Her Royal Highness.

I am in a bit of trouble.

It has come to my attention, that while the Basset Hounds have had posts dedicated to them, my cat has only been mentioned as an afterthought.

She is displeased, and now I am fearful for my life.

Without further ado,
may I present to you,

Her Royal Highness, Supreme Ruler of the Universe, Meeko McGonagall Killer Piss Hiss Fred Murphy.

Meeko, as I get to call her

Yes, I know her name is long, but each name has a reason.  Meeko, her first and most commonly used name, is from the Disney movie 'Pocahantas'.  Do you remember the raccoon?  Yep, it's Meeko.  Her tail is striped just like a raccoon.  McGonagall is from the Harry Potter books.  The cat that Professor McGonagall transforms into reminded me of her.  Killer is from the summer she killed 45 birds.  I almost turned her in to the ASPCA and PETA.  She has since retired from hunting in her older years.  Piss is from a very grumpy day.  Hiss just sounded good with Piss.  Fred is the funniest one.  Do you remember the Bugs Bunny cartoon with the Abdominal Snowman where he finds Bugs and picks him up and thumps him on the head while saying. "Love him and Pat him and Call his name Fred"?  As you may know, cats need to be taken down a notch every once in a while and I jokingly did it to Meeko one day and she just looked harassed and tortured, that now all I have to do is call her Fred and she behaves.

One of her former napping spots.

Now that you know her name, it is time to get to know her.  Meeko is very shy.  If you come over to the house and even see her, be impressed.  Most people do not even think I have a cat.  Be honored by her presence.  I got her from the Humane Society and from what they knew, she was a street cat for the first two years of her life.  She bonded with me and the dogs, but other than that she is very shy with her affections.

She loves catnip.  Fresh only, not dried.  She gets mean with dried nip.  I have to grow 2 catnip plants during the summer for her.  In fact, I have been thinking about adding a new name to the group.  Mellow Meeko.  Every Summer by Labor Day, I threaten to send her to rehab for her nip problem.  The last two winters I have brought her plants inside and they have thrived.  If you know my indoor plant problem, you know what a miracle that is.  Meeko must of decreed they must live.

Like most cats, she loves to nap.  She takes a morning nap,  mid morning nap, pre lunch nap, post lunch nap, early afternoon nap, late afternoon nap, pre dinner nap, post dinner nap, and an early evening nap.  All naps require a different location and heaven help you if you disturb a nap.  However,  Meeko is allowed to stare at you in the middle of night to wake you up if she wants attention.  If staring does not work, she will knock items off of counters, dressers, nightstands, etc.  And, do not fall into the belief that just because she is little, big items are safe.  They are not.

Enjoying her Realm

Meeko is not overly cuddly, but loves to head butt you and get tickles down her spine.  On occasions of her choosing, she will jump into your lap and purr and cuddle; it just has to be her choice.  Royalty must be obeyed.

She does like the dogs, do not let her tell you otherwise.  She and Bacall will play and chase each other, and while she may slap at Bacall, no claws are ever used.  Meeko and Humphrey have a very funny relationship.  Meeko likes to bug H.  When entering a room that Humphrey is in, Meeko will first attempt to make eye contact.  If contact is made, she will begin to slink, that slow motion cat walk.  I imagine it like fingernails on a chalkboard to Humphrey.  It just bugs him to NO END!  Humphrey will bark and threaten to chase Meeko and then she will run into the room.  The kicker, if she can't get H to make eye contact, she continues into the room at a normal pace.  The brat.

Putting up with another photo session

 While you may never get to meet her in person, you now know a little more about the cat that rules my world.

Hopefully, this gets me out of trouble,
but until I know for sure,
I will be sleeping with one eye open.

Melissa

Grateful....

I needed to run one errand today, Black Friday, and it was fraught with peril......

I could not locate my wallet.

The last time I knew for sure that I had seen it was at a gas station in Brigham City, Utah on Thanksgiving night.

PANIC!!  FREAK OUT!!!  and CRY!!!

I went to the car and searched one more time, before I called the gas station, and happened to glance under the car on the passenger side near the wheel and there it sat.

Whew....

It had been outside and unprotected since Thanksgiving night at 11:30 til 4 pm on Friday.

As a result,

I am so very grateful that my neighborhood is a safe one.
I am grateful that my wallet was still there.
I am grateful that I did not have to worry about my identity being stolen.
I am grateful that I was able to go to PetSmart to buy cat food for Meeko and snacks for my dogs.

As this season of Gratitude draws to a near,
I just wanted to say Thank you for all the gifts, opportunities, travels, people in my life and even trials that come my way.

With a prayer of Gratitude in my heart,
Melissa

Overtime...

I think most of you know that I am a HUGE sports fan, especially football, but this post has nothing to do with sports despite the title.

I am in overtime with Humphrey.

One of my favorite pictures of Humphrey

Three weeks ago, today, Humphrey was getting off the couch on his pet stairs (we'll discuss how spoiled he is at a later date) when he suddenly seized up.  I immediately knew what it was having seen seizures in my brother.  Humphrey jerked and his eyes rolled back into his head and lost control of his bladder.  I had a brief moment of control and timed the event, because in my heart this seemed like it was going on forever. Reality shows the seizure lasted just over a minute.  When it was finally over, I was not even sure he survived the seizure.  It was absolutely terrifying.  I laid down on the floor with him to make sure he was breathing and to give both of us some comfort.

A phone call to the vet was next.  An appointment two hours later was made when they squeezed us in between other appointments.  During those two hours, I began to mentally prepare myself that this was then end.  It was brutal.  I think I cried for almost the entire time.  Humphrey was breathing, but that is about all I could say at this point.  He did not respond to his name.  He looked confused and out of it.  After about an hour, he attempted to stand up and needed some help.  He had very little control over his body.  My heart broke once again.  I could tell he needed to go to the bathroom, but he had no idea where to go.  Bacall and I led him out to the backyard and Humphrey followed out of love and trust.  We led him back in, because he did not know to come back inside.

His heart was beating, but it was like Humphrey, as I knew him, was gone.

It was finally time for the appointment, and I loaded up the dogs and went to the vet.  Bacall would not leave Humphrey's side, so she had to go, too..  She was all excited until she realized that we were at the vet, then I had two worrywarts at the vet.  Me and Bacall.

The first thing Dr. Gold did was calm me down.  He was actually pretty excited that Humphrey could walk in (it was a good sign).  I learned that seizures in dogs are more common that I had previously thought and more importantly, it was not a death sentence.  Epilepsy is even seen in dogs and with medication can be managed like it is in humans.  Whew.

The next thing that happened was that I learned I was in a 24, then a 48 hour window, before we decided anything.  Seizures can take up to 48 hours to recover from in dogs.  No medication was dispensed and we were sent home.

Humphrey was still out of it and it ended up being a very long 24 hours.  He had to be led outside when he would stand up, due to the fact, he did not remember how to go outside.  When he got outside, he would do his business and then just lay outside.  The temperatures that night were near freezing.  Bacall would go out and bark at him and nag him back inside.  During that long night, Bacall became a great sister to H.  She took care of him, worried about him, and for once did not challenge him in any way.

We made it thru the night and I called the vet to give an update.  Humphrey was starting to recognize his name and seemed a little more with it.

I was to call after another 24 hours.... the very important 48 hour mark.  Night two went better and he was starting to want food and snacks.  (A key indicator in Humphrey is whether he wants food, if he doesn't, you know something major is up)

By the end of 48 hours, I was no long having to escort him in and out to the bathroom; he responded to his name and could walk well, slowly, but well.

Humphrey was all the way back.

Whew.

Another phone call to the vet......
We now need to go 30 days without another seizure.  If he does have one within the 30 day window, he will most likely go on medication.  The vet's main concern is that Humphrey is 10 years old and seizures, especially major ones like he had, are hard to recover from.  I understood.....

I am in overtime with Humphrey.
We have had a AMAZING time during regulation and I got bonus time.
To cherish.
To enjoy.

He is a bundle of love.  He is happy.  He is not in pain.

He is, however, weaker than he was before the seizure.  He sleeps a bit more.  His walks take longer, but he still wants to go.  His back legs, sometimes, take a little bit to get going when he stands up.

We have a week to go before the 30 day mark.  I hope he makes it without another seizure.
But if he does, we'll get thru it and make the best decisions for him.

A dog lover....
Melissa

Yes, I did it again...

My once a year art skills came back to me this week.

I carved another pumpkin, Tigger, to be precise.

Tigger, the Pumpkin.

He did not take me as long as others had in the past, so I worked on my photography skills in low light...

In other words, I turned my bathroom into a photography studio.  I duct taped towels for back drops; I put sheets on the counter; I covered the window to completely block out the light; and basically banned everyone from entering.  :)

see the need for towels and sheets?

ok, a good background, but my extra lighting was in the wrong spot

Jackpot!

Both pumpkins together!

I was fun to get my tripod out and work with a slower exposure speed and capture the pumpkins in all of the glowing glory!

I hope you enjoyed it!
Until next year's pumpkins,
bye, bye drawing skills.....

Melissa

The Itinerary

Ok, so I haven't written in a while....
sorry about that.  Life has been a little crazy with work, training, and a very scary incident with Humphrey.  I'll write about that later, but first, a post that has been requested by a couple of people.

Yes, I have people who read this blog!!!  You make my day!!!!!!!!!

The 101 Roadtrip Guide

So here it is....
the itinerary of what I did on my Road trip in August.  What I loved and what I would do differently.....

Day 1
Drive to Seattle.  Yes, it is a long drive, but completely doable.  If you want to break it up, stop in Yakima, WA.   If you left early in the am, you would still be able to explore and shop at all of the fruit stands I saw advertised.  The next day, get up early and go into Seattle.

Before you get to Seattle, stop at Snoquamish Fall.  Beautiful and a nice break before you hit Seattle traffic.

Day 2
We drove up to Bellingham, about an hour north, and went on a Whale Watching tour.  LOVED, LOVED this adventure.  We went thru Island Mariner Cruises and had even gotten a groupon to make it an amazing deal.  If I had the opportunity, I would spend a week exploring the San Juan Islands!!!  They are so beautiful.  I would hike, camp, and even splurge at one of the spas on one of the islands.

Day 3
Exploring Seattle.  We did it thru a Segway tour.  A fun way to cover a lot of ground.  Here's my one Seattle tip, don't go up the Space Needle.  It is expensive and not the best view in Seattle--instead go up the Columbia Building.  Cheaper and a better view.  We did not go in the Chulily museum and regretted it.  Other than that, just explore....

Day 4
Left Seattle behind...took my car on its first ferry ride!!!  Hooked up with the 101 Highway and got to Olympic National Park.  If you can, allow more time for this area.  The Sol Duc campground is AMAZING!!!  My only complaint, you can not make reservations, it's first come first serve, but worth it!!!  Soak in the Hot Springs; take the hike to the waterfall; and just enjoy the scenery.

Day 5
Went to Kalaloch Beach and campground.
Had my first experience with the Pacific waters....they are cold.  Do not expect to spend time in the water, unless you have a wetsuit.  It is still fun to explore the beach and the surrounding areas.  One of the cool things near by is the Quinault Rain Forest.  Yes, rain forest.

Day 6
Continued down the 101 Highway and got to Oceanside, OR.  The adventure along the way is part of fun.  We ate at Clark's Restaurant in Arctic, WA (it's listed in every guide I found about the 101).  Old time diner with amazing food.  We also found out that the 101 coincides with the Lewis and Clark trail and stopped at a National Historic site, Fort Clatsop.  It is very interesting and they have historic re-enactors as well.  We did not spend any time in Astoria, OR and wished we could of.

We got to Oceanside early enough to explore the Prom and the shops.  That was enough for me..  I did not really enjoy the vibe of the town, but did find an amazing photography studio.  It's a very touristy town.

Day 7
A short drive to Newport, but first a stop at Cannon Beach.  If you can, spend an entire day at Haystack Rocks and Cannon Beach.  It is beautiful, clean and perfect.  I saw a horseback tour going on the beach and thought, I wish I had signed up for that.  The town of Cannon Beach does not allow any chain stores in its limits.  Accommodations are expensive--I could not find anything under $200!!!  Oceanside does have very good deals (our hotel was $59) a night and I could have chosen at least 3 others in that price range.  Stay in Oceanside, but play in Cannon Beach.....

One of the fun things on the drive from Oceanside to Newport is that you go thru Tillamook!!  With the cows and the factory.  Yes, it is busy and touristy, but stop anyway.  You get to sample cheese and then there is the ice cream.....Yum.....  I got a map and found the actual cows.  I did not know that the Tillamook Creamery is actually a co-op of small family famers!!  I like them even more for this.

Take the time for all of the scenic side trips that you can.  The views are amazing.

We camped at Beverly Beach State Park.  Loved it!!!!  We even had our own beach access!!!

Day 8
Explored Beverly Beach, Newport and the surrounding areas.  Whatever your interests, you can find something to do.  A tip, pick up the locally produced guidebooks when you are in the area.  They have split up the coast into 3 regions and give a TON of ideas.  At the Yaquina Head lighthouse, go to the tide pools, but beware, the beach is made up of River Rocks!!!  It is very hard to walk on.

Day 9
It is time to leave Oregon behind and head to California.  But before we did, we spend the morning at the Newport Aquarium.  It is ranked in the top 5 Aquariums in the country.  It's fun and as a special treat, we got a behind the scenes tour and kissed by a Sea Lion named Leah.

Leaving Newport around 3, we headed off to Crescent City, CA.  It was a little long, but stunning in its views.

It was another camping adventure, as we had made reservations at the KOA.  DO NOT BOOK THERE!!!!  It was awful, between the shower hogs, the drunk couple fighting until 4 am, and just general bad attitudes all around, I wanted to leave in the middle of the night.   There are many campgrounds in the National and State parks of Redwoods.  Go there...  there are hot showers at most of them and they are cheaper than the KOA.

Day 10
Explore Redwood State and National Parks...  It's weird--California has Redwood parks and the then there is the National Park.  As far as I could tell, they overlapped a lot.....

On the road into the park, we saw a herd of elk on the side of the road that must of had 30 in it..

Now onto the trees,  AMAZING.  I am 5'9" and felt like an ant.  Take some time to do some hikes and become immersed in them.  Lose yourself in their beauty.

We stopped at the Trees of Mystery in Klamath, which is soooo worth it.  We took a tram ride thru the trees, had nice paved trails-with a self audio tour with information about what we were seeing, and the largest privately owned Native American museum.  It was well worth the money and time.

Another fun fact, all of the drive thru trees that you hear about are on privately owned land.  We paid $5 to drive thru one.

Day 11
It's time to head to San Francisco.  The 101 Highway was still our guide.  We took a little time off of it to drive the Avenue of the Giants, but still got to the Golden Gate Bridge by 2 pm.  If you can, park on the north side of the bridge.  I missed the turnoff and drove the bridge and then got in a mess of traffic before I found the parking lot.  I was surprised how busy the walkway was and how many groups will walk 4 across.  It made for a frustrating walk on the bridge, but still do it.  GO THE WHOLE WAY and back.

Here is my one and only hotel tip of the whole trip.  The Wharf Inn.  When I was planning the trip, I went into sticker shock for the price of hotels in San Francisco. WOW....  The Wharf Inn's rooms are very basic, do not expect a fridge or microwave in your room, and yes the walls are a bit thin.  Request a room on the 3rd floor and in the back and the noise is not too bad.  I did not find it too bad, and the free parking (even for 6 hours after checkout), the price and the location made it all worth while, plus the front desk clerk was very friendly and informative about the area and gave a great dinner recommendation (Alioto's).

Day 12
San Francisco....Ride the cable cars, explore China Town, and whatever else catches your eye....
We left around 5 in the afternoon and drove to Sacramento.

Day 13
Drive home....

In summary, to make this trip affordable, we camped about half of the time.  I love to camp and all of the campsites we stayed at had warm showers......

The purpose of the trip was to get a feel for the area.  I had never stepped foot in either Washington or Oregon.  I would go back in a heartbeat.  A week in the San Juan Islands....  More time in Olympic National Park...... Time in Cannon Beach.....  Hike more in Redwood....  See more in San Francisco....

Did I have fun....
ABSOLUTELY!!!!
So get out there...

Your Tour Guide,
Melissa

Drip, Drip, Drip.....

I recently went on a bit of a road trip.

Ok, it was an epic 3000 mile adventure.

Since creating my Bucket List a while back, I look for ways to complete items.  I checked off quite a few on this trip.

#1.  Visiting all 50 states.  I got Oregon and Washington on the list.  For as close as they are, I had never visited either one.

The beauty of Snoquamish Falls, Washington

Haystack Rocks, Cannon Beach, Oregon

#2.  Go on a Whale Watching Tour...
        Ironically, a groupon helped me out with this one.  I went on the Seattle page of Groupon and found a 6 hour Whale Watching tour out of Bellingham for $49.  It ended up being closer to 7 hours since we were in fog for a majority of the trip, so it was a very good deal.  We saw Orcas and a Minky whale.  This only increased my desire to see Grey whales.  So don't be surprised if I do this one again.

A pod K male Orca in the San Juan Islands

#3.  Help someone achieve their goal.
       My mom, for reasons I never understood, has always wanted to take a Segway tour.  I have not, but since I was the main organizer of the trip, I took the lead and once again used Groupon for a Segway Tour in Seattle.  Mom was very scared and nervous when we got there, but between our guide/instructor, Aaron, and me--we got her on and within minutes, she was having a ball.

Learning the ropes and crossing off a Bucket List item off for Mom

Guess what, I had a ball too!

The main lesson of this one is this--I was not that excited about doing this.  In fact, I thought I would be embarrassed the whole time while doing this with her, but I had fun too!!!  In helping her achieve a goal, I encountered something I would have NEVER EVER done and enjoyed it.

#4  Visit all of the National Parks

       This is a goal that will probably take me a long time to achieve and that's ok....  I love spending time outdoors and our National Parks are exceptional places to do that.  On this trip, Olympic National Park and Redwood National Parks were visited.

The Beauty of Olympic National Park

The massive trees of Redwood National Park

#5 Walk the Gold Gate Bridge
  There was not a great start to this adventure, when after a 5 hour drive to get to San Francisco, I missed the turnoff for the parking area and my GPS decided to have a hissy fit.  I was a little frustrated when we finally got there and started the walk.  The crowds, sometimes walking 4 across, the wind, and being right next to 6 lanes of traffic didn't help once we started either.  As a result by the time we had crossed the length and started back, it was not fun.  We found a a quiet, non windy, spot and took a break and to realize what we were doing.  On the parts of the bridge that were not crowded, we would stop and enjoy the views.  By the time we completed the back and forth, we were actually having an ok time.  We were a little taken back with the wind and noise of the this adventure, but still glad it was done.

#6.  oh wait, I missed the opportunity to pay a toll for someone else.
  When I was getting in line for the ferry in Edmunds, Washington, I was all set to pay for the car behind me til I saw how much it was, and then I backed out.  It would of been $20 something bucks and I wimped out.  I thought I had a cheaper toll still ahead and would do that one.  There wasn't.  The Golden Gate Toll is all automated now, so you can't pay for the car behind you.  The toll that I thought I would pay later was included in my ferry fee.  Lesson of the day, don't wimp out.  Don't think, oh, I'll do it next time.  Do it......

One of the reasons I wanted to do this post was to reiterate that Bucket List items do not have to be expensive.  The Whale Watching and Segway tours were done thru Groupon.  Visiting a National Park is not that expensive and when you camp in them, your costs get even cheaper.  It was free to walk across the Bridge.  Life is all about experiences and Bucket Lists can be about making sure you accomplish the experiences that matter to you.

And now that I am home, I am working on more drips in my Bucket.
Melissa

A Change in the Wind....

Even though life has been going pretty well for me lately, I have been wanting some changes.

Is that weird?  I'm not sure.....

The feeling has been getting more and more intense and pushing to the forefront of my mind.  I am questioning why I do what I do and if it still works for me.  Somethings just need a little tweaking, but I have a feeling others will have massive changes.

Traveling seems to bring this out in me the most, and I just got back from an epic 13 day road trip that I will be posting about later.  I think it is because when you travel, you are completely knocked out of your routine and comfort zone, and I love that, mainly because it is always your idea when you travel.  The universe, life, your job, your health, your family did not knock you out of your routine, you did and that is a wonderful thing.

I changed my hair color yesterday.  This is something I have not done in YEARS!!  It has worked for me, but it was time to change it up.  My hair is now a light brown with blondish highlights--no longer the dark chocolate brown with caramel highlights.  I lightened up....  :)  It took about 4 hours to accomplish and I love it.  Pictures will be coming soon, so keep an eye out on facebook.

I'm tweaking my exercise routine.  Running, of course, will be staying in.  It would be hard to train for a marathon in January if you are not running.  My yoga practice will be changing from antigravity to a more tradition vinyasa practice with some Bikram thrown in.  I stopped Bikram a while back because I was getting too competitive with myself in class--doing challenges (which was an amazing experience), but it made me think that if I was not going everyday, I was failing somehow.  Lame, I know, but I'm fairly competitive by nature and it just happened.  I am going back with the intention of being in the moment.  I'll see how it goes and let you know.

I am signing up for American Sign Language classes thru my local community education.  I feel like I have not been challenging myself mentally lately and learning a new language, that requires coordination, should amp up my mental skills.  As an added bonus, it is on my bucket list.  :)

It is also time to change up my inner conversations....  I was doing well for a while keeping the negative self talk out, but it is creeping back in and I want to nip it in the bud.

It is funny because I was just thinking about my New Year's Resolutions and the first one that popped into my mind was my 'Continue' resolution.  It is all about moving forward and not getting stuck in a rut or back sliding.  Maybe that is where these Winds of Change are coming from...

Melissa.

PS...
GRRRRRRR!!!  Just went to sign up for the American Sign Language class and it is postponed until the Winter semester.  So I signed up for a Photoshop class instead.  Just working my brain in another way.