almost august already ~ and zippo

 I can't believe tomorrow brings the month of August already. This summer has flown by. I know I say that every year, but really and truly - this summer has seemed exceptionally quick. Only seven weeks left of this gorgeous season - boo, hiss! Just this weekend I was out and about by Lake Michigan, enjoying the beautiful (and windy!) weather. Oh, how I'll miss this.

Some of my flowers and perennials are thriving in the heat and overabundance of rain; others have died off or look just plain terrible...pansies, lobelia, bleeding heart, a poppy plant and bishop's cap. 

 I think cone flowers can take pretty much anything.

Same with phlox. In fact, this bunch of it is in the butterfly garden and it's overtaken the butterfly bush. Poor plant's branches are creeping along the ground instead of reaching for the sky. Evening update: Brian was going to dig up some of the phlox but it was too imbedded in-between the branches of the butterfly bush. We ended up using garden clippers to clip a lot of the phlox down as low as we could go. Now the butterfly bush has some breathing room.

The tiger lilies are pretty much done. This is the last of them.

 Russian Sage is another perennial that thrives no matter what the weather. Just like with the purple coneflower and the phlox, I've never watered this plant or done anything else. 

 Prairie Wild Onion in the ditch by our driveway is in full bloom right now. This is a native wildflower that we've divided a few times. 

In other news, I'm really worried about Zippo. He was 18 in May and has been doing well for his age. His right eye started getting cloudy over a year ago and the vet said he had glaucoma. This morning when I got up, I noticed Zippo's right eye was closed. I was hoping he just got a piece of dust in his eye. Then I went to feed the cats and Zippo wouldn't eat. Huge red flag - he's normally a chowhound. I tried sticking his bowl in front of his face several times and he finally ate his food by the front door.

He then jumped up on the blue chair in the living room and promptly went to sleep. Another sign that things weren't well. He's normally pretty active after breakfast. I called the vet and they were booked solid, but the receptionist said she could try to squeeze us in between appointments.

When Zippo woke up from his nap, I gave him his catnip bag to play with. Clementine came over to investigate and Zippo started washing her and continued for a couple of minutes. It was so sweet.

Zippo saw a different vet, as our regular vet (Dr C) wasn't in. They first took his weight and he only weighs 8 lbs. 2 oz. Not good. During his young, more healthy years, he weighed 16 lbs. And at his last vet checkup less than a year ago, he weighed 10 lbs. This vet asked if Zippo was  on any medication for his glaucoma and I said no. I asked, "Should he be?" The vet said, "Yes. Glaucoma is very painful." I said, "Then why didn't Dr. C ever give him anything?" I didn't get an answer. I am heartbroken that Zippo has been in pain this long and I didn't even know it. And I'm also mad Dr C. This isn't the first time that I've had problems with him. Needless to say, I'll be looking for a new vet. 

The tech wasn't able to get blood from Zippo today - he became very agitated and the tech told me his veins were very small and "rolly", which is normal for an elderly cat. They referred me to a veterinary eye specialist, whom Zippo will be seeing on Thursday. I had to make a down payment via credit card of $198 just to keep my appointment spot. This will cover just the general exam. I have a feeling this is going to be very expensive. But when you sign up to be a pet parent, this is the risk you take. Zippo has had other things happen to him in the past - two urinary blockages and injuries - that have also cost a lot of money. We nicknamed him our Million Dollar Kitty years ago.

(Zippo with his "good" eye)

Hope you all have a good week. 

Happy August!