Well folks my statue is just about done. She has gone through a lot of changes. I am glad I took pictures along the way. I am not quite happy with her from every angle but it's time to let her be I think. I did her hands and feet finally and then painted her. All that is left now is sealing her in polyurethane and then putting a cement pad on the bottom of the statue. I had the hardest time with her feet, they came out too masculine so I have her walking in water to cover them up some. I think the effect came out ok. Sadly, winter is knocking at the door and I won't be able to start anything large (maybe that is a good thing). Also, I know this is offtopic but I now have a lot of joint pain; am waiting on tests to see if it Uncle Arthur Itis. I hope not but sure does make it hard to mix the cement, and lifting is a problem. I can deal with the pain but I am somewhat upset about the idea of losing my ability to sculpt. Still I am jumping the gun as I don't know what it is yet : ) Do any of you have an ointment you use for this that helps?

For some reason bluebirds are intent on forgetting their responsibilities and this is a good reason their attempts to nest end in failure. I'm sure they would have gone extinct if it wasn't for us! Unusual indeed. Last season I had one parent (male I believe it was) feeding the hatch-lings, and the female NEVER went in to feed the babies. That's if my memory is serving me correctly. This is my 6th season, so it's getting hard to remember what exactly happened when. In one case here in Ohio, it was 70 degrees one evening - nice and warm - the babies were ALL gaping like crazy! The blues didn't seem to feed their young AT ALL. I was SO mad! This resulted in the ENTIRE clutch starving to death the next day when it was cold, blustery, cloudy, and only 50 degrees. The mom continued brooding but the young were doomed. I pulled the poor things out of the nest, buried them, and called it a day. Sounds like things are getting better. Unfortunately I suffer set-backs nearly every season. This time the 1st egg of the season disappeared. Could have had a full clutch by now! Sometimes it's just irritating seeing these birds become so careless, but so long as the parents stay alive, everything will be okay. I'm just not fortunate to have many successful attempts each season despite doing so many things right. Good luck from here on out! ~Tim~

You don't mention how long you've been together, so that doesn't help, the reason I mention it is because there are things people "don't tell you". There is something called a 3 year itch. It is similiar to the 7 year itch (Which is VERY REAL). You are tired of compromises, and wonder if you've made a mistake. Many marriages go through that. WHy do some make and some don't. Is it some couples LOVE each other more? Maybe, I personally think some people are more stubborn and WORK at it. Marriage isn't easy, and it is harder some years that others (yes even when you've been married a long time..it's been over 20 for us, and some years have been a b!tch). If you love her with all your heart, why do you feel you've settled? Truely feels like a 3 year itch. Read up on 7 year itch, and apply to 3 years, you'll be amazed. Vickey-MN (Married at age 23 by the way, regretted it at times, still do at times, but love my husband..and maybe regret isn't the right word, just wish it was easier or easy all the time is more the case)

My oldest gal pees standing up but she's a dog. The reason she does it (both #1 and #2) is because she has severe hip dysplasia and can't keep her balance when she squats. Never heard of this with a cat, but I guess it's possible. Also, while I know my guys (labs) have had anal sac issues, do cats have them too??? Maybe you could try calling your current vet if you have a longstanding relationship with him/her and have been happy with the care and treatment you have received during the relationship. If you haven't been happy, then definitely go to a different vet. Sometimes a different look at things may reveal new ideas of what's going on. May be that your vet has "pigeonholed" your cat, and is missing something. I have a young male kitten. He had a hernia when we adopted him which was repaired while he was under for his neuter. This cat is the craziest cat I've ever owned. I asked the doc to sew him up with wire since I knew he was going to be a handful to keep quiet after the surgery. Well, he was and we ended up back in the office 10 days post surgery when he developed another "lump". Thankfully it was only swelling at the incision site and not another hernia, but during the exam the vet asked to step out and have another vet take a look too so that we could all be sure. Nothing wrong with another set of eyes or hands... Best of luck to you.