Catch Up

Whew.  Another big week.

Yesterday, our sweet 16-year-old dog, Daisy Mae, passed away. The house is definitely quieter without her.  We got Daisy when Shannon was 5 months old.  So hard to believe she's gone, but we're comforted knowing that she simply went to sleep, and woke up able-bodied, able to see and hear...and is happily chasing squirrels again.  Until we meet again, sweet girl.

Today, another foster family welcomed Ziggy to their home.  They seem thrilled by him, and he is happy there, too.  I sat and talked with them for about an hour, and by the time I left, he was lying on the floor, chewing a dog toy.  He is SUCH a sweet dog...it was very hard to do the responsible thing, but I know he will make someone a wonderful forever pet.

In happier news, Patrick and I took our first overnight backpacking trip! We did the Coosa Backcountry Loop.  It was "only" about 11.5 miles...but it was steep.  Some parts of the trail have a 60% incline. Oh Em Gee.  There is such a neat feeling to have everything you need strapped right on your back.  Walking and climbing through God's creation is an amazing experience.  Our biggest highlight was seeing a flying squirrel!  We were shocked by it, and haven't stopped talking about it.  The "worst" part was that it was FREEEEEZING the night we were out.  Literally, the temperature was 25 degrees, with windchills to the low teens.  We loved it, but I think we're gonna wait til a little later in the Spring (when things are warmer at night) before we do it again, lol!!!

This has been our Spring Break week.  It's been full of highs and lows...but mostly it's been full.  I just need to keep counting my blessings.

Happies and Crappies

Hoo-boy, it's finally Friday.  That means it's time for Happies and Crappies...hosted by the lovely Sarah and Stephanie.  Let me know if you participate, so I can come read about your week!

This week was unreal.  So many things happened that COULD be on the crappy list, but then managed to have a happy ending.  My heart has been both broken and overjoyed this week. I'm exhausted.

Happies

• I had two big tests at school this week, and both went really well.  I passed my vital signs practical exam, and got a 92% on my Cultural Diversity midterm.
• My sweet chihuahua Rosie had a terrible health scare on Tuesday night.  It was either a terrible 2-hour seizure, or a stroke.  I honestly believed that she was dying.  Blessedly, she came out of it, and is here with us...her happy Rosie-self.
• I found a stray dog in the highway on Saturday afternoon.  I brought him home (to keep him safe), and we fell in love with him.  He is *the best* dog.  We decided that if his people didn't come forward that we would keep him.  Then, after Rosie's health scare, we decided we just couldn't commit to a new-guy.  We have agreed to foster him until Tuesday, and then he'll go to another foster family.  Oh my heart.
• Today was the last day of school before Spring Break.

Crappies

• I'm choosing to look at the good side of Rosie's health scare, but oh my God I was so scared and sad at the prospect of losing my girl.  It was awful.
• Deciding to give up Ziggy (the stray) was so hard.  He fits in so beautifully here...but it's not fair to our other dogs, nor is it responsible for us to over-commit ourselves to another pet at this time.  I am happy though with how it's turned out.
• We were expecting a several thousand dollar tax refund.  Our refund was deposited this week, and we discovered that we'd made a mistake on our return.  We got $800 back.  This was a punch to the gut. We've been planning on that money, and as full-time students on financial aid could REALLY use it.  But we will survive.

I'm worn out.  This week was really tough.

Fur-Baby update

Rosie is home and very much more Rosie-like. She stayed overnight at the emergency vet for fluids and observation. Patrick and I are taking her to our regular vet at 3pm to follow up.

Rosie's emergency made us realize that by keeping Ziggy we would be over-committing ourselves. I went to the Humane Society this morning, and we will be fostering him until Tuesday. I met the lady who will then be his foster mom until his forever family can be found. Our local humane society is a NO KILL shelter, so Ziggy will be loved.

And now...my heart needs a hug. This is hard.

Roller coaster of a day

Oh Em Gee.  This day took me for a ride.

This morning I got a call from a lady who says she recognized Ziggy's picture as her neighbor's dog.  She took the people our phone number, but they didn't speak English very well.  Apparently they said they'd get someone to call us.  We're really happy that maybe we've found his family and can reunite them...but then...we LOVE him and want to keep him forever.  Of course if they come forward, we will give him back.  But of course, now (skipping to the end of the story, lol)...it's been 15 hours since that lady called, and we  haven't heard anything.  I don't know what that means.  If my dog was lost, and someone (even speaking another language) told me where to find her?  I'd be there in a heartbeat.  So...IDK.

Then I had midterms at school.  First, I took my vital signs practical exam, which means I had to demonstrate all the steps of taking and recording vital signs and anthropometric measurements.  I was nervous about it, but did fine.  Then, literally with 2 minutes in between, I went right into my Cultural Diversity in Healthcare midterm. It was HARD.  Like, really HARD.  I was super relieved to get a 92% on it.

So we get home tonight and play with the dogs, and eat dinner.  Some time about 8pm, we look at Rosie (our black and white chihuahua) and realize she doesn't look right.  She's kind of twitching and her face looks weird. One of our other dogs has occasional seizures, so we thought maybe she was having one.  But, it just didn't stop.  When I tried to have her bear weight, her legs were all floppy, and her eyes were twitchy, yet didn't seem to be seeing.  It was so scary. She was so out of it that I literally thought she was going to die right there on my bedroom floor.  We took her to the emergency vet to see what was wrong.  I could think of NOTHING that might have a happy ending.

The doctor agreed that her symptoms were neurological.  We decided to run blood-work to see if maybe she had an infection.  She did also have a fever. I was praying and praying it was an infection, because the other things he mentioned...brain tumor, stroke, organ failure...are just too sad to even consider.

About the time the blood-work processed, Rosie began to perk up on her own.  She was able to walk, and recognized me.  She even stood up on her hind legs (I was sitting in a chair) for me to lift her up.  Talk about tears of relief.  The doctor is still unsure what has happened.  She could have had some weird seizure, or even a TIA.  It *could* be a one-time thing that she recovers from and we won't have to worry about again...or, it could be the beginning of something awful. She is staying overnight at the hospital for observation and fluids.  Would you please say a prayer for my girl?

No chip

New-Guy does not have a microchip. We've decided that we will keep him. If his people turn up, great...we're happy to reunite them. If they don't, great...he is a GREAT dog, and fits in well with our crew. 

We're calling him Ziggy.

Another dog!

I had some excitement yesterday. 

I was driving home from picking up my Jeep...it's FINALLY fixed. I haven't been driving it since before Christmas. 

Anyway, I was driving home, happy...when I almost hit a dog! It was right in the road...and little! I pulled over to see if he'd come to me, and he ran further up the road. I felt vested, and he was SO small, I decided to see if I could get him. (If my littles ever got out, I *hope* someone would try to help them.) 

So, I was running up the shoulder of the road. Other cars were slowing and stopping, trying to help. Another girl got out and was helping. Finally (after about a half-mile), we got him to where we could pick him up. Now what??? The girl assumed he was mine, since I was running after him. 

I brought him home, and set him up in the garage with blankets, a kennel, food, water, etc. We've put up "FOUND DOG" posters, I posted on all of our local FB pages, and contacted the local humane society and some local vets.  If he's still here on Monday we'll take him to our vet to see if he's microchipped. 

We never in a million years thought we'd consider ANOTHER dog, but with Daisy sooo old, honestly, if we kept him, it won't be too long before we're back to the number we're used to. So. We have a dog in our garage. We're trying to find his people...but we might end up keeping him.  (And oh...I'm totally counting that run down the road (probably a mile round-trip, in Toms shoes, and short sleeves, in 34 degree weather) as my workout for the day.)

Here are a couple pics of him.  Yes, his tongue always does that...he's missing teeth on that side. The picture of him in our garage is from yesterday, right after I brought him home. He was very skittish, and pretty much hiding behind Patrick's toolbox.  The second picture is from today.  Sound asleep in our kitchen while I did homework.  I think he has relaxed. (Modesty flower added for your comfort.)

Happies & Crappies

It's Friday again, friends!  Time for Happies & Crappies...hosted by the lovely Sarah and Stephanie. I have a good time each week, so I thought I'd participate again!

Happies

• I had a first this week.  I dyed my hair red!!! I've NEVER dyed it before, ever!!!  It's a little spotty in places, and some areas are a bit redder than others, but overall I love it!
• Shannon had her piano recital on Saturday, and did a fantastic job.  She is now her teacher's oldest student, which means her 
• Feeling a bit more "together" this week.  
• Racing (NASCAR) season is underway.  My hubby is a big fan, and I like seeing him so happy.

Crappies

• Can't think of anything! Awesome!

Still continuing the trend of more Happy than Crappy.  Yay!