That Time Again!

AND SO DOES SATURDAY!!!  Roll them up together and I’m double happy!

Guess what we tried yesterday for breakfast?   Remember those pancake strips where you put bacon in the middle and more pancake on top and cook them?  It works!   Mom and Dad had those and they were delish.

Dump on some syrup and you’re READY!

I’m not allowed to have syrup – too sugary – but I DID get the bacon and some cooked pancake…..now that’s a good combo – no wonder humans like it!

It’s super duper cold out this morning…….Mom and I bundled up and went out as usual (well Mom bundled and I was BRAVE)…….I made a couple of deposits in the yard to mark my territory and we popped back inside where I immediately did something I haven’t done in literally YEARS………I ran around in circles like a crazy cat!   Mom says the cold weather is perking me up – she might be right.   I usually start out that way when the weather changes but in deep dark winter I don’t move much at all…….I can’t go outside but just for a few minutes at a time, and my arthritis acts up more.   I’m a mess.  But right now – I’m loving it!

I got a couple more entries for my Sam-O-Ween Costume Contest.  Don’t wait until the last minute – you have to have your entry in to me by the 28th and today is the 17th!  GET CRACKING FRIENDS!   You know you want to win the prize package right?   We’re gonna have a ball at the party too.   Remember that YOU will be voting for the “BEST COSTUME” yourselves on my poll and whoever gets the most votes will find out they WIN at my party on the 31st!   Wanna see what I’m wearing to the party?   Since I can’t be in my own contest, I’ll show you now what I’m wearing!

Cool huh?  Scary?  Good!   After all, it’s SAM-O-WEEN!!!

Send your costume entries in to me at junekimm(at)aol(dot)com

I thought you might enjoy a “flash from the past” too – here are some of you in costumes you wore to my previous SAM-O-WEEN parties!   Maybe these will inspire you!!

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HAPPY BACON CATURDAY!  

LOVE, SAMMY

Falling Leaves Friday!

Fall continues to fall here!

That’s right – the leaves are coming down like rain these past two days……..just enough breeze to blow them down from their spots on all the big trees around our house – I can’t even go outside in my own yard without getting bopped on the head by falling leaves!   I guess it could be worse……..those acorns falling are a lot more painful when they hit my ginger head than leaves are that’s for sure.

Here’s how things look around here……….

We are nowhere near “peak” color though so I’ll show more photos as we march further into Fall.  I hope it’s pretty where you are!

I spent time on my porch this morning – it was chilly!

OK Mom….that’s enough outside time for now…..

Won’t be long before Mom will have to bring some of the houseplants that have lived on the front porch INSIDE for the winter – in fact we might get our first frost this weekend – EEEEK.

Also pretty soon Mom will be working on decorating our front porch for Sam-O-Ween…………we like to do something different every year………….here’s a couple of “oldies” – this year Mom bought some of that stuff that looks like a BIG spider web.  Can’t wait to see what she does with that

My front porch in 2011 for Sam-O-Ween

This was Sam-O-Ween 2012 (with a neighbor kitty photobombing!)

We want to take a minute to wish my friend Raz and Allie’s Mom Miss Sharon from FRIENDSFUREVER a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY today!

Tomorrow is my BACON day so I’ll be busy celebrating that you can just BET on it!

See you then?

HUGS, Sammy

 

 

 

A LIVESTRONG Post From Mom!

Sammy here – I decided to let my Mom do a blog post today – aren’t you proud of me for being so generous?  Well, the reason is because she decided to pawticipate in Ann of Zoolatry’s LIVESTRONG blog.   She put the word out that anyone who wanted to share their story of dealing with cancer could tell their story there if they wanted to and my Mom thought she’d like to do that.

Even though Mom spoke of her OWN journey with cancer in her post, we have known many friends and family as well as many pets who have had cancer and it seemed important to my Mom that she tell her tale of being a CANCER SURVIVOR….hoping to bring HOPE to some who might need it.

Her post is up at WELIVESTRONGTODAY along with other posts from other people,  but she’s going to tell it here too.  TAKE IT AWAY MOM!

Thanks Sammy!    I sometimes think about how many people I’ve known in my 68 years who either have HAD cancer, or known someone who did – it’s a very widespread disease and until researchers can come up with cures for this incredibly complex disease, I’m afraid we’ll just have to deal with it as best we can.   There’s new research almost every day so there is a LOT of hope out there.   

My personal journey began in 1985 when I was diagnosed with cervical and vaginal cancer.   I had a total hysterectomy and was confident that was the one and only time I’d hear a physician tell me I had cancer.   Not to be though……….even though over the ensuing years I had some minor skin cancers – basal cell and then a more serious one – squamous cell, it wasn’t until 1996 when I had a mole on my right leg begin to “look funny” and had a biopsy that I found out just how dangerous “MELANOMA” was.    This was a very deep and wide amount of tissue involved – I had a lot of tissue removed until they found clear margins – and I had to have a skin graft to go over the four inch diameter and half inch deep operation site.   I was in a soft cast for three months; the cancer had JUST missed my muscle tissue in that leg.   I was lucky!!    Then in 2006 out of nowhere I got a large lump at the top of my right leg – I immediately saw my doctor and he immediately sent me to a surgeon but they both thought it was a swollen lymph node and it was.   I had surgery almost the next day – the lymph node and ancillary nodes were removed and only the one was cancerous.    I was pretty upset about having “RECURRENT MELANOMA”…….and was told that I needed to undergo treatment which would be for at least a year and was somewhat experimental because there was no real effective drug to tackle melanoma.   What I wound up with was treatment for an organ which had shown “some” effectiveness with recurrent melanoma.   After one year of treatments I felt I had learned a whole lot about myself and my tolerance for discomfort!    I began thinking of myself as a true survivor…………my positive thinking and my REAL confidence that I could beat it and never get melanoma again has held until this day.   Here it is 2015 and I’m BEYOND cancer.   It’s where I intend to stay.   

Thanks Sammy – you’ve been with me for some of this journey as have many friends and my family.   I am grateful and I am STRONG and I will live out the rest of my life being grateful.

OK Mom – thanks for telling your story – I know you want it to be uplifting to those who might be going through cancer treatment now or have received the diagnosis………….I’m just so happy that you’re still with me and Dad!   We are FAMILY and we need each other!

Hope is a wonderful thing……………………….KEEP HOLDING ON TO IT – that’s from me and Mom……..deep in our hearts!

Love, Sammy 

LIVESTRONG!

Teaser Tell All

OK Mr. Silver Briefcase dude………….come on in and unlock that thing and let’s see what the DEAL is!!!

**opens briefcase with name of TOWN/COUNTRY where photo was taken***

Hello Everybody!!!   Did you enjoy yesterday’s Teaser?  I personally think it was a REAL toughie – there are so many spots in Europe (yes it was taken in Europe) that might have a backdrop like that so it would be TOUGH to know right where that one was snapped.   However, before we get into details, here’s the photo one more time:

This beautiful photo was submitted by our super good friend Mr. Leo from Walk To Rio 2016 blog…………….Yes – Leo was over in GERMANY in a race and managed to see some of Germany while he was there to race walk.   This was taken in Andernach, Germany.    If you CLICK HERE, you can learn many things about this ancient town including that it dates back to 12BC!   That’s right!

If I’d shown you THIS version of the photo you would have known it was from Leo !!

Now, several of you guessed “Germany” yesterday – nobody said Andernach, but some of you mentioned towns that aren’t that far from Andernach so you were OH SO CLOSE.

But there was definitely a winner in the FIRST COMMENTER department that was my good buddies (and frequent winners of FIRST COMMENTER) Oliver and Calvin and – this is for you guys:

As for FIRST RIGHT GUESSER…………I guess technically we don’t have one…………lots of “Germany” guesses but nobody knew it was Andernach (except Leo of course) so nobody will win that badge this week……………sorry about that – in fact I’m so sorry about that I’m gonna say that ANYONE who guessed “Germany” can have this:

If you didn’t guess Germany, you still get to have a GREENIE so you’re NOT a loser….nosireee…you’re just a fan of the GREEN!

Well, I’m proud of all of you anyway – you tried – life is all about trying stuff and sometimes winning right???

Thanks Leo for the DOOZY OF A PHOTO!

Thanks Teaser buddies – tune in next week – who knows what will happen?

LOVE, Sammy

THE TEASER DUDE

REMINDER!   My Sam-O-Ween Costume Contest is coming!   You have until the 28th to enter!   Then you will all be voting for the BEST COSTUME here on my blog the 29th and 30th and I’ll announce the winner of the PRIZE (yes a real prize not a virtual one!) on my blog at my Sam-O-Ween party on the 31st!    BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!

Entries to junekimm(at)aol(dot)com

Tuesday Teaser

Yep – it’s that time again class……are you ready for your test this morning from Professor Sammy?

Mr. Mystery Man, will you please enter the classroom with your silver suitcase and open it to post today’s photo?

**Click** Opens case and hands photo to Professor Sam……….

Here’s the Teaser everyone.   As usual, you must tell me what town/city/village this is AND what country or state it’s in – this is a GUEST TEASER PHOTO…………….so tomorrow you’ll find out who sent this doozy to me AND where my Guest snapped the photo too!   Ready?

So – what are you waiting for class?   First person to comment on the blog gets FIRST COMMENTER badge!!

First to guess the right city/town/village and state/country gets FIRST RIGHT GUESSER:

If you guess correctly but aren’t first – you STILL get this!

Wrong again?  Clueless again?  Well Professor Sammy still loves you….and you get this consolation prize:

GOOD LUCK CLASS!

Professor Sammy

The Geography/World Studies Teacher