Today, "d" is for...

DETERMINATION!

Puppy update -- while he has been sick, Tahu has not been "vocal" -- only since he returned from his tests last week have we heard even a small whimper from him.

For those of you who do not know him, he is a big dog, and, he has a big baritone bark. He actually has many different vocal sounds depending on what is going on.

Last night at dinner time, Rick put him next to his chair -- this is where Tahu normally stays during our dinnertime. Tahu LOVES bread, and Rick gives him small pieces as we are eating dinner. I know, this is bad training on Rick's part, but Rick deals with it, and Tahu does not bother anyone else. Anyhow -- since he has been sick, he really doesn't want the bread and didn't even want to join us during dinnertime. But, last night was different. As we were eating dinner, Tahu gave a loud bark! He wanted his bread! We all laughed, and then we each got up and gave him a "good boy" hug. Then we all sat down to continue dinner -- and -- he gave another loud bark for his bread again!

But wait...

In the morning, Tahu keeps me company in the kitchen while I make Sofia's lunch, etc. Then, when it is time for me to go upstairs and get Sofia ready for school, he moves to another spot. THIS morning, I thought he was comfortable, so I left him in the kitchen spot. As I was walking upstairs, I heard some noise going on in the kitchen area and I thought the cat was pushing something around the floor. I ran downstairs, because I didn't want Tahu to eat whatever it might be -- and to my surprise...

Tahu was STANDING in the spot where he usually stays while I am upstairs! All by himself, he had stood up and walked to where he wanted to be. He looked at me the same way a baby looks at you when he/she first stands -- you know, with that kind of amazed/happy/"not sure what this means" kind of look. As I watched, he lowered himself gently and went back to whatever he does while he is just relaxing.

I don't have a picture of these amazing feats -- but I am hoping you can imagine my excitement just the same.

One step at a time, puppy. One step at a time... :-)

"d" is for...

dog...

"dyno-mita-ria" (this is the word that Nicholas made up to describe the diarrhea that the poor puppy was plagued with for a few days until we gave him prescription medication)

diagnosis...

and,

daffodils in bloom!



Puppy is feeling a bit better each day. By the end of yesterday, he had given me two "kisses" and even played a bit with his chewing toy. This morning, he was focused enough to play "catch" for a piece of food. We spoke to the vet last night about the results of the spinal fluid tests. There is no infection, so, the inflammation he is experiencing remains a mystery. His recheck appointment is in 2 weeks -- I am hoping they can lower the dosage for his medicine, and eventually take him off of it -- but for now I am thankful for his daily improvement.

March certainly came in like the roar of a lion for us this time. Perhaps it will go out like a whisper...

funky hat day...

Sofia is sporting her new peace sign fedora for the occasion. You like?

i'm home...

and feeling a bit better...

good enough to supervise this outdoor project!

We are waiting for test results to properly diagnose the cause of some inflammation. After that is fixed then we will work on the dislocated hip situation.

Hopefully we can keep moving forward... :-)

the gate is open...

This is not a treat for us. For those of you who have not visited our home (and have not dealt with the gates) let me explain. We have a totally open floorplan. I have complained about this since we chose this style for our home. It is necessary for us to limit the puppy to an area so that the piles of stuff that fall off the kids (and the hubby) when they enter the house does not get eaten by the dog. It is not my job to stand at the doorway and collect fallout -- and it is not my 24 hour job to monitor the dog. The solution has been to install huge gates. The gates limit the dog to the kitchen and family room. Whenever he hears a gate open, and then doesn't hear the gate close, he makes a mad dash for it -- hoping that he will be able to run into the rooms that are normally off limits to him. After living here for 3 years he still does this.

Hopefully he will be home soon, and I will have to close the gates again.

one step at a time...

Simple does not want to happen for us lately. We had to take the puppy to the vet hospital this morning. He is having severe leg problems.

Please keep him in your thoughts for today.

goal for the day...

...accomplished!

So, I compromised (with myself) about the carpeting in the family room. I know that I really want the wood floor with an area rug -- but -- the wall to wall carpeting installation would be so easy right now while we are working on the basement. I decided that since the existing carpeting doesn't have any stains -- I could be content with a good cleaning -- and since the other carpets need a good cleaning too -- well -- that would justify a new carpet machine purchase. So, all by myself -- I went to the store -- bought it -- brought it home -- took it out of the box -- put it together -- and cleaned the carpet. I feel empowered! It has attachments for the couch also -- so watch out -- the windows are open and the dirt will be flying out of this house!

But, since it IS Thursday -- right now I am going to play for the rest of today. :-)

the weather is improving...

And so is the puppy! :-)

Puppy update: The vet called us this morning and all of the tests they did for the puppy came back normal. His appetite has returned -- he even wants his doggy food. He gave me a little half smile with his crooked teeth for the picture -- but he's more interested in snoozing in the warm sunshine right now -- so I'll let him be.

Thanks to everyone who spent anniversary time with us and those who sent good wishes our way. Our lives are happy because of the love and support we get from you.

Time to move along and get things done that have been put on hold during this (thankfully) little setback.

As of now I'm "riding on a good wave" for the day...

eighteen years...

Time sure does fly when you're having fun. :-)

expensive dollar store purchase...

For those of you who know us or frequent this blog, by now you know that Sofia is emotionally attached to her art supplies. Even at her young age, she has a true passion about art. Over time, she has collected many, many art supplies. She continues to surprise me whenever she expresses how strongly she "feels" about some of these supplies. A few months ago I purchased 2 sets of pencil erasers at the dollar store for her. I just thought they were cute and girly -- she was thrilled with them!

Here is a picture of Sofia holding a set of them. There are 5 small pencil erasers - each attached to a small piece of hard plastic tubing -- they are stored inside the plastic tube container that she is kissing.




Here is where they ended up...



----------------------------------------------------
pencil erasers -- $1.00
1st vet bill -- $423.00
2nd vet bill -- $801.00
total cost -- $1225.00 + 2 weeks of physical agony for the puppy and emotional torture for us.

Note: This emotional torture was not shared by the cats, who, for whatever reason think it is okay to encroach upon the dog's territory while he is not feeling well. The encroachment includes drinking from his water dish, eating from his food dish, and, playing in his area. Once he is feeling like himself again, I think I will be letting him loose upon the unsympathetic trespassers. Should I warn their menacing little minds that payback time is approaching?

this week is a blurry picture...

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
~ Marcus Aurelius ~

Hopefully next week will be a bit clearer...

nine on nine...

Happy Birthday, Sofia! :-)

look over there...

Now look real close...



...springtime is on its way! :-)



I have been looking for the sunshine all week long -- and today it found me! :-) I went on a field trip with Sofia and her 3rd grade class. I had a chance to ride on the school bus, and to meet Governor Christie. Since the weather had turned in our favor, we did some walking before going inside the State Capitol Building. Along the way, another mom chaperone pointed out the Farm Bureau building. We stopped for a minute and learned that there is a quilt made by the mother of Sofia's teacher displayed inside the building. This building was not a planned stop for us, but I wanted to know more. I found out that the mom chaperone frequents this building because she owns one of the larger working farms in our area. On the other hand, Sofia's teacher has not been in this building for quite some time. Her father was a member of the State Board of Agriculture, and, her mom took part in activities related to his position. Today is the 6 year anniversary of her mom's passing. I think it was kind of nice that we were able to share the moment with her.

We were also treated with an impromptu demonstration by the security operations dogs. The teacher of our companion class is married to a member of the State Capitol Security Operations Unit -- and he was on duty while we were there.

Yes, today the world was a small, friendly place...

you guys are so funny...

The last post has 4 comments -- that's a record for this blog! Just for that, I baked some muffins to share with you.



These are carrot spice muffins. I substituted silk plain soy creamer/vinegar for the buttermilk, and, i can't believe it's not butter for the butter. I know... you don't even like carrot spice muffins -- and that whole soy thing is not for you. That's not the point. No one here eats carrot spice muffins either -- or soy. These are for me. I made them so I can actually eat them. When I woke up this morning I was a little happy and a little sad that it is already March 1st. The troops are gone -- and I am alone after 4 days of being pushed and pulled out of my regular routine. The sun is shining, and I thought I should steal a little time and make these -- you know -- before I get back into my regular routine. It took thirty minutes from start to finish -- but I'm feeling relaxed, and happy.

This was a good Monday morning treat for me. Go grab your 30 minutes -- you deserve a treat too!