Patricia, when you mentioned Ireland, I saw I had forgotten to include a tour Jim and I took in 2010 with a group from his church when we went to Northern Ireland and Scotland.  Seeing the church is Presbyterian, it was natural to go to Scotland.  We stayed with members of churches in both countries for a couple of days each.  It was a nice trip all in all. 

I have been in several Canadian provinces but not all.  Jim's sister lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia and I've been there several times and I've been to Ontario next to Michigan also several times.  It's been fun when someone mentions having been in certain places to realize I have also been there.

I'm better traveled than I realize.

Mary Ann

Angel.  I did about 6 years researching my familys. (Need to get back to it this winter) It is amazing what you find out that was never mentioned as I was growing up. All families must have ghost in their closets. I had lots of them.
I also bought some land here in the US. In the town I was living in. I found it when doing the financial for a company I was working for. Taxes had not been paid and they never knew they owned it. So I paid the Taxes and got the old deed. Goodness that told everything going back to almost the start of Illinois. Who had been hung for murder. Who married and spouses  disappeared never to be heard of again. Was good reading material. Finely sold it to a friend and they built their home on it.  Surprised there wasn't bodies found when digging.

You did good Mary Ann. I did a lot also but never got to do China . A place I wanted to see ever since young. Use to read so many books about it. Not done Alaska either.
I know so many people here in town . People I worked with also that some have never even traveled in this own State. One not even been to Chicago.
Although it was that way growing up in UK. People didn't travel far. Now my friends and family over there are all over the World. Some just heading for Egypt next week. Taking kids with them.
Maybe it is because we have been single all these years and were free to go.
Did a lot with my 2 girls when they were children. Took them back to UK in summers and from there much easier to go over to Europe every time..
My youngest daughter still like going back to UK with me. Have taken her 3 sons. My Eldest just was in Ireland In April taking her Son. Showing were she went growing up.  Just to bad that the world now is getting where just not safe to travel. So many great places. But lots being destroyed daily. Be nothing left in the Middle East soon as lots of the old even going back thousands of years are all damaged.

My trip thru Canada was very short from the airport to the ship, but was made miserable by Canadians.  Swore I would never go back up there.

WJoan.  Now what did you find so different between the US and Canadian People? Where you in Montreal? Now I know in being there often that a few use French when you ask them anything. Year ago there were some that would not speak English and some that couldn't. But changed now. Thing I liked about Montreal. Have some good looking men there. More than the French men in France. When going there young from UK I always thought them to Short.

Here is what I still miss in my Home town UK. It falls on JUly 16 or the closest Saturday. Mostly just done now in my part of the North of UK. Lancashire also still in Yorkshire. Called the Rushbearing Festival. Things take longer to Change up in the North Cumbria area. Hate to see them go. We had such fun. Glad someone put the 2013 one on line. Just skip the rest. Go to the Video http://brennaaubrey.net/2013/03/19/rushbearing-festival/

This is easier. Found this years on You Tube...
Now here are the ladies from My Town doing the dance. this was this year. Sure do better then we did back when. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi2E7Ez3BDg

Hi everyone it is very early for me but woke up a little after 2 am and laid here for awhile and decided I might as well do something productive so read all my email and mornings readings I do daily.

Yesterday turned out to be a very busy one.  I made a trip down to Aldi's for some groceries needed to prepare dinner last night. At noon I attended my meeting and then rested for awhile and then got busy filling out papers for my appointment this morning. I had totally forgotten that Pat had a 3:15 appointment with the chiropractor and she had gone to sleep in her chair but woke up a little after 3:15.  I called and they said to come on to the appointment so we were not too late.  The doctor explained the X-rays and what he felt was needed to help her. She will be seeing him three times a week for several weeks and then fewer times until she gets to the point where a once a month visit to maintain what has been accomplished. It will be a bit expensive but worth every cent if she can be made to feel better and live and active life doing what she enjoys doing. When we got home I got busy on supper.  Scott was here and helped as needed. 

Today should be a little less hectic as we have some delicious beef and vegetable soup for supper tonight that I made with the remainder of the roast. I will see the Hematologist/Oncologist at 10 this morning and Pat has a five pm appointment back with the chiropractor.

MaryPage, I also would rather read a book than fish as always found it very boring.  Pat and my kids loved to fish as did my parents. I felt the same way about hunting.  I don't really care much for fish beyond Tuna and Salmon and a couple of others. 

Patricia, the two years in Alaska I never went fishing or hunting.  However, the guys from my office were avid hunters and loved to fish.  I remember one time we were given a big salmon that had been frozen but a bit of the tail wouldn't fit in the freezer. 

Joan, that sounds like it could be quite a mess at the campgrounds with all that mud. 

JeanneP, we watched all of the Midsommer Murders series on Netflix that were set in a fictional area of England and noted so many of the episodes revolved around community fairs and festivals. 

Larry,  I will be thinking about you as you visit the Oncologist/Hematologist today.  I hope you will get some answers and that a treatment plan can get set up for you.  I can understand your anxiety right now. 

Joy

Larry.
It is amazing how back in north England they still carry on things that go back hundreds of years.i miss them. Most tie into religion and centre  around churches.. Cloggers go back about 500 hundred years.

In some discussion mention was made of Fancy Feast 3-oz tins of cat food.  I had Tom get one (but he got three) for Kendrick.  I put it on a plate and put the plate on the kitchen floor.  Kendrick smelled it but he didn't eat it.  I wouldn't say he turned up his nose, but he didn't try it, either.  I have since put it in a plastic container and put it in the refrigerator.  I'll try again.  He has only had dry food and does a good job of eating that.  The flavor was salmon and sole.

It isn't quite so warm today, but still in the upper 80s.  I think we are to have two days of 90-degree temps, but after that things will probably cool off.  I've noticed most years we have a good storm after Labor Day then things cool down after that.

Mary Ann

Take half of the canned food and mix it thoroughly with some of the dry food in his bowl.  He will likely (with a cat, I never make guarantees!) try to eat the dry food, getting some of the wet in his mouth.  Then he will probably discover he likes the wet.  Maybe.  As I say, I refuse to guarantee results, but I do guarantee that this is the way to try it

MaryPage, I had thought of that and someone else suggested it so I am going to do that soon.  I usually dip out a bowl full at night which lasts him until the next night, but I'm going to change his routine today. 

Mary Ann

I know I have previously spoken about Sarah and also Farrah not eating a 6 ounce sized can and not any leftovers. Sarah would eat a three-ounce can and Farrah, perhaps if she felt hungry. She consumes one-third to one-half of a three-ounce can. She was being given a dish of dry and some treats. I have changed it up to be either dry or wet for an entire day, not both and the treats have been cut back substantially so she will eat her other food.

I would normally feed dry, but the "experts" including my vet are saying wet food. Cats always seem to suffer from periodontal disease, worse than dogs, so I felt dry was better, but who knows? She is light weight, and if you look down from above, her stomach doesn't stick out, so she is doing good.

According to cat's at WebMD, "So, how much food does your cat need? That’s a question best answered by a professional, though recommendations range between 24 to 35 calories a day per pound, to keep cats at an average, healthy weight.

Many of us don’t know what normal looks like, so “I encourage people to ask their vet to help them determine their cat's body condition score,” says Susan G. Wynn, DVM, a veterinary nutritionist in Georgia and author of Manual of Natural Veterinary Medicine. “That way they will recognize abnormal and work toward healthy.”

Here is their reasoning behind wet food.  "Cat Feeding Mistakes: Feeding Only Dry Food.

“The biggest mistake people make is feeding cats dry food,” says Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, a California veterinarian focused on feline medicine and nutrition, and creator of CatInfo.org.

As it turns out, today’s domestic tabby evolved from desert-dwelling ancestors, a heritage that no doubt left our furry felines with their grace, hunting prowess -- and low thirst drive.

“We know that a cat’s sensitivity to thirst is blunted compared to a dog,” Case says. “They don't voluntarily drink water like a dog would.” And because cats naturally produce highly concentrated urine “we're setting them up for urinary tract problems when their diet is low in liquids.”

“When cats present with urinary tract problems, the recommendation is to get them on a water-rich diet,” Pierson says. “However, why are we closing the barn door after the horse is a mile down the road? Why not practice preventive nutrition by feeding them [moisture-rich] canned food before they end up with urinary tract problems?”

Cats are designed to get their water with their food, Pierson says. Although mice, a cat's normal food, are about 70% water, and canned food about 78%, dry food is between 5%-10% water. That's why “canned food does a much better job of keeping your cat well-hydrated,” Pierson tells WebMD. “Think of canned food as hosing down your cat's bladder several times a day.”

From another site,

"An increasing number of nutrition-savvy veterinarians, including board-certified veterinary internists, are now strongly recommending the feeding of canned food instead of dry kibble.

The three key negative issues associated with dry food are:

1) water content is too low

2) carbohydrate load is too high

3) type of protein - too high in plant-based versus animal-based proteins

In addition, dry food is very heavily processed which includes being subjected to high temperatures for a long time resulting in alteration and destruction of nutrients.

Dry food is also often contaminated with bacteria, fungal mycotoxins, storage mites/cockroaches and their feces, etc."

Hi everyone.  I don't usually post twice a day but have a commitment in the morning so will have limited time. We had a brief but very heavy downpour a little after 4:30.  Fortunately, it had stopped by the time we left to get Pat to her 5 pm chiropractor appointment.

My 10 am appointment with the doctor this morning turned out to be a longer delay than the one last week.  I didn't get to see the doctor until about 12:30.  However, I really liked the doctor and it appears we won't be doing much now other than an ultrasound of the liver and some additional blood tests, which can be done in his office on the day I will see him again in a month.  I stopped and had a chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A and then went to Walmart to pick up prescriptions that Pat needed.  When I got home I was more than ready to rest and was able to get a brief nap. 

Joy, I got the results from the doctor's visit I hoped for.  He agrees that it is likely my heart disease will take me before the cancer will become a problem we are going to basically monitor.

Larry,  glad that you were satisfied with your doctor's visit.   Liking your doctor is half the battle.   Sounds like he will keep on top of things.  Meanwhile, stay positive. 

Joy 

MaryAnn, I feed Taffy dry food in the AM, and later in the day I put hal eoz' can of wet.  She will only must be gravey, no other. You also can get soft dry food, in those small treat bags.  My vet also said she should have wet,  Becuase of hair balls, the last time she had hair balls it nealy cost me $4oo.  I also comb her every night, she like that.

Larry, sorry it took you so long to get in to see the doctor, but I am glad he took the time and you liked him.

Hi Patricia

Patricia, thank you for all of the information about feeding cats.  I have tried three times to feed the wet food to Kendrick, twice mixed with dry food, once with wet only.  He sniffs at it and walks away.  Tomorrow I think I'll take away his dry food and put the mix in its place.  The mix is now in the refrigerator.  I kind of agree about cats drinking water.  Although I see Kendrick drinking water, I think he doesn't drink a lot during the day.  I change his water every night when I add food to his bowl.  Kendrick is a long cat but I don't feel he's oversized.  I don't pick him up but Annie does. 

As Kendrick is Annie's cat, I let her take care of doctor's visits etc so the next time I'll have her ask the vet what he thinks.

Mary Ann

Sarah was all hair but very little body and was often mistaken for being fat. If you wet or smoothed down all that soft hair, you saw this tiny, small body appear.

Farrah is the opposite with short hair, but it is still soft as Sarah's was.  They are the same about the food, however, preferring dry. Gloria, Farrah would lick up all the gravy and leave the bits of meat. She doesn't like any of the fish flavors, enjoys the liver ones which are hard to find. She doesn't like any of the foods where they have mixed in vegetables.

I think I'll phase out the dry food as the idea of those contaminants is not something I want in the house or her litter box. I will just have to figure out a way to not waste the food she doesn't eat. She doesn't care for it out of the refrigerator or heated slightly after the fridge. However, you are told it must be refrigerated after opening the cans. The pouches here are more expensive and also required refrigeration after opening.

I had some paperwork issues and medical meetings this morning and needed to get busy on finding various doctors and dentists. I'm procrastinating which isn't good.

While at their office, I read an article about the University of Tennessee being accused of being a haven for hate crimes in their student organizations and open talk about Hitler being some hero. I am also in the process of reading about the actual children of the Holocaust and Eli Wiesel's "Night," about his experiences.

Then hearing about the students in the Universities student associations, glorifying the Nazis makes me glad I am old. I do not understand the people of today and the rabid underbelly of society that Trump and others represent.

For those wanting to see real fishermen at work. The gulls are their for scraps.

http://explore.org/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls

Angel, I didn't know that Trump was a Hitler lover and a hater. 

Hal, you evidently haven't listened to his speeches or heard what he has said to and about people and no I am not going to get into a political discussion here over him or anyone.

Angel, you started it........    

Angel. Having grown up during the War years in UK. Watching all the Film Reals and hearing the talks from the Nazi Party . When I watch Trump I can picture him wearing that same Uniform and speaking. He is like someone Reincarnated. Even his facial and looks. I could see him as being a top leader in that party back then. Wants the same things. Got by the same ways.

The cat won as far as wet food and dry food is concerned.  Tom and I were gone over an hour and I left the mixture in his dish and when we returned, he had not touched it.  I threw it away and I will wait until I try again.  I put dry food in his dish and he ate some immediately. 

Our family lunch turned out to be Tom, Terry and me.  Dot had a book club today and Jan had paperwork to take care of.  When Jan doesn't come, neither do her folks.  The locale was changed to a restaurant near here and it is much quieter there than a lot of places we've eaten.

Our temperature is around 90 degrees and my a/c is on.

Mary Ann

Thank you Jeanne!

MaryAnn, I have shifted to offering wet one day and dry the next. I do not change the food until the end of the day but there is no new food given until the next morning. I have the same problem as you. Farrah likes dry but medically she should have wet.

Regarding cats eating wet cat food.   

I gave my cat  some dry cat food daily.   
And he would eat it down.   The wet
food had to be fresh out of the can,  so
sometimes I had to throw it away and open him a fresh on.

Now..  I must have gone through 20-30 different brands/cans of wet cat food.

Eventually I found one of those that
the cat liked,  so I bought just that
one type from then on.     

It took  a lot of trial and error before finding out which food the cat would eat.   
     
It took patience and money.   I never took the dry food away... I left water all over the house.  But usually the cat would jump up in the sink when I was  in the bathroom,  and I would let the water dribble and the cat would relish it.

So he got plenty of water and plenty of food,   and a small 1/2 can of wet every day.      He always wanted the wet "fresh" and didn't like it coming out of the refrigerator... 

This took weeks until he trained me and I felt that his diet was well balanced,  and he was never hungry.   (or thirsty) ..

Unlike dogs who will usually eat anything,  I have found cats to be very persnickety ...   

But the trial and error method finally worked out. (very slowly).
Until I was trained to know what kitty
liked,  without having to withhold food.

Learning to live with a cat taught me
patience and a wee bit of understanding
that they can not/will not be forced into
feeding food, unless they like it.
(And they may never like it)

Have fun!
Sandy

I have got to get out of this habit of taking a nap. Just started because of the hot weather. Can't go out in it.  I have never taken naps before but seem like I go by the bedroom about 1pm and bed just calls me. Take about a hour, no more or no less.
Need to go out to the store soon. Just across the road. Then will wait until about 6pm and go out for awhile.
Not had any rain for about 6 days or more. They are saying Friday. But then 94 deg after. That is the day I am suppose to be running around with the GGC. Then they head back East on Saturday.  Wish was a good childrens movie starting Friday. No in the mood for hot Zoos or such.

The wet food I offered the cat was a 3-oz size of Fancy Feast in salmon and sole mix.  It was fresh out of the can, almost fresh out of the store.  I have two more cans of a chicken variety.  I'll offer him one of them in a week.  I know if I left the wet out along with the dry, he would still ignore the wet.  If he doesn't eat the chicken varieties, I'll forget about it.  He's done very well for three  years.  When/if it is necessary for him to see a vet, Annie will take him and I'll have her ask about it.  He's a good cat and I'm not going to fight him over food.

Mary Ann