We found a wonderful vet. A tip - if you find yourself looking for veterinary offices, find a AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) member.
We have gotten a prescription for Advantage Spot-On treatment, and the first application was applied in the office (which we wanted, to make sure no one had a reaction). The hardest part is keeping the kitties separated for the night, but it really wasn't that big a deal.
We talked with the vet about our previous experience with the Zodiac On-Spot treatment. He was not surprised, and apparently this is common. Death is not uncommon, it appears. A quick glance at Eopinions.com has some pretty scary reviews. I'd urge anyone to skip trying this product. It's not worth the risk, and I'm praying we got it off in time.
Today we are having the house treated for fleas, so we'll be hanging out in a hotel for 4 hours or so.
I've developed a horrifying "rash" on my leg, which I previously thought was a flea bite gone bad, but now think may be poison ivy. I'm icing it periodically to stop the mad itching.
Best dinner this week - Chicken & Sausage Gumbo - and it was so good. Unfortunately I haven't yet found Andouille sausage, but I made due with some smoked beef sausage. It was surprisingly good, and I didn't miss the Andouille.
We checked out a pumpkin selling farm near us this week, which I plan to go back to the week of Halloween for pumpkins, but it was really cool. Geared toward children, there was a maze, tractor ride, hay rides, and rows and rows of pumpkins. There were also a couple of cool shops, and apparently on Saturdays, some Amish come down with baked goods. They did have homemade jam there (from the Amish), when we went, so we grabbed a jar of Strawberry Jam. I especially liked the sign saying the jam was made in a kitchen, and not regulated by the Troy food & safety standards (something to that effect). The next morning I made buttermilk biscuits for breakfast, and I have to say, that jam is excellent. This place is a definite perk of living here. I can't wait for Halloween, I'm already craving pumpkin seeds. Now we just need to find some good apple cider...
Note: It's getting much cooler at night (and I won't yet complain about the heat pump not working - thank goodness the furnace does), but the bugs a dwindling. Perhaps next year I'll have a decent digital camera and can get better shots, but for now I added a photo album: Missouri:Nature. I have added a few more pics that were not posted in the blog.
