Painting of our Precious by Sue Wall

I am thankful that Sue Wall of NYC painted a picture of our Precious.

Now that Precious is gone, we treasure Sue's painting and appreciate Sue's dedication and expertise in art. Sue lovingly painted each hair of the calico colored fur of our young Precious who is a few weeks old in the picture below:



We followed our veterinarian's directions throughout Precious' young life and never imagined that we would lose Precious so soon.

Precious had a reaction to steroids while fighting a losing battle with an illness. Shortly after bringing her home after each injection (Precious had two) Precious cried out, laid on the floor, and vomited blood. It is an image that lingers and has haunted me for almost six months.

Precious is gone, only one blood stain remains in the carpeting, the other stains have all been lovingly removed. My 92 year young Mom sleeps with a toy that looked like our calico kitty. Mom calls the toy kitty, Precious. My husband calls the toy kitty Precious II. Our hearts ache for our Precious.

I continue to have tears for our Precious. We thought that being a house cat, she would outlive our Goldie Tiger who lived to be 14. It was not to be. Precious was only half the age of Goldie when Precious began vomiting blood and crying in pain.

Each member of our family is trying to overcome the loss of our treasured family member, our Precious. I tried visiting the many office cats that live at Nine Lives Clinic under the direction of Dr. Amy MacKay and met someone who has had more losses than mine. I can not attend the new restricted one hour session with the office cats but remember how Pepito and on occasion, Guido, would join me in the examination room with Precious. Pepito rolling over near my feet. An office kitty would always jump on Precious' carrier to greet Precious while we were sitting in the waiting room.

I made myself visit the office cats and try to once again be able to see someone carry a cat carrier without having a sorrowful reaction. I think the visits to the office helped me with this. Loss continues to be very difficult for me, however, when I think of the two Canadian geese that greeted us on coming home after we lost Precious, it seems to help.

Nature is all around us. We must nurture it, protect it, and take the time to enjoy nature's gifts.

My husband will visit the office cats, during the maximum permitted weekly one hour session to see if this helps him in his recovery. I believe he enjoyed seeing the cats.

My sorrow is perhaps deeper as I used Kangaroo care with Precious when she was smaller than my thumb and hairless. I remember giving her a ride on my computer mouse and setting my computer to meow when I turned it on and off.

Is there another kitty in our future? Perhaps a sick one that no one wants to care for, a newborn, or a rescue kitty?

We made many sacrifices in raising Precious as that meant our dearest nephew could no longer come to our home per cat allergies. Now that Precious is gone, our nephew is an upperclassman in high school and will be going off to college.

Our dear Precious was named Precious by Dr. Amy MacKay, Precious' veterinarian. In her short life, Precious lived up to the names given to her, Precious Tiger Ramie Raskin Stewart.

We have not yet been able to move Precious' bed from our bedroom. On September 13, 2009, it will be six months since we lost Precious. Dr. Amy MacKay suggested the Paws Awhile burial grounds and other options for Precious. We like to think of Precious chasing the wild turkeys near the nature preserve at Paws Awhile, where the staff is most considerate and understanding.

We pass Sue's beloved painting of our Precious everyday, find ourselves talking to the painting, and are very thankful that Sue Wall created the painting of our Precious seven years ago.

As I read this blog to my husband, we try to hold back our tears as we remember that Precious was an unexpected gift, and a treasure that returned to nature.

Support Group for Mommies of Kitty Angels

Are you a current or former cat "mommy" whose beloved cats/kittens are now kitty angels?

We are starting a group to meet in the Highland Heights/Mayfield Heights area to do some good for other cats, help in obtaining needed equipment for local dedicated veterinarians, meet as new friends, share a difficult transition, compare notes, or just have someone to talk to about our cat angels over tea or coffee.

If interested in joining a group meeting in Highland Heights or via the web, email me at rosaraskin@hotmail.com.

As a former web master and "mommy" of a 7 1/2 year young calico angel who we found in our yard after being abandoned by her mother, I would love to have you join our group in person. If there is interest, I could also create a group on the web.

If there is enough interest, we could expand to include mommies of dog angels.

We Miss Our Precious Kitty

It has been over one month and we continue to miss our Precious kitty very much. Here is a picture taken of her in 2005.

Precious loved to go under the light blue drapes to see out the family room window as she sat on the couch. As a house kitty, Precious was most curious about all goings on outdoors. Should a bird fly by, deer be in our yard, she was the first to know. On occasion Precious would start sniffing nonstop and then we knew she smelled a mouse. It seemed as if Precious could smell the outdoors through our double hung windows and thick walls!

We miss Precious more than we ever imagined. We felt most attached to her as found her in our yard at perhaps two days old and panicked when our newborn kitty only opened one eye after one week. However, the next day, Precious slowly opened her other eye.

We miss our little calico cat angel very much. Our house seems so very empty without our Precious, Tiger, Ramie. She was a most wonderful kitty and companion for my 92 year young mother.

Our Precious Joined Willa

Our Precious kitty died on March 13, 2009, and joined Willa, the kitty of a member of one of my professional organizations that I never met but bonded with per our cats.

We miss our Precious very much. At just 7 1/2 years young she was a most important member of our family and companion to my mother of 92 years. Precious is the kitty I have written about often in this blog and as a very young kitten she would ride on my computer mouse while I completed my work on the computer.

We found Precious in our green bean patch as a newborn along with a twin that died almost immediately. It was late on a Sunday afternoon in the heat of August, with hawks flying above, and shortly before a drenching summer rain shower.

We had no idea that the small hairless living being that we found in our yard would become such a wonderful and beautiful calico cat. We feared keeping her because of severe allergies in our family but to our luck, no one was allergic to our Precious!

We thank Dr. Amy MacKay and her staff for helping us with Precious from day one and send our condolences to all who have lost pets.

Since I spent much time administering Reiki to Precious, I go to Dr. MacKay's office on Highland Road near Richmond Road in Richmond Heights, Ohio, to give Reiki to the office kitties that permanently reside in her clinic.

I will be writing more stories about Precious and add pictures to this blog. Precious full name is a very long one for such a small kitty, Precious Tiger Ramie Raskin Stewart.

Our Friend Willa

On the same day that we learned the shocking news about Precious, another wonderful kitty named Willa passed away.

Although Willa lived in another state and we never met her, we feel the most special bond between Willa and our Precious. Willa being much older is perhaps looking after our Precious. When Precious passes away, we somehow hope that Willa will be there for her.

Willa was one year old in the picture below and much loved by Carolyn and Jocelyn.



It is very difficult to lose a member of one's family. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Carolyn and Jocelyn and know that we are not alone.

If we had a similar pose in a picture of Precious, the tails of Willa and Precious would appear identical. Willa also struggled with an illness successfully for many years. I hope that Precious has the same strength as Willa. If not, my heart is comforted knowing that Precious will never be alone, as she was as a newborn, on that hot summer day in August, 2001, when we found her exposed in our garden.

I know that both Willa and Precious were great companions, much loved, and capable of the most special communication with their human families.

What will our Precious Kitty Eat?

On Monday, February 2, 2009, we learned via an ultrasound examination, that our Precious kitty, only 7 1/2 years young is terminally ill.

The biggest problem we have had to face besides taking her to our vet for fluids and medicines, is that Precious does not want to eat. We re-created the mixture that we once used with our aged cat, Goldie, before prescription diets were available.

We prepared the mixture for Precious. Precious ate the mixture that we call "tuna juice" for several days and appeared happy and playful during this time. The formula is simple using the water from one can of tuna and adding one can of baby food meat to the liquid. Mixing it by finger until it has a silky, smooth consistency, followed by microwaving the mixture for 3-4 seconds, and finger mixing it once again to insure it is slightly warm with no "hot spots" from microwaving.

The tuna water that Precious likes is Chicken of the Sea. The baby food that Precious likes is Gerber's, Stage 2, turkey. The label on the tuna says that it includes water and vegetable broth.

We tried everything our vet recommended and every food, cat or human, that we thought might appeal to our Precious. We continue to offer samples of food on plates in various rooms of the house and when possible, place the plate under Precious' nose.

Until these last two weeks, Precious never liked tuna or any fish. She loved her dry cat food, some turkey on occasion, and would sample almost anything we ate, once.

We found Precious in our yard exposed to the elements, with a hawk flying overhead when she was a few days old. We believe a drop of Karo Syrup may have helped to save her life as a newborn, until we could get her to a veterinarian for further directions.

Precious refuses all prescription diets, her regular foods, multiple brands and flavors of cat food. Precious runs away or to another room when she sees me with food, coming near her. If I leave a bowl of food in one room, she moves to another room. I force fed her as directed per her enlarged kidneys, but could not continue when I saw her ultrasound. I hated force feeding more than Precious did. Our vet believes the feeding may have helped Precious to eat once again.

Unfortunately, Precious stopped eating again today. However, Precious took two tastes of butter cream frosting that Adrienne (shanlera@optonline.net) recommended to me. The butter cream is made with real butter and powdered sugar. The consistency should be the same as that for frosting a cake.

On days that Precious does not want to eat, she spends more time with her fresh catnip plants.
She never responded to fresh or dried catnip in the past. My Mom has observed Precious placing her entire body over the catnip as if inhaling it, and on occasion chewing a leaf of fresh catnip.

I plan to prepare another food that was recommended to me called "Glop" in the next few days. There are several recipes for "Glop" on the internet. The general ingredients in Glop include Knox gelatin, some type of milk (canned cow, coconut, goat), Light Karo Syrup, real mayonnaise, plain yogurt (not lowfat) and another liquid such a water or pedialyte and sometimes egg yellow but no egg whites, and some recipes include baby food meats of chicken or turkey. I will try one of the recipes that do not include egg yellow but plan to include the baby food chicken or turkey.

Precious has never liked milk as an adult. As a young kitten she had KMR formula by eye dropper and later via bottle.

My Mom came over often to bottle feed Precious as seen in the picture below.



The picture was taken near Halloween. Precious' estimated birthday is August 23, 2001. We cared for her for seven days before she opened one eye and then later, the other eye.

We are taking one day at a time and enjoying each day with "Precious Tiger Ramie Raskin Stewart".

My Love of Cats

One can tell by looking at the photograph on my web site at http://www.raskinfo.com that I love cats, any breed, color, size, or age. The cheeta picture was given to me by the wife of a physician. He took the picture while on Safari in Africa. His wife told me that he wanted me to have my favorite picture.

Can you count the number of cats in the cheeta family? There is one extra cub than your total count, almost hidden by his/her siblings. Can you see a bit of the cub's head?

The adult cheeta is strong, knowledgeable of her territory, and a very fast runner. I thought this was a wonderful representation of the work I love to do, timely research in the sciences, identifying promising innovative technologies, and business research.

My love of cats includes our dear Precious, a domestic, long-haired calico, who has always received the most loving and excellent care by our veterinarian, Dr. Amy MacKay and staff at the Nine Lives Cat Clinic in Richmond Heights, Ohio.

Metal Factory

I am a Technical Information Specialist and Business Researcher interested in many fields including nanotechnology and the materials sciences. I wonder if my most precious memories of my father and his brother, my uncle, might be related to my work today?

One of my most precious memories is visiting my father in my uncle's metal factory. I was fascinated by the spraying, bending, forming of rough materials -- "sheet metal" (as my father would call it), resulting in what to me were the most shiny brass products. The smell of the factory was unique, stray kittens of all sizes and colors were most welcome, well cared for, and fun to play with.

When the factory was closed, on holidays or weekends, someone always went to the factory to feed and care for the kittens.

I have brass planters, watering cans, and one-of-a-kind items made in the factory as samples, so many years ago.

My uncle's interest in metals went beyond his factory. He would take us to visit the geodesic metal dome that was being built by the American Society of Metals. This was my first introduction to a professional association.

Beneath the highly engineered, spectacular dome one could find every "raw metal" or mineral one could imagine. Each mineral was neatly labeled and resting under an incredible structure. The geodesic dome is in an eastern suburb of Cleveland. It remains a wonderful place to visit whenever I find myself in the area.

I believe my interest in metals is from my visits to the metal factory and what is now called ASM, International, formerly the American Society of Metals. As immigrants, members of my family were most proud members of the former American Society of Metals. I will never forget how happy my uncle was when showing me the beginning of the world headquarters in Geauga County so many years ago. My mother enjoys the dome today as much as she did when it was being built.

I often heard my father discuss potential solutions, his father was a metallurgist, as were many of our ancestors. I saw rough products undergoing testing, items needing the tender care of the factory team.

My uncle would visit our house and proudly display his creative designs for potential metal products on our living room table. Some of the factory's creative designs still hang in local institutions. One of his creations, that I most admired, was a tree cut down to the stump having six branches growing from the stump. This metal piece became part of a memorial and was affixed outside and later placed within a local religious facility.

My research continues today via my own company. I am a devoted information specialist and researcher in what I would describe as the interdisciplinary field of the materials sciences. I am doing my best to carry on the long-time traditions and interests of my family.

I plan to continue to participate in product improvement and innovation by providing timely, quality research and information specialist services to those in the broad fields of the materials sciences.

Special Libraries Association's 23 Things to learn

Learning is an ongoing process in today's technological society. I am a lifelong student and sign up for classes at local colleges. I am also very excited in what professional organizations have to offer in regard to the chance to update's one's knowledge of Web 2.0, social networks, etc.

One professional organizations stands out in my mind in regard to offering unique opportunities to keep up with technology, the Special Library Association (SLA). A "special library" is one that specializes in a subject area or clientele. It may be public, private, or within a larger organization such as a company.

Lifetime learning offers many personal rewards. I always want to be innovative and on the leading edge of technology for myself, my peers, and my clients via my research company, Rosa S. Raskin & Associates, LLC

Voices of Strength: Sons and Daughters of Suicide Speak Out, authored by Judy Zionts Fox, RN, LSW, and Mia Roldan

Congratulations to Judy Zionts Fox and Mia Roldan on their book which has received and will receive many awards as best book for 2008. The award received to date is The National Best Books 2008 award in the category of Health: Death & Dying:

Winner:
Voices of Strength: Sons and Daughters of Suicide Speakout by Judy Zionts Fox, RN, LSW and Mia Roldan
New Horizon Press
978-0-88282-3331

Wow! I am so excited as the book is outstanding as a unique, sensitive, and useful work for the public and the professional. My mother, aged 91, feels the book is excellently written and handles a very difficult subject. The authors, Judy and Mia, did an incredibly wonderful job in writing this book.

I look forward to seeing Judy and Mia on T.V. , in book stores signing copies of the book, and on the radio.

If you have been touched by suicide, or have an interest in this most sensitive subject, Voices of Strength: Sons and Daughters of Suicide Speak Out is a "must read."

Book Review: Voices of Strength: Sons and Daughters of Suicide Speak Out by Judy Zionts Fox, RN, LSW, and Mia Roldan

Voices of Strength: Sons and Daughters of Suicide Speak Out, authored by Judy Zionts Fox, RN, LSW, and Mia Roldan, a special education teacher working on a degree in Social Work, is the culmination of an excellent retrospective and prospective research project undertaken by the authors over a period of 10 years.

This unique book has received outstanding reviews by this information specialist and other reviewers at the B&N web site and is also included on my web site at raskinfo.com

To document communications with children, who have survived the suicide of one or both parents, is a most special contribution to the subject of parental suicide, psychology, social work, education, nursing, criminal justice, and religious studies.

The authors are skilled at intertwining positive and negative memories of the participants in their study of a most complicated act, parental suicide. Fox and Roldan identify the on-going feelings surrounding the death of a parent and the community touched by suicide.

The personal interviews of 57 survivors of parental suicide include details of tremendous suffering. Most survivors cling to life, and attempt to begin the healing process in the aftermath of tragedy. Fox and Roldan include interviews with their own families in their inter-generational study of parental suicide.

In "Voices of Strength", survivors use their strong voices, in addition to those of Fox and Roldan, to speak out to humanity. The survivors describe the hills and valleys on the long road to recovery.

The survivors of parental suicide convey an intricate message of hope, healing, understanding, and strength on the long path to forgiveness.

"Voices of Strength: Sons and Daughter of Suicide Speak Out" includes the personal stories of participants and practical advice. I recommend this book as a "must read" for anyone touched by, or interested in the subject of suicide, or the subject of death in the family.

I envision that Fox and Roldan's work will proceed one step further and become an important publication in a collection of resources that will aid humanity in the compassionate understanding of loss and in the prevention of suicide.

Cleveland Browns vs the Chicago Bears

My first football game in Cleveland was a great adventure. It was a beautiful night in Cleveland and on entering the stadium I notice a windmill. I had seen them on a recent ride to Washington, D.C., but this was my first windmill in Ohio. I hope we have others as it fit so naturally near Lake Erie and the buildings that are the same white color as the windmill.

Our seats were wonderfully comfortable. We purchased pretzels and a Pepsi before going to our seats. We had prepared for rain but it missed our area. We noticed many small airplanes of all types leaving from the nearby Burke Lakefront Airport and concluded the phenomenon of so many interesting planes fling next to but not over the stadium must be related to the annual Cleveland, Ohio, air show.

The stadium seats are orange and grey, the orange being one of the colors of our Browns football team. The bathrooms were clean and much nicer than I expected at a busy football game with no lines, to my surprise.

Once inside the stadium, I quickly noticed all the technology related to advertisements and websites. Much has changed since attending games with my husband in the last 40 years.

I was pleased to see so many Ohio State University fans wearing their OSU shirts. As a life member of the OSU Alumni Association, I have many OSU shirts, but for the Cleveland Browns game I had purchased a new pair of brown slacks and a most comfortable Brown's shirt in the team color of burnt orange.

It was an evening game during the first week of school for many children but many children of all ages were in the stadium. The Daug Pound was most active as were the cheers from the fans in all of the varied type of seating.

On leaving the stadium we walked back to our car along the Lake Erie waterfront, past the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cleveland has much potential with a most precious natural resources, Lake Erie.

Summer Olympics in Beijing, 2008

The summer Olympics in Beijing were incredible. The opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the events, were superb. I do not think there is a word that adequately describes the events we saw via television.

We wish they would replay the opening and closing ceremonies as they were outstanding and we would love to view them again.

I heard on a news report that the total, all inclusive cost of the Olympics in Beijing was 40 billion dollars.

The manpower was incredible as seen in the opening and closing ceremonies that reflected precision, timing, dedication, and as my mother mentioned, discipline. I heard that as many as one million volunteers may have been included in the proceedings of the summer games.

Three Days to Go to the Cleveland Browns Football Game

I have three days to go to the Cleveland Browns vs the Chicago Bears football game.

To get ready for the game I purchased an orange-colored Cleveland Brown's shirt, made of a very soft 100% cotton weave, and a pair of brown pants. Thus, I match the team colors of orange and brown.

I hope to look like a brown's fan!

Walking in a New Park

My nephew and I took a long walk in a new park, actually a golf course that has been converted to a large park. We saw an incredible number of birds and insects as we walked through the new park on a most beautiful August day.

My nephew noticed a hawk high in the sky and a Praying Mantis near the edge of our path. The Mantis blended in with the green and reddish grass and stood in the praying position completely still.

In addition to the reddish hawk, my nephew noticed many turkey vultures, heard the sounds of the Goldfinches in the pine forest and saw a young deer near the apple trees in the abandoned orchard.

Later we picked our own apples in a nearby orchard where I often pick my apples and grapes each year.

One can ask the owner of the orchard, almost any question about what he grows and sells.

This wonderful August day was also a birthday present for my nephew's mother, my sister,
who enjoyed the special moments with us and our 91 year young mother.

While my nephew and I took a quick walk, my sister and mother were swinging on a swing and
sitting in the shade under a tree after we all had lunch in the cafe of this wonderful park.

Eight Days until the Cleveland Browns vs the Chicago Bears

There is an interesting article today at Forbes.com entitled the Special Report: The Business of College Football.

Unfortunately we did not get our football tickets in The Ohio State University Alumni lottery this year but we will enjoy the upcoming Cleveland Browns football game.

Only eight days to go until the game on August 28!

11 Days to Go to the Game

It is now Sunday, and we have 11 days to go to the Cleveland Browns vs the Chicago Bears football game. I may try to bake a daugie bone today for my nephew and my husband who both are allergic to dairy and eggs.

If you would like to know more about me, check out my web site at
http://www.raskinfo.com

13 days to the Cleveland Browns football game

It is now day 13 on the way to the Cleveland Browns football game.

I am noticing more orange and brown around me both at home and around our area.

Our weather has been perfect and I hope it stays so until the game of the Cleveland Browns vs the Chicago Bears on August 28, 2008.

14 Days to go until the Cleveland Browns Game

We have 14 more days until the Cleveland Browns football game in Cleveland, Ohio. I am referring to the game of the Cleveland Browns vs the Chicago Bears on August 28.

I am thinking about baking cookies for our snacks before the game, cookies like the ones I saw years ago in the shape of bones for dogs.

Perhaps I can do brownies in the shape of bones for the "Dawg pond"? An alternative might be to bake bear claws, per the Chicago Bears?

Does anyone have a good, easy recipes to share for bear claws or "dawg" bones?

Count Down to the Cleveland Browns vs the Chicago Bears

We have counted down to 15 days until the game at the Cleveland Browns Stadium.

I have checked out where Club Seats are located and am pleased they do not appear to be too high or too low in the stadium.

I started reading what I am or am not permitted to bring to the stadium for the Cleveland Browns vs the Chicago Bears football game. I have not yet checked what to wear or the weather forecast.

Any suggestions are most welcome.

This is my first football game in the Cleveland Browns Stadium in 2008 and I have only 15 more days until the game, the countdown continues.