This past week has been a very trying for me, I am afraid. Last Sunday I noticed a problem with one of the eyes of my 15-year-old Japanese Chin named Hershey. I doctored it the best I could until Monday morning when after several calls, I decided to take him to a 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic on the southside of Indianapolis immediately after the close of the October Patriot Town Board Meeting that evening. By the time we got to see a vet, the lens of his eye had detached. We arrived back home at nearly 5 a.m. and began to wait for the specialist to call about his inevitable surgery. Not happy with the decision that I received – to wait another full day, we began seeking and found still another veterinary ophthalmologist available for the surgery in Fishers, north of Indianapolis. With a full 1 ½ hr. of sleep, I drove him to Fishers arriving around noon. He was released after the removal of his affected eye around 4 p.m. and we headed home – or tried to. At the I-74 exit for Indiana Grand Casino, my car ‘gave up the ghost’. We made it to the gas pump but that was it. Period. Thanks to a young McDonald’s employee we did get it pushed to the side. Thankfully my wonderful niece Leighann was not working that night and she agreed to come and take myself and my very sick puppy home to Patriot. I stayed up until I knew she made it back to Indy and then I crashed – or tried to. Hershey was intermittently crying, whining and screaming. We ended up visiting Doc Moore and Dr. Rachel Low in Rising Sun for follow-up. Thanks to the two of them, Hershey is finally beginning to make progress. Here it is nearly a week later and life has not yet returned to normal. As sad as it sounds, poor Hershey has been traumatized and is actually depressed. As a puppy mill rescue, he spent the first eight years of his life in a small cage simply because of his unusual brown and white coloring which is quite unique for his breed. He has been blind for a year or so but could see light. Or he could before the surgery. Now he just cries, whines and wants Mom’s attention. I imagine that it would be pretty mortifying for an almost blind 15-year-old dog to spend 2 days amongst several strangers who hurt him and then took away the little bit of sight that he had. I know I would not be a happy camper. But then I haven’t heard from the dealership about my car either!
The Patriot Town Board met on Monday, October 2nd and the 2018 Budget was introduced. A special meeting has been set for Monday, October 23rd at 6 p.m. for the approval of that budget and is open to the public. It will be at the Patriot Town Hall located 352 3rd Street.
Almost immediately after the funeral of my neighbor Richard “Rocky” Hutchinson last week, his son Richie had surgery. Here are lots of prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery to you Richie! Get well soon!
Prayers of comfort to the families of Deanna Green and Robert “Bob” Lamson. Funerals for both were Saturday.
The next scheduled meeting of the Red HOT Hatters will be on Thursday, October 19th at 11 a.m. Lisa Fisher has agreed to host our October meeting in her home which will include a pitch-in and mandatory Halloween costume. This is possibly the first time we have ever met on a Thursday in our five years of being a club. Our ‘usual’ meeting days of the week are becoming difficult for too many so we’re going to try some different days of the week. Anyone wishing to attend is welcome and may contact Kay E. Cook by email Patriotnews1995@gmail.com, text (317-443-8857) or telephone (812-594-2281) for more specifics.
I received a beautiful card and very nice letter from Rosemary Campbell this week. It really raised my spirits and I thank you very much Rosemary for taking the time to share with me. She is from Campbellsburg, Kentucky, but is currently staying with her son Mark in Madison and recuperating from October 4th knee surgery. She is so blessed to have Mark who she reports has taken excellent care of her for several months now. Of course, like me, she is a cat person and very much misses her two. Happy, Happy #78th Birthday, Rosemary Campbell on Tuesday, October 10th. Prayers to you for a speedy recovery!
Past, present and future members of the Patriot Baptist Church are encouraged to come together on Sunday, October 22nd at 4 p.m. for the 2017 Homecoming Service. Food will be served at Town Hall after the church services.
Prayers of healing are needed for Richie Hutchinson, Jerry Turner, Leona Ware, Travis Griffith, Bill Levell, Wayne Dawson, June Lack and Sharon Coplin.
In the “Lessons Learned” category this week, I have been reminded the hard way that I am indeed getting older. Saturday night stumbling around the house carrying Hershey and one of the kitties, I managed to get knocked from my feet by my precious Yoda, the fat ‘polar bear’ pup. I managed to catch myself by slamming my bad shoulder into the door jamb but in doing so, I totally freaked out Terrible Twin Tomcat Leroy Gibbs who proceeded to shred my left arm and side. It took me another two hours to coax him back into the house and almost that long to get the scratches to stop bleeding.
In the “Critter Corner” this week, I am still trying my best to befriend the feral Uncle Tomcat. I am not however convinced that he is a he but perhaps instead Aunt Kittycat. The morning after Hershey’s surgery when I was more than just exhausted, I woke up to find three black kitties sleeping in my house. The Two Terrible Twin Tomcats were asleep in their normal places but I did a double take upon spotting a third cat curled up and sleeping. She/he is smaller than my Twin Tomcats and not as sleek as my guys. But, I did observe Tony DiNozzo smack the smaller cat the other day and live to brag about it. I do not believe a feral male cat would have allowed that woosy little kitty of mine to get away with that and still live.
Got this recipe from a friend, its called a:
GRANNY CAKE
1 ½ Cup- Sugar
2 Cup – Flour
½ tsp. – Salt
2 – Eggs
1 tsp. – Baking soda
1 large (20 oz.) can – Crushed pineapple
in its own juice (including juice)
1 Cup – Brown sugar
1 Cup – Chopped pecans
TOPPING
1 Cup – Evaporated milk
½ Cup – Sugar
1 Stick – Margarine
1 tsp. – Vanilla
Mix the sugar, flour, salt, soda, eggs and pineapple together and pour into a 9 x 13″ pan. Sprinkle the top with one cup brown sugar and one cup chopped pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Cook the following ingredients until mixture comes to a rolling boil: evaporated milk, sugar, margarine, and vanilla.
After the cake has baked and right out of the oven, pour the cooked milk mixture over the entire cake. This is so delicious!
Should be kept refrigerated. This cake does freeze nicely.
You may contact me several ways: by leaving a note of message inside the cat mailbox in front of 1995 Front Street in Patriot; or by calling my home at (812) 594-2281; or dropping me a note at P.O. Box #01, Patriot, Indiana, 47038. In addition, contact KAY E COOK on Facebook or online at PatriotNews1995@gmail.com. If you have anything for me to include in this article, please send it to me. Information can be received any day of the week but normally my deadline is Sunday at noon for that week’s issue of the paper. Any news received later will appear in the following week’s article. If you need something in a particular issue please be sure and give it to me early.