Hot Diggity Dog

  The weather is dull, gray drizzling and cold. My back hurts, my knee hurts and my right hand is throbbing. Arthritis? Yes, but add to that a ganglion cyst atop my hand that constantly hurts. So much so that writing this is painful. I thought about my options while in the office of my primary care giver. I decided that I could live with the pain, at that particular time it was not so bad. Things have changed. It looks like a lump that is filled with fluid. It does not move around, and I find that a little disturbing. I watch Dr. Pimple Popper, and she is always hesitant to remove bumps that are not mobile. The reason being that the growth could be tangled in delicate body parts. I remember when I was cleaning up some leftover pieces of lumber in my back yard. My husband had attempted to build a doghouse under a fort. This was some time ago, when we had children to play in a fort with a swing set attached. Though it was not too unsightly, the Saint Bernard refused to enter it despi...

  When I traded in my old phone for a new one and planned to ask for assistance in downloading photos, it was clear that there would be no useful help from the Verizon store employee. So, I am still working on it. I try different things, until the frustration makes me want to take the axe to my electronics. There are many things that I do that my husband does not care for, and he will just hold his tongue. Anything involving an axe is not among forgivable actions. So, we arrived home from our adventure in dog sitting and had only one day to prepare for company. I decided I could either clean my house or clean and prepare the RV and I chose the latter. It was family, and any messiness is overlooked. My daughter and two of her grandchildren. Zamora is 7 and Kai is 5 and they did not come equipped with volume control! Most kids that age are loud. Let's face it, most kids are loud. It was a 3-day visit and did not seem long enough and too long all at the same time. I had not seen my da...

  Mr. BoJangles here. Another road trip and I am happy to report that I seem to have gained control over my motion sickness. My mom was very happy about that! Us dogs are always up for a trip, so it was with great anticipation that we all marched out to the RV. It started out great. We went to places we had already been before. That was fine with us. I sat in the recliner next to Mom's with Eddie. Mom will keep one hand on us and pat our heads as we roll down the highway.  Toni Louise thinks she is special because she is allowed to ride in the front with her master. I am watching her! She keeps sliding out of the seat and into the floor. What is fun about that? I prefer my seat right next to Mom. While we were gone, we had to stay in the RV all day while Mom took care of 3 other dogs! She calls them her grand dogs. I bet Dad didn't think they were so great when Bowie bit him! Yes, that is what I said, Bowie bit him! I would never bite Dad .... well, unless he tried to cut my t...

  The week is coming to a close. I have mastered the feeding schedules of the grand dogs. Each one has individual needs and supplements. Max, the old guy is easy. Just put his food and water in his bowls and he will take care of it. The Frenchies? Well, Bowie is a fast eater and just as fast about taking care of his elimination needs. As soon as he is out the door and off the stoop, he pees. The grass is very dead there. As soon as Bowie eats and does his business, he goes back into the kennel while Bruno eats. Bruno likes to take his time, often stepping away from his bowl to walk about and sniff various things. To keep him on task, all I have to do is walk toward his food and he runs back over. Max has to be sequestered in the master bedroom while all this is happening. All three are food aggressive. (My dogs all eat from the same bowl and drink the same water, if they fight, they get in trouble with me. They have learned to co-exist). Bruno and Max get along and can be out toget...

  After a whirlwind trip, we are finally here, in Florida for the week. We stopped in Perry the first night and spent some time with my husband's sister and her husband. We ate at a seafood place, and I enjoyed the best shrimp I have had in some time. The next morning, we headed to my nephew's place in Pearson. It has been some time since I have seen the twins. I was surprised that they remembered me. Josiah was shy last time I was with them, but he came right up with a hug and a kiss. Jonah was the shy one this time. They were putting building blocks together. I asked Josiah what he was building, and he informed me that it was a tower. His brother, Jonah told me all the colors of the blocks, then pointed to each one and quizzed me about the colors. You know, like a cognitive test for senior citizens. They are so smart at not even 3 years old! Well, I think they are amazing. Big sister Karagahn is taking college classes and is on the dean's list. Big brother, Easton made ho...

  Yesterday was long, I held the tiny kitten close to me for warmth and comfort. I tried my best to get small amounts of formula into the kitten, careful that it didn't inhale it. Last night I took the kitten into my bed to feed. Eddie changed his attitude toward the kitten. He was jealous before, but now he wanted to help me care for it. The kitten lay on my chest, near my neck and Eddie laid his sweet head on my shoulder, nose to nose with the kitten. If only our love could have made the kitten survive. After a time, I put the kitten, still breathing, back into the bed I made for it. The heating pad was nice and warm, and I made a little hollow and put the kitten in it. I slept for a fitful hour or so and went out to check on my little charge. I was elated to hear a cry of hunger and carefully picked the baby up and offered the syringe with a drop of formula hanging on the end. To my utter delight, the kitten ate! Then peed. I was so excited, I almost woke the man from his slumbe...

  Yesterday I would have told you how healthy my kitten is. It would cry for food and then be frantic to eat. It was a joy to watch that tiny mouth fill with formula, then swallow and smack its lips. The little legs were strong, and the cry was loud. All day long I would scoop it up and present the tip of the syringe into the mouth while the kitten turned its head this way and that way looking for the source of the formula. I have been keeping the kitten warm with one of those rice bag heating pads. The kitty would snuggle down into the warm hollow of the towel covering the heating pad and sleep after eating and peeing. I was a little concerned that I had not seen any poop, but she pooped in the night, and I discovered this at the 1 am feeding. Kitty has been eating about 2 cc from the syringe. When kitty has had all it wants, it will push the formula out and onto its little face and lips. So cute, it could be a "got milk" ad. The 4 am feeding did not go well. Kitty kept push...