major things like broth, which I do keep on hand as I use it quite a bit for flavor and cooking. I like to make my own broth, and really a vegetable broth is very quick to make, and makes a nice finale to dinner. But a beef or chicken broth takes a little more, and when you plan meals, especially when cooking any meat, plan on a little extra from the pan to freeze and add to your stash of broth in the freezer.
When you stock your pantry, this is a very personal and taste driven endeavor, as it depends on what you or your family eat. I keep broths, herb salts, herb mixes that I make, rice, pasta, soup bases, tomato sauces, both home canned, and tomato paste when I run short. I keep my potatoes and carrots and cabbage for a while in the frig ( I have 2 frigs) , and then as it cools down really good at night, usually later this month, I use a ice chest with a few holes drilled into the top and sides, as a makeshift cellar. That is one thing I miss from my grandmother's day, a root cellar and vegetable storage cellar.
I eat pretty simple, potatoes, carrots, and I try to eat with the seasons, as I cannot afford too much salad from the store, and I do grow my greens if the weather holds, in cold frames, if we don't have any snow or cold, but I did get spinach til Nov then it got really cold and I did not disturb the frames until Feb as I took off the the heavy covers I had on my frames and my greens and spinach survived the -30+ below wind chills I had here.
How I stock is how I can afford things and I generally buy 2-3 extras if I can to add to the stash. I really hate shopping, as for one, it is a little hard for me to get around, and I can only afford to run the car 1-2 days a week because of gas costs for me, sometimes I utilize the handy bus that we have here, and take my little hand buggy for groceries but I can only get so much in my little buggy, so, I try to plan a monthly run for groceries to really stock, and I put extra cash away, in my jar for these extras I need. I also save on fuel and running for my green footprint.
I also make my own bread, and if I get caught not being able to make bread, I do buy the frozen loaves of wheat bread and I do those up, when I get behind, and I also make cinnamon rolls from these also, and dinner buns.
Stocking is all about just keeping things in order, and not running around like a chicken with your head cut off. And where I live, the weather can change in a New York minute and I do not like driving or running around in 30" of snow, when you can't get around at all anyway, and everyone else is running around and can't drive in the weather. Stocking is just being able to come home from work and have things ready to go, and you can throw soup or a stew, or veggies in a crock pot when you go out the door on low and dinner is ready when you get home. I am a great fan of crock pots and use several crock pots in my home during the winter.
This is where my herb mixes and dehydrated soup mixes come into play for dinner also. But again, it does take planning, and time to do these. This simple lifestyle isn't so simple when you cook from scratch. It takes some discipline on your part to do them, or again, you fall off the wagon and purchase MSG laden mixes with a ton of poison preservatives in them, it's your choice.
Well, who know what I'll talk about next. We may have a snow storm next?
Everyone, please have a great weekend, and Labor Day holiday
It seems from the blogs I read or follow, the weather is into play this year. My garden didn't do too well, but I am getting produce, but it is slow and somewhat strange in its growing pattern. My theory is a combo of the gulf spill dispersant's, and chemicals and the Icelandic volcano. I am not a scientist, but I am old enough and have some brains to tell me that the weather is changed and it is maybe not for the good. I also think that a possible shift in the Earth's orbit from some of these earthquakes may have shifted things around some. This morning it was 48*, which is great, but I recall last year, we had 2 30" blizzards in October and quite a bit of snow to total over 70+ inches last year alone.
From my last posted blog, I was going to touch on the stocking of the pantry for winter. I keep a full stock pantry most of the time, and I keep a tally in the pantry to replenish what I have used. I look at the sales flyer's that come out, to re-stock major things like broth, which I do keep on hand as I use it quite a bit for flavor and cooking. I like to make my own broth, and really a vegetable broth is very quick to make, and makes a nice finale to dinner. But a beef or chicken broth takes a little more, and when you plan meals, especially when cooking any meat, plan on a little extra from the pan to freeze and add to your stash of broth in the freezer.
When you stock your pantry, this is a very personal and taste driven endeavor, as it depends on what you or your family eat. I keep broths, herb salts, herb mixes that I make, rice, pasta, soup bases, tomato sauces, both home canned, and tomato paste when I run short. I keep my potatoes and carrots and cabbage for a while in the frig ( I have 2 frigs) , and then as it cools down really good at night, usually later this month, I use a ice chest with a few holes drilled into the top and sides, as a makeshift cellar. That is one thing I miss from my grandmother's day, a root cellar and vegetable storage cellar.
I eat pretty simple, potatoes, carrots, and I try to eat with the seasons, as I cannot afford too much salad from the store, and I do grow my greens if the weather holds, in cold frames, if we don't have any snow or cold, but I did get spinach til Nov then it got really cold and I did not disturb the frames until Feb as I took off the the heavy covers I had on my frames and my greens and spinach survived the -30+ below wind chills I had here.
How I stock is how I can afford things and I generally buy 2-3 extras if I can to add to the stash. I really hate shopping, as for one, it is a little hard for me to get around, and I can only afford to run the car 1-2 days a week because of gas costs for me, sometimes I utilize the handy bus that we have here, and take my little hand buggy for groceries but I can only get so much in my little buggy, so, I try to plan a monthly run for groceries to really stock, and I put extra cash away, in my jar for these extras I need. I also save on fuel and running for my green footprint.
I also make my own bread, and if I get caught not being able to make bread, I do buy the frozen loaves of wheat bread and I do those up, when I get behind, and I also make cinnamon rolls from these also, and dinner buns.
Stocking is all about just keeping things in order, and not running around like a chicken with your head cut off. And where I live, the weather can change in a New York minute and I do not like driving or running around in 30" of snow, when you can't get around at all anyway, and everyone else is running around and can't drive in the weather. Stocking is just being able to come home from work and have things ready to go, and you can throw soup or a stew, or veggies in a crock pot when you go out the door on low and dinner is ready when you get home. I am a great fan of crock pots and use several crock pots in my home during the winter.
This is where my herb mixes and dehydrated soup mixes come into play for dinner also. But again, it does take planning, and time to do these. This simple lifestyle isn't so simple when you cook from scratch. It takes some discipline on your part to do them, or again, you fall off the wagon and purchase MSG laden mixes with a ton of poison preservatives in them, it's your choice.
Well, who know what I'll talk about next. We may have a snow storm next?
Everyone, please have a great weekend, and Labor Day holiday
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