Free Your Faces!

                                           Picture by Reiffhaus

This “pandemic” is different for everyone. Some believe the hype and follow all the protocols. Some go against the grain and go about their business like everything is fine. 

Initially, I was going along with the recommendations because I was put on a “self quarantine” order from my job because Mase had gotten sick and it was “inconclusive” on whether it was COVID-19 or not. I was scared for my child! I was looking for guidance from my job on dealing with my time off and couldn’t get any answers or really any response. My anxiety kicked in and I was frantic! The world was shutting down around me and I felt helpless! I drove my family crazy to the point where they didn’t want to speak to me because my mind was going a mile a minute with all of the hysteria that was being fed to me. I took a step back. I started researching and really listening to what was being reported.

In order for me to work, I was told that I have to wear a mask. I have anxiety. Multiple times a day I have panic attacks while wearing a mask. I have a paper that states that I cannot wear a mask for health reasons and that if asked, the person/people can be fined. I cannot use it at work for fear of being told to not return to work. If I don’t work, I cannot provide health care for my family. I was on leave from work for 40 days and finally got my unemployment money at the end of my second week back at work. I emailed my Governor about his mandate and was given a blanket response restating the mandate. Why should people have to put their mental and physical health on the line in order to provide for their families?! 

By no means am I saying to completely throw caution to the wind. It should be common practice to wash your hands and if someone is elderly or in poor health then be mindful and keep your distance. If you want to wear a mask, that is your choice. Making it mandatory is completely wrong. 

I do personally know of several people who have tested positive and have recovered from COVID-19. We should all be able to go and live our lives unmasked! Standing in lines to enter a store sounds a lot like communist Russia. Wearing masks everywhere sounds a lot like communist China. All they want is control over the masses! Think for yourselves!

And for a little realism and hilarity...if two butt cheeks, underwear and pants can’t hold in a fart, do you really think your mask is working? 

I’m sure a lot of people are going to unfriend me over this and that’s ok. I’ve never been the girl who followed along with the status quo, I’ve always done my own thing. Plus, I’ve read and listened to enough of your opinions about this, I think it’s only fair to share my own. So, Free your faces and go live your lives! 

Good Night Sweet Girl, Momma Loves You

Sissy was the daughter that I never had. We had 9 years as a Family before we got Rocky and Sissy and I was so overjoyed to have a little girl of my very own! 

She was always waiting at the door after a long day at work, she was the most excited to see me when we got back from a trip and Sis was always ready to snuggle with Momma. Sis was always my sidekick! Whether it was sitting on my lap while I worked on a blanket or laying in bed with me because of back and hip pain. Sis always stuck close to me. 

Such an easy going girl, Sis welcomed 2 new cats into our family with ease, even if the other two were not so accepting. Sis didn’t mind, she would just sit back and hope that one day, they would let her love them and snuggle with them. 

Sis was always the only one who really loved the snow. She’s never walked in it (that would be too messy!) but she loved watching the snow fall, she loved getting a bowl of snow to munch on and she knew that her Momma would want to snuggle with her and a blanket once she got home from work. 

No matter what, Sis always had her brother, Rocky, to keep her company. They are brother and sister from the same litter and they will always have that special bond. Rock was the wild and rambunctious boy and Sis would be the calm, sweet sister that would just let him wrestle with her until she had enough. 

Sis has had some health issues that just popped up out of nowhere. We tried several rounds of medication, and some would work for a little while, but she wasn’t getting better. We were faced with 3 options. We could continue with the medication and keep getting the same results and watch her slowly decline. We could start medical procedures that would likely be an ongoing process of biopsies and trial procedures and put her through a slow decline with a lot of pain. Or we could give her the gift of release and let her go. 

As much as we love Sis, it’s selfish for us to keep her in pain. We had 6 years of love with Sis and now it’s time for us to let her go. Sis will always be my Baby Girl and my Princess. 

Blackie “Sissy” VanBuskirk

3/13-11/19

Cat Momma To The Rescue!

Over the last 5 weeks we have gotten two new Feline Members to our Family. So, the grand total is...1 Dad, 1 Momma, 3 Boys and 4 kitties. 

We got Maggie from a dear friend who had to re-home her. Maggie is the sweetest little cuddle bug! She’s pretty skittish and usually stays in our bedrooms. When it’s time for bed though, Maggie is up on the bed (usually laying on my chest), purring away and giving kisses. 

We got Sox close to 2 weeks ago. Sox was my Grammy and Papahowdy’s cat and with them both gone, Sox needed a new home. Sox has never been around other cats and is used to two very quiet people...and my house has 3 boys. Sox can be sweet but takes awhile to get used to things. 

Rock and Sissy have been great adding 2 new kitty girls to the house. Rock just wants to play all the time and Sis just wants to snuggle them. Thankfully, all 4 babies are able to easily navigate around the house and each other fairly easily. 

However, around the time we got Sox, Sis got sick. We saw puddles of yellow liquid in a couple of places and didn’t think much of it, until we saw that it was coming from Sis. It turns out that it was bile. At first we thought it was a hairball that had gotten stuck, but Sis just not getting better. I put her in bed with me and she curled up around my arm and she stayed there from 9:30pm to 4:30am without moving. My Baby Girl was sick and she needed her Momma. 

I took her to the vet and they did blood work and ex-rays and it turns out that Sis has a few very small stones in her bladder and has some very high liver levels. They gave her some fluids and gave us some meds to give her. We are hopeful that the meds will help take care of everything, but I’ve been watching her like a hawk. 

Sis was very weak and jaundiced and wasn’t able to eat or drink anything, when I took her in to the vet. Now, she’s eating and drinking (she’s also getting treats after every medication time) and her sweet, little nose has finally turned pink again! She’s perking up more and more each day, but we will know for sure once we go for her follow up appointment once she’s done with her meds. For now, it’s meds, treats and all of the Momma snuggles she wants. 

I’m Back!

Hey everyone! Long time no blog lol! 

So...life happened and things got busy, but I’m back! 

So many things have happened over the last few months. Some highs and some lows. But, for right now, I’m going to focus on this memory and ease back in. 

Holiday Hiatus!!!

Hey Ya’ll!!! I’ve been busy with my (day) job and with preparing for the Holidays that I just forgot about the Blog!

I am taking a Holiday Hiatus from the Blog. I want to be able to focus on my Family and celebrating! There will be nothing new until after January 1, 2019.

Enjoy celebrating with your Families! There will be so many fun things coming!

See you in 2019!!!

Make It Count!

Good Election Day Morning Everyone!!!!

I remember as a young child, going to the poling locations where my Mom or Grandma were volunteering. Seeing all of the people flooding in, the ballots being handled out, ballots being put into the locked boxes and the stickers at the end. It was something that I looked forward to participating in when I got older.

Today, my Boys had the day off from school and I took the day off of work to spent it with them. It doesn’t always happen, but today I was able to take my Boys with me when I voted.

We walked into our poling location and I handed over my driver’s license. As I was being handed my ballot, one of the Poll Workers said “Have a great time voting! Have a great rest of your day! Hey Boys, go watch your Mom vote and be proud of her!” It was sweet and put a huge smile on my face.
I voted and we each got a “I <3 Voting” sticker.

I encourage everyone to do your civic duty and vote!

Kitty Love

Kitty Cat Cuddle Crochet Party