Goodbye Chuckie Boy

I wasn't able to say goodbye to Chuck today. Baby Rocket Dog & I went to the dog park and Patrick picked him up while we were gone and took him to the Humane Society. He had to fill in a form that told about who Chuck is. He said the ladies who waited on him were very nice and didn't act judgemental. I couldn't say goodbye to him, because I tried for several days in a row and got myself all upset. Yesterday was going to be the day, but by the time Pat got home from work I had worked myself into a tizzy. I was crying all day long because even though Chuck has been horrible lately....[Peed several times on bath mats. Defecated in the bath tubs. Bit my wrist when I was petting him. Etc, etc.]....I still love him and hoped upon hope he would straighten up. He is already on Prescriptive c/d food that we could only purchase from the vet and the last 2 times we had his urine tested it was clean with no crystals, stones or infections. It was obviously behavioral and just was not getting any better. We had discussed the problem over and over and knew that the best thing for us to do was to give him up. It was a really hard decision. This is no normal Persian cat. He knows how to beg, sit and lay (all for treats of course). He is very smart and absolutely beautiful to look at. I hope that someone adopts him quickly. He hates to be in those cages that they have at the vets. They make him become more surly than usual. He hisses and acts like a wild cat. That won't endear him to any perspective adopter. Well, it is done and I just hope he gets a nice home that makes him happy. A lady I spoke to at the dog park works at the shelter Pat left him at and she said if he isn't gone by next weekend she will feature him on Pets On Parade, the local Saturday TV show for the Humane Society. We'll be up in N. Idaho by then, so will miss his TV debut. I actually felt like a load was off my shoulders for a time today, but once again I'm feeling very sad. To you who read this, please say a little prayer for Chuck the cat, and for me too. Thank you in advance. May the Lord of heaven and earth bless you and keep you. Because He lives, Cassie

Using Gas = Good Times = Empty Pockets!

The past few days have been busy & fun. Friday night was Pastor Manny's Bible study (we are in Joel) and as usual we were challenged. Steve V. was the guest leader of the worship team and did a terrific job. He and his wife, Carey, actually met at this Bible study 10 years ago, so he said it was like a sweet reunion. We sure miss our Phx. church when up in N. Idaho. Saturday we awoke quite early & Patrick & I attended our Credit Union annual meeting. We got to sit with some friends we hadn't seen in several years & it was great catching up with Sylvia & John. It was held at a Marriott and the breakfast buffet was very yummy. Pat and Sylvia each won a door prize too.....Very cool! I'm always surprised more folks don't attend these things. After that I drove to Casa Grande to meet with my dear friend, Cathi and her 8 yr old daughter, Mandy Sue who were driving up from Tucson. The trip to Casa Grande should have taken about 45 minutes but due to road work (freeway finally dwindling down to a single lane) ended up being almost 2 hours. Yikes. The trip was worth it when I finally got there. We ate at Macayo's Mexican Restaurant and gabbed. Then, we did a little shopping before parting ways. It was the last time we'll get to see each other until Patrick and I return from Idaho in December. Luckily we both have AT&T cell phones so can talk every day even when thousands of miles away. I was exhausted when I finally got back to Phx. & really dislike driving in that kind of traffic. This afternoon Patrick and I went out to Red Lobster and chowed down. After that we went to a few stores and I found some of my treasured Polish pottery. Got 2 more steins and 2 mugs. I really need more dinner plates, but haven't had much luck with that. I am flabbergasted at the price they command on line, so will continue to look at department stores. Blessings to you, my friends, Cassie

Townhall Forum on April 8th

Patrick & I went on a date to the Townhall Forum at the Maricopa County Event Center on Tuesday, April 8th. It was sponsored by KKNT 960am radio-The Patriot, YourWestValley.com and Daily News-Sun and was terrific. Three of my favorite talk radio hosts (Dennis Prager, Michael Medved & Hugh Hewitt) were on the three man panel which was moderated by Dean Martin, the AZ State Treasurer. If you are not familiar with these gentlemen I highly recommend googling each one and perusing their websites. Brilliant minds and upstanding people.I have loved Dennis Prager for years...used to stay up to watch him when he had a TV show at 2:00am some years ago. It was pretty cool being amongst this large crowd of conservative folks, not to mention the stimulating Q & A with the panel. Pat & I were in the front row, so had some of the best seats in the hall. The only drawback to our great seats was that they had a BBQ dinner (which we did not attend) prior to the main event and the yummy smell of barbecue sauce was wafting through the air the whole time we were there. By the time we finally left I was ready to go home and swill down a bottle of BBQ sauce like a bottle of soda pop! We purchased 3 books and waited in line to have Dennis and Michael sign them. While in line we chatted with a nice fellow named Dean who was there with his teenage son. Dean was kind enough to email us some pics from the night. Thanks Dean. To summarize, it was a good time and well worth the cost of the tickets. Signing off for now. Blessings to all who read this. Because of Him,Cassie

April Showers?

Here it is April already and I haven't written a thing on my blog. No showers here in Phoenix. Actually it has been in the 90's already. Ugh. Even our pup, Baby Rocket Dog, runs out of energy soon after arriving at the dog park. We took her there this morning, then to Smelly Dog where we gave her a bath. She smells like lavender from the cream rinse. Patrick and I have been taking her to Smelly Dog together the last few times because her bath goes much quicker with the two of us working together. It's such a great way to give the dog a bath---they have everything there for you: shampoo,rinse,ear stuff,brushes,blow dryers,aprons. And best of all the tubs are waist high so there is no bending over. Important for us old codgers! Love that dog. Now Chuck, my Persian cat, is another story. We've had him for almost 13 years now and he seems to get more obnoxious with age. He has no patience for kids or Baby. And he has some "behavioral issues" that are becoming harder for us to handle. Namely, he has 'marked' my (large)bath rug with his urine. Not nice. Since getting Baby Chuck really seems nasty by comparison. He had his "issues" prior to getting the dog, so we can't blame his bad behavior on the pooch. With our luck he'll live to be 25. Any suggestions on what we should do with him would be appreciated. FYI: he has been checked out & does not have a bladder or u.t.i....he's just a stinker. On to another subject. Bible study Friday night was very cool. We always look forward to that day of the week because of it. I'll miss the great teaching and fellowship when we go up north. For those of you out there that pray, would you lift up my cousin Ivy's friends Susan and Drew? Susan is expecting her 1st child (at age 42) and her husband of 3 years, Drew, is in the last stages of lymphoma. They are believers and really need our prayers at this time. Thanks. May the Lord of the universe bless you and keep you. Remember, Jesus never fails. love to all, Cassie