Boomer`s Story

We adopted Boomer from the Salt Lake County Animal Services Center when he was approximately 4 months old, in 1995.   We had two other cats but had just lost a kitten to heart disease, so the kids, who were all still living at home, wanted another.  My ex hub Scott and daughter Megan picked Boomer from his litter because he was the most friendly and “sweet”.  That trait was part of his personality throughout his life.

The biggest trouble Boomer ever got into was as a kitten. I used to cook hamburger (in this case, for tacos) and drain the grease into an empty frozen orange juice cylinder for it to harden so I could throw it away.  I apparently left it out on the counter one evening, and Boomer stuck his head in and got it stuck a bit.  He was able to shake it off, but he had taco-flavored grease all over his head.  I tried to wash it off (as if a kitten will hold still for THAT!) Luckily, we had a grown cat named Stan (whose brother Ollie had already been adopted when we got Stan).  Stan was a “daddy” to Boomer, and over the course of about 3-4 days, he bathed (licked) Boomer`s head several times a day until Boomer was clean.  

Like many cats, Boomer liked to curl up in sinks, lay in our laps, and as a tabby he was very vocal and talked to us all the time.  When Bruce and I married in 2003, Boomer was already 8 years old. He joined us at the dinner table almost every night. Not ON the table, mind you.  He just sat in his regular chair and kept us company, very well-mannered.  Occasionally he would get meat scraps after the meal, but mostly not.  

I have a lot of pictures of Boomer`s first 8 years, but they are in scrapbooks and have not yet been digitized. But here are some others that I particularly like. 

Boomer with Rudy (a Christmas reindeer decoration)

Inspector Boomer gives 2 Paws Up to the downstairs bathroom remodel. He always ‘helped’ our contractors, especially loving to watch plumbers.

You are NOT going on vacation without me!

Mom, I`m so glad you’re back from vacation!

Am I cute enough for you to let me lay in this box of lace?

It`s a guy thing. 

I love my Dad, too!

Laying outdoors in the sun with his stone friend.

Summer 2012.  Last of the healthy days.

In the fall of last year, Boomer began losing weight. At first it didn’t concern me too much, because Dr. Dan (whom I wrote about here) had just told me a few months before that Boomer was in great health for a 17-year-old cat, and if he didn’t know better, he would have guessed that Boomer was only about 10 years old.

But Boomer kept losing weight, and when we first took him to the vet (a nice, young new vet that bought the clinic after Dr. Dan died) in November, they discovered a mild infection in his gums.  He had to stay overnight there to be anesthetized and have his teeth cleaned (something we did regularly anyway). While Boomer was away for that 24-hour period, I went grocery shopping and for the first time heard the song “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele. In fact, I heard it TWICE in that shopping trip, and it made me wonder if that song was going to be associated with my worrying about Boomer. Little did I know.

Boomer came home and began eating, and we had a nice Christmas.  But then in February he began losing weight again, so back to the vet for another checkup and blood test. His blood work was mostly good, but had one odd number that indicated there might be a kidney problem or something else.  So, in March they did a chest x-ray, and the diagnosis was confirmed; Boomer had a mass in one of his lungs. (This was about the time that Bruce was diagnosed with cancer, too, so I was a wreck).  Bruce kept his sense of humor and called himself and Boomer the lung cancer twins.  Yeah.  So not funny.

A steroid shot (depo-medrol) was administered, and gave Boomer his appetite and personality back. For the better part of six weeks, he was his old self.  I think of that period as being like an Indian Summer.  The days are lovely, but you know they are numbered.   We enjoyed those days intensely!

The vet said that Boomer could continue getting shots, but the effects would be less dramatic each time and not last as long.  During this period, I began noticing something odd. Often when I would go to the grocery store (which is about 3 times per week because I mail out my Etsy shop orders from the USPS outlet there), I would hear “Set Fire to the Rain” quite often. Not every visit, but once every 2-3 visits, at least. I began listening to the words. It definitely reminded me of Boomer, and the fact that I was losing him.

The second depo-medrol shot lasted about a month, and after I returned from my cruise in June, Boomer got his third (and last) shot.  He was having good days and bad, but we decided that since he had more good with only an occasional bad, we went ahead with that shot.  It only lasted a week, maybe two. Then he began withdrawing from us. Selfishly, I wanted him to last until his 18th birthday.

I researched cat behavior to learn how a cat acted when he was in pain, and Boomer was acting that way, huddled and tucked in on bad days.  It was a struggle that had gone on in my mind for weeks - when was it time to say goodbye? How could I make the decision to end the life of this creature I had loved and cared for for 18 years (and who had loved and cared for me, too)?

I cried on his birthday, July 16 and made up my mind that I would have to do the humane thing the next day. So, on Thursday, July 17, wouldn`t you know it - Boomer was having a good day. I wrestled with my thoughts all morning, until just before noon. Then I called the vet’s office, talked with them and made the euthanization appointment for 3:00 that afternoon.

Here is a picture (one of dozens) that I took of Boomer just before we left in the car:

July 17, 2013.  Just before visiting the vet for the last time. Weight: about 5 pounds.

The face Mommy will always love

I believe Boomer knew where we were going, and why.  He just laid on the front seat of the car, on a blanket in the sun as we drove there.  No meowing, no nervous behavior.  

The burial case I made for Boomer from Laurel Burch fabric.

We went into a special room, and they inserted an IV into Boomer’s front paw. Then they gave us a while to be together.  I just held him close and cried.  That is an understatement. By then I was sobbing so hysterically that I couldn’t talk or catch my breath. Boomer just snuggled into me.  Finally Boomer calmed me down (cats can do that, you know) and we called in the doctor.  Boomer nestled in the blanket they provided, and his eyes were large and open, expectant and frightened.  The doctor administered the shot and then . . . it was over.  There was no light passing out of the eyes, no gentle heave of a last breath.  Just nothing. Until I moved to hold him closer and his body was floppy.  That`s when it became real.  I looked upwards, imagining his little spirit ascending,  and said goodbye.

I set fire to the rain

And I threw us into the flames

When it fell, something died

'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time!

I will always be angry with myself for not holding his fragile little body longer. But they brought in a cardboard casket, placed him in and I took Boomer home to bury him outside by our bedroom window, under the apricot tree.  Just a few feet away from where I sleep.

The top of the cardboard casket

Sometimes I wake up by the door,

That heart you caught must be waiting for you

Even now when we're already over

I can't help myself from looking for you.

  

Boomer’s final rest

I set fire to the rain,

Watched it pour as I touched your face,

Well, it burned while I cried

'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name

I visited his little grave every day for the first month.   Then it was every couple days, now it’s a couple times a week.  Soon I will have to put the little cat marker (look familiar?) away for the winter.  

My friend Diane from Canada was visiting me a couple weeks ago and stayed for about 5 days.  I told her about Boomer and the song.  That week we went to the store twice, and heard the song played both times.  I can almost listen to it without breaking into tears.

I miss you, Boomer!

I’m BAAAAAAAACK!!

I really love to blog. I know what you’re thinking, but really, I do.  Can it be almost 9 months since I have blogged?  Three quarters of a year! Honestly, I think about blogging all the time. But I have not made the time to do it this year - until now.  After hearing from several of you (Are you OK? Why aren`t you blogging? Are you still alive?) and a  kick in the butt  shove  gentle nudge from a local friend who shall remain nameless (oh heck - it was Bev) I decided there was no better time than now to start writing again.

So much has happened in the last nine months, which should be no surprise to anyone who has a life.  But rather than go into detail here, I will just give a brief recap in this post and then move forward.  Little by little, I will hit the highlights (my son`s wedding) and the low points (the death of my furson Boomer) and everything in between (sewing and stitching projects, etc.).

For the early part of the year, while it was still winter here in Utah, I finished a quilt for my daughter Megan.  A belated Christmas present.   It was large; about 60” x 72 or 78”.  The fabric was Indie by Pat Bravo, my favorite fabric designer.

In February we also spent our usual week vacation in Arizona, but it snowed twice while we were there.  Really. That is what we were trying to get away from!

Here is a picture of the whole fam damily when we went out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Wisdom’s.  Bruce and I are at the very right of the picture.  But then going from left to right is Dennis (Bruce`s oldest brother), Kim (whose late mother was Bruce`s sister) but we call her cousin Kim instead of a niece. Then we have Marv (another brother), Annette (Bruce’s remaining sister) and her husband Glenn, then Bruce and me.  Bruce also has another brother Doug who wasn’t there.


In the spring, I began getting ready for the upcoming wedding of my son Ryan and his fiance (of six years) Kim (not the Kim above).  But probably the most awful thing happened about that time.  Bruce was diagnosed with cancer. It was in his right forearm, where he had had surgery last year to remove a supposedly benign tumor.  This time, it was a sarcoma that they suspected (after tests) had metastasized to his lymph nodes and lungs.  More tests. Waiting. Radiation treatments on his arm that resulted in him having to miss our cruise to the Bahamas as part of my son’s wedding. Still more tests. It turned out that the lymph node was just inflamed from the surgery and was NOT cancerous.  And the spots on his lungs were so tiny and never grew (and later could not even be found), so they decided that was not cancer, either.  WHEW!  Everything is fine and back to normal now. He will continue to have a cat scan of his chest - next one at the end of this year, then hopefully just yearly after that.

The wedding and cruise - that is a post for another time. It was marvelous.  It turns out it was good that Bruce was home to stay with Boomer (my cat of 18 years), who had been diagnosed with lung cancer himself about the same time as Bruce had. But Boomer`s was for real, and untreatable. I will do a separate post about this, too, but Boomer died the day after his 18th birthday in July. For the next six weeks I was so distraught and depressed; I just cried and cried. But I slowly began pulling out of it as summer drew to a close and other things began occupying my life.

I did a remodel of one of the rooms of my studio area.  I will explain that in a later post with before and after pictures.  I joined Weight Watchers and have been losing weight. The 6th annual Crazy Quilting International Retreat was held in September in Colorado. Twenty-two of us met in Longmont and had a total blast! Even the road trip there was great. On the way back it was not so fun because it was raining, we were crowded, and I got a speeding ticket. But again, I will do a separate post about that.



And finally, we have gotten two new kittens to help fill the holes in our hearts.




Left:  Darla (female)
Right: Alfie (Alfalfa - male)


Finally, all this year I have tended my DGD London (who is now 4) once a week.  I have pictures to share of some of our adventures.  I continue to stitch in round robins (lots of CQ work to share). And then there is all my work with CQI (I am now the group owner/moderator) and the nasty changes that Yahoo has wrought with their poopey new system, NEO.  I`ve probably missed a few things in this recap, but if they are important enough, we will catch up with them later.

And that brings me current.  Yesterday I dyed lace for my Etsy shop, so this morning I began ironing it.  Then I had to do my weekly grocery shopping.  At lunchtime, my dear best friends Susan and Bev came by. We had chicken salad sandwiches and a side of broccoli salad. Yum!  We visited a couple thrift stores, because this time of year (leading up to Halloween) is a great time to pick up really lovely embellished clothing.  We have been snagging lots of beautiful Indian dresses and ravaging them for beads, sequins, rhinestones, gold and silver metal purl and other bling.

So, if you are still here, and you have made it through this post, please drop me a line or leave a comment.  Let me know how you are doing.  And I hope you will continue to visit and read my blog.

Thanks and hugs to you,

Busy, but not much to show for it

The title just about sums up my life this month so far, LOL.

Bruce was involved in a minor traffic accident (no injuries) that sent our beloved Prius to the repair shop for 2-3 weeks (originally was only supposed to be a week).  So, if I want transportation when he works, I must drive him to the bus/train stop where he grabs the light rail to work.  And then pick him back up in the evening.  So, I have only been using the car once or twice a week when I have a doctor/dentist appointment or must do the grocery shopping, meaning I am at home without transportation most of the time. This is the second week of that, and the car is supposed to be another week before it’s ready. Blimey! 

So, the first week of that was fine, because it was cold and snowy and after I had cortisone shots in both knees, I didn’t want to go anywhere anyway.  But this week I’m feeling great - and I am going stir crazy.  MUST. GET. OUT. So, today I did the grocery shopping and then spent a couple hours visiting thrift stores. I also visited the liquor store because we have gotten into Cape Cods (vodka and cranberry juice). I was actually drinking them virgin - with Fresca instead of vodka - but we both decided they would be a bit better with a touch of alcohol.  :-)   And then I treated myself to some TCBY super fro-yo (frozen yogurt with probiotics).

I have been doing some stitching and am getting ready to work on another round robin block - the Victorian Women block for my friend Rengin in Turkey.  In addition, I have cut out and am in the process of piecing daughter Megan’s quilt and about half done with that. I hope to finish the top today and then baste it on Sunday.  Saturday is devoted to dyeing lace - close to 100 yards of it - for my Etsy shop.

And then I am participating in the Sugar Block Club (see link in sidebar) and have finally pieced our January block of the month.   As you can see, I am a bit rusty with my accuracy, which I proudly attribute to my 13 years of crazy quilting, where we do as we please, LOL!

The twelve blocks will eventually be made into a quilt for ME!!  (Yay!)

I am also working on a purse for myself, because my black winter purse is falling apart. This new purse, however, is BRIGHT and bears no resemblance to anything a fifty-something grandma would be expected to carry.  Amen and amen!!

Hopefully my next post will have more pictures.  :-)

Thanks for dropping by!

Paris Round Robin Block for Wilma

In the Crazy Quilting International Yahoo group, I am participating in the “I Love Paris” round robin.  Today I finished a block for my friend Wilma from The Netherlands (whom we are hoping will be joining us in September for our 6th annual retreat!).

I stitched a perfume - er, Parfum - bottle, and embellished some lace that a prior stitcher had added.

The colors on this block are brown and black, with accents of gold, mustard through light yellow and tidbits of burgundy. It is very elegant, and the prints used in the block (pieced for her several years ago by a friend) suggest a Paris Fashion theme.  Hence, I did not do a bicycle with flowers filling the basket, LOL.

 Lower in the block I ruffled some ribbon and stitched on the letters for PARIS from sew-on “typewriter keys”. I think the colors are perfect, and they blend well with the Roaring Twenties theme in the fabrics.  I also added the lace fleur de lis and did the seam stitching of the burgundy chain with gold flowers.
 

This is Wilma’s block to date, and it will be mailed on to the next stitcher tomorrow. Dear Wilma, I hope you are liking it as much as I am!

Hugs,

Starts and Finishes

Happy New Year everyone!  I have really enjoyed looking at blogs over the last few days where people have recapped what they have accomplished in 2012 and included collaged pictures.  *Sigh*.  One of these days, I will learn to make a collage!!  I even have a site bookmarked, but have I read or practiced it?  Noooooo.  So you lucked out!  ;-)

I realized I had not ever posted my September Crazy Quilt Journal Project block when I went to photograph my October block.  So, since I only have a few days to get this done (I think), I have spent a quiet New Year’s Day stitching.  In the afternoon, anyway. I took down all the decorations and the tree in the morning, then dusted (etc) and put all the regular stuff back in place. I even took the boxed tree down to the basement, but Bruce can do the rest!!

Without further ado, here are my (meh…) blocks for September and October.

September

October

I am really not very happy with them, but oh well. But I do LOVE the dyed crocheted doily that Lorraine sent to me!  She has a fantastic Etsy shop called LES Designs.  I’ve been using a lot of her wonderful dyed threads,  and they are lovely to work with.  Her colors are divine!   Unfortunately, my work does not show them off to their best advantage; but go check out her blog and you will see drool-worthy stitching!

So, this is how the entire project looks to date.

I am watching my DGD London tomorrow, so my stitching time will probably have to wait until Thursday.  I thought things would slow down after Christmas, but my To Do list is still a mile long.  What I need to do is stop adding things to the queue. But I can’t help myself!

Oh, and I am not setting goals this year, either.  And I haven’t thought of a word for the year (last year’s was ENJOY), but I am leaning toward HEALTHY.  I have to lose weight, get my carpal tunnel problems fixed and find out why I am so stiff all the time.  So, I am my own biggest project this year, hehehe.

Hope you are off to a good start in 2013!

Hugs,

Christmas 2012

We had a wonderful Christmas this year.  And I hope you did, too!  Did you get to see family?     Did you have snow (if climate-appropriate)?

On Christmas Eve day, about noon, it began snowing here.  The roads weren’t bad, however, so as the family joined us during the day and evening, the driving conditions were not hazardous.

Bruce’s daughter Stacy and her family visited in the afternoon.

Stacy and hubby Mike

Grammy (me) and Hunter

Grandpa reads to Remi

Hunter likes to play Grandpa’s Workshop on my iPad

Remi likes to “read” too

Hunter the Red-Nosed Cute Boy (isn’t that vest darling?)

Then in the evening of 24 December, my three kids and their families joined us for dinner and presents.

London pets Boomer while cousin Easton and Grandpa look on

Kim, Lauren (DGD) and son Ryan

Kim, Lauren, Ryan, Easton and Ron (daughter Meg’s husband)

I didn’t get many pictures, because we were too busy having fun. But one of the highlights of the evening was when I realized what London’s mom had done to London’s hair.  About six weeks ago, London “cut” her own bangs. We all have horror stories of that, right?  Anyway, Heather (L’s mom who does not live with Shane and London) decided to (1) trim London’s bangs at an angle (like this: /) and (2) chop off some of the sides, effectively giving her a mullet.   U.G.L.Y.

So, I grabbed a brush and scissors and when no one was looking, brushed London’s hair and chopped off about 4-5 inches off the back, even-ing it out in back to a cute, curly bob. Everyone was astonished that I would have the nerve, then they laughed and applauded. Shane was grateful, especially that I had done it without consulting him (plausible deniability) so Heather couldn’t get mad at him.  My daughter Megan put it on her Facebook, saying it will go down in family lore.   :-)   Now, London looks pretty again, and she knows it!

Christmas Day dawned bright and clear; a perfect picture day.

We had already seen and exchanged gifts with all the local family (who were now off to other parents and in-laws), so Bruce and I had the day to ourselves.  Bruce’s Christmas present was a new laptop computer with touch screen that he’d ordered and received a couple weeks ago.

So, it was my present from Bruce that was the highlight of the day:

Here’s a better shot of the Certificate of Compliance so you can read it.  He has quite a sense of humor, that boy!

So, as you can see, Bruce did certainly meet his compliance requirements. The chips were eaten on Christmas Eve, the Bud Lite (aka SWILL) is still sitting in the ‘fridge because we don’t drink Bud.

And the $100 gift certificate, you ask?  I used it for the down payment of this:

The Sewing Machine of my dreams

I have been coveting a Bernina 550QE for months.  They are simply the best (and among the most expensive) sewing machines made.  Solidly engineered in Switzerland and will last me for the rest of my life (and then can be passed down).  I have had mediocre-to-bad sewing machine karma all my married life (when I lived at home, we had my grandma`s Necchi that she used as a dressmaker in NYC).  My last (bad) purchase was a Brother that I bought on Amazon.  It has been in for repair twice, but seems to be doing OK these last couple months as I have whizzed through quilts, pillowcases, Christmas stockings, etc.




Anyway, my Bernina is on layaway, and will not actually be paid for until after DS Ryan and Kim (see pix above) get married in June. We are joining them and the family on a cruise to the Bahamas, and then several days in Florida, where they will get married on the beach. Then we will all visit Disney World, etc.  Bruce and I are also visiting our friends Carol and Woody while there.  So, there are other priorities to pay for first.

And speaking of paying for things, hehe, I am having a year-end clearance sale in my Etsy shop (link on sidebar).  Everything is 20% off, even the clearance items.  Just type in the code GOODBYE2012 at checkout, and you will receive your 20% off. (and if you mess it up, I will do the refund manually).   This offer is good through 31 December 2012.  I hope you will stop by and take advantage of this great deal!


Wishing you and your family a bright and beautiful New Year 2013, and safe travels over the Holidays.

 

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a warm and wonderful Christmas with your loved ones!  May the Holidays bring you joy, happiness and good memories.

And my deepest sympathies to the adults and little angels who lost their lives at the recent Newtown, CT tragedy.

Enjoy these vintage children images.  Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All!

 

Hugs,