I Want It.....I Need It

Since I retired 2 years ago I have been trying not to spend unnecessarily.  That is tricky at times....trying to decide if something is a want or a need.  
What is your definition of a need?  Is it only the basic necessities, like food, a place to live, etc?   Does yarn count as a necessity?  I ordered yarn today to make something for one of my granddaughters.  I feel guilty about it.  I have a closet full of various types and colors of yarn.  But I don't have the perfect yarn for this project.
In all honesty, she doesn't need what I want to make.  She has lots of clothes.  But she needs love.  After all, isn't that what a hand knit gift is?  It's a way of wrapping the recipient in love.....all nice and warm and cozy.
OK, I feel better now.  I'm not going to feel guilty....it is definitely a NEED.

I have been trying to think about need vs want for most of the things I buy.  It has definitely helped me cut down on spending.   I don't buy books anymore.  My daughter and a couple friends also have nook E-readers and some books can be loaned.  So I borrow from them or the library.  If I can't get it free I really don't need to read it.  The only exception for me will be the next book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  I will be waiting in line for that one!

I try to use this test whenever I want to buy something.  Sometimes its hard to differentiate between a want and a need.  Sometimes I rationalize, but its definitely cut down on my spending.  The more I think about what I really need, the more I realize that I don't need much to make me happy.

Sick kitty update:  Salem is almost completely recovered....except for the steroid shot he got making him think he is starving.  I hope that wears off soon.

           Granddaughter #3 giving him some love.

Til next time,
Peace

A Quick Update

First of all....thank you for the well wishes for Salem.

I took him back to the vet yesterday.  He turned up his nose at food yesterday morning and sounded more congested.  I swear, he sounded like he was trying to breathe through his nose through just a little pin hole for air.
Actually he checked out pretty well.  No fever, lungs sounded fine.  But his nose and eyes were running like crazy.  He got a steroid shot and a long acting antibiotic shot....no fighting to get medication into him this time.  He is refusing his usual dry food but with a little coaxing he is eating some canned food and drinking tuna water.
So I hope we are through the worst....I do believe he is moving a bit more air through his nose today.  All I can do at this point is keep him eating and drinking and keep 3 little girls who want to "take care" of him away and let him rest.

On my walk the other day I saw these wildflowers.  Does anyone know what they are called?  I would think black-eyed susans, but they look more like a cone-flower?  I am not good with names of flowers and I have walked this area before without truly seeing them I guess.  Its a very pretty area to walk, on a path by a lake.

We are getting tired of salads and the lettuce in our garden is still flourishing.  It is nice to shop and by pass the lettuces though.  We should have broccali soon.  We have never grown either before and I have no idea why.  We eat a lot of both.

I have made little progress on any knitting lately.  The days are busy with a 10  (almost 11) year old to drive to summer school, vacation bible school, swim lessons.  We really have to keep her busy....all she wants to do is be on the computer watching you tube.  So, we feel like we need to keep her busy and entertained.  I will be relieved when school starts again.

I want to welcome a new follower, Lilly's Mom, Pat.  Drop by her blog, Lilly My Cat when you have time.  She's a very interesting lady.

Well, that's all that's going on here.  I have plans for a very quiet evening and some knitting.  The girls are on their way back to their parents and Hubby is meeting a friend for dinner and 9 holes of golf.   Ahhh...peace and quiet.

Have a great weekend everyone,

Til next time,
Peace

Random Wednesday

First of all my good old boy, Salem the cat, is sick again....or still maybe?
His dizziness and staggering like a drunk resolved within 2-3 days.  We got antibiotics into him (at least as much as he didn't spit out) for a week til gone.  On the last day of antibiotics he started to sneeze a little.  Cats will sneeze occasionally but this seemed a little more often.  It's been 4-5 days of sneezing and snorting to clear his nose.  I am sure this must be viral but have no idea where he picked it up.  He is a totally indoor cat and we don't have any other animals coming in.
He eats and drinks like normal although he seems more listless.  Sometimes I think he feels a little warm so maybe a fever, but other times not.  I think seeing the Vet again would be a good idea, but since he is eating ok and his breathing is ok I don't believe there is much to be done at this point.  I am hoping to see some signs soon that he is feeling better...if not we will go back to the Vet.

Remember this little trouble maker?

I somehow managed to put one buttonhole on each side.  I ripped it out and started again (for the 3rd time) and now I have managed to get the top half finished successfully with 2 button holes on the same side....terrific!  The problem is it is supposed to have 3 button holes and I missed the middle one somehow.  It bothers me a little (only a little) but I think it will look ok with 2 buttons instead of 3.  I am going to finish it, but its possible I could rip it out again if it doesn't look good.  I love this yarn and I will not give up on this top!

Our garden is looking much better than years past.  Funny how much difference a little weeding and a little fertilizer makes.  We have an abundant supply of leaf lettuce and it looks like we will have at least 6 heads of broccali and lots of squash and beans soon.

I leave you with a foggy Lake Michigan picture from yesterday. I have lived near this lake all my life and love to see it in all its moods.  We often drive by the lake just to see what it looks like, even in winter.

 
(I had trouble adding pictures from my tablet, it's worked fine til now ((sigh)).  Anyway,  I used my phone to add the pictures and then previewed it.  The layout on my phone was all messed up.  If you are reading from a phone is it readable or is the text running down the left side?)

Til next time,
Peace

Beside Myself

Hmmm....I'm not really sure what that expression means but I think it describes how I have felt for the last 24 hours.  I have been beside myself with worry.

Two of my granddaughters were diagnosed with strep throat on Friday.  Of course they have been at my house everyday this week.  I was feeling quite in control of that situation.  As a retired RN, taking care of sick little ones is right up my alley.

Then I lost control.
At 3 pm Friday my beloved 14 year old cat threw up.  This wasn't a little cat vomit or a hairball.  This was a huge pile of undigested food.  This cat never throws up like that.  Then he crawled under the bed and refused to come out.  The warning bells in my head started going off.  The cat is sick!.....could he have picked up a strep infection?  I tried to be rational....a trip to the vet, antibiotics, he would be ok I told myself.  I tried to knit on the baby top that has been so uncoopertive lately.  I knit slowly, and counted carefully.  I started to feel less worried.  Knitting can be great therapy.

About 6 pm the cat came out of the bedroom and tried to come down stairs (1/2 flight).  He got part way and seemed to stumble.  I managed to grab him and set him at the bottom.  Alarm bells!  DING, DING! Something very wrong here.
My poor kitty walked like he was drunk, staggering into the living room.  He found a spot under a chair and stayed there.  I brought him food and water and he just turned his head away.  He stayed crouched under the chair and I began to imagine the worst.  He had a stroke?....he couldn't see?....he was dying!?  I couldn't eat  and felt queasy.  And the uncertainty....should I call the emergency number and take him to the city an hour away?  None of the local vets do weekend emergency care....they refer to the emergency clinic an hour from here.  Should I wait til morning when our vets office is open?
Truly, I was beside myself.

End of story....I slept very little, checking on him frequently during the night.  He seemed stable.  Off to the vet this AM with a diagnosis of vestibular disorder.  Could be an inner ear infection causing it.  The vet is pretty sure he didn't have a stroke.  He was given a steroid shot, and we have antibiotics for him.  He is able to walk a bit better today and did eat a little tuna fish tonight.  According to the vet, cats don't catch strep throat from humans....BUT they can be strep carriers.   Hmmmm....what a coincidence then that he got sick right after the girls.

He is like one of the family, like one of my children.  We have had a lot of pets and have our own pet cemetary in our back yard.   I handled all those losses pretty stoically most of the time.  But once in awhile you find a special one.  Salem is a special one.

I am feeling better tonight, hopeful that he will recover over the next couple weeks.

Do you have a pet that you have a special bond with?


Til next time,
Peace