Although the rain let up last week and sunshine returned, it was a difficult week for other reasons. My 15 year old cat, Pipig, suddenly showed signs of severe medical distress Tuesday night. When her symptoms failed to resolve, we took her to an urgent care veterinary clinic the next morning and back again later in the week. Without going into details, they did what they could and my husband and I did what we could to care for her. While euthanasia was discussed as she showed signs of ongoing decline, she improved markedly between Saturday night and Sunday morning and continues to show slow progress. We still have serious health issues to explore but for now I'm looking at those improvements in a positive light. Meanwhile, my ability to focus on gardening or anything else may remain fuzzy for a time. Waking up to news of yet another mass shooting on Sunday, in Los Angeles County no less, didn't help my outlook any either.
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I was up and about early enough Sunday morning to catch this view from the back garden before the sun rose
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I selected Leucadenrons for an arrangement this week because finding material to accompany them didn't require much thought.
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Somehow, I always seem to have flowers available in yellow, coral and orange colors
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Back view
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream, Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red', L.s. 'Winter Red', and Grevillea 'Superb'
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I threw a few leftover stems into this little cactus-style vase for the kitchen windowsill
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Prompted by January's heavy rains perhaps, Echium handiense offered a handful of early season flowers this week so I plunked them into a vase for the kitchen island.
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| The Echium flowers have pink spots at the base of their blue petals, which makes the choice of pink-flowered complements an easy one |
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| Back view: The noID Ceanothus in the back garden is already sporting a few blooms but I also cut some Ceanothus stems in the front garden as foliage fillers. Several years following the removal of a half-dead Ceaonthus hedge there, the plant appears to be attempting a comeback. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum 'Armamis Bi-color Rose', Boronia crenulata ' Shark Bay', noID Ceanothus, and Echium handiense 'Pride of Fuerteventura' |
For other IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All
material © 2012-2023
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
It is amazing how you keep coming up with new combinations of plants for your vases; always looking fresh and new to my eyes. I'm particularly enchanted by the sweet blue vase today!
ReplyDeleteI wish Pipig continued improvement and recovery, so the two of you have more purring time together.
chavli
Thanks Chavli. Pipig is eating and purring again - and seeking attention on a regular basis, most persistently every hour between midnight and 7am. We're scheduled to meet with her regular vet to review the larger picture next Monday.
DeleteDespite your worries, these are all lovely arrangements. The little cactus vase makes a charming view for your window, and what an amazing sunrise! Thanks for sharing it. Best wished to Pipig - and to you as well.
ReplyDeleteThere are advantages to being up before dawn! Thanks for the good wishes.
DeleteWhat a glorious sunrise, but what sad news of yet another shooting - can there ever vbe an end to the? 🙄 How intriguing to see echium and ceanothus in a vase - a first as far as I am concened, I think. They go so well in your pretty blue vase and your little cactus vase is perfect for its minimal contents. Sorry to hear about your cat
ReplyDeleteGun violence - and the ridiculous, uncontrolled proliferation of guns in this country - is beyond anyone's understanding, or at least the understanding of the 60+% of the US population that favors improved gun controls. I honestly thought the tide would turn after the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre. Each subsequent event (hundreds just last year) seems like another slap in the face.
DeleteSending all the warm healing thoughts to Pipig, it is such a horrible helpless feeling to have our animals going through times like this.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you and Lila several times since Pipig's current problems emerged early last week, Loree. I've also reminded myself of going through similar issues with other cats and how I felt both in the middle of them and afterwards. While those recollections don't alter the pain of the current situation, I hope they'll help direct my actions in dealing with this one.
DeleteOh, healing thoughts to Pipig, she has been through a lot and that is difficult for all of you. I love your blues and the sunset colors in your first vase. Still wishing peaches and cream would grow here. Amelia
ReplyDeleteThanks Amelia. I know you too have dealt with the difficult issues associated with treated a well-loved animal companion.
DeleteIf I were to have to highlight my favourite this week, it would be the first reflecting the colours of your 'red sky in the morning', with a big smile too for your little arrangement in the cute cactus vase. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Noelle. Sometimes I have to remind myself of how much enjoyment one can get out of a simple and relatively tiny floral arrangement.
DeleteI'm sorry your dear Pipig is in distress. Sending healing hugs to you all. The flower arrangements are lovely. I like Leucadendrons and Grevillea more and more each time you present it. Such interesting forms. The Echium and companions are standouts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susie. I'm not sure why every person gardening in my climate doesn't grow both Leucadendrons and Grevilleas.
DeleteSo difficult to deal with elderly pets. Those awful quality of life decisions. I hope Pipig still lives comfortably . As of this week I am Anonymous even when replying to comments on my own blog if I use Firefox. I have found if I use Chrome the Anonymous stuff goes away. I prefer Firefox but now I will do all my blogging activity on Chrome.
ReplyDeleteI've had prior experience with cats with cancer and other serious health conditions and I hope that I've learned from those not to hang on too long if the quality of life is significantly diminished but those judgments aren't easy, that's for sure.
DeleteI'm not able to respond to comments using Firefox at all so I always use Chrome for those; however, I can't load photos to posts on Chrome so I put my posts together using Firefox. I've tried different strategies to fix the latter problem, which occurred suddenly last year (presumably due to some kind of update by Chrome), so I just live with switching between the 2 browsers as needed. It's very irritating, though!
Your first arrangement seems to have been inspired by that beautiful morning sky Kris. The cactus vase is cute too! I love the Echium in your second vase - one of my favourite wild flowers here. I hope Pipig is still doing well.
ReplyDeleteEchiums have become a favorite of mine too, Cathy. Pipig is holding her own at the moment.
DeleteOh I'm sorry to hear that Pipig has been poorly again Kris. Sending her healing vibes and you hugs. The ceanothus really picks up on the blue in the vase - the perfect companion 😄
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see touches of blue here and there on the Ceanothus already, Anna. It'll be a month or probably two before it really gets going but I'll take whatever floral color the garden offers me.
DeleteSo sorry to hear Pipig is feeling unwell. It's tough to do your best for a pet when it is often unclear what "best".
ReplyDeleteAs she's 15 and has a history of cancer, maybe it shouldn't have come as a surprise but the sudden onset of problems was startling. I was afraid she'd chewed a toxic plant or something along those lines. The emergency vet helped with the superficial issues but also left us with data that suggests the possibility of metastasized cancer. I'm not inclined to put her through surgery and chemo again if that's the case but I want to ensure her comfort.
DeleteBanksy declined precipitously last summer and we said good-bye with the help of an incredibly nice local vet that also does a lot of large, farm animal medicine. So impressed with the time they took with us. They estimated he was approaching 20! As his heart failed he started retaining fluid. I hope Pipig is comfortable now -- I'll be thinking of you both.
ReplyDeleteThanks Denise. I'm sorry you lost Banksy but I'm sure he made the most of the time he had with you. Pipig's over 15 and she has a history of cancer so I can't say I'm entirely surprised if it's come back. I held onto another cat with cancer longer than in retrospect I think I should have and I've promised myself I won't do that again but, if I can give Pipig a little more time in comfort, I will.
DeleteI’m very sorry to hear about Pipig’s recent health challenges, Kris and hope she is doing ok now. It’s so hard when our pets can’t communicate what’s wrong. I know you would be doing everything you possibly can to ensure she is as comfortable as possible and I’m sure she understands and is grateful for you loving care. Best wishes to you, your husband and of course dear Pipig 🧡
ReplyDeleteThanks Horticat. I've been down this road before with other pets but it seems it never gets any easier. She's eating and behaving relatively normally at present. I'm hoping our upcoming meeting with her primary vet will help us evaluate the underlying issues and determine how to ensure she remains as comfortable as possible if indeed her cancer has returned.
DeleteStill running a month behind with my reading. I hope that Pipig has stabilised.
ReplyDeleteYes, Pipig's stabilized, although I can't say she's done a 180-degree turn for the better. Her food intake is dropping again but I'm not sure I should continue to push things by giving her an appetite stimulant on an ongoing basis. At least her weight seems to have plateaued and she appears to be comfortable.
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