Saturday, September 30, 2006
Sleepy Mellowocity
I'm sleepy.
I was in a bad mood most of the day today at work. I fought it for awhile, then realized I was allowed to be in a bad mood if I WANTED to be in a bad mood, demmit! Luckily, I was in the building by myself, so I was the only one who had to deal with me.
Now I'm all mellowed out - have been thinking lots about all of the friends from my past. From early years on up, elementary school, high school, camp, college(s), various places I've lived ... all of those great times I've had with so many wonderful people. All of those people who, at some time, made me feel safe and secure. Cared about, and appreciated. I do miss them all.
I was in a bad mood most of the day today at work. I fought it for awhile, then realized I was allowed to be in a bad mood if I WANTED to be in a bad mood, demmit! Luckily, I was in the building by myself, so I was the only one who had to deal with me.
Now I'm all mellowed out - have been thinking lots about all of the friends from my past. From early years on up, elementary school, high school, camp, college(s), various places I've lived ... all of those great times I've had with so many wonderful people. All of those people who, at some time, made me feel safe and secure. Cared about, and appreciated. I do miss them all.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Good Stuff
Willow got over her upset tummy and didnt lose any weight.
****************
Riley found a baby snake to play with. Do snakes have ears? If they do, this poor little thing (?) was surely deaf by the time I discovered it. Riley was in the backyard barking ... I didnt think anything of this. After awhile, I looked out the back window but didnt see him. I looked out another window and still didnt see him, but saw Bailey and Willow lounging in the sun near the fence. I started to wonder where Riley was, and what he was barking at. They had been out doing construction on the drainage ditches and driveways, so he HAD been barking at the workers for days ... but he wasnt at his usual position.
I went out on the back deck to call him, and he came out from under the deck, then went back under and continued barking. "Oh crap!", I thought.
I called the dogs up on the deck and tried to baby gate them up top while I went down in to the yard to investigate, but they had other intentions .. they werent about to let me in the backyard without their accompaniment. I knew I was about to come across a snake, I'm an "old pro" at this now, I figured I could control all three dogs while checking out the snake.
Bailey and Willow, as predicted, gave the snake a wide berth. At first, I didnt see anything. Riley danced around and barked and finally snapped at a little wiggling worm. No ... not a worm ... worms dont slink and coil and arent colored like that. It was about 8 - 10 inches long. Info on Black Rat Snakes Looked like a baby black rat snake. Riley kept trying to pick it up. It wasnt a happy baby snake.
I knew at it's size, I had no hope of letting it slither away on it's own to a safe place. I was going to have to 'help' it. I got my shovel off of the deck and thought, "All it would take is one chop ... I can kill it ...", but I couldnt bring myself to do it. So I scooped it up on the shovel, and with a slight shiver, carried it to the woods behind my house and gave it a good toss. It was an amusing parade ... me with my shovel of slightly squirming snake, closely followed by three dogs.
I couldnt harm it. It hadnt done anything wrong, just because it was born a snake. The rat snakes serve their purpose by helping keep the rodents at bay ... it helps keep Riley from eating them and then throwing them up in the middle of the night ... and I have a respect rule that if I leave something alone, they'll leave me alone. Even spiders. I -TRY- at least.
So after I saved the snake, I gave myself time to shiver and shake ... and then pouted. I miss being a GIRL, and not having to DEAL with such things as bugs and dead animals, and snakes, and fallen limbs, and cutting grass .... it sucks to always have to be strong all the time!!
****************
Riley found a baby snake to play with. Do snakes have ears? If they do, this poor little thing (?) was surely deaf by the time I discovered it. Riley was in the backyard barking ... I didnt think anything of this. After awhile, I looked out the back window but didnt see him. I looked out another window and still didnt see him, but saw Bailey and Willow lounging in the sun near the fence. I started to wonder where Riley was, and what he was barking at. They had been out doing construction on the drainage ditches and driveways, so he HAD been barking at the workers for days ... but he wasnt at his usual position.
I went out on the back deck to call him, and he came out from under the deck, then went back under and continued barking. "Oh crap!", I thought.
I called the dogs up on the deck and tried to baby gate them up top while I went down in to the yard to investigate, but they had other intentions .. they werent about to let me in the backyard without their accompaniment. I knew I was about to come across a snake, I'm an "old pro" at this now, I figured I could control all three dogs while checking out the snake.
Bailey and Willow, as predicted, gave the snake a wide berth. At first, I didnt see anything. Riley danced around and barked and finally snapped at a little wiggling worm. No ... not a worm ... worms dont slink and coil and arent colored like that. It was about 8 - 10 inches long. Info on Black Rat Snakes Looked like a baby black rat snake. Riley kept trying to pick it up. It wasnt a happy baby snake.
I knew at it's size, I had no hope of letting it slither away on it's own to a safe place. I was going to have to 'help' it. I got my shovel off of the deck and thought, "All it would take is one chop ... I can kill it ...", but I couldnt bring myself to do it. So I scooped it up on the shovel, and with a slight shiver, carried it to the woods behind my house and gave it a good toss. It was an amusing parade ... me with my shovel of slightly squirming snake, closely followed by three dogs.
I couldnt harm it. It hadnt done anything wrong, just because it was born a snake. The rat snakes serve their purpose by helping keep the rodents at bay ... it helps keep Riley from eating them and then throwing them up in the middle of the night ... and I have a respect rule that if I leave something alone, they'll leave me alone. Even spiders. I -TRY- at least.
So after I saved the snake, I gave myself time to shiver and shake ... and then pouted. I miss being a GIRL, and not having to DEAL with such things as bugs and dead animals, and snakes, and fallen limbs, and cutting grass .... it sucks to always have to be strong all the time!!
Friday, September 08, 2006
Willow Update
A sickie dog: Willow had a rough night ... she woke me up - I dont recall what time - because she'd thrown up in her crate a few times. I let her out, and she wanted to eat grass. I cleaned up the crate, and she came inside and threw up the grass. Back outside she went, where she threw up a few more times, while I cleaned the carpet. When she was ready to come in, I put her back in her crate, where she took a nap.
That seems to have been the end of it. She drank some water, then I gave her a little bit of food when I got the other dogs up for breakfast. She kept it down ... so I gave her a little bit more about an hour later. She ate eagerly, which she doesnt usually do when these tummy problems act up ... she'll usually refuse food, which makes things worse.
She's eaten some more, drank some water, had a fairly normal day up to this point (it's about 11:30am now). I've had a huge sense of dread since the wee hours of the morning because I know if I have to take her to the emergency room for another one of these 'attacks' where she drops 20-30 pounds in a day or two ... it's highly likely that she wont be coming back. I've been trying to face that.
That seems to have been the end of it. She drank some water, then I gave her a little bit of food when I got the other dogs up for breakfast. She kept it down ... so I gave her a little bit more about an hour later. She ate eagerly, which she doesnt usually do when these tummy problems act up ... she'll usually refuse food, which makes things worse.
She's eaten some more, drank some water, had a fairly normal day up to this point (it's about 11:30am now). I've had a huge sense of dread since the wee hours of the morning because I know if I have to take her to the emergency room for another one of these 'attacks' where she drops 20-30 pounds in a day or two ... it's highly likely that she wont be coming back. I've been trying to face that.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Updates
Ernie Update: We got our feet wet. The ground is still soggy. I only saw one tree down in my neighborhood (my whole subdivision consists of two streets). I only got about an hour of sleep that night, had to keep looking out the window to watch the trees blowing around. The Boyfriend came over to make sure The Kids and I stayed safe and sound ... he slept through the whole thing. Some comfort! d;)
Tooth Update: Pain went away on it's own, I havent called the dentist yet, but yes - I do plan on it. Finances are tight at the moment, even with insurance, but it will happen in the next week or two.
Willow Update: She's off two of her meds, but still on about four. Platelet count is hovering in between 60 thousand and 75 thousand. (Should be up around 250 thousand range). Frustrating, we just keep ruling out what it's NOT ... but we've been able to lower her prednisone without the platelet count actually DROPPING, so that's a good sign. We're considering it 'stable' at the moment. She's her usual happy, gotta-eat-the-cat, loving self.
Other Update: Waterbed went away. Water is bad when it's supposed to be in a bed, and then it's not. Over the weekend, I was changing the sheets and noticed the bottomside of one of the sheets was soaking wet. I thought "Oh, please ... let it be from one of the animals peeing on it!" (SAD thought, since this doesnt happen!) Nope. One of the tubes inside the bed had sprung a leak. Never did figure out which one. TO make a long tiring story short, I drained the tubes and cleaned up the water. I took advantage of the 16-month no interest financing deal of the Select Comfort Sleep Number bed, and ordered one. I'd been looking in to those for years. I should have it next week.
I spent two bedless nights on the couch ... then, The Boyfriend brought over his bed and we put it in the spare bedroom (back corner of the house). He's going to be using a twin-sized bed that his housemate is lending him. Of course, that meant I had to clean out the back bedroom ... but it's clean now! It has a queen sized bed in it, frame, headboard, posts and all! Whee ... I have a real spare bedroom! Now I've got to decorate in there. Of course, with a queen sized bed, there's not much room for anything else .. c'est la vie.
I'll miss my waterbed tho. It was almost 11 years old, very comfy. Since it was a soft-sided waterbed, it still offered support unlike a free-flow waterbed. It was a 'safe place' ... felt kinda like a security blanket.
Tooth Update: Pain went away on it's own, I havent called the dentist yet, but yes - I do plan on it. Finances are tight at the moment, even with insurance, but it will happen in the next week or two.
Willow Update: She's off two of her meds, but still on about four. Platelet count is hovering in between 60 thousand and 75 thousand. (Should be up around 250 thousand range). Frustrating, we just keep ruling out what it's NOT ... but we've been able to lower her prednisone without the platelet count actually DROPPING, so that's a good sign. We're considering it 'stable' at the moment. She's her usual happy, gotta-eat-the-cat, loving self.
Other Update: Waterbed went away. Water is bad when it's supposed to be in a bed, and then it's not. Over the weekend, I was changing the sheets and noticed the bottomside of one of the sheets was soaking wet. I thought "Oh, please ... let it be from one of the animals peeing on it!" (SAD thought, since this doesnt happen!) Nope. One of the tubes inside the bed had sprung a leak. Never did figure out which one. TO make a long tiring story short, I drained the tubes and cleaned up the water. I took advantage of the 16-month no interest financing deal of the Select Comfort Sleep Number bed, and ordered one. I'd been looking in to those for years. I should have it next week.
I spent two bedless nights on the couch ... then, The Boyfriend brought over his bed and we put it in the spare bedroom (back corner of the house). He's going to be using a twin-sized bed that his housemate is lending him. Of course, that meant I had to clean out the back bedroom ... but it's clean now! It has a queen sized bed in it, frame, headboard, posts and all! Whee ... I have a real spare bedroom! Now I've got to decorate in there. Of course, with a queen sized bed, there's not much room for anything else .. c'est la vie.
I'll miss my waterbed tho. It was almost 11 years old, very comfy. Since it was a soft-sided waterbed, it still offered support unlike a free-flow waterbed. It was a 'safe place' ... felt kinda like a security blanket.