Not so scary cartoon witches
Bats, a full moon, pumpkins, plastic skeletons, scary costumes mean it’s time to celebrate Halloween!
Happy Halloween!
Author Archives: M. E. Murray
Saint Francis of Assisi Feast Day
October 4, 2018 was St Francis of Assisi’s feast day. He is the patron saint of animals and the environment. Many churches and religious communities celebrate his life, and priests also bless people’s pets.
I don’t have a picture of St. Francis; however, there is a water color painting I made as a teenager at my parents’ home. For the time being, the best I can do to honor him is with picture of a statue and his prayer. I’ve had it for a long time and say it everyday. Here it is:
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
I haven’t been to a blessing of the animals. Have you been able to attend one at your church?
My second publication!
Doing the Happy Dance!
The Quilt
by M. E. Murray
July,8, 2018 I received an email from Mr. Garry Somers telling me that my short story, “The Quilt”, was accepted for publication in the Sept. issue of The Blotter magazine. Again, I cried. My husband asked me if I was going to cry every time a publisher accepted one of my stories. Tears running down my cheeks, I found it difficult to speak, so I nodded and grabbed some facial tissues to wipe my eyes and blow my nose.
If you would like to read the story click here.
I had asked Mr. Somers, via email, if I could have a copy of the magazine. On Sept.21, 2018, I was pleasantly surprised when he sent me six courtesy copies of “The Quilt”. What a nice gentleman!
Mariachi Vargas
August 12, 2018. My husband and I saw the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan perform at Will Rogers Auditorium.
I listen to La Ranchera 106.7, a Mexican radio station, or to KLUV 98.7 when I write. The background music doesn’t bother me. When I get caught up in writing a story, I don’t even notice the radio blaring my favorite songs.
But, this morning I was listening to La Ranchera when all of a sudden I heard the D. J. mention that the Mariachi Vargas was coming to Fort Worth. Wow! Talk about getting excited! I immediately told my husband that we had to go to the concert because this mariachi is a famous group. Seeing them perform would be a once-in-a lifetime experience. So, he ordered tickets through the internet and we went.
The performance was long, about 3 hours. Another mariachi and artists performed during the first half of the program. By the time the Mariachi Vargas appeared, I wasn’t worth shooting because of the fibromyalgia pain. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun listening to Mexican ranchera oldies.
I tried my best to take pictures with my camera, but the area was too dark. I had trouble finding the buttons on the camera, but I got some pictures. They’re not great, but at least I have them.Many folks were videotaping the performance with their smart phones. They probably got some good shots and videos.
I’m glad we went to see the mariachi. We needed a break from all the stressful moments we have experienced since the latter part of April.
Viva Mexico! Every song the mariachi played, I recognized. The best part was that they surprised me at the end of the show by playing “El Son de la Negra.”
Kliban and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Kliban, my quasi-feral cat
July 18, 2018, we are used to having our cats cough up a furball every once in a while, but Kliban started vomiting often. That worried us, so we took him to our veterinarian. He recommended a change in diet and gave him some medication. According to the vet, cats normally vomit once or twice a month.
The vomiting slowed down, but Kliban was still vomiting more than usual. We took him to the vet again. He suspected irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and recommended an ultrasound scan. So, on the day after Labor Day, very early in the morning, my husband took Kliban for his ultrasound. I stayed home, tears in my eyes, hoping and praying that Kliban would be all right.
That same day I got a call about 9 AM that the ultrasound had already been performed. The radiologist had noticed an enlarged lymph node close to the small intestine. Other than that there were no signs of cancer. He wanted to perform a needle biopsy, so I woke up my husband, who likes to sleep late, and the three of us talked but decided against the needle biopsy. I hope we made the right decision because the needle biopsy in Twister’s case did not help. A tissue sample would have been better, but we had been through so much with Twister that we also decided against this procedure.
Kliban resting
Kliban is home now. We feed him a prescribed diet and he was on a medication for intestinal bacterial parasites for three days. He looks so much better. He eats his prescribed diet/food and has not vomited. He’s back to sleeping on my lap, getting brushed, and his tummy hair is growing back; it had to be shaved to perform the ultrasound. So far, he seems to be fine. And I pray that he stays well.
My First Fiction Publication!
Doing the Happy Dance!
The Yellow Ribbon
by M. E. Murray
June 7, 2018. In addition to the good news about Twister, as I finished working on one of my short stories and getting ready for supper, I saw an email whose heading indicated that one of my stories had been accepted by a publisher. I didn’t read it because I had to eat . In the kitchen, I told my husband about the email. Well, my husband is a very impatient person. He didn’t wait. He ran to my computer and read it. “It is true,” he reported. “Your story, THE YELLOW RIBBON, has been accepted by a magazine.”
I couldn’t believe it. I was very happy, but I have that Latin culture that reacts to good news by crying. So, I cried! That was my way to show that I was extremely happy. An editor appreciated my story and my writing! I was finally going to be a published writer.
If you want to read “The Yellow Ribbon” click here.
Celebrating Father’s Day
June 16, 2018. For me, Father’s Day is a special time to officially thank our Lord for protecting and helping us in so many ways and our fathers who as disciplined role models unselfishly molded us into responsible, caring, successful beings.
Father’s Day afternoon my husband started clearing the yard of all debris that might get Twister in trouble. Meanwhile, although I feared getting a Fibro flare-up, I started to pick up the logs that apparently Twister had tumbled from the firewood rack. As I cleared the area where the logs had fallen, I discovered that the shed had termite damage because the logs had fallen close to the shed and had been there for a while, a few months or longer. I told my husband, and he moved the firewood rack to another spot away from the house and the shed.
In addition, when the logs hit the side of the shed, they created dents and holes on the wall. And Twister more than likely continued to enlarge the holes to chase an animal that had crawled into the shed. So, my husband sealed the holes with plywood.
In the meantime, I picked up logs and loaded them on the rack. When I finished, I noticed that our stack of bricks had been disturbed. Some had landed on the back side of the shed. As I removed some bricks, I discovered another hole. This one was large! Again, I suspected Twister was responsible. He was probably trying to get an animal that had gone into the shed. So, my husband had to patch the hole with plywood.
This is how we spent Father’s Day. And as a reward for having worked so hard, we went out for supper at Furr’s cafeteria. My husband loves their liver dish, beans, pastries, and salads. How did you spend Father’s Day?
Twister-friendly yard
June 21, 2018, we got the ultrasound results. There was no indication in the ultrasound pictures to indicate that there was any cancer in Twister’s foot. The scratches on his neck are gone. He’s healthy and as strong as an ox. The veterinarians and technicians agreed.
Now all we need to do is to keep a close watch on his foot. In about three months another ultrasound will be performed to make sure that Twister ‘s foot is okay. In the meantime, we’ll walk Twister with a leash until the backyard is Twister-friendly.
Twister’s not too happy with the arrangement. He’s used to inspecting the yard on his own, but we are concerned that he might reinjure himself. We suspect that he knocked down the pile of firewood on the firewood rack and the bricks we had stacked on the back side of the shed.( I have no idea how he knocked down the stack of firewood and the bricks. I suppose he saw something move, such as a lizard, and then relentlessly dug into the stack of firewood until it landed on the side of the shed. Then he continued to dig until he made bigger holes. The same story probably happened to the toppled bricks. In this case, Twister made a large hole, trying to get to a possum.)
Our yard is now Twister-friendly. The shed is patched. The bricks have been moved to another spot. The area around the shed is clear. But, we probably need to replace the shed. Should it be replaced with one made out of resin, wood, or steel? Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your prayers.
Raw Skin on Twister’s Neck
June 2, 2018 . We noticed a skin rash on Twister’s neck. We suspected that the cone rubbing on his neck was responsible. My husband took him to Dr. Doolittle who recommended the following: Neosporin and another medication. For the time being, in order for his skin to heal, he is wearing no collar and no harness. Bob takes him out for a walk in our backyard regularly and only puts the harness on during that time. During this time we did not let Twister wear his collar. Besides, he’s always inside with us, so there is no chance that he would get lost. Plus, he’s also microchipped.
June 9, 2018. Bob took Twister to the veterinarian because he was scratching at his neck and irritating the wounds. Our veterinarian told us to wipe the area with a warm, damp clean cloth then apply Neosporin to the area where the skin was raw. The medication that was Apoquel (Oclacitinib)16mg. Give one half tablet by mouth every 12 hours for seven days. Then give one half tablet by mouth every 24 hours until gone.
The vet also noticed a pink area in Twister’s tummy. The vet suspected the pink area was due to an allergy. Twister no longer has the pink area.The medication helped to get rid of this. He scratches a little which is normal. His neck is better.
June 11, 2018. Because we were worried about fleas bothering Twister, we started scattering diatomaceous earth in our backyard, especially in the areas where Bob takes Twister for a stroll. Twister is still taking his meds. But he only wears his harness when he goes for a walk. He looks so much better and the wounds on his neck that were caused by the scraping of that stiff cone are healing.
We are also trying to patch up the holes that Twister made in our backyard tool shed. Apparently, he must’ve seen something go in there and was trying to capture it. (Maybe that’s how he injured his foot.)
To keep Twister away from the tool shed, my husband set a have a heart trap inside the shed. He captured a possum and released it in a habitat near a creek where he would be happier. He repeated the procedure on another day and captured a field mouse that he also released in the same area.
A Better Way to Make Twister Swallow a Pill
May 22, 2018. Twister’s stitches and cone were removed. During this time Twister had to take medications. One was a pill that he just didn’t like. Maybe it had a bitter taste. Anyway, he just didn’t want to take it even if we inserted the pill in a weiner or coated it with butter. But, my husband was smart. Fortunately, my husband knew dogs liked peanut butter. He knew about this from seeing a dog show where an object containing peanut butter entertained the dog while the owners were away. So, he lightly coated the pill with peanut butter and handed it to Twister who devoured the pill as though it was a dog treat..
Did you know that dogs like peanut butter? For sure, I didn’t know!
M. E. Murray 
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