The Radula

Identity Theft: I NEVER thought it would happen to me.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:12:00 +0000

Yesterday I received an email confirming installation of a top-of-the-line, high priced TV/Phone/Internet bundle at an address I haven't lived at in 5 years. The email (and attached bill) were in my name, with my last phone number and social security number. I've canceled the install, and am awaiting the police now to file a report.

I never thought this would happen to me because..

(a) I have very little income (I'm on Social Security Disability). I thought this kind of thing only happened to rich people.
(b) I don't have great credit. I've been working to repair my credit for years, but divorce and chronic illness have taken their toll.
(c) I don't have money in the bank or any investments. My average daily balance is somewhere around $2.

I suspect that I know how the (yet unidentified) people got this information. One of the problems with Social Security and Medicaid is that your Social Security number is on EVERYTHING, even letters that go to other people. My son, disabled from birth, receives benefits on my record as a disabled adult, so my information is on his records... records he hasn't seen in months, and which is in the hands of an ex-wife (who refuses to return them) and ex-best friend.

So yes, I also have my suspicions over who might have stolen my identity, especially after discovering that some of that family recently returned to the state after taking off and living out of state for a few months.

I also receive letters on a regular basis from banks I used to do business with or social services stating that my information has been compromised because of record keeping errors, illegal access, or carelessness on the part of paper destruction processes. I actually found out that in Florida, one agency, instead of disposing of paper records properly by sending them to a shredding company, boxed up the old records after scanning them and put the boxes of the original records out on the curb next to the dumpster.

The point here? SECURITY OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IS AN ILLUSION. You don't know who is accessing it, what pieces of paper or electronic information falls into the wrong hands, or who finagles information from people who are supposed to keep your information secure and private.

The way to protect yourself is to keep track of your accounts, check your credit reports annually, and when you see some suspicious activity, track it down, report it, and dispute it.

Me? I'm learning. ANYONE can be the victim of identity theft.

Young Volunteers:

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:15:00 +0000

Photo: Lynn Brown

Well, they certainly aren't the youngest volunteers at El Rancho de las Golondrinas... not by a long shot, but they're my kids, and to see them like this, all grown up and washing wool, warms my heart.

A Wild and Woolly Weekend, Part Two: The Mora Valley Spinning Mill.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:29:00 +0000

The weekend's spring fest offered me an opportunity when I volunteered to deliver the newly sheered wool to the mill in Mora. The ranch produces so much wool, that we'd probably spend the summer washing and carding and wouldn't have time to do the spinning, dyeing and weaving if we didn't send some of the wool out to the mill to be processed.

The drive to Mora was beautiful, going through the Pecos to Las Vegas (NM). Mora is a little town known for it's mills, but mostly grain processing. There is a historical mill museum in the town (which I'll have to go back and visit some day).

The Mora Valley Spring Mill processes wool from all over the world... and I'd guess it's the warmth of the people who work there and their more-than-fair prices that make them so renowned. Mary (a ranch volunteer and friend) and the twins and I were treated to a tour of the mill, which will make it a lot easier for me to answer questions from the visitors to the ranch who want to know exactly how the wool gets from fleece to roving (a question I'm asked often, but can only answer "we take it to a mill and have it processed"... and give the reasons I've already cited above. )

Now I've got the details, and would love to share them here in photos:

I also ended up buying some single ply yarn from the "bargin bin" to dye at the ranch, and some black single ply churro for the three of us to work with as well.

I'm definitely putting this on my list of places to take Ellen when she comes up to visit.

A Wild and Woolly Weekend, Part One: Fiber Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:15:00 +0000

Photo: Lisa Law

But not the way you'd think...

This weekend was the Fiber Festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas. Both girls were working at instructing wool washing with yucca root "soap". I was spinning on the Mexican Spinning wheel, carding, and working teaching children on the new demonstration loom.

It was another fun weekend at the ranch, and I'm learning more and more about wool and the processes involved in producing the yarns we weave with.

Of course I kinda missed being at the dye shed, but it's not my turn EVERY festival... and I look forward to getting back down there, maybe for Spring Fest on June 1st

One of the most interesting things for me to have seen (although I only saw it for a few seconds walking past between the placita and the wool washing) was the fleecing of the sheep. It's something I'd been wanting to see for some time.

What surprised me the most is that the sheep didn't struggle or make a lot of noise. I'd heard some of the ranch guests mention that the sheep really don't like to be sheared, but I have to wonder if the sheep were more placid because the hand shears were used (rather than electric) or because of the skill of the shearer. He'd been working with his father for years, who had been shearing at the ranch for years before that. There's a lot to be said about family and professional pride.

Because I was so busy, I didn't have many photos of the festival itself. It's a newer festival to the ranch, and was fairly quiet, but with the interest in fiber arts (especially in this part of the state) I can see this growing to a major event. Even as small as it was, there was SO much going on, some really amazing vendors, and it resulted in my exciting trip today, which I'll blog in Part Two of A Wild and Woolly Weekend.

Children in Spanish Colonial New Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:46:00 +0000

Today I found this excellent video on YouTube, featuring El Rancho de las Golondrinas, on Spanish Colonial live for children:

Today is the last day for the spring session of Spanish Colonial Days... days set aside at the ranch for field trips and programing specifically for school groups. There will be more Spanish Colonial Days in fall.

This weekend is the Fiber Arts Festival, where we'll be demonstrating wool from shearing sheep, all the way through the process in Spanish Colonial times to weaving rugs. There will also be a number of booths, vendors, and fiber artists.

A Whole Different Dog...

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:27:00 +0000

I haven't posted a lot about my dog, Frodo. In part it's because I was a little worried after Oswin became so ill and we had to return her to the shelter. Shortly after we brought Frodo home he became so possessive and his fear (he is, after all, a very small animal) became such that he was barking and growling at everything and everyone except for Cay and myself.

I was worried he would bite someone (he snapped at a few people) and that he'd also have to go back.

But a little behavioral training, and he's turing out well.

It helps to have a dog that's so smart. He's picked up on some of the basic commands and some tricks already, and has decreased his barking well over 90%.

The biggest change is his appearance. Rather than spending all of his time with his ears pinned back in terror, he's now spending the majority of his time with his ears relaxed or perked forward as he listens and plays.

Sometimes these shelter dogs are a little extra work... but they can be so worth it!

Even Tay (who isn't too keen on dogs) adores Frodo. He's the best thing that's happened to me since Kali.

A quick update on my recent spinning post: Photos are here!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Thu, 09 May 2013 22:39:00 +0000

I thought I'd update the spinning post a little with these two photos of the spinning wheels I use now in addition to spinning with the Navajo spindle (or malacate):

This is Inger, one of our weavers, spinning in the placita with one of the small treadle style spinning wheels...

...and the new Mexican walking wheel.

Battlefield, New Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Thu, 09 May 2013 22:24:00 +0000

I've been busy with Spanish Colonial Days and the end of the school year for my two college freshmen, so I didn't get this post out as quickly as I would have liked. With tomorrow being the very last day of the semester, and the long drive to Las Cruces ahead of me tomorrow, I'll just post some of the best photos from the day rather than doing a longer write-up.

I know I'm not doing this fabulous event justice. But I also know that by the time I get around to writing it, we'll be into the Fiber Arts Festival... which I'll likely be writing a lot about.

Spin

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Sat, 04 May 2013 23:27:00 +0000

First day back at El Rancho de las Golondrinas volunteering, and I ended up learning a new skill... which makes the time so much more interesting for me.

Last year I posted about spinning and weaving, and included some photos and video of me spinning yarn on a malacate or a Navajo spindle. I've used the malacate pretty exclusively since starting at the ranch, and today I was taught how to use two other spinning wheels. Unfortunately Cay was off networking with other volunteers, so the photos in this post are not my own.

The first thing I learned on was a double treadle wheel not terribly unlike this one, which I found online at Bountiful of Livermoor, CO.
It took me a bit to get used to it. For some reason I was spinning counter-clockwise instead of clockwise, which I suppose doesn't make a lot of difference unless you're plying the yard (we don't at the ranch) but I do like to keep with convention. Once I got the wheel going in the right direction, it was fairly easy to spin, and since I'm using by feet instead of my hands to provide the spin, I could use both hands in feeding out the wool, allowing me a great deal of control over the width of yarn I was producing.

I was pretty thrilled with using this style wheel, although I used it as if it were single treadle instead of double, since some of the wheels I'd be using were single anyway.

After working on that for a few hours, I was given the opportunity to work with the latest addition to the exhibit, a Mexican standing wheel.

image: The Spinning Wheel Sleuth

This proved a greater challenge for me, because I had to stop feeding the wool to reach over to crank the handle to turn the wheel.

Now I've seen experienced women who can feed out a steady stream of wool with one hand and make some beautiful, consistent yarn. That's not me. I'm the one who spins, stops and feeds out more wool, spins, then winds the yarn onto the spindle, then feeds out a little more wool before cranking the wheel again.

I thought I was doing pretty well (although I really over-spun the yarn) until I saw a video of a woman in Mexico using this wheel. (and I HIGHLY recommend clicking that link, it's pretty impressive how easy she makes it look.)

Tomorrow I'm heading back to the ranch, and I'll take some photos of our weavers and our wheels... and since it's Battle Field New Mexico at the ranch this weekend, there will also be photos of the rest of the event!

Valles Caldera

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:59:00 +0000

It wasn't exactly what I expected... it was HUGE... and it really changed how I view volcanic activity.

It started out as an extra-credit project for one of Cay's classes. I printed some maps, loaded up the dog and a lot of water, and we headed out. Driving the Jemez mountains up around Bandelier always gives me the willies, because of the hairpin curves around sheer drop offs and towering cliffs. So my heart was already pumping when we drove up State Rd #4 up higher and higher....

and passing through a small arm of Bandelier, and the burn scar that was the Los Conches fire, saw a HUGE flat mossy green valley beyond the trees far below.

That whole mossy green valley, which was in fact covered in grasses and criss crossed with streams coming from the hot springs, was the center of a vast collapsed volcano.

map: www.earthlyissues.com

map: VallesCaldera.com

We were viewing the Valle Grande, an area surrounded by volcanic peaks and small domes produced by the volcano.

Looking at the map, I had no idea of the actual size of the valley, and looking at the valley, I could not imagine the size of the volcano itself.

looking out across the Valle Grande from Route 4

A heard of elk in the Valles Caldera, 15x zoom, then enlarged and cropped.
While it's not such a great photo of elk, it does help give some idea of the size of the Valle Grande.

(click image to read sign)

Most of the Valles Caldera is inaccessible to visitors, being preserved for the research value. Even visitors are limited in most areas of the Valles Caldera, and hiking, photography, and other events are limited in number, location within the preserve, and are supervised. Besides two trails, the Coyote Call and the Valle Grande, you need to schedule hiking in advance. The Coyote Call trail is actually across the highway from the Valle Grande, and the Valle Grande trail runs from the edge of Bandelier to the edge of the Valle Grande. Although it's a steep climb in places, I recommend the later trail.

Valles Grande viewed from the Los Conches Fire burn scar on the Valles Grande hiking trail

While this started out as an extra credit assignment, it turned into a fun day. I'm thinking of going back this summer with both kids, and without the dog, so we can hike the Valles Grande trail from the road down to the valley.

oh, and for the record... here's the extra-credit photo shot:

Note: while pets are allowed in the visitor center and parking lot, as well as along Route 4 and the viewing areas, they are not allowed on the trails or in other areas of the preserve.

While at the visitors center, we found out that there were pika on the preserve. Seeing pika in the wild is something on my bucket list, but they live in an area which is inaccessible to visitors, on the north face of one of the peaks in the park. I won't be seeing any pika in Valles Caldera.

Finding Inspiration (As Seen on FB)

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:38:00 +0000

Usually when I'm posting about facebook graphics and memes I'm talking about stupid. Today I've found a little inspiration in facebook, and I thought I'd share some of it:

This card is based on a quote from a Dr Who episode. It's the kind of thing I think often about, especially when I'm having a blue period, like I am right now.

The death of my cat... the health issues of the dog I'd adopted shortly after and her subsequent return for treatment and (hopefully) re-adoption... the news and the Boston Bombing... and the day to day stresses have all piled up recently to make me just about perfectly miserable.

Just about... but not quite...

Because I KNOW that there are beautiful and wonderful things out there, and that they are unaffected by the things I find so terrible. I know that life goes on with all its wonderful and terrible things...

Which brings me to the second thing I found on FB recently, this quote:

"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid."

-Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words

That just about sums it up. Life is full of the ups and downs, and in this age of information, we're privy to all those downs more often than the "ups". Perhaps the response to tragedy, besides medical help and disaster relief, would be to flood the web with beauty: messages of peace, photos of wonderful things, videos of people engaged in caring and loving actions, and perhaps even more kittehs.

Right now we have so little balance. We're flooded with images of violence and pain. At times it seems like that's all there is in the world. It is not.

and lastly I saw this graphic today:

I have more mixed feelings over this, because while our issues have some sort of ultimate insignificance in the face of infinity, our lives our bounded: birth to death, and all of these issues have more relative significance to us.

On the other hand, if we are narrowing our birth to death experience to just experiencing the pain and the horrors in life, we are neglecting the majority of what's available to us to experience: whether it's birdsong in the wood, or the view of a city at night from a hill outside of town, or the feel of paint and canvas on our fingertips, or the wonder of the stars at night... it may be easier to focus on the suffering, but we need to turn outward and focus on the beauty to find meaning in life.

We don't need to go through the world ignoring the terrible things that happen to others, or the sadness we feel in ourselves... but we can't be so focused on those things that we shut out the joy in life.

Upcoming Event: Santa Fe Fiber Arts Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 03:36:00 +0000

Finding Peace after the Death of a Beloved Pet

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:09:00 +0000

phtoto: Pamela K. Kinney

I almost say, "Hi, Kals!" when I come through the door... just out of habit.

I think I see her out of the corner of my eye sometimes near where her food dish was.

I know she's gone, and it rips a hole in my heart.

The apartment feels empty, and I've been struggling.

There are more feelings then I know what to do with surrounding the loss of my cat to cancer. I cannot express what she meant to me, and I just don't know how to process all the feelings.

I feel guilty that I didn't know sooner. I know it's not my fault, that even the vet didn't see all the cancer. There was nothing on the x-rays, and while there were elevated white cell levels (associated with infection) there wasn't enough to believe that she had cancer anywhere other than her toe. All that rational understanding doesn't change the feeling that somehow I should have known.

I feel guilty for every time I hated cleaning her box, was unhappy with the shed hair, or resented the difficulty of travel with a pet. As if the day to day little abrasions of life meant that I somehow didn't love her enough.

I feel angry that it was cancer that took her away, when we started out dealing with my (erroneous) cancer diagnosis. I know she didn't take my cancer.

I worry that I will never love another animal like I love her. I worry that I will, and that I won't be able to cope with the loss again.

Last night I dreamed of her. I dreamed I could hear and and almost understand her thoughts. She was telling me, in my dream, that she wanted me to stop feeling the pain so intensely that I couldn't feel her love.

Kali and I had 9 wonderful years together. I wouldn't have missed out on those, even if I'd known the pain I'm feeling now... and I know that some day I'm going to want to fill this emptiness again with a pet.

I'm not ready yet. I'll have to fall in love with the pet before I brought it home. And no other animal will replace Kali... but I hope that I'll find another love as fulfilling for both of us as I had with my cat.

Last night I looked. First off I had to research more about pets and cancer, and was crushed to see how many pets actually do die of cancer... that it's such a prevalent feature of aging animals. I don't know how I can stand that again.

But then I thought: I'm so afraid of the pain... do I really want to let the possibility of that pain close me off to the possibility of love? I know that love must come with the possibility of pain and loss.

and I browsed PetFinder.com. I cried when I saw some of the calicos, one of which was marked so much like Kali that I thought my heart would stop with the pain. And I found myself looking at other animals, at their stories, and felt my heart going out to them.

There are so many animals who, like Kali was when I found her at the SPCA in Florida, are in need of loving human care... who have been unloved or uncared for... who are in danger of being euthanized simply because no one will open their home to them.

I'm not ready yet.

But already those animals waiting for homes are whispering in my heart.

Today we lost a loved one to cancer.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:37:00 +0000

Morphine and the Litter Box

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:17:00 +0000

A Kali- cat update:

Kali, in her bed, this afternoon

After struggling with having to force feed her again last night, and noting that she hadn't touched her water dish in 24 hours, and that she had become less rather than more mobile, this morning I called the vet again, and had her in for an afternoon appointment.

When she went in for her first visit last week, just a few days before her cancer surgery, she had already reduced her food and water intake to almost nothing. But she had cancer, and we assumed that like many animals with this kind of cancer, once the amputation was done, she'd bounce back and be her old, normal self in two, maybe three days.

Instead it's all gotten worse.

The hope I had earlier this week has been crushed. She's now having even more difficulty eating. She settles in a spot and doesn't move for hours... like 18 hours... and I actually go in and turn her over because I'm afraid of a kitty version of bedsores. She has cushions all over the house now, but no longer moves from one to the other. She only gets up to go to the litter box, maybe once a day. I bring her food in her bed, and if she won't eat it off the spoon, I have to use a little soft syringe to squirt it gently into the back of her mouth.

She doesn't climb up on the couch, if she comes to the couch after using the litter box, she sits at my feet and cries until I pick her up and put her on the couch.

The doctor found a new large lump on the leg the surgery had been done on, but much higher up on the leg. It wasn't there before, and it's not showing up on x-ray, so we're thinking soft tissue damage. She also has a lump on her head. The doctor thinks she might have bumped her head, but we're going to keep an eye on her.

She's also running a fever now, so she's on different antibiotics, as well as a kitty version of a synthetic morphine-like medication for pain.

She goes back to the vet on Tuesday.

I'm really worried about her.

Kali Update:

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:50:00 +0000

Well, we'd hoped that her cone would come off on Tuesday, but it looks like she's in it for a while longer. She had her leg re-bandaged, although the bandage on the other leg covering the pain medicine patch came off with the pain patch. I was encouraged that she came home and ate a little, but she's still not eating as much as she should, and is still losing a little weight.

I've gone out and gotten her some Science Diet, which she LOVES, but she still isn't eating as much as she should, and she's probably eaten less than a half cup of food in the last two days. We've changed out her food dishes to make it easier for her to eat, and we remove her cone when she's around us, so long as she's not trying to get off her bandage.

At this point we're still waiting for the biopsy on the bones removed during the amputation. It may be a few more days.

She seems to be in a lot less pain right now, although she's still limping slightly. Some of that limp could be due to the discomfort in the foot, some from the presence of the bandage, and some from the arthritis in her hips. She's able to jump up on my bed now, although she tends to stay a lot lower to the floor.

She often sleeps in the small dog bed we've gotten for her, which is in the girl's room, but more often she sleeps on the floor with her head (and cone) on the dog bed, like it's a big pillow. Sometimes she sleeps in the bed with her head on the soft sidewalls of the bed. She seems to like having her head (and the cone) elevated.

Some of my friends have asked why we drive her from Santa Fe to Albuquerque. It's because the vet we know and trust is in Albuquerque. I did call a vet here in Santa Fe, and was told that we could wait for the appointment... which upset me because the day I called, she hadn't eaten much in a few days... and when I called Dr Caffey's office, we got her in the next morning. Yes, it cost more to drive her an hour and a quarter in to the West Mesa, but I want her to have the best care possible.

Right now she's not on any meds. I'd gotten the 2 week antibiotic shot for her instead of trying to get meds into her on a daily basis. Because she doesn't like wet food (what kind of cat is that?) sprinkling or hiding meds in her food is out of the question. We've tried it with glucosamine with no luck. We also have glucosamine loaded cat treats, but Kali isn't terribly fond of cat treats either, except for Whiska's Temptations Cat Treats (Chicken flavor only). She's the pickiest cat I've ever had.

...But she likes to eat moths. Do they have moth flavored cat food?

El Camino Real International Heritage Center

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 14:21:00 +0000

On the way down to Las Cruces to pick up my daughter for spring break, I stopped off at the El Camino Real International Heritage Center. I was rather surprised at the size of the museum, which was dedicated to the "Royal Road" from Mexico City into northern New Mexico. I'd half expected to see a trailer-sized building rather than the expansive education center situated in the middle of nowhere.

The museum is situated in an area of desert away from the Rio Grande River, the river bending away from the trail, while the trail runs pretty straight north and south. This would have been a particularly difficult expanse for those who traveled the trail... an area with no water and few resources.

You can still see a waving line bare of vegetation in areas where the wagons compacted the earth along the trail. One of the things most interesting to me about the trail was discussed in the video, where archeologists walked along the trail and surveyed (but did not remove) artifacts along the way... things like mule shoes, tins from canned goods that came across the Santa Fe trail then back down the Camino Real, and broken bits of iron from the portable forges.

I remember being a kid in the country and going and collecting old bottles from dump sites out in the woods, and wonder how many important historical artifacts have been moved from their original sites, and what they would tell us had they been properly documented... and I also wonder at what point "litter" becomes an "artifact".

The museum is beautiful on the inside, containing a timeline of the trail and visuals (including some artifacts and reproduction pieces) that give insight to life along the trail at various points in history, from the initial exploration of New Mexico up through statehood.

There was a large quantity of interesting interpretive signage in both English and Spanish.

Outside there were walking trails and an overlook.

For me one of the interesting things was the juxtaposition of the modern architecture with the older surroundings, including the horno in the picnic area.

The El Camino Real International Heritage Center offers a number of educational events including trail tours. The website itself seems to be slightly out of date at times (currently), so the best way to be updated on events is to join the mailing list.

Admission is $5, and they don't take plastic, so carry cash or a check. The bookstore does take credit, but is manned by volunteers so has no set hours of operation.

The short amount of time I spent at the museum (an hour and a half) was by no means sufficient to explore the interior or exterior. I plan to go back with the girls and spend more time, and perhaps do a trial tour. The next big trail tour and event is on April 20th, which, unfortunately, is the same day as Santa Fe Jin Matsuri and Earth Day events at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, making it unlikely that we'll make that particular event at El Camino Real.

Kali's home from the hospital

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 01:49:00 +0000

...and doing well. She has a follow up next week. Thanks to all who helped out with the cost of her surgery!

Video du Jour...Susan Cain: The power of introverts

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:38:00 +0000

Kali's Surgery Update:

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:01:00 +0000

Thanks to Sara, DeeAnne, Mara, Janet, and Karin, we've raised $65.87 toward Kali's surgery tomorrow! Thanks also to Joyce, who has pledged $100. I was so surprised and happy to see my friends rally around Kali. My heart was so warmed when I opened my email this morning and saw those expressions of care!

Kali (2007)

I'm glad we got her in to the vet when we did. The doctor says that most times people don't realize what this is until it's advanced to the point where the claw actually falls off and the cancer has spread up the toe. She'll only be losing two bones, the one that's disintegrated and the one behind it.

I can't imagine how painful it must be to have a bone disintegrate like that, but I guess it totally explains why she won't eat or drink. I'm so proud of her for being as good as she is during this. She still purrs, and wants to be close to us, and yesterday morning she actually tried to play a little (from a lying down position, but she was still batting her toy around with her front paws)

This morning she still hasn't eaten much at all, and I warmed up some chopped lamb and rice dinner (Iams) in the microwave and hand fed her little globs off my fingers, but she only ate about a rounded teaspoon worth of food. Last night she also had an "accident" outside the litter box, the first time ever. I'm just happy she got enough water in her to have to "go".

This afternoon I'll get the results from the blood tests and the official radiology report (which will contain more information about the arthritis as well as the cancer) And tomorrow morning I'll be dropping her off at the VCA Animal Hospital in Albuquerque on the way to Las Cruces to get Tay for spring break, and picking her back up on my way back though to Santa Fe. We have a VCA here in Santa Fe, but I know Dr Caffey and trust him, and don't want to take Kali to a stranger.

A Plea For Kali

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:35:00 +0000

Once upon a time, a seeming lifetime ago, I lived in Florida, from hurricane to hurricane, home, usually alone, because I was too ill to do much. And I wanted a companion. And I found, in a humane society kennel, a small calico cat who was terribly shy, and who apparently had been horrendously mistreated. She had mostly healed, except for a furless patch on one side of her body, and she was still lactating from the kittens she had either lost, or who were lost when she was picked up and brought to the shelter.

It was a rough go. We lived in a small apartment (about 500 sq feet), the three of us and the cat, who immediately fled to the closet and pulled a fortress of my shoes around her. It wasn't long before we discovered that she wouldn't be cajoled from her defensive position easily, and so we moved the food dish and litter pan into the closet. I sat in the doorway and talked to her, day after day. Then one night I woke up in the middle of the night and found her lying beside me.

And that's pretty much where she's been every night since.

I knew I'd finally found a way into her heart when she started bringing me "presents"... usually live palmetto bugs (read: giant cockroaches) which she'd deposit on my chest while I was sleeping at night, assuring that she'd get a BIG reaction.

Kali didn't like other cats much, but she raised these two
abandoned kittens: Puck and Lynx

Shortly after that, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and she was my joy and reason for living...

When Katrina hit we fled Florida (although we were planning a move anyway because of my diagnosis) and moved to California. A year later, we discovered that the tumors were benign, and that gave me the equivalent of a whole new life. We moved to Albuquerque.

I've never bonded with a cat the way I have Kali, which is why, despite my father's scorn, I simply can't put her down.

Kali and Puck

I've been posting recently about Kali's health problem. Today I took her in to the vet, and we did x-rays, blood work, and a physical exam. And the news isn't good.

When I called my family crying, all my dad heard was "$1500". When I called my eldest daughter, she heard was "infection" and "amputation". Cay heard "cancer" very clearly.

And what the doctor told us was this: that yes, Kali has arthritis, but she the x-ray has shown that one of the bones in one of her toes has been eaten away... the doctor said it could be some sort of infection, but that it was very clear to him that it was cancer. Regardless, amputation of the toe is the only way to stop it in it's tracks.

So that's it. $1500 was the low estimate... and I had 96 cents in my checking account.

Now what I've been doing is contacting everyone to try to raise money for the cat. I've gotten $600 from family already (which paid for the exam, x-rays, blood tests, and some of the other pre-surgical stuff) and now still will need between $900 to $1300 (the estimate was $1500-1900) for her surgery.

And then I realized, if everyone who reads my blogs were to just send $1 via PayPal, I'd have the money for my cat's surgery. Now I know that isn't going to happen, but I am asking for help. If you can donate to help my cat get her surgery (she's scheduled to go in on Friday morning), I would be forever grateful. My PayPal email is doridoidae (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank you, and I'll keep everyone updated on the fundraising progress, and Kali's progress.

Rap Guide To Evolution (music video)

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:42:00 +0000

Three Florida Science PhD Candidates:

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:51:00 +0000

This is what scientists look like, although I know for a fact that they don't dress that way in the lab or in the field... but I must confess that I have seen one them in their makeup in the lab before a performance:

(image screenshot from my daughter's FB post)

Adventures in New Mexico History

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kosman) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:02:00 +0000

It's Sunday, so it's free museum day for NM residents at several of our museums here in Santa Fe. I've been here about 9 months now, but still haven't seen all the museums here... and I'm not sure if I'm going to see them all. Today we were focusing on Spanish Colonial history, and went to the Museum of History and to the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art.

Unfortunately, neither of these museums allow photography.

We started at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, because of their current rotating display, Filigree and Finery: The Art of Spanish Elegance. The idea was to get costuming ideas for when we work at el Rancho de las Golondrinas, and expand our selection of costumes. While the rotating display was marvelous, we were surprised to be engrossed by the entire museum.

While the museum seems small on the outside, it surprised us by the size and variety in the display. There is also a room for children's activities and a small bookshop.

The art displayed ranged from functional articles (like bits, spoons, and tools) to religious art to household items, and of course the finery: fans, shawls, lace and jewelry.

From there we went on to the much larger Museum of New Mexico History (downtown off the Plaza), but we spent much more time examining the articles in the smaller Museum of Spanish Colonial Art than we spent on the entire three floors of the Museum of New Mexico History.

On the way we stopped on the corner and photographed Journey's End:

When we arrived at the Museum of New Mexico History, I was struck by its size and spaciousness. The halls and entryways were huge. The main displays themselves were in three different areas, covering two floors. These went chronologically through New Mexico history, from early indigenous occupation through to current times. I'm not sure why so much space was devoted to hallways, and it seems to me that the museum could have been put in two floors, one with the history of the state and a second for an auditorium and rotating display space.

And speaking of rotating display, the display we'd gone to see, Cowboys: Real and Imagined had ended yesterday, and the display hall was empty and locked. It was more than a little disappointing.

Cailin and I only saw one third of the display, being primarily interested in the Spanish Colonial through the Civil War. We also were paying for parking, which made us more than a little aware of the time we were spending (which didn't turn out to be all that much) One of the problems for us was that so much of the display and information had been contained in recent lectures we'd attended for volunteer training at el Rancho de las Golondrinas. While it was nice to see the actual artifacts (or artful reproductions) it didn't take too long to do the reading and get the gist of what was going on during different time periods in those early years, since we'd heard so much of it so recently.

However, the museum shop afforded us with some more opportunities, and we ended up leaving with a copy of Sunshine and Shadows In New Mexico's Past: The Spanish Colonial & Mexican Periods, 1540 - 1848

What I like best about this book is that it contains a lot of citations to other works, much of it is directly quoted from historical documents, contains some pretty good illustrations and old maps, and summarizes information in between without being overwhelming. It's readable without being childish, informative without being boring, and contains enough references that I can expand on any specific topics where my interest has been piqued.

My only regret? It's $4 cheaper on Amazon. com

It's all about RL

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:36:00 +0000

I haven't been posting here a lot.

There's a few reasons for that. One is that the loss of my privacy (thanks Google+) lead to a kinda creepy stalking event that made me separate my blogs and screen names, which has been a pain in the butt. I don't spend a lot of time on this account except to use Google Docs.

The other reason is that I'm trying to take more time to focus on things that are more likely to bring peace in my life, rather than taking part in the anger and frustration that I often feel over politics, society, and religious issues that are so often in the news.

One of the big issues for me is that I am coming to the acceptance that, for me at least, it's not going to get any better. As long as health issues keep me out of the job market, I'm going to struggle with poverty, live in subsidized housing, have insufficient medical care, deal with food insecurity, and feel the social isolation of not being able to afford to go to events and dinner with those people whom I would otherwise spend more time with.

My life has to be about having as much comfort I can get in the small apartment in a complex where police regularly patrol, to choose which prescriptions I can afford to fill, to decide what personal enrichment I can involve myself in at the minimal cost, and to spend as much time as possible in volunteer work where I'm around other people, doing something useful for society.

My crusading days are fewer and fewer.

And it's not that I've given up on myself, but in many ways that I've given up on society.