Hello dear friends

I want to wish you {{{all}}} a very Happy New Year. May 2014 bring us blessings and good health all round. {Smile}

Much love to all

always

mermaid...xxx

Hello dear friends,

I'm writing this with a heavy heart. My beautiful little black cat Serena is so ill, her quality of life to the point where the kindest, most humane, ONLY thing to do, is to help her cross over the Rainbow Bridge.

For nearly 18 years, she has been my constant companion, my dearest friend, and the sweetest little kitty I've ever known. Twice, when I was crying, she came up on my chest, looked me in the eyes, meowed softly, and stroked my cheek tenderly with her paw, just like a human would stroke the cheek of a dear friend or loved one.

So many good memories of her. My little feisty, sweet, loyal girl. Please hold her in your thoughts for a peaceful transition. I told her Daddy will be waiting for her on the other side (she loved him), and that one day, I know she'll be there waiting to greet me.

Thanks for listening, dear souls. I know you all understand the mingling of pain for the loss and relief to know she gets to go ~home~ and be pain-free that's running through me.

Love to you all,
Diana

Dearest {{Diana}}}

We all know the pain you are going through right now dear friend - it is one of the hardest decisions we have to make, but they know and you know it is for the right reasons and she has had a wonderful life with you so now you can give her the gift of a dignified death. Sending {{{{big warm hugs}}}}}}}} across the Pond to you sweetie. I am sending out a thank you to dear {{Don Snr}} as I thought of him over Christmas Day when we thought we were going to have to make the decision for {{Chakhotay}}} and how good he was to me on the phone letting me ramble on in the middle of my night when I was spending my last hours with {{{brewster}}} before calling out the Vet. Sending out a ~thought~ for him to have a quick word with you too {{hugs}}} I know that dear {{Chakhotay's}} time is limited and so am appreciating the time he has left on a day by day basis but as you also know it doesn't make the decision any easier.

I know you will let {{Serena}} go with love and a heavy heart and she will be at the Rainbow Bridge for you when it is your time {{{{more hugs}}}}

Sending love, and {{healing energies))) to you across the Pond...

always

mermaid...xxx

Dearest Liz,

Thank you so much for your loving energies and understanding {{hugs}}

I was able to hold my little sweetie in my arms and help soothe and comfort her as she prepared to cross the Rainbow Bridge. She looked up into my eyes, holding my own, not in panic or betrayal, but with what seemed to be scanning me to see if I was going to be alright without her. I smiled and told her how much I loved her. I thanked her for all of her years of devotion and companionship, and for being such a HUGE presence in my life. I told her that I would miss her so very much, but that it was time for her to let go and be free.

I'd been sending her mental images with soothing words guiding her in what to expect the night before and morning of the day we were to help her transition. Attempting to show her everything to expect, but letting her know she wouldn't be alone, Ed and I would be with her, loving her, and reassuring her.

Perhaps because of her keen awareness (she was always such an intuitive and sensitive soul), or perhaps because of my efforts to "show" her ahead of time what to expect (including the injection and her spirit leaving her little body and traveling to the Other Side), she was so peaceful and serene . . . just like her name implies {smile} I got to hold her close to my chest and kiss her furry little head and whisper love, reassurance, and tenderness in her last few minutes.

Now two profound things happened after she had been freed from her old and ill body. The first of these was as Ed, Janelle, and I were driving home about ten minutes after leaving the Vet Hospital. Ed suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my God! Look at that! It's coming over us!" He was seated in the back seat, pointed to the rear window. A white dove was headed straight for the Explorer, and flew right over the vehicle, a few yards before us, then up and up it went into the sky until we lost track of it. We all felt the same thing, that it was a Messenger Guide showing us that Serena was being carried safely ~Home.~ To add to the awesome event, when we got home at phoned Mom to tell her about the Dove incident, she told us tearfully that she'd asked for Serena to be carried home on the wings of a Dove.

The second event happened around Dad. I'd asked him to be with her, and to please give me his customary sign of a penny in an obvious place if he was going to be able to "pull it off." Keep in mind, I'd not said anything to Ed about this, so there's no way anyone could've known. When we got home, I went into the bathroom, and there on a ledge running around the sink, was a penny head's up. Now, I was the last one in the bathroom and out the door on the way to the Vet Hospital, and that penny had NOT been there when we left, but there it was upon our return!

Later, when Ed was outside talking to some concerned neighbors about how we were doing after having to say goodbye to our loved one. I was holding Serena's favorite blanket and sending her my love, asking if she was happy and at peace. What followed was a brief but extremely intense vision of her being held in my Dad's arms. He appeared to be in his mid-30s and was just beaming, and she was like she'd been at about the age of five or six years old, vibrant and alert.

So, despite the fact that I miss my dear little Serena's presence with us, I know she made it safe and sound to the other side, and that one day, she will greet us again when it's our turn {smile}

Love,
Diana

Dearest {{Diana}}}}

Just popping in to leave your a {{{big warm hug}}} and thank you for sharing {{serenas}}} departure for the Rainbow Bridge. How lovely it was to also receive those messages and I just knew that dear {{don Snr}} would let you know {Smiling}

I would have written before but I have been suffering a massive head cold for the past couple of days and it has been challenging enough to just get things done here and the animals outside and dogs walked etc. Dorothy yesterday was brilliant because when she arrived she took the youngsters so I could do the sheep and walk Chakhotay round the garden so that saved me the challenge of trying to breathe coming back up from the quarry. {chuckle}

He {{chakhotay}} is doing well, the painkillers are helping to keep him mobile and his shoulder seems to be healing well also. They all seem to have adjusted to their new routine now it is just a little harder on me with the extra walking exercise but hey ho I could do with losing some weight! {smile}

I nearly have the ORC web site sorted out with a few more new pages to do and then I can actually devote some time for my own writing. I am so sorry that I haven't contributed much in recent months but am sure that it will change and the Universe will allow me some more time {smile}

Thank you again {{diana}} for sharing your experience and when we get to the Rainbow Bridge ourselves there is going to be such a welcome from our four leggeds that have gone before us isn;t there? {Smile}

Sending love and {{{more hugs}} to you dear friend...

always

mermaid...xxx

Hello again {smile}

I also wanted to leave a line to say that I hope all are well (I know I have to go through the end of the 2013 string to go through the posts) and I will respond to them over the weekend if not before.

In the meantime I would be grateful if you would you hold dear {{Hathor}} in your thoughts as she has been having a challenging time with her husband being taken ill. She did write to me when it happened but I don't want to share the details here without her permission. If you could hold them both in your thoughts and send some {{energies}}} that would be brilliant and I am sure will be much appreciated {Smile}

Will be back soon.... tl then

leaving a {{{warm group hug}} to {{all}} who may enter and sending out {{healing energies}}} to those who need them.

With love always

mermaid...xxx

Dear Diana,

I am just so sorry at your loss. Heartbreaking as ever and it never gets easier does it?. On the URL included is this post is a thought for you.

Northwind always told me that animals don't mind if they are here or not, but like all creatures, they don't want to suffer. As loved ones they stay with us (our place is getting a bit crowded!). Sadly, we have to endure the painful decision and the "loss". Not nice.

Curiously I have just answered a question in the Astrology Community about cats. No life is worthwhile unless one has a cat. A true measure of your humanity, is if a cat loves you.

God speed Serena. Be back soon or send a friend. Love from Catworld.

Dear Hathor and Mermaid,

Thank you both so much for your wonderful energies, compassion, and understanding.

Hathor, after reading our dear Mermaid's post, I've been sending out supportive energies your way and hoping that things are going better for you and your husband. It seems that these times are so challenging for all of us, but one of the most remarkable things about this spot on the internet, is that Mermaid has created a safe and loving place in which we can all come together in times of joy and sorrow to share our thoughts and feelings with one another, and receive unconditional positive regard from all of our dear friends here. Sending more loving thoughts your way as I type these words {{hugs}}

I read somewhere yesterday, that 2014 is actually the beginning of the new century, not 2000. Many believe that this will be a pivotal year for humanity, and it certainly seems to be shaping up that way for many of us thus far.

Leaving love for all who enter,
Diana

Hello dear friends [smile}

We have jut had a couple of wonderful sunny days (although very cold) in readiness for when the rain returns on Wednesday. Thanks to your energies dear {{chakhotay}} is doing very well and the tramadol agree with him so I have taken him into the long paddock every afternoon on his own so he can have a look around and a wander although not for too long. I know he would dearly love a quarry walk as he heads straight to the gate but I am sure that right now it would be a bit too much for him. No point in knackering him right out just for a moments pleasure for him though he would probably disagree. {smile} I took Nelson out in the car this afternoon for a trip down to the vets as I had to pick up some more tramadol for chakhotay so he had a nice little ride out without the trauma of having to actually go inside the vets! {chuckle}

I must admit I have not done a lot these past couple of days as my asthma has been quite bad but that is probably not a bad thing though I still have to knuckle down and get the ORC website finished. I might do a couple or three pages this evening.

{{diana}}} hope you are doing ok sweetie with the empty space at home. Sometimes it is a relief knowing that our four leggeds are not suffering any more but the empty space is still there. I know I have to prepare myself for dear {[chakhotay’s}}} leaving us but the Universe is giving us (and him) a little respite for now so we are enjoying every bit of it. {Smile}

Interesting you saying about 2014 actually being the start of the 21st century as I read that there only a couple of days ago as well so we will see what it brings. I shall be glad when the cold wet weather is over as it is not doing my joints any good at all even though I do love the white frost mornings when I go out with the two youngsters {Smile} There has just been a lovely sunset and it is brilliant that the days are finally getting a little longer minute by minute now that we are past the solstice. It is still very dark here in the mornings though which doesn’t make it nice for getting up I must admit. Looking at my long terms transits for this coming year I see I will still have ole Saturn doing a couple of numbers on me so will just go with the flow and take it each day at a time.

How is {{Ed}} doing as reading back he has been having one heckuva time of it. Did you get the results back of his MRI scan and what is happening with the new chemo? Sorry questions there as I know you have been focussed on dear {{serena}} but I did want to catch up with what is happening with {{Ed}}. Sending him some {{{healing energies}}} as well as some extra ones for you {{{big warm hugs}}}}

{{Hathor}}} hope that Keith is on the mend now and that you are not having any more sleepness nights {{{hugs}}} I tried to go to the web site address you left but can’t access it. I think it is sad that AC has died down so much – I guess that more people are using Facebook now. It was wonderful in its heyday but people branch off into different places don’t they? It’s part of life and quite a few have also passed away as well. It brought me a lot of pleasure and also a lot of lessons but I am always thankful for the time spent there with likeminded people, a lot of whom I was also fortunate to meet in ~real life~. {smile} I don’t post much in Facebook as I always feel if I can’t write a post in here due to lack of time then I am not going to put long posts on my FB page. At least people can get in touch with me through there if they need to. {smile} Hopefully you will pop in here more frequently as and when your own ~now~ permits. Sending {{{hugs}}}} to you and some extra {{{healing energies}}} for Keith for a quick recovery. {smile}

{{{elfina}}} having just read back through some of the posts in the other string and this one I see that you will have left for your cruise yesterday. I hope that you and Pat are having a lovely restful time on the high seas and hope that you are also having some lovely weather as well as r and r. {Smile} We had a quiet Christmas as well with just the two of us and we really enjoyed it. Olly, Emma and the children have now arrived back from their visit to Australia so will be seeing them all soon as we are booked to all go to a pantomine next week. I was wondering why you are not driving whilst down in Florida? Mind you I sometimes have to drag myself out of the house and into a car to go down to town. Must be a winter thing for me. I do hope that Pat’s knee surgery goes well for him. Mine have been giving me problems but then I didn’t have a replacement on the right knee just a clean up so as to speak. My neighbour is diabetic and she had a replacement done and it had to be done under a local anasthetic as she is diabetic. Paul nearly passed out at the thought of it though she said to me that it was fine. At least Pat will have the warm weather there rather than the winter – I know Jane (neighbour) was going a bit stir crazy as she was stuck in the house with the weather being too bad to walk outside. I know you won’t be back until next weekend but at least you will have this to read on your return. Sending out {{{warm hugs}}} across the Pond to you dear friend and looking forward to hearing all about your trip {smile}

{{robynne}}} sheesh I am so sorry that I didn’t respond to your posts! That diagnosis does not sound too good sweetie so please let us know how you are doing? I see the house has been sold so do you have a different email address now as well ? If you can drop me an email with your new address that would be great. It felt quite strange doing my Christmas cards and not sending one to you so will have to make up for it next Christmas. In the meantime I hope that things are ok for you and sending a {{{big warm hug}} together with some {{{healing energies}}}} to help ease your MS. {{more hugs}}}

{{{kermit}}} thank you for the photos dear friend and am glad you enjoyed the doggie ones I sent you {smile} Time just keeps moving on doesn’t it and soon it will be our own solar returns coming up. In the meantime Paul’s is due first – it is hard to believe that he is going to be 67 this time – mind you from his aches and pains it sometimes seems more! {chuckle} Hopefully you and {{diana}} are not suffering with that polar weather that I have been reading about over here in our papers. It has looked really dreadful and even pictures of Niagra Falls frozen up as well! Hope all is well with you and B2 dear friend and sending love and {{{warm hugs}}} across the Pond to you both {smile}

Well looking at the time I think I will pop this post in for now. I have been writing it on and off in a word document so please forgive me if I haven’t responded to all questions etc. My new year’s resolution is to make more time for here. {Smile} I hope {{all}} are well and am leaving a {{{warm group hug}} to {{all}} who may enter and sending out {{{healing energies}} to those who need them.

With love always

Mermaid…xxx

PS I am also not going to proof read so hopefully it is not too much of a ~rambly ramble~ {smile}

Just spent some time reading back all the posts since the New Year.
Diana I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet kitty. The dove and penny appearing are true signs that the spirit lives on and that we do go to a better place when we pass.

Hathor, I hope your husband is all right and fully recovered from whatever happened.
I am so worried about my Pat as he is not looking forward to the knee replacement on the 3rd of Feb. He is in a lot of pain now and I pray the operation makes it better. We know it will take time to heal. I'm not looking forward to spending the next 5 weeks at home.

Robbyn, I hope you are feeling all right and all settled into your new place happily.

Kermit hope the winter is treating you well. We are having a cold snap here in Florida too. We even have the heat on in the house which is something we try to avoid. Scooter is still with us. He is the sleepiest dog I have ever seen. All he does is eat, sleep and pee which I guess is not such a bad thing after all.

Mermaid, I really do understand your not posting in here that often. It is lovely when you do stop by and I am always grateful to come here and see a post from you.
I hope your asthma is on the mend, my sister suffers from it and I can sympathize with you as its horrible not to be able to get a full breath of air.
We had a nice time on the cruise relaxing. We really did not do much but eat and sleep kind of like Scooter. Took a tour of Jamaica's Fern Gully and spent the afternoon at a nice beach there. We snorkeled a little in Grand Cayman but it was a little chilly and rainy most of the day. In Cozumel Mexico, we walked around the shops for a little but didn't buy anything. We returned to the ship and had the hot tub to ourselves which was great. Next week Pat has 3 days of post operative care at the hospital with tests and orientation so am glad we had a little time to play before the seriousness starts. My son John arrived a few days ago which makes me very happy. Liz, driving down here has become a nightmare. There are so many
people on the roads and I have a lot of difficulty changing lanes as my side
vision is very poor and the new Pathfinder is very big. John will be doing the driving as Pat won't be able to for quite a while.

Asking you all to keep Pat in your thoughts with healing energies on the 3rd of Feb. I know he will need it.

Hello dear friends {Smile}

Paul is out for the whole day so I have the house to myself until about 6pm tonight. It is quite a luxury for me to just mooch about on my own with the dogs as Paul is home nearly all of the time now (also with us working from home) so this is just lovely for me. {Smile}

We have had a heckuva week since last Saturday with a sick Nelson having gastritis again. Without going into too much bleurgh details I have spent last weekend and up til Wednesday clearing up after him. We had to go to a pantomine last Saturday with children and grandchildren (which was lovely) and so Dorothy came to house and dog sit whilst we were away. Nelson started getting sick Friday night and so I starved him and gave him medication (that I always have) to bind him up a bit. He was sick again Saturday morning so I called the vet, said what I was doing (which is what they recommend anyway as the first protocol) and asked which vet was on duty over the weekend just in case we needed one. There was a locum vet on duty at the other branch for the weekend.

When we went to go to Ipswich for lunch and the matinee pantomine we found that the tailgate to the Volvo wouldn’t close so took paul’s car instead. When we got back (after a most enjoyable afternoon) Dorothy said that Nelson had been sick twice but just small amounts. She is so good as I had said to her that if there were any problems or she was worried to just text me and I would come home straight away as we were only a maximum of 20 minutes away. Once we had been home a little while Nelson was sick again so Paul decided to call the vet for advice (bearing in mind Noosa and Kirri though at least it wasn;t the same kind of sickness).

I think the stress factor then increased 50 fold as she said if we were nervour about him we would have to drive him out to where she was (a 25 minute drive round a narrow, bendy country road – not the one mile trip into Hadleigh). Paul explained that the tailgate wouldn’t close so we couldn’t risk putting him in the back of the car. This is where sometimes I think that common sense has flown away from the planet as she then suggested getting a taxi or neighbour to bring him!!??!! (As if a taxi driver is going to allow a vomiting dog in his vehicle or a neighbour if they had a suitable car which they don’t). We might have risked it for one mile but not 25 minutes going round bendy roads which would have made him sicker anyway.

Paul asked about a home visit and she then informed him that the vets health and safety rules were that a female locum could not visit a clients house on her own and that she would have to have a nurse with her and this together with consultation would then cost in the region of £300 with treatment drugs extra (!?) Paul explained that we had been with the practise since 1982, long term clients etc etc but to no avail. We said that as Nelson dappeared to be fairly comfortable in himself that we would wait til the next day and see how he was in the morning. We were left feeling fairly shell shocked after that as we have always had a good relationship with our veterinary practice. I woke up in the early hours of Sunday morning with a ~what if~ thought about chakhotay ie what if he suddenly went down and we had to have a visit to help him to the Rainbow Bridge that did this now mean that we had to go through this rigmarole if the out of hours duty vet was a locum?

Nelson was still vomiting Sunday but not so much so we waited until Monday and Paul took him down to Hadleigh as he could drive him just a mile in the car. We then went through the second start of the nightmare as we had the same vet who had treated him back in 2012 when he had the same problem who wouldn’t give him the usual anti nausea injection and antibiotic injection followed by anti biotic tables and stomach liner pills but said she wanted to try and different route! Bearing in mind we had had the same thing happen in 2012 resulting in an extra 24 hours vomiting etc before they went the tried and trusted route that worked! When Paul got back I said did he get the anti nausea injection etc and Paul said no she was trying something different. I had said there should have been a note on our file as after the last debacle Richard (the senior veterinary partner) had apologised over what happened then and said that if it occurred again that they would try the tried and tested route first and if that didn’t work then to try something different. Needless to say the treatment she prescribed didn’t work so another 24 hours of him being sick etc and so back to the vet on Tuesday, seeing a different vet to went back to the tried and tested route! I was so angry I didn’t dare post in here and didn’t dare speak to any of the vets as I couldn’t understand why we had gone through it all before! If I had taken him on Monday then I would have insisted but Paul took him to the vet as he is a big boy now and very strong and as he doesn’t like vets anyway I couldn’t have held him to get him in there. Paul didn’t realise/remember what had happened before. Anyway the anti nausea injection worked and the vet gave him the tables that worked but said that he had to continue with the tablets given the day before as these targeted a different area. The outcome was that Nelson developed a total paranoia about taking pills and kept running away from us because of the sheer amount he had to have! It has been a nightmare though fortunately after another phone call to vet we have discontinued the first lot of pills so he now just has one three times a day and one (big one) twice a day the last one is now tonight thank goodness! He is also a lot better and is eating special recovery gastro diet until tomorrow and then I will start to gradually reintroduce some kibble if all continues to go well. It has just been so frustrating to say the least especially with Paul having to force the larger pills down him because before he would just take a pill (as they are in butter) with no problems at all.

Paul emailed Richard on Wednesday to voice his concerns over what had happened with Nelson and also what we would have to do if something happened to Chakhotay out of hours. He received a phone call immediately from Richard apologising for what had happened and promising that it would not happen again as he had put a note on the computer in capital letters saying what treatment should be done in case of vomiting recurring in future. He said that the locum had got things wrong and that if we require a house visit that they would be instructed they didn’t need to bring anyone with them as we were a well know long term cient (this is because female vets not visiting unknown clients on their own are for security’s sake). He also reassured us that when Chakhotays time does arrive (hopefully not yet) that either himself or Tom (the other senior partner) would come out themselves.

I must admit I have just been exhausted with all the extra stress yet thanks to a plea to Raphael he seems to be well on the mend now and took his pills from me this morning. He is bossing chakhotay around and seems to be getting back to his bolshie self – I suppose the only “good” thing from it was that the other two had a break from his boisterous ways though I just don’t want to have that another time for sure!

Well that is my recount rather than rant, of the past week {smile}. I can smile now because he is on the mend and hopefully everyone can now relax again as I am going to do today although I do want to catch up with some work stuff that has built up because of nelson watching and cleaning up after. {smile}

On a nice note (especially with nelson recovering) it was Paul’s birthday yesterday and we did go out for a meal in Hadleigh with the children on Thursday night instead of last night as he had an early start this morning. He had some lovely presents which he can enjoy in the coming weeks/months so that finished the week on a nice note thank goodness. {smile}

On a different note (at last!) it is lovely to see a post from you dear {{elfina}}} {smile}

I will be keeping {{Pat}} in my thoughts the one consolation he will have is that although the recovery time takes a while at least whilst the pain continues after the surgery he can know that it will stop once he has healed rather than having the ongoing pain (if that makes sense?). I started a diet last Sunday as I have to lose some weight which will ease the stress on my own knees (and my jeans are getting a tad tight {grin}. I have manage to lose 5 pounds thus far so it is a start – every little helps for sure {smile}.

My athsma has been bad this week but that is also because of the stress as well as the weather. I have just tripled up my inhalers which is helping. I think not getting enough oxygen at times knackers me out as I get tired so easily at the moment – of course that could be an age thing as well couldn’t it? I have to remember that I will be 65 next birthday and can’t do the same things as when I was 40! Mind you the body reminds me when I do try! {chuckle}

Aww bless Scooter – Chakhotay is the same now he just sleeps a lot and eats and does go outside for a woof at the world. He is confined to garden walkabouts now although I have taken him into the long paddock on a lead and he enjoys that. He gets breathless as well so we both stop and rest and then continue the walks. The vet said to Paul that it is normal for him and we are pleased that he is still with us and happy in himself although he is very creaky and back end gets wobbly. As long as he is ok that is the main thing and he has outlived all of the other german shepherds now bless him. Richard said that if he is still here for the spring and warmer weather then he could probably go on a bit longer but I am taking it one day/week at a time and enjoying him whilst he is still here. {smile}

Your cruise sounded lovely – what I would give for a hot tub as well. Do you still have yours in florida? I would love to just get on a ship and sleep and do nothing at the moment {grin} I can understand how you feel about driving as I try not to drive much at night now as I get a bit nervous about my night vision and headlights blinding me from other cars. Paul has been good about that and driven me down to the shops or mail these past few weeks (when I have had to go to the post office) as, although the days are getting longer, it still gets dark at 4.30. At least they are slowly getting longer now and only a couple of months or so until the Spring Equinox. At least I now take the dogs out for their late afternoon walk around 4.15 rather than 3pm now {smile}

I can’t imagine you having to put the heating on in Florida! Mind you from reading the news the US has been having awful weather with all the snow and freezing everywhere hasn’t it? They are forecasting it getting colder here next week which in some ways will be good as the cold can kill off the bugs and germs around. I feel for the people further south though as more heavy rain is on the way and the floods are bad there already without more on the way. Snow is forecast for the north so whether we end up with some as well will wait and see. Late January/February is usually when we get snow here in the East but fingers crossed that we don’t get too much.

Well it appears it is feast or famine re posts from me doesn’t it {chuckle} Nelson and Shula have just come up to me so I think I had better pop this post in and go make a start on doing some of my catch up things {smile} Before then….

{{Hathor}} I owe you an email and will write over the weekend. Hope {{Keith}} is now much improved.

{{Diana}}} Hope you are ok sweetie.

{{{Kermit}}} Hope you and {{B2}} are well also dear friend.

I hope that everyone is ok and not undergoing too many stressful times. Am leaving a {{{warm group hug}} to {{all}} who may enter and sending out {{{healing energies}}} to those who need them.

Love always

Mermaid…xxx

PS am not going to proof read this ramble so hope it is reasonably coherent {smile}