I am sad to report that Sammy died last night. He was having trouble breathing in the evening, but when we checked about midnight he seemed more comfortable. This morning he was gone, I suspect heart, which is what the vet had predicted. The vet had given him about 6 weeks, and we had him for 6 more months, so that was something. Sammy used up his nine lives- he was found near an empty house in a box with other kittens, and he was the only one who survived. He broke a leg when he was a few months old and had a pin put in it. He died on the operating table getting his teeth cleaned, but they brought him back after working on him for some time. When his heart threw a clot 6 months ago the vet said that was it, but three days later he was still alive, so the vet said bring him in on Friday and we'd do what needed to be done, and on Thursday night he perked up. A couple weeks ago, Sam was struggling to breathe, but he pulled through it. This time he didn't.

...

[ Continued ]

I am sick.

Q, you've always been sick.

Yeah, but this isn't the normal handcuffs and whipped creme variety. This is the coughing, stuffy nose, and sore throat kind.

The coughing is what's rather worrying as I've never coughed this bad. I cough for such a long period of time that I have trouble simply breathing afterwards and both my chest my head hurts.

In short, it sucks.

I don't have any health insurance, so I haven't gone to the doctor, but Dagny has and she's just as sick. Her doctor gave her codeine syrup, steroids, antibiotics, and something else.

So...yeah. To review, it sucks.

much to my surprise people actually look at this dreck that I post here.
my list
Road trip list.
FOOD
cases of water
(Pack a frozen bottle of water. This will keep any perishable foods you've packed chilled for hours. )

trail mix

ice cooler

Pack a resealable bag with veggies and a resealable container with something to dip the veggies in. Celery and peanut butter or carrots and ranch dressing are two great tastes.

Power bars or breakfast bars pack well. They're not the perfect food, but if you choose bars with some fiber (at least 3 grams per bar) and protein (at least 5 grams per bar) but not too much sugar (less than 35% calories from fat) or fat, they aren't bad at all. You can find good choices among the following brands: Clif, Odwalla, Power Bar Harvest, and Luna.

for emergency's meal replacement shakes
Look for a shake with less added sugar (around 10-17 grams of sugars per 11-ounce can), and 3 or more grams of fiber, with...

[ Continued ]