Dear all,

I have moved my blog activities to Blogspot. Not because this host wasn't good enough...  Not at all!
I have enjoyed Bravenet very much and may come back to post some entries now and then. But I needed a Blogging Boost, so it helps to start a new service.
You can find my newer posts here.

Hope to see you at Blogspot!

Hugs,

Karin

 

  

Dear all,

                                         

Just popping in to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!

For our special wish for you all click here

Happy Holiday hugs,

Karin*CatMar

 

  

 

OK - this is what I look likewhen you take your early morning walk and encounter a real wild swine. I'm not talking a nice pink miss Piggy like pig  , no I'm talking *swine* here... - a wild hog, a wild boar, nonetheless -(Sus scrofa).

Look, I'm only a small Maltese lady, 5 years old and pampered and protected and kept safe by my mom and dad. OK, I have enough courage to chase rabbits and squirrels away. And I get excited -although a bit apprehensive- by the smell of other wild animals in the woods. Especially when I smell a wild boar...
But to actually *see* one... that's a different story. My mum has always been afraid and has had visions of wild boars using me as a nice appetizer. So there we went, at 7 in the morning for that memorable walk - my mum did not feel too well so decided to take the small round. She took small steps, using her crutch to lean on. And she was holding the leash with me on the end of it in her right hand.
And then, all of the sudden: There he was:

Not this particular one, but one very much like him. He scared my mum so much that she dropped my leash, but could grab it straight back. And then she started walking as fast as she could, which was not very fast. She did not have to tag me along, no, I was gladly leading the way. She was looking over her shoulder to see if he was following us, but thank goodness he wasn't...
All the brave scenarios she had had made up in her mind in case she would meet one, were gone. Both she and myself had only *one* goal: To be safely inside the cabin as soon as possible!

My little feet walked as fast as they could and mum's legs walked as fast as her handicap allowed them but we made it. The boar walked on pursuing his own way and we made it safely back to the cabin. We woke up dad and he and mum went back to the place where the boar was last seen, accompanied with her camera, leaving me in the caravan, thank goodness!
But he was gone, of course. However, he scared a cat that was on a leash at one of the caravans and it broke the leash and was gone in hiding... Poor kitty. Later my mum learned that the cat was found safely and was back with its own mum and dad.

But I think I am quite a Maltese having survived an encounter with a real wild animal!
Don't you agree???? You see, over here we are called Maltese s - and I do feel like one, now, for sure

Have a nice day, all of you!
Hugs,
Pixie, a small Dutch Maltese Lion :0))))))

We're at our little cabin in the woods for a couple of days. We need the rest and relaxation after very hectic times with Wynsen's mother. She is really weaning away. She weighs only 36 kgs and refuses help, proper foods and drinks. She has a form of dementia. Trouble is that the Wynsen's brother does not see eye to eye with the help his sister and us try to give her. He fights us every step of the way. And while it is already difficult enough to see his mum in the state she is, agressive, in denial and afraid of loosing her cognitive abilities; -there's also this terrible atmosphere of fight. Wynsen now tries to avoid confrontation and even though he has to renounce his own views on the matter, he rather does that for keeping the peace.

So we are happy to have our hideaway in the woods here. And I'm really getting my peace and we're really "seeing'' each other again.
And boy, do I love my birdfeeder. Imagine this is the second time this week I replenished the bird food! There are so many birds feeding on it, you can't imagine! Sometimes as much as 10+ birds are happily munching away at the same time. Well, there are the occasional fights and some birds retreat to wait for their turn. But it's such a joy to watch. I can see them from the little window above the sink, hiding myself behind the shutters. I lean on my elbows, not minding they get wet from the water left there. I can watch them for ages. And today I just had to take the camera and take a shot.

Enjoy!

Have a wonderful, sunfilled day

This morning I had the results of the MRI and X-rays at my visit to the
neurologist. The news was not so wonderful. Five years ago we heard that I
had 2 protruding disks, at the lower part of the spine that had grown
together. Surgery was not possible. The treatment would be 'conservative' as
they call it over here. With physio and pain relievers, rest and excercise.

When I went to the first visit to the neurologist, 6 weeks ago, he mentioned
surgery, but that it would be a remote possibility as it would be very
risky. Well, the surgery is not possible at all, he said today. I no longer
have 2 disks to worry about, but all of them are 'ill'. My kind
neurologist -he really is a kind man- told me I have discopathy (sp?) at
*all* the disks of my spine. Nothing can be done about it.
He will no send me to a revalidation specialist, who might be able to help
me with a different set of excercises to maybe help me ease a bit of the
pain. For the rest I still have to continue my physiotherapy and keep taking
my pain relief medication and the muscle relaxants.  I have to be even more
careful not to put too much strain on my back, but still have to move as
much and as wisely as I possibly can. I initially was slightly relieved
about the fact that I do not have to undergo surgery -which is of course not
a pleasant thing to have to go through. But I am a bit saddened by the fact
that there is no cure at all for my back problems, that they have grown
considerably worse over the last 5 years and that I have to live with it for
the rest of my life.

On the other hand, I *have* learned to live with my back and I am used to
the discomfort and have found a modus vivendi. So I will just have to go on
doing what I have been doing for the past years and make the best of each
day -with Wynsen's help, we both do this with lots of love and care for each
other.

My first appointment with the revalidation specialist at the hospital is on
September 8.  But we're going to our little cottage in the forest first, our 'Casa Sagrada', for
a small vacation. I'm really looking forward to that!

Thanks for listening,
Hugs,
Karin

Dear friends,

What's a web log for, I sometimes wonder when I sit here worrying and musing. I *have* one, so why not use it?
OK, so here I go: I'm a little worried.
I have had an MRI and X-rays last week and a thorough check up a month ago. I have severe back problems that cause a lot of pain and that prevent me from sitting up, standing, and walking for reasonable periods of time. So even though I try to move as much as possible, I lie down flat on my back for most of the day. Some disks in my spine have collapsed and are stuck together pinching the nerves in the process. It’s due to a car accident that I had when I was 12 where I –amongst other- broke a leg that was healed properly but remained shorter than the other leg. It has contributed to these back problems, even though I remember having had the back pain since the accident, but never paid attention to it, as my other injuries were asking attention.
I have to admit that the whole procedure, the accident, the surgeries, the loss of my grandfather (who drove the car) and my younger brother’s brain injury has had a traumatic –and over the past years a dramatic-  effect on my life and that of my family up until today. I have written about this on my website on the web page:
A Season of Sad Change.

Anyway, I lived a good life, adapted to my physical discomforts, went to school, studied, graduated, travelled abroad, and worked as if my life depended on it. Until 8 years ago it was finished. My back said: No more. I tried to keep on working and had lots of physiotherapy  and excercised every day, but that did not help. Nine months later the doctor said from one day to the other: No more moving around until we know what’s really wrong. I had to lie flat on my back from that day -to see if that would stop the agonizing pain and improve my situation.
The GP thought it was a hernia, but the MRI taken in 2000 showed it was more and different and inoperable.
But since we moved in December 2003, and since I have another physiotherapist and –of course- a different neurologist, the whole circus started again: Check ups, X-rays; the works. The objective is to see if there is anything that can be done, still, to ease the pain and to see if they can improve my mobility.
The neurologist said -when he examined me- that if surgery would be an option at all, it would be major and not without risk and we should really consider if it would be worth it.
So for the last 6 weeks I have been swaying between hope and fear.

Tomorrow is the ‘outcome’ – I will get the results and will see the neurologist.
If you read this, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers and send positive thoughts so I can go there with a clear head and as calm as I possibly can be…

Thank you all for listening!
Karin

 

A story in 12 pictures...

Last year we wer camping out with our tourcaravan on our favourite camping site in the woods in Eastern Holland. However, even though I did not want to admit it, camping proved to be too hard for me, physically. Imagine I had to use my mobile scooter to go to the public camp site's bath room. That was not so bad, but imagine having to do that in the middle of the night . The physical activity of camping out brought too much pain and discomfort. So reluctantly I had to admit that we had to look for other ways of spending our vacation. We had already looked at dozens different ways, like renting cottages, going to a hotel that had room service etc. etc. We were trying to look for a more definitive solution, now. At the camping there were several second hand mobile homes for sale. But either they were too expensive or too old. One was relatively nice but was not situated well. Our neighbour suggested that we would go and have a look at some of the manufacturers to see if we could afford a new one. We had a nice talk with the camping site owner, first, too see if he had any space available for a new caravan. He had. Just one space. That harboured a very old and tacky mobile home that had to be removed as it was over 25 years old and ready for its retirement.

Our 'spot' with the neighbour's caravan

So we had a 'go-ahead', there.
The spot that we would rent was one that had been beckoning to me ever since the first moment we were on the camping, 3 years earlier. I just had to look at it again and again -as if it was 'calling' me.
We went to several manufacturers to have a good look around and to find out what was available on the market.
We finally went for a manufacturer that was situated 10 minutes from the camping and built its own mobile homes on site. We discussed our wishes and necessities and were quite happy to be able to do so because of my parents' inheritance.
We were invited to visit the manufacturing site and took the first pictures there:

A wooden skeleton of a mobile home at the factory (not ours)

In December we received a call that our mobile home was ready. We could inspect it on site. The camping owner invited us to stay at one of the camping's rent-out caravans for the night. It was a bliss and such a joy!
On a very cold and damp winter's day we went to the factory and there it was: Our own little mobile home, ready for us to inspect. With everything ready to use in it... We went and looked and watched inspected, shivering but glowing inside...

Our own home - at the manufacturer's site, still.

 

A week after we approved our holiday home at the factory's site we arranged for its transportation to the camping. Another happy day! We drove the 1 1/2 hour in happy anticipation and were allowed to stay overnight in one of the rental caravans again. It was a lovely frosty day with some sun. We could hardly sleep that night and the next morning we got up quite early

Then, just before 9 am a knock came to our caravan's door: Our mobile home had arrived on a trailer... We took our video and our camera and went - I had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat when I first set eyes on our mobile home in its new environment.. I will let the pictures speak for themselves:

Our home at the back of the trailer- impressive, uh?

On its own wheels, waiting for the tractor to move it to its place. Can you see the windows are frosted?

 

Wynsen checking to see if the corner will not prove to be too difficult.. but it went well

 

The tractor is pushing the caravan in its place - Wynsen is walking proudly in front of it.

A slight problem here - but not too difficult ... a close call, however.

And there it was - levelled and with the hole for the gutter pipe almost dug... 

Still a lot more work needed to be done. We had a good heater inside and in January we set off to make our little hideaway spot in the woods liveable...

More ground work....

Paving a little path to our door.

The path to our new home is laid, the garden gnomes ready and waiting for us and our visitors...
The soil ready for planting when the frost is gone.

More pictures and updates can be viewed in our photo album at the right bar...

We love our little hideaway - and visit it as often as we can!

 

Dear oh dear...  
it's been such a long time since I posted an entry to this journal!
So much has happened...
I will just give a brief update...

After our cat Pimmie passed away, our remaining cats were very restless. The feline hierarchy had fallen apart, and Pluf and Pinkie (Mother and daughter) did not manage to get along... Pinkie was under constant harrassment by Pluf. Now that her hero Pim had passed on, she tried to get closer to us, her 'humans' -but Pluf would not allow her. It was so sad for Pinkie...
We could not bear to see her grieving and having no room to live in our home. We made a very difficult decision to find a new home for her... And we did. She has moved to a new home with a loving new pet-mum.  The lady has no other pets and she lives alone. Pinkie moved and it was love at first sight from both sides. Well, it took Pinkie a few hours, but then she accepted and was welcomed in a loving new home. We keep in regular touch, but all news is good news!
Thanks Geertje, for wanting to be Pinkie's new mum...

Pluf and Pixie are now the only pets we have left. Pluf has become a lot more relaxed and is licking herself less and less. She is under medication for a deformation on her spine and has become quite nervous because of the pain. She is a sensitive cat by nature -but then again, aren't they all?    
Now, with Pinkie and Pim gone, she gets all the necessary attention, sleeps better, eats better and is calmer.

We have taken her to our little hideaway in the woods in Eastern Holland. So she does not have to stay alone in our home when we go away for a day or two. Of course there is a neighbour taking care of her if we are away, but she no longer has a pet companion at home.
We took her in her travelling basket, and it seems as if she knew what was going to happen. She sat in her pet carrier on the back seat of the car, looking at the scenery and making herself comfortable on the pillow inside the basket. Pixie was lying on her own dog cushion, next to her. It was a lovely sight! Both were attached to the safety belts and the trip went very well.
Pluf had to get used to the mobile home, but immediately found some cozy places with a wonderful view.... She was wondering: what kind of funny cats we had hopping around on the grass here, with those little white tails and those funny long ears.... And even more so: Howcome they were eating grass and keeping it inside, not throwing up, afterwards?   OK, Pluf, let me tell you: they're called 'rabbits'...

Pluf had to stay inside for a couple of days and that was *not* so easy for her!
But when she was finally allowed to go outside she just loved it!

Pixie and Pluf have developed a nice new companionable relationship. And we are happy as well, now that we have our whole little family with us when we go to our little hideaway!

Not only do we enjoy our own pets, we have also adopted the birds, rabbits, squirrels and all the other 'wild' forest animals that we know are around but do not see...

Until next time!

 

 Pim, Pimmie, Pimmetje, PimmieGT ...

* June 19th 1989 - December 22, 2004

 

Born in a warm nest with a cat mommy and daddy around you for the first year in his life. Pim lived in a house with a cat lover and 11 other cats to keep him company. "Human" Arthur had a hard time parting with Pim and his brother Pelle. He had witnessed their birth and kept the whole litter including the mother and father. But 12 cats inside a 2nd floor flat was too much in the end, even for this big cat lover. Arthur chose Pelle and Pim to find a new home for. I read the ad in the local paper. The animal welfare people supported the move and would do the follow up. When I saw the ad I immediately knew that Pim and Pelle were going to be my new companions in my lonely Almere home with the lovely yard. I had just gone through a divorce and had stopped travelling internationally for my job, so the cats were very welcome! After some thorough interviews and reviews, Pim's owner decided I was OK for the job. They came to live with me on September 6, 1990. Arthur promised me that he would help me with the cats if I ever needed any.
Pim and Pelle came to live with me, but were so shocked from the move that they hid behind a loose wooden wall panel in the attic the first 3 weeks. They came out only to eat, drink and the kitty litterbox in the middle of the night. One day they ventured down the stairs and before running up again to hide from me, I caught Pim's eyes - they had a loving, caring, warm look in them. Then I knew that things would be all right between us.

Pelle was an adventurer. The moment he realized that he could venture outside he sought all his adventures outside. This to the dismay of my next door neighbour, who thought pets were only to be kept indoors and should not walk outside. And even more: Should never be in his garden. It was the beginning of an dispute that only ended when I moved away from the house a few years later. I had to find a new home for Pelle, eventually, in another neighbourhood where people were more lenient towards cats in the yard. It was sad, but better for Pelle.

Pim stayed with me and another kitty came to live with me: The granddaughter of one of my former cats. She was a quarter persian and Pim took her right into his loving care and between his large front paws. Pim was a cat with a lot of TLC all his life. He gave as much as he received. He was able to sense whenever you were down and then came to stay beside you and purr the worries away...
In the 14 years that Pim and I lived together we moved 4 times. Pim loved living with me and did not seem to mind moving homes very much. In 1995 we moved from Almere to Amsterdam, where he did not like the flat very much. So he was happy to be able to move to Wynsen's home with a small yard after 9 months, in 1996. We then moved to our larger home with a 'greener' environment, which he loved to explore. And his last year in our new home closer to Amsterdam was one where he just loved being in the yard or accompany the dog and me on our little walks. 
Pim was sad when his beloved Persian lady passed away at the age of 6. Just before she passed away, Plufje had entered our home, a 7 week old kitten, again from Almere. Again, Pim's fatherly qualities excelled and helped him live through the loss. Pim could never father his own litter as he was 'one of those cats' (neutered), but Pluf was quite fast to have her own: she was 9 months old when she had her. Three lovely little kittens and one of them was the spitting image of Pim. How could that be? That is a miracle that we will never understand. As big a miracle as Pinkie's fast and unexpected appearance into our world. We thought Pluf only had two kittens and then, all of the sudden out popped Pinkie. Pluf lovingly and proudly showed her kitties to Pim who curiously came  to peek into the delivery room from the hallway where we kept him during the birth procedures. He was quite insulted for not having been allowed to be present at the birth. He was the foster father, so he considered it his right. But after he had seen the litter he left the room like a real Godfather and went downstairs to nibble on his cat bits contently.

Pinkie, however, was Pim's new mate ever since she was old enough to see. And even more so the other way around. Pinkie had chosen Pim as her companion. They sought each other out where ever they were in the house and almost always took their naps together.
Pim loved our company, but hated it when we had guests in the house. He would then disappear outside and re-appear only after the guests had gone home. It was hard for cat-sitters to get a 'rapport' with him. But when he eventually accepted one, his love had no boundaries... He did accept Wynsen quickly, though, much to Wynsen's delight. And he is missed sorely by his 'master' as well as by me.
Pim developed bladder and kidney problems. He had his own dietary food since 1995. His kidneys started malfunctioning this last six months and he has been on a special diet and medication since last July. It has been so sad to see him weaning away... It broke my heart. Everyone says I have done the right thing to prevent further suffering by allowing him to be put to sleep. But I feel like the 'Angel of death' holding him close when the vet gave him his final shot. Even though I know I acted in his best interest. I will need a lot of time to get used to the idea that he is no longer with us and that I feel I betrayed his trust. But it comforts me to know that he will not suffer a long lasting illness that will definitely end in his death.

 Dear Pim, thanks for your soft, loving company. I hope you will be in cat heaven now with your Persian lady and with Pasha and Skippy.