carolyn

My cat came home yesterday, with no improvement on the iv fluids on the final day. The vet said it will be good for her to have a day or two at home. HUH?!?!?! He said would do a house call to put her asleep and that he would be available friday or saturday! I understand if she is not responding to iv fluids that she has gotten as well as she can and she is very close to the end. I just have a hard time believing that today or tomorrow is the day she will be ready to go. This quality of life thing is really nagging at me. As well as the making sure my thoughts around it are best for HER and not ME. She slept most of yesterday with me, once we got home. When I had to leave, she hung out with my roommate. She hasnt eaten much, but showed some interest this morning for sure (and even in the middle of the night). She wants to hang out where ever I am. She is still enjoying laying on my bed watching the birds out the window. She has never enjoyed being petted as much as she is right now. Ive even watched her give herself full 'baths' a couple times in the past 24hrs. though she is not her 'typical' self and obviously not feeling great, I cant believe her quality is so piss poor that I should end her life right now....maybe tomorrow or later today will be different...maybe Monday...maybe a week or two from now. This sucks! I am glad I spent all the time with her that I did at the vet. And I will spend every moment I can with her until the end. And yes, Decristo - we are talking about a CAT. This little one has hung with me through thick and thin for almost half my life. I also believe that compassion toward any living thing is extremely important both for the giver and receiver. Sometimes I wish I could just see her as being disposable. Sure would make this easier. Just not my style, though. Thanks again everyone for the positive thoughts and reminding me that lots of people go through the same thing.

well,we have backtracked. I must be crazy for agreeing to this, but we are going to do 48hrs of IV fluids at the kitty hospital. If this doesnt help or if she goes backwards once at home again,then I will have to do what I dont want to do. Latte and I are just gonna hang out together for the rest of the day. She's sitting in her little bed next to me on the floor. Thankfully I can get wireless in here. Thanks for the positive thoughts - please keep 'em coming!

Well I took my cat home this evening. Her blood tests, though not at a normal level, made a drastic improvement overnight. Her eyes look much brighter, and she has eaten a couple tsp of babyfood, a tsp of cottage cheese, and sat at her foodbowl at home for almost 5min once we got there. I dont think she made a huge dent in it, but its a start. She did play a bit with a string and paced up and down the hall at home. Mostly, she is just laying around. I have to give her iv fluids at home tomorrow. This is gonna suck sticking a needle in her. Yick! I suppose the alternative of leaving her until monday morning might have been worse. Poor thing, has this huge lump on her side where the water sits as it slowly goes through her body. Its gone from her leg, to her side, and is now working its way toward her back. Its like some alien is moving around inside of her! It looks soooo icky and awkward. Its still hard to say which direction she will go. I guess I just need to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Thanks for all the good wishes! I will keep ya posted.

My cat hasnt eaten since I got home Tuesday night. I brought her in this morning, thinking she was constipated and they would give her an enima. Sadly, she is having some kidney problems. This could have been caused by the pain medication we started giving her. They are keeping her for the weekend w/an iv in hopes it will flush things out and she will start eating again. If not, then they reccomend euthanasia. This sucks more than I can say. I dont have enough information to agree or disagree with the vets recommendations yet. Either way, Im going to head back over to the hospital and sit with her till they close. Go back in the morning and sit with her till they close.....go back... Just thought I would update ya all on her condition.

Could you please reference your sources?

Yeeehaw! Sound like a blast.

My quest for the perfect cereal choice started out a little sketchy on the approach, as I almost fell on my ass walking down the driveway. Its possible I wasnt dressed quite as well as I should have been for the approach, as my nose felt like it was close to being frostbit as I got closer to my objective. I have an easy time being distracted, so I was quite impressed with my ability to pass on the smell of coffee, the sights of donuts, bagels, pizza, etc and head straight for the cereal isle. Oh how much easier it would be to just grab a cinnamon roll!!!! As I followed the route down the cereal isle, I found something spectacular - a prize to feed nearly every bit of hunger I felt. An assortment of cereals in individual boxes! I was about to attain more than I ever expected - Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, Fruity Pebbles, Golden Grahams, Frosted Flakes, and it goes on! Now the crux of the quest came when a little voice inside my head said, "Risks are okay, but try to play safe". So, I decided to get some good ol fashion granola as well. The difficulty came when someone else decided they wanted the first ascent. There they stood, blocking my way - shopping cart and all. I was hoping she would let me pass, but no luck. I tried to pass without permission, but was given the shoulder and nearly suffered a severe bruise from her shopping cart. I eventually got up the courage once again to make a quick dash for the box we were both eyeing and retreated quickly. The decent was fairly uneventful, other than the crowd in front of me which slowed things down a bit. Gear/Route Notes: warm jacket, hat, gloves, scarf, sticky shoes, credit card, and determination.

I will be back momentarily with a full T.R.

Well, I think Im going to be living off of cereal here for the next week or two. As my tummy is rumbling this morning, Im debating on which kind to buy... Captain Crunch rules, but is painful to eat. Fruity Pebbles - might get some good fruit nutrients in there. Corn Flakes - Too boring. Life - might be a good choice Hmmmmmmm Whats your choice?

Possible, sure. Again, I dont know about the ethics out there. Dt routes tend to be routes that will likely never be possible to climb as a rock route due to lack of features, type of rock, or amount of precip it gets. Dt'ing isnt necessarily something one does on a daily basis- that would be pure torture and cause insanity (if it isnt already an issue)! Its a training tool for mixed climbing/ice climbing/and the mountains. There is definately less traffic seen on dt routes.

I did A LOT of that, too!!!! Too bad I dont have copies of the photos showing me flying up in the air! Maybe another time...

You go girl! The stores should start filling in with rock gear next month. Keep doing what you are doing!

I think the differences are really interesting. Women often need to tell a story and need to feel a connection to express themselves. Men dont need that connection, so it comes out more direct. I would tell you a story to explain it better...but...

Depends on what kind of rock. I dont know about out there, but its common ethic not to dry tool on established rock climbs. And when possible, climb in rockshoes to minimize any scarring. And kev, you responded to my post earlier saying you didnt ice climb/or want to, so dt'ing wouldnt be helpful to you. note, I said it was extremely beneficial for my ROCK climbing skills as well. I havent seen the article you are talking about, so I cant comment on it. As far as I know almost all tools are about the same in length, just different shapes (unless its a mountaineering axe). I know a lot of people who have no interest in dt'ing. Thats kewl! It can be a pretty sketchy form of climbing. I personally love the movement and mindset I have to put myself in when I do it.

I thought you were going tonight! Make sure you let the PT know how well it went. My guess is if they give you permission, you are less likely to go beyond what you should. Tell the kid not to stick his tongue on the metal pole in the winter, and well.... We could make a post explaining the benefits of climbing to your recovery! Im sure your dr and pt would love to hear cc.com's thoughts on the subject.

I have 2 Das parkas - and love them. They do me well out here in the midwest and great white north. I do think the older versions of the parka are warmer. Not sure why or how they are different. Im trying to sell the older version - yummy orange color (for those hunting weekends), one patch, very warm!!!!! Its an xlarge. Way too big for me.

You may want to have her contact Passages Northwest www.passagesnw.org They are a great organizations with plenty of opportunities soley for women and girls. At the very least they can probably direct her to a less formal women's group or club.

Thanks The entire few weeks from beginning to end had some pretty big wave of intensity - from the weather, to teaching clinics, gettin my ass back into the states, leaving my cat, and my final destination at the crash site. It will be a memorable time in my life, for sure! Bluffview- honestly i cant remember where I stayed. It was dark and the weather was getting bad. The town had a bar, gas station, diner, and the motel. It was maybe 45 min from Iron ...something or other (WI/MI border). I was told the next hotel was some 80 miles away. This room had barely any heat, ground level, no locks on the windows,curtains that were falling off, an easy to pick lock on the door, no phone, no cell reception, internet, etc. I took the towel off the rack to take a shower and the rack fell off. After looking in the tub itself, I opted to stay dirty (can you say bugs, rust, and mold). I got a bar on my phone for a few minutes. I called my roommate and said the name of the motel, call police if you dont hear from me by 2pm next day....then static...lost reception. hahahha! I spent a good portion of the night listening to a bunch of guys in the parking lot blasting tune from thier truck *thump, thump, thum* Did you go to the ice fest?

actually kevbone, I have found drytooling to not only increase my strength for ice climbing, but rock climbing as well. It also requires a bit of creative and quiet movement that I have been able to carry onto the rock. When its warmer, you can borrow tools from someone and climb in your rock shoes. It wouldnt cost you a thing.

Sounds like you should get out and try some drytoolin, kevbone!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

(cant seem to load a preview, so there may need to be some editing done) The past 10 days or so have been crazy busy, driving around parts of the midwest. I wish I could say I got a lot of wicked climbing in. I did get SOME climbing. Nothing that pushed the limits by any means. However, fun was had by all - no question about that! I spent a couple days in Orient Bay, Ontario to help a friend of mine teach 17 college students to ice climb. After a delayed departure due to giving my cat too much metamucil (you can only imagine the mess! ), and making a plan to hide me under all the gear on the way back to the states (I didnt have a passport) - we finally got going. We checked for ice along the North Shore, on the way up to Canada. There are typically a 2-4 spots that have decent ice and/or mixed. Pretty much the only thing we found was... Any guesses as to who this might belong to? It was disappointing to see so many climbs either not in or very thin. It was a dry year up there, combined with warm temperatures. There are definately some good routes in, just not a 'fat' or 'abundant' year compared to the last 5 or so. We woke the next day to a bitterly cold, windy, wet day. Classic way to give people their first experience on ice! Fortunately it did warm up a bit and the sun eventually poked through the clouds. Despite the cold (probly around 0), the ice was actually somewhat like plastic. It was Top Rope City - all day long! We had a great time, though. I even got a few laps in, which was great since all I have seen and heard this year are my tools scraping on rock! Ya! For Ice!!!! Orient Bay was sadly very thin and sparse compared to past years. Though it looked like some climbs were in great shape, the dry year and warm temps seems to have limited the number of fat climbs available. A couple days at home to unpack and repack.... Then Im off to Munising, Michigan (U.P.). I have never been up there before, so I was excited to see what there was to climb. My main objective was to teach the women's clinics at the Michigan Ice Festival. It's a long-ass drive up there, due to so many small towns/speed limits along the way. A big storm was expected, so the drive along lake superior can make it kind of sketchy as well. I gave up driving after about 5hrs (3hrs shy of my destination). I slept in a sleezy hotel with one ice tool in my hand. I managed to miss most of the 8 inches of snow that fell the next morning during my drive. I wish I could say my drive and stay in Munising was as beautiful as some of the photos I have seen. Unfortunately, this is about all I saw the entire weekend (other than my hotel room and the restaurant) I was pretty nervous about this trip, as I was replacing Zoe Hart for the clinic. All other clinicians were sponsored athletes. Wasnt quite sure how I got the gig, or fit in. I knew some folks and reps from my area, yet I still felt a bit out of place. Friday night there was a great slide show by Pablo (Paul Stein). Great photos of mixed climbing and superb positive energy!!!! I especially enjoyed how he talked at a level that was geared toward both advanced and beginners. Great guy!!!!! Mike Labeki also did one of the funniest slide shows I have seen about his trip to Antartica. Highly reccomend it! Saturday morning, we awoke bright and early to -15F (without windchill) to get everyone in the clinics set up with gear. Temps werent suppose to rise out of the negative, and windchills were expected to be up to 20 below. I was especially worried about 2 girls I had (yes, girls) as they were only 9yrs old! I had prepped everyone pretty well for the cold the night before, as well as brought every stitch of extra clothing I had. The 9yr old girls had won scholarships in rememberance of Sue Nott, who had been out there over the years teaching clinics. They also received some fun gear (including pink coats!). The organizers had some baby monster tools for the kids to use. Way cute! The girls/women were burly, yet graceful on both days (even when we had 30 below windchills on Sunday) In fact, I understand we stayed out the longest on both days! In honor of Karen McNeill, I have started incorporating glitter into my teaching. Somehow the ice turned pink as well. It was a geat couple days of glitter, laughter, and new experiences. Ice Goddesses!!!!!! Saturday night, Mark Wilford did a slide show on his latest trip to Tibet. to this guy, as he is one of my favorite folks. Gentle, funny, yet tough. Kelly Cordes also made an appearance, highlighting a climb with one of your own - Colin Haley - in Patagonia. I had one more stop on my way home... My birth father died when I was a year old in the U.P. He was on a fishing trip with a group of friends. They tried to fly back in bad weather and the plane crashed. After re-reading the accident report, I realized the crash site was on my way home. Keep in mind, this was 35yrs ago. I did quite a bit of research and hooked up with someone who took me out to the airport and hiked around with me and a gps. Another balmy day of 10below! ha! We eventually picked up some 80yr old man who remembered seeing pieces of the plane still there about 25yrs ago and insisted the area was roped off by the DNR. We drove around in the backcountry with no success. I did get some names of people to call. Its a small town, so I stopped into the place where my dad ate last. Had some pizza, a beer, asked questions of the locals, and made a few phone calls. Within an hour I was in touch with a man who knew EXACTLY where the site was. In fact, HE was the one who marked it off recently because of some logging being done in the area. He has been going out there for 35 years, placing flowers, saying prayers, and making sure what was left of the plane was untouched by others. HOLY SHIT! Was I really ready for this? I met the man and his wife for breakfast the next day. A few other people tagged along (word spreads fast -its a VERY small town). When we got out there, I must say, it was by far one of the most intense moments of my life. Im glad I did this, though I think it is going to take some time to process. It was obviously a major deal for the man who has been taking care of the area, as he didnt know anything about the 4 men who died in the crash. Now he could put together the story. He is planning on putting a permanent memorial around the area this summer. Here are some photos... Some of the peices left laying around. The FAA took anything valuable for testing, but not much was recovered. The majority of the plane burned in an intense fire. Am I suppose to smile? Wierd photo opp. When you zoom in you can see the tears. You can also see markings on the metal, identifying the plane. This is what the area looked like when they crashed. The trees around the site are now long gone, with new ones growing. It was obviously a heavily wooded area. A logger found the plane a day after the crash - by chance. On the way out we found a bear den...John, the one who took me out there showed no fear, shining the flashlight in the den. I took a few photos, but ran as soon as I saw its eyes move Back to reality and life of the unemployed!

Fern- am I gonna see you out here in a month? (just the friendly reminder you asked for!

ya, thats what I meant to say. I read the script yesterday and watched the movie again tonight (total cheese factor). Very different!