Well, it was quite a weekend. I am doing much better but still feeling a little blue now and then. Sometimes I'm doing great, then look at her picture or something special for her, and I just tear up. Sigh.
Anyway, I was going to go 4-wheeling at Joshua tree with a friend, but it was raining too hard. Instead, we decided to postpone that trip (no sense spending the day towing the car out from the mud on the back roads) and I traveled alone, but on safe, paved roads.
First, I went up to Antelope Valley to see the poppy preserve. It's supposed to be a good year for wildflowers, and I wanted to check out what's supposed to be the best of the best.
It was a good trip. The poppies are just starting to bloom, and it looks like in a few weeks it's going to be spectacular.
See the poppy pictures here.
I drove past the Mormon Rocks, which are famous in a lot of westerns. I only stopped for five minutes as it was pouring rain, but I snapped a few pictures, here.
Next, I drove up to the Mojave Preserve. It was raining cats and dogs as you can see from the picture below. Beautiful though.
See the Mojave pictures here.
Now I drove down out of Majove towards Joshua Tree. I made a quick stop near a volcano called Amboy. It blew up about 10,000 years ago. Pictures are here.
Finally, I drove through Joshua Tree, rain pouring the entire trip. Lots pf pictures are here.
As I drove home, I was awed by one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a long time. I snapped this picture through the windshield.
I had plans for Sunday - back to Joshua Tree to Cottonwood for a wildflower walk sponsored by the Living Desert zoon and botanical garden. On the way, I was stunned by a beautiful sunrise.
The flowers are very much in bloom, as you can see from the pictures here, and it was a very relaxing trip.
Buttercup
On Friday, February 18th, 2005, I brought Buttercup to the vet. It had been already been a terrible month, and I was not happy. Buttercup had been throwing up for a couple of days, and I decided it was time to get her to a specialist. I set the appointment for Friday afternoon.
That morning, I noticed that Buttercup looked dehydrated. I tried to give her some water, but she bit me. I pushed her away, then observed her twitching and clawing and acting very strangely. I watched for a couple of minutes, then tears started to flow. I realized my kitty was dying. It was 6:30 in the morning.
The vet opened at 7:30 am, and I was there waiting for them. I brought in Buttercup, who perked up a bit when she saw the other people. The doctor arrived a few minutes later, then took Buttercup into her office. A quick examination confirmed Buttercup was very dehydrated and, in the words of the vet, "that's one sick kitty".
The vet called me back at 12:00 noon while I was driving in the car with my boss and co-workers. She explained that Buttercup had a huge tumor in her intestines, roughly the size of a baseball. I said I would stop by on the way home from work to see for myself. Now I had to get through the rest of the day without weeping constantly. It was a tough day.
When I arrived at the vets office after work, the vet showed me the x-rays and ultrasounds. It was plain that this was serious. The vet said she could operate, at a cost of over three thousand dollars, but the chances of survival were low - and chemotherapy on a cat is not at all pleasant for the animal.
I examined all of the labs. I looked over the x-rays and ultrasounds. I talked to the vet for quite some time to determine if there was any hope at all. She made it very clear - this cat didn't have long to live and my poor Buttercup was in terrible, agonizing pain. I knew what had to be done...I didn't like it and my heart felt like it was breaking, but I didn't have any other rational choice.
The vet brought in Buttercup and left me alone, for the last time, with my beloved cat. I looked at her, gave her a big hug, and said my goodbyes. She looked at me with tears in her eyes, and I got the clear message that it was okay. She knew what was going to happen, and she knew there was no choice. I cried and called in the vet. It was all over in less than 2 seconds. A quick shot and my cat went to sleep forever.
My heart broke several times in one month. How much pain can a person take?
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Unless otherwise noted, all photos and text is Copyright © Richard G Lowe, Jr.