Tennessee

Yeehaw! We made it to another state!
We've named the bus Marian, after Jacek's grandfather. We bought the bus one day and then the next day sold the car that was passed down from his grandfather for the SAME EXACT PRICE! I felt the bus was kinda unisex and Jacek wanted to honor his grandfather so, his name was a perfect fit.
We spent yesterday at Purple Heart Tattoo & Punk Rock Flea Market's one year celebration in Knoxville, TN. We were going to spend today at the quarry and Market Square with some new Knoxville friends but, once we got to the quarry and met a couple whose car had just been broken into, we decided to head out 1.5 hrs away to a free camping spot for some much needed shade. It's hard to just sit still in a big ol bus that needs shade and ya have no clue where anything is but, we found a spot called Jackson Island in Spring City, TN that allows 14 days of free camping and is managed by TVA. We have already gone swimming and washed up in the lake, collected fire wood, let the kitties go for walks and Jacek even played some guitar by the smoking fire. We are gonna spend a few days here if the neighboring campers are nice. We have a show in Birmingham, AL this Friday. Jacek's 38th birthday is this Thursday! I've collected some little things along the way for his bday that he doesn't know about and starting today I will give him a present every day til I run out. Birthdays only come once a year so they really deserve at least a week of celebration!

His dad gave him some restaurant gift cards for his bday which has helped us along the road. It was nice to eat at an Applebee's after a long day in the sun. We were pretty exhausted after the punk show and a little sunburned too.

It was a bumpy ride leaving Knoxville today and the kitties absolutely hated it. We didn't care for it too much either. But now, we finally get to rest up for a couple days and get some much needed booking and R&R taken care of.

I would love to upload way more photos but I am frustrated with this very slow computer. I hope for another one once we get some money saved back. And it won't be a mac with all that iPhoto shtuff.

A belated post from the day we said goodbye to Casey.

On the Road Again

There is so much to update that I just might have to hit the highlights. I will say it has been a mental challenge for us and the kitties getting started on the tour. Finding a save and inexpensive place to sleep every night and shade during the day AND a spot the bus will fit in where we are allowed to park is still a learning process. I did download an app called RV Parky that is super helpful. It shows where all the RV campgrounds, Pilot gas stations (where we have gift cards from my mom and her fiance), Walmarts and for some reason… Cracker Barrels are. We stayed one night on Kentucky River at an RV campground and it was really nice to have a hot shower. Otherwise, it has been unscented baby wipes along the way, essential oils and washing our feet in the sinks of bathrooms. Luckily we do have a potty. We only pee in it for now because the cleanup factor of anything else just seems too scary right now. So, we make pit stops along the way. Walmart has been the easiest lot to sleep in and free. Though we have had someone knock on our door to ask us about the bus when we didn't want to be bothered. We are in Dry Ridge, Kentucky now between Lexington and Covington. It's a really small town but we managed to find a coffee/bakery/deli shop with wifi called Beans so we can update you fine folks.

The last couple days before we headed out were really stressful trying to clean and organize a bus and clean and empty a house, find homes for our two foster kitties (Percy and Annabeth) which we miss very much, hunt for performers for Via Colori Street Painting Festival in Elizabethtown since other performers backed out at the last minute and taking Jacek's 3 kitties to a friend's farm in Bardstown where they could continue to enjoy the outdoor life and be looked after. I never want to experience that amount of stress again and especially not in that combination. I was also trying to sell my car before we left but it didn't happen so, right now it is sitting at my mom's house. If anyone wants a 2005 Mazda Tribute SUV for $1500 OBO please let us know!

Not to mention that the early part of the week, we organized and managed our going away event, got the bus painted by some old and new friends while I inadvertently pissed off 3 people that were dear to me. I was so torn up by unintentionally hurting loved ones but i couldn't cry. It was right on the edge. I was painting something on the bus and as I was climbing down, I bumped and scraped my shin really hard. That was all it took to literally let the waterworks burst out as I melted to the ground. I attempted resolution with the 3 folks and attempted amends to others that were long overdue. I have to say at least one resolution was made and that is okay. Others need to process their stuff in their own time.

Jacek is usually happy but there are definitely moments of stress for him too like rehoming his kitties, weening off of nicotine and driving a huge ass bus.

Yes, we are on an adventure and having fun times. There are also growing pains as we adjust to this new lifestyle. We have to make sure we eat properly, drink plenty of water, get plenty of rest, prayer, snuggles and laughter to stay sane. If we just keep pushing forward without those things, we will surely lose our mind. We have the most fun when we are performing for a great audience and interactive crowd. We had a blast at Natasha's Bistro & Bar in Lexington, KY. I hadn't felt so much at home since we left that I cried leaving. It was great to see old and new friends and get so much support. Friends even stuck around to help us carry props in and out. We got to perform with the extremely sexy and talented, Daisy Ramos. That girl is going to be national and we are lucky we got to dance with her now. Our buddies of Tinderbox Circus Sideshow came to support us. Michael Sikora AKA Just Michael who used to juggle with us in Louisville came out and helped with props. That guy is the bees knees! Stacy Jones and Skare Kro got a tour of the bus and helped us load in props as well! They were in between comic conventions. We are lucky to know some talented and kind people. It's great when you can find that in combination.

Last night I started work on Bitch, the crow. It's one of my shadow puppet characters. Working on that gave me such joy. I am addicted to shadow puppets! Stay tuned because you've seen Kibbles… but now see Bitch! up close and personal. This crow's got tricks.

As far as art goes, I am feeling really stumped on our NOLA masquerade poster but I think I may have the perfect idea and am just going to finally get it out there. I wanted it to be done and sent out a month and a half ago but I was just plain stumped and didn't have the money or the time to trade anyone else to do it for us. But! Here is the event if you feel like spending October 25th in beautiful New Orleans:
https://www.facebook.com/events/864258493666088/

So, our timeline of events with photos to come for our next update (If we had a documenter with us, there would be photos of our freak outs too!):

Trying to find people to make discontinued parts of our bus
 borrowing money to replace the radiator
 paying a friend to help us replace thermostats, brake switch and a radiator
Cirque De Virgo
getting the bus painted
send-off party
rehoming fosters
taking kitties to the farm
prepping and painting the bus
send-off party
Via Colori
and life on the road thus far with kitties and such!

Adventures await!

Tomorrow Jen Goodell will join us on Great Day Live! to start the epic bus painting adventure while we circus and side show it up on live television!

Here are the stencils she created:

So rad! We feel like movie stars to have our images painted on a bus!

Saturday from 6pm-? Our bus painting will be continued even more by some of the best graffiti artists (writers) around during this event at Tim Faulkner Gallery:

https://www.facebook.com/events/107160642962627/

THEN on Sunday, our great big tour send-off party starts at 3pm where our bus will be painted on even more by some amazing artists including Jen Goodell as she finishes up her pieces. 

Please read all about the event and bring some friends! We will have $20 workshops of balloon animals, fire eating and juggling. Anyone taking a workshop will get into the $3 event free.

Additionally, we still have room for vendors if you would like to participate. If you would like to be included in the lineup of performances, let us know!

502-718-5929

SEE YOU THERE!

https://www.facebook.com/events/523642031136159/

We still have Percy the Magnificent and Annabeth that are fosters we need to find forever homes for on Sept 11. Please call Shamrock Foundation if you can give them forever homes together. They are best buds. Percy treats Annabeth like his baby. He grooms her and plays with her. Percy is a very talkative 3-legged kitty who suckles on blankets when he is super happy. He is at least 2 years old. Annabeth is around 4 months old and is shy and playful. She is less shy when Percy is around. With a lot of human interaction, Annabeth becomes more snuggly. She is ready to play anytime all the time!
502-245-6803 or 502-244-4715. Leave a message as Shamrock is an all volunteer organization and return calls as soon as possible.

Bus Conversion Progress and Furry Things!

We have made much progress on the bus conversion since our last post. We have electric, a dining room, a toilet, a sink, a bed, storage and shelving. Also, we have some great events that have passed and are coming up!

But let me tell you, finding insurance for bus conversion in the state of Kentucky is quite the challenge! We have got many reasons as to why we cannot be insured by different companies. Some cannot insure because it used to be a school bus. Some cannot insure because they don't know how to write the policy for something that can be used as a home that can drive. yadda yadda yadda
We are gonna keep on trying though cuz we gotta follow our dreams!

I was thinking I would give up on some hobbies and get rid of lots of art supplies but I know myself and I would just buy them again so, we created shelving to store lots of craft supplies, bathroom supplies and miscellaneous. It has been hard for me to shed material possessions cuz I wanna hold onto them and make new things or rehome them to specific people. The house is almost empty and we just can't wait to have everything we need on the bus.

We are trying to break kitties of bad habits but some of the habits have gotten worse lately with all the changes in the house. They are stressed and acting out. We want them all to get along and not pee on the bus so we can take them with us. We are thinking we may have to get some of them some anti anxiety medicine to ease the transition and calm their nerves. We are following lots of suggestions to quit their squabbling and little messes. We still have two fosters up for adoption- Percy and Kitty Kitten. They would love to be together cuz they are buddies now. Percy is helping raise Kitty Kitten who was a wounded kitten eating off of our porch that Shamrock Foundation helped us with.

We have decided too that Italy, Jacek's male cat would never be happy on the bus as he has made this neighborhood his stomping grounds and loves to be outdoors. A friend of his offered to take him and let him roam his farm. We think he would love it and we will check out the farm soon to see if it is a good fit. We want to follow our dreams and have all the kitties with us. We are just not sure if they will all be happy on the bus. We still need to build some walkways for them up high along with attaching their giant cat tree in the bus. We do have two kennels in case some of them need to feel more secure while traveling. 

Speaking of furry creatures, we have a benefit for Alley Cat Advocates and Shamrock Foundation tomorrow night with Drunk & Sailor! We will be raffling off cats! (Just kidding… but maybe it's not a bad idea!) We will be giving more info about Percy and Kitty Kitten at the show to find them forever homes.

Percy, the three-legged wonder!

Kitty Kitten is a brown/gray tabby that is less than 4 months old. Adorable! We will have photos of her available at the show!

Here is the event, Fur the Love of Animals! Invite everyone!!!

https://www.facebook.com/events/470080283158891/

Birthdays, memorials and bus snuggles- oh my!

On the Friday, the 17th, we went to Angela's apartment and helped family and friends sort through her things. We took some things to Book & Music Exchange to get her family some gas money, bought a sword, took things to Goodwill and took Medusa, her beloved snake, home with us. We are ridding her of mites and trying to get her used to human touch again. Then we will rehome her. She is a lovely ball python.

That evening we went to Dragon King's Daughter (Louisville, KY) for the most delicious sushi and then across the street to Nowhere Bar for dancing. I have to say that I may have only known one song that I was dancing to. I didn't care cuz I just wanted to dance and Jacek makes the best goofy dance partner! Jennifer Watson got wiggly too. Meredith Dooley and James Michael Hite boogied for a bit before turning in. Lisa Douglas and Christopher Mills came out and shot pool with us. Lisa gave me a really fun book about gross attractions around the U.S. that we will use on our trip along with a pumpkin scented candle from Chris's work. The bus smells GOOD! And when the candle is done, I get a jewelry surprise inside. Rebekkah Trigg made an appearance with her sassy self. It was a tough day for us having gone through Angela's stuff but, we managed to squeeze out some laughs.

When we realized it was pouring rain we ran home to close the bus windows and luckily nothing really got wet except the middle where the ventilation hatch was open. It was so beautiful to see the storm through the windows and hear the rain hitting the metal roof as we slept.

We have slept on the bus 5 days now?

Saturday was the first memorial for Angela. It was really tough and I didn't expect so much honesty from everyone who shared about their experiences with her. I also didn't expect so many emotions. I had a gig later that night at Chill Bar with Jacek and Wednesday for Chill Bar's 2nd anniversary. I was trying to find someone to replace me at the gig but in the end we needed the money to work on the bus and I committed to it so, I went. I didn't think I was going to make it and prayed for rain but once I got there, I got into the groove of things and was able to smile through flaming lips.

Sunday, we went to my granny's for my birthday celebration and that was a lot of fun. My uncle Timmy cooked a delicious lunch and even though I don't eat cake, the cake was beautiful and glittery… just like us from Lisa's birthday glitter wrapping. My mom made a butterfly theme to the birthday :) My uncle made a fruit salad for me while most everyone had cake. Let them eat cake!

Then we went to yoga and really challenged ourselves. During the hip openers I got really sad and angry about Angela. I started crying after the class. I insisted we go see a movie at Village 8 since the rest of my birthday had been overshadowed by death and bus work. We got to see Mad Max Fury Road and it was sooooo cooool and badass. But seriously, what is up with the guitar dude? That is all I am going to say so I don't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it. We moved all of our props into the one empty room of the house so we could see what we have left to go through. 

Today we kicked more butt in cleaning the back room and I swept the bus out. I could sweep the bus out every day the way it collects dirt so easily from us going in and out. There is soooooo much stuff to go through. It can be overwhelming at times and we have to take breaks.

We are slowly getting the cats used to the bus and invite some of them to sleep with us at night. We have taken Percy on the bus to sleep every night except once when it was really really hot. That night we left the kitties in the house with AC. We are concerned about how the cats squabble and how it would be to take them on the bus together in the significantly smaller space. We even thought about writing Jackson Galaxy for advice and ideas on how to get them to be calm with each other and on the bus in general.

The AC was broken in the house for a few days and sometimes Jack was able to push the blade of the fan to get it going but mostly it was hot hot hot in here at 85 degrees at one point. We kept the fans going with windows open. The AC was fixed today, thank goodness! 

We still have a very talkative Percy that needs a forever home. If you are interested in giving Percy a loving, affectionate forever home, call us for a visit. 502-718-5929. If you like him, he is adoptable through Shamrock Foundation. He is a sweet 3-legger who gets along well with other cats. He may hiss from time to time but doesn't fight. He and Dexter love on each other and play hard. Percy is just about the best behaved cat I have ever met.

yard sale ready!

Today we readied ourselves for a yard sale to get rid of more stuff we can't take on the Forever Tour. Our bedroom is empty and polished clean except for this computer. We slept on the bus last night and from here out.. it was wonderful and comfortable. We have dinner on the bus every night as well and discuss travel. Tomorrow Ember turns a year older (still hot!) heeh... so we plan to eat sushi with friends and dance like crazy! WEEZE GON GIT DOWN!!! .. on a sad note Italy got an injury so i think maybe the doc tomorrow too..ugh Next step is to get the electric ready on the bus, probably with an extra battery hooked up to the alternator and plugs strung along the top interior of the bus with a plug out the back..guess we'll see. It's a learning experience. Jacek signing off!

                                                       B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y    G-I-R-L

Progress!

Hello folks! We are anxious to become "bus people". Progress is being made everyday as we try to recycle certain things that we already own to help build the bus. The painting inside is done. The sink is installed. The bed frame is ready. The cooking area is built. We added the dresser and a giant cat carrier. Whew! We still have so much more to do.. shelving, electrical plugs, toilet, mini fridge, a/c etc. Just finished caulking the windows for leaks.... just in time cause here comes the rain! Can't wait to finish and hit the road.. Jacek signing off for now! Stay tuned as we try to finish this small home within two months..

                                                Building the cooking area with a little air guitar

                                            Folding badass dining table.. re-used from old art stuff
                                                          

Bus Progress and Memorial for Angela

Despite the sadness, anger and guilt felt today over the loss of Angela, we kept pushing through the day. We worked on the bus and got quite a bit done. I teared up during bootcamp workout and sweat through the hour. Jacek sold some more of our things to help pay for the bed frame we wanted for the bus, recaulked the stairs and made time for himself. I worked on our dining room table, extra small table and some shelves and finished spray painting the stairs.

Our dining room table is a repurposed piece that has turned into several pieces. We took the long metal frame of an old buffet style cafeteria table, sliced it into two pieces and cut up a painting of mine to make two folding tables that will attach to the bus. A few shelving or cat walk pieces came out of the art piece as well.

July 17 is my birthday and I keep forgetting to make plans for it. I have been so wrapped up in the bus project, promoting the tour and grieving. Tonight I shall make some plans :)

Here is a memorial for Angela Wood if you knew her:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1605966246308182/

~Ember

Forever and More

So much has happened since we last updated.
Jacek won 2nd Place and Master of Comedy at Burlypicks.
Percy, the wonderful 3 legger kitty we are fostering through Shamrock Foundation has been cleared of any fear of FIP so, he can be around our other kitties and explore the house.

"'LORD HAVE MERCY LOOK AT LITTLE PERCY"

!!Three Legged Cat Beats Unbelievable odds! (2 Years)

PERCY IS READY FOR HIS FOREVER HOME!! This little boy's story is nothing short of amazing. When Percy was found, shattered, half broken bones were literally sticking out of his leg. The septic infection was raging and honestly the prognosis was beyond poor. But Dr. Gailor and staff recognized the same spirit
his fosters have come to love. Determined, unwavering and brilliant!!This was more than amputation. Percy remained under the care of Gailor Animal Hospital for a good 6 weeks. Just when it seemed he was out of the woods Percy seemed to go back a few steps. When his body filled with fluid we thought after all that Percy is not going to make it :(But Percy made it!!! He's Alive!! He's Thriving!! He wants to Play with the other kitties. We know awesome Laurel and Jack were temporary Angels but now Percy is ready to leave his nest. This is a just add good food, water, love and newspaper ..No....not for what you think...Percy likes to read!! :
3 Legs just makes Percy lighter on his feet and ready to waltz into your life -Please leave a message @ 244-4715 to Adopt Percy!! "

We bought a bus and on the same day sold Jacek's car for the same price!
We have been renovating our '95 Bluebird bus into an RV. We got the seats out, scrapped em (metal scrapping prices are super low now and we got $46 for 16 or 17 seats), painted the floor, made a dining area, installed a utility sink that we found for $50 on craigslist, threw away a whole bunch of stuff we didn't need and announced our…

FOREVER TOUR!
We are hitting the road with our kitties and soon one snake on our new "mobile home" starting in September. We have a few short stops between now and September that we will take in my car while we renovate the bus and get our appropriate licensure. Check out our tour dates here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1005375846147768/

At some point, we will have a bus painting party for the exterior of the bus with select artists and bands. Stay tuned!

Unfortunately, a troupe member, Angela Marie Wood, took her life this weekend. It brought all of us together for hugs and support as we had dinner with D'arcy and Adam before they headed off to Colorado. It was a very emotional weekend with tears, anger and laughter. We miss her greatly.

Fun memory with Angela aka Bad Alice backstage

Supporting the Competition

Tonight Jacek and I will go head to head in Burlypicks WHILE supporting each other's acts. That's right, he will sturdy me with a gentlemanly hand during my act and I will hand him props during his. It has been fun getting prepared for the show together, mending and creating costume pieces, practicing and giving each other tips. Now, let's see who's the best of the best!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1550500131867205/

In Casey's honor

As we are grieving, we will keep this short. Casey was on her way out on Monday, Memorial Day, and we rushed her to the vet to make sure nothing could be done. We decided on humane euthanasia as she was going but suffering greatly. We are missing her deeply. In the 19 days that we knew her, the 3 of us grew to love each other very deeply. We were glad we could give her so much love that she needed at the end of her life. We still feel her with us. We have even had some interesting hello's from her soon after her transition.
Thank you all for your support. We would do this all over again as there are so many animals out there that deserve love and care whether they are going to live 1 hour or 10 years.


Today we picked up a kitty that needed to be fostered and had been at Gailor Animal Hospital since March. His name is Percy and he has 3 legs. He had to have one amputated due to a very traumatic injury probably from a car. Shamrock Foundation will pay for anything he needs. He does have some medical issues that we need to watch out for and he has FIP. We have him in our room separate from the other cats. They will make no contact since there is a lot of controversy as to how FIP is transmitted. He is a very sweet kitty and talkative. He is strong and has no problem climbing up onto the bed to look out the window.

Casey layered in honeysuckle with a headstone
we dug into while making the grave.

We also got a call from Alley Cat Advocates today that Bruce Willis (Schrapnel) is ready to come home on Saturday. My mom can't wait to pick up her new baby!

We are taking down our GoFundMe today as we feel comfortable with what was donated plus recent soap sales and yard sale income. We appreciate all who contributed to the betterment of Casey's quality of life and the financial recovery of the vet expenses.

Jacek and Ember

Gifts from Casey

Shamrock Foundation helped us pay for Casey's recent visit to the vet. So grateful! We are on track to giving her a good quality of life for the rest of her life. We are still accepting donations to help cover recent vet expenses. Gifts are given with donations of $20 and up. If it's in your heart to donate even $5, stop by my booth tomorrow at Boomtown Festival for gifts! Or if you feel more comfortable donating to Shamrock Foundation in the name of Casey, they will gladly accept. They survive on donations!
If you want to visit Casey or send her some love, she is always down for that. Just let me know. <3
http://www.gofundme.com/caseywonderkitty
https://www.facebook.com/events/819414038150331/

Upcoming Events

Saturday, May 23, we are having a yard sale at 519 Inverness Ave, Louisville, KY 40214
If you donated to our GoFundMe www.gofundme.com/caseywonderkitty please feel free to pick up your gifts on Saturday. (We do not need stuff donated for selling. We are trying to get rid of clutter. Thank you!)
https://www.facebook.com/events/821441851267736/
Yard Sale time: 9am-at least 1pm
What we have: original art, kitchen ware, knick knacks, antiques, vintage, furniture, starter plants (mint, oregano, dill, basil, peppers, vietnamese ivy)
Price ranges: 10 cents to $250
We will bargain to a degree :)

Sunday, May 24 is Boomtown Festival in New Albany! FREE https://www.facebook.com/events/819414038150331/
1pm-10:30pm
Live music, vendors and more.
Ember will be selling her homemade soaps, upcycled clothing, balms and perfumes. She will be sharing a booth with Bad Alice who will offer handmade glass pendants and pipes.
Jacek will either be on stilts with squeezebox making animal balloons for tips or making circus music!

Friday, May 29 is Burlypicks! Cure Lounge, Louisville, KY, $15 advanced tix, $20 at the door
https://www.facebook.com/events/1550500131867205/
Burlesque & Variety Competition open to any performing arts (burlesque, drag, magic, circus arts, sideshow, music, etc). Performers go head to head to compete for CASH & prizes in front of a LIVE audience. Door 8pm Show 8:30pm
Quite a few Blue Moon Circus performers will be there competing, including us!

More Time

Since Casey has shown such spunk today and seems to be very alert with an appetite, we decided to take it a day at a time. We could hardly keep up with her this morning. I just watched "Charlie Bartlett" while she snuggled under the sheet with me. She has been on no meds today except for the small dose of Pepcid AC. I set a vet appt for her tomorrow afternoon to see their thoughts on her meds, etc. She seems much more spunky without them. But I am no expert at this. I feel a huge emotional hangover today. I didn't want to answer the door earlier but I did and a neighbor gave me $30 toward Casey's vet bill. That was really sweet.

I guess some days will be tougher than others for her and us. I am grateful she seems well today.
~Ember

So confusing

Casey is full of spunk since last night. She even climbed onto the bed which she has never done before. She spooned with us on the bed too. She used to hate being on the bed and always wanted down. She heard the birds before the sunrise and climbed onto the bed and into the window. Then she snuggled with Jacek for a good while. Then I got her and we spooned for a long time. She is very vocal and full of energy, exploring the house and getting along with the other cats. She used to hit and swat at them. I guess when you poop all over yourself, you start to give no fucks. She threw up everything she ate and had diarrhea. She used to not really mess on herself but she made a lot of messes last night. We think it was because of the morphine-like medicine we gave her. When that wore off she started throwing up and getting spunky. We have given her no meds yesterday and today besides that. Though I just gave her a bit of Pepcid AC. We would love for her to live longer. I guess she will have good days and bad days but probably not very many left. We are not sure what to do now. We are so confused.
She keeps climbing onto the bed to be near the window.
My aunt said that we don't have to put her down just because the vet thinks it would be ok. She had a cat with lymphoma that died 2 years after she was diagnosed but lost 8.5 lbs in 1.5 years. She knew it was time to put her down when she was throwing up blood and blood was in her stool too. I don't want it to ever get to that point for Casey. This is such an emotional roller coaster.
We are now thinking of keeping her a few days to see what goes on with her. Will keep you updated.

Saying Goodbye

Casey stayed overnight at Gailor with no improvement shown by this morning. We were super happy to see her and she was very expressive and lovey about seeing us too. We missed her throughout the night. Last night we started a GoFundMe since we knew we might be seeing a specialist and that the overnight hospitalization quote was between $300-500. This morning vet suggested that if we wanted to keep trying we take her to Blue Pearl to see a specialist because there was something they were just missing. Unsure if Shamrock would help us cover the bill or not, we headed to the specialist this morning as an emergency.

 I offered her canned Wellness in the car and she seemed very hungry. We were hungry too and stopped through McD's drive through. Casey was meowing at Jacek very loudly while he at chicken nuggets. Thinking my food might be a bit healthier for her, I offered her grilled chicken and she didn't want any. She kept meowing at Jack and so we peeled the outer layer off a nugget and she ate a piece! We gave her a few bites and she devoured them. We didn't care what she ate as long as she ate because she is only 4.5 lbs.

Long story short, the vet at Blue Pearl said that after an ultrasound and some blood work it appears as though Casey has lymphoma all through her GI tract with a bleeding mass. She also has pancreatitis. She said it is unlikely that it is anything else but if we want them to get a thorough sample they would have to put her under anesthesia which she might not survive. If it is lymphoma, even with chemo treatment she could live another 6 months and just drag out her pain. Also, she appears to be a lot older than we thought. In her opinion, it was not a bad idea to euthanize her but she left the decision up to us. Jacek and I both teared up and so did the vet. We took a few minutes to really decide what we wanted to do.

We decided to bring her home for one more night of chicken, garden time and snuggles and give her everything she wants. She is chilling out in the backyard now after a very stressful day. Jacek and I are preparing a space for her to be buried in the backyard after we bring her home tomorrow. Blue Pearl gave us some low dosage morphine for her to reduce her pain for the next 24 hours.

I have literally spent nearly all my money with $1.71 left in my checking and 58 cents left in my savings. It was worth it to know. Tomorrow Jacek will pay for the euthanasia.  Not a fun thing to pay for.

For those who have donated to our GoFundMe to help save Casey, we are willing to refund the money as it has not been withdrawn yet. We will keep our GoFundMe up in case someone else is willing to donate to help us recover expenses. It seems like a morbid thing to ask and yet I have no shame about it. I will offer bigger gifts in return for donations. Basically I will offer rewards at cost or below to help with the financial recovery.

I have never seen Jacek cry but today I did. He is the best partner I could ever have. He has the hugest heart and shares equal passion for circus, kitties, art, traveling, thrift stores and gardening with me.

~Ember
www.gofundme.com/caseywonderkitty

At Blue Pearl getting our snuggle on.

Outside in the garden after a stressful day.

Save Casey GoFundMe

 To help us get Casey the care she needs, please visit our GoFundMe. If you prefer to donate directly to Shamrock Foundation or Gailor Animal Hospital in Casey's name, instructions are on our GoFundMe campaign. Thank you! ~Ember and Jacek

http://www.gofundme.com/caseywonderkitty

Thank you gifts for donations include herbs grown from our backyard, homemade soap and massages!

Casey Hospitalized

Casey has been very lethargic the past two days. We took her to the vet for possible fluids and probiotics but, she lost half a pound since Friday. She now weighs 4.5 lbs. They are keeping her overnight to get fluids in her and see what they can do to pep her up. They (Gailor Animal Hospital) thinks she needs a specialist because the medicines she was on were pepping her up and now she is on a downswing. They quoted us between $300-500 and we said we will figure it out. So, expect an update shortly with a GoFundMe for Casey, the itty bitty wonder kitty.

Yoga and shtuff

Time to rub some people! Tuesdays are massage therapy days. I may add another day of the week to earn more money for the tour bus fund.

Tonight we have yoga on the waterfront. We thought we would be doing yoga at home but it sure is easier to get motivated when there is a set time and a bunch of other people doing it. Plus, trying to do yoga at home with cats crawling under you... well, actually I am not complaining. It's kitty yoga snuggle time!

Star yoga snuggles

If you wanna try out yoga or continue your practice, there is $5 yoga (pretty gentle for all levels) at the Louisville Waterfront on Tuesdays at 7pm. It is just before sundown which is nice and the big heat envelope that happens around 5pm is gone. It is at the Brown Forman Amphitheater. Bring a yoga mat or towel, some water and wear some comfy clothes that you can move in all kinds of directions in.