Quick update

Just a quick update before getting ready for work. I didn't take Cheyenne to the vet for a treatment for heartworms. She is still having diharrea and was put on an antibiotic Monday. Vet said we have to get the cleared first. He also said she could possibly live a normal life w/o treatment but it was a chance just like the treatment. So, I have a little more time to decide what to do. She seems to be doing much better. Her appetite has picked up and her energy level is getting almost back to normal.

The teen outing was postponed due to temperatures. I think it was because the adults coming didn't want to be out in the cold (16 degrees). The kids would have been ok. Anyway, after being up for 30 something hours getting ready for them and working, they didn't come. But we had the grands so our weekend was still a very busy one.

I am totally and completely exhausted. Have you ever been so tired you can't go to sleep or rest? I find myself in that state today. I got up yesterday at 7AM to clean my house and get ready for the 27 teens who were to descend on my house at 4 this afternoon. Around 2PM yesterday, I got a call from the Nurse Manager of ICU. She begged me to come work 7p to 7a last night/this morning. I didn't have the heart to tell her no, (especially after she told me I would be getting bonus pay - $5 an hour over my base pay and the shift diff.).

By the time I finished cleaning the living room (which is where I was when she called), and fixed us some dinner, I didn't have time to take a nap before going in. So, I worked 7p to 7a this morning. We stayed pretty busy, so I didn't get too tired until around 5AM. When I got off work, I had to go by Tara's to get the grand kids clothes (they are spending the weekend with us). They wanted me to take them to school. So, I did. Got home fell onto the bed, clothes and all and tried to sleep. Tossed and turned for awhile and decided to get up. Took a shower, changed clothes and have just finished cleaning the house (it is 3:30). Sitting here, waiting for Mike to get home with the kids, will go to the store and grab a few things. Get ready for the teens and will probably crash big time just in the middle of everyone having a great time.

They won't really care as long as I get up in the morning and make the homemade biscuits they were promised. Hope you day wasn't as hectic and we ALL get some rest this weekend. See ya Monday.

Tough decisions

My favorite dog has always been a border collie. I think they are the prettiest dogs in the world and most of the time one of the smartest. I have now owned 3. The first was the prettiest of the 3 (altho #3 is just as pretty). Zach was the first. He was so sweet and loveable. He was registered and the perfect border in coloring and temperment. Unfortunately, he was killed down on the highway. He had followed Mike down to get the mail and jumped after a squirrel and was hit. That liked to have killed me.

Then there was Dakota. I was so torn up over Zach's death that Mike found me another border. He came from a Championship line from way back. His father was an international champion. He was a spotted border, looked more like an Austrialian sheperd to me than a border collie. Mike payed more for him than he was worth. He was absolutely the dumbest dog I have ever seen. He was also hit on the highway. I wasn't as upset about that, altho I don't like to see any pet die that way. I did not miss him the way I missed Zach.

I decided that was enough for me. I couldn't take having any more pets as long as we lived near a busy highway. Mike heard of a young couple that had border pups for sale. I didn't want to go see them (I'm a sucker for a baby of any kind - except the reptile families). We were going somewhere and he started going the opposite direction and when asked where he was going, he said,"I want to show you something." I didn't know he had already gone and seen the puppies. We got over there and these kids had about 5 puppies left. The runt of the litter came right to me and she looked almost just like Zach. She is of course much smaller but she has turned into the most loving dog I have ever owned. She was easy to train (except for wanting to jump on you to be petted). She is truly my dog. She stays right at my side. I decided she was not going to stay outside. I couldn't handle having something happen to her. Most of the time she has been inside.

Last Spring a guy at work brought some puppies to the hospital and within 45 minutes all of them were gone. Like I said, I am a sucker for babies, so I took one. She is a beautiful dog. Half Chocolate Lab and Shorthaired something (can't remember what). We kept her inside as a pup for awhile. She would not train to potty outside. I put her in the pen out back when the weather got warm. I let Cheyenne (my border) out one morning and when I called her to come back in, she didn't come. I panicked. I called and looked for her everywhere. She had somehow gotten into the pen with the puppy. I left her there while I went to work. The next morning, I took her out, cleaned her up and put her back in the house. Well, she kept getting into the pen with the pup. So, I decided to leave her there.

Last Friday when I got home from work (about midnight), I was greeted by both dogs. I opened the door to set my things in the house and both of them scooted into the house (nasty from being in the pen). I called Cheyenne and she came to me but Boots would not and kept looking like she wanted to squat and poop on the floor. In the commotion, Mike awoke and helped me get them out and back into the pen. The next morning they were out again. So, I brought Cheyenne in and cleaned her up to stay in the house. Mike took her to the vet Monday to be checked out and get her rabies vaccine.

Here in lies the decision - which in essence has already been made. The vet told us she has heart worms. Any one who has owned a dog or cat knows, heart worms will kill your pet. The problem is, the treatment can also kill them. They treat with a chemo type medicine that kills the heart worms and it generally takes two (very expensive) treatments and could take 3. The dog has to stay very still for 2-3 days after the treatment because the dead worms could break free kind of like a blood clot and go to the dog's lungs and kill it. Cheyenne didn't cost that much to buy but she has come to mean so much more to me. I would not be able to watch her slowly die from the compression of her heart by the worms but I am also afraid of the treatment. She will get her first treatment this coming Monday. Keep us in mind and I will let you know how she does.

One note - Hannah was here when I cleaned Cheyenne up Saturday and she "helped". Kept telling Cheyenne what a good dog she was. After getting her bathed and dryed, I told Hannah we needed to take her outside to pee. She said she wanted to hold the lead ( I helped). She took the lead and told the dog to "giddy up" to go outside.

Prayer

I read Greg's post about prayer and it touched a chord with me. When we say grace and Hannah is with us, she always says the prayer. It is not your normal "GOd is great" prayer of a 3 year old. She takes her time and prays for everything. One time she was saying the prayer and said,"and God, please take care of Jesus." I got tickled but then I thought how sweet.

Last Sunday morning at the alter time, she asked if she could go pray. I told her to go ahead. She walked into the aisle and then asked me to go with her. We went to the alter and knelt down to pray. I said a prayer and she said hers. She got through before me and got up and went back to her seat. After service, someone asked why I let her do that. I told them I would never stand between her and God. She is learning to talk to him with the innocence of her age and I pray she will always talk to him out of a heart of innocence and trust. To hear her pray makes me ashamed of some of the prayers I have said.

Hunting with Pawpaw

5 years ago Mike started a tradition with our grandchildren (even though we only had one then). When Haley was 3 years old she wanted to go hunting with her Pawpaw. We took her to the store and bought her hunting clothes, shoes, and cap. She told her Pawpaw that she needed black sunglasses so the snakes couldn't see her. Then she proceeded to walk into the woods with her Pawpaw the hunt. That first year he taught her how to be quiet in the woods and watch for deer. They stayed out for about 2 hours. When she got tired, she asked if she could lay down in his lap. They came back with Pawpaw in hog heaven.

When she was 5 years old, she got a BB gun for Christmas. She went hunting with her new gun and learned gun safety and how to shoot. Pawpaw had to put her a "sling" on it so it would be like his gun. She has been out with her Pawpaw at least once since she was 3. This has been their special time. This year they were practicing shooting. She shot through the center of a can at 15 feet with her BB gun. We have the can to keep.

This year started a new tradition. After his time with Haley, it was time to go out with Hannah (now 3). She got upset because she couldn't take Haley's gun but we explained to her that Haley didn't get to take a gun until she was 5. That helped settle her. She said she was going to be hunting for Cheeta's, and goats. She took her "camonica" (hamonica) so she could call the "cheeta's" to her. They were out about 20 minutes. Pawpaw said she had enough and wanted to come back. She chattered the whole time they were out. Mike said he didn't know if he was going to be able to teach her to hunt. I told him it wasn't about hunting, it was about spending time with her Pawpaw and sharing the outdoors. So, let her talk and take her "camonica" with her. He's building memories with her.

A few thoughts for 2007

These are not mine - just borrowed.

Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid some day, lying in a hospital dying of nothing.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

In the 60's people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make them normal.

We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located among millions and millions of cows in America. But, we haven't got a clue as to where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of immigrations.

A 3 year old who weighs over 100lbs

We kept the children Monday as school was closed for Martin Luther King day. Hannah came into the bathroom as I was attempting to do something with my hair. She pulled out the scales (which she calls a clock) to see how much she weighs. She stood on the edge and said, "I weigh 30lbs." She then proceeded to weigh different parts of her body. She sat on the scales to weigh her bottom "20lbs", she got a little irritated when she couldn't get just her little finger to weigh (which eventually she said weighed "15lbs"). Next came her elbow, one foot, a hand etc. She then bent over and put her head on the scale and said, "Memama, how much does my head weigh?" When she was through she wanted to know how much did "all of me weigh?"

She is the most fascinating child I have ever had the joy (and frustration) of loving and observing. A friend at church says we are going to have an exorcism (spelling?) on her 13th birthday. We have to be careful where we sit on Sundays, she is too much entertainment for some. She doesn't have to say a word to have you in stitches. I am so glad God decided this little handful was to be a part of our family.

Saw MD today. Will have to see a neurologist about the face thing. My doc took the nodule off the top of my head (now the kids can't call me a knot head). Everthing else seemed to be ok. Not much else going on, so this is one of those meaningless blogs. Have a great weekend.

Greg would say my priorities are in the wrong place but I just haven't had the time (or energy) to do much blogging lately. I have all good intentions but just wear down before I include that in my daily doings. It is almost the middle of January and I still have a house that looks like Santa spewed Christmas all over it. I hope to get this put up and out of the way by tomorrow evening and then my house CLEANED by Saturday.

I spent today with Mike. He had to take a mobile lab back to Decatur and I asked if I could ride with him. He took me by Mom and Dad's grave site. I haven't been back there since we laid Mom to rest. It was emotional for me, but I was glad I went there.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. I am continuing to have seizures of the facial nerve and I learned recently that these types of seizures can lead to generalized seizures. So, I'm going to see if there is something that can be done before it progresses to that point. The seizures have gotten to the point it looks like the left side of my face is trying to jump off.

Will let ya know sometime tomorrow what the doctor says. Maybe tomorrow night.

New Baby

Mike and I became great grandparents yesturday at 4:30PM. We are not old enough to be great grandparents (actually we are - but our children aren't old enough to be grandparents). Our daughter, Tara and son Buddy (her husband) became grandparents yesturday. Buddy's son and daughter-in-law (our step grandchildren) became parents. We have an 8lb 5oz, 21 inches long little boy named James Peyton Moss. I haven't seen him yet, will be on the way to the hospital in just a bit, but hear he is beautiful. I really wish I could have been there yesturday, if only to see Hannah's reaction to becoming an aunt. Tara said she was beside herself. I had told her and Haley that as an aunt they have the priviledge of spanking Peyton when he misbehaves. Maybe I shouldn't have let Hannah in on that tidbit of info. We will have to watch her like a hawk to make sure she doesn't "spank" him while he is little. You never know how that one takes things.

On the other baby we have been anxiously awaiting, we are still awaiting placement. We are hoping the baby will be placed with Teri and Josh sometime this month. If not this month then we will be into March - as the chinese government suspends things in the month of Feb. Even if they are placed in Jan, if flight plans are not made rapidly, it will still be March before they can fly over there. Keep the prayers going.

Otherwise, we are all fine and doing in the new year what we did in the old - WORKING. See ya later.