WELCOME BACK TO ME!

Well, I see it's been a long time since we blogged. October, in fact. My mother was in the hospital and rehab for a month in October 2009 (she's fine now) and the day before Thanksgiving (after being misdiagosed four times by four different doctors as having pneumonia), I was hospitalized in intensive care with multiple pulmonary emboli (blood clots in my lungs). I was fortunate to be alive and after spending 6 days in the hospital, was released and spent several more months recovery.

I am now back to work and getting healthier every day. Pieper the little black cat is doing well, as is my son, Steve. He is back to work after having faced a layoff in the Spring.

Promise to keep you all more up to date on our little escapades.

Pieper has Company

And boy, what a pain in the butt that is -- according to Pie. The picture is of Charlie, our house guest -- my mom's cat - 17 year old Maine Coon. Steve is taking care of him and for the most part, things are calm. But the past few days, Charlie and Pie have actually passed within three feet of each other and fur has flown...Pie's tail gets the size of a shunks when she's scared! Funny stuff.

Mom continues to improve and we hope she will be going home early next week. She's had a rough month, but has come through with flying colors, actually better than she has been for a long time...almost 91 and counting!

It is snowing here today...14 or so inches due over the next 24 hours. Of course, I have been on vacation for a week, due back tonight...figures it would snow like heck!

PIEPER'S PET HINT OF THE WEEK:

Remember, Halloween is this weekend. Be sure to protect your pets - bring them in and put them in a quiet room. Don't take the chance they will run out the door to join the fun! Also, be sure that any candy, especially chocolate, is kept out of reach...that delicacy could actually kill your pet or at the very least make them extremely ill.

JUST A NOTE FROM PIEPER

Hi everyone...just wanted you to know that my mommy's mommy is in the hospital, so mom hasn't been able to write anything to you. So, I'm filling in just to let you know that we will be back soon, with helpful Holiday hints to keep your pets safe!

PET CARE EDUCATION

Hey, guys! I just found this great blog called "Pet Care Education." You can find them here - be sure to check them out. They have some great information for cat owners and Pieper is even learning something about her relatives!

Thanks to Greendog for inviting us to join in the fun!

Hope everyone has a great day. Pieper and I are off to work on the new website!

SNOW IN THE HIGH COUNTRY?

Woke up this morning, freezing. 50 degrees and rainy. Well, I fell asleep with the window open, which could explain it. Snowflakes reported just down the road a bit. Snow above 8,000 feet tonight. Winter is just around the corner...brrrr....and I LOVE winter...or used to until it got harder to move around! We'll either have a hard winter or none at all, as far as snow is concerned. You just never know.

So, Pieper and I are going to cook a turkey (her favorite) and work on her website, which has been officially named "Catnip-Capers." We are really excited about it and hope to get it published soon. There's so much information we want to include and we're meeting some nice people.

UPDATE ON PIEPER'S VET VISIT: After not being to the vet for more time than should have been, Pie had a few teeth extracted and was given a more palatable food. She's an old-lady now (I'm ducking, as a pencil just whizzed by my head - LOL) at 13 and can no longer tolerate the brand she was eating. She has NOT vomited ONCE in six weeks, so we know this is working! Her coat is so shiny and full and she's calmer than we've ever seen her. AND, she looks like she's put a little weight on her seven pound frame!

Ya'll have a great day and we'll be back soon!

PIEPER ERIN - THE AUTHOR

Howdy folks...I've been pretty busy editing mom's material...she works so hard, you know, that every way I can help her, I do...like last night...I "quietly" walked over her about five times. I wait until I hear her breathing slow and become regular. Then, I delicately jump from one side of her to the other...oh, but I have to take a step in between cause I'm not as limber as I once was. He he.

Anyway, check out her two new articles at E-How. And have a safe weekend!
http://www.ehow.com/members/piepererin-articles.html

PieperErin the Author

Pieper here...well, it was bound to happen. Mom has decided to take all that extra time (yeah, right) and start her article writing career at E-HOW! Her first article, "How to Care for Your Aging Cat" is now pending approval. I'm sure she wasn't talking about 13-year-old moi!

Anyway, wait a few and then jaunt on over (or whatever it is you humans do to hurry) to E-How and look up Mom: PieperErin.

Oh, and I allowed her to use my name as her pen name...after all, I do most of the writing in this family anyway...he he...