St. Francios State Park: Bonne Terre, Missouri. September 2009

Campsite 24. The park was full this weekend.

We brought along the canoe. The Big River runs past the park.

The Big River also flows behind our house about 80 miles downstream.

The water was clear and the fish were plentiful.

However I broke my rod a week earlier so they were all safe for the week.

It started to rain on our float but it was fun.

You can't go floating without getting a little wet.

It rained late into the evening.

" Mommy, make it stop! Even a Wonder cat does not like rain."

When the rain stopped it was time to play.

He may not look like he's up very high, but that was about a 5 foot leap for Shamus.
Notice the dangling leash below the log.

Click play to watch Shamus playing in the sand.

Shamus Update

For fans of Shamus the Wonder Cat, I thought it was time for an update. Two weeks ago Tuesday, Shamus had a cardiac ultrasound (I know-a cardiac ultrasound for a cat?!!) and the news was very good. While the ultrasound did show the parallel lines consistent with an adult heartworm, it also showed that his heart was healthy & didn't have any changes in the thickness of the heart walls or chambers. Whoo hoo!

Yes, Shamus has a long way to go still-he gets to be on Prednisone for another two months. Also, it takes a year or two for the heartworms to die and when they do, they can shed particles that can trigger another experience like the last one. Worse still, they can "migrate" in his system & cause a blockage :( However, all that being said, when this first began on Friday, August 7th, we didn't think he would make it through the night. Fight on, Wonder Cat, fight on!