Sometimes Ridiculous Measures Are Needed

Lately,  have been making lots of new things for my Etsy shop. I don't know if it's the change of season or not, but I've been hit with a serious craft bug (but not with the Christmas craft bug quite yet), and I've been busy in Batman's little workshop modge-podging and stamping away!

But now that all these goodies are completed, do you think Mother Nature is being cooperative? NO! Of course not! So in my attempts to compete with her cloudy and very rainy skies today, I have come up with a very ridiculous set-up so that I can take photos.

Ta dah!! I present to you, cat stand photo gallery (complete with front door, empty computer box and confused cat who wants to play).

To see the newly listed item (pictured above), check this link out:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112139665/sale-hardcover-sketch-book-butterfly

Sticky Pants

Sketch - about halfway done

This afternoon I went for a little stroll down the road to one of the 'beach' accesses. In this neighborhood, the shoreline is quite rugged and rocky so there are lots of little docks floating on the water with boats beside them. There is also lots of vegetation on the sides; ivy, shrubs, coniferous and deciduous trees, etc.

I did a quick little sketch of the shoreline while I was there. It's not anything spectacular, just something to get the creative juices going again. It's a very relaxing activity.

Anyhow, while I was listening to my music and sketching, I managed to sit in some very sticky pine sap. Arrrgh! So sticky! And I had been doing laundry earlier, so I was wearing black dress pants. Double arrgh!

I've never had to try to get pine sap out of good clothing before but after some quick Googling, I tried rubbing alcohol and a microfiber cloth. It seems to have done the trick! Yay for Google! What was my life like before Google? (Oh wait I remember, World Book Encyclopedia...1989 version)

Apple & Blackberry Chutney

This chutney goes well with goat's cheese and crackers.... just sayin'

Well, it's officially autumn which means I have an abundance of summer fruits in my freezer and at my doorstep (literally, the apples are falling off of the tree on to my doorstep). I only have a tiny fridge freezer so in order to start making some room, I have been trying the old art of canning - for the first time might I add.

My first experiment has been  with some chutney. Because it is quite acidic, there is less of a chance of things going wrong (rancid). Obviously, the recipe I chose would need to use apples, so I chose a recipe from BBC Good Food and tweaked it to my own liking. I love that website!

Apple & Blackberry Chutney
(makes approximately 5 x 500ml jars)

8 cups apples (peeled and chopped)
1 very large red onion (450g) (sliced)
1 thumb sized piece fresh root ginger (peeled and finely grated)
    -for a little more kick, add more ginger
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup white wine vinegar

3 cups blackberries


-put everything except the blackberries into a large stock pot
-bring to a boil (uncovered) and then let the mixture simmer for about an hour until there is no watery liquid left
- add berries and cook further until berries have softened but not burst and no watery liquid is left.
-spoon into jars (leave some space at the top) and wipe the rims
-seal until finger tight
-boil in water (make sure water is at least and inch above the tops) for 5-20 minutes depending on your altitude (not attitude)

Citizenship Continued

I finally have all the needed documents to apply for my Dutch Citizenship. I know that first I have to e-mail the assessment to the Dutch Embassy in Washington, DC first. I was about to do this when I caught the notes at the end of the assessment form saying that it had to be accompanied by supporting documents. I need to email my birth certificate, my parents marriage certificate, proof of my mom's nationality at my birth and proof of my dad's nationality at my birth.

I was so excited to finally send off my assessment form but this is just another stop in the road that I have to contend with. I'm off to find a scanner that will scan to PDF.

'Van' the Netherlands

In Dutch, the word 'van' means from. It's quite common to see it as a prefix in Dutch last names: or 'van der' meaning 'from the' is also common.

My family heritage is Dutch but up until October 2010, I couldn't apply for dual citizenship. Despite my father's Dutch heritage, the fact that he became a Canadian citizen at age 22 and was not a Dutch citizen when I was born (even though my mother was a Dutch citizen at that time), meant that I could not apply for citizenship. Citizenship was through the paternal line and not the maternal.

There was a push in Holland that this sexist rule be changed and in October 2010 there was success. People like myself can now apply for citizenship through their mother's heritage under the special title of 'Latent Dutch' ('Latente Nederlanders'.

This process has not been simple and I just at the beginning of it still. I'm hoping that my blog posts might be able to help other people who might be wanting to apply as Latent Dutch also.

Walking Around Cast Free

Batman got his casts off about a week ago and he's doing great! The first few days were a bit rough though. He was in a lot of pain. He meowed alot and also hissed and growled and took it out on Fatty (Robin) a bit too. The vet didn't want to send home any pain medication because she didn't want him to do something stupid because of it. Better for him to feel pain and be careful.

It was quite obvious that he needed to strengthen his legs again. The joints looked very "rounded". He has been managing to strengthen his legs on his own quite well by playing with his toys & Fatty and jumping and trying to scratch on his cat stand (gripping and scratching things seems to be the most dificult for him). He has also been stretching his front feet alot- I'm sure they bother him. The bones were not perfectly aligned when they healed, but on the whole, he is doing awesome. He was even the Pet of the Month at our vet office!

Utterly Beautiful

I finally have a spare minute to blog! Fortunately the craziness of my life has simmered down. The busyness hasn't quite yet though. I have 3 more 6-day work weeks and then I get to have a vacation! Yay!

Good thing I like my jobs! I found this beautiful yellow rose at work today. I only have a few planters at my place so it's nice to be able to work with all of these other beautiful plants. Too bad I can't include how wonderful this rose smelled!

Venturing Back to Painting

My boss at the art studio challenged me to paint something. We had this big (3'x3') painting on the wall of a butterfly. It wasn't a very good looking painting- I should have taken a before picture. The butterfly was yellow on a blue background and the whole thing had been outlined in thick black. Ugly.

So the challenge given to me was to paint something on to this canvas that is Robert Bateman inspired (our studio will be offering a Robert Bateman kids
Summer camp). This is what I came up with.

My life has been so crazy lately that I haven't even had a chance to paint anything - probably for about 3 months now! It's been nice to get back into it again.

Take two- Returning to the Vet

I just left Batman at the vet. I feel quite guilty. Poor little guy; everytime he goes there he gets knocked out. Today they're knocking him out again to do a tooth extraction and possibly shave his upper left canine so that it's not digging into his gums so much. They also wante to do more X-rays on his legs but I said no.

NO MORE X-RAYS ON HIS LEGS DANGIT!!

The casts are due to come off this week anyways so at this point his legs will be what they are and if they've healed crooked, I am sure he will be fine. For the last 4 weeks he's been hopping around just fine on Popsicle sticks so there's no reason why his own two front legs wouldn't be just as good. He's an indoor cat too. Eating his kibble and playing with his buddy are his top priorities.

So I leave you know with one last photo of Batman's doctored up smile (which they will hopefully remove today when they do the tooth extraction).

This is how Batman feels about going to the vet.

Smile for me Batman!!

So we went to the vet today for Batman's tooth-pulling appointment.

The results of the appointment? More X-rays on his legs and he still has his tooth. We now have ANOTHER appointment to get the tooth pulled. The tooth is still giving structure to his jaw as it heals. His legs are healing pretty well- the splint in one cast had twisted a bit so that one had to be replaced. Now he has a ridiculous looking bandage with Popsicle sticks taped to the outside.

Here's a creepy photo of him smiling his toothy grin (really its the bonding on his teeth). It shouldn't look the same after his next appointment.

Apart from his hatred of going to the vet, he is doing really well!

Returning to the Vet

Tomorrow morning, Batman and I will be heading to the vet again. It's a good thing he can't read!

Batman is due for a tooth extraction; the lower left canine and possibly the teeth on either side of that canine.

When Batman fell, his canine tooth was shoved down into his jawbone so that the bottom of his tooth nearly came out the bottom of his jaw. The break in the jawbone was also directly behind this tooth. Now that the jaw has healed, the tooth needs to be removed so that it won't abscess and cause him painful problems later.

He has been recovering very well. He can now go coneless when I am home. (He occasionally gets his teeth caught in the bandaging on his legs) I think the vet will be changing his bandages tomorrow too. Hopefully he won't have to wear them for too much longer!

Quite Itchy!!

Sorry folks, even instagram can't make this photo look good. It's a picture of my elbow covered in these weird mosquito-like bites that I've gotten over the last few days. I just woke up with them one morning!

At first I thought it was a spider because the bites on my tummy had two holes in them (really it was just 2 bites very close together). I had a total of about 6 that day. The next day I woke up with more, and then that evening, while I was reading in bed I started to get more! I now have 18 bites all over my legs, toes, arms and some on my hip and tummy.

Yesterday, I washed EVERYTHING in hot water (I probably shrunk a lot of things) and that seems to have done the trick. No fresh bites today, but I'm keeping an eye on things.

I still have no idea what it was though. The last time I was at a hotel was over a month ago and I've also moved house in between (to a brand new apt). If it was bedbugs, surely I would have been getting bitten earlier?

Fleas? My cats are indoors only and we were at the vet over a week ago. A rogue flea should have bitten me sooner I think? And wouldn't the cats be itchy too? I guess it could be a rogue flea caught off of one of the visiting dogs at work?

Maybe dust mite bites? Some people believe in this, others don't. Dust mites eat dead cells and the outer layer of our skin is made from dead cells. I guess it's possible :S

Ooooooh..... Scaredy Cat

I am posting this video of Batman and his buddy Robin (who we have endearingly nicknamed Fatty). I honestly did not name these cats, they came with these names!

Robin is a giant Maine Coon and he's the biggest wuss on the planet. Seriously, he's big enough to open a good can of whoop ass in the neighborhood, but instead, he's scared of EVERYTHING (and also lazy).

That being said, it's no surprise that he's scared of Batman's cone. The other day, Batman was hanging out in the doorway to my room. Robin got scared of something and bolted to my room but screeched to a stop when he was faced with THE CONE. I could see him panicking and trying to come to a solution to his dilemma. Surely, he couldn't just run past the cone. Nope. He decided to LEAP over the cone to safety on the other side. It was hilarious.

This cute video has Batman and Robin playing with their favourite toy but at a certain point, Batman's enthusiasm for the toy scares Robin away.

Pissed Off

Pissed off. That is what Batman is today.

I have been leaving him overnight in the bathroom to recover. It's easier to clean up any accidents that way, an he's been doing well in there - eating well, using his kitty litter- up until today!

This morning I went into the bathroom to find poop and kitty litter everywhere! He'd managed to get it on the wall, floor, his bed, himself, etc., so I spent 30 min cleaning that and him up (he was not so happy about having his feet bathed!).

After that's all done, I give the little guy his breakfast and hop into the shower. While I'm in the shower, I hear this loud meowing and scuffing (scratching with bandages on). Batman is finished breakfast and wants to get out of the bathroom NOW. More meowing and then quiet. I peek out from behind he shower curtain and he's looking straight at me and pooping on the shower mat!
I swear that there was even an evil grin on his face!

Before the failed skydiving, Batman was a very clean and happy cat. He was very dog-like. I hope that this new behavior doesn't turn into a habit!

Tonight I will be finding him a new place to sleep.

Ongoing Saga

So today was Batman's check appointment at the vet today. All looked good until Dr Sue caught sight of his left front paw. She asked if the bump was new and I told her that it had been there the whole time (which is true). Turns out it was broken and dislocated as well.

Poor little guy, the original X-ray angles didn't show the break and because he was referred to Dr Sue for his jaw, she had assumed that all the foot stuff was taken care of already.

So instead of a happy thumbs up kind of check up, Batman had to be put under and have his paw reset and put into a split. He now has 2 splints and a cone. He's quite the sight!

Nom Nom Nom

More Hours Needed

The days are going by so fast and I feel like I can barely keep up. Its crazy how much time taking care of an injured pet can take.

Batman is certainly on the mend. He was feeling a little bit playful today so I gave him a pot of cat grass to bat at. I can't give him any toys because he might try to use his teeth on them. He was pretty cute with the grass and his little bandage!

Lovely British Smile

We had a vet appointment first thing this morning just to check out the bonding in Batman's mouth. Things seem to have stayed put so now we can thankfully start the recovery process! Hurray!

I was able to get extra doses of the 'good stuff' for him as well as tablet antibiotics. Up until now, we had liquid form to squirt in his mouth which was just silly. He fought it and half of it would run out of his mouth anyways. Yuck! What a mess!

So today, I'm including a photo of the little man's new British smile (he also looks a bit stoned in the photo!). Dr Sue did a great job!

Keeping the Faith

Today was rather hectic but we have progress with Batman.

First thing this morning I made a
sneaky phone call to another vet clinic; the one with the jaw specialist. I hadn't heard from my other vet and my poor kitty had been suffering with his mangled jaw for more than 24hrs.

I was able to bring him in in the morning. They were going to keep him there overnight, take X-rays, and do surgery the next day. I had to run off to work and near the end of the day, Dr Sue surprised me with a call that she had done the procedure and I could come and pick him up.

He was obviously feeling better; rolling around and wanting to clean his paws. I'm glad he's happy but his heightened activity level has made me put his cone on again ( we hoped to avoid putting any kind of pressure on his jaw ).

Fingers crossed, he will be less mobile through the night. It is at this point that I'm having to trust God that nothing in his face shifts over. Dr Sue was only able to bond one side of the jaw so it's still super fragile.

I have been overwhelmed by the kindness that has been shown to me and Batman. I've had donations from all over the globe and lots of people have helped me in getting the word out there in the interwebs. It's been amazing!

Joni is Frustrated

So the vet from emerg sent photos to my vet today and my vet was supposed to call me concerning our next course of treatment for our little super hero. I called twice but he never called. I know he's busy but even if he could have just had the receptionist call me that would have been awesome. When I first called, the receptionist guessed that he was going to call a specialist in from Vancouver but other than that... Nothing. Very frustrating.

Some folks have been asking about costs. So far, I've already put in about $1000 for 3 X-rays, anaesthetic, medication, and 2 exams. The ballpark figure given to me in emergency on Saturday night was $2000 for jaw/ tooth surgery.

I can tell that Batman has been in more pain but he's taking it all in stride really. He might even be less stressed than me!

Tonight he was a hungry little guy. I have to scoop soft food with my hand up to his face. It's kind of like feeding a baby bird!