happy halloween and part 2 of the drive...

oh, those poor goblins tonight!...

they are going to freeze their tails off!

we have the coldest, windiest day going on here...

and its so cloudy and gloomy...

a perfect spooky looking night coming...

but you better have your long johns on!

I'll bet there will be a lot of Eskimos trick or treating around here...

DH had the day off and we did our by-weekly grocery run to Paris...

ate lunch out and ever got ice cream on the way home...

but he went right to bed for his afternoon nap and I need to get the rest of the stuff put away and then start in on another load of laundry and picking things up...

Patches is having a wonderful day!

hope you are, too...

and make sure you are stocked up on candy...

and tp...

;0)

prairie roads...

its a partially sunny day and after a very cold start...

it has warmed up pretty good...

we had a low of 32 last night...

that's the elevator in the background...

harvest is winding down...

and soon it will be over for us here...

north of here, where DH works, is another story...

but I have new friends that I love calling to the fence...

isn't he pretty?

and he's a young one, too...

we still have some color going on...

farmer's gold...

they started a second ground pile today...

and its pretty full...

so probably a third one by close of day...

just cleaning house, cooking, laundry...

that sort of thing...

and we took time out for a drive since we ate too much lunch to move...

so back at it here...

have a great day...

;)

Queen of her condo...

reporting on Patches today...

a baby who was very, very sick...

and she took a really bad turn on Sunday night...

and I thought she might pass on me...

but, we got the antibiotics on Sunday afternoon...

but I changed the feed and went back to the slop I make for the kitties...

KMR, beef baby food and baby rice cereal...

and made it with less water than normal and it all worked...

I sat up with her 3 nights in a row...

feeding every few hours...

I got up with her at 2:30 am on Tuesday and found her eating the canned cat food...

she went through 5 cans of canned cat food yesterday...

I am about to open the 6th can here in a bit...

she is finally slowing down on eating...

she had lost 2/3 of her body mass...

but she put almost all of it back on in 24 hours...

and today, I made her the kitty condo...

and she has been playing...

bless her little heart for fighting so hard for so long...

we do know they picked this up from the vet's office...

6 went out of here, Maggie was dropped off first and the other 5 went to the next foster mom...

she took that 5 to the vet...

that 5 all had symptoms and it hasn't spread beyond them...

Maggie is fine and never got sick...

Karen and I were on the phone constantly...

(the other foster mom)

between the two of us we have 30+ years of experience...

the vet didn't supply us with antibiotics, but she had it stock piled...

and we were able to treat them before the vet could open back up on Monday...

it saved them...

and yes, sometimes we know more than the vets do about the babies...

because we are there 24/7 with them...

we don't close up shop and leave them alone over night...

the vet is waiting until later this week to do more blood work...

to find out what this is for sure...

there is still a chance that if they have something that makes them a carrier and cannot be treated completely, that the whole bunch of them will be put down...

we are hopeful that will not happen...

but we have to save the majority...

and we won't breath easy until that happens...

because our personal babies have been exposed...

they would have to be put down also...

so please keep them all in your prayers...

until this is finally resolved...

and I am looking forward to the day when I can pack up Miss Patches...

and send her north to her furever mommie...

Debbie from Lakehouse...

Debbie-

she is such a sweet girl...

and she is sleeping with me at night now!

we got our first night's sleep last night...

and her whiskers tickle!

she has this knack for getting them up my nose...

she is gaining...

and she is having fun...

she even chased Mr Wiggles this morning...

;)

Patches is finally doing better...

Patches started crashing on me Thursday night...

and she went down quick...

and so did the others from her litter...

at the other foster home...

its some kind of blood parasite that kills the red blood cells...

but, she is through the worst of it and have antibiotics arriving this afternoon...

since they helped the others so much...

and that's what I have been doing...

working with the vets to determine which parasite...

but they all come from a flea bite...

and we know how its spread...

and we are having the worst year ever with fleas in our area...

we have a hard frost or freeze coming later this week, and that will help with those...

so, all I can do is keep hand feeding her...

she is drinking water on her own...

keep her isolated and calm...

Oliver, who was at the other foster home...

didn't make it...

and the other fosterer ran him to the vet and they started an IV...

but it hits so fast and within 14 hours half of their body mass is just gone...

within 36 hours of first symptoms, he was gone...

and the vet said if we can keep them alive through the weekend...

that would be the big hurtle...

I have been staying up all night with Patches...

feeding every 3 hours...

changing her bedding when she pooped...

Hermie playing in the leaves...

I took a few minutes this afternoon to get out a little bit...

and just soak up some sun and enjoy the warm day full of color...

they picked the beans behind us this morning...

the yard doesn't need mowed this week...

we still have things blooming here and there...

and our next door neighbor won another pageant yesterday...

she is headed for state next...

Springfield, Il...

and if she wins that...

its regionals in Atlanta, Georgia!

she was out riding her bike in her tiara and black boots...

;0)

and had to come talk awhile when she saw me out...

and of course, she loved on Charlie and Mr Wiggles...

so, that's where I am...

still bottle feeding the four babies...

taking care of Patches...

purging and fall cleaning are at a halt right now...

doing laundry left and right...

(baby towels)

DH is still working the long hours and harvest is only half over north of here...

with the field going out behind us, we are close to being finished around here...

but they were in the fields a good 2 weeks before they hit them up there...

and its been a bumper crop...

trains hauling out every time you turn around and the ground piles are getting bigger...

long lines to dump at the elevators and all the fun that comes with harvest...

and those crazy japanese beetles are swarming everywhere!

I hate it when they try to fly up my nose walking through the yard!

will keep you posted...

we need prayers...

this is Jade...

a sweet little girl...

she is now very sick...

she is in the hospital and will be there for a long time...

she has Guillain Barre Syndrome...

you can click on the name to take you to the Mayo Clinic website to read up on it...

Guillain-Barre (gee-YAH-buh-RAY) syndrome is a rare disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your nerves. Weakness and tingling in your extremities are usually the first symptoms.

These sensations can quickly spread, eventually paralyzing your whole body. In its most severe form Guillain-Barre syndrome is a medical emergency. Most people with the condition must be hospitalized to receive treatment.

The exact cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome is unknown. But it is often preceded by an infectious illness such as a respiratory infection or the stomach flu.

There's no known cure for Guillain-Barre syndrome, but several treatments can ease symptoms and reduce the duration of the illness. Most people recover from Guillain-Barre syndrome, though some may experience lingering effects from it, such as weakness, numbness or fatigue.

it can take anywhere from 6 months to 3 years to treat this...

from what the Mayo Clinic says...

she is my neighbor's granddaughter...

and she is 3 years old...

I used to babysit her daddy when he was that age...

so, if you could keep in your prayers...

put her on your lists...

and remember the family...

they are pretty scared...

it would be so appreciated...

fall cruisin' in a small town...

just sit back and leave the drivin' to me...

the colors are great this year...

but they are slow comin'...

and so many are still green...

but here are the ones who are changin'...

and who says cows can't live in town?

the ground pile is growing...

we are still mowing here...

just rakin' and a mowin'...

y'all have a pretty fall day!

;0)

something spooky this way rides...

I finally got something put up for halloween...

the new clown guy...

and he's riding around the yard...

but right now he's parked by the roses...

which were still blooming...

we finally had a frost last night, but not a hard one...

will have to go out and see what got hit...

no, I haven't been out there yet today...

too much to do in here...

and Craig had to be at work at 1, so we had to hurry up and get the chores done this morning...

less than 5 hours to go for DH to get home...

he was in a pretty good mood last night and wasn't so tired...

;0)

I don't like him grumpy...

hope you are having good days...

this month is flying for me...

thinking about Christmas already...

making lists and will be getting my shopping on soon...

I really don't mind November and December...

its January, February and March that get me...

once Christmas is over, we could head right back into spring for all I care...

at least if Christmas was at the end of winter, you would have time to make so many things for presents...

and then maybe we wouldn't mind being inside so much...

and think off all the dinners and parties...

but, no one asked me when they were setting up the calender...

;0)

off to ramble somewhere else!

HO HO HO...

well, it has begun...

our first toy donation for the toy drive...

our senior living facility had a car show and the entry fee was a new toy...

we got some very nice toys...

we got a short drive in, too...

those photos are for tomorrow's post...

so stay tuned!

mums the word...

finally...

after days and days and days of cloudy...

we have a sunny day...

but we have spent almost all of it inside...

doing things like this...

and this...

been working on the living room...

the room that took the hit when we started doing the painting and sorting and moving...

and here's the answer from yesterday's question...

and no one got it right...

:)

mom got snoopy for me at Christmas that year...

1978...

he was $20 and we saw him at Fisher Big Wheel...

they had just built a store on the edge of town...

and we shopped there a lot...

it was a lot like Kmart...

but on a smaller scale...

we bought clothes and shoes there...

table clothes and napkins...

purses and fun stuff...

I think I even got my winter coat there that year...

well, off to put away a pile that ended up in here...

;0)