The cats of San Juan

The Old City of San Juan once had a problem with rats. The solution was cats... until the cat population got out of hand. Some people advocated capturing and killing the cats, but a group of volunteers lobbied for permission to trap, neuter, and vaccinate the cats instead. This group has successfully done so with 95% of the feline population and, in addition, have set up feeding stations along the path beside the walls of San Juan. While ambling along this beautiful pathway overlooking the ocean, visitors can see the cats - and the iguanas - of San Juan. Here are just a few of the cats who've been rescued by Save A Gato.

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Snorkeling on Saint Thomas

I believe this is what you call a "sea selfie"???

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World's best meatloaf recipe (Wordful Wednesday this week...)

Start with a bowl.
A big one.

For the meatloaf, assemble the following ingredients:

• 2 .lbs ground beef
• 1 lb ground sausage
• 1/2 sleeve of finely crushed Saltines or Ritz crackers
• 2 eggs
• 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C ketchup
• 1/2 C finely chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 C finely chopped onion

Note: I used a red bell pepper - I find them a bit sweeter and I like the color.

Once assembled, mix everything together well. The best way to do it is to use your hands.

Place the well-mixed ingredients into a baking dish. (Note: for me, it seems to take longer to bake when the dish has steep sides.)

Bake for 1 hour in an oven which has been preheated to 350.

While baking, blend together the topping:

• 1 C ketchup
• 1/4 C brown sugar

(Note: I always double the quantities listed above. DH likes plenty of the sauce! And so do I.)

After baking, pour the grease off of the loaf and spread the topping over the meat generously. Place pan back in the oven for 15 minutes to bake, then let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

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Stop looking at me!!!

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The many faces of Louie

 

And finally... an "un-face"

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This is what hope looks like.

It may not look like much to you....until you learn who gave it, how it was given, and who received it.

You've no doubt heard of stem cells being used to treat a variety of diseases, especially cancer. These days, most stem cells are obtained through lines placed in the veins of our donors, then run through a special machine which selects the stem cells and returns the remaining blood to the donor. We can also use umbilical stem cells (obtained from the placenta after the baby has been born). And then we also occasionally use cells obtained from the donor's bone marrow while he is under general anesthesia.

The photo you see above was taken during an infusion of stem cells. That precious drop of red stuff you see is teeming with stem cells. The little bag you see contained more than 1,000,000 stem cells... cells which, in this case, are filled with love. Because this is what one family is relying on... along with their strong faith in God... to bring about a cure. One man sharing hope with another through the gift of bone marrow which is packed with cells to help his brother regain his health.

Mom, wife, recipient, and donor

This family is typical of those helped by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). And research funded by the LLS is used to develop cures for blood cancers as well as treatments to improved the quality of life of patients such as these. I've spoken about the work of the LLS in a couple of posts recently. (See here and here.) They've got a fundraiser going on for just a few more weeks. I'd like to ask you to consider donating to support the great work they do. Please click here and donate. I would appreciate it, and so would the folks pictured here.

PS - if you're a stem cell transplant survivor, here are a site you might want to investigate: Bone Marrow & Stem Cell Transplant Survivors Club (on Facebook). And know that I'm wishing you good health and a great life!

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The endless variety of orchids

 

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