Sunset Morman Road

Tillmann Concert

It was a fabulous evening of music with the Hamilton Fairfield Symphony Orchestra. In the photographs you  see maestro Paul Stanbery, Music Director. I was sitting behind a black sound pole but I just worked around it.

Mentioned were three young people  (Sorry I didn't get the names!) who are benefiting from sponsorships from the symphony.

Michael Preacely baritone,  is from Chicago and has appeared in many operas.  He made a grand entrance from the back of the room singing "Largo al Factotum" an aria from The Barber of Seville. Great voice!

Jade Kurlas, cellist, is a senior at the School for Creative and Performing Arts. She's also the winner of the David and Marge Belew Young Artist Competition winner.  She did a great job.

For more information, check out the symphony site http://hfso.org/

**Click on any photo to see it enlarged**

Squirrel Standing

Are you going to feed us now?

I feed and water the birds and critters everyday, year round!

2 Photos Praying Mantis

Praying mantis outside our door. Two views. I rarely see these things but they always creep me out a little bit !

POTD

If nothing else, I need to post a Picture of the Day.  Here is Stewart wanting to be taller than we mere humans!

Bonus pic, Oscar doing his Superman pose.

Julian's Deli After Dark Music

After 17 years I finally got to see my old 20 Mile House musician friend again!  It was a cold evening but Julian's looked festive with  fall decor abounding. Most of the crowd was around the fire pit enjoying drinks and conversation, along with the music. Steve and daughter Suzanna provided the tunes from the middle of the patio.

Alice singing harmony with daughter.

Since I was sitting close to the musicians and the patio heater was on the violinist, I was too cold to get a beer or even a soft drink and I'd eaten dinner at home. The owner and waiters were nice and nobody bugged me about ordering something, which was kind and generous.  But, fear not.  Later, I was in the mood for a chocolate chip cookie and by golly, they sell those. Made by local Loveland bakery "The Dessert Fairy." I know many cookie lovers, thus would be remiss in not mentioning this info.

Julian's has a nice covered patio area and they are working on adding more ceiling coverage to make it more cold weather friendly.  Under this area is a big TV for watching football games or other sports. 

If I lived closer, I would hang out at Julian's more often. Nice vibe, nice folks and under the trees in the city. Oh and right on the Bike Trail.

**Click on any photo to see it enlarged. Some w/o flash may look grainy as I put the ISO on 1600. I try to avoid flash when possible, but it's tough when no dedicated light is on a band ,which can happen with outdoor gigs.**

Giving Subcutaneous Fluids to Cat

Some of us have no human kids and think of our cats as 'real kids'. Ours are interactive and dog like, aside from the fact all but one hides from company! Some folks seem to own pets as an after thought and think of cats as dust mops with an attitude. I think it is all in how the cats are raised and treated.  Thus our cats are very sweet and interactive.

Smudge was diagnosed with multiple myeloma several months ago when blood tests showed very high globulin levels.  It does a plethora of  bad things to cats, even causing random intermittent blindness which is sad to witness when it spontaneously hits. When this happens, her pupils dilate and she bumps into things but adapts, then it gets better.  Multiple myeloma is in the bone marrow and without expensive stressful tests, we have no idea how it is spreading.  It is affecting her kidneys for sure, in her eyes--thus the random blood pooling to cause blindness or fuzzy vision, then improves, and she is anemic ,showing that is is intensifying.

One thing you can do to greatly add quality to a cat's life is to give SubQs (short for subcutaneous fluids, subcutaneous meaning right below the skin, not in a vein!) every 3 days or as things progress, every day.  I now do fluids everyday. Many cats that have CRF (Chronic renal failure) are given SubQ fluids for years to control those issues.  It can start off stressful but after awhile the cats seem to get that this helps them. It's all in the owners attitude, too, to make this a bonding experience.

Wash the sink first, then put bag and tubes in there and keep adding warm water to keep temp at 100 degrees. For a full bag it takes 30 minutes to warm, then a half bag maybe 15-20 minutes.

Here, the bag is on cabinet door open or I keep it closed so I can read the numbers.

I stop the fluids from the bag. Then administer the B12 through the extra port,  turn the roller back on to continue the Lactate ringer. If cat is antsy, you might need another person to help but they must be calm. I've graduated to doing it all alone, thank goodness.

Smudge was never a fan of mine and is a real Daddy's girl. She was dropped off outside my apartment hallway door 15 yrs ago and I talked a neighbor, and now great friend, Christopher into adopting her. She has learned to trust me for this but is still a Daddy's girl.

When we first gave fluids, we tagged teamed her to hunt her down and put her on a bare kitchen table to give the Lactate Ringer.  She was not thrilled. One day, while he was gone for lunch, I put her in a clothes basket with a pillow and T-shirt that I'd heated in the dryer, for 5 minutes.  I also always warm up the IV Bag of fluids.  The vets do not do this---they don't have time I guess-- but it makes the cat more comfortable and Smudge even purrs during the process. So always warm the fluids. **NEVER WARM in a microwave! You can use a hot water bag or heating pad but that takes longer to warm things.

Smudge now hangs out in the basket, meowing when she wants food, to be brushed, hand watered, or cat treats! She has always been a Diva and still is. Remember, she loves hand watering!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgnLRfewFUc&feature=youtu.be She will run to the loveseat (which means brush me NOW!) or to a gold chair which means "feed me treats NOW."

Cats body temperature is around 101, so I warm the fluids in the sink with a thermometer for 30 minutes, if the bag is new or nearly full. As it gets lower in fluids ,you can sometimes get buy with 15 minutes of warming.  REMEMBER to add hot water as the time goes by. I use a candy thermometer since I can't make candy or you can just add hot water  to the skin to keep the bag warm. Check some fluid on your wrist before you give the fluids to the cat.  It should feel comfortably warm but not hot. Also, let it run for about 10 seconds so you get the skinny tube line empty and can FEEL the warmth of the main IV bag on your wrist. Sometimes the fluids start warm then cool off. Warm the bag longer if possible.

There are many blogs/videos more detailed than this one on administering SubQ fluids to a cat , but I am just sharing my experience.  You have to make it relaxing for the cat and be relaxed yourself but trust me, the first few times you stick a cat is scary!! The veterinarian's office will show you how to do this the first time, or you can pay them a lot of money to do it for you if you are really too scared. You pinch up a scruff of the skin before poking. There are many photos and videos of this if you are needing to do this. Take a walk first or burn some incense or have a glass of wine to calm your nerves before doing this. And have good light and your glasses on to see.

The needles the vet gives you are harpoons, 18 gauge Monoject. I ordered online a box of 100 Terumo 20 gauged needles, UTW (Ultra Thin Walled) with a sharper point. The higher the number the smaller the needle. 20 gauge UTW works without adding much to flow time.  It takes about 5 minutes to get 150 ml if the drip is fast.  Depending on where the needle is, it may flow faster.  Keep an eye on the bag or mark it  with a felt marker where you need to stop. If you have a cat that refuses to stay still, you may have to choose larger needle to get fluids in faster,  but I didn't notice much diff in 20 gauge or the 18 from the vet's office but your mileage may vary.

* Order here, as they have great customer service. Needles are about $6.00  for box of a 100 and shipping about $5.00. Worth it for your cat baby!http://www.thrivingpets.com/index.php/terumo-needles-box-of-100.html     Also read the reviews.

**Practice using needles on a lime or orange to get use to the feel. There will be slight resistance on the skin then it's super easy to put the needle in too far.  Thus with 100 needles, you have plenty to practice with. I found a piece of cut lime gave me a more realistic way than to practice on huge orange. But practice, practice, practice, ok?

 If you need to restick the cat, use a second needle.   The first few times, if the cat is fighting, you can just restick with the same needle due to time/anxious cat purposes, but it will dull the needle but you have to be practical.   Sometimes the fluids leak on the cat because the needle pokes through the skin and it's difficult to see in the fur until you see water running down the cat.  Try to just pull the needle backwards a tiny bit to fix this,  but sometimes you need to start over. I keep extra needles nearby and also change the needle right after you are finished so it's ready to go the next time.  This keeps any bacteria from working it's way into the tube line. We re-use the same tubing with 3 bags of the Lactated Ringer. A bag is $15. The complete tube set is $37.00!  We give between 100 to 150ml each day. Oh, and it goes without saying to wash your hands before starting any of this!

Lactated Ringer helps greatly with dehydration and constipation issues. The latter can be very serious with a cat so keep an eye on the litter box! Smudge got lethargic, stopped eating, stopped grooming and we thought we were doing to lose her. It was a constipation issue easily discoverd by our great vet (Dr.  Steven Sawdai)  on a physical exam.  He gave her a small syrine enema and it helped. Cats may vomit once or twice after an enema and this is normal.) SubQs can also help the heart and kidneys to work better, help with energy and appetite which is wonderful. I give a 1/2 cc of B12 once a week to help with energy/appetite and anemia issues Smudge has from the multiple myeloma.

We should get a video of this and may do so and add to this post. By the way, I have on tank top, turtleneck and huge, bulky sweatshirt because our house is 67.

**If doing this SubQ administering alone, put the cat in a small room on a folded towel or blanke like a bath room or walk in closet. That way the cat can't run from you too far.

You also MUST have the IV Bag hanging at least 3 feet higher than the cat. This works with gravity and so the higher the bag, the faster the flow.  A kitchen cabinet is good or a shower rod or a coat rack.

EDITED Update on Crash. Great Miami Riverdays Hamilton Drag Racing Boats

Miami Riverfest Days in Hamilton

(waiting at ramp to be called down river to race. Click on any photo to enlarge it.
See crash update at end of post.)

 This church steeple is lit up at night and I could see it from my bedroom window in my apartment for nine years when I lived across from the Great Miami River.

I've never been up close to drag racing boats. I took a few photos and the hydroplane was cool,too.
I've also become one of those photographers who "special effects the hell heck out of pictures!" Gasp! I hate those types, but sometimes, it works. And for this, I posted both normal and effects stuff, and will make a slide show later. I'm going back tomorrow if the weather is cool and I am up for it.

It's a long time between races because there is only one boat ramp, and they play music from loud speakers but still...great to be near water and it's gorgeous weather. Plenty of time to smoke a cigar...or have a drink if a bar was nearby. Ha!

Boat with Safety Capsule.

 Above inside the cockpit. Looks like insulation sprayed on walls. Hope it's fire proof.

This is the engine, directly behind the driver's head.  Wow.

Guys on way to starting line above and below.

Starting line up rope

Boat below...this is 161 mph !

Above also has safety capsule

 Waiting their turns to load up in the long line at the ramp. Holding on to line to keep them in place. Only one ramp in which to enter and exit which slowed things considerably.

Hydroplane took off and did a touch and go for the crowds.

 Waiting in line  to get to another parking lot, to leave after a day or racing.  Columbia Bowling lanes lent their parking lot to the out of town racers and their boats and RVs. Gorgeous weather.

Announcer said this boat got up to 171 mph. Crazy fast.  Drag boat racing  I've never seen, but it was a fun day.  Lots of waiting in between with only one ramp, which was a drag, but it was a good day to just sit and enjoy the weather. 

I  saw miniature butterflies galore and some were white. Hope to get more photos if I go back tomorrow.

I do believe this brown butterfly is a "Skipper" of which there are many varieties. Hard to capture with open wings. Kept wings closed so I had to be patient to catch them open.

Don't know what this cute little butterfly is called but they all fluttered around me making me feel welcome!

Then the biker's came out to salute the Veteran's of September 11th and all before and since then.  This is the group that protects funerals and loved ones from crazy people who "picket" funerals of soldiers. Must have been 100 bikes in all.

Then the next day as I was leaving, a bunch of bike's drove right next to me as I walked to my car. I could've high -fived somebody had I been more daring!

Old church on a hill over looking the river. They have shrubs in the shape of a cross but hard to capture with my zoom camera.  I parked in their lot. Small church in suburbs.

http://www.greatmiamiriverdays.org/
Here is a link for the schedule. I went on the western side of the riverbank, so was not near the amusement park crowds and I found a free place to park. It was great not being around the dense crowds. 

EDITED: Saturday night at about 7:30pm, Jeff Miller's boat crashed and he was taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. I am reading he has concussion and had surgery for a compound fracture on his leg, and a pin put in. I am putting the youtube link here of the accident since I  now know he is going to be ok. I wish all boats had the Safety Capsules to enclose the racers. Saved Jeff's life, according to the newspaper. 

My thoughts and prayers to Jeff for a complete recovery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtYnOdEVxvE