Hippity Hoppity Easter is On the Way

Hard to believe that Easter is just 2 weeks away. Where is this year going? I try not to push my little card line too much here. This space is my travel/ adventure/ experience/ musings space. Still my greeting cards are a part of me and what I do so here is a message from my sponsor (me) www.dustyroadsphotos.etsy.com

You still have time to get unique, original cards for Easter, all handcrafted by me. No employees.  Take a look at what I have available so far.

Easter Egg Garden

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A favorite from 2012

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And new this year

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And …here’s the best part…this year they are only $2.95 each.  You still have time to place your order and get your cards in time for Easter.

Thank you for your time and tomorrow we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programing. 🙂

An Irish Blessing

To all my friends old and new, and acquaintances that are passing through, to everyone who has passed my way, this Irish blessing is sent today.

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Cruise Ship Nightmares

I am counting my lucky stars these days. Joe and I had a great cruise on The Carnival Imagination but Carnival is being plagued with bad news stories these days.

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The string of bad luck started January 13, 2012  with the sinking of the Costa Concordia, one of the worse passenger ship disasters  since the sinking of the Titanic.

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TRAGEDIA AL GIGLIO, NAVE DA CROCIERA FA NAUFRAGIO: TRE MORTI

At the time I wasn’t aware that Carnival Cruise Lines was the parent company for the Costa Concordia not that it would have made any difference to me when I accepted the free cruise from my time share.

Blissfully unaware of any issues at Carnival  we looked forward to our mini cruise. We joked about the ships that had engine fires or became disease riddled. Stories like that were always popping up in the news. But when you consider the number of ships that are plying the seas it stands to reason that there will be a mishap now and then.

Our cruise was wonderful. In spite of less than perfect weather it was relaxing and pleasant. So it was with some surprise that I listened the horrendous reports about the Carnival Ship Triumph which became stranded in the Gulf of Mexico not far from where we  had been. It was a mini cruise that followed one of the itineraries I had the option to choose. We went out of Florida, not Texas. A different choice and we could have been on that ill-fated ship. Still I felt it was just a “fluke”.  Now I am beginning to wonder.

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Carnival and Royal Caribbean are the largest cruise lines according to industry statistics with Carnival cornering approximately 21 % of the total cruise market worldwide with a fleet of 23 ships.

But back to the string of bad luck. Costa Concordia is by far the worse with an actual sinking and loss of life.

Then we have Triumph that drifted in the Gulf of Mexico . Passengers reported over flowing toilets, sewage in the halls, cold and spoiling food before they were towed to port.

Following the Triumph in quick succession we had the Elation

Then , Dream

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and now Legend!

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Carnival Elation had to be escorted  by tugboat because of a malfunction in its steering system.

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Carnival Dream lost power and toilets stopped working . Even though they were in port at the time no one was allowed to get off the vessel.

Carnival Legend was on the last leg of a seven-day  cruise through the Caribbean when technical problems affected its sailing speed.

It’s been reported (but I haven’t been able to verify) that in a months time 3 other Carnival Ships have reported problems.

Carnival announced this week that it is conducting a “comprehensive review” of all of its ships. Until things improve I think I’ll stay away from Carnival Cruises.

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I’ll be heading off on another cruise in May, north to Alaska. I’m looking forward to seeing the glaciers and wildlife of our 49th state but we won’t be cruising with Carnival. This trip is on the Princess Cruise Line. I haven’t heard  anything bad about them lately. 🙂

The Saga of a Stray Cat ~ The Final Chapter

So the cat, now known as “Buddy”, is back with me. I think you knew this was coming. Maybe it was meant to be. I really don’t go looking for cats, they just find me.

The vet couldn’t find anything wrong with Buddy’s head or skin. It wasn’t  red or inflamed. There was no sign of scratches. She tested him for ring-worm…negative. It looked like someone waxed the spot on his head. She wondered if there were children in the home that might have stuck a sticky candy or gum or a lolly pop on his head and then pulled it off. It was a mystery.

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All jokes about Rogain and Hair Club for Cats aside, we really had no idea what caused the sudden hair loss.

With Buddy’s return there was no need for a re-introduction. The three cats gave greeting sniffs then scattered to do whatever cat things they were doing before I brought Buddy back.

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I remember my threat to call him “Boomer” but he seems to respond to Buddy so Buddy it is.

His hair is growing back quickly. Right now it looks like a bad comb over. Buddy always comes running when he hears the hair dryer. By putting it on low I can use it  to blow his hair aside to check his skin. So far so good.

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Another co-worker came forward and offered to take him but I told her he’d been bounced around enough. I hope she will adopt another needy kitty. Buddy seems to have settled in here with me. He’s found his Forever Home.

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He is a handsome fellow, isn’t he?

The Saga of a Stray Cat~ Chapter 4

By the time Tuesday rolled around the still nameless stray had settled into a routine with the other two cats. I was slowly adjusting to having a  cat underfoot every minute but it was time to break up this fine domestic scene and take  Tippy to his new home. I can see why fostering a homeless animal can be hard. It’s impossible not to get attached and then you have to give them up.

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It was the right thing to do. Three cats in a one bedroom apartment was a bit crowded and I was concerned about the expense. People think cats are cheap to own and at one time they were. But in today’s economy, not so much. They need health checks annually along with vacinations and then there’s the general every day maintenance of kitty litter , food and treats. Food used to be very inexpensive but now it’s hard to find canned food for under $.60/ can. With 3 cats I was going through 4 cans a day. Moose had a huge appetite. So although I was sorry to see him go I was relieved.

I dropped him off with his accumulated  “stuff” . I gave  the new owner  his rabies tag and vet records, patted him on the head one last time and prepared to leave. His new owner was thinking of calling him Mr. Tux…cute. I like that. He was busy exploring his new digs as I went out the door.

Back at work that Thursday I checked in on how “Mr. Tux was making out. I was assured it was a good match and that everyone was happy. I joked that if he came back to me again I was going to name him “Boomerang”, Boomer for short, or Re-Run. I joked because I really thought this time the re-homing would stick.

It didn’t. He lasted less time at this home than he did at his first one. On Sunday I got a  call to come get him because his hair was falling out. Not shedding, he was getting bald!? His new owner was sure he was sick but I had my doubts. My vet had checked him out and I trust her. She ran all the blood tests and since he was boarded over night they even got a stool sample and checked it for parasites. All came back negative. There had to be something else going on.

I couldn’t go right away because I was at work until 8PM so I promised to come by on Monday. When I got there Mr. Tux’s things were all packed up by the door for me and sure enough , he had a bald spot!

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I said “Hey Buddy, What’s up with you?” and he came running! That was the first time he had responded to anything I’d called him! I picked him up and was rewarded with little “Kitty Kisses” on my ear. I guess he did miss me.

Back in the car went his things. I called the vet and off we went to get his head examined. Literally! Depending on the result it was likely that he was baaaaack!